When Tarin Goodnight, a student at Texas State University, ran to the store, she didn’t expect to come back home to a pet emergency. But during the short time she was away, her then 18-month-old Chihuahua, Carmen, had jumped onto her desk and eaten four pieces of nicotine gum, leaving the paper wrappers as the [...]
The Pet Pundit
Humane Education and Writings on Animal Issues
Author Archives: Cathy M. Rosenthal
Dogs don’t listen? Here’s why
Letters about “stubborn dogs” that don’t seem to listen flood my e-mail. Margie G. says, “Whenever we go for walks, I say my dog’s name, but she doesn’t turn her head to look at me.”
Gina says she must ask her dog to “sit” several times before her dog will even think about complying. “What am [...]
Helping children cope with pet’s death
When I was 7 years old, my little dog Pepper saw a cat across the street and ran out the open front door. Before I could get outside to catch him, he ran into the street and was hit by a car. I remember screaming and crying. I was overwhelmed by what I had just [...]
Why do dogs like squeaky things?
Does your dog go crazy every time you bring home a squeaky toy. Does he grab it and shake his head back and forth as if he is trying to kill it. After the squeaker stops working, does he drops the toy and never touch it again.
Well, once upon a time, when dogs hunted and [...]
Searching for a way to use contraceptives with pets
In February 2008, Texas A&M announced the university would do a study on birth control for wild animals and eventually cats and dogs. This would be a transformational event in the battle against animal population control. Unfortunately, in a recent conversation with Dwayne Kraemer at Texas A&M, he said “preliminary studies were not panning out the [...]
When a cat bites after petting
A readers says, “Sometimes when I pet my cat, he starts twitching his tail and then bites my hands. This is very distressing for me. I love him, but it really hurts me when he does this. Am I doing something wrong? How can I make him stop?”
This is actually a very common behavior. Your [...]
How long do parakeets live?
Let’s say you just bought a parakeet for your 9-year-old child. How long will this bird live? What do they like to eat? And how can you tell if the bird is a male or female?
Parakeets can live 7 to 15 years, which means your bird could live until your child is 24 years old. However, [...]
Can dogs watch TV?
A reader says her mom’s dog Jack watches TV. “He actually follows objects as they move across the screen and loves animal shows and sports shows that my dad turns on,” she says. “Is this really possible?”
Many people say their dogs watch TV and it seems they really are following some of the action on the [...]
Why do some cats “knead” and some do not?
Kittens knead their paws on the belly of their mother to stimulate milk production. Because this action brings immediate rewards and comfort, it’s not unusual for cats to continue this behavior with their human loved ones as adults. When a cat kneads your belly, he feels emotionally secure and happy. In fact, the action is [...]
Would you perform CPR on your Pet?
In a medical emergency, would you perform CPR on your pet? Would you be willing to begin mouth-to-snout resuscitation — your mouth over his closed snout — to revive your dying dog or cat?
In a poll conducted by the Associated Press and Petside.com, 63 percent of dog owners and 53 percent of cat owners say [...]
Cat to Dog / Cat to Cat Introductions
Sara recently wrote to me to tell me that her cat Oliver had passed away. She plans to open her home to a new kitten — maybe two — when enough time has passed. However, she has two Lhasa apsos already and was wondering how to integrate a new cat into a home with resident dogs.
When my feline, Miss Kitty, [...]
First H1N1 virus confirmed in a cat
Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine has confirmed the first known case of the H1N1 virus in a cat. Up until now, the virus has only been found in humans, pigs, birds, and ferrets.
Apparently, the feline got sick after being exposed to several household members who had flu-like symptoms. The feline will recover. According to [...]
Man shoots baboon “to see what it feels like to kill someone”
AA Gill, a restaurant critic in England, said he shot a baboon on safari “to get a sense of what it might be like to kill someone”.
In his Sunday Times column, he described in painful detail how he shot the primate from 250 yards away while riding in a vehicle “full of guns and other [...]
Nora the piano playing cat wins Feline of the Year
Back in February, the Pet Pundit featured a story on Nora the Piano Playing cat. Watch her first video here.
Today, she has been named Cat of the Year by the ASPCA who said they picked her not just for ability to paw out a tune, but because she was an adopted feline and what better [...]
Common sweetener can kill pets
My veterinarian told me today that three of her canine patients had died recently from xylitol toxicity. “That’s never happened before,” she said. “I don’t have three dogs that die all year from something like that.”
Xylitol is a popular sugar substitute used in many human food products, especially in diabetic foods. It looks and tastes [...]
“GoD and DoG” brings smile to face
Thought you would enjoy this! (Source: http://www.wendyfrancisco.com/)
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New law bans 5 surgeries on dogs in Pennsylvania
A new law in Pennsylvania, House Bill 39, bans five surgeries on dogs unless performed by veterinarians. When I read the list, I was a bit surprised that any of these things were permissible for a pet owner to do and that a law had to be passed to ensure dogs are under the care of [...]
Movie studios wrongly use “no animals were harmed” end credit
Animal lovers often sit through the end credits of a movie to wait for American Humane’s disclaimer that says “No Animals were Harmed” in the making of the movie. It is their assurance that the animal actors used in those productions were not killed or injured in any way, and that their well-being and safety were assured by the American [...]
Could Congressional bill provide relief for pet owners?
Pet owners may want to know about H.R. 3501, which was introduced by Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich on July 31, 2009, to help pet owners in these tough economic times. The Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY) Act is the first legislation, I believe, ever to be introduced on Capitol Hill to help [...]
Dogs as smart as two to three year olds
When it comes to intelligence, the latest researchs shows dogs are apparently as smart as two to three year old kids. They can comprehend about 165 words, learn signals, and can even count up to about 5, according to Stanley Coren, an emeritus professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and author of “ How Dogs [...]
Learning how to speak dog
I get lots of questions about dogs and their so-called “bad behaviors.” Mostly, people want to know how to get their dogs to listen. Here’s the big secret about interacting with your canine companions. Dogs look to their human pack leaders for signals on how to handle every encounter and what you do impacts their [...]
How many dogs and cats live in your city?
Ever wonder how people determine the population of dogs and cats in your city?
In the past, it required some math, using a formula provided by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). See the formulas section here to see how these formulas are calculated.
But if you know your city’s overall population, you can now plug in that number to [...]
Top ten wild animals that most commonly attack pets
Wild animals can and do attack our pets, leaving lacerations, bite wounds, puncture, and soft tissue trauma – and a trip to the pet emergency room for you.
Snakebites, which are the most commonly reported injuries, may require anti-venom whereas scorpion stings may cause allergic reactions requiring antihistamines. Treatment may vary depending on the severity of the attack and costs [...]
Tips on protecting pets from the heat
With unseasonably warm temperatures right now in many parts of the U.S., pet owners may not be aware that normal routines need to be adjusted to accommodate for the excessive heat. I had a friend who lived in Phoenix who used to walk her dog at 5 a.m. every morning so that they weren’t out in the [...]
Unsafe levels of fluoride found in dog food
The Environmental Working Group recently commissioned an independent study and discovered that eight national brands of dog food, marketed to puppies and adults, had unsafe levels of fluoride. In fact, the fluoride was 1.6 to 2.5 times higher than what the EPA has deemed a safe amount in human drinking water.
Why is excessive fluoride a problem for dogs? [...]
Lucky the elephant’s story
I live in San Antonio and write a pet column and blog for the San Antonio Express News. A reader sent me this link about a lonely, 49-year-old elephant in our local zoo who certainly deserves to live out the remainder of her days in a sanctuary that has already agreed to take her — [...]
What a cat must do to get his owner’s attention
If you have ever had a cat, you will laugh at this short film that shows what a hungry cat must do to get his owner’s attention. Cats communicate with us, but we humans aren’t always great at listening to our pets.
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Report sheds light on pit bull attacks
DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims’ group, released their 2008 report on pit bulls shot for public safety reasons. The 20-page report documents 373 incidences in which U.S. law enforcement officers and citizens were forced to shoot a dangerous pit bull to prevent an attack or to stop an ongoing attack.
The report tracked 12 data [...]
Study shows majority of pet cats neutered
A new study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Association reports that the vast majority — at least 80% — of pet cats in U.S. households are neutered, with middle-to higher-income households reporting rates of over 90%.
The peer-reviewed study, based on data collected for the national nonprofit organization Alley Cat Allies by Harris Interactive, [...]
