Cats and dogs
131 dogs and 59 cats in the catalog (counted live), the strangest cats, the heaviest pets, the tiniest dogs, the "ugliest" dog in the world, and the market that brings a puppy home.
Walk the wing
Every dog
A catalog of dog breeds and landraces sorted by the job each was bred for: origin, original work, size, lifespan and a health note for every one.
Every cat
Cat breeds and landraces, most less than a century old, and the African wildcat every house cat descends from.
Strange cats
Hairless, folded, short-legged, tailless, curly, six-toed and part-wild cats: where each came from, what the gene does, and whether it should be bred.
Fat cats
More than half of America's pets are overweight. How vets score a pet's shape, what extra weight costs, how to help kindly, and where the money word "fat cat" came from.
Purse dogs
Teacup marketing, the handbag-dog fashion and what happened when it faded, and the lapdogs of emperors and queens.
Ugly dogs
The World's Ugliest Dog contest, the Chinese Crested, why plain dogs win hearts, and the hard truth about flat faces.
Where pets come from
Breeders, puppy mills, the federal rules, Florida's pet lemon law, pet-store bans, what a pet really costs, inside the shelters, and microchips: the pet market as an economics lesson.
Older rooms on dogs and cats stay open in the companion-animals wing: Dogs · Cats · Bred, sold, kept, adopted, killed · Murderous cats.
Dogs came from wolves and cats came from wildcats. Visit the dog catalog and find a dog that pulls sleds, a dog that herds sheep and a dog that fits in a lap. Then visit the cats and find one with no tail.
Friendly Beasts: Every dog, every cat Friendly Beasts: The pet market Friendly Beasts: Who lives with us (K–5)
Little learners quiz: dogs Little learners quiz: cats
Next door in STEM
Every breed is an experiment in heredity: try a Punnett square on a coat or an ear.
Peas, beans and factors (grade 7)PreviewA copy that slips (grade 7)PreviewMendel's peasPreviewPunnett squaresPreviewThe coin-flip crossPreviewMeiosis, Mendel and the chi-square test (AP)PreviewWhat makes a mammal?PreviewPredict the dietPreviewWeigh the cost of warmthPreviewWatch one mammalPreview
Drawer: Friendly Beasts: Next door in STEM
NGSS: 3-LS3-1 HS-LS3-1 HS-LS3-3 MS-LS1-4 MS-LS3-1 MS-LS3-2 MS-LS4-5