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The ancient Egyptians revered her in the form of Bastet, the feline goddess of fertility and protector of women and children. Other ancient peoples kept small statuettes of her with suckling kittens throughout their homes to bring good luck. Modern science has studied her, attempting to explain her ways. Who is she?

The statistics are sobering: Each year, according to the National Cancer Institute, approximately six million companion cats in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer, and more than half of cats over the age of 10 will die of the dreaded disease. A cure for feline cancer may be just a collar away. Bright orange Pet4Pets charity collars - similar to the popular cancer-awareness wrist bands, la Lance Armstrong - were introduced last spring, with the funds going toward groundbreaking cancer research being funded by the Animal Cancer Foundation (ACF) in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Fever, lethargy, loss of appetite and evidence of painful stiffness in the muscles and joints are clinical signs of many ailments that can afflict your cat at any time of year. Some feline disorders, however, are more prevalent during warm weather, when higher temperatures stimulate the activity of disease-causing organisms and the parasites that can transmit them to your cat.

Your sister is moving to Japan for her job and she cant take her cat with her. Shes devastated and turns to you for help. But you already have three cats and cant take on another. You cant imagine ever having to give up one of your own cats, but dealing with your sisters situation is almost as bad. What do you do? Someday, you may need to find a home for your own cat. But there are a number of things to try before deciding that a cat cannot stay where she is. And if it becomes absolutely necessary, heres some help in finding her a new home.

Nothing is more appealing to many feline-loving people than snuggling up with a favorite cat companion, whether it be while watching television, reading a book or even catching some Zs. "A lot of people really enjoy sleeping with a cat as long as the person does not have allergies or medical conditions that would make getting a scratch potentially dangerous," says Ellen Lindell, VMD, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist who operates a private behavior specialty practice and is a monthly columnist for CatWatch. "Aggressive cats should be kept out of the bedroom, but if the cat behaves normally, there is no harm in sleeping with her."

The warmer weather brings sunshine, fresh breezes, singing birds - and bugs. Maybe youre the sort of person who encourages your cat when she swipes at a moth, catches it, plays with it and then devours it. Or maybe you cringe when your cat pounces on a beetle and starts crunching on it. Whatever kind of person you are, its likely that you wonder if its safe for your cat to eat bugs. The answer depends on what kind of bug youre talking about.

In March 16, 2007, Menu Foods, Inc. initiated a recall of pet food processed at two of its facilities and sold under multiple brand names. By early April 2007, more than 40 cat food products were included in the recall. As a result of this widespread recall of pet food, many pet owners are concerned with the safety of their cats food and have turned to their own kitchens for alternatives.

As springtime arrives throughout the U.S., the steamy days and nights of summer cannot be far behind. This means, of course, a proliferation of mosquitoes. For you, this is an annoyance. For your cat, these bothersome little creatures can pose a major health problem. Among all of the various disorders that can endanger a cats physical well-being and perhaps threaten its life, few are more insidious than feline heartworm disease, a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when a parasitic worm called Dirofilaria immitis gets into an animals system.

Dogs may have masters. We cats have staff. Keep this in mind for a happy human relationship." So writes Celia Haddon in One Hundred Ways for a Cat to Train its Human (Hodder & Stoughton, 2001).Do you ever find yourself playing servant to your cat? Maybe youre working on the computer and your crafty cat lies down across the keyboard to get your attention. It works, of course. Next thing you know, youre stroking the cat instead of striking the keys

Diane Levesque of Rochester, New Hampshire, adopted a kitten that had been born in the wild. One day her kitten got loose outside, and Levesque was frantic. "I could see her near the garage, but I couldnt catch her," she recalls. She set a trap with food to lure her cat, but it didnt work. Finally, she called her veterinarian to see how she could get her cat back inside. It turned out that Levesques cat, like many other felines, didnt want to step on the traps metal floor.

You should be pleased to see your cat, at the age of seven, looking terrifically fit and behaving with the same mischievous vitality that she did when she was a kitten. Bear in mind, however, that the feline age of seven is equivalent to the age of 41 or so in a human, and your cat as trim and spirited as she is at present is bound to start showing the normal signs of aging before you know it.

When you call your cat, it often seems like he doesnt hear you at all, but a cats sense of hearing is quite astute. A cat can hear sounds with frequencies from 45 to 60,000 vibrations per second (one vibration per second is called a hertz; 1,000 vibrations per second is called a kilohertz) as opposed to a human who can hear from 20 to 20,000 hertz. Even the canine who may be sleeping at your feet doesnt hear the upper ranges as well as your cat.