Unwanted Kittens: Season Of Heartbreak At Rspca

TEN kittens on average are being put down every day at the RSPCA, as owners surrender their new pets at alarming rates.

Column 8

About the 'No pets not allowed' State Rail business of Friday," writes Teena Hughes, of Rozelle: "I was thinking that perhaps a shiny new comma or full stop could make this poster make sense. As in, 'No, pets not allowed', or, 'No pets. Not allowed'. I suggest everyone who travels near these signs can fix them immediately by adding either one - we'll leave it up to the public, shall we? Take a black marker pen with you, just in case. (PS. We could call the people who help with this The Silent ...

Pay Tv

Wonder Pets - Save the Nutcracker Peppa Pig Christmas Special The Simple Life 638 Ways to Kill Castro The Brady Bunch

In A Word

Care eases grief After my letter about my grief towards the loss of my dog Bizzo, I received several empathetic phone calls from dog owners who also have loved and lost their pets.

> Tune In > Tune In

> TUNE IN Creature Features, ABC1, 4.30pm: Adam Saunders, along with Modi the cat, hosts this cheerful magazine-style insight into the world of wild animals, pets and their owners.

The Daily Dozen

Q What do you think about allowing pets to travel on public transport? Pam Allen, Heathcote I think as long as they're well behaved, it's okay.

Foreign Correspondence

I am not an animal person. I don't have pets and haven't done so for a very long time. Nor would I consider myself a "greenie". I try and do the right thing with recycling, but would never think about chaining myself to a tree.

Odd Spot

A pet insurer in North America claims that socks top the 10 most common items surgically removed from pets. The Vancouver Sun reports that dogs and cats also have a hankering for lingerie, with underwear and pantyhose ranking second and third respectively.

Clear Conscience

EVERYONE knows the world is divided between cat people and dog people and that, to paraphrase Kipling, pups are pups and pussies are pussies and never the twain shall meet. But perhaps it is time we began choosing our pets on another basis altogether - the environment.

Pets

WHAT DOGA WHERE The Paws Store, 68 Stevedore Street, Williamstown WHEN Tomorrow at 11am TICKETS $20, bookings on 9397 8604

Bare Essentials

Pets are more pampered than you

Pet Projects

There are some golden rules when it comes to pets and cameras, writes Terry Lane.

Creature Comforts

Don't be fooled by all that fur - our pets often feel the cold as much as we do.

Staying Alive

Goldfish can live for years - if their owners do the right thing. Alexandra Roginski learns how to keep these popular pets in the swim.

Odd Spot

Japan is to get its first nursing home for dogs, with round-the-clock monitoring by doctors and a team of puppies to help ageing pooches feel younger. Owners will pay 98,000 yen ($A954) a month to keep their dogs at the Soladi Care Home for pets, which will open today in Tochigi, eastern Japan.

Editor's Letter

Remember when "a dog's breakfast" meant something messy? Bit dated, now that our four-legged friends dine on "pet-it fours". Other outmoded doggy phrases include "dog of a day", "a dog's life" and "gone to the dogs". Now that Australians spend millions each year cossetting their canines, even "looking like a dog" should be a compliment these days. The doting owners may have a point when they deny that their pets are child surrogates. Really, we don't pamper children this much. And I guess dogs, ...

All Talk

Every woman should have four pets in her life. A mink in her closet, a Jaguar in her garage, a tiger in her bed, and a jackass who pays for everything. Paris Hilton.

Snakes Alive

Who says pets in apartments are just cats and dogs?

Friday - Pay Tv

The Henry Rollins Show Hopeless Pictures Pets for Profit

Going Native

Pets don't have to be warm and furry - they can be cold and scaly. Just ask Mark Keohan. Keohan is the proud owner of Merlin ("as in the magician"), a two-metre-long diamond python he obtained from an animal sanctuary four years ago. "It's not quite like having a normal pet," says Keohan, who lives in Bundeena with his wife and two young children. "It's not like they're super affectionate. But I often put Merlin around my shoulders and go for a walk in the garden or let the kids play with him. ...