About Cats

Valentine Cats Picture Gallery

2010-02-09T14:05:00Z

Wow! I can't believe that Valentines Day is only five days away - how quickly time slips by. Last year I reluctantly made an exception in my "no photoshopping/picture adornment rule" by allowing tasteful, subtle frames and/or decorations for a new Valentine Cats Picture Gallery, and the response was overwhelming. One of the nicest submittals was this photo of kitties Oberon and Klaatu, demonstrating feline brotherly love.
_{Photo Credit: � Tammey Stubbs}

You may also submit your own Valentine cat photos for my Valentine Cats Picture Gallery. Please observe the Photo Submittal Guidelines when sending photos. Other than that, the only rule is that the pictures be tastefully decorated, as opposed to garish graphics which take away from the beauty of the cats.

Valentine Cats Picture Gallery originally appeared on About.com Cats on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 14:05:00.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Chemnutra Inc. Owners Get Probation

2010-02-09T13:30:10Z

From DVM NEWSMAGAZINE:

Kansas City, Mo. -- A judge Feb. 4 sentenced two owners of a pet-food company implicated in the 2007 recall that is estimated to have killed about 4,000 pets to three years' probation and levied fines of $25,000 on the company and $5,000 for each of the owners.

The Millers had earlier pleaded guilty and acknowledged that they knew the labeling of the product they sold containing melamine was false and misleading. However the court felt that the $24 million related lawsuit settlement was punishment enough.

I highly doubt that my readers who lost cats and dogs in 2007 to melamine poisoning will find this brand of "justice" palatable, especially since Stephen Miller is still importing bulk ingredients (including taurine) from China, under a new company, EOS Direct. The EOS Direct registrant information clearly shows Chemnutra as the registrant.

Chemnutra Inc. Owners Get Probation originally appeared on About.com Cats on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 13:30:10.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Full Review: Feliway Comfort Zone

2010-02-09T03:00:29Z

Anyone who has survived the experience can testify that the challenge of dealing with territorial marking (urine spraying) by an unhappy cat is frustrating and sometimes heartbreaking. This type of behavior often results in abandonment or surrendering the offending cat to a shelter. The Feliway Comfort Zone Spray was developed by Farnam, inc. in the mid 1990s to help combat that specific behavior. Since then, the Feliway Comfort Zone Plug-in has been found valuable in combating a number of behavioral problems in cats.

I am currently using a "dual bullet" approach by using both products to help an ongoing battle of the sexes between my alpha cat Jaspurr and little Jenny, my stray-turned-housemate calico girl, who shares my bedroom with me. Be sure to read my full review for the latest information on this stand-off.
_{Photo Credit: Courtesy of PriceGrabber}

Other Helpful Reading

Cat Training
Aggression Between Cats
Urine Spraying Success Story

_{My Facebook Page | Follow me on Twitter | Free Newsletters}

Full Review: Feliway Comfort Zone originally appeared on About.com Cats on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 03:00:29.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Cat Breed of the Week: Munchkin

2010-02-09T01:27:55Z

Although Munchkins have only recently been accepted as a breed (in TICA, but not in CFA), they have been around for decades. Munchkins can most appropriately be described as "regular cats" with short legs. Like the Sphynx cats, they foster a "love or hate" reaction at first glance, but are gaining appeal with time.

Munchkins are sometimes described as "ferret-like" in their playfulness, as they run, chase, and play with toys. They also have an endearing way of sitting up, rabbit-like, on their hind legs, a trait which gave the original Munchkin Stalingrad cat the name of "Stalingrad Kangaroo Cat." Because Munchkins may be bred to a wide number of breeds, an individual cat's personality will depend on its inheritance. All-in-all, however, they have been described as loving, sociable, and playful by Munchkin fans. Pictured here is Munchkin kitty Bubbles
_{Photo Credit: © Jeannie Baker}

_{Facebook | Twitter | Free Newsletters}

Cat Breed of the Week: Munchkin originally appeared on About.com Cats on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 01:27:55.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Readers Share True Stories About Cats

2010-02-08T17:04:09Z

People who love cats enjoy nothing better than exchanging stories about their own cats. Our mutual respect for cats often forges lifelong bonds of friendships and it's only natural that we gravitate together to talk about our cats.

At About.com our Show & Tell application makes it easy to share true stories about cats on a variety of topics. Featured here are several of the popular subjects with selected readers' true stories and photos. After you've read them take the opportunity to publish your own true cat story. You are encouraged to post up to two photos of your cat, as well.
_{Photo of Big Kitty &copy zakallen}

Readers Share True Stories About Cats originally appeared on About.com Cats on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 17:04:09.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Cats Photo Quiz: Boy Cat or Girl Cat?

2010-02-08T05:55:32Z

Do you think you can tell the sex of a cat at first glance? It may not be as easy as you think. Even gender-based color patterns are not always a solid clue. Names may not be a giveaway either.(I once had a female cat named Arthur [long story]), although I've never seen a male cat named Betty.

Many of the cats pictured here have already appeared in picture galleries on this site. Links to those pages will be included with the answer sheet.

You can choose your own "difficulty level" by selecting the number of questions you want to answer. Then, when you've finished, you can return and take the quiz again. The pictures are scrambled each time, so each time you take the test they'll be in a different order. Study the picture, then select your best guess. This is a javascript-based quiz, so be sure your browser supports javascript.

Let's have some fun with this Boy - Girl cat quiz. For starters, do you think the cat pictured here is a boy or a girl cat? Since I first posted this in September of 2006, 19 people have guessed at the picture. I wonder how many of them actually took the entire quiz? Those who didn't missed most of the fun. Click the link, Peeps.
_{Photo © Jan Kama}

_{Facebook | Twitter | Free Newsletters}

Cats Photo Quiz: Boy Cat or Girl Cat? originally appeared on About.com Cats on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 05:55:32.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Top Myths and Facts About Cats

2010-02-07T00:12:51Z

We've been talking a bit about mistakes we've made with cats lately. Readers have given some interesting input with their true stories about "My Dumbest Mistake With Cats." And my article, "Top Mistakes of Cat Owners" has been widely-read since its conception a few years ago. An abundance of our mistakes originate through the belief of common myths about cats. A case in point: That female cats should always have one litter of kittens before being spayed. Pah.

The world of cat lovers, particularly those who frequent the Internet, abounds with myths and misconceptions about cats. This list addresses the most common of those myths and states the true facts about each misconception. Here's the first one, but there are nine more in the article:

Myth: Cats Are Low Maintenance Pets who Can Take Care of Themselves
_{Photo Credit: © Franny Syufy}

Fact: Cats' aura of independence fools some people into thinking they need only minimal care. The truth is that the average age of stray cats. . .read more

Top Myths and Facts About Cats originally appeared on About.com Cats on Sunday, February 7th, 2010 at 00:12:51.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Cat Picture of the Week: Romeo

2010-02-06T15:12:08Z

Romeo is a beautiful, pristine white cat. However, Jennifer has written one of the most compelling arguments I've ever seen for keeping cats indoors, sufficient reason alone for me to include him as a Cat of the Week. I hope others who read this, who might be on the fence about making their cats indoors-only will take the plunge. She writes, in part:

Romeo has been my best friend since 2002. I am convinced that God made him especially for me. In 2005, he developed Glaucoma as a result of a toxoplasmosis infection. This disease was transmitted to him when he dined upon a rodent. I swear I feed him - he just enjoyed doing the kitty cat serial killer thing. I have since domesticated him entirely. He only goes outdoors on a leash. He is the talk of the neighborhood when he struts his stuff along the streets like any dog would do. If there is one thing that I have learned is that he is living a very happy life as an indoor cat.

He came to me as a stray and I was afraid that I would kill his spirit if I made him an indoor cat. I eventually learned that allowing him to roam the hills was exposing him to so many dangers. I made the decision to keep him indoors after his. . .Read more

You may submit your own white cat photos by following the Photo Submission Guidelines. (Please use "White Cat Photo" as the subject of your email.) If you write as compelling a story as Jennifer did, your cat may even be selected as a Cat of the Week on this site.

_{Facebook | Twitter | Free Newsletters}

Cat Picture of the Week: Romeo originally appeared on About.com Cats on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 15:12:08.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Adoptable Shelter Cat of the Week: Bandit

2010-02-06T13:25:27Z

Bandit is a Snowshoe Siamese mix cat, who was given up along with his housemate, Chance when his owner relocated to New Jersey. Richard Partridge volunteers at Granville County Animal Shelter, and was concerned that the cats would be put down. Richard now fosters both cats, and hopes they can find forever homes with understanding, caring humans. Bandit is five years old, neutered, and fully vetted.

He has overcome traumatic events (attack by a dog when he was young, and later, Hurricane Katrina), and with Richard's patient, loving care, has come out of his shell and is becoming more assertive. Richard describes him as definitely being "a 'Watcha doin?' little fellow." He would like to see Bandit placed in a home with no young children, but with other cats to satisfy the Siamese's need for company. The ideal adopters would be a retired person or couple, or someone who works from home.

You can read more about Bandit, and if you live in North Carolina and have room in your heart and home to give this most deserving fellow a forever home, you can contact Richard by email (address given on Bandit's page.)

A side note: Richard also volunteers for Tailless Cat Rescue, and Cindy, its founder, has generously let him list both Bandit and Chance on her web site and Petfinder list.

Adoptable Shelter Cat of the Week: Bandit originally appeared on About.com Cats on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 13:25:27.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Review: The Cat Who Cried for Help

2010-02-05T16:13:03Z

The Cat Who Cried for Help is a timeless tome on the psychology of cats. For those of us who might view cats' behavioral quirks as "problems" (and I admit use of that term more often than I should), the title is a reminder that cats are not inherently bad, and when their behavior is undesirable from our human point of view, it really is a cry for help.

And help is exactly what Dr. Dodman offers here, help we can understand, so that we can help our own cats.

Please read my full review of this book so you will understand why I recommend it so enthusiastically.

_{Facebook | Twitter | Free Newsletters}

Review: The Cat Who Cried for Help originally appeared on About.com Cats on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 16:13:03.

Permalink | Comment | Email this