Lifestyle

Ah, calico cats! Those multi-colored coats that can be arranged into never-ending combinations of patterns make for tons of questions. Do male calico cats exist? Are the rumors about calico cat personalities true? What in the world is a calibby? We’re here with answers to a few commonly asked questions about those mysterious calico cats. 1. Is

Ever wondered: Why do cats knead? Why does your cat stomp on her favorite bed or blanket (or your leg or chest) with her front paws, as though making dough for biscuits? Ever wondered why cat kneading seems to make her high, intoxicated with sweet memories of springtime and youth? Here are five cool things about cat

In the Abyssinian alphabet, A is for active, M is for mischievous and S is for super smart. The agile and athletic cats are known for their love of heights, lively nature and unquenchable curiosity. “Abys are very energetic, and that takes some people by surprise,” says Linda Kay Hardie, who has lived with 19

Is your female cat acting weird? Maybe she’s sticking her butt in the air and meowing very loudly? What could be going on? We all know how important it is to have our cat companions spayed or neutered. But sometimes time gets away from even the best-intentioned cat caretakers — and before you know it, you’ve

You’ve probably noticed that cats spend a lot of time and energy communicating with other cats in their lives, but that very little of that communication is in the form of meows. If they talked as much as they gestured (including marking their territory and their humans), the odds are good that you’d wish they’d

If you’ve ever longed to share your living space with a leopard or curl up with a cheetah, you’ll fall in love with these large cat breeds — all 100 percent domesticated but with an air of jungle cat mystique. Let’s meet five of them right here. Siberian Siberian cats are hypoallergenic cats. Photography by

There are few things less appealing than walking around your house and feeling little grains of kitty litter under your feet. Of course, every cat supply company knows this, and they’ve created all manner of gadgets, geegaws and widgets to control cat litter tracking. But I’ve got some additional ideas to curb cat litter tracking that

A cat tail is an amazing and beautiful thing. Not only is it an anatomical wonder, it’s an excellent tool for feline self-expression. Even the most obtuse of humans can learn the secrets of this behavior — “cat tail talk,” if you will — with a little observation, and your cat will love you even more

According to the American Veterinary Dental Society, almost 70 percent of cats start showing signs of oral disease by their third birthday. If your cat’s teeth are in bad shape, that can contribute to health problems including heart and kidney disease, and decrease your cat’s quality of life. Because cats hide their pain, you probably

Do you brush your cat’s teeth? You should! A vet weighs in with advice on why you should brush your cat’s teeth, how to brush a cat’s teeth and how often to brush a cat’s teeth. First, why should you brush a cat’s teeth? Wondering how to brush a cat’s teeth? We’ve got you covered. Photography

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2016. We’re publishing this post again in memory of Oskar the Blind Cat, who recently passed away. Oskar may be gone, but his legacy of doing good and helping special-needs pets will always be with us.  Oskar the Blind Cat is living proof that one life can make

With cats being as cool as they are, there’s no reason you can’t show your love for the feline form every chance you get. You don’t have to go overboard with cat decor — subtlety is the key. But with so many beautifully designed everyday objects for cat lovers now available, it’s easy to add

Cats don’t get cavities. Did you know that? I didn’t. What pet owners often mistake for a cavity in a cat is something called cat tooth resorption. And guess what? No one really knows what causes it. Here’s the story of what my cat went through, and how I learned about this cat health issue.

Before you can learn to talk to your cat, you need to understand how your cat talks to you. Did you know that meowing is a form of cat communication your cat reserves just for you? In nature, cats do not meow to one another past kittenhood. If your cat meows at you, he’s trying to tell

Some embrace the notion that “real men love dogs” while cats are a female thing. Why? Well, dogs are easier for society to understand as pets, really, and pop culture’s fabricated “ideal man” is strong and rugged yet beyond deep thinking and emotional nuance. Dogs have worked for humans for thousands of years, forming strong

Tooth grinding is very common in people. In fact, nighttime grinding of teeth has spawned an entire cottage industry for “night guards,” prevent people from damaging their teeth as they grind away while they’re sawing logs. It turns out that humans aren’t the only species subject to tooth grinding. Cat teeth grinding is a thing, too. Unlike

Dental diseases in cats are common — but hard to diagnose. While agonizing pain might get you to run to the dentist, cats in pain just carry on. For a cat to signal “my mouth hurts,” the pain has to be over-the-top excruciating. At this point, many cats refuse food, but it’s not because they’re

Do your cat’s eyes ever get watery, goopy or downright crusty? It can be a little gross, but beyond that, cat eye discharge can sometimes indicate an eye problem that needs to be looked at by your veterinarian. If you’ve ever wondered if cat eye boogers, watery cat eyes or other cat eye discharge are normal or

One of the Catster editors recently asked me a few questions about poop. She wondered whether she needed to be concerned if her cat had a single runny poop. She also wondered whether pooping outside of the litter box might be a sign of a veterinary problem. Poop doesn’t exactly make the world go ’round,

Veterinarians have been talking to cat caretakers about the importance of cat dental health and encouraging regular dental care for probably at least a decade, and with good reason. The trouble is, cat teeth cleanings are pretty expensive because cats require general anesthesia for the procedure, and people are reluctant to shell out the bucks for

Who hasn’t dreamed of having their cat star in a video that’s taking the internet by storm? Most of us have captured cute, funny or endearing moments of our cats on video, but the reach has only gone as far as Grandma, Aunt Doris and our best friend from high school. Is it just luck

Many cat parents already know the cool scientific facts behind cat whiskers — they do tons of strange-but-true things like gauging spatial relations (for example: “Can I really fit into that little hole?”) and helping to capture prey. But few know the folklore and stories ­— real and imagined — behind your cat’s cool sensory accessory.

Cat teeth are important structures in our feliens. They serve a number of purposes: prehension (grasping and holding food), mastication (chewing food) and as weapons for killing prey and for biting veterinarians. (I speak from experience.) I’ve compiled all you need to know about your cat’s teeth into this easy-to-read primer. 1. Cat teeth and kittenhood

I regularly make very simple fleece blankets for the cats and dogs at the shelter where I volunteer. I head down to the fabric store and buy fleece remnants (usually 50 percent off!) to make them with. So, when I saw the adorable tied Valentine’s Day blanket our friend and Dogster contributor Samantha Meyers did

If you’ve ever visited a Chinese or Japanese restaurant, Asian supermarket, or any Chinatown shop for that matter, you’ve probably noticed a little cat figurine perched quietly by the cash register. This Fortune Cat, or Maneki Neko, is a lucky cat charm that’s very popular in Japanese and Chinese cultures. It’s a talisman that is believed

I had never been bitten by a cat before I started volunteering at a cat shelter last summer. I’d been nipped at, sure, but never to the point of broken skin. However, none of the cats who bit me meant to do me harm — which is an important thing to remember in my position of

Considering that the tabby pattern is the most common of all cat coat patterns, you might have a tabby cat, and you’ve definitely seen one. Cats with tabby-patterned coats are commonly referred to as “tabbies” or “tabby cats,” although that is not a breed. Tabbies come in five basic patterns — classic, mackerel, spotted, ticked and

Losing a loved one — human or animal — is devastating. We’re left with a hole in our hearts that doesn’t seem like it will ever heal, and we’re certain life will never be the same again. Grief comes in many forms, and the way we move through it depends on the individual affected by

Happy National Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day! Have you ever wondered what your cat is trying to tell you through certain behavior? For example, when your cat pees on your pillow, he’s not trying to get even with you for coming home late. When he scratches your new sofa, he’s not being bad. Because cats

Have you ever thought “My cat is always hungry?” You’re not alone. As a cat guardian, you know that if your cat goes off his food for more than a day or so, a trip to the vet is probably in order. But did you know that constant eating can be a sign of health