Universal Press Syndicate

Biting, destructiveness, noisiness, house-soiling -- these problems can be more of a threat to a pet than a disease such as cancer. That's because too often behavior problems are eventually "solved" by getting rid of the pet, a solution that's often a dead end for the animal.

Even when people refuse to give up on their pets, behavior problems can mean a lifetime of misery. "Bad" pets may spend their lives locked up, locked out or punished in ways that reflect the frustration and ignorance of their owners but do nothing to solve the problems. It's safe to say that neither side realizes the full benefits of the human-animal bond in such sad situations.

It doesn't have to be that way. While some behavior problems aren't fixable, most can be. To accomplish such change, though, you have to be prepared to put some time into changing the situation. Quick-fix, half-hearted efforts are doomed from the start.

The first rule of solving any behavioral problem is to make sure it's not a medical problem. The cat who won't use the litter box may be struggling with an infection that makes urination painful. A dog who snaps when his ears are touched may be suffering from chronic infections. Situations such as these need to be accurately diagnosed and completely treated with the help of your veterinarian before any retraining begins.

When your pet is healthy, your veterinarian can still be of use. While few veterinarians have the training or knowledge to help solve behavior problems, the numbers of those who do are growing -- and your vet may be one of them. Even those veterinarians who have no interest in behavior work can refer you to someone who can help. Loosely grouped under the term "behaviorist," these pet professionals can help fix what ails the relationship you have with your pet.

Consulting a behaviorist can save you time, money and aggravation. Time, because someone with experience in animal behavior can quickly determine the root of the problem, without the emotional baggage that a pet owner may bring to the situation. Money, because a consultation or two is a great deal cheaper than a new sofa. And aggravation? You understand that one if you're living with a problem pet.

Be aware, however, that animal behavior is an unregulated field -- anyone can call himself a behaviorist.

One of the best choices is a veterinarian who's board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. These professionals have gone through years of study in animal health and behavior and have done a residency in the field as well. A plus with this group: They have access to medications being used now to help correct behavior problems.

People with other academic degrees (such as psychology) and people who've picked up their knowledge in the field also make themselves available for advising on behavior. Some can be excellent, so don't let the lack of a DVM or any degrees at all deter you from getting help from someone who has studied in the "school of hard knocks" (or would that be the "school of bites and scratches"?).

Behaviorists are not "trainers" in the sense of offering group obedience classes to sharpen a pet's manners. Instead, they work one-on-one with you to solve a specific behavior problem. The form the consulting takes varies. Some behaviorists consult by phone; others take appointments with or without your pet, while still others make house calls. All these can work, depending on the problem and the pet.

If you're in a situation where your pet is causing problems in your home -- and certainly if you're thinking of getting rid of your pet -- don't delay: Ask your veterinarian for help, or call your closest college of veterinary medicine.

Q&A

Tips for pictures: Take lots of them

Q: You always have such great pictures with your articles. Do you folks take them? Can you offer some tips? -- U.D., via e-mail

A: Most of the images with our articles are taken by professional photographers -- and it shows! That said, now and then we'll use a picture I've taken. With a houseful of pets and decades of practice, I can proudly say that I now take a pretty decent pet picture. Here are a few tips that might help you:

-- Take lots and lots (and lots) of pictures. Digital cameras have changed everything. I bet I take 200 images for every one I like, and delete the rest. Not only does it not cost me anything but time, but with practice, I keep getting better.

-- Head outdoors. Natural light (early morning is best) avoids the dreaded red-eye shot, where the flash makes your beautiful pet come out as a monster. Taking pictures outside gives your new pet a more natural, healthy look.

-- Get down and get close. If you want a good pet picture, you're going to have to go where your pet is -- on the ground. Shoot from below your pet's eye level and zoom in as closely as you can for good detail. If getting down isn't something your back will tolerate, bring the pet up. Have someone hold him, which will have the added benefit of keeping him still, or put him on an elevated surface, such as on an outdoor table.

-- Watch your backgrounds. I have a wonderful picture of my dear old dog Lance, gone more than a decade now. He's freshly groomed. He's standing perfectly. His ears are up, his mouth smiling, his eyes bright. And he has a utility pole that seems to be growing out of his back. Be sure you have an uncluttered background, so your pet can shine.

-- Be creative. If you want your pet to kiss your children, do as the pros do: Put a little butter on your children and let the pet kiss it off. Another professional's trick: Just before taking the picture, rattle keys, squish a squeaky toy or throw something in the air. Your pet will come to attention, splendidly. -- Gina Spadafori

(Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.)

PET BUZZ

Dog's guilty look the owner's fault

-- Your dog may look guilty, but he's not feeling that way. A study published in the journal Behavioral Processes had dog owners tell their pets to leave a tasty treat alone before leaving the room. Researchers found that whether or not the dog showed the "guilty" look did not depend on whether the dog had eaten the treat or not, but rather on whether the owner had scolded the dog. Dogs who didn't eat the treat but were scolded by their owners displayed the "guilty" look more than dogs who had actually eaten the treat, but their owners did not believe they had, and thus didn't get scolded. The research suggests that "guilt" seen in dogs is not really an effect of the unwanted behavior that the dog performed, but is instead a reaction to the owner's behavior.

-- Goldfish are able to avoid running into the side of the fishbowl not because of their ability to see the edge of the tank, but by using a pressure-sensing system. So says "The Book of General Ignorance" by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson.

-- Not only can primates imitate human actions such as sweeping or doing the laundry, but they can also imitate sounds from other species, like whistling. Bonnie, an orangutan at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., has been whistling for about 20 years, although she was never directly taught to do so, but learned from imitation. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "Good Morning America" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of several best-selling pet-care books.

On PetConnection.com there's more information on pets and their care, reviews of products, books and "dog cars." Contact Pet Connection in care of this newspaper by sending e-mail to petconnection@gmail.com or by visiting PetConnection.com.

PET Rx

Seeds a treat for parrots, not a diet

While most pet parrots love seeds, they're not a good regular diet. All-seed diets will make most birds sick over time, denying them the nutrients they need and weakening them to the point where other diseases find it easy to take hold.

The trend in recent years has been toward pelleted diets, and pet birds are healthier than ever before as a result. Pelleted diets are readily available from many reputable manufacturers and can be purchased from any good pet store or from many veterinarians who work with birds. Ask your bird's veterinarian for a recommendation that's best for your parrot.

Pelleted food is a blend of grains, seeds, vegetables, fruits and various protein sources. Manufacturers mix the ingredients and then either bake and crumble them or extrude them, ending up with pellets of a proper size for any given species (large pellets for large birds, small pellets for small birds).

Pelleted foods should be the foundation of your bird's diet, but they're not enough. Your bird also needs a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with other "people foods" such as pasta, eggs, breads, rice and unsalted nuts in their shells.

In addition to rounding out a commercial diet, fruits, nuts and other people food gives your bird something to keep him occupied and entertained. To that end, leave fresh food as "au naturel" as possible. Clean it, of course, but make your bird work some to eat it. Just be sure pellets and fresh water are available at all times.

And what about seeds? Use them for training. Birds love them and will work for these treats as a reward. -- Dr. Marty Becker

BY THE NUMBERS

Weird pet names

Employees of Veterinary Pet Insurance (www.petinsurance.com) scanned the names of the company's nearly half-million insured pets and then voted on the 10 most unusual names for dogs and cats. Here's what they came up with:

Dogs

1. Doogie Schnauzer, M.D.

2. Sergeant Sausage

3. I Am Spartacus

4. Lunchbox

5. Angus Sir Loin

6. Bam-Bam Noodle Butt

7. Mouse Meat

8. Fluffernutter

9. Kanye East

10. Inspector Foo Foo

Cats

1. Snag L. Tooth

2. Clawed Monet

3. Velvet Elvis

4. Eartha Kitty

5. Blue Man Chew

6. Catzilla

7. Thurston Picklesworth III

8. Yardsale

9. Dishwasher

10. Polly Prissypants

PET TIP

Nontoxic efforts keep fleas fleeing

Flea-control products have gotten so good in recent years that it might be easy to forget one of the best ways to fight fleas doesn't cost anything more than your time, and it uses appliances you likely already have: a washing machine and a vacuum cleaner.

Washing pet bedding on a weekly basis, along with thoroughly vacuuming areas where pets hang out, is a great way to rid your house of any adult fleas, larvae or eggs. An added benefit: Keeping pet areas clean keeps pets cleaner.

Just make sure any pet beds you buy are completely washable or have zip-off covers that are. -- Gina Spadafori

Pet Connection is produced by a team of team of pet-care experts headed by "Good Morning America" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of several best-selling pet-care books. Contact Pet Connection in care of this newspaper, by sending e-mail to petconnection@gmail.com or by visiting PetConnection.com.

Universal Press Syndicate

What do you know about cats? A little mystery can be a wonderful thing, but sometimes misinformation can be deadly.

Even though cats have shared our lives for countless generations, there's a lot we think we know about them that's wrong. Here are a few enduring myths and the facts to counter them.

-- Cats have nine lives.

Cats are survivors, no doubt of that. More so than any other domesticated animal, they keep their wildness about them, slipping back and forth across the line that separates the feral from the tame.

Finely tuned to the slightest hint of danger, the cat can run fast, climb faster and, if cornered by an adversary, defend himself with a formidable array of claws and teeth. With all this, is it any wonder people came to believe that the cat had not one chance at life, but nine?

The truth is that cats are more fragile than we think. Cats as a species have proven resilient, but as individuals, they are every bit as mortal as we are -- and very vulnerable in the world.

Cats have but one life, and they need our help to make that life a long, healthy and happy one.

-- Cats purr whenever they're happy.

Cats purr if they're happy, but also often when they're not. They purr while giving birth, and they may even purr while dying. British zoologist Desmond Morris has said that purring is "a sign of friendship -- either when (the cat) is contented with a friend or when it is in need of friendship -- as with a cat in trouble."

Although the experts are pretty clear on why cats purr, they're not yet certain as to how. The most common explanation has the sweet sound originating in the voice box, with what are called the "vestibular folds," or "false vocal cords." The passing of air across these structures is thought to produce the purr all cat lovers adore.

-- Cats are dangerous around babies.

It doesn't matter what well-meaning relatives say. You don't need to find a new home for your pet if you become pregnant. Cats do not maliciously smother or suck the breath out of babies, as the myths hold. While common sense dictates that no pet be left unattended with an infant, you can rest assured that your cat doesn't present any special danger to your child.

A bigger concern involves not infants but pregnancy and the risk of toxoplasmosis. Miscarriages and birth defects can result when pregnant women are exposed to cat feces containing the organisms that cause this disease.

Because of this risk, someone else should take over the maintenance of the litter box for the duration of the pregnancy, and even before the pregnancy in the case of couples who're attempting to conceive. (Litter boxes aren't the only way to contract the disease, so talk to your doctor about additional precautions.)

-- A well-fed cat doesn't hunt.

Hunting behavior in cats is very controversial, especially if the prey is songbirds or endangered rodent species. Some cats hunt, some cats don't, and it has more to do with what a cat learned from his mother than from the rumbling in his belly. Plenty of well-fed cats are very active hunters.

Putting a bell on your cat has little effect on his ability to hunt. Turning him into an indoor dweller is the only way to protect wildlife from your cat -- and to protect you from his thoughtful "gifts" of dead mice and birds.

-- Black cats are bad luck.

Black may be an unlucky color all right -- for a cat. Black cats have been associated with the forces of evil for hundreds of years, and humane societies warn that this myth has cost many of them their lives. Black cats have been the target of those who want to practice rituals that include the torture and killing of animals.

Black may be an unfortunate color for another reason: visibility. Thousands of cats are killed by cars every year, and the difference between a hit or a near-miss may be the driver's ability to see the cat darting across the road before him. At night, patches of light-colored fur are a distinct advantage to a kitty.

Q&A

Is there a cure for finicky cat?

Q: I know cats are supposed to be finicky, but I am sick of throwing out perfectly good cat food. Any suggestions for how to get my cat to eat what I'm offering him? -- I.R., via e-mail

A: Although some cats have never met a dish of food they didn't love, others are very picky about what they eat. Missing a meal now and then is quite normal and nothing to worry about. But the cat who flat-out stops eating or starts losing weight is in urgent need of veterinary attention.

Before you hit the panic button, though, be sure you're seeing the true picture of what, when and where your cat is eating.

If you leave out dry food all the time, your cat may be nibbling more than a dozen times throughout the day, thus never eating very much in any one observed sitting. If your cat has access to the outdoors, you need to consider that he may be getting meals from a kind neighbor, or may be stealing from another cat's dish at a home down the street. He might even be picking up some meals the old-fashioned way -- by hunting them.

If you're sure you know the big picture on your cat and know he's not eating, or if he's lost more than a half-pound or so, you'll need a veterinarian's help to find out if your cat is sick. This is true even if your cat can stand to lose weight: The cat who suddenly stops eating or starts losing weight can be seriously at risk.

Some healthy cats are truly finicky, however, and it takes a little bit of work on your part to keep them eating.

One strategy is preventive in nature. Feeding them a wide range of foods, from kittenhood on, helps keep cats from insisting on one brand or variety. Other cats can be jollied out of finicky behavior with canned food, warmed up to be even more tempting. Serve it fresh and warm on a clean plate, and use the smallest cans possible, since you may well be throwing out the leftovers. Finicky cats don't much like leftovers, of course! -- Dr. Marty Becker

(Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.)

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "Good Morning America" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of several best-selling pet-care books.

On PetConnection.com there's more information on pets and their care, reviews of products, books and "dog cars." Contact Pet Connection in care of this newspaper by sending e-mail to petconnection@gmail.com or by visiting PetConnection.com.

PET BUZZ

Chickens take flight as suburban pets

-- Chickens may be the hottest new pet for suburbanites, who appreciate not only their birds' colorful antics, but also their fresh eggs. Cool chicken coops are popping up everywhere, as cities scramble to consider changing laws to allow handfuls of hens to roam the backyards -- noisy roosters need not apply. The trend may seem new, but chickens are sure not. The fowl were domesticated by the Chinese in 1,400 B.C., and came to America with the pilgrims. In fact, one of the most popular breeds of chicken is the Barred Plymouth Rock.

-- The residents of the tiny town of Tuscarora, Nev., anticipating an imminent attack, will be ready with a perimeter defense: rock music. Loud music has proven to be one of the best defenses against an annual invasion of Mormon crickets. The huge flightless insects advance across the desert in armies of millions that march over, under or into anything in their way from May to August. Besides destroying crops and other leafy vegetation, they crawl all over houses and swarm the roads, where cars cause them to become slippery messes that can cause accidents. So many dead ones piled up on a highway last year that Elko County, Nev., called in snowplows to scrape them off. Every half century or so, plague-like numbers hatch, and this year looks to be particularly bad. Not content to just play rock music full blast from dawn to dusk, residents also use poison bait, chalk dust and Lemon Joy. They have a fallback strategy to make even more noise if the rock music isn't enough: The townsfolk plan to crank up their lawn mowers and weed whackers, according to The Wall Street Journal.

-- Blue whales spotted in Alaska could be re-creating an old migration route decades after they were nearly wiped out by commercial whalers. The endangered whales, possibly the largest animals to have ever lived on Earth, have a long way to go to recover from the worldwide slaughter that reduced their numbers by 99 percent, says the American Cetacean Society. The hunting peaked in 1931, with more than 29,000 animals killed in one season. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon

THE SCOOP

Safe pet-handling starts with soap and water

Reptile pets can be wonderful, easy-care companions for all ages, but families do need to take extra precautions with them.

Because most, if not all, reptiles carry salmonella in their digestive tracts, these pets are generally not recommended for homes with children under 5 or with family members whose immune systems are compromised. For other homes, the risks can be greatly reduced by properly handling these pets. The Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians suggests these basic safety precautions:

-- Wash hands with soap and hot water after handling reptiles or after cleaning reptile enclosures.

-- Limit the part of your home that your reptile is allowed to be in, and wash your hands after being in that area.

-- Never allow reptiles in areas of the home where food is prepared. Don't share food or drink with reptiles, and don't eat, drink or smoke while handling them. Don't kiss these pets, no matter how cute you think they are.

-- Do not put reptiles into bathtubs or sinks. Buy a separate tub for bathing these pets. Pour the water down the toilet, and do not use sinks or bathtubs to clean the reptile bathing tub -- or any reptile housing or gear.

-- Supervise older children to be sure they don't touch the pets and then put their fingers in their mouths. Make sure thorough hand-washing follows each exposure to these pets.

The ARAV stresses that the precautions do not mean reptiles shouldn't be kept as pets, but rather that by following basic common sense in handling them, the potential for human health problems can be kept to a minimum. For more information, visit the ARAV Web site (www.arav.org). -- Gina Spadafori

BY THE NUMBERS

This chew's for you

Dogs like to chew, and people like them to chew in ways that won't destroy things around the house. That's why chew toys are tops on the list of items purchased by dog lovers within the last year. Items purchased (multiple answers allowed):

Chew toys 52 percent

Stain remover 32 percent

Leash 22 percent

ID tag 20 percent

Bed 18 percent

Source: American Pet Products Association

PET TIP

Keep fetch games safe for your dog

Retrieving games are great for getting your dog some exercise and for strengthening the bond between the two of you. But sometimes those rousing games of fetch can end in serious injury if you're not careful about how you play the game.

Never throw things for your pet in a way that makes him leap high in the air or twist to catch them. If you do, your pet might seriously injure his legs or back upon landing, with the kind of damage that often requires expensive and painful surgery to correct.

Instead, throw the ball or other toy so it stays low and in front of your pet, to help him keep his body near the ground, running instead of leaping. And at this time of year, don't push your dog to play in the heat. Strenuous activity needs to be limited to cooler parts of the day. -- Gina Spadafori

Pet Connection is produced by a team of team of pet-care experts headed by "Good Morning America" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of several best-selling pet-care books. Contact Pet Connection in care of this newspaper, by sending e-mail to petconnection@gmail.com or by visiting PetConnection.com.

By Christie Keith

Universal Press Syndicate

The list of ways dogs have helped humans throughout history is almost endless.

They've guarded livestock, herded sheep, driven cattle and protected human dwellings from castles to condos. Dogs assist people with disabilities, sniff out illegal drugs and find food from birds to truffles. From detecting heart attacks and seizures before they happen to dragging drowning people to safety, it's hard to imagine any form of technology that could surpass the uncountable number of ways in which dogs lend us a helping paw.

In selectively breeding dogs for the skills that helped them help us, human beings have changed the dog both inside and out. Today, there are hundreds of dog breeds so different from each other in type that it's hard to believe they're members of the same species -- and yet, each of these dogs' forms grew out of a specific function.

"If people hadn't changed the dog to do certain tasks, he'd look very much like the dingo," said Heather Russell-Revesz, co-author of the "World Atlas of Dog Breeds" (TFH, $100). "Whether it was making a dog shorter-legged or faster, so he could catch a specific kind of prey, or making him tiny enough to sit on your lap, human intervention has brought an incredible diversity of type to the dog."

Not all the changes were about function. For example, when it became clear how easily the dog's physical appearance could be changed by human breeding choices, dog breeders in Victorian England became interested in seeing just how extreme those changes could be.

"Look at the bulldog," said Russell-Revesz. "He's about as different from a 'natural breed' like the dingo as a dog can be. His face is flat; his legs are short and bowed. Another example is the field spaniel. The Victorians took a functional hunting dog and started breeding him smaller and smaller, until his legs were so short he could hardly walk, let alone hunt. He very nearly became extinct, until fanciers in the 1930s began to select for a less extreme dog."

Basics such as breathing and walking aside, even dogs originally developed to help humans in hunting, farm chores or family protection are increasingly out of a job in modern times. World War II threatened the existence of many dog breeds, because it was impossible to continue breeding or even feeding dogs during the war, and afterward, because human lifestyles changed profoundly in the post-war era.

"Many dog breeds were wiped out, and others were on the brink of extinction," Russell-Revesz said. "Their traditional work was largely obsolete, and it was only the extraordinary dedication of a few individuals that preserved the amazing legacy of traditional dog breeds."

Of course, not all canine work is obsolete. Dogs today are being bred for many of their traditional tasks, as well as new ones. And some dogs, once rendered unemployed by new technology, are being rehired. "When snowmobiles were introduced, the Greenland dog was out of favor as a reindeer herder," she said. "But it turns out that reindeer don't respond well to being herded by snowmobiles. It turns out the dogs are more useful than the machines -- and more environmentally friendly."

A Greyhound's long legs and great lung capacity or the insatiable urge to dig shared by the terriers may be a case of form following function. But there are 420 different breeds in the World Atlas, and the authors acknowledge they didn't list every breed. And yet it includes 30 French scent hounds, from the familiar bassett hound to the now-extinct levesque. Does any nation need 30 different types of scent hounds?

But then, of course, the French celebrate the regional differences in their cheese and wine, so why not the ones in their dogs?

Russell-Revesz laughed. "Depending on the prey, the terrain and the climate, they may have needed different-length legs or more or less coat. But the truth is that each region took great pride in its local hounds and wanted to have their own."

Q&A

Safe breathing for birds on the road

Q: I'm moving next month, driving a rented truck halfway across the country along with my dog and parrot. My dog's a seasoned traveler, but I worry about my bird. I know some motels and hotels let pets in, but I am worried about the cleaning supplies they use. I don't want my bird to breathe in anything bad. Any advice? -- L.G., via e-mail

A: You'll have no problem finding a hotel, that's for sure. The AAA travel guide lists lodgings that accept pets -- and there are lots of them -- but recently even more hotels and motels have been accepting pets. In a poor economy, they just don't want to turn any customers away, not even the feathered and furred ones.

Strong cleaning supplies can be a problem, but I think you'll be OK with a sniff test. Change rooms, or even hotels, if the smell of cleaning supplies is strong. If you can barely smell the chemicals, put your bird's cage near an open window so he can get some fresh air.

Whatever you do, be careful when traveling with your pets, because they can easily be lost forever if they get loose. Your dog may already be microchipped and tagged, but is your bird chipped? Pet birds are typically chipped in the padded part of their breast. Talk to your veterinarian about getting a chip put in your bird before you leave.

And ask about a referral to a new vet where you're headed: Veterinarians who specialize in birds aren't all that common, and your vet may well be able to recommend one in your new hometown.

(Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.)

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "Good Morning America" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of several best-selling pet-care books.

On PetConnection.com there's more information on pets and their care, reviews of products, books and "dog cars." Contact Pet Connection in care of this newspaper by sending e-mail to petconnection@gmail.com or by visiting PetConnection.com.

PET BUZZ

Value of pets not just as 'property'

-- A New Jersey appeals court issued a precedent-setting decision when it ruled that a pet's "special subjective value" to its owner should be considered in custody cases. According to the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the opinion reverses a trial court's decision that pets are personal property lacking in the unique values typically associated with heirlooms, family treasures and works of art that induce a strong sentimental attachment.

-- Collisions between birds and airplanes have quadrupled since 1990 amid increasing air traffic and growing wildlife populations. According to The Wall Street Journal, the 10 airports with the most wildlife strikes are Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, Memphis, Tenn., Kansas City, Mo., Cleveland, New Orleans, La., New York (JFK), Sacramento, Calif., Chicago (O'Hare) and Portland, Ore.

-- The use of honey for medicinal purposes dates back to early civilizations of the Sumerians and the Egyptians, according to The New York Times. Clay tablets from around 2,000 B.C. describe the Sumerians' use of honey mixed with grease as a salve for pierced earlobes and surgical incisions. Out of 700 healing formulas found written on papyrus in Egyptian tombs, 147 call for honey as one of the principle healing agents.

-- When families take a vacation this summer, are pets left behind at risk of a hurricane? Tornado? Earthquake? Wildfire? SustainLane.com examined the 50 largest U.S. cities, assessed natural disaster risks and found the two cities that tied for the least risk were Mesa, Ariz., and Milwaukee, Wis. They were followed by Cleveland, Phoenix, Tucson, Ariz., and El Paso, Texas. The most dangerous city was Miami, followed by New Orleans, La., Oakland, Calif., San Francisco and Honolulu. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon

THE SCOOP

Great lizard pets for beginners

They don't purr like a cat or fetch like a dog. They have neither soft fur nor pleading eyes. But for a lot of people, reptiles and amphibians are perfect pets.

But which of these pets is best for a beginner? Because they can grow to 6 feet in length, iguanas are not suitable for any but the most dedicated of pet lovers. Here are a few relatively low-maintenance reptiles for the first-time owner:

-- Bearded dragon. Their tough looks are appealing, but this lizard's attitude is anything but nasty. Although babies can be flighty, adult beardies, when calmly and gently handled, are gentle pets who can live for 12 to 15 years.

-- Leopard gecko. A popular ad campaign for an insurance company has drawn attention to these nocturnal lizards. Fortunately, they're good pets and tolerate gentle handling well. They're smaller than the bearded dragons, about 6 inches long, and they can live for a decade or so.

-- Corn snake. Captive breeding has produced wonderful colors and color variations, but all corn snakes tend to be calm pets that rarely try to bite, require minimal care and can live for 20 years.

-- Ball python. Want something more exotic? Ball pythons mature at about 4 feet in length and love to hang around your neck. Fortunately, they're easily unwound: Start at the tail and gently unwind.

Deal with a reputable source for reptiles, and buy a captive-bred pet only. And be sure you've done your research into housing, care and feeding. -- Gina Spadafori

BY THE NUMBERS

Spending on cats

How much do we spend on our cats? The average annual costs in 2007-2008, according to a survey of cat owners:

Surgical Vet Visits $363

Food $188

Kennel Boarding $149

Routine Vet $175

Groomer/Grooming Aids $18

Vitamins $31

Treats $40

Toys $26

Source: American Pet Products Association

PET TIP

Keep pet bowls cleaned daily

No matter how thoroughly your pet licks clean the food dish, it's not clean enough to use again without washing. That goes for water dishes, too, some of which always seem to have the beginnings of algae colonies forming on the sides and the bottom. Who'd want to drink from that?

Pick up your pet's food dish after every meal, scrub and wash in hot water and soap. The water dish should get the same treatment, on a daily basis. You may find it easier with the water dishes to have extras, so your pet will have access to one clean bowl while the other's being washed.

Stainless steel or heavy plastic "crock-style" dishes are best for frequent cleaning. They last through generations of pets and stand up well to the abuse a pet can dish out. And they can even be run through the hottest cycle of the dishwasher. -- Gina Spadafori

Pet Connection is produced by a team of team of pet-care experts headed by "Good Morning America" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of several best-selling pet-care books. Contact Pet Connection in care of this newspaper, by sending e-mail to petconnection@gmail.com or by visiting PetConnection.com.