Animal Advocate and Author Leesa Rowland Author of the Book:Discovering the IT Factor Within You:(Guest Blog) And A World-wide Give-Away!

Would if animals held the key to us developing our Charisma

and unlocking our true potential?

Author Leesa Rowland biggest passion in life is animal advocacy.  She has been active with national non-profit organization Last Chance for Animals since 1989 and is the founder and president of the New York non-profit group Animal Ashram. “Dogs being killed daily at local shelters because they cannot find a home needs to stop. It’s about the soul, not the breed,” says Leesa.

When writing her new release ‘Discovering the It Factor within You’ Leesa talks about how you as an individual can develop your charisma and find your “inner light.” What sets this book apart from other books that focus on Charisma is she also writes about animals and how they are charismatic and how this benefits us.

Leesa says bestowing love towards our dogs and treating animals humanely gives us better karma and, in turn, we build stronger charisma. Many dogs are military heroes, track-missing children and have saved people from dying. They are guardians to the blind. Dogs really steal your hearts with their unique personalities, charm, charisma and poise. The benefits Dogs provide to humans are endless; they deserve to live a beautiful life after all they help lead us in finding our true passions and talents.

Leesa Rowland is determined that dogs and other homeless animals will have shelter in New York City. Her dream is to build a physical Animal Ashram in New York. It will combine yoga, meditation, eastern healing techniques, spiritual workshops, metaphysical books and films with an actual animal rescue. The animals and people will be great companionship for each other and will aid in finding permanent and foster homes for a variety of homeless pets.

Leesa's research found that many charismatic people are not necessarily beautiful or handsome, true charisma comes from within, and if you believe that charisma is inside you it can be developed. This book includes the spiritual and religious aspects of charisma, not just the science.

Throughout the book Leesa Rowland provides examples and shares simple steps on how you can discover and develop your inherent charisma and personal and authentic uniqueness.

Individuals like Chris DeRose worked hard to develop their “It Factor.” Chis DeRose was born June 28, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York, is the founder and president of the national animal rights nonprofit it Last Chance for Animals. Many charismatic individuals have made a positive impact on the world.

A portion of the proceeds of each book will be donated to the New York animal welfare nonprofit, Animal Ashram.non-profit organization. This is a book that you can definitely share with your friends and your pets!

Leesa Rowland is committed to the well-being of animals. She is an actress, author and animal advocate. She is primarily known for her role as Victoria in Troma Entertainment’s “Class of Nuke ‘Em High,” parts 2 and 3; Starz Channel’s “Return to Nuke ‘Em High”; and as Phyllis in Travis Campbell’s thriller “Slaughter Daughter”.

Discovering the It Factor within You is available on her website, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Give-Away!!!!!!

This Giveaway is open Internationally.
No purchase necessary to enter the contest.

PRIZES 1 One Winner will each receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal Cash.
PRIZES 2 One Winner will each receive a Free Copy of the book Discovering the It Factor in You.

Entering is easy!! Just enter on the Rafflecopter below, good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Out-of-the-Box Thinking on Outdoor Cats A Guest Blog By: Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States

Cat advocates, wildlife conservationists, legislators, and public health representatives have long struggled with the issue of managing outdoor cats. And it’s no small matter, since there could be as many as 40 million community (feral and stray) cats now living in the United States, of which just two percent are sterilized and vaccinated.

As perhaps the only group in the debate with dozens of staff devoted to protecting companion animals and also to protecting wildlife, The HSUS believes in humane control where cats are trapped humanely, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and then returned (TNR) to the communities in which they were found. For decades, we’ve been encouraging people to keep their cats safe indoors. We work with local and state lawmakers across the country to implement policies supporting TNR, and just last year, we helped more than 46 localities pass policies to eliminate barriers for community cat programs, including North Chicago, Ill., Pinellas County, Fla., Aiken, S.C., Pima County, Ariz., and Fort Wayne, Ind.

Photo Courtesy of the HSUS

In Rockville, Md., near our headquarters, local lawmakers are now considering changes to their animal care ordinance, to make clear that TNR programs are allowed and encouraged. Several state legislatures, including Arizona, Montana, New York, and Virginia, are also currently considering bills that would clarify the legality of community cat management practices. Now, The HSUS has put together a practical guide, Managing Community Cats; A Guide for Municipal Leaders, to help lawmakers with all of the information they need to implement effective cat policy, and to provide cat advocates with a tool they can use to approach policy makers.

As the guide reminds us, cats are already present in most communities, in droves, and reproducing more each day. The question now is between having unmanaged populations of cats, or managed ones. Lethal management is no longer an option being discussed because it’s an approach that has been tried for decades and has failed. Animal service agencies and organizations do not have the resources necessary, or the philosophical bent, to effectively remove tens of millions of cats.

We also know that most people care about cats and want to see them treated humanely. Polls show that the majority of citizens support non-lethal programs for cat population control, and a significant portion of the public, approximately 10 to 12 percent, already feed community cats and can be motivated to help support non-lethal programs. These caretakers constitute a large and indispensable volunteer labor force working to reduce the numbers of cats outdoors, and they would never participate in a round-up-and-kill approach.

At The HSUS we advocate for all animals and we share the deep concern for the impact of outdoor cats on wildlife. But it is important to remember that neither cats nor wild animals are well served by a polarized, divisive, and expensive “cats vs. wildlife” controversy. Instead of further division, we advocate for collaboration and discussion on our shared common goal of fewer unowned, outdoor cats. Innovative programs are popping up across the country, like the Catio Tour in Portland, Ore., a joint program of the Portland Audubon Society, and the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon. Increased spaying and neutering and heightened public awareness of the need to keep owned cats indoors are also making a great difference.

Finally, we focus on best practices and new research to make the practice of TNR as effective as possible. By connecting organizations, sharing information, networking and providing access to thought leaders in the field through our Rethinking the Cat Symposia series and other trainings, we’re helping to improve these practices on the ground and in neighborhoods across the country.

For everyone concerned about cats, as well as the animal care and control agencies, shelters, rescues, and TNR organizations that have a major stake in effective cat policy, we encourage you to get involved and speak up for non-lethal and effective programs. Get our Managing Community Cats; A Guide for Municipal Leaders, and use it to motivate change in your community and help reduce the number of unowned, outdoor cats.

Blog The Change: Making a difference for feral cats: a Guest Blog by Phil, "The Cat Guy"

FROM CAT CHAT: I am  proud to be a supporter of  the efforts of www.BtC4animals.com where bloggers come together to help animals in need and/or to showcase causes, stories about animals that are close to our heart and about PEOPLE  who  are making a difference.

I am a "cat hobbyist", a "cat enthusiast", as many of you are. I am not the end-all be-all authority on MANY issues and never pass myself off as being one.

When I want to feature animals, news or stories that I am not an expert in,  I  share blog posts with you by others who in many cases ARE authorities in specific areas that I am not,  or have first-hand knowledge and experience about  issues and stories that I may not have. Today, I am proud to present to you, one of these people! I am excited and honored to present to you today, "Phil, The Cat Guy"

Making a difference for feral cats

For most of my life I somehow never noticed homeless cats. I'm not really sure how I managed this, maybe I just assumed outside cats must belong to someone or maybe I subconsciously just didn't want to see them. That’s all different now since a homeless black cat appeared in my yard and eventually entered my heart and opened my eyes to the world of trap, neuter and return of feral cats.

In late 2010 I noticed a skinny black cat who kept coming around my yard. I didn't think much of it at first because free roaming cats come and go, but this one seemed hungry and skittish. I often saw him trying to find shelter from the constant rain and cold of the Seattle winter. Seeing his plight tugged on my heart and I started putting food out for him. Soon after that, I built him a covered place to eat and two fully insulated and heated homes in my yard (one for him and one for any guests he may have). He approved and immediately moved in. Over time he learned to trust me and eventually let me touch him. He's now known as Oliver.

Right from the start I wanted to get Oliver neutered but I wasn't sure how to go about that. I spent hours online reading information on how to trap feral cats. I built a drop trap and purchased my first humane live cat trap. I somehow found the courage to trap him, brought him to my local vet and had him neutered. When he was recovered from his ordeal, I released him back into his yard. That all went fairly well for my first Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) experience.

Less than two weeks later I happened to glance out the window and saw three additional black cats in the yard!  They were all friendly with Oliver and looked identical to him—Oliver had invited his family over to share in his good fortune. Suddenly I needed to figure out how to trap three cats at once and get them altered.

It was exactly at this time that I read a blurb in the Purrfect Pals (my amazing local cat shelter) newsletter advertising a class on how to trap feral cats. The timing could not have been more perfect! I jumped at the chance and learned a ton about how to trap feral cats for TNR. The class was taught by the Community Cat Coalition, which is a collaboration of independent TNR people and several local cat shelters and rescue groups who together train and mentor people in the ways of TNR. I met some amazingly helpful people who talked me through every step of successfully TNR'ing my backyard feral colony.

Since learning the basics of TNR, I have had the opportunity to trap another feral in my backyard as well as to assist other people in the community in trapping feral cats. This past August I coordinated a TNR project that spanned a city block. In the end we trapped and altered 20 feral cats (6 males, 14 females and 14 of the 20 were kittens!) and we educated the neighborhood about the benefits of TNR.

Thanks to Oliver I have learned that one person can make a significant difference in bettering the lives of homeless cats. And thanks to the Community Cat Coalition I have learned that a team of individuals and groups working together can make an even bigger difference.

Oliver and his family continue to happily occupy my yard. Oliver has become quite friendly with me, but sadly he continues to urine mark and so remains a mostly outside cat. His family remains quite feral and they don't let me near, but I enjoy watching them and occasionally playing 'chase the red dot' (laser pointer) with them through the window. I like knowing they no longer need to worry about finding food or a safe place to sleep as they all have heated and secure places here. 

I recently started BackyardTNR.com, a site where I chronicle my TNR adventures, share helpful information about TNR and host a live streaming webcam of my backyard ferals. I also write about my indoor cats and all things cat on my fourwhitepaws.net blog.