Heights Pets

PetPeople, a Columbus-based pet supply retailer, will open a new University Heights location on Friday, April 15, at 13932 Cedar Road in the Cedar Center South Shopping Center.

The store, PetPeople’s eighth in Northeast Ohio, carries natural pet foods, treats and supplies, and features two self-service dog wash/bathing areas.

As part of its grand-opening celebration, from Friday, April 15 through Sunday, April 17, the University Heights store will donate 10 percent of its sales to Friends of the Cleveland Kennel, supporting the City Dogs Cleveland program.

Cleveland Heights resident Joi Moss and her cat Killa have a chance to become viral video stars. Out of thousands of video submissions, theirs has been selected as a semifinalist in the category of Rescue Cat for “The Friskies”—an annual award show for the “best new Internet cat videos.”

Killa, whose full name is Killer Jermain Goode, is a 12-year-old rescue cat. Killa has “quite the personality,” according to Moss, and thinks he owns the neighborhood—often lounging on neighbor’s patios and porches. Killa hates skunks, other cats (even his sister Missy), and—as demonstrated in his entry video—hands.

To view Moss and Killa’s video, and to cast a vote to help them move on to become finalists in the competition, go to https://www.thefriskies.com/Entries/Watch/Old-Man-Cat-loves-life-hates-hands.

University Heights joined with Richmond Heights and the City of South Euclid to form a collaborative. The cities now share an animal warden. Finding homes for homeless animals has been the work of the South Euclid Humane Society for some time. It was founded in 2002 by Sunny Simon, the newly elected County Council District 11 representative.

The society does not have its own shelter and relies on foster homes to  take in and care for stray animals until forever homes can be found. Volunteers face an overwhelming increase in the number of stray animals desperate for assistance.

Cleveland Heights' Petland store may have closed, but Truman (foreground), the mixed-breed adoption dog who lived there through 2006, is healthy and happy. "All our friends see him and say 'Hey, that's Truman from the pet store,'" says Adam Rosenbaum, 12, whose family took him in. He's lost about 15 pounds  and now answers to Hoover. Still gentle, sweet and stubborn, Hoover gets along well with Humphrey (background), who was adopted by the family 10 years ago.

The little shi-tzu was only supposed to stay with Cindy Jahn for a weekend. But that was two years ago. Now "Missy" is very much a part of Jahn's life.

[Many of you have read the online discussion about raising chickens in Cleveland Heights at the Heights Observatory forum. Here's resident Ralph Solonitz' contribution to the discussion. Editor.]

Chicken in or chicken out?

Cluck cluck, bark bark,or meow meow?