Ah, the joy of cat ownership. It’s not always as easy as it looks, right? Not only do you have to clean your cat’s litter box while allowing him to poop in your house, but you also have to attempt to cut his nails while avoiding an emergency room visit (for you!) in the process. The best way to cut your cat’s nails is to train him early so you don’t get mauled in the process. As a kitten, gently play with your cat’s toes and paw pads for a few seconds or minutes a day - that way, he’ll get use to you touching his feet (after all, not all of us have foot fetishes). Second, use a gentle, effective nail trimmer. I personally prefer the miniature black rubber-handled cat nail clippers that look like scissors. They are small, easy to handle, inexpensive, and well worth it. Human fingernail trimmers also work well, as they are sleek and small. Don’t even think about using those bulky, cold, metal guillotine dog clippers – those will shred your cat’s nails, and he’ll be stuck with a painful and ugly manicure! Next, remember to be patient. Don’t bother trying to clip all the nails in one sitting; both you and your cat will hate each other. I clip one foot at a time, and accept what I can get from my cats. Your cat might be wondering why he’s tap dancing with his long nails on one foot, and flat-footed on the other, but trust me – he prefers this over a whole body tackle-and-torture session.

TUALATIN, Ore. -- For once, curiosity didn't kill the cat.

A 3-month-old kitten rode beneath a SUV for more than 120 miles Wednesday.

Marc Lichty left Olympia, Wash., in his SUV after finishing up a day of work. Along the way to Tualatin, he stopped at a rest stop and heard meowing. Lichty, however, couldn't find any trace of a cat. When he returned home to Tualatin, he stepped out of the car and heard the meowing again, leading him to grab a flashlight. "Sure enough, the cat was up underneath in the spare tire spot up there," Lichty said. "He shined the light and I just saw this little guy's face there so we tried to get him out and coaxed him with a little piece of salmon," said Jenna Lichty, Marc's daughter. "I pulled him right out." Sub-freezing temperatures reached the teens in the Pacific Northwest this week, which likely made for a chilly ride down Interstate 5 on Wednesday. "It was pretty cold. I can't imagine traveling 75 miles down the freeway and it being 20 degrees out," Lichty said.

The cat does not have a microchip and was not wearing a collar. The Lichtys called Olympia businesses in the area where Lichty was working Wednesday, but they were unsuccessful in finding the owner. The family has decided to keep the kitten. Now, all they need is a good name. "Well, we've got a few floating around," Lichty said. "Chevy. And there's Tahoe, Pitch and Lucky. Nothing quite yet."

Update from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) November 18, 2009 – The Oregon state public health veterinarian has reported that a pet cat has died from presumed 2009 H1N1 influenza virus infection. The cat was one of 4 cats in the household and became ill approximately one week after a child in the household had a flu-like illness. It developed labored breathing and was presented to a veterinarian on November 4. The cat was not coughing or sneezing but had pneumonia. The cat's condition deteriorated over the next 3 days, and it died on November 7. Samples were obtained and tested (PCR) positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. Additional samples were sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) for confirmation and are still pending. At this time this is a presumed, not confirmed, case of 2009 H1N1 influenza infection. The three other cats in the household also became ill with different degrees of sneezing and coughing, but recovered from their illnesses. Samples collected from these cats were negative for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus.