Sac Paws - Pet Connection

We have two cats, and I need some suggestions on how to get them to leave the houseplants alone.

As the veterinarian on "Good Morning America," I'm always hearing about and looking at pictures of other people's pets. I truly enjoy hearing about the love people share with their companion animals.

Is there anything for which a dog can't use its nose to figure out?

Our dog has been skunked twice in the last month. We've tried the tomato-juice recipe (and even added tomato sauce for extra "oomph"), but the smell remained. Any suggestions?

We've been adopted by a cat, and he's earned his way from "stray we fed" to "our outside cat" to "sometimes inside" to "sleeps anywhere he wants in the house." He's usually affectionate and loves to purr, but now and then he just gets wound up and claws and bites us when we're petting him, just out of the blue. He never breaks skin with his teeth, but sometimes he hurts with his claws. It seems to be a game with him, but we need it to stop. Advice?

While I've fostered homeless pets transitioning to new families for more than 30 years, only in the last decade have I been raising puppies for other people. I'm good at it, my house is set up for it (no carpets, easy-clean surfaces), and most of all, I love it!

Cats seem so mysterious, but sometimes their mysteries aren't so hard to figure out.

Even though my pets, from dogs to goats to horses, generally get along with others not of their kind, I believe most animals like having a companion of their own species.

Years ago when I started training dogs, I couldn't have imagined doing so without a slip-lead collar, commonly known as a "choke" collar.

Disaster preparedness is so easy to let slide. We get all worked up after something like Hurricane Sandy and decide it's time to "do something." We read up, we make plans, we stock up, we move on. And then, we forget.

I've read that prescription pain medications are deadly for my dog. Can you suggest an alternative?

Let me get this out of the way up front: Yes, I do brush my pets' teeth.

My cat got into a fight again and now he has an infection. I just can't afford another trip to the vet. What can I do at home?

Every year, I go to as many veterinary conferences as I can. I have always loved to learn and I need to stay on the cutting edge for my work in the media.

If you're trying to save money – and really, who isn't? – it's important to understand a couple of key concepts when it comes to budgeting for pet care:

Regular, gentle exercise is key to health and happiness for senior dogs.

It's a New Year tradition around my home, one that has outlived three generations of pets but still works to help ensure the safety of the animals I live with now: I call the pets over and check their necks.

Inside every cat is a lion. Or a tiger. Or a lynx. Or, really, all of these great hunters. And in your cat's mind, it's a wild predator, too.

When I get on the phone, my dog starts barking. Why, and how can I get her to stop?

If you have a new puppy, it's time to learn about crate-training. Every year more people turn to this method, with good reason: It's easier on pups and people alike.

One Christmas Eve many years ago, I decided to kill some time before heading over to a family gathering by cutting the nails on all my dogs. (Yes, I know it's odd, but I'll say in my own defense that the presents were already wrapped and I had nothing else to do.)

Is chocolate poisoning a problem for cats, or just dogs? Our cat occasionally sniffs the candy bowl but doesn't seem interested.

Every month I go to my local public radio station for a short feature on pets and their care. While I'm always prepared for the topic we've chosen for the show, I'm sometimes caught off-guard by the questions other guests ask me in the "green room" before the show.

I want to make sure everyone knows not to have poinsettias as holiday décor if they have pets. Will you please spread the word?

Quick, look at your dog's feet. Are your pet's nails too long? Do you remember the last time you cut them? Are you dreading the next?

When I'm walking my dog through a parkway near my home, we occasionally see coyotes. We have had a couple of small dogs killed by them, and judging by the "lost cats" signs, I suspect they've taken a few cats, too. I live in the suburbs of a big city, and I guess I'm surprised that coyotes will take a pet right under an owner's nose. Is there any way to protect our pets? This seems to be a relatively new problem here.

An animal shelter in Diamond Springs that saved more than 1,000 more animals during a three-month period this year than it did in 2011 has won national recognition from the ASPCA.

The Sacramento Pet Food Pantry needs kibbles and cans of food.

When our cat got sick, our veterinarian recommended giving her human baby food to coax her to eat until she felt better. Is that a balanced diet for a cat?

A sick bird too often means a dead bird. That's because by the time their illness is noticed, birds are usually very ill indeed, and sometimes too far gone to be helped even by the best veterinarian.