Cats, once again, fail to contrafreeload
What is contrafreeloading? In the 1960s scientists discovered that laboratory rats liked to work for food. Rather than eat food…
Is your cat’s butt touching everything in your house? This young scientist tried to find out
Last week, a story about Kaeden, who did his school science project on whether cat butts touch the surfaces of…
Should Persian cats be extreme?
New research looks at what’s really going on with their faces. Although cats have lived with humans for thousands of…
Can you convince cats to stop hunting? A new study finds that food and play might help.
What gets cats to bring less prey home. Cats. Born to be wild, obligate carnivores and relentless predators. Folks who…
What’s the point of the “catnip response”?
New research suggests it helps protect cats from mosquitos! Cats who respond to olfactory stimulation via plants (e.g., catnip, silver…
Cat facial expressions are affected by breed: Why there are implications for cat welfare
People often describe cats as a bit inscrutable and hard to read; in part, this is because cats have fewer…
Should you “slow blink” at your cat?
Science says probably! In the time that we have lived together with cats (for the last four to ten thousand…
Does being orphaned increase stress in kittens?
Our new study says yes. For the past few years, I’ve been working at the UC Davis School of Veterinary…
How do you feel about fat cats?
Owner attitudes are related to their own cat’s weight Recent surveys of veterinary professionals indicate that around 60% of cats…
Cats eating humans redux: a clowder will devour
It was almost a year ago that I reported on a study revealing scavenging patterns of feral cats outside of…