Articles: cat behavior

Australia is at war. The enemy, according to the government are feral cats. Be warned that what you are about to read is true. According to the Australian Government Department of Environment and Energy in an stepped-up effort to protect and in some cases save endangered indigenous animal species, by 2020: Two million feral cats…

Is your cat picky or sick? This is an exceedingly common question, and probably how the notion of cats being finicky began. In fact, when cats actually don’t eat for a long enough period of time – particularly overweight cats, it increases their chances of a potentially fatal fatty liver disease, called hepatic lipidosis. While…

I’ve written about this topic, which species is smarter, dogs or cats? How about the people who are their caretakers? According to one study, people who identify themselves as “cat people” are more intelligent. Denise Guastello, associate professor of psychology at Carroll University in Waukesha, WI, conducted a study on this topic. Her goal was…

While Gwen Cooper – a crazy cat lady in the best of all possible ways – was in town, she stopped by to talk about her newest book “My Life in a Cat House: True Tales of Love, Laughter, and Living with Five Felines“ on my WGN Radio Show. First, HEAR Gwen talk about Homer,…

As recently as 20 years ago, cats were considered a kind of after thought at most animal shelters. To be honest, their value didn’t always quite appear equivalent to their canine cousins, and shelters didn’t completely comprehend their medical and emotional needs. Launched in 2014, the Million Cat Challenge set out to save the lives…

In Canada veterinarians are proactively banning declaw, the latest province to do this is New Brunswick. Nova Scotia was the first province to ban the practice in 2017. It’s also now illegal to declaw in Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland/Labrador and British Columbia. Nationwide Canadian veterinarians, province by province, are taking matters into their hands. What’s…

Here’s what you can say for sure about litter boxes and cats. Eliminating outside the box is a significant cause of death. The human animal bond can fracture easily enough as a result of cat pee or poop around the house. No surprise, this is likely the most common explanation for cats to be relinquished…

Q: Bella is a 13-year old Siamese who recently starting peeing outside the litter box, on all the beds. She is showing a few signs of being confused. Bella saw the vet two months ago and the bloodwork was clean. Until recently was an only child. She doesn’t mind the baby butting her occasionally with…

On my WGN radio Steve Dale’s Pet World radio show, Listen in HERE. I mention King, who won the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Then, I launch into a conversation with Dr. David Oppenheim, village Trustee in Vernon Hills who along with his colleagues on the council all agreed unanimously to ban pet store sales of…

I will be speaking with renowned feline veterinarian Dr. Elizabeth Colleran, “Treating Cats with a New CATitude” at the Windy Kitty Cat Cafe (1746 W. North Avenue), Chicago at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday January 27. We’re celebrating Windy Kitty’s new kitten nursery. You can attend; HERE is the evite Windy Kitty is a place to hang out, and get…