The Pet Pundit

First H1N1 virus confirmed in a cat

Cathy M. Rosenthal — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:59:36 +0000

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”

Cathy M. Rosenthal — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:20:35 +0000

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

Cathy M. Rosenthal — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:32:31 +0000

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

Cathy M. Rosenthal — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:53:25 +0000

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

Cathy M. Rosenthal — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:07:19 +0000

Thought you would enjoy this! (Source: http://www.wendyfrancisco.com/)

New law bans 5 surgeries on dogs in Pennsylvania

Cathy M. Rosenthal — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:42:04 +0000

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

Cathy M. Rosenthal — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:50:21 +0000

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?

Cathy M. Rosenthal — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:15:16 +0000

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

Cathy M. Rosenthal — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:22:27 +0000

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

Cathy M. Rosenthal — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:31:47 +0000

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 [...]