• Last updated 7/31/10 by Anne

Written by AnneThis is a question I keep seeing in the search strings by which people reach this blog via the search engines. I figured it might be a good idea to provide an answer. Calico and tabby are not cat breeds. They are coat patterns. A calico is a cat, almost always female, that has patches of all three basic cat colors: white, black and red. Diluted calicoes display the same pattern, only with white, cream and blue (steel gray). A tabby is a cat that has the dual colored pattern, usually with darker stripes over a lighter background. Tabbies can have... read more

• Last updated 3/4/12 by Anne

Our cat galleries is where members share their images, mostly of cats, but not only. As a member, you can create as many albums as you like, arrange your photos and share them with the world. Members can also offer feedback and leave comments on pictures, making the galleries an integral part of our platform.   We're about to introduce some cool new features to the galleries section that will allow us to collaborate as a community and create the best cat pictures collections ever. Stay tuned for more! And while those are in the works, here are some pictures from... read more

• Last updated 1/23/12 by Anne

The calendar is full of special days, isn't it? So why not a few cat days too?   Today was "Answer Your Cat's Questions Day". At first glance, it seems like a silly, even humorous occasion. Perhaps the topic for a funny cartoon to share on Facebook. However, pause to think about this, as a cat lover, and you soon realize this is actually a good chance to heighten our sensitivity to our cats' needs and wants. To answer them, you first have to figure out what your cat would ask, and that means trying to come across the species boundary and try to think like a cat.... read more

• Last updated 1/8/12 by Anne

On December 12th, 2011, The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published online a study titled “Risk factors for new-onset cat sensitization among adults“. It didn’t take long for Reuters to pick up the story and turn it into an article “Getting a Cat Ups Allergy Risk in Adults”. From there, the so-called “news” caught like fire. Here are some headlines picked by Google News' search engine, out of the 121 results found for this news item - “Getting Your First Cat? Be Prepared to Sneeze” “Caution! Keeping Feline Pets Can Inspire Allergies” “Even... read more

• Last updated 11/29/11 by Anne

A law was passed in the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) yesterday, making it illegal to declaw cats. Cat owners who will get their cats declawed are facing up to a year in jail or a fine seventy-five thousands shekels (that's the equivalent of just over $20,000).   The new law does permit declawing in cases where the owner suffers from a medical condition that puts them in danger of cat scratches. In the rare cases where declawing is performed due to medical reasons the vet is required to fully explain the implications and make sure the cat is kept indoors-only... read more

• Last updated 2/24/09 by Anne

Written by AnneOne of the neat features of running a website is the ability to see what people search for in search engines when they get to your website. A recent search string was "How much does a tabby cat cost". I figured we might as well address the question here. Now, a tabby isn't really a breed. It is a coat pattern, that comes in several variations (striped tabby, spotted tabby, marble tabby etc). You can also have tabbies in various colors, such as a blue tabby, a cream tabby, red tabby, silver tabby and more. You can read more about tabby cats here. The... read more

• Last updated 6/14/09 by Anne

Written by AnneWe've had complaints come into the forum about a site prentending to sell "kitty beef", as in cat meat: http://www.files.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198843 Here's how I can tell this website a hoax: 1. The title of the site uses the word "Kitty". Not feline, not cat, but Kitty. This is a direct shot at cat lovers. 2. The site is a quickly put together replica of another site pretending to sell "puppy beef". The very first page opens with "Welcome to Puppy Beef" and there are numerous mentions of "dog meat" where it should be saying "cat".... read more

• Last updated 4/5/12 by Anne

April is National Pet First Aid Awareness Month. Time to ask yourself, how prepared are you for a medical emergency involving your cat?   Our cats require routine veterinary care, and sometimes treatment for more specific predicaments, an ailment or an injury. We all have, or should have, a veterinarian that we know and trust to take care of our cat’s medical care needs. But what about emergencies, when the first minutes of treatment can be crucial and even life-saving? Do you know what to do in the event of a burn, a gushing cut or an incapacitating fall? Do you... read more

• Last updated 4/8/12 by Anne

For those of us who are fascinated with feline health, April's Blog of the Month is a real treat! Cat-Man-Do contains a wealth of detailed information about cat health and nutrition, displayed through real-life case studies of patients in this cat-only clinic. I know you'll enjoy both the blog itself, and this great interview with blogger and veterinarian Dr Arnold Plotnick:   Please, tell us about yourself and your cats.   I’m a veterinarian, board certified in internal medicine and specializing in feline medicine.  I am the owner of Manhattan Cat... read more

• Last updated 3/2/12 by Anne

"March is a month of considerable frustration - it is so near spring and yet across a great deal of the country the weather is still so violent and changeable that outdoor activity in our yards seems light years away." - Thalassa Cruso   Indeed, winter is almost over and spring is in the air, or at least on our minds.   But should we let our dear cats step outside? Regardless of the time of year, letting your cat outside is always risky, which is why most cat owners prefer to keep their cat strictly indoors. That doesn’t necessarily mean your cat needs to be... read more