Weekly article archive

The following questions and answers have appeared in my weekly column in the Albuquerque Journal since July, 1996. Each week a new one is added. You'll find information on the physical and behavioral maladies of dogs and cats and a few other species too. I invite you to use the search feature to find the specific answer that you and your pet need.

Teaching Good Manners To Your Cat

If prevention is the best medicine (and it is, by the way), setting appropriate house rules for your cat will help both of you live happily ever after. Here are…

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Chewing Clothing or Other Objects

These are some truly serious oral behaviors in cats. For genetic reasons Siamese and Burmese cats are far more likely to commit this domestic crime, most often sucking and chewing…

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Child Safety Around Cats

Some pets should never be allowed near children while others seem so reliable you’d trust them with anybody. Make no assumptions when it comes to cats and child safety. Considering…

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Cats Who Attack Family Members

Does your cat seem to be playing but then viciously attack your hand? Have you tried water, newspaper swatting and hollering, and all that does is make it escalate? Cats are…

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Cats Who Attack Visitors

Cats who attack strangers are not happy campers; they can also be dangerous. Your first priority must be to protect everybody from injury. While teaching the virtues of nonviolence it’s…

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Fighting Between Neighborhood Cats

We love our kitties because they’re gentle and cuddly. Of course there has to be a flip side too. Whether confrontations are personal or on either side of a window,…

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Fighting Among Household Cats

Relationships among multiple indoor cats could devolve into a slugfest. The head banana may lurk in the shadows, pounce, and scare the snot out of an unsuspecting subordinate. Wounds and…

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Which Cat Is To Blame?

Cats who urinate in bad places can make themselves unfun to live with. It’s a problem you want to correct early not only because bad habits become established quickly but…

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Outdoor Urine Marking

Many cats who spray urine on walls and curtains come by their bad habits quite naturally. Beyond the unmet needs of some indoor kitties the smell of urine from outside…

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