ArcaMax

Dear Cathy,

My son adopted a nine-year-old female cat this past October, after losing his previous cat to cancer. After spending the day in the bathroom to acclimate, she indicated she was anxious to come out. At first, she jumped on everything, including a tall armoire and the refrigerator. Each time, my son helped her down and said, “No ...Read more

Anyone who lives with a dog or cat knows that silence is rare.

Even the quietest pets produce a steady soundtrack of sounds: soft sighs when settling down, low groans when standing up, tiny huffs of impatience, contented grunts during petting, and dramatic exhalations that seem suspiciously theatrical.

These noises are not random.

They form a...Read more

Pets have lived alongside humans for thousands of years, evolving not just as companions but as close observers of our habits, moods, and physical states. Long before modern medicine offered diagnostics and wearable health trackers, people noticed something quieter and harder to measure: animals often react to trouble before humans recognize it ...Read more

By any obvious measure, humans take care of pets. We provide food, shelter, medical care, and structure. We decide where they live and how they move through the world. But that accounting misses a quieter truth, one that most pet owners sense but rarely articulate clearly: pets take care of us, too. Not in dramatic or cinematic ways, but through...Read more

By the time a dog or cat reaches its senior years, caregivers often find themselves navigating changes they never anticipated when their companion was young. One of the most challenging — and emotionally fraught — is incontinence. Accidents can feel frustrating, embarrassing, or even overwhelming, but veterinarians emphasize that ...Read more

Pets are rarely silent. They bark, meow, chirp, whine, and howl in ways that humans learn to recognize and interpret. These sounds are often directed outward—requests for food, attention, or access. But there is another category of animal noise that is less obvious and far more revealing: the sounds pets make when they believe they are alone. ...Read more

Dear Cathy, One of your readers wrote to you about having trouble with an aggressive male toy poodle after many years with a King Charles spaniel. To me, this sounds like another case of people buying expensive “designer” dogs. In the foster/rescue world, we have strong feelings about the purchase of pricey purebreds, especially since poor ...Read more

In most households, rules are assumed to be written by the people who pay the rent or the mortgage. Chairs have purposes. Beds have boundaries. Doors are either open or closed. But anyone who has lived with a pet long enough knows that these rules are provisional. Quietly, persistently, animals renegotiate them.

The process is rarely ...Read more

As winter tightens its grip and daylight thins, many dog owners brace for shorter walks and reluctant paws. For some breeds, cold weather is an obstacle to be endured. For others, it is a return to form. These dogs were shaped by climates where snow was constant, wind was unforgiving, and survival depended on fur, fat, and endurance.

Cold-...Read more

Somewhere between the crinkle of a paper bag and the hum of the vacuum cleaner lives one of the great domestic mysteries: catnip. It arrives quietly, usually in a small plastic pouch or sewn into a mouse-shaped toy, and within seconds transforms a dignified predator into a rolling, drooling philosopher. The cat flops. The cat chirps. The cat ...Read more

For generations, pet owners have casually labeled animals as “good” or “bad,” often with little reflection on what those words actually mean. A dog that chews shoes, a cat that urinates outside the litter box, a parrot that screams incessantly — these behaviors are quickly framed as moral failings or stubborn defiance. The implication ...Read more

For many pet owners, the daily ritual of leaving the house comes with a familiar question: *What do they do all day without me?* While we imagine naps, window-watching, or mild mischief, the truth is more complex—and more revealing. What pets do when we’re gone offers insight into their emotional lives, their coping strategies, and how ...Read more

Kelsea Ballerini's dog has died.

Dibs passed away on Wednesday (07.01.26) - more than a year after he was diagnosed with cancer - and the 32-year-old country singer announced his death on Instagram the following day with a series of videos and photos of her beloved pooch throughout his lifetime.

Kelsea captioned the post with: "My sweet dibs ...Read more

Dear Cathy,

My dog has zero interest in toys. He doesn’t fetch, chew, squeak, or even look at them. I’ve tried balls, stuffed animals, and ropes. He won’t play with anything. Is this normal, or am I doing something wrong?

— Ashley, Kenosha, Wisconsin

Dear Ashley,

You’re not alone. Some dogs love toys, some tolerate them, and others...Read more

Creating an indoor garden is a wonderful way to bring the beauty of nature into your home. However, for pet owners, it's crucial to ensure that the plants you choose are safe for your furry companions. Many common household plants can be toxic to pets if ingested, leading to harmful consequences. To strike the perfect balance between greenery...Read more