Keep up with important news about feline health, nutrition, and behavior, and other topics of interest to pet parents.

Updated August 2023 Fleas! Everyone hates these nasty, blood-sucking parasites. Our war against fleas is epic and ongoing, but each of us must fight our own individual battles. There are three fronts to fight on: the pet(s), the home, and the outdoor environment. But before we sound the battle cry, we need to know our enemy! WHY ARE FLEAS SUCH A FIERCE ENEMY? "Fleas come with three basic marching orders, or biological imperatives: to survive, to eat, and to reproduce." Fleas have a number of strategic advantages in this war: ...

Thanks to our good friend Dr. Karen Becker over at Mercola.com for this excellent article! Story at-a-glance Big Pet Food wants you to believe your dog is no longer a carnivore and can “thrive” on a diet high in starch A 2013 study is often used by processed pet food advocates as “proof” dogs are no longer meat-eaters. All the study actually proves is that a dog’s body has some capacity to adapt to the food it eats Just because a minority of dogs do fine on starch-rich diets doesn’t ...

We are very proud  that Little Big Cat won the coveted 2011 Muse Medallion Award for best website, from the Cat Writers' Association. You may remember a few weeks back that, along with our good friends Ingrid King of the Conscious Cat and Mary Ann Love-Miller of Feline Express, we won a Certificate of Excellence. Then those 3 sites competed for the Big One -- the Muse Medallion -- and we are so honored that Little Big Cat was chosen the winner among all the amazing competition! Little Big Cat ...

The Time online headline reads: "Glow-in-the-Dark Cats May Help Shed Light on AIDS." Maia Szalavitz reports: "These glowing animals have been genetically engineered to make blood cells that are resistant to feline immunodeficiency virus, or FIV, the virus that causes feline AIDS. The study could give researchers insight into fighting AIDS in both humans and cats. While humans cannot get infected with FIV — and cats don't get sick from HIV — understanding how the viruses work in different species could lead to better treatments and methods of prevention. HIV, ...

An interesting article at Southampton.patch.com cites animal communicator Patty Payne and the top five "shocking" things she's heard from pets. I have no doubt about #3; two of my cats have a running feud and I'm sure they've said some pretty rude things to each other! According to Ms. Payne: 1. Animals are holistic. Payne says our pets would rather not deal with the nausea associated with some medications. Instead, she says pets prefer natural remedies. 2. Animals don’t need to say ‘I Love You.’According to Payne, animals say they wouldn’t ...

Our good friend, Mary Ellen at AngelScribe.com, is featured in a video interview about her 5 swimming cats! She had been worried that they might get loose and fall in the pool, but no worries...the feline's amazing instincts include dog-paddling! However, it is very important to show your cat how to get out of the pool, either by swimming to the steps, or climbing out on the side (probably impossible for declawed cats). Otherwise they could swim until they become exhausted, and ultimately drown. Click on the photo to watch ...

June is Adopt-a-Cat month! It's also the start of kitten season, when tens of thousands of unintended and unwanted kittens will be dumped at shelters. People think, "Oh, kittens are so cute, they'll be adopted." But the sad truth is that there just aren't enough homes available, and shelters everywhere will euthanize litter after litter of sweet, friendly, adorable kittens for the next 6 months or more. The good news is that sharing your home, life, and love with one or more feline friends has many benefits for you, as ...