Articles: cat behavior

Keeping pets safe in winter can be a challenge. Some dogs delight romping in the snow and appear as impervious to frigid temperatures as snow is to polar bears. Malamutes, Great Pyrenees, Huskies and many other large dogs seem friskier in weather that chills us to the bone. On the other paw, Toy Poodles and…

Q: I have a 5-month old chocolate Labrador. My problem of Labrador Chases the cat is when she starts playing with my cat. She chase’s the cat around the living room and kitchen then takes a flying leap down the family room stairs then jumps on the couch at full force no matter who is…

Speaking with my pal Dr. Kim Kendall, a cat veterinarian from Sydney, Australia who feels very strongly that two kittens are better than one. She explains here on my national Steve Dale’s Pet World radio show. Kittens need to play and learn and to bite, and if there’s not another kitten, you might be the…

The 2018 American College of Veterinary Behavior Symposium of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists was held in Denver in July, just prior to the Convention of the American Veterinary Medical Association. This is where much of the latest research in veterinary behavior is first revealed. One of the most fascinating presentations was from ethologist…

Declaw is wrong – plain and simple says Dr. Margie Scherk, editor of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. It begins with even the name declaw being a misnomer, says Scherk, who is my guest in a two part interview on my national Steve Dale’s Pet World radio show. Scherk speaks about cat health,…

Talk about feline pay back. Michelle Pierson and her husband Will adopted Mia from the Willamette Oregon Humane Society in 2017. Michelle says that Mia helps her to feel better in her fight against breast cancer. That’s no surprise, per se. It was Mia, though, who the cat identified breast cancer in the first place. Michele…

Anxious pets on Halloween and Halloween safety are the topics of my discussion on the Jam on WCIU-TV with Carly Henderson and Felicia Lawrence. Because SO many pets are lost on Halloween, it may be best to keep the them behind a closed door – even if they don’t get stressed by seeing all those…

Blah! Blah! It’s scary. And you’re not alone, as more than 4.2 million dog-owning households and nearly two million cat-caretakers will be treating their furry companions to ghoulish goodies and grisly toys this Halloween, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Also, according to the NRF, pet “moms” and “dads” will spend over $440 million…

Amy Shojai is a superstar among pet writers. She may not be a household but she sure is among the households of those who write about pets, and who are deep into reading about pets. Shojai has been an important and prolific author of pet books for over 20 years Shojai has been awarded the…

I’ve always hated the notion declaw; it is an amputation – period.  Cat scratching is a common complaint, even explanation for people giving up cats or to declaw. Now there still another reason to minimize the perceived need to declaw – a product called Feliscratch, which encourages cats to scratch on posts.  I talk in…