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.

An adult cat can slide quickly into your life. You know pretty well what you're getting with a grown cat -- activity level, sociability, health, etc. Given time in a loving environment, a grown cat forms just as tight a bond with his new people as any kitten can.

With an adult cat, knowing a little of the animal's background is important, especially if your family has other pets or children. (A cat who has never experienced them may have a more difficult time adjusting to a new family that includes either or both.) You can ask questions directly about the cat's background if you're adopting from the original owner. And most shelters or rescue groups also try to provide some basic background information, which they ask of the people giving up their pets.

What if the information isn't flattering to the cat? For example, what if he became available for adoption because of his failure to use a litter box? Give the cat the benefit of the doubt -- if you have the time and patience to work on solving the problem. And remember, too, that you don't know the contributing factors. Maybe the litter box was never cleaned or was left in a spot that was convenient for the owner but disconcerting for the cat.

If at all possible, take each adult cat you're considering away from the caging area of the adoption center. Sit down with the animal in your lap, alone in a quiet place, and try to get a feel for the cat as an individual. Shelters are stressful places, so the cat may need a few quiet minutes to collect herself. A calm, confident and outgoing cat will respond pretty readily to your attention, relaxing in your lap, pushing for strokes and purring.

No matter how promising the initial meeting, remember that cats don't react well to change, so be prepared to give your new pet time to adjust to new surroundings once you take her home. Experts advise starting out your cat in a small, enclosed area -- a spare bathroom or small bedroom equipped with food and water, litter box, toys and a scratching post. A few days of quiet seclusion with frequent visits from you will relax your new pet and re-establish good litter-box habits.

If you're considering bringing a pet into your life, why wait? This is the time of year when adult cats in shelters need to shine a little extra, and there are enough of them around to give you a great chance to bring home a pet you'll adore for years to come.

Q&A

String and things

dangerous for cats

Q: Something was wrong with our cat, but we couldn't figure out what. She wasn't herself -- she was listless and uninterested in eating. We took her to the vet. Long story short, she had swallowed a piece of ribbon, and it messed up her intestines. She had to have surgery, but she's fine now.

We had no idea this could happen. Would you tell others that cats who like to play with ribbon, yarn and string need to be watched carefully? -- via e-mail

A: What would you call a kitten with a ball of yarn? A perfect time to reach for your camera? How about an accident waiting to happen? For too many cats, it's an accident -- and maybe a surgery -- waiting to happen, as you've found out. And you're right that people just aren't aware of the danger.

Kittens and cats love playing with yarn, as well as string, ribbon and anything that twists and dances. They like to stalk, to pounce, to flip their slender prey in the air, and to start stalking again. That's all good clean fun, but there's always a chance that your cat won't stop with play and will decide to eat her plaything. And that's where the fun stops, because any sort of yarn, ribbon, Christmas tinsel or string can cause havoc in your cat's intestines -- a problem that may need to be surgically treated.

If you knit or sew, put your supplies securely away after you're done with them, and if you're opening or wrapping packages, clean up after you're done. Packing material such as foam peanuts can be a health hazard for your pet, too.

Chewing on electrical cords is more of a risk for inquisitive kittens, but protecting your grown-up cat against them wouldn't hurt either. Tuck all cords out of the way. And if you notice some that you can't hide that are attracting kitty teeth, coat them in something nasty, such as Bitter Apple (available at pet-supply stores), to convince your cat or kitten to chomp elsewhere.

Even if your pet's not really the playful type, she may find one kind of string irresistible: the juice-soaked strings from a roast or turkey. Dispose of these tempting dangers carefully, putting them in a container that your cat can't get into.

For the cat who loves to chase things, get a "cat fishing pole" and play with her. It's good bonding for you both, and good exercise for your cat. When you're done playing, though, put the toy where she can't get it. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Bulldogs face danger

in traveling by air

-- 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.

-- Yoga tunes may be just what your cat needs to relax, according to a study in Wales. The yearlong study focused on the reactions of cats exposed to meditation music vs. those who weren't. Cats who listened to the calming music had a lower respiration rate and relaxed much more quickly than those who didn't hear the music at all.

-- If you love to talk to your dog, you're not alone. About a fifth of pet-owning women tell their dogs their deepest secrets, according to an informal poll by a U.K. dog food company. Some pet owners -- 14 percent of women and 10 percent of men -- believe their pets can read their minds. Most owners surveyed describe their dog as a "trusted companion," and one-third believed their dogs to be their most most loyal companion. Not true of you? Maybe in the future: Half of all dog owners said their pet makes them feel more optimistic. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker

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 many best-selling pet-care books. Dr. Becker can also be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker.

Hardly a day goes by when there isn't a news story about a dog attack somewhere. When school starts, children may become especially vulnerable, walking and biking through their neighborhoods to class. That's why every year we like to remind parents to review safety around strange dogs with their children.

To be fair, dogs aren't the biggest risk that children face growing up. Organized sports, for example, are 10 times more likely to result in a child's trip to the emergency room than are dogs.

And although in most cases the dog involved in a serious attack is the family's own, it's also true that many neighborhoods are not safe for walking or biking because of a dog. These animals are accidents waiting to happen because their owners either don't know or don't care that their dogs are a public menace.

The experts say the signs are usually there long before a dog attacks. The dog is typically young, male and unneutered. He is usually unsocialized, a backyard dog with little to no interaction with the family. He is often inadvertently trained to be vicious by being kept full-time on a chain or in a small kennel run.

Is there a dog like this in your neighborhood -- or in your own yard? If it's the latter, call your veterinarian and arrange for your pet to be neutered, and then ask for a referral to a behaviorist who can help you rehabilitate your pet. Don't put this off: Your dog is a danger, and your own family is at risk.

Of course, you can't control what other people do with their animals. That's why you have to make sure your children know how to behave around dogs to protect themselves. Here's what everyone should know, and what parents need to teach their children:

-- Never approach a loose dog, even if he seems friendly. Dogs who are confined in yards, and especially those on chains, should also be avoided. Many are very serious about protecting their turf. If the dog is with his owner, children should always ask permission before petting him and then begin by offering him the back of a hand for a sniff. Further, they should pat the dog on the neck or chest. The dog may interpret a pat from above as a gesture of dominance. Teach your children to avoid fast or jerky movements around dogs, since these may trigger predatory behavior.

-- Be a tree when a dog approaches, standing straight with feet together, fists under the neck and elbows into the chest. Teach your children to make no eye contact, since some dogs view eye contact as a challenge. Running is a normal response to danger, but it's the worst possible thing to do around a dog, because it triggers the animal's instinct to chase and bite. Many dogs will just sniff and leave. Teach your children to stay still until the animal walks away, and then back away slowly out of the area.

-- "Feed" the dog a jacket or backpack if attacked, or use a bike to block the dog. These strategies may keep an attacking dog's teeth from connecting with flesh.

-- Act like a log if knocked down: face down, legs together, curled into a ball with fists covering the back of the neck and forearms over the ears. This position protects vital areas and can keep an attack from turning fatal. Role-play these lessons with your children until the instructions are ingrained. They may save a child's life.

Discuss safe behavior with your children and role-play how to approach dogs, when not to approach, and what to do if confronted or attacked.

You don't need to scare your children, but you do need to make sure they're ready, just in case. And going over the "what ifs" isn't a bad idea for you as well.

Q&A

Pumpkin the fix

for cat hairballs

Q: I'm tired of stepping in hairballs, and tired of listening to the gagging sound of my cat tossing one. What's the best way to end them? -- via e-mail

A: When cats groom, they pull out and swallow a lot of fur. Swallowed fur is undigestible, so when it's in a cat's stomach, it has two ways to go: down and out, or up and out. When it comes up (to the accompaniment of that middle-of-the-night "Ack! Ack!" serenade every cat lover knows so well), it's a hairball.

If you want to impress your friends, the scientific name for that gummy mass you step in on your way to the bathroom at 2 a.m. is "trichobezoar." It is made up of the excess hair your cat swallowed, held together with a sticky mucous.

You'll have to tolerate a certain amount of hairballs because that's just part of having a cat. But there are steps you can take to help ingested hair to go through the system instead of coming back up.

Add some fiber to your cat's diet. A little bit of canned pumpkin -– plain pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filler -- added to your pet's regular meals will help the fur ingested by grooming to pass through the digestive system, instead of being thrown up onto your carpets. Combine it with canned food for palatability, or mix it with a little water from canned tuna or clams.

Canned pumpkin has an advantage over oil-based hairball remedies: Overusing the latter can decrease the absorption of some essential nutrients.

Regular combing and brushing also helps, especially if your pet has long hair. The fur you catch when grooming your cat won't end up as a hairball, or as hair you'll be cleaning off your clothes.

Hacking up a hairball every now and then is normal and usually doesn't cause problems. But if you see anything else in the mix, take the cat and the hairball (the former in a carrier; the latter in a plastic bag or container) to your veterinarian. Likewise, if your cat is hacking without producing a hairball, the vet is waiting to see you.

Chronic coughing can be a symptom of many health problems, from heartworms to heart disease to asthma. Occasionally, hairballs can cause an obstruction that will require veterinary attention. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Hormone creams pose

pet health risks

-- The spreading popularity of topical hormone treatments in people -- especially, but not exclusively, among menopausal women -- is having unintended medical consequences for pets, according to the Veterinary Information Network News Service (news.vin.com). The news service reports that veterinarians have seen both male and female dogs with alarming changes in the appearance of their genitalia, as well as fur loss. The problem is easy to avoid: Use disposable gloves to apply the creams, and confine them to an area of the body that will be under clothing, so that pets are not exposed to the active ingredients. The advice is even more critical now that the FDA has warned of problems related to the creams in children as well.

-- Cats live a maximum of 27 years, with 15 years the typical life span. The two oldest cats on record were both tabbies. One, owned by a Mrs. Thomas Holway of the United Kingdom, died in 1939 at the advanced age of 36. The other, also from the U.K. and owned by a Mrs. Alice St. George Moore, lived to 34, dying in 1957.

-- Putting your dog in a pen and putting a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil around the enclosure may help your pet with fear reactions to thunderstorms by helping with the effects of electromagnetism during a storm. A layer of aluminum foil between the box spring and the mattress should do the trick as well for a dog who likes to slide under your bed sheets during a storm. The aluminum has been reported to work for animals by lessening the electromagnetic radiation waves that are part of the fear triggers. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker

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 many best-selling pet-care books. Dr. Becker can also be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker.

Puppies grow up too soon, as anyone who has ever loved one can tell you. When your pup has grown, you've lost not only some of the cuteness, but also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get him off to a good start in life.

It's always easier to prevent problems than to try to fix them later, and one of the most important ways to do this is by socializing your puppy.

Introduce a puppy to all the new things you can -- people, places and other animals. When a puppy isn't exposed to new things, social development stops or even regresses. The goal of socializing is a confident, outgoing dog who isn't shy or aggressive. A good pet, in other words.

"But wait!" you say. "What about disease? My veterinarian told me to keep my puppy at home until his last puppy shot. And you're saying I should go out? Is that safe?"

Your veterinarian is right: Your puppy is at risk for contracting diseases from other dogs before his full immunity is in place. This is why you shouldn't go anywhere where dogs you do not know hang out -- parks, dog events or pet stores -- until your veterinarian gives the go-ahead. But that doesn't mean you should leave your puppy at home.

Use common sense. Plan safe outings. And take a puppy class, because the trainers know the risks and work to minimize them by keeping the training area sanitized. And when that last puppy shot is in, at 14 to 16 weeks, pull out all the stops when it comes to socialization.

Why take any chances at all? Because doing so is important. An unsocialized dog, whether fearful or aggressive, is at a high risk for ending up in a shelter, with little chance at being adopted again. Some experts argue that, in the long run, behavior problems kill more dogs than parvovirus does, which puts the importance of proper and safe socialization in perspective.

Dogs are genetically predisposed to have more potential to become part of human society than wolves or coyotes, but it's not always easy for them. When you give your pup an understanding that living with humans means that new adventures are not to be feared, you are sharing a wonderful gift.

So socialize, and remember that the world is full of scary things, especially to a little puppy. At times, even the boldest of puppies is paralyzed with uncertainty when faced with something he's never seen before. Your response to his fear is very important.

Don't soothe your pup. Petting him and saying, "It's OK, baby" (or something similar) gives your puppy the idea that being scared is OK and that you're rewarding him for the behavior. Instead, be matter-of-fact and encouraging.

Let him work it out, and when he takes that step forward, praise him for his courage. Then move on, one more step into your life together.

Q&A

Older dog may be best

choice for older cat

Q: We have had a cat since before we got married, and I raised her from a kitten. She's 12, happy and healthy. We also have a 7-year-old son, and he wants a dog. We've agreed, but we're thinking ahead to the best way to arrange the introduction. Suggestions? -- via e-mail

A: Before you rock your cat's world by adding a puppy or dog, be sure to set up a separate area where your cat can feel safe, a no-dogs-allowed room with food, water, litter box, scratching post and toys.

You may have to keep your cat secured in her own "safe room" for a week or two after bringing home the dog, and then put a baby gate over the door to allow your cat to get away from the dog when she wants to.

Locking the cat up doesn't seem fair to many people, since the cat was there first. But feline behavior experts say cats adjust better to change if provided with a small, quiet area that's just for them during social upheavals such as moving or adding new people or pets to the household.

You didn't mention if you've had a dog before. If you're first-time dog-owners, and especially if you're busy ones (and what parents aren't busy?), you might be better off to think "adult dog" rather than "puppy."

Puppies -- kittens, too -- are sometimes a lot to deal with for established older pets. With patience and PetFinder.com, you can find a sensible adult dog already house-trained, with some basic manners and known to be cat-friendly.

Your cat may work through the transition more happily with a well-mannered adult dog who is known to be safe around cats. And you'll have a dog who'll fit in without the fuss and bother of a puppy. -- Gina Spadafori

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

THE BUZZ

Cats rock charts

with feline hits

-- Cats have found their way onto the list of top hit songs many times over the years, with titles such as "Cat's in the Cradle," a No. 1 song for Harry Chapin in 1974. Other top cat-titled songs include "Cat Scratch Fever" by Ted Nugent, Tom Jones' "What's New Pussycat?" and Al Stewarts' "Year of the Cat."

-- Many manufacturers realize how much crossover there is between the children's market and the pets' market. Products from baby gates to toddler toys do double duty, selling well in both markets. As summer winds down, you might be able to pick up one particular double-duty item at a deep discount and put it away for your pet's enjoyment next summer. That item? The kiddie pool. For dogs who love water, a wallow in the pool is a great way to cool down after summer activities.

-- While the fur coats our pets sport provide protection from the sun's harmful rays, some pets still are at risk for sunburn. Among them: hairless breeds like the Chinese crested, animals with thin, light-color coats and pets whose coats have thinned with age. Animals who are recovering from surgery are also at risk on the areas that were shaved. Prevention is always better than treatment. Keep high-risk pets out of direct sunlight. If your pet must be in the sun, apply waterproof sunblock. The benefit of waterproof products is that they're also dog-saliva-proof. Sun protection is important not only for sunburn, since the same kinds of pets who are vulnerable to sunburn are often at risk for skin cancer, too. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker

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 many best-selling pet-care books. Dr. Becker can also be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker.