Blog

Yes, cats groom themselves. So do they really need you to brush them? That’s what a reader asked; here’s my answer. Q: Why do I have to brush my cat? Don’t cats groom themselves? A: Cats do a great job of grooming themselves, but brushing has a lot of positives beyond helping cats stay clean. […]

2002 was a sentinel year in our lives. My beloved wife, Teresa, had lost her dad and my best friend, Jim Burkholder, after a brief battle with lung cancer. Teresa’s grief was severe. For the next 12 months she was in a dark cloud, with only brief visits to the sunshine side of the mountain. […]

A reader was looking for mild alternatives to canine-formula shampoos for her dog. Here’s what I had to say. Q: Is it OK to use Dawn dishwashing detergent to bathe my dog? What about baby shampoo? I want to use something mild. A: We turned to a couple of coat and skin experts to find […]

You can create a lot of problems giving human medications to your pets, even one as simple as an aspirin. Here’s the risk as I explained it to a reader who asked about her pet’s arthritis pain. Q: My pet is a little achy from arthritis. Is it OK to give her aspirin? A: Back […]

Whether cats “need” to be routinely bathed or not is an open question, but because a bath may be medically necessary at some point in their lives, every cat should be accustomed to bathing. Here’s how I explained it to a reader asking about her new kitten. Q: I just got a kitten, and she’s […]