Cat College

We in Gustavus feel so fortunate that we finally have our own veterinarian. Susan Reese Schaff, DVM, now resides here with her husband, small son, two dogs, and three cats. As an added treat for you, my readers, Susan has written a post about the proper feeding of your cat. You may learn something new … Read more

If you have wondered about the origin of domestic cats, you may find this history a bit confusing. The domestic cat (Felis catus), member of the Felidae family, is one of the most recently evolved species. This family is divided into three genera: Panthera (cats that roar) Acinonyx (the cheetah) Felis (all other small cats) The classification of … Read more

How well do you know cats? Perhaps you have been around cats all your life, and you think you know a lot about them. Read on — You will learn that there are several common myths about cats that just aren’t true. Here are 14 of them that you may have thought to be true … Read more

Though it is true that we normally see cats singly or perhaps with one or two others, if we own more than one, then what kind of social life do they have? Are cats social creatures? They often seem to prefer their own company, and this is especially true when they are hunting. Cats do … Read more

Would you be interested in a guide to taking your cat into the wild? Have you ever visited the website, http://adventurecats.org? It’s a wonderful site that will teach you everything you need to know about training a traveling outdoor cat. Laura Moss, animal writer and active hiker, started the website when she couldn’t find an … Read more

As cat owners, many of us have wished our cats could talk, so we could understand what is going on in that cute, furry head. Well, now researchers are developing a way that you can teach your cat to talk. No, the cat doesn’t learn to say words in English, or in any other language. … Read more

Though your cat will have a basic personality, he may show different sides of himself from day to day. Yet you can figure out his basic personality by observing his distinguishing characteristics, thus determining the cat’s personality traits.  In an article in countryliving.com, the author establishes five cat personalities and what they reveal about your … Read more

“Maybe it’s the time of the cat,” says Adam Miklosi. He has been working with dogs for 25 years, and says it is getting harder and harder to find something new and stimulating to do with them. He states that cats are still exciting. Dogs have been part of countless studies on canine social cognition. … Read more

We find today’s reality fraught with political contests and confrontations. One doesn’t usually find this arena populated by cats. What do you think about cats and politics? Will they mix? Not a common mixture, for sure. However, my state of Alaska has had one positive experience with such a combination. In 1997, the town of … Read more

Greetings to you two-legged website visitors. Your literate cat, Lucinda, is here to review a story for you. It’s from the book, “The Personality of the Cat,” edited by Brandt Aymar. It’s a story written by Murray Robinson called “Danger – Crazy Cats.” Mr. Robinson tells of several of his adventures with cats who have … Read more