iz a mouse-cat-eer!

happy meowloween, folks! hope everyone is looking forward to a fun and festive weekend. here are a few tips to help keep your pet safe and sound during all the trick-or-treat commotion. oh, and don't forget to set your clocks back!

santa monica beats san francisco in the race to ban declawing. who's next?

keeping too-young-to-be-adopted kitties in foster homes is a key step in the no kill equation. if you want to foster local kittehs please contact the dane county humane society or friends of ferals.

"they seek out those who ignore them and spurn those who would befriend them. imperious, aloof, and inscrutable, cats are the teenage girls of the pet world."

wat pill? i no hided it

cats and pills go together like ewoks and stormtroopers. that's why we love pill pockets!

fat cats aren't just sitting in corporate boardrooms anymore. they're taking up half the couch! here's a quick Q and A on kitties and kcals.

how many cats have become beloved family pets just by showing up at the front door and not leaving? is it really stealing?

ok, folks. get your traps out and ready because national feral cat day is only two days away on the 16th! if you are in dane county and want to help, please contact the dane county friends of ferals.

compassionate cats

the beginning of a new generation of cat-lovers: a new school program teaches children to have empathy for animals, especially kitties.

the no kill revolution marches on with communities nationwide embracing the humane approach of t-n-r for feral colony management.

"one gay man, two lesbians, a three-legged cat and a poisoned curry plot" - best headline ever?

honda gets smart, releases a car for dog-lovers - "features on the dog-friendly model include a cushioned cargo bed area with safety restraints, second-row pet seating with restraints, a spill-resistant water bowl, special ventilation fans, bone and paw print-patterned floor mats and a retractable ramp to help animals get in and out of the vehicle."

if they ever release a cat-friendly car let's hope it doesn't look like this.

morty's trick is riding trees - he's a regular cowcat

cats can do anything dogs can do better, cats can do anything better than you. well, maybe not, but this russian cat-trainer has former-shelter cats jumping through hoops and pushing little dogs around in baby strollers.

interesting time article on the growing cat and pet supply business in the gaza strip. even in tumultuous areas a cat can turn an apartment into a home.

the u.s. marine corps has issued the first-ever world-wide breed ban preventing certain breeds and "aggressive" dogs from all u.s. bases and housing facilities.

taiwan will pay your for your dog poop; 2 pounds for 3 bucks. what a deal!

all cats are tigers in their own way

escaped tiger was found in a backyard garden. probably hunting wabbitses.

word travels fast when maddie's fund grants shelter a no kill grant. what a perfect opportunity to get the ball moving and start saving lives.

do you speak their language? tail ticks and whisker twitches may mean more than you think.

crazy kitty antics are on disiplay in this slideshow. who doesn't love a cat in a sink?

surfing dogs!? what will they think of next?! jetskiing cats? actually, that'd be pretty cool.

stella's mustache is a little tipsy

good news! after nearly 3 months at our monroe st. store happy cat pepper has been adopted! we'll miss ya, big guy!

so two dogs walk into a store.... no, really. two dogs walked into our west-side store yesterday. if you are missing this guy or this guy please check with the humane society.

when the cat's out of the bag, and by bag we mean house, don't panic. instead, think like a cat! (who knew pet detectives really exist?)

michael vick has completed his sentence for dog fighting. we'll see if any team is willing to hire him.

remember the church who wanted to shut down the t-n-r program on its grounds? well alley cat allies has stepped in and saved the day! hip hip hooray!

cat smartz

happy monday, everyone! hope you have your thinking caps on because reading this interesting article from new scientist on the topic of cat intelligence got our fur a little ruffled. after testing cats abilities to manipulate a string with a treat tied to one end against their ability to discern between two strings, one with a treat and one without, they come to the conclusion that "cats couldn't infer cause-and-effect relationships between two objects and could only learn an association from scratch each time." well we're not scientists, and our high school knowledge of the scientific method may be a bit rusty, but having spent a good amount of time with the eminent felis catus we beg to differ.

if cats can not understand cause-and-effect then how are they so good at getting what they want? meowing at the door will get them a trip outside. meowing at the food bowl will often-times get them a snack. scratching an inappropriate area will get them some red-faced attention. they even learn how to manipulate objects to get what they want, thus bypassing human involvement altogether. we have cats who turn on the faucets themselves when they're looking for a fresh drink of water and who figure out cupboard doors and food bins.

even wikipedia's article on cat intelligence agrees with us that cats aren't dummies. in fact, the physiology of a cat's brain even works similarly to that of our own noggins:

"the physical structure of human brains and that of cats are very similar; they have the same lobes in the cerebral cortex (the "seat" of intelligence) as humans do. Human brains also function the same way, conveying data via identical neurotransmitters."

so all in all cats fetch, cats learn tricks, cats play and cats have the were-withal to know when to just relax and take a nice nap.

cats and plastic

plastic bags are generally a big hit with cats. they crinkle to the touch and make fun hidey-holes for games of pounce. some cats take their love of plastic a little further -- they lick it. there are many theories as to why cats prefer the taste of plastic but the most logical explanation is that many bags today are manufactured with potato and corn starches, making them biodegradable. since cats are known to have a sweet tooth for carbohydrates these bags make for a nice mid-day snack.

as always, use caution when allowing your cats to play in bags and remove them if the licking turns into chomping.