Is there a reason why my loving cat doesn’t purr?
Billions of dollars lost; Department of Justice hiring additional prosecutors
DEAR CYNTrIA »
Some cats purr away, while others either can’t or have such a soft purr that we don’t hear it. As animal experts aren’t 100% sure how or why cats purr — they have theories — it’s hard to know why some don’t.
It’s believed that cats make the purring sound by vibrating their vocal cords when breathing in and out. That’s why the purr can be steady, with no obvious breaks for a breath.
Some cats are incapable of making the sound because something in the structure of their vocal cords or respiratory system prevents them from vibrating like that.
Big cats — lions, tigers and leopards — are incapable of purring because structures around the vocal cords prevent it. They can, however, roar in terrifying fashion.
Some cats can purr, they just don’t seem to want to.
The next time your cat is in for a check-up or routine vaccinations, ask your vet about it. If a cat was purring and then suddenly stopped, that would be reason for concern and an immediate visit to the vet.
The cat’s purr usually is a sign of contentment, but it can indicate that a cat is in pain.
Researchers say the purr can trigger the release of endorphins, as well as be therapeutic for bone growth, pain relief and wound healing, which is just another awesome aspect of the cat.
Newborn kittens, which are born with their eyes closed, rely on their mother’s purr to help locate her when it’s time to eat. And a few cynical scientists theorize that some cats deliberately purr as a way to manipulate us into giving them special attention.
DEAR JOAN » A few days ago, you had a great article on carsick dogs. Next time, could you please speak to the necessity of seat belts for larger dogs who can survive air bags, and carriers for small dogs who would be crushed by air bags?
We carefully — and by law — protect our kids with car seats or size belts (according to) size and weight. We do not protect our dogs by weight or size. They become missiles during impact, sudden stops or swerves. Until this is becomes law, could you crusade for us? — KAthleen JAsper, Menlo PArk
DEAR KATrLEEN » I’m polishing up my crusade armor and trying to remember where I put my shield.
Using seat belts, carriers and other approved restraints for your favorite co-pilot are necessities for transporting pets. It’s important to protect those precious pets that rely so much on us.
I bought a carrier for my dog, Bailey, when I adopted him. On the way home, he had a panic attack and threw up.
After that, every time he was in the carrier in the car, the same thing happened.
When his carrier is in the house, he’s fine with it and goes in it several times a day, often to do things best not discussed in polite company.
For the car, I’ve switched to a seat belt that attaches to his harness and holds him in place. Because he still gets a little anxious in the car, I have him in the front seat, but I disarm the air bag on that side.
Please buckle up your buddy, or keep them safely in an approved carrier, when you’re out and about.
With the floodgates set to open on another round of unemployment aid, states are being hammered with a new wave of fraud as they scramble to update security systems and block scammers who already have siphoned billions of dollars from pandemic-related jobless programs.
The fraud is fleecing taxpayers, delaying legitimate payments and turning thousands of Americans into unwitting identity theft victims. Many states have failed to adequately safeguard their systems, and a review by The Associated Press finds that some will not even publicly acknowledge the extent of the problem.
The massive sham springs from prior identity theft from banks, credit rating agencies, health care systems and retailers. Fraud perpetrators, sometimes in China, Nigeria or Russia, buy stolen personal identifying information on the dark web and use it to flood state unemployment systems with bogus claims.
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating unemployment fraud by “transnational criminal organizations, sophisticated domestic actors, and individuals across the United States,” said Joshua Stueve, a spokesman for the department’s criminal division.
The Labor Department inspector general’s office estimates that more than $63 billion has been paid out improperly through fraud or errors — roughly 10% of the total amount paid under coronavirus pandemicrelated unemployment programs since March.
“We’re all learning that there is an epidemic of fraud,” said U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House’s powerful Ways and Means Committee. Brady said the $63 billion estimate “is larger than the entire budget
of the Department of Homeland Security.”
“These are frightening levels of fraud,” he said.
California has been the biggest target, with an estimated $11 billion in fraudulent payments and an additional $19 billion in suspect accounts. Colorado has paid out nearly as much to scammers — an estimated $6.5 billion — as it has to people who filed legitimate unemployment claims.
Other estimates, according to AP reporting across the states, range from several
hundred thousand dollars in smaller states such as Alaska and Wyoming to hundreds of millions in more populous states such as Massachusetts and Ohio.
The nationwide fraud has fed on twin vulnerabilities: a flood of jobless benefit applications since the pandemic began that has overwhelmed state unemployment agencies and antiquated benefit systems that are easy prey for crafty and persistent criminals.
In Ohio, weekly first-time unemployment claims have ranged from 17,000 to more than 40,000 during the pandemic. But since late last month, those claims have topped more than 140,000 some weeks, with many of them believed to be fraudulent. The state has paid at least $330 million in fraudulent pandemic unemployment benefit claims.
Trying to catch so many bogus claims delays payouts to Ohioans who are legitimately in need of help. In the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington, Cynthia Sbertoli was receiving $228 a week after she was laid off in March from her job with a nonprofit that runs high school student exchange programs.
Her benefits were put on hold in January after she informed the state that someone had tried to use her identity in a scam to claim benefits. She thought the problem was resolved but has yet to see a renewal of her benefit checks, which she and her husband use to help pay for a son’s vision and auditory therapy.
“It’s just not a good way to take care of people,” said Sbertoli, 49.
Among states that have been hardest hit are those participating in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program adopted by Congress last year. It has been a lifeline for outof-work freelancers and gig workers who normally don’t qualify for unemployment insurance, but it’s also been a boon for criminals who use stolen identities to make claims. Nearly 800,000 of the 1.4 million claims Ohio has received through this program have been tagged for potential fraud.
Scams have been so widespread that the U.S. Department of Justice is setting aside money to hire more prosecutors.
In New York alone, the Department of Labor says it has referred “hundreds of thousands of fraud cases” to federal prosecutors. The state says it has blocked $5.5 billion in fraudulent claims, while New Jersey says it’s prevented $2.5 billion from flowing into the hands of criminals.
Despite those efforts, a government watchdog agency says not enough states are taking the necessary steps to prevent fraud.