34 The Courier SUN • pets • july 23, 2015 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com pets BUNNY BITS By Tresa Erickson s Have you ever come across a pen full of bunnies? As you stand there admiring how cute and cuddly they are, you may just want to take one home. Don’t! Before you yield to that impulse, there are some things you should know about bunnies. While they are cute, bunnies are by no means cuddly and they require a lot of care, more than you may be willing to give. Contrary to popular thought, bunnies are not low-maintenance pets. They require just as much attention as dogs and cats, perhaps even more. Fresh water and food are a must, as are a clean cage and litterbox. Housing the bunny outdoors is not a good idea. Bunnies do not do well in extreme temperatures and make great targets for dogs, cats, raccoons, skunks, hawks and other predators. You will need some sort of bunny shelter inside. In addition to food and shelter, you will need to provide your bunny with a good place to exercise. Bunnies are active creatures. They like to run and letting them do so in your house is not a good idea. Bunnies like to chew and will chew on just about anything they come into contact with— electrical cords, furniture, walls, paper, carpet—you get the idea. You must have an enclosure they can exercise in. Like most pets, bunnies require regular medical care. While they do not need yearly vaccinations, they should be spayed or neutered and receive regular vet checkups. Not all vets are comfortable with caring for bunnies, so you may need to find a new vet. Because of the extensive care and expense involved, bunnies do not make great starter pets for kids. Kids can easily tire of caring for the bunny each day and leave it to Mom and Dad to do, which may be difficult with their hectic schedules. Bunnies are not exactly kid friendly either. They do not like to be picked up due to their delicate skeletons and they can be skittish. Families looking for a pet they can hold and cuddle with should not select a bunny. Bunnies will bite and scratch if they are handled too much or feel threatened. And, selecting a baby bunny and training it to be lovable may not work. Baby bunnies are naturally curious and prefer exploring to bonding. Finally, bunnies are not a short-term commitment. Unlike fish and hamsters, most live more than a few years, usually six to 10 years. If you decide to get a bunny, you must be in it for the long haul. Bunnies are like any other pet. They require time and money. Take the commitment involved seriously. Do your homework and know what you are getting into before you bring home a bunny. Astoria’s Museum of the Moving Image to present exhibit examining cats online BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com @aaltamirano28 Cat lovers, unite. Next month, the Museum of the Moving Image, located at 36-01 35th Ave. in Astoria, will launch a fivemonth exhibition called How Cats Took Over the Internet, looking at how these furry felines have mesmerized a generation of online users with their quirky actions and adorable looks. The exhibit, which runs from Aug. 7 through Jan. 31, 2016, will examine the history of the growing popularity of online cat-centric content while taking a look at things such as Caturday, lolcats, cat videos, celebrity cats and more. “The Internet’s collective obsession with cats offers a window into the way we understand ourselves. This exhibition examines the many reasons for this deceptively frivolous phenomenon and highlights the new ways we’re creating, consuming and sharing culture,” said Jason Eppink, associate curator of digital media, who organized the exhibition. How Cats Took Over the Internet will include a video screening at the museum’s amphitheater and features a gallery including a selection of Internet cat videos, GIFs and images that take a critical look at subjects such as anthropomorphism, the aesthetics of cuteness, the Bored at Work Network and the rise of user-generated content. Together with the video screening, there will also be a selection of cat videos projected in a continuous loop, organized by Will Braden, curator of the Internet Cat Video Festival in Minneapolis. There will also be a multimedia timeline capturing the significant moments of cats online, joined with a historical looks at the representation of cats in photos, film and other visual media. The exhibition will also feature interactive stations where visitors will be able to create their own lolcats and contribute their favorite cat photos, GIFs and videos to the exhibition. There will also be a world map of international animal memes by The Civic Beat, a collective of researchers and writers focused on civic technology. As part of the various live events that will occur throughout the five months, on Oct. 10 there will be The Cat-vant Garde Film Show in the Sumner M. Redstone Theater. This show will focus on how cats have inspired experimental films such as “Nightcats,” “Cat’s Cradle,” “Catfood,” “How to Draw a Cat,” and more. Other programs will be announced later on. The Museum of the Moving Image is open Wednesday and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on the weekends from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit www. movingimage.us.
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