Letter from the Editor On

The Cover

Once per year we dedicate our feature story to felines…our annual cat issue is here! According to the 2021-2022 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 70% of U.S. households own a pet, which equates to 90.5 million homes. Dogs took the lead with 69 million, followed by cats with 45.3 million. Wow! That’s a lot of kitty litter! But in many ways, it’s no surprise that for humans who desire animal companionship, cats are a logical choice for many because cats are considered easier to care for than dogs. They are more selfsufficient for potty necessities and exercise requirements can be met without leaving the house, but that doesn’t mean cats are easier to understand and train!

(sometimes quite small like an apartment), and they would also not be forced to live with another cat (or even a dog). For some cats, they can adjust, but for others, their stress level is naturally higher and they need more… more space, more freedom, more enrichment, more exercise, etc. The bottom line is that cats are complicated! Dr. Haug is working with my daughter and her cat through a series of enrichment activities and other assignments and as of the date I'm writing this note, things are going "OK" and we are praying there are no more attacks. This example is a reminder that when we take on a pet, no matter the species, there will be problems of some sort that we have to be prepared to deal with.

Cats Are Cool

Cats are amazing creatures and the fact that we have domesticated this species as pets is quite interesting. From the domestic cat to the wild cats that roam Africa, it's fascinating that their eyes are so similar given a vast difference in size...which was the inspiration for our "eye-catching" cover!

In our annual Cat Issue, we explore a myriad of topics for cat lovers that we hope you enjoy plus some fun shopping ideas to delight the feline aficionado in your life.

We recently went through a bit of cat trauma in our family with a behavioral issue. My college-aged daughter adopted a kitten two years ago, along with her roommate who adopted a kitten from the same litter, and all was fine until recently. From seemingly out of nowhere, my daughter’s cat attacked her. He didn’t just bite her and run away - he attacked her, biting and scratching her all over her legs and arms. She was able to fling him off and run and hide in another room. He remained in an aggressive state, growling with his hair raised up all over. Needless to say this was scary and traumatic. What ensued was a lot of crying and consternation about what to do, because let’s face it, now she was terrified of her own cat that she has loved immensely for two years. Skipping many of the details, we ultimately took the cat to see Dr. Lore Haug, a board certified animal behaviorist for VCA Hospitals. Dr. Haug was extremely knowledgeable and helpful! I learned a number of things about cats that I didn’t know during the session, most importantly that we as humans are asking cats to live in an “unnatural” environment (for lack of a better word). They would not naturally live in a confined space

HOUSTON PETTALK MAGAZINE

14781 Memorial Drive, Ste. 510, Houston, Texas 77079 281-556-6560

Art Director: ANDREW BURWELL

Cats can be wonderful companions and if you are a cat owner, I hope you find some valuable information in our feature and I urge you to read Dr. Haug's article on cat behavior on page 26. For my editor photo, I thought it would be apropos to show my fun encounter feeding milk to a BIG Cat at the Houston Zoo.

June is also Dad time! Check out our Father's day shopping guide on page 44. My nephew reviewed the Napier Truck Tent and says it's an awesome gift for the outdoorsy dog dad!

We also publish ALL entries from our 15th Annual Pets in the Wildflowers Photo Contest. Check out the winner, Finn, and the other beautiful photos on pages 40-43. The contest has been sponsored all 15 years by Sunset Animal Hospital! We are so thankful for their loyal sponsorship and their generosity of a $200 Gift Certificate to the winner. For more contests, sign up for our newsletter at HoustonPetTalk.com or watch for promotions on social media.

Summer is here...don't forget flea, tick and heartworm preventative and be aware of hot pavement on your pet's paws. Have a fun and safe June!