The odds are against her! ... 71% of cats that enter shelters are euthanized!

Romeo is a beautiful, pristine white cat. However, Jennifer has written one of the most compelling arguments I've ever seen for keeping cats indoors, sufficient reason alone for me to include him as a Cat of the Week. I hope others who read this, who might be on the fence about making their cats indoors-only will take the plunge. She writes, in part:

Romeo has been my best friend since 2002. I am convinced that God made him especially for me. In 2005, he developed Glaucoma as a result of a toxoplasmosis infection. This disease was transmitted to him when he dined upon a rodent. I swear I feed him - he just enjoyed doing the kitty cat serial killer thing. I have since domesticated him entirely. He only goes outdoors on a leash. He is the talk of the neighborhood when he struts his stuff along the streets like any dog would do. If there is one thing that I have learned is that he is living a very happy life as an indoor cat.

He came to me as a stray and I was afraid that I would kill his spirit if I made him an indoor cat. I eventually learned that allowing him to roam the hills was exposing him to so many dangers. I made the decision to keep him indoors after his. . .Read more

You may submit your own white cat photos by following the Photo Submission Guidelines. (Please use "White Cat Photo" as the subject of your email.) If you write as compelling a story as Jennifer did, your cat may even be selected as a Cat of the Week on this site.

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Cat Picture of the Week: Romeo originally appeared on About.com Cats on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 15:12:08.

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Bandit is a Snowshoe Siamese mix cat, who was given up along with his housemate, Chance when his owner relocated to New Jersey. Richard Partridge volunteers at Granville County Animal Shelter, and was concerned that the cats would be put down. Richard now fosters both cats, and hopes they can find forever homes with understanding, caring humans. Bandit is five years old, neutered, and fully vetted.

He has overcome traumatic events (attack by a dog when he was young, and later, Hurricane Katrina), and with Richard's patient, loving care, has come out of his shell and is becoming more assertive. Richard describes him as definitely being "a 'Watcha doin?' little fellow." He would like to see Bandit placed in a home with no young children, but with other cats to satisfy the Siamese's need for company. The ideal adopters would be a retired person or couple, or someone who works from home.

You can read more about Bandit, and if you live in North Carolina and have room in your heart and home to give this most deserving fellow a forever home, you can contact Richard by email (address given on Bandit's page.)

A side note: Richard also volunteers for Tailless Cat Rescue, and Cindy, its founder, has generously let him list both Bandit and Chance on her web site and Petfinder list.

Adoptable Shelter Cat of the Week: Bandit originally appeared on About.com Cats on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 13:25:27.

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The Cat Who Cried for Help is a timeless tome on the psychology of cats. For those of us who might view cats' behavioral quirks as "problems" (and I admit use of that term more often than I should), the title is a reminder that cats are not inherently bad, and when their behavior is undesirable from our human point of view, it really is a cry for help.

And help is exactly what Dr. Dodman offers here, help we can understand, so that we can help our own cats.

Please read my full review of this book so you will understand why I recommend it so enthusiastically.

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Review: The Cat Who Cried for Help originally appeared on About.com Cats on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 16:13:03.

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A reader wrote about a sudden behavioral change in her male cat, which initiated during the time she and her husband were away on a trip. She wrote:

My husband and I were on a week-long vacation, the first time we've left our cat, Jimmy, since we adopted him six months ago. We did have Lisa, a close friend, stay with him while we were gone, because we didn't want to board him in a kennel. The minute we returned home, it was obvious that something was wrong. There was a very strong scent of urine all over the house. I am desperate for any information on how to remove urine stains from my rug as well as ways to keep this kind of incident from happening again. Can you help me?

Since this seemed like a two-part problem including both urine spraying and urinating outside the box, my reply went into considerable detail in order to cover both issues. This information should be helpful to anyone who has either problem with a male cat.
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Help me Stop my Cat Spraying Urine originally appeared on About.com Cats on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 14:57:38.

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I missed Wordless Wednesday this week, but they're sure having fun over at Shelley Esaak's place. Shelley, the About.com Guide to Art History, posted a painting by George Caleb Bingham, with the title "Name That Animal" for her Wordless Wednesday feature.

Shelley initially pegged the animal sitting in the bow of the canoe as a cat, and (as the resident cat expert), I had to agree. After all, if it looks like a cat, walks like a cat, and talks like a cat, it must be a CAT, right? A whole lot of art (and animal) connoisseurs had their own opinions, though. One made a convincing argument that the rascal was a raccoon, reasoning that "coonskin caps" were very popular in that era. Another made a reasonable argument that it was a fox, pointing out that black fox pelts must have been rare, indeed. Others pointed out that it had to be a bear cub, and one intrepid canine fan thought it absolutely had to be a dog.

I'll leave it to my readers to speculate, but to give weight to my own argument, I've posted a similar photograph above. Yes, the cat is in a bathroom sink instead of a canoe bow, but the pose is very similar. Post your comments there or here; it makes no never-mind to me.
_{Photo Credit: © Karly Corona}

Cat, Fox, Bear, Raccoon? DOG? originally appeared on About.com Cats on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 12:40:35.

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February is the last big push of winter, and represents the glistening snow that blankets the budding crocuses beneath. You won't feel cold at all, though, with a white February cat to warm your heart and your lap. Our February white cats reflect the pristine brilliance of snow, along with the purity of their souls.

Interesting genetic fact about white cats: Most, but not all, white cats with blue eyes are deaf. However odd-eyed (one blue and one green or yellow eye) are deaf only on the same side if their heads as the blue eye.

Pictured here is Vanna, one of the cats in the 2009 gallery. Vanna was also a Cat of the Week for February, 2009. You may submit your own white cat photos for a 2010 gallery by following the Photo Submission Guidelines. Sorry, but I will be unable to publish your photos without all the requested information.
_{Photo Credit: © Kitty Elder}

2009 White Cats Picture Gallery originally appeared on About.com Cats on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 21:24:42.

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Thursday is the day for my regular weekly newsletter. It has a brand new look and feel, with more links than ever to content on the About.com Cats web site. Today's edition is "All About the Cat," and I hope you enjoyed it.

If you haven't yet subscribed, please take this opportunity to do so now. You can subscribe here to the weekly cats newsletter, as well as to any of the cat email courses on this site.

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Did You Get Your Cats Newsletter Today? originally appeared on About.com Cats on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 15:39:19.

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If you haven't already done so, watch the video of Sadie, the kitten, experiencing her first heat. (Sadie was spayed soon after.)

How To Tell if Your Cat is in Heat originally appeared on About.com Cats on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 15:09:36.

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