Cats and Kittens

Barbara J. Feldman

Isn't it funny how people are categorized as cat people or dog people? My family is both. The trick is getting the correct mix of dogs that are cat people and cats that are dog people. One of our cats died a few weeks ago (sniff, sniff) and we've started on the adventure of finding a new cat (or will it be a kitten?) Today's sites are in honor of Adopt-a-Shelter Cat Month (June) and are dedicated to Corny, who had a special relationship with everyone she met.

Catfancy.com

5 stars

Catfancy.com (from Cat Fancy Magazine) is a big site, with lots to explore. Fun clicks include a Photo Gallery (with easy instructions on how to upload your favorite kitty snapshot), Catcensus Says (a monthly cat-related poll), and reader submitted Cat Poetry. Educational clicks include Breed Showcase (from Abyssinian to Turkish Van) and lots of articles on cat care, behavior, health and nutrition (in the drop-down Resources menu).

Cats @ National Geographic

5 stars

"The cat is one animal nature pretty much got right the first time around ... the story of cats is ultimately a story about design." Although the tiny type makes it hard to read, this National Geographic feline anatomy feature is worth the squinting. Click on the curled page icon (in the bottom right-hand corner) to traverse through the article. If you're a cat owner, be sure to read the FAQs about cat behavior answered by Carole the cat therapist (look in Resources/Talk to Us.)

The Cat Site

4 stars

The Cat Site is home to gobs of advice on kitty care, health, behavior and breeds. It also houses an active forum for cat lovers, personal cat pages (where you can build your cat its own home page) and free cat e-cards. I found my favorite reads in Cat Snips ("snippets of information ... that do not fit within our other sections") such as "A Short History of the Cat," " The Mystique Behind Black Cats," and "Cats and the Decline of Western Civilization."

Meowhoo Club: Cat Games

3 stars

Just for the fun of it, here's a selection of interactive cat games from Meowhoo Club (a directory of cat links). Try your hand at Cat-a-Pong, Fight for Turf, Cat Connect, Dance of the Tiles, Drag Puzzle and Robocat. When you're done, you can download the kitty cat wallpaper of the month, or vote for your favorite feline in the cat of the month photo contest.

Natural History Museum: Cats! Wild to Mild

3 stars

"Filled with 'purrfect' fun" this online museum exhibit "traces the natural history of the cat from wild, exotic felines to America's number one pet." Although the traveling exhibit is now closed, this cyber version is still open. Unique features are the fifteen interviews in Working with Cats (biologists, science writers, college professors, and more) showing the variety of careers available to cat lovers, the teacher's curriculum (in PDF) and the CAT-ivities family craft activities (also in PDF).