dog park problem?

the safety of dog parks is being questioned.

a dane county board proposal would fine owners of dogs that have bitten either another dog or human in any county park.  the city of madison already does this in its parks but until now the county has had little recourse for incidents. (the comments are worth a read.)

so how dangerous are dog parks these days?  is this a big problem or are these isolated incidents?  we want to hear from you.

oh, and if you still need a  permit we've got 'em.

stealing your own dog

what would you do if you couldn't afford your dog's vet bill and the dog was going to be put to sleep? probably what this guy did. isn't it amazing what a little help from the community can do? no kill now.

more news regarding the ethics of uw's animal testing. chancellor biddy responded in favor of the decision that testing is alright. we wonder what the student body thinks of all this?

great news for wisconsin puppies!

the wisconsin state senate unanimously approved the puppy mill bill in session earlier today. this is a marked victory for local and national humane groups. good for us!

"more and more people in mainline christianity are considering them to have some kind of soul." churches are opening their minds, doors and hearts to pet-related worship.

looks like swine flu has done the un-expected and jumped species into an iowa house-cat. the good news, the kitty is doing fine and is relieved to see his tail has not been replaced by a curly-cue.

three is the magic number

what is the right number of cats per household? shouldn't that be decided by the household and not the local government? hoarders excluded, it's a dangerous game to put limits on pet ownership when local shelters are far from no kill.

world's fastest man adopts world's fastest cat, will now run backwards around the world and stop time. or not.

now los angeles is getting on board the anti-declawing train. pretty soon all of california will be living in the 21st century.

micro-chipped lost dog stolen and given away by animal control officer that found it. something about that just doesn't make sense.

declaw? heck nah!

san francisco just got one step closer to enacting a city-wide ban on declawing. we aren't for declawing but what happens when a family faces the decision of either having to give up their cats or become criminals? it's a toughie, alright. what do you think?

cats helps us in so many ways but helping women beat breast cancer has to be up there with the best of 'em. thanks, guys!

warning: from singed whiskers and tails to full-on fires, cats and candles do not mix. please be careful!

uh oh, looks like curiosity gets dogs in trouble, too. hope roxie recovers soon.

resistance is futile. so is trying not to buy this awesome shirt.

making up is hard to do

this video of a fighting couple has taken over the interwebs. looks like they need to have a little make-up session like morty and lucy.


this is just another very good reason to have a cat, they let you know when something weird is going on, whether it be a bug on the carpet or a creep in your living room. if kitty's acting strange, take notice; they're more observant than we are.


it hasn't been a good week for the dogs of madison:


coyote alert! west-siders be on the lookout for coyotes. they are getting hungry and very brave.


madison police shot a dog that was described as "angry and aggressive" during a current drug-raid.

compassionate cats

the beginning of a new generation of cat-lovers: a new school program teaches children to have empathy for animals, especially kitties.

the no kill revolution marches on with communities nationwide embracing the humane approach of t-n-r for feral colony management.

"one gay man, two lesbians, a three-legged cat and a poisoned curry plot" - best headline ever?

honda gets smart, releases a car for dog-lovers - "features on the dog-friendly model include a cushioned cargo bed area with safety restraints, second-row pet seating with restraints, a spill-resistant water bowl, special ventilation fans, bone and paw print-patterned floor mats and a retractable ramp to help animals get in and out of the vehicle."

if they ever release a cat-friendly car let's hope it doesn't look like this.

the postman always squeals twice

you don't often hear of mail carriers being terrorized by cats. maybe they should start carrying catnip with them. a catnip kitty is usually a daze-y, lazy kitty.

more kitty-mail news! this poor guy was accidentally shipped across the country in a ups box. opening that box must have been quite the surprise for the chiropractic clinic.

a police officer shot at a playing pitbull because she thought it was attacking. this is why breed-bans are dangerous, they propagate fear.

more on the marine corp's breed ban that we mentioned on tuesday. it turns out that the marines in south carolina are using a team of ASPCA animal behaviorists to do their temperament testing yielding positive results. while the ban is still unnecessary and prejudicial this is one step back in the right direction.

ireland loves dogs more. american cats don't care.

the emerald isle is home to more dog than cat-lovers. eh, big deal. they also love potatoes, mist, and little men with big promises of rainbows and gold. american cats would eat those leprechauns for lunch.

good news! sticky, the duct-taped kitty, has been adopted and is well on her way to living a normal, happy life.

“just as the average life expectancy for people keeps reaching closer to the century mark, we’ll continue to see the same parallels in our pet population." - the proverbial nine lives are quickly becoming nineteen lives.

feel good news: a cute, little turtle named "lucky" has had his mobility restored with the aid of those furniture-moving coasters. he's cruising around now and looking for work in the moving-men industry.

indoor/outdoor - the debate goes on

we are happy to see trap-neuter-return back in the pages of national news site msnbc. the first step to achieving no kill status is public awareness of other alternatives to the traditional shelter approach.

but don't get too excited because a new york times piece on the old cats-vs-birds debate has this to say, "in the view of many wildlife researchers, a pet cat on a lap may be a piece of self-cleaning perfection, but a pet cat on the loose is like a snakefish or English ivy: an invasive species."

the sicko, who duct-taped a stray cat for no real reason, has been arrested and could face up to two years in jail. maybe he'll get to try on a duct-tape jumpsuit.

superior court judge sets new precedent in three-year dog-custody battle. remember, folks, sharing is caring.

cats and cars: a precautionary tail

while pet carriers may be difficult, big and clunky, they are a lot better than ending up with a clunker, or even worse.

neither fire, nor smoke, nor water, nor 26 days trapped in a rubble pile could keep this kitty down. what a fantastic surprise for her owner.

"man fires gun to scare cat." this guy shouldn't have a cat. or a certain 2nd amendment right.

a new york times piece aims to truly understand and un-understand the family dog. but isn't anthropomorphizing our pets half the fun? their joy is our joy.

please, please, please, don't shoot the cat

the anti-cat undercurrent has got to stop:

pfeiffer, a one-year old cat, was shot with a cross-bow last week, and miraculously survived. no suspects yet. (warning: graphic image)

in a uk neighborhood, 8 cats have been poisoned to death. was it a pro-bird/anti-cat killing? it's happened before.

we've got a ways to go before we truly embrace the no kill philosophy, as a nation and as people.

this cute dog thinks he's a cat. he even uses the litter box and is being adopted out through a cat-specific rescue group! now that's a dog who'd fit right in here. he and lucy could cuddle.

poodles groomed to look like other animals: cruelty or comedy? tell us what you think.

thank you, madison!

well, we did it again: took first place in the isthmus' "madison's favorites" poll! grab a copy of the isthmus and check out the annual manual for a complete list of winners and a great pic of our very own gabby madcat. once again, thanks to all who voted for us. come on down to the king st. party next saturday and we'll celebrate!

now we are not saying this caused the crash, but joking about barbecuing a cat wasn't very nice, either.

why would anyone want to beat up a little dog? all animals deserve respect, even "ugliest dog" winners.

oh boy. peta's at it again and by "at it" we mean making a big stink. when will they learn?

even though we're not on the eastern seaboard, it's always good to be prepared for any kind of storm - caring for feral cats during a hurricane.

cats as property? hardly! they own us!

big news - a lawsuit in virginia is delving into a hot issue close to all pet-lovers' hearts: what is a companion animal really worth? let's hope this leads to the end of classifying our pets as 'property.' do you have any suggestions on what their new status could be?

mycathatesyou.com - always a fun stop on the daily blog train and full of cats giving disdainful looks.

this dog on deathrow in northern ireland is exactly why breed-banning not only doesn't work but is a downright travesty.

"a pilot and his cat are lucky to be alive after they crashed their small plane north of reno uesday morning." a new take on "dog is my co-pilot?"

nikki by the catnip - dazed and confused

so the philadelphia ealges have signed vick for the coming season. there has been protest, discussion and encouragement of the decision. where do you fall?

on the other side of the globe, a thai elephant, the victim of a landmine, is about to get her new artificial leg. good for her!

what's up with these uk kitties and riding buses? we told you about one a couple of weeks ago and now there's a second cat choosing public transportation. crazy!


from the isthmus daily page's forum, a discussion on coyotes, cats, birds and the indoor/outdoor debate. plus a cool do-it-yourself idea for a cat-proof fence!

dottiebot 2000, version 2.0 just arrived!

remember the missing african cat up by green bay? well, it was found hanging out in the office of a nearby warehouse. we'd like to hear that 911 call. "aw, there appears to be a cheetah in my office. help?"

sad news: the tallest dog has passed on. at over 7 feet at his tallest he was a giant among men.

everyone could use a nice mani-pedi every now and then. pro-tip: bribes and distraction always work best when it comes to clipping claws.

see how many of these "top 10 cutest cat videos" you can identify. we still love those treadmill kitties! if only we could get the store cats to do that.

a sicko in our own state: someone threw a dog off of a 30-ft. bridge in northwestern wisconsin. sick.

gabby, the ent-cat looks for more tasty hobbits

choosing pet supply stores - this is why we don't sell pets.

"love him or hate him, Fido is changing american society -- in ways municipal and medical, emotional and economic, social and scientific -- as never before." we are a nation of pet-lovers!

this lucky kitty survived a bullet to the face and still manages to love people. it is always amazing how tenacious the spirit of a cat can be.

stem cells are being used to help degenerative illness in animals - science is a remarkable thing, especially when we are using it to help those who can not help themselves.

top 5 loudest and quietest cat breeds - our store cats are generally pretty quiet but we've met some pretty loud tabbies in our day. how vocal do your cats get?