You probably already know that white cats with blue eyes are prone to deafness, but gorgeous Jules, above, is the perfect kitty helper to assist in illustrating another very important note about special health concerns for white cats: beware the sun! See how his delicate ears and pink nose have almost no melanin
pigmentation to protect them from burning UV rays? White and light cats are
particularly prone to skin cancer, especially on their tender ears, noses and eyelids. There has been some conversation about this very topic in Flickr's White Cats photo pool,
here and
here.
(Some sad stories, but quite eye-opening about how gravely serious this problem can be.)While some advise using a high SPF sunblock on your white/light cat's sensitive spots, it's important to remember that cats clean themselves
all the time, so yes, such precaution might last a short while as you let your wee snowball bask a bit in the sun under your watchful eye
-- but the only reliable preventative measure is to keep your white cat out of direct sunlight from 10 AM to 2-3 PM. If you do use a sunscreen, be sure to choose something that blocks UVA and UVB rays and is specifically nontoxic for pets.
eHow:
How to Detect Skin Cancer in Cats; All about:
White Cats, Eye Colours and Deafness; Flickr:
White Cats Pool.
Pet owners + podcasts? Purrfect! I've recently discovered Pet Life Radio, which offers a slightly mind-boggling array of audio files in various categories on pet-related topics that you can stream from the site, download via iTunes, or download directly to your computer and listen to on the device of your choice. The audio quality can vary, and there are rather a lot of ads, but I find these ideal for listening while slogging through mundane chores or during long commutes. A few that I've enjoyed lately have included a great, casual, wide-ranging discussion on Kids Owning Dogs (which brought up a lot of very interesting points about children and dogs in general); Homer's Odyssey - A 'Tail' For Modern Times, about the true-life adventures of a blind rescue cat; an interview with little Courtney Oliver, The Youngest Vet Assistant in the Land, and the Evolution of the Housecat, a podcast that also included tips for helping to protect your pets in case of a house fire. 
"Cave Canem" — "Beware of Dog!" warns an ancient floor mosaic of Pompeii (ca 100 AD), with an image of a bloodthirsty guard beast intended to scare off any would-be interlopers with the threat of extreme bodily harm. But let us hope that no invaders were fluent in dog language, because to me, this Pompeiian pup is clearly in play bow pose. He wants to frolic! "The classic play bow is the dog's invitation to play. The dog's tail and butt is in the air, and the front legs are lowered. The dog's ears are up and forward, his mouth is open in a "grin", and his eyes are relaxed." Barring rolling over and exposing the belly, there's no clearer signal that a dog is a non-threatening mode than the play bow... and unlike the submissive pose, it proposes mutually enjoyable social interaction and fun times. So strong is this body language that at least one trainer has hit upon the idea to actually train the play bow specifically as a way to ease socialization with new dogs or places, which is quite interesting. Here's a video of an owner teaching her toy Manchester Terrier to perform a play bow with clicker training:
Oh, sure, anyone can say that this kitten or that kitten is the cutest ever -- but only kittenwar.com makes it a science. And you can help! Vote in cute-kitten face-offs and see who wins each little-bitty-pretty-kitty brawl, and who comes in at the tail-end; compare your votes to the rest of the cute-kitty voting public, view the winningest and losingest gladiator fluffballs, check out the new meat, and submit your own cute battle kitten. Nobody doesn't like a good old-fashioned cat fight with teenyweeny fluffy contestants!
Photographer Tim Flach takes some of the most original, stunning, weird, and whimsical photos of dogs (and other creatures) we've seen, and obviously has an eye for drama and juxtaposition as well as the superb technical skill required to deliver his vision. We can't all be brilliant pet portraitists with years of experience and professional equipment, but most of us would love to capture a few great photos of our beloved beasties. Here are a couple of down-to-earth, useful guides to help you shoot your pet: 9 Pet Photography Tips; How to Photograph Pets. My own best advice in a nutshell is: be relaxed, try out new positions and settings, keep the light behind or to the side of you, and shoot a lot. At some point serendipity meets patience, and magic can happen!
