Saturday, July 29, 2006

Tell us about cats who are at least 19

Dear Heloise: I clipped out the article from your column on a dog's age. I have a toy poodle that is nearly 15 years old and going strong. I was wondering if there is a similar chart for cats. I have a cat that is 20 years old and also going strong. -- Iris Miller, Kerrville, Texas

Meow! I was curious, too, since we have printed dogs vs. human ages a few times in this column. Now, for all those cat lovers out there, we have a graph our veterinarian sent with approximate ages of cats vs. humans.

Human Cat (approx)

1 15

3 28

5 36

7 44

10 56

15 76

It seems cats live longer lives than even small breeds of dogs. One of my assistant's cats is almost 20, and the cat still acts like a kitten.

We'd love to hear from readers who have cats older than 18. Send a photo with the age of your cat, and we'll send a pet pamphlet to 10 readers with the oldest cats. Also, if you have a funny, unusual story about your cat, attach that with the photo, and it might appear on my Web site. Send the photo to: Heloise/Cats, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279. -- Heloise

Dear Readers: Ginny Long of Gastonia, N.C., is the owner of Sugar, who is part-Shih Tzu and part-poodle. The photo she sent shows Sugar at 16 years of age, out for an afternoon ride on her tricycle. -- Heloise

Dear Readers: Do you have a parakeet that loves toys? Before buying any toys, make sure they are nontoxic. Since parakeets chew on all their toys, the toys have to be safe.

Check for any small, loose parts that can accidentally be swallowed. Don't buy toys made for large birds -- they might frighten your little parakeet. Also, keep away from little toys that are not made especially for birds -- they might have parts that can harm birds.

Most parakeets need some type of stimulation, and toys do just that for them. They are very intelligent and get bored easily. -- Heloise

To attract different wild birds to your backyard feeders, try adding sliced fruit to their menu. They'll sing their "thank yous" loud and clear.


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