Have you visited CatHobbyist.com lately? Our parent site, PetHobbyist.com, is going through some big -- and wonderful! -- changes. We've had a name change, to ConnectedByPets.com. We've got our own blog site, where you can create your own blog and start posting right away. We have all our existing forums, chats, photo galleries and other features.
AND... we have a brand new shiny social network, and we'd really like you to check it out! So much so that if you do, we might give you a brand new Apple iPad 2 just for connecting with other pet lovers!
That's right -- we'll be giving three lucky site users a brand new iPad2 with a retail value of $499!
Every month for the next three months, we'll select a winner at random from our users who have posted a status update to our network at ConnectedByPets.com. Each status update counts as a new entry, and you can enter as many times as you wish (see restrictions and qualifications below).
Updates need to be posted by users who have uploaded an image and filled out the primary animal interests section of their Connected By Pets user profile to be eligible. (If you already have a PetHobbyist.com username and password, just use those to log in; if not, register here first -- it's free!)
With WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, 16GB of storage, and an HD video camera, the iPad 2 can surf the web for 10 hours, and run thousands of apps, MP3s and videos. You can even use it to update your status on Connected By Pets!
Log in today, post a status update, and enter to win! Just be sure to read the rules before entering! --
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Nathan Winograd is one of the most passionate and controversial voices in animal welfare today. As part of this year's Chat Month focus on "Ending Pet Homelessness," he'll be speaking with Christie Keith on Friday evening about the role the law can play in saving animal lives, and how legislation and litigation can help create a No Kill nation. (Note: At the time of this mailing, Christie Keith has laryngitis; Mike Fry of 
Times have been hard -- brutally hard -- on all kinds of charitable efforts, and animal causes are no exception. How can animal welfare organizations beat the times and keep helping pets in need -- and how can animal lovers still help animals when their wallets are feeling the pinch as well?
As part of this year's focus on "Ending Pet Homelessness in America," perennial PetHobbyist.com favorite guest Darlene Arden will be joining us to talk about "Keeping dogs and cats in their homes by resolving -- and preventing! -- behavior problems."
Steve Dale and Kim Campbell Thornton are two of the top pet journalists in America today -- but that's not why they're joining us this year.
Dr. Marion Nestle is one of the leading voices in the movement to reform how we deal with food and nutrition in this country. She is the Paulette Goddard professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University and a visiting professor in the College of Agriculture's nutritional sciences division at Cornell University. She branched out into covering pet food issues with her book about the 2007 pet food recall, "Pet Food Politics."
Last fall, the Ad Council launched the first animal welfare campaign of its more than 60 year history, the 
We're going to be talking with Miami veterinarian and USA Today columnist Dr. Patty Khuly about genetic diseases in dogs and cats.
One of the most-requested chat topics from the cat-owning users of our site, 
Marty Becker DVM, the resident veterinarian on the "Dr. Oz Show" and "Good Morning America" joins us to discuss "The Other End of the Stethoscope: How to communicate with your pet's veterinarian."
Best-selling and award-winning pet author Liz Palika will be talking to us about one of the most important of all topics, "Preparing Your Pets for Disasters".
PetHobbyist.com is very excited to welcome Gina Spadafori to talk about "The Backyard Chicken Revolution." 
Donna Reynolds and Tim Racer founded 
This year is over, and that's probably a relief for a lot of us. We hope that all our friends and your families of all species will have a much brighter new year, and that we'll be seeing you around on 
Holiday Pet Photos
Nathan Winograd's 2007 book "
TTouch - the 
Sandra Toney is an award-winning writer who has appeared in hundreds of magazines such as Writer's Digest, Soap Opera Weekly, Your Health, Cats Magazine, Woman's Own, Country America, and many others. She lives in Plymouth, Indiana, with her husband, Ray, and four VERY spoiled felines. She is the author of several books, including The Simple Guide to Cats, Feline Behavior, and The Little Book of Cat Tricks. She'll be discussing careers in freelance cat writing.
Dr. Heidi Mier practices Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine in an Integrative Small Animal Veterinary practice she has developed in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Mier graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in 1988, and subsequently completed an Internship at Cornell University in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery. She then went into private practice in Southeastern Michigan. She transitioned into an independent house-call Acupuncture practice in 2002-3, and since last spring has developed an independent Integrative Veterinary practice in an Ann Arbor Specialty clinic. Dr. Mier certified in Small Animal and Equine Acupuncture through the Chi Institute in Florida in 2002-2003, and has completed coursework for Chinese Herbal certification. Her methods of practice primarily involve integrating Western and Ea
stern Veterinary Medicine through diet, acupuncture, herbal therapy, and traditional therapy where appropriate. Her hobbies include agility for fun with her Finnish Lapphund, and trail-riding her Tennessee Walker mare.
Dr. Marty Becker is the popular veterinary contributor to ABC-TV's "Good Morning America" and is the host of "The Pet Doctor With Marty Becker" on PBS. He has appeared on Animal Planet, and is a frequent guest on national network and cable television, and radio shows. He has lectured at every veterinary school in the United States, and been named Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year by the Delta Society and the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Marty is co-author of the fastest-selling pet book in history, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, and is either sole author or co-author of other top-selling books, including other animal books in the Chicken Soup line, The Healing Power of Pets: Harnessing the Amazing Ability of Pets To Make and Keep People Happy and Healthy, and Fitness Unleashed: A Dog and Owner's Guide to Losing Weight and Gaining Health Together! With Gina Spadafori, he is co-author of the New York Times best-seller, Why Do Dogs Drink Out of the Toilet? as well as Do Cats Always Land on Their Feet?
Gina Spadafori is one of America's top syndicated pet columnists, and author of many top selling books including Dogs for Dummies, Cats for Dummies, and Birds for Dummies. Gina has served on the boards of directors of both the Cat Writers Association and the Dog Writers Association of America. She has won the DWAA's Maxwell Medallion for the best newspaper column, and her column has also been honored with a certificate of excellence by the CWA. The first edition of her top-selling book Dogs For Dummies was given the President's Award for the best writing on dogs and the Maxwell Medallion for the best general reference work, both by the DWAA.
Therese Kopiwoda started her pet sitting career in 2001, when she established LucyGirl Pet Sitting in Austin, Texas. She is also the founder and owner of 
Pam Johnson-Bennett is a Certified Animal Behavior Consultant and one of the most well-known experts on feline behavior. She is a clinical member of the 
Marta Williams, a biologist and animal communicator, is the author of Learning Their Language: Intuitive Communication with Animals and Nature, and Beyond Words: Talking with Animals and Nature.She worked for many years as a wildlife biologist and an environmental scientist before she began practicing as a professional animal communicator in 1991. Marta has written articles for the Whole Horse Journal, Natural Horse Magazine, Ride Magazine, and Healing Garden Journal. She lectures, teaches and offers consultations for animals by phone or by email, worldwide. She is a frequent and popular guest on PetHobbyist.com.
A panel discussion with a number of rescue groups for a wide variety of species, including representatives from 
JoAnn has been showing and breeding Maine Coon Cats since 1989. While she no longer breeds,but she is still active in the show circuit. She shows in ACFA, TICA & CFA. Tonight she is here to explain how to go about choosing a pure bred cat from a cattery: What to look for and what questions to ask to know you are getting a healthy animal, and how to tell the good from the bad. She can also answer questions on getting started in showing cats.
It's just not Chat Week on CatHobbyist.com without Helmi Flick. Says Helmi, "Cat Photography is not the most mainstream of career fields. In fact, most folks who ask me what I do for a living have never even heard of a 'cat photographer.' But then, just a few years ago, neither had I. Now I am one. and, looking back, it's hard to imagine that it took me 30 years of my working life - diligently sleepwalking through administrative positions in the legal, medical and computer industries - to figure out what I was really meant to do. I finally got her by a route most people only dream of by turning something I loved to do into a new career." Helmi returns this year with her popular series of discussions on cat photography.
Panel Discussion on Breed Rescue
Susan Little, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (Feline Practice), Winn Feline Foundation
Mary Bruce and Peggy Marks, Guild Certified TTouch Practitioners 
Best wishes to all for a happy and safe holiday season for you and your furrie family members. The hurricanes this summer made a severe impact on shelters and rescues across the county. Many have taken in animals to foster until they can be reunited with their displaced families. Now is a good time to formulate a plan to make sure your animals have identification and that you have a plan to evacuate or house your animals in the event of an emergency in your own home or community.
I once had a cat named Jezebel. She was the kitten of a pregnant stray I found in the street, and she was a rough and tumble little hoyden of a cat. But she had one odd trait that set her apart from any cat I've had before or since. Jezebel was an acupuncture cat.
There's a reason so many TV ads for air fresheners feature litterboxes in the "before" scenes. When it comes to pungent odors, there's nothing quite like the smell of cat urine. And if you're ready to get rid of your cat due to litterbox problems, you're not alone. Problems with feline elimination are the number one reported behavior problem in cats, and the number one reason they are surrendered to shelters.