LOS ANGELES -- For decades scientists and researchers have been vexed by a sound emanating from cats. Not a call of the wild, a roar or a hiss. No, multiple academics have attempted to decipher the meaning behind the mightily adorable meow of the domestic house cat.

Cats, it turns out, are conversationalists. And good news for cat parents: ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Dating is hard. And complicating matters, was it possible my cat could be seen as, if not an outright red flag, a deterrent?

Cats come with stigmas. Everyone knows the outdated and offensive characterization of a cat lady — a stereotype conjuring images of solitude, eccentricities and probably cartons of ice cream.

But cat ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Gnocchi sits attentively on a Beverly Grove sidewalk with his owner, Julia Luke. Gnocchi wears a pink collar with his name on it, an air tag and a red harness with a leash. He observes the neighbors. He sniffs the grass. He watches bugs crawl in the dirt.

"People know Gnocchi's name before they know mine," Luke said.

But seeing...Read more

Cats have a reputation for contributing very little to household management.

They sleep on freshly folded laundry, knock pens off desks, sit directly on whatever you are trying to read and occasionally announce at 3 a.m. that a closed door represents an intolerable violation of their civil rights.

Yet your cat may be doing more around the ...Read more

Dogs share our homes, our routines and often our beds, but the world they experience is remarkably different from the one humans know. Their eyes process color differently, their vision favors movement over fine detail, and their noses provide information so rich that sight may not even be their most important sense.

Understanding how dogs ...Read more

There are few sights more impressive than a dog standing proudly beside a hole large enough to qualify for its own ZIP code.

You left the yard for 10 minutes. The dog apparently hired a backhoe.

Digging is one of those canine habits that can range from mildly annoying to full-scale landscape destruction. A determined dog can uproot flowers, ...Read more

A 2-year-old red panda named Ruby died at the Santa Barbara Zoo this week, weeks after the deaths of her two newborn cubs.

Director of Animal Care Kristen Wieners said Ruby had shown signs of distress last weekend. She was brought to the zoo's animal hospital and underwent extensive testing, but her condition declined rapidly. She died ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Pinellas County, Florida, has a serious pig problem.

“We’ve got too many people taking in pigs,” Judge Kathleen Hessinger told a courtroom packed with animal lovers last week. “They get too big. People can’t take care of them.”

Maybe, she said, the county should just ban pig sales.

She was hearing the case of a 350...Read more

“The Exorcist” actress Linda Blair is reflecting on the recent raid on her property in Southern California, where she runs a large-scale kennel operation for rescue dogs.

Blair took to Instagram Tuesday just days after her property was searched as part of a joint operation between the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I recently welcomed our first baby, and we are exhausted but overjoyed. We live in an apartment building, and after weeks of trial and error, we finally started getting our daughter onto a somewhat predictable sleep schedule.

The problem is our next-door neighbor's dog. It barks at everything: people in the hallway, ...Read more

Our furry friends can experience anxiety and stress just like us. Whether it's the sound of thunder, a visit to the vet, or other unfamiliar situations, pets may find themselves overwhelmed and anxious. As pet owners, we want to provide comfort and support to our beloved companions during these challenging moments. One simple and effective ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Amid a sea of young children brushing fluffy guinea pigs and wrangling bunnies, 13-year-old Cole Kennedy expertly flipped his rabbit over, holding it in place while his friend carefully trimmed its nails.

Kennedy was readying the furry animal to compete against other Dutch rabbits in the California State Fair’s “best ...Read more

Motherhood in the animal kingdom usually follows a straightforward rule: Take care of the babies that look, smell and sound like you.

Every so often, however, an animal apparently forgets to read the rulebook.

Across zoos, forests, oceans and savannas, researchers and animal caretakers have documented remarkable cases of animals protecting, ...Read more

A dog walk can be one of the most enjoyable parts of the day, but it can also become frustrating when the leash tangles, the weather changes or an excited dog decides every squirrel deserves immediate investigation. A little preparation can make outings calmer, safer and more rewarding for both dog and human.

The right equipment and habits do ...Read more