Hey, I'm back. Thanks for your patience, SSS! readers!

Emily wrote while I was away, asking what kind of litter she should get her cat that she is having declawed tomorrow. Do any of you have suggestions?

I saw some recommendations for Yesterday's News, by Purina. Made of recycled newspapers (gee, and people say the newspaper business has no future), it supposedly is less harsh on tender paws.

But dear Emily:
What I really would like to recommend to you is rethink having this surgery performed on your cat. Because it is surgery, and painful surgery. It's not a manicure. Those paws indeed will be tender.

I recognize that living with a feline that loves nothing more than destroying your furniture can be maddening. Our living room couch hasn't looked the same since Frances Jeanne came to stay.

But there truly are ways to manage clawing without resorting to something that is painful, cruel -- and may possibly alter your cat's behavior for life. We put a double-sided sticky film (available in many pet stores) on spots that Franny seems to prefer. The texture doesn't feel right to her, so she doesn't scratch.We also have scratching posts -- both vertical and horizontal, and different sizes -- scattered everywhere throughout the house.

And if she goes after something that isn't critical, we just let her destroy it. Franny LOVES scratching the telephone directory that sits on the telephone stand. Big deal. We'll get another when she finishes shredding it.
As for the couch? We've just decided to live with the one we've got while Franny is a member of our household. We'll throw a slipcover over it when we have company.

And we cover all of our upholstered surfaces, which have a texture that makes cats want to scratch it, with old towels and sheets. It doesn't look too classy. But it saved a large ottoman by the window that is Franny's favorite place to sleep.

Declawing literally is removing the first joint from the cat's toes. It would be like taking off the first joint of your own finger. The procedure has been banned from the United Kingdom and some veterinarians here won't do it.

There is a lot of information out there about declawing.
Click here to read one that covers a lot of details about what the surgery involves, and things you can try to alter scratching behavior rather than declaw.

It also has a link to an interesting article at the end, by a vet technician, on what she sees when she cares for a patient that was just declawed. I hope you'll read it.

I'm not trying to be judgmental. But if you love your cat, Emily, please reconsider. You and your cat will be grateful.

Do you have an opinion about declawing? And do you have any other suggestions how Emily can get her cat to stop scratching?

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Reader TJ today sent me a very touching story that ran in The Times, the daily newspaper in Manchester, England.

A couple said their young dog, Oscar, so missed their deceased cat, Arthur, that the pup dug the cat’s body out of its grave and brought it back to his bed.

The family said Oscar had licked Arthur’s body clean and was sleeping next to him when they found the pair. Although the story ran back in January, definitely is worth reading.

And I’m curious: Have any of you had a pet that clearly mourned the death of another animal in your household?

Our Dolan is so much older than his "little sister", Franny, I’ve always assumed that some day, she’ll be an “only cat.” Most days, the two seem to barely tolerate each other. But I wonder if she would be lonely without him.

The other day, I came home early and found them sleeping on our bed – together, within about a foot of each other. While they weren’t exactly curled up like kittens in a basket, it was astonishing to see them even in the same sleeping area. They usually are very territorial about this sort of thing. Dolan will stake out a certain corner of the couch and that will be his for a while. But then Franny will muscle in and start sleeping there – and he’ll go find somewhere else.

Here's the original story about Oscar and Arthur.

DOG RETRIEVES HIS BEST FRIEND: A CAT BURIED IN THE GARDEN

By Russell Jenkins
From The Times: Manchester, UK

A pet dog missed the family’s dead cat so much that he dug up his grave and brought the body back into the house.
When Oscar’s owners woke up the next morning they discovered the dog curled up beside Arthur, the late cat, in his basket.
His owners, Robert Bell, 73, and his wife, Mavis, of Wigan, Greater Manchester, believe that the dog had licked the cat clean before falling asleep.

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Guest blogging today is Kavita Varma-White, Sun-Sentinel assistant Lifestyle editor.

Update: Yesterday we heard about 18-year-old Bubba pending crosscountry journey from Fort Lauderdale to Seattle. Read it here.

I am sad to report that... Bubba has made it to Seattle!

Just kidding. In fact I don't think I've loved that cat more than I do today. (Could be because he is now 3,000 miles away.) He proved to be the trooper we knew he would be.

The kids and I took Brian and Bubba to Fort Lauderdale airport, where Brian checked in without incident. The airline didn't even ask for the required pet certificate he had paid the vet $75 to get. Our big concern was getting Bubba through security, as we were worried that he wouldn't come out of his softpack carrier without a (cat) fight.

With the security line pretty empty, Brian talked to a helpful TSA employee. "He's a mean cat and probably won't come out of the bag. Should I just put him through the x-ray machine?"
"You have to get him out of the bag," the TSA employee said, "Or you won't have a cat anymore." (Here I pause to wonder about all the times I have put food in my bags which are x-rayed; and then I give the food to my kids to eat.)

They led them to a side room that was quieter than the terminal, and Brian was able to extract Bubba, who shielded himself by keeping his head hidden in Brian's armpit. The bag was scanned and Bubba went back in. In was on to 'Catlanta', where fortunately the layover was short. Brian said Bubba seemed to prefer the airplane journey to the chaos of the terminal. Other than some soft meowing when they were about an hour from Seattle, he was quiet.

Once at the new house, Brian set up the litter box and Bubba went immediately. Considering he's 18, you've gotta acknowledge his impressive kidney function! He ate his food, drank water and proceeded to inspect every inch of the house. Apparently he slept on a perch in the master bedroom, where he had full view of Brian and the windows, where a gentle rain fell.

Welcome to the Pacific Northwest, Bubba.

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Guest blogging today is Kavita Varma-White, Sun-Sentinel assistant Lifestyle editor.

We are in the process of moving across the country.

I call it a process because it has become a four-month odyssey, that started with my husband Brian leaving for a new job in mid-February. My kids and I are to join him later this summer.

Today, God, the FAA and the TSA willing, our 18-year-old cat Bubba is flying in coach class from Fort Lauderdale to Seattle.

Let me correct that. It's not really "our" cat. It is Brian's cat, who predates my 15-year-long relationship with my husband. That cat has hated me since day One. His demeanor toward me has always been one of indifference on good days, outright meanness (isn't hissing mean?) on most days. When my kids came along, they were treated the same way, even though they (unlike me) always wanted to just love and pet him.

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SSS! reader Jeff wrote earlier this week about a new kitten his girlfriend brought home. Kitty had been keeping the household up all night, pouncing on the beds and scatching in the litter box. Then Jeff slipped him a new catnip toy. And the cat conked out until dawn.

What's up with that? Can catnip induce sleep?
Some cats get jazzed by catnip, said West Palm Beach veterinarian Dr. Lisa Radosta, while the herb makes others a little dopey. But she thinks the most likely reason for the behavior change is the kitten was pleasingly pooped after playing hard with the toy, like a toddler after a day at the playground.

"When we come home from work, we take our dog for a walk. We don't that with cats. But your cat needs to be predatory and move his body," said Radosta, a certified veterinary behaviorist with Florida Veterinary Behavior Service. Her advice to Jeff: Buy the kitten lots of toys he likes and wear him out with structured play before bedtime.

Got a question about other wacky animal behavior? Ask away!

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