pet connection

As summer winds down, so does kitten season, but there are still lots of kittens looking for homes. People love kittens, and it’s impossible not to: Their cuteness factor is off the charts.

But during “kitten season,” it’s harder for an adult cat to find a home. Competing with cute and fuzzy is tough even for the sweetest, prettiest and most well-mannered cats.

Being overlooked at the shelter is bad news for the cats, of course, but it’s also unfortunate for many people who don’t realize that an adult cat, in many cases, may be a better choice than a kitten. Sure, kittens are cute, but they also can be a bit of a trial as they grow up. They need extra time, extra training and extra tolerance for all those crazy things that kittens do.

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If you’re considering checking your short-nosed dog into cargo for your next trip by air, you might want to reconsider. The nation’s airlines report that in the last five years, 122 dogs died in cargo, and half of those deaths were dogs of breeds called “brachycephalic” by veterinarians and “pug-nosed” by the rest of us. Bulldogs were the short-nosed breed that died most often in transit, followed by pugs and French bulldogs. These breeds have been bred for the round heads and flat faces people find cute, but the shape of their skulls makes it harder to breathe and harder to keep cool, both of which can have serious implications when flying.

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