Archive for the ‘Cats’ Category

From Allergens to Alligators: Pets in the News This Summer

September 1st, 2010 — by Jane Wangersky
Pets have been at the center of some surprising, even alarming, news stories this summer. I'm not just talking about the woman who trapped the cat in the garbage bin -- though that story draws attention to the indoor vs. outdoor cat question. (Strangely enough, the woman's mother says her daughter loves cats, but the family is having a hard time, and maybe she just snapped.)

*This one is important: The FDA says Evamist, a hormone spray used by menopausal women, can be harmful to pets who lick it off their owners' arms or just pick it up on their

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Are You Ready To Volunteer At A Pet Shelter?

August 27th, 2010 — by Anna P.
You don't have to own a cat or dog to make a big difference in the life of an animal. You can spend just a few hours a week volunteering your time at in a local animal shelter where you can feed cats, walk dogs, and spend time bonding with lonely animals. There are thousands of animal shelters across the United States of America that take  in neglected animals to nurture them and help them find homes, and they need the help of dedicated volunteers who are willing to donate their energy for free while helping with the care

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Pets and Renovations

August 25th, 2010 — by Jane Wangersky
Lots of us are tackling home renovation projects this summer, and wishing we could somehow make them easier on our pets. The noise, changes, and presence of strangers can be very upsetting to animals, and of course we can't explain the situation to them in words. But that doesn't mean we can't prepare them.

Ronda Payne has a cat, a dog, and a house undergoing lots of work. The cat, Avi, usually hides during noisy times, then ignores any changes made, no matter how large. But the dog, Brandie,is more sensitive. She also has Addison's disease and has

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Pets Home Alone

August 18th, 2010 — by Jane Wangersky
Leaving pets behind when you travel is difficult for them, even when they get to stay in their home. (Leaving them at boarding kennels is a whole story on its own.) When we recently got back from just two nights away, our cats ran and hid as if we were strangers. When they came out, they glared at us.

It's too bad there's no way to explain to them what's happening, but is there anything we can do to make it easier on the pets when we have to travel without them?

Lisa Hall, owner of a 10-year-old German shepherd, Beau,

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Cornish Rexes: Cats with Not Much Hair, But Lots of Heart

July 28th, 2010 — by Jane Wangersky
We've fostered so many cats over the years, usually for just a short time before they were adopted, that most of them have blurred together in my memory. A few stand out, though, and Sparky the Cornish Rex is one of them.

Why? Well, to be honest, because of his looks. The Humane Society rep explained Cornish Rexes to me this way: "They're ugly, but some people like them."

It turned out this breed of cat had no guard hairs. I didn't know what those were, but when I saw Sparky, I realized most of the hairs on a cat must

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