It's National Pet Month, the perfect occasion for animal guardians to give their best friends some extra love and attention. Animals aren't tough to please—they appreciate even just a little quality time with us. Our funny friend Fred Willard and his canine buddy like to spend time together practicing table etiquette and trading dog jokes:

Some tried-and-true ways to tell your loyal companion how much he or she means to you are extra-long play sessions, a new toy, or homemade treats. Check out these doggone good tips from Ingrid E. Newkirk's book Let's Have a Dog Party! and purrfect pointers from 250 Things You Can Do to Make Your Cat Adore You for more fun ways to speak your animal companion's language.

It's Cat Week, and as much as I want to post cute photos of my newly adopted cat, here instead are seven items adapted from "The Alwayses and the Never-Evers Checklist," from PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's insightful book 250 Things You Can Do to Make Your Cat Adore You. Following the complete list will help you make every single week of your cat's life the best it can be.

© Digital Vision | Cats and Dogs | Getty Images

1. I have spayed/neutered my cat(s).
2. I never let my cat(s) out unattended (give yourself two points if you have provided an escape-proof yard or other cat exercise area).
3. I take time to play with my cat(s) every day, even on days when I feel sick, might be fired if I'm late for work (giving you even more time to play with your cat later), or have an important date.
4. I always keep the litterbox impeccably clean—making like Raisin Bran and doing (at least) two scoops a day. I empty and clean the entire box at least once a week (more often if you have multiple cats).
5. My cat(s) can see out and lounge in the sunlight of at least one window without having to behave like a contortionist.
6. I know the signs of a urinary tract infection (cystitis).
7. I am prepared to take my cat(s) with me at a moment's notice in case of an emergency or natural disaster. I have an emergency kit with a carrier and food and water, and my cat(s) always wear identification tags. (Microchipping is also recommended in case you do become separated.) I also have emergency stickers on my doors and windows asking firefighters/police to rescue my animals in case I am not home during an emergency.

To read the entire checklist, pick up a copy of 250 Things You Can Do to Make Your Cat Adore You or click here to read a longer excerpt. There's no time like Cat Week to promise your cat that you will do everything you can to make him or her adore you.

(And if you would like to see photos of my cat, please let my boss know in the comments section.)

Written by Heather Faraid Drennan

Our feline friends might think they’re as tough as Catwoman, but Gotham is full of perils for 15-pound balls of fur. Cats face countless dangers outdoors including cars, other animals, deadly contagious diseases, and cruel people who make The Joker look like Bozo the clown.   

PETA routinely gets calls from people whose “outdoor” cats have been poisoned, shot, or tortured to death. In Florida, authorities found lost dogs and cats housed in a warehouse used by dogfighters. In South Dakota, a fur trader was caught selling the skins of cats he had trapped. In Washington, D.C., a cat who went out for her daily stroll returned home covered in hot grease burns.

So what do you do when your cat sits at the door and meows at you as if to say, “I think I’d like to go for a stroll”? Why not tag along?
 

PETA staffer Chris "Vegan Fury" Holbein takes his morning constitutional with cat Brow Brow and dog Maggie.

 
There’s no time like Be Kind to Animals Week to give cat-walking a try. Many cats will walk on a harness with an extendable leash after a few days of getting used to it. If that makes Mr. Bigglesworth feel too much like Benji, perhaps he would prefer being chauffeured in a Kittywalk stroller.   

You can also make the great indoors more alluring by providing lots of interactive toys and scratching posts and playing games with your cat. For more ideas, peruse 250 Things You Can Do to Make Your Cat Adore You by PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk.  
 

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Crazy cat ladies of America, you have some explaining to do. According to a recent Associated Press poll, 55 percent of cat guardians are in favor of declawing, while only 8 percent of dog fanciers agree with debarking, or surgically removing dogs' vocal chords.

I can only hope that most of the people who voted for declawing don't know exactly what it is. Declawing is like taking a hatchet to a hangnail—literally. It involves 10 separate, painful surgeries, severing not just the nails but the whole joint, including the bones, ligaments, and tendons.

Complications of declawing include chronic pain, nerve damage, hemorrhaging, bone chips, recurrent infections, and abnormal regrowth of the nail inside the paw. Oh, and let's not forget those other two common "complications"—biting and spraying. I've had two declawed cats in my life (both were already declawed when they came to me), and one was a biter and the other is a sprayer. Think snagged furniture is the worst of your problems? Try walking into a house that reeks of cat urine. It takes destruction of property to a whole new level.

Declawed Teddy: He's so gorgeous, I can forgive him for spraying on anything in a box or plastic bag.

Not all declawed cats become biters and sprayers, of course, but you have no way of knowing how your cat will react until it's too late. Declawing is a permanent solution to what is often a temporary problem. Kittens usually outgrow their urge to scale the drapes and attack your wiggling toes. Most cats naturally gravitate toward scratching posts and cardboard scratching boxes, especially if you make them more alluring with catnip and toys. Claws' destructiveness can be curtailed with biweekly trimming. You trim your dog's nails—why not your cat's?

Find more tips on discouraging cats from scratching furniture in PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's book 250 Things You Can Do to Make Your Cat Adore You. 

Via The Sacramento Bee 

Written by Alisa Mullins