I want to make some animal-shaped food. I would prefer savory to sweet, and I do not want to use a mold or a cookie cutter to achieve the animal shape. [more inside]
posted on Aug 27, 2008 - 19 answers

Help me to be the best dog trainer possible to my clients! Tell me what you look for in a dog trainer, and what you hope the experience will be like. Tell me your best and worst experiences. I teach group classes in basic and advanced obedience, work with owners whose dogs have serious behavior problems like aggression and anxiety, and everything in between, so all feedback is helpful. [more inside]
posted on Aug 26, 2008 - 8 answers

I'm on honeymoon in Quebec right now, and my new wife really wants to see a beaver in the wild. What's a good place to see some (either on our own, or ideally, with a guide) in areas that I'll be in? We've got a car, so are pretty flexible, we just need a tip off! Details of our specific location follow... [more inside]
posted on Aug 4, 2008 - 13 answers

I need flea advice for a momma kitty and her 3-week-old kittens. [more inside]
posted on Aug 2, 2008 - 11 answers

Please help me help my cat. [more inside]
posted on Jul 27, 2008 - 11 answers

What vegetables, fruits, fish and animals would be recommended for a self-sufficient survival farm? [more inside]
posted on Jul 7, 2008 - 26 answers

Do animals menstruate? [more inside]
posted on Jul 1, 2008 - 17 answers

I want to find a video I saw on YouTube about a year ago. It was a short animation about a pig with a song in Spanish. What is it called? [more inside]
posted on Jun 28, 2008 - 1 answers

What sort of jobs are there that involve working with animals, aside from the non-obvious (zoo, vet, dog walker). [more inside]
posted on Jun 16, 2008 - 18 answers

Where can I find a stuffed Chambered Nautilus [more inside]
posted on Jun 3, 2008 - 10 answers

Help me with a name for a six week old black pug. We're stumped. [more inside]
posted on May 28, 2008 - 100 answers

Where can I buy balloon animal balloons in St. Louis, MO? My pregnant wife wants me to make her balloon animals for Mother's Day.
posted on May 9, 2008 - 10 answers

I'm thinking of volunteering at an animal shelter in Los Angeles, working primarily with dogs. What can I expect? [more inside]
posted on May 8, 2008 - 7 answers

Can anyone recommend any places (print or online) where I can submit short fiction articles such as fables about animals, the environment and so on? Hopefully, ones that pay. Thanks very much.
posted on May 5, 2008 - 3 answers

If I feed my cat more often will he stop bringing home his own snacks from the wild? [more inside]
posted on Apr 18, 2008 - 31 answers

Please help me identify the species of duck that I saw last week in North Carolina. [more inside]
posted on Mar 22, 2008 - 4 answers

What is the closest thing that other animals have to cooking? [more inside]
posted on Mar 22, 2008 - 27 answers

Why do animals make eye contact with humans? [more inside]
posted on Feb 21, 2008 - 27 answers

I'm curious about goat bras. I've seen a lot of goats wearing bra-like things (like this), and I'd like to know what, exactly, the function is. Protect the teats during lactation? Keep them from dragging in the dirt? Keep the baby goat from nursing? My animal husbandry experience is pretty limited, but I have faith that somebody on Metafilter has cared for goats.
posted on Feb 19, 2008 - 4 answers

Within religious traditions which involve reincarnation to or from various animal forms, have any religious scholars created hierarchical lists of the known beings which one could potentially get reincarnated as? Like: 1. Human 2. Mouse 3. Mosquito If so: who's done this, when did they write this, and where can I find this list?
posted on Feb 18, 2008 - 3 answers

my daughter has received a webkinz for her birthday, and I am having difficulty registering her webkinz on the website. Has anyone else experienced problems with this process? Any advice?
posted on Feb 6, 2008 - 11 answers

Help me take my tropical freshwater fish to the next level. [more inside]
posted on Nov 26, 2007 - 10 answers

After 10 years of living in NYC, I've fled to a wooded acre in rural New Jersey. I'm a total scrooge who would never be caught dead with a Christmas tree, but I want to edibly decorate an outdoor (living) pine tree to attract animals like deer, birds, squirrels and whoever else. I'm thinking along the lines of stringing popcorn, carrots, dried corn for the deer, peanut butter and birdseed on pinecones for the birds, maybe some apple slices, etc. The problem is, my years in the city have left me devoid of any common sense on how to proceed. I don't care much whether the tree is pretty or not - I'm more interested in having animals in my backyard than flashing lights that sing "Jingle Bell Rocks". [more inside]
posted on Nov 24, 2007 - 15 answers

Please help me find the title of a hazy remembered childrens book with animals and a helicopter. [more inside]
posted on Nov 23, 2007 - 9 answers

My two dogs were playing and the 70lb german shepherd mix started yelping repeatedly like a car alarm... [more inside]
posted on Nov 22, 2007 - 8 answers

Is it condescending to give money and/or food to a homeless person when the haven't actually asked for it? [more inside]
posted on Nov 20, 2007 - 31 answers

What treats would you suggest for a cat who, so far, doesn't like treats? [more inside]
posted on Nov 19, 2007 - 36 answers

cat dander [more inside]
posted on Nov 1, 2007 - 15 answers

Are the contracts signed at animal rescue shelters legal? [more inside]
posted on Oct 16, 2007 - 14 answers

What are the arguments for and against the idea that animals have self-awareness? [more inside]
posted on Oct 16, 2007 - 39 answers

This is a little esoteric (or silly), but does anyone know of a book that gives the words for various animals in multiple languages? [more inside]
posted on Jul 26, 2007 - 8 answers

This weekend, I will be introducing a small dog to a big dog. I would rather they not kill each other. Help me. [more inside]
posted on Jul 24, 2007 - 18 answers

Is there scientific evidence that animals have an innate/instinctual urge to reproduce? Is there scientific evidence that it is the same in humans? [more inside]
posted on Jul 11, 2007 - 45 answers

Why is my dog's hair suddenly getting matted after 13 years? I've already figured out what I need to unmat her (a slicker brush), but I want to know why. [more inside]
posted on Jul 9, 2007 - 5 answers

What steps do you take to grieve companion animals? [more inside]
posted on Jun 15, 2007 - 29 answers

Where can I find a trustworthy contract seamstress? (more inside) [more inside]
posted on May 22, 2007 - 5 answers

What are some good books or movies (fiction or non-fiction) that are based around animals, natural disasters, viruses (or all 3)? [more inside]
posted on May 12, 2007 - 31 answers

How do I learn the names of plants and animals, particularly trees and birds? [more inside]
posted on May 1, 2007 - 14 answers

On a visit to a park lake in mid-southern Illinois today, I encountered many little muddy burrows in the ground, ranging from one to two inches across. I spotted little digging crab claws in one of the more freshly-muddied holes; others looked less recently dug. My search skills fail me as to what these critters could be. The lake was fed by a small stream, and the town (Sparta, IL) is a bit less than 20 miles from the Mississippi.
posted on Apr 1, 2007 - 9 answers

Is there a body buried under the lawn of my apartment? [more inside]
posted on Mar 20, 2007 - 23 answers

What kind of bird is this? and where could I go for similar questions? [more inside]
posted on Mar 7, 2007 - 9 answers

I stopped by the local PetLand store tonight just to look at the cute puppies. My mom made a comment about me working there, and the clerk handed me an employment application. Could I, in good conscience, work there? [more inside]
posted on Mar 5, 2007 - 19 answers

I'm visiting an area with a small lake. During the day Canada geese scour the adjacent fields for gleanings. They return to the lake at night where they huddle together in the center, where there is a circle of water that has not yet been frozen. This part of the US also is home to bald eagles. Why don't raptors, particularly those adapted to water, have a field day preying on these "sitting geese"?
posted on Jan 19, 2007 - 16 answers

Most animals (herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores alike) seem to eat and/or prefer food from a very limited set of options. But humans eat just about everything. Are there foods that humans are more biologically disposed to eat? Alternatively, are there other animals that eat foods as widely diverse as humans do?
posted on Jan 17, 2007 - 19 answers

Why don't more herbivores have sharp horns? Some of them do, like the Cape Buffalo and the Kudu, but most have horns that do not seem very useful for defense. Given that the cost in keratin is the same for sharp and dull horns, and that sharp horns don't seem to cause intra-species injuries, why wouldn't all herbivores have razor-sharp horns to defend themselves?
posted on Dec 14, 2006 - 40 answers

What are some good organizations from which to adopt an endangered animal? [more inside]
posted on Dec 12, 2006 - 6 answers

OK, so no human sacrifice, but a new puppy in an apartment already containing a cat - advice for training the puppy and dealing with the cat? [more inside]
posted on Dec 5, 2006 - 6 answers

CatPsychFilter: Should we get our cat a kitten? How soon? We recently (just this week) lost our five month old kitten... [more inside]
posted on Nov 29, 2006 - 6 answers

Wind on small paws: help me find a sphynx kitten! [more inside]
posted on Nov 27, 2006 - 9 answers

I 'rescued' a cat off the street today because it looked just like a cat I saw on a 'lost cat' poster. The missing cat's owner just came by and said it wasn't the right cat. Now what? [more inside]
posted on Oct 29, 2006 - 17 answers