Q: Our cat, Felix, 11, was once an indoor/outdoor cat. Then, our vet and your columns finally convinced me to keep him indoors. I think Felix even began to appreciate air conditioning.
Last week, however, our little girl left the door open and Felix wandered outside. We were frantic.
Four hours later, we got a call from the shelter; they'd scanned Felix, found his microchip and our phone number came up. The shelter told us the microchip might have saved Felix's life. Do you think so?
A: Absolutely! The microchip probably did save your cat's life. Because more of us are keeping cats indoors (which I endorse), we assume they'll never get out. As your story illustrates, even indoor cats can escape. At least your cat had some outdoor savvy; many indoor cats do not.
If a cat without a microchip is picked up by animal control (remember, most cats don't wear collars with ID tags), the facility may hold the pet for only a set number of days before euthanizing. Or the cat may be swapped to another facility (a common practice nowadays to prevent euthanizing), making it more difficult for the owner to find. READ MORE >
Park
Park is a sociable and friendly kitten. He's easy going and enjoys human company. What more do you need. Gender: Male Breed: Local Colour: Tabby Age: 3 months
Sketch
Sketch is a sociable boy who is always ready for a cuddle. Gender: Male Breed: Local Colour: Tabby Age: 5 months
Sukhi
Doesn't Sukhi looks like Garfield, the cartoon character? He's cool like him too. Gender: Male Breed: Persian Colour: Ginger Age: 1 year 5 months
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*The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is the only animal welfare organisation in Singapore that takes in unlimited numbers of unwanted and abandoned strays and pets. If you are considering pet adoption, or giving up your pet or a stray to the SPCA, try to find the animal a home before contacting SPCA.
CORN SNAKE If there's a snake that's downright domestic, this is it. Breeders have been breeding these 3- to 5-foot-long snakes for temperament as well as designer colors, such as blood red, tangerine, butter, and creamsicle.
Herpetologist R. D. Bartlett, author of nearly 50 books on reptiles and amphibians, including "Corn Snakes" (Barron's Educational Series, 1999), says, "They're large enough to impress friends but don't have the needs of massive snakes." Read more>
TARANTULA Peter Parker is right about spiders' senses; they can sense things mere mortals can't by feeling minute vibrations. That's how they catch dinner -- live crickets, kingworms or a feeder mouse weekly.
Arachnologist Rick West of Victoria, British Columbia, warns against impulsively buying tarantulas. There are 850 species, but for pets, only buy those bred in captivity. The most popular are the Chilean Rosehair, Pinktoe (a species that likes to climb - unusual for a tarantula), Mexican Red-Knee, and the 10 ˝-inch Brazilian Salmon tarantula.
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