meowth to meowth

a new ap poll suggests only half of cat-owners would be willing to give their furry ones mouth to mouth in the event of an emergency. what gives?

"superdog, bee, jockey rider, hot dog, pirate, devil, prisoner, yoda, cowboy rider, batman and groom" are this year's top halloween doggie costumes. we think "cat" should be included in that list.

stressed out kitties, new kitties, marking kitties, angry kitties, sad kitties, foster kitties, and crazy kitties could all use a little dose of comfort (zone).

this is both weird and sad; tree man, meet cat-girl.

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.

ireland loves dogs more. american cats don't care.

the emerald isle is home to more dog than cat-lovers. eh, big deal. they also love potatoes, mist, and little men with big promises of rainbows and gold. american cats would eat those leprechauns for lunch.

good news! sticky, the duct-taped kitty, has been adopted and is well on her way to living a normal, happy life.

“just as the average life expectancy for people keeps reaching closer to the century mark, we’ll continue to see the same parallels in our pet population." - the proverbial nine lives are quickly becoming nineteen lives.

feel good news: a cute, little turtle named "lucky" has had his mobility restored with the aid of those furniture-moving coasters. he's cruising around now and looking for work in the moving-men industry.

hot dogs and fiery felines

well, we are on our second 100-degree heat index day in a row and everyone is doing all they can to beat the heat. since our pets can't come to the movies with us, we have to do all we can to help keep them cool.

this kitty enjoys being wiped down with a damp towel - they say the texture of a moistened towel is similar to that of a cat's tongue, so some cats may even tolerate it! another option is to lay a wet towel on a tile floor and let kitty take a nap on it.

if you are feeling like you are missing something a little jungle-esque in your life you could always spring for a lion cut shave. hear them roar, indeed.

this dog is doing exactly what most of us wish we could be doing, only he's putting too much effort into it. the lazy river is the way to go!

most importantly, keep an eye out for signs of heat stroke, especially if your dog or cat is outside during the hottest parts of the day.

and if you're in the neighborhood, drop by and pick up a frozen yogurt for your dog! mmmmmm.....

it's furry friday! w00t

in a bit of obvious news most cats and dogs don't enjoy being dressed up as 80s calypso players or odd-looking southern pollsters.

looking to update a dog or cat on the west side? the dane county humane society has opened a new adoption center on d'onofrio drive right by pedro's. now you can "make mex-i-can" and save a life all in the same trip!

since we actually had some sun in the last week it's time to consider uv protection for your pets.

this story sounds a lot like that of pepper, our current happy cat resident at monroe, only pepper hasn't found his happy ending yet.

this video of a cat rescue and sanctuary in california is both inspiring and heart-warming. if only all cats could be loved like that.

coga? cats and yoga and eagles, oh my!

doing push-ups in the company of cats almost always leads to a face full of cat hair. why do they do that? now you can use their inexhaustible curiosity to lose a few.

the recession is really taking a toll on a cat sanctuary in florida. 600 cats and counting - sounds like a new tlc reality series in the making.

the best thing about this video of a cat and a bald eagle is the cat acting like he could take down the giant bird of prey - after he flew away.

mythological lion-headed, snake-tailed, fire-breathing beasts are cool, and sound a little like dottie when she wakes up on the wrong side of the cat tree.

me want food!

you know how they say people and their animals tend to look alike? well, as our nation's number of obese continue to rise, so does that of our cats. in this cornell study on feline obesity finds that nearly 25% of the 2,000 cats tested were more than just over weight. this is a frightening number considering that cats who are even a few pounds above normal weight are at a higher risk for diabetes, joint issues, hepatic lipidosis and a range of other chronic conditions.

an interesting part of the article linked carb-heavy presciption diets to obesity, giving proof to what we've been saying all along, that carbohydrate-rich foods are not only inappropriate for carnivores but are also dangerous. this is why it is so importnat to understand not only how food works with a cat's digestive system, but also what cat food is really made of.

when it comes to putting cats on diets we should look at it as a 3-legged approach. first, we must change the diet to a higher quality, meat-rich, low-carb food. second, the portion size should be decreased (calories in should not exceed calories out). third, exercise. this is where all those food calories should be going - to running, jumping and playing. using a fishing pole-type toy to lure your fat kitty into playing even fifteen minutes a day will help get him onto the path of health.

for some kitties who are highly food motivated, multivet has created the slim cat ball, that acts as an interacitve food dispenser. just fill it up with your kittie's favorite kibble, adjust the dispensing holes to fit the level of difficulty you're looking for, and let your cat spend an hour rolling it around and eating its meal piece by piece. (this also works really well for the scar-n-barf kitties who eat too quickly and vomit it all up). gabby madcat loves hers!

swine flu and cat art

with the all the news about swine flu, o,r novel virus h1n1, out there we thought we'd assuage any fears you may have about the furry ones in your household. the good news is that the virus poses no risk to dogs or cats and no extra precautions will be needed to keep them happy and healthy. (though a few extra hugs never hurt anyone!)

in news of the awesome and spectacular, we've discovered a wonderful new site, the museum of non-primate art, or, monpa, for short.

"[monpa] aims to preserve the movements, marks and sounds of non-primate species and consider them, without prejudice, as modes of aesthetic communication, in the hope of gaining new insights into our world."

sounds pretty cool, right? well it gets even better because monpa has a whole section on cat art that includes the history of human-made art depicting cats and on actual pieces that cats have made themselves. who knew our cute, little kittehs were so artistic? i'll bet the polydactyls are total van goghs!

vegetarian cats? we don't think so

with consumer and ethical consciousness increasing over the last decade or so there have been many new issues raised, one of which is a bit of a hot-button topic in the growing vegetarian/vegan community; can cats be vegetarian?

the short answer is no. the long answer is also no, but with more fun facts.

our take on it is that cats are evolutionarily designed to eat meat. they are obligate carnivores who thrive on muscle and organ meat and who lack the necessary physiology to maintain health on a diet comprised of anything but mostly animal-derived protein.

for those of us with ethical issues we do have alternatives to buying processed food from factory-farmed meat. if you're the industrious type you can make your own, otherwise there are organic dry, wet and raw foods available that can satiate your pet's hunger and biological needs while keeping your heart in the right place.

no wine for whiny cats

cats, being curious by nature, are often-times trying to get into our food and drink. thinking if it's good enough for us it must be good enough for them is just one of their innate qualities. while this may be ok for things like pillows, hair brushes, water faucets and q-tips it is just too dangerous for them to share a sip of our wine. yes the idea of a drunk kitty is humorous, but lets leave that to garfield and the lolcats.

no smoking plz kthx

the progress on smoking bans around the country could be causing an unseen benefit - kitty's are getting healthier! so if you ever needed a reason to quit what better one than for the health of your pets?

smoke-free, now that's meow like it!

(sorry, I couldn't help myself. lol)