A version of this article originally appeared in Dr. Yin’s Pet Tales Column in The San Francisco Chronicle in 2000.      

Question: What do you do with a cat who attacks everything and everyone? Our cat lurks behind furniture and then leaps out at people as they walk by. She never seems serious because she doesn’t bite very hard, but it’s getting annoying. Answer: Picture this: Through a deep silence, the young huntress surveyed her territory. The day was growing weary and she yearned for a break in the monotony. Then she heard it. A familiar thud in the distance. She froze. Crouched low. She couldn’t see it but she knew where to go. Pupils dilated with excitement, she oozed along

First, you’ll have to find a better way to give her the message that sitting quietly is what earns her your attention. The quickest way to do this in cats is to teach them to sit using food. By approaching this problem in a systematic manner you’ll be able to turn the meowing noise off in just several days.

Have you ever wondered why lions and tigers and other wild cats on T.V. can learn so many tricks while all your domesticated house cat can do is sit and meow at you for her meals? Well, not surprisingly, our domesticated felines can learn cat tricks as quickly as their flashier television counterparts, once their humans learn a few basic training secrets. In fact, once you know the secrets, you’ll be able to train cat tricks like a pro. Here is the basic approach followed by a simple cat trick you can train. General Tips and Approach to Training Cat

As every kid knows, while America is a democracy, the American family is not. It’s a dictatorship and even the youngest family members are savvy to the balance of power. One such youngster explained it to me, “In this house,” he said, “the dogs are the lowest. The kids come next. The parents are above the kids. And the cats are on top.” Indeed with over 60 million cats in the U.S., cats are at the top in more ways than one. In their insidious manner, they’ve quietly surpassed the dog as America’s number one pet. It’s easy to see

With so many canine and feline flea and tick products on the market, you practically need a course to help you decide which one to use. According to Ronald Baynes, DVM, PhD, an associate professor of pharmacology at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, knowing the mechanism of action is key to sorting things out. Organophosphates and carbamates (kills and repels fleas and ticks) Among the first class of products used on pets was the organophosphate and carbamate insecticides used in foggers, dips, and sprays. These anticholinesterase insecticides work by inhibiting acetylcholine esterase, the enzyme responsible for breaking down the neurotransmitter acetylcholine at