Pet food aisles are full of packages that claim to hold "natural" and "holistic" foods, with pictures of fresh vegetables and roast chicken on the front. But there's not much difference between these foods and the cheapest by-product-filled kibble. Here's what you can expect to find in your pet's food.

It's always a bit disappointing when a friend's cat wants nothing to do with you. Fair enough if it doesn't want to be touched or held, but as veterinarian Uri Burstyn shows, there are a few steps you can take to make sure you aren't actively contributing to its fear or disinterest.

Our guest on this week's Upgrade is author Stéphane Garnier, whose book How to Think Like a Cat extols the many virtues of adopting a feline mindset.

When I was 11, I wanted to be a veterinarian. Playing with animals all day seemed like a fun gig. Around this time, Billy Joel released the pop-rap song "We Didn't Start The Fire". In it, Mr Joel barks through a litany of horrible events that occurred in the 20th Century, at one point rhyming "foreign debts" and "Bernie Goetz" with "homeless vets". When I heard that, I thought, Oh no! I don't want to be a homeless veterinarian!

According to recent research, most dogs don't enjoy being hugged or cuddled by their owners. But they put up with it anyway because they love you. This infographic lists seven scientific facts about canines that support the "man's best friend" colloquialism. In short, they might hate hugs, but they're still better than cats.

The one time I really tend to wish my pets could talk is when they're sick. Pet illnesses can seem so vague and amorphous, sometimes - a little puking here, some weird lethargy there - and it can be hard to tell the difference between a little under the weather and the start of a serious problem.

You have problems, I have advice. This advice isn't sugar-coated - in fact, it's sugar-free, and may even be a little bitter. Welcome to Tough Love.

Pet owners will often swear their beloved pooch or moggie does wonders for their wellbeing, and now we have empirical proof. A new study has found dog ownership is linked to improved heart health for humans. This is an important finding, given heart disease is the leading cause of death globally.

A few weeks ago we had a few days of rain in San Francisco, which is actually a pretty rare occurrence. All that water resulted in a colony of ants deciding to relocate next to my dog's food bowl.

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Believe it or not, cats can be trained. In fact, a new study suggests even older cats who seem set in their ways can be trained too.

You might believe that cats are impossible to train, but really, you can use a similar approach to training a dog. As you can see in the above video, cats can learn a ton of tricks! With some effort and patience, your cat will also have a few tricks down pat.

Your cat knows what's up. Even if she doesn't run and hide at the sight of her carrier, there's no way she's going into that thing without a fight. But the fight stresses her out and can leave you frustrated and scratched up -- not to mention late for the vet. Enter the kitty burrito.

Cat allergies, like sexuality, run on a spectrum. If you're only slightly allergic, you might be ready to bear it, if you can find a cat that will meet you halfway. While there's no such thing as a completely hypoallergenic cat, some breeds are easier on the sinuses than others. Unfortunately most online advice is unsourced or anecdotal. We asked allergist Joseph T. Inglefield III, MD to fact-check some popular beliefs about cat allergies.

Cats are great. They're awesome cuddlers and are cute as heck. But sometimes they're also jerks. Like when they step all over your face in the middle of the night. So, you close your bedroom door and they meow and scratch until you let them back in. Here's how to get them to stop so you can get some sleep.

Brief news items of note for Lifehacker readers, including: Get a Kogan 65" 4K TV for $799, Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman salary was shockingly low, how cats took over the world.

Let's talk about buying pets online. It isn't a terrible idea, if you can avoid the flood of online scammers waiting to take your money without handing over a puppy. If you're really set on a specific breed or don't have a shelter near you, keep these tips in mind so you don't get taken advantage of.

Building your own cat tree means you can customise it for your home and for your cat. Here's a compact one you can make from IKEA Lack side tables for less than most cat trees of similar size.

Cats don't just like small spaces, they love them. From moving boxes to grocery bags to the tiny gap between the bottom of your couch and the floor. They will even curl up in a square of tape on the floor! But why is your cat so attracted to these small spaces?