Pet Health

Greetings, my pawsome human minions. It’s Forrest, your fine feline purrveyor of cat knowledge, with the answer to one of your most burning cat questions… Do cats really hate dogs? I once thought this was a question with a simple yes or no answer, but time and experience have taught me otherwise. As a kitten in the colony, I and the other littles would listen to the old-timers spin yarns about the slobbery and brutish ways of mutts. In these stories, we’d hear of valiant feline heroes troubled by dogs and how their cunning cat prowess would overcome the woofing beasts. We would take these stories and play war, we kittens choosing someone to be the mutt, and then we would all scamper about, dipping and dodging the chosen one to find the safety of Homebase. It was easy then to believe dogs were just things of evil who wanted to eat us all alive. But stepping into a world wider than my colony, I learned life was not at all the black-and-white cat-versus-dog simplicity I so believ...

Bengal cats and Bengal tigers are two very different felines. But don’t tell Bengal kitty Tigger that. Though he’s of the domestic variety, inside his chest beats the fierce heart of a tiger! Though he’s a house kitty and not a jungle predator, Tigger prowls his territory like the biggest and boldest beast on the block. Whoever so dares tread upon his turf puts themselves at the risk of tangling with Tigger. And a black bear found out the hard way just how terrifying a brush with the Bengal bruiser can be. TikTok Bengal Versus Bear Brothers Gavin and Cameron Sturrock are used to two-year-old Tigger’s ferocity. It’s not unusual for him to puff up and tell a dog to get lost. He also enjoys brawling with his Bengal brother Taz. And he’s been known to filch chicken from the air fryer when he feels like a snack. Yet, for all his wild cat ways, Cameron and Gavin never figured Tigger would bow up at a bear! But he sure did, and Gavin captured the hair-raising moment on camera . TikTo...

The Arizona Humane Society’s Emergency Animal Medical Technicians are an integral part of the shelter’s rescue program. Their job is to respond to reports from community members of injured stray animals or potential abuse cases. In 2021 alone, the EAMT team participated in the rescue of over 6,000 animals who had suffered injury, abuse, or neglect. When these rescued animals require medical care, they are transferred to the Arizona Humane Society’s trauma response hospital, where they remain until they are well enough to be put up for adoption. Such was the case for a tiny rescue kitten named Augustus Gloop. Facebook Arizona’s EAMTs responded to reports of a kitten stuck inside a twenty-foot storm drain. The kitten, who was just ten weeks old at the time of rescue, was doing his best to tread the rising stormwater. Scared, cold, and soaked to the bones, Augustus screamed his little lungs out for help. When the EAMTs arrived on the scene, they were disheartened to learn that the ...

Being a Bengal cat from Perth, Australia, Virgil is an athletic boy who loves adventuring the bush and taking in all the sights. He enjoys stalking the wilds, smelling the flowers, and striking a handsome feline pose for Instagram fans. And his more than 50k fans can’t get enough of his Bengal beauty! But for all his Bengal stealth, majesty, and athleticism, this silly cat can’t catch a ball. That’s right, a master of stealth and grace gets flummoxed when someone pitches a ball in his direction. Because his clumsiness in catch is just too cute, Virgil’s pawrents posted an Instagram reel of their goofy kitty trying to make a catch or two for our enjoyment! And believe us, you will enjoy Virgil’s attempts! Instagram Not One for Pro Sports While many cats could earn their place on the roster of any professional ball sports teams thanks to their prowess at snagging a ball from the air with their murder mittens , not all felines are made for games of catch. Just ask Virgil and his f...

TikTok comes with all sorts of fun, including viral challenges that make everyone want to get involved. And lots of these challenges include things to try with your cat. But one new trend isn’t finding fans among many felines, and they want the challenge to stop! Known as the “put an ice cube on your cat” challenge, participants of the trend will place an ice cube on their cat and let it melt while filming for the cat’s eventual reaction. While many felines remain unfazed by the ice or simply shake it off, the ice proves upsetting for some kitties. TikTok Cats Don’t Like the Ice Cube Challenge Think about the “put an ice cube on your cat” challenge for a second. Now, change that trend title to “put an ice cube on a human” and reconsider. Most everyone who gets an ice cube unsuspectingly placed on them will not react with joy. And cats generally feel the same, with the U.K.’s Battersea Dog and Cats Home feline welfare manager, JoAnna Puzzo, telling Newsweek , “It could appear ha...

Remember when we introduced you to Jennifer Lopez’s new kitten Hendrix in December 2021? Of course, you do! Who could forget a Devon Rex kitten so cute! Now, we’ve got a little more info about how the Hendrix came to join the family thanks to a Father’s Day tribute to fiancé Ben Affleck emailed to fans by Lopez. In the fan newsletter, JLo shared an old video of one of her twin children and Ben, trying to convince her it was time to open her heart to a cat. But Lopez had different ideas about adding a feline to the Affleck-Lopez family. In the end, as we know, Emme and Ben’s appeal for a kitty won over Mama Jen and resulted in Hendrix joining the family! Instagram Convincing Mom She Needs a Cat In the fan newsletter, Jennifer wrote, “This is the two of them lobbying for a Devon Rex cat.” Twitter “By the way, Hendrix, joined the family shortly after.” OnTheJLo As the adorable video opens, it’s evident that JLo was the target of a two-pronged attack about getting a cat. ...

Some kitties like catnip. Others really like catnip. You know the cats I’m talking about. They roll all over the leaves and stems, wiggling, drooling, and leaving a shredded mass of damp, wilted plant bits in their wake. It turns out there is a scientific reason some cats do this. In addition to a pleasant intoxicated feeling, the Nepeta cataria plant also produces a natural pesticide to help cats ward off mosquitos. When torn or crumpled, the leaves release insect-repelling compounds into the air, coating the cat’s body. Instagram How Does Catnip Repel Mosquitos? Catnip is the most popular kitty intoxicant , but a few other plants, including valerian and a species of kiwifruit called silver vine, also cause cats to act cray-cray. The common factor is a class of figure-eight-shaped molecules called iridoids, including nepetalactol and nepetalactone. When produced by catnip and silver vine plants, these chemicals naturally ward off insects such as mosquitos. Research shows t...

With so many adoptable pets at the Community Cat Club in New Jersey, it can be difficult for senior cats to be noticed. For this reason, an adorable ten-year-old tuxedo cat named Valentin (Vali for short) has come up with a creative way to attract potential adopters. Vali was surrendered to the shelter when her elderly owner could no longer care for her. Senior in age but in good health, staff at the Community Cat Club described Vali as a sweet and gentle soul from the moment they met her. Facebook The shelter medical team evaluated Vali, and it was determined that she suffered from tooth resorption , a condition in which the bony substance of a tooth erodes. This condition can be very uncomfortable for a cat but is easily resolved by removing the affected tooth. Once Vali received her much-needed dental work, she was placed into foster care. And besides being insanely sweet and cuddly, she now had a goofy smile to share! The removed tooth created a gap in her gum line that her...

The Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS) has long been known as one of the world’s most prominent, dedicated, and passionate animal rescue organizations. And with more than 800 paid employees and over 9,000 volunteers, the BFAS has saved thousands of lives. Their ultimate goal is to make every shelter in every community no-kill by the year 2025. Instagram Each week, the Best Friends Animal Society shares fun and informative videos on their YouTube channel. Perhaps the most popular videos shared are their “Foster-Wins.” The concept of foster-wins is an adorable play on the idea of foster-failure. This common occurrence is when a family falls in love with their fostered pet and decides to adopt, making them a permanent part of the family. YouTube In the popular Youtube shorts, the staff of the BFAS shares the stories of pets that come into their care (many of which have been through unimaginable horrors). They then share the “happy ending” of these pets’ stories – their adoption...