SA Special Editions

Is animal-assisted therapy the cat’s meow or a red herring?

People have an innate interest in other species, but we like having pets for a variety of social reasons

Is there a typical cat person or snake owner? The jury is still out

Research shows that animals interact in amazingly sophisticated ways

New science reveals the multiple intelligences of our best friend

Why dogs fit into families so well

Looking for the roots of human morality in the animal kingdom? Focus on canines: they know how to play fair

Many dogs are overweight or obese, but their owners don’t seem to notice

Cancer studies in dogs can offer unique help in the fight against human malignancies while improving care for our pets

Scientific findings uncover what our best friends know, why they do what they do and how to keep them happy

Dogs beat their domesticated rivals, cats, in a new attempt to measure cognitive power

Genetic and archaeological findings hint that wildcats became house cats earlier—and in a different place—than previously thought

Toxoplasma gondii, an insidious and common parasite spread by cats, controls its rodent host’s brain—and may be manipulating our own behavior as well

Mounting evidence from species as diverse as cats, dogs, giraffes and dolphins indicates that humans are not unique in grieving over the loss of loved ones

To test ideas of animal domestication, a bold experiment in Siberia put evolution on a fast track

If you have ever wondered why your cat behaves the way it does, wonder no more

An old gene mutation is at fault

The real question is, why don’t humans have one, too?

Strategies that prevent pregnancy without requiring surgery could improve the health of free-living cats

We call a callous turncoat a “rat.” Rats and other animals, however, are giving scientists clues to the evolutionary origins of empathy