Photo Credit: © booboo121

Another tuxedo cat bonus this week. Booboo was adopted from a rescue shelter when he was about four months old, and is the master of the household. He sleeps with his human mom, and after a little trial and error has his favorite food, cat litter, and even has his own toybox, including daBird, his (and thousands of other cats') favorite. Maybe he's just a little spoiled because he's the first cat his mom ever had.

2012 Cool Cat Photos

Skunk and Shaydee are a "twofer" bonus as the first Cat Picture of the Week for May, 2012. This beautiful pair are littermates, now four years old, but adopted at a shelter as wee kits. When their new adoptive mama brought them home, the veterinarian though that Shaydee might not make it. But with a loving home, veterinary care, she came right through. It's likely exactly because Liz followed the excellent advice she shares with other readers: "Keep any and all cats indoors. Spay and neuter (duh!), regular vet checks and feed them good quality food. It makes all the difference in the world. Separate toys helps also."
Photo Credit: © Guest, Liz Sharer

Read more of Skunk and Shaydee's story and see a full-sized photo.
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The Manx has been around for hundreds of years, and is believed to have originated on the Isle of Man, off the coast of England. Whether the original Manx was a ship's cat will never be known, but it is generally believed that island cats may also have been involved.

With its rakish lines (back legs are longer than the forelegs), robust appearance, and sweet expression, a Manx of any color or tail length can be a fine companion for a single-person household or a large family. Manx love to be around people, and vice-versa, it seems, judging by their immense popularity.
_{Photo Credit: © Paul Dominguez}

About the Breed | Submit Your Manx

This is the time of year when stray pregnant cats are showing up on doorsteps and being taken in by caring catlovers. Or, another scenario is that a cat owner has neglected to spay a female cat and she either slipped out (or was allowed out) and the inevitable result is that she's pregnant. (This is what I call the "she got herself pregnant" syndrome.) Worse yet, she was impregnated by a whole male cat in the household.

Many people who find themselves in either situation have no idea how to care for the cat during the course of her pregnancy, nor immediately afterward. That is the purpose of this course: to give the cat and its kittens a fighting chance. For those who think I am supporting or promoting the irresponsible breeding of pet cats, be assured there are plenty of references to spay & neuter throughout this email course.

The email course is delivered daily for seven days, so that you will be thoroughly prepared in advance of the actual day of birth (parturition). Please take care in entering your exact email address (I often received "bounced" email notices because someone entered "htmail.com" instead of "hotmail.com" Also make sure About.com is on your "white list" so your spam catcher doesn't snare it. You should receive Lesson 1 immediately after signing up for the course.
_{Photo Credit © iStockPhoto/Trista Weibell}

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Cat Reproduction 101 (Online Course)