Editors Note

Now that September has officially sprung, and weve said goodbye to the dog days of summer, its easy to get caught up in the back-to-school (and back to work) routine. But that doesnt mean we should ignore some of signs that our cats may send us when they need immediate veterinary attention. Following are the major alarms that signal our cat needs help, fast. Be sure to have access to an emergency veterinary facility. …

Recently, I was doing some weeding in my garden when I heard a familiar female voice calling, Jackie! Jackie! Jackie! I knew that this was the nickname (spoken with a slight French accent) of one of the cats that lives next door. I quickly caught up to Suzanne, my neighbor, who was frantically searching up and down the block for her missing cat, Jack. The elderly orange-and-white fellow apparently made a dash out of the slow-closing…

Last month, I devoted this column to the brief escape of my neighbors orange cat, Jack, and how we were lucky to find him after a few hours. I remember that afternoon well - I was determined both to find the missing cat and also to keep my neighbor, Suzanne, as calm as possible in what was becoming an increasingly scary situation. We live in a neighborhood full of 100-year-old houses, with many nooks and…

At our local supermarket, theres a bulletin board available for people to tack up flyers - items for sale, services for hire, charity events, chicken BBQ dinners, that sort of thing. Of course, its also the spot that people put up my least favorite signs: free kittens or adult cats that need to be rehomed because the family has to move and simply cant take the pets along. …

I dont think Id be putting myself far out on a limb to assume that most of the readership of this publication would consider themselves to be cat people. Certainly, there is a cross-section of the population that are simply animal lovers in general- living happily with both species and finding satisfaction and appreciation for both. …

A study recently published in the journal Animal Cognition shows that cats appear to recognize the voices of their owners as opposed to the voices of other people. However, the study also concludes that the cats dont seem very much to care - showing little response in comparison to similar studies using dogs, who responded much more readily and with more pronounced behavior when they heard recordings of their owners voices. …

Hopefully, were closing in on the end of a very long, very cold winter that impacted all of us in one way or another. Watching the snow accumulate outside, I find it comforting to know my pets are inside, safe and warm, and I pray for those less fortunate animals (and people) who are not as lucky as we are. …

Last month, I told the readers of Catnip about my adoption of Tony, a young white-and-black adult male who was rescued this treacherous winter...

It seems that the April issue of Catnip is the official welcoming gesture to kitten season - a time of year that sees animal shelters flooded with pregnant mamas and their adorable offspring. But the not-so-cute reality of the large number of cuddly kittens is that there will never be enough homes to accomodate the millions of homeless pets out there. …

A friend of mine lives on a large produce farm off a quiet country road, and periodically someone will quietly drop off an adult cat, or sometimes a litter of kittens. Fortunately, this friend has a very soft spot for animals, so she does her best to take care of the kittens and keep them healthy and safe until she can find homes for them. …

Purina ONE hosted the event - which offered complimentary catachino cappuccinos to customers - with the focus on educating people about cat health and cat adoption.

My stepfather is a retired thoracic surgeon. Like clockwork, he meets quite a few strangers at parties each year who - upon hearing his profession - ask him countless questions about their health concerns, or a procedure they once had or are about to have.