You take in a stray cat and have simply been too busy to schedule an appointment to have her spayed. Then one day you come home to find her howling constantly and rolling around on the floor. Has she gone mad? No, she’s gone into heat, or estrus.

Osteoarthrisits is a common problem in older cats, who suffer the same swelling, stiffness and pain in the joints as people do. While conventional treatments such as corticosteriods and anti-inflammatories (such as aspirin) can treat the inflammation and pain, the ideal treatment for arthritis would slow down the progression of the disease and possibly even help to heal the joint.

As many lovers of both cats and houseplants know, cats seem to enjoy munching on greens. No one is really sure why these obligatory carnivores are drawn to a variety of plants, but they certainly are.

When you feed your cats, is it a mob scene? Do the cats rush their bowls, with the more dominant cats pushing the timid ones away?

The key to keeping your cat off the kitchen counters is to make them undesirable places. If your cat has already discovered that there are sometimes tasty food treats on your counters, it will take some retraining to convince him that it’s not worthwhile to leap up there whenever your back is turned.

Cats can be mysterious creatures, and when they do something we don’t understand, it’s tempting to say they are reacting in human ways. But while cats certainly do have emotions, they are not always the same emotions we would have in the same situations. Let’s take a look at two common situations in which we often ascribe human emotions to very feline behaviors.

You know that which litter box you choose, what you fill it with, and how you keep it clean are important to your cat. But did you know litter box location is also a big issue for many cats?

Think your cat will miss having sex? The truth is that sex is a purely instinctual drive in cats and they don’t get any pleasure or enjoyment from it. Breeding isn’t pleasurable; it’s instinctual. And it can be downright painful for them.

Mother Nature never intended cats to live without meat. To start with, cats are adapted to using protein for energy, rather than carbohydrates. They have evolved so that their liver makes glucose (the major energy source for every mammal body) primarily out of the amino acids in protein. In the process, they have lost the ability to adapt to a low-protein diet. If we eat a diet that’s low in protein, we simply stop metabolizing it. But your cat can’t do that, and will begin to metabolize her own muscles. This really is as bad as it sounds.

Cats are extraordinarily fastidious creatures. Outdoors they tend to urinate and defecate in relatively open and previously unused areas. Unless they are "marking"-deliberately depositing the scent of their urine or feces as a chemical "autograph" for other cats-they carefully cover their waste and move on.

Most cats never need to be bathed. They benefit from baths only when they are so dirty that they cannot clean themselves, when they have a substance on their fur that it would not be healthy for them to lick off or when there is a medical reason for a bath. The rest of the time, they can groom themselves.

Unless you love having your skin shredded by needle-sharp nails, we all are eventually faced with the chore of nail-clipping. It can be quite stressful for everyone, but that need not be the case. Here are some tips to make a pedicure less unpleasant for all concerned.

The decision to bring home a new cat or kitten is very exciting, and is not a choice to be made lightly. Cats can live 20 years or even longer, and getting a new pet is a lifelong commitment. When you’re sure you want a cat, the next question is, just where do you find him? In the newspaper, the humane society or animal shelter, your best friend’s cousin’s farm, or at a prestigious cattery? Each of these may contain the feline companion you’ve been seeking. A little more information may help with the decision.

Can you train your cat to do behaviors on command? The answer is a resounding "Yes!" But, you say, your cat is independent, stubborn and will condescendingly turn up her whiskers at anything resembling a command. In fact, if cats could laugh, yours would be rolling on the floor this very minute (which he undoubtedly is doing).

We cat lovers know that cats are exquisitely intelligent animals. But what, exactly, does intelligence imply? Too often we carry around a stereotypical view in which dogs are trained and cats are… well, pampered. But training cats can be useful and even fun, both for us and for our fabulous felines.

You start teaching the "come" command by calling your cat to come for a meal. He probably already comes to you for food, so starting this trick is easy.

This command is a foundation for many other ticks and behaviors. Your goal is to have your cat sit down when you give the command "sit".

It seems like just a short time ago that your best (feline) friend had a veterinary check-up, but today, once again, you’ve spotted that familiar reminder card in the mail. Another veterinary exam already? Here is a checklist of some of the ways you can help ensure your cat’s good health throughout the year:

It’s the subject of far too many jokes, and most cat owners cringe when the vet says tabby will have to take a pill.

At Cat Fanciers’ Association cat shows, each cat is judged according to a common standard for its breed. Color and characteristics of the breed are the two principal designations that set champion cats apart.