People love to collect, and it seems everyone has something they just can't get enough of. For us, pet-related trivia seems to hold endless fascination. We collect it, we share it from our homes a thousand miles apart, and we file it. Because, well, you never know when pulling out that file will remind you of something you've been meaning to write about.

This week, we've pulled out some of the quirkiest pet-related tidbits for sharing. Hope you enjoy them, and if you have some yourself, we'd love to hear from you.

-- Cat got her tongue: If you look at a cat's tongue with a magnifying glass, you'll see it's covered with row after row of barbs. These little structures that line the surface of a cat's tongue are called filiform papillae. They're hooked, and they are directed toward the throat.

These barbs help to hold prey while eating, and they also help a cat keep her fur in perfect (or should we say "purrfect"?) condition, pulling out dead and dying hairs, along with any debris picked up in the day's travels. Cats can actually feel when a few hairs are out of place, so that tongue is also a convenient, built-in hairbrush.

-- Doggone grass-eaters: Don't assume "tummy ache" when your dog grazes. Your dog may just be a bit of an omnivorous gourmet, seeking out the best of the available vegetation.

Dogs are predators, which means that their ancestors survived by eating meat. In the wild, however, it's not all cuts of juicy sirloin but the entire animal -- including the vegetation found in the stomachs of herbivores.

Many dogs show a distinct preference for tender shoots, especially those glossy with morning dew or damp from a cooling shower.

-- The colder the day, the rounder the cat: Cats sleep in one of two basic positions -- upright (think the New York Public library lions) or on their sides. How curled a cat is when sleeping on her side will depend on how hot or cold the animal is. The more tightly curled a cat is, the colder the air temperature. Curling into a tight ball helps to conserve body heat. When cats stretch out, they expose their bellies, allowing heat to escape and helping to cool them.

-- Dog tags for pets and people: Dogs have been taxed for centuries, but the idea of using a tag to signify that a dog was "street legal" seems to date to the late 19th century, when Cincinnati, Ohio, started issuing tags on an annual basis, and other cities and states soon followed suit.

Although wooden tags for soldiers were used in the U.S. Civil War to help identify the injured and the dead, it wasn't until World War I that American soldiers got metal tags as standard issue. The resemblance between the tags of soldiers and of dogs -- along with a good dollop of droll military humor -- soon had the new tags called "dog tags," a term that sticks to this day.

-- Keeping the weapons covered: A cat's claws can slow him down, which is why claws come out only when they're needed.

It's a mistake to refer to claws as retractable, by the way. The normal, relaxed position of a cat's claw is retracted, or sheathed. To bring out those daggers, a cat must voluntarily contract muscles and rubber band-like elastic ligaments underneath her toes. If it were the other way around, the poor cat would have to keep her muscles tensed all day long to keep her claws sheathed.

We'll have more pet trivia another day!

Q&A

True grit story: Most don't need it

Q: After a gap of more than a decade, we gave in and now have another cockatiel. We had to start from scratch with a cage, dishes and more, so we figured we'd look into what's the latest and greatest. In your book "Birds for Dummies," you say birds don't need grit. But the pet store sold it to us anyway and said you were wrong. Not sure what we should think now. What's the story? -- T.E., via e-mail

A: In the last decade or so, our knowledge of what it takes to keep pet birds healthy has changed dramatically, and some sources haven't kept up with the latest information. Grit (which is finely ground rock) was thought to help birds grind their food, but it's no longer recommended for most birds by avian experts such as my "Birds for Dummies" co-author, Dr. Brian L. Speer, a board-certified avian specialist and past president of the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV).

Indeed, grit is now thought to have a negative impact on bird health, removing vitamins A, B and K from the digestive system. And grit occasionally leads to a potentially life-threatening problem, when the amount of the stuff in the bird blocks the digestive system.

Still, some birds can make use of a small amount of grit. Canaries and other finches should be allowed a couple of grains every few months. Other birds, from budgies, cockatiels and lovebirds on up into the rest of the parrots, don't need grit at all and shouldn't be offered it.

I find that misinformation is more commonplace for birds than for any other pet. And it's everywhere -- from bird clubs to pet shops to the Internet and even some general-practice veterinarians. The best advice I have for anyone who wants the latest and best bird-care information is: Find a veterinarian who's a board-certified avian specialist, or find one who takes the extra time to stay current on avian care. You can find such a veterinarian through the AAV (aav.org).

(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" and "The Dr. Oz Show" 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 more. Contact Pet Connection in care of this newspaper by sending e-mail to petconnection@gmail.com or by visiting PetConnection.com.

THE BUZZ

Rabies shots for more than canines

-- The American Veterinary Medical Association reports that cats have a higher incidence of rabies than dogs, while horses and ferrets have less chance of being rabid than either dogs or cats. Talk to your veterinarian about vaccinating all -- for the health of your entire family, two- and four-legged both. In other rabies news: Alabama recently became the last state to accept three-year vaccinations for rabies. The immunization has long been known to last at least three years, but the progress in getting the recognition into regulations in all states has been slow.

-- More than half of pet owners sleep with their pets or allow the animals to lick their faces. A study by Kansas State University notes that this practice, along with not washing hands after handling pets or pet food, was a contributing factor in the development of new strains of E. coli. Remember our motto: Get rid of the risk and keep the pet! Wash those hands!

-- Remains of the oldest relative of modern seals, an animal who roamed the Earth some 20 million years ago, were discovered on Devon Island in the Canadian arctic. The fossil has a head like a seal but a body similar to an otter with large, webbed feet. Science Daily reports that the fossil will be used to help scientists study what led the ancestors of seals and walruses to evolve into mammals spending most of their time in the water.

-- Respondents to an informal poll with 2,000 participants on Dogster.com said that concern over pet-food quality and ingredients was the most likely reason for them to switch pet foods. Three-quarters of respondents had this concern when it came to food choice, far surpassing veterinary recommendations at 14 percent or price at 8 percent. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon.

PET Rx

Food is not love: Get the pounds off your pet

Obesity in pets causes a lot of the same problems it does in people. An overweight pet is prone to a host of related problems, including diabetes, joint, ligament and tendon difficulties, breathing and heart challenges. Overweight cats can even develop skin problems from not being able to groom themselves properly. The overall impact on comfort and longevity can be dire.

Is your pet overweight? Healthy pets have some padding on them, but a little is plenty. Rub your hands over the ribs of your dog or cat. The skin should move easily back and forth, and you should be able to feel the ribs. Your pet should have a definable "waist" at the bottom of the rib cage, a small tuck-in at the stomach. Take a look from the side: If your pet looks pregnant, he's fat. From above, a bump out from the middle into an apple shape is equally bad news. In birds, look for a thicker breast or rolls of fat.

Crash diets aren't good for pets, especially not for fat cats, who can develop a fatal liver problem if forced to reduce too quickly. A pet doesn't get fat overnight, and he shouldn't be forced to change course any more rapidly. What you'll need to do is change your pet's eating and exercise habits gradually.

The best place to start is with a trip to your veterinarian. You'll want to make sure your pet doesn't have any problems that might make lifestyle changes difficult or dangerous. Your vet can also suggest a food plan that might help.

Carve some time out of your schedule to walk your dog or play with your cat -- three times a week, at least. Be sure to work in some aerobic exercise, anything that gets a cat or dog really moving. Dividing the daily food ration into small portions and making pets work to find them or putting food in puzzles that require work to get at will also help. -- Dr. Marty Becker

PETS BY THE NUMBERS

Smaller birds have bigger popularity

Parakeets and cockatiels both increased in popularity by more than a third between 1998 and 2008, but the popularity of all other birds kept as pets took a 44 percent tumble during the same period. The percent of pet owners who had pet birds of any kind, by year:

1998: 3.3 percent

2000: 2.7 percent

2002: 2.6 percent

2004: 2.6 percent

2006: 2.5 percent

2008: 2.5 percent

Source: American Pet Products Association

THE SCOOP

Lidded trash cans an easy mess to fix

Do you have a pet who likes to rummage in bathroom wastebaskets or the kitchen trash bin? This behavior is very rewarding to the pet who indulges in it, so it's a very hard habit to break. You can try to booby-trap the cans by buying motion-detector noisemakers or mats that give animal trespassers a small electric shock.

An easier, kinder and more reliable way to solve the problem is to simply remove the temptation. For some pets, a lidded trash bin will solve the problem. For others, you'll need to put the bin behind the door of a cabinet or pantry. Sometimes changing your behavior is the most efficient way to change your pet's behavior -- and the strategy is easier on you both. -- 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.

Parrots are incredibly intelligent, and for anyone who doubts this, we point to Alex, Dr. Irene Pepperberg's well-known African Grey, who showed by matching words to objects that he and his kind are anything but "bird brains."

And yet, we too often see these brilliant beings kept as little more than decorative objects, prized for their plumage and locked for nearly all their lives in cages that are too small no matter how large. Is it any wonder so many pet birds die young, or rip out their own feathers in frustration?

Toys are essential to maintaining the physical and mental well-being of parrots large and small. Playthings help keep pet birds fit while fighting the boredom that can contribute to behavioral problems such as feather-picking.

There are toys your bird can hold, toys that hang from the top and sides of the cage, and toys that do double duty as perches and swings. Twirlies, holdies, chewies, puzzles and noisemakers can all keep your bird occupied. Although you can buy toys by major manufacturers from the big chain stores, it's also nice to choose from the variety of playthings lovingly made by a cottage industry of bird lovers and available from independent bird shops, through catalogs and on the Internet.

Some basic rules apply when shopping for toys, to ensure they are suitable and safe for your bird. Look for the following when choosing bird toys:

-- Materials: Toys are subject to your bird's healthy urge to destroy, which means safe components are a must. Wood, rawhide, plastic or stainless steel chain, rope, cloth and hard plastic are among the more popular materials that make up safe toys. Choose toys that break down into pieces that can't be swallowed. An exception: Toys made to hold food items, such as dried corncobs or fruit chunks. With these, eating is a large part of the fun.

-- Construction: Challenging toys, the best choice for busy birds, feature pieces combined in ways that make it hard for the birds to pull the whole product apart -- but not too hard. Indestructible toys are not appropriate for most birds, because the time and energy used to rip apart the gadget is part of the reason toys fill such a need.

-- Size: Little toys for little birds, big toys for big birds. A big bird can catch and lose a toe in a toy made for a smaller bird, and small birds can get their heads trapped in toys made for their larger relatives.

Some birds are apprehensive of new toys. If yours is one of them, try to set the toy outside the cage (but within eye range) for a day or two, and then put it on the floor of the cage for another day or two. Once your bird starts to play with the toy, you can go ahead and attach it to the cage.

Don't overwhelm your pet with toys. Instead, keep two or three in the cage and rotate new ones in regularly. Shopping for bird toys can be fun, but the costs do add up, especially if you have one of those gleefully destructive parrots. With some creativity, you can make your money go further by complementing store-bought bird toys with alternatives.

The cardboard cores of toilet paper and paper towel rolls are perfect for shredding, especially for smaller birds. String those tubes together on a thick leather cord and hang them in your bird's cage. Other cheapies include ballpoint pens with the ink tube removed, pingpong balls, old plastic measuring cups and spoons, and plastic bottle tops. (Wash in hot soap and water, rinse well and air-dry before offering such items to your bird.)

Toothbrushes are another bargain toy, sturdy and colorful. You can buy cheap ones new or give your pet your worn ones after running them through your dishwasher (or hand-washing in soapy water, followed by rinsing and air-drying). The hard plastic keys on a ring sold for human babies are also a budget-wise buy that birds love, and real keys can be just as fun, after a scrubbing.

Keep your eyes and mind open for playthings your bird can enjoy -- you may surprise yourself with the possibilities!

Q&A

Don't leave cat home alone for long

Q: How long can my cat stay home alone if I leave plenty of food and water? I don't have anyone to care for him while I am gone, up to four days at a time for business. -- S.W., via e-mail

A: How would you like to be left with food that's getting older by the minute, water that's developing a skin of slime and a bathroom where the toilet's backed up? That's pretty much what you're dealing with if you leave your cat unattended for more than a day.

Even worse, what if the water is spilled, or your cat eats all the food on day one? And what if he gets seriously sick or injured, and no one's around to help?

Although there are some time-release food-dispensers that can keep a cat covered for a weekend in a pinch -- and pet water fountains can keep pets happily hydrated with a freshened supply -- your pet really should have someone check in at least once a day, preferably more.

If you don't have friends, relatives or neighbors who can help, hire a pet sitter to come to your home. PetsitUSA.com, Petsitters.org and www.petsit.com all offer searchable listings, or simply ask friends and co-workers for recommendations (and check references!). -- Gina Spadafori

(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" and "The Dr. Oz Show" 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 more. Contact Pet Connection in care of this newspaper by sending e-mail to petconnection@gmail.com or by visiting PetConnection.com.

THE BUZZ

AVMA offers info on pets and H1N1

-- Since the news broke of a housecat in Iowa testing positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, pet owners and veterinarians have been scrambling to learn more: Can my pet get sick? What would the symptoms of H1N1 in cats be? How is it identified? How is it treated? The American Veterinary Medical Association has put up an information page on its Web site (www.avma.org/public_health/influenza/new_virus) to get the answers out. The page offers continuously updated information on the H1N1 influenza virus (also known as the "swine flu"), how the virus might affect pets, and what veterinarians should know when talking with clients and treating patients. The trade group's response underscores the critical role veterinarians play in the public health system for pets and people alike.

-- Our seemingly insatiable appetite for providing pets with accessories at home is now making the transition to the automobile. LeaseTrader.com, an online car lease swap marketplace, reports a 67 percent increase in the number of customers who shop for a vehicle with pet needs in mind. The company says economics are pushing consumers away from large SUVs and toward dog-friendly smaller crossovers, wagons and hatchbacks.

-- November is Pet Diabetes Month. The disease affects one in 200 cats and one in 500 dogs worldwide. A new Web site, www.petdiabetesmonth.com, offers awareness and information on the disease to pet owners. The owners of diabetic cats can also find advice and support on the Feline Diabetes site (felinediabetes.com), which is run by a doctor whose own cat was diabetic.

-- Max wins out these days as the most popular dog name in the world. And it's not just Max: Pets have a much higher chance of being given a name traditionally reserved for humans than one considered normal for a dog, such as Fido. Fido had a good run, though. Evocative of the loyalty for which dogs are known, Fido gained favor in the 1860s when President Lincoln's so-named dog was the first presidential pet to gain celebrity status recognition after posing for a formal photographic portrait. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon.

THE SCOOP

Clicking with your pet is easy, fun

When you're looking for an easy way to train your pet, it doesn't get much better than clicker training. The no-force technique works on animals of all sizes, ages and abilities. And that's true of the people who would administer clicker training, since it doesn't require strength or much coordination on the part of the trainer.

Best of all: It's fun for trainer and pet alike.

A clicker is a small plastic box that fits in the palm of your hand -- a child's toy that's also called a "cricket." To make the noise, you press down on the metal strip inside the housing and quickly release it -- click-click!

The clicker itself doesn't have any magic powers. What it provides is timing -- it allows a trainer working with a dog who understands the game to let the pet know that the behavior he's doing right now is the one that's being rewarded. And that means the behavior will be repeated. The clicking noise becomes a reward because in the early stages of training, the sound is linked to the delivery of something a dog wants, most usually a tiny treat.

To get started, ask around for clicker-training classes in your area. Many trainers offer them, either as an integral part of their training services or as special "trick-training" sessions. If you can't find help in your area, look online for Web sites, books, videos and more.

Clicker-training even works with people -- your mate, your kids, your boss. But you didn't hear that from us! -- Gina Spadafori

PETS BY THE NUMBERS

People, pets share illness, too

Many of the same problems that make us sick are sources of misery for our pets, too. According to 2008 claim records from Veterinary Pet Insurance (PetInsurance.com), the top 10 human medical conditions that affect pets are:

1. Allergies

2. Bladder infection

3. Arthritis

4. Diabetes

5. Skin cancer

6. Gum disease

7. Acne

8. Stomach ulcers

9. Cataracts

10. Laryngitis

ON GOOD BEHAVIOR

SURPRISE YOUR DOG FOR GOOD RESPONSE

If you want your dog to come when you call without thinking twice, call your dog a few times daily for a fun surprise.

Call your dog to initiate play, to get dinner, to leave home for a walk or car ride, or to enjoy a petting session. Mix up the good stuff, so your dog never knows what to expect but learns that it's all good.

If you never make the mistake of calling your dog and then doing something your dog thinks is unpleasant, your dog will automatically come when you call with a wagging tail and happy look on his face.

Always praise your dog as he's heading toward you, since silence can worry dogs. If he hesitates, squat down to his level with open arms. Good routines become good habits. -- Susan and Dr. Rolan Tripp, AnimalBehavior.net

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.

SIMPLE PRECAUTIONS WILL KEEP YOUR PET HEALTHY OVER THE HOLIDAYS

Some people seem to have bad luck over the holidays, and I have traditionally been one of them. I've filled the house with smoke from a poorly laid fire in the fireplace just before guests arrived for dinner, and I've tripped over a sleeping dog on Christmas morning and ended up in the emergency room (the dog was fine; I went home with a cast).

But that's nothing compared to the disasters that seem to dog the pets in our family over the years. I've spent good parts of many holidays in after-hours veterinary clinics, and a few times those trips were for problems that could have been prevented.

Fortunately, the better part of two decades -- and most of my writing career -- have passed since my last holiday pet disaster, and I'd like to think it's because I learned a few things along the way. In the interest of helping your holiday season go easier, I'd like to remind you of what to look out for in the weeks to come.

Every year at this time I offer a list of the most common holiday hazards for pets, including foreign-body ingestion and accidental poisoning. The bad news is that many pets will end up at a veterinarian's office this holiday season. The good news is that yours won't be among them if you keep an eye out for these hazards.

The place to start? The Christmas tree. This popular sign of the season is full of hazards for dogs and cats. Tinsel can be an appealing target for play, but if ingested, it can twist up the intestines and may need to be surgically removed. This is a particular danger to cats and kittens, who seem to find tinsel -- along with yarn, ribbon and string -- especially appealing to eat.

Ornaments, too, are deadly in the mouths -- and stomachs -- of pets, and even the water at the base of the tree contains secretions that can at the very least cause a stomachache. Light strings are no good for chewing, and the whole tree can come down on the cat climbing in its branches. Some dogs may even be inclined to break the rules of house-training on a freshly cut tree -- why else, they reason, would anyone bring a tree into the house?

The best way to keep your pets out of tree trouble is by making the tree off-limits unless you're there to supervise. Putting the tree in a room with a door you can close is probably the easiest solution.

And how about holiday greenery? Holiday plants such as mistletoe may look intriguing to your pet, but they're also toxic, as are the bulbs of the amaryllis plant. (Long the poster child for holiday poisoning, the falsely maligned poinsettia can be safely welcomed into the pet lover's home.) Holiday food can be a problem, too (see sidebar).

The best way to keep your pet safe is to look at everything new that's in your house for the holidays and figure out the best way to keep it out of the mouths and paws of your pets.

And just in case the worst should happen, find the number now of the nearest veterinary emergency clinic and know how to get there if you have to.

SIDEBAR

Thanksgiving: Don't share the goodies

We love to share food with our pets, and what better time to do it than on Thanksgiving?

Problem is, foods that are too rich, too fatty or too spicy -- or anything your pet's not accustomed to -- can trigger a bout of intestinal upset. For some animals, the treat can trigger a serious inflammation of the pancreas or intestine, and that means a life-threatening illness.

What to avoid? Anything that you wouldn't eat, your pet should avoid, too. And while a little bit of lean meat -- beef or poultry - can be added to your pet's meal, steer clear of the fatty parts and poultry skin. And no gravy!

While you're waiting for the Thanksgiving feast to begin, don't share the appetizers, either. And as for the sweets in festive holiday bowls? Put them out of reach, so your pets don't help themselves. -- G.S.

Q&A

Tips for ending cat scratching

Q: May I share how I trained our cats to use the scratching post instead of the furniture?

You're right in your recent column: Yelling at the cat and punishing him won't work when it comes to destructive scratching. You have use motivations that mean something to the cat. And you have to teach him where to scratch. Otherwise, how is he to know you want him to scratch the post?

I use the cat's favorite treats, a scratching post, a squirt bottle and some wide, double-sided sticky tape.

The tape goes on the spots where the cat prefers to scratch, and the sticky feel discourages scratching. I begin training by rubbing their paws on the post, so their paw-scent is left on it. I immediately give the cat a treat for having his paws on the post.

Usually it takes only a few tries for the cat to get the message that scratching the post would get food -- a reward all cats understand. My oldest cat still goes through an evening routine where he trots up to the post, scratches it, and looks at me with a "Well, where's my treat?" expression. He also scratches and stares at me when he knows it's dinnertime.

The squirt bottle is for when I catch them scratching elsewhere. One brief squirt is all it takes to convince them to stop. Then I can redirect their attention to scratching the post.

We have three indoor kitties (one is a feral kitten that we took in), and our furniture is still mostly unscathed. Understanding the feline mind really does work! -- K.B., via e-mail

A: Thank you for sharing your tips. They're excellent! I wish more people would understand that reward-based training is really the way to go with cats. Punishment often stresses out the cat more and not only damages the bond with the animal, but often leads to other stress-related behaviors, such as urine-spraying.

Working with a cat's natural tendencies and rewarding him for good behavior is the best way to train these pets. -- G.S.

Potty where?

Q: Until a month ago, we spent weekends in a different home with our dog and cat. In the weekend home, our cat would spend time outside, but he would always come in to use the litter box. At our home, it is just the opposite: He spends time outside but never uses the litter box inside. We provide the same box and same litter. Can you explain this? -- A.H., via e-mail

A: When you are dealing with litter box questions, you have to remember always that cats may seem mysterious in their ways, but their choices are not at all mysterious to them.

Each cat will prefer one kind of area to potty over another. Factors that go into the preference may include box and filler type, location, past illness and so on. Without knowing the complete history of your cat in both houses, and without observing the cat for signs of unhappiness with the box in the weekday home, I'd guess there's a difference that's quite obvious to your cat but not to you.

It could be as simple as this: At the weekday home, there's a potty area outside that's more appealing than the litter box, and at the weekend home, the situation is reversed. For example, there may be a kind of soil in the beds at one home that your cat likes. Or maybe at the home where your cat chooses to use the box, there could be a neighborhood bully-cat who's driving your cat inside. -- G.S.

PET BUY

Paperwork needed for pet purchase

Adding a pet to the family is often referred to as an "adoption," but make no mistake: It's still a business transaction. Whether you're getting a pet from a shelter, rescue group or private breeder, you should come away not only with a new family member but also with a sheaf of paperwork.

At minimum, the rescue group, shelter or seller should provide you with a contract that spells out any guarantees for health and temperament as well as return policies if the animal isn't working out. A basic medical history -- vaccines, wormings, neutering -- should also be included, as should recommendations for future medical care, food and so on. If you're buying a registered animal, make sure you get the forms you need to transfer ownership with such organizations as the American Kennel Club and the Cat Fanciers' Association.

If you do not get all the breed registration paperwork, it can be difficult to track it down later. Some sellers flat-out disappear after a sale, while others will try to charge more for "papers" after you've already taken your pet home. Mind you, any breeder who'd do either is likely not someone you should have been getting a pup or kitten from in the first place. But that won't help you much when you've already fallen in love with your new pet, will it?

If you don't get registration paperwork, the breed registries will try to help with registration matters if you contact them. But in most cases they can't do much, since people rarely have enough information on the breeder or the animal's parents to get the matter cleared up. -- G.S.

PET Rx

Head tilt common in pet rabbits

Head-tilting in rabbits is common and can be caused by a variety of diseases. A common name for head tilt is "wry neck," although the correct medical term is "vestibular disease."

Rabbits with vestibular disease can have a head position that ranges from a few degrees to 180 degrees off the normal position. They can fall over, circle, have difficulties standing and develop eye injuries because the downward-facing eye is in a position of vulnerability. These pets need to see a veterinarian for proper diagnosis of the causes behind the head tilt and then targeted treatment.

For most rabbits with vestibular disease, the vast majority will recover most of their normal head position and lead normal lives, as long as good nursing, veterinary care and time for recovery are provided. Some rabbits, however, will have a lifelong residual head tilt even if the inner ear disease is cured. -- Dr. Marty Becker

THE SCOOP

Pet choices? Don't rule out the rat

Let go of everything you've ever thought about rats and consider the benefits of these pets with an open mind.

-- Rats are social animals. Many small pets don't like being handled, but rats get used to careful socialization easily and come to enjoy riding in pockets and on shoulders.

-- Rats are smart. Rats respond quickly to food-based training and seem to love to perform tricks.

-- Rats are agile and sturdy. Try to get a guinea pig to run a maze or climb a ladder and you'll appreciate the fleet-footedness of a rat. Unlike mice, rats can stand up to the handling -- and occasionally, the unintentional mishandling -- of well-meaning children.

-- Rats are diverse. Think colors like silver mink, platinum, blue and chocolate, and markings like hooded (the head a different color than the body) or masked.

-- Rats are easy to keep. Get a cage sized for a slightly larger animal, such as a chinchilla or guinea pig, and your rat will be content. Add bedding, a place for the animal to hide and sleep, a food dish and a water bottle, some toys, and you're set. Your rat will happily eat the food manufactured for them and will be even happier if you add fruit, nuts, vegetables and other "people food."

The downside of rats? They don't live all that long -- two to three years -- and they're prone to tumors. And like all rodents, they love to chew and can be destructive if left unsupervised.

Be sure to choose a healthy rat from a reputable source. As with all pets, good sanitation practices are a must, especially hand-washing after handling the animals. A calm, well-socialized rat isn't likely to bite, but any nips that do happen should be discussed with the family doctor, especially when children are involved. -- G.S.

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

On PetConnection.com there's more information on pets and their care, reviews of products, books and "dog cars," and a monthly drawing for more than $1,000 in pet-care prizes. Contact Pet Connection in care of this newspaper by sending e-mail to petconnection@gmail.com or by visiting PetConnection.com.

PETS BY THE NUMBERS

Why keep a cat?

Companionship is the No. 1 reason why cats are so popular, according to a survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. Here are the top responses given (multiple answers allowed):

Companionship 90 percent

Fun to watch 73 percent

Relieves stress 62 percent

Like family member 60 percent

Easy to maintain 57 percent

Pest control 51 percent

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.