Articles: cats

Mirtazapine is an antidepressant when used in people, and it turns out that this drug also possesses appetite-stimulating properties. And someone, somewhere then had an “Ah Ha moment” wondering if the drug would work as an appetite stimulant in cats, and to be delivered as a transdermal rather than a pill. Brilliant! Cats can be famously finicky…

Keeping pets safe in the cold. I offer several general tips. Short-haired dogs need a coat or sweater, it’s the right thing to do. When it’s TOO cold, even Malamutes, Huskies, Newfoundlands, Samoyeds and other dogs who relish the cold can actually get too cold. It’s possible. Use a de-icer or salt that is pet-friendly,…

Returning from Thailand, on my Steve Dale’s Pet World WGN Radio radio show, HEAR how it was to visit Kanta Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand. I offer tips on visiting elephant sanctuaries in Thailand, and describe a bit about how they’re not all the same. In Thailand, those who work with elephants and training elephants consider that…

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…

Filmmaker/actor Paul Castro Jr. with actress Aly Miller produced a movie called “Aeris.”  The short award-winning short film is about a very unusual topic for a movie: a kitten with a presumed fatal disease called feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). We talk a bit about what FIP. Paul says he made the movie because he 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…

In Mayberry, everyone loved Aunt Bee. By all accounts actress Frances Bavier had a love/hate relationship with her recurring character on The Andy Giffith Show and Mayberry RFD. After working with the likes of Henry Fonda and Bette Davis, and in Broadway shows, she apparently didn’t love being typecast as doting Aunt Bee. She thought…

From the American Veterinary Medical Association Pet Ownership Sourcebook: Pet ownership is on the rise in the United States, with dogs leading the way and large increases in the number of less traditional pets like poultry and lizards, according to recently released data from the AVMA. The 2017-2018 edition of the AVMA Pet Ownership and Demographics…