Cats

Birds do it, bees do it, even wildebeests and zebus do it. And during the "Valentine's Day Sex Tour" at Santa Ana Zoo today, visitors will learn exactly how animals court and mate in a captive setting. Wild stuff? Well, the event is for adults only, but zoo curator Connie Sweet said she wouldn't go so far as to slap an R-rating on the tour. Call it PG-13.

In the end, the mountain lion was probably looking for a place to call his own. Scientists believe the male mountain lion roamed his way down the Santa Monica Mountains early Tuesday, likely following a runoff channel. When daylight broke, he found himself in the middle of the city and scared. The lion was 3, and experts said that was the age to carve out his own territory. "These young guys are looking for a home of their own," said Jeff Sikich, a biologist with the National Park Service.

A new chemical compound, part cat and part human, may provide an end to misery-making cat allergies, U.S. researchers reported this week in the journal Nature Medicine. They said their approach in creating the compound might work against more dangerous allergies, such as deadly reactions to peanuts.

The plural in"Headhunters"is not accidental. Though it starts with one man and his conventional-seeming job as a corporate headhunter, before this twisty Norwegian thriller is over two individuals are involved in nonstop pursuit of each other for the highest possible stakes. Like life and death. Taken from the fiendishly plotted novel by Jo Nesbo, one of Scandinavia's top mystery writers, "Headhunters" is a dark adult entertainment, a wild and bloody adrenaline rush of a movie that deals in gleeful grotesqueness and over-the-top implausibilities.

One night, Roman Stocker sat at home and watched his cat, Cutta Cutta, lap milk from a bowl. The MIT engineering professor, who studies the locomotion of microorganisms, began to wonder: How, exactly, did the milk travel from Cutta Cutta's bowl to his mouth? The answer, based on extensive research published online Thursday in the journal Science, came as a surprise. Unlike dogs ? who use their tongues like ladles, scooping water into their mouths in a characteristically straightforward manner ?

'Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore' MPAA rating: PG for animal action and humor Running time: 1 hour, 27 minutes Playing: In general release

The law of unintended consequences has seldom been more clearly illustrated than by the catfight unfolding from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Veterinarians who did not want cities meddling in their business persuaded the state Legislature to bar local governments from banning the practice of declawing cats -- beginning in 2010. Not wanting to be pushed around themselves, nearly half a dozen cities are rushing to prohibit the controversial procedure before the January deadline, striking a blow for rights both animal and municipal.

The problem was daunting: Round up every last one of the who-knows-how-many cats living in the wild on wind-blasted San Nicolas Island, a 33-square-mile chunk of chaparral and jagged canyons off the Southern California coast. And don't get in the way of the missiles that are launched from, and sometimes aimed at, the arid, Navy-owned island. And don't hurt the cats, the seabirds they feast on, the threatened island foxes, the native deer mice or, for that matter, anything else. The solution was something a little more complicated than "Here, kitty kitty.

Cal State trustees vote to hire two new presidents at $324,550 and $303,660, respectively, 10% more than their predecessors. Meanwhile, students face tuition hikes, shrinking services and canceled classes. What will become of these Cal State students? Cartoonist Ted Rall takes an educated guess. ALSO: Cal State's closed-door plan Photo gallery: Ted Rall cartoons Santa Monica College: Lost opportunity costs Photo: Ted Rall cartoon.

Massachusetts on Wednesday will become the first U.S. state to ban surgery that devocalizes dogs and cats, which many animal rights advocates see as a cruel and unnecessary procedure. Under the new law, anyone in the state who cuts or removes an animal's vocal chords for nonmedical reasons may be punished by fines and up to five years in prison. The law, signed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in April, is dubbed Logan's Law after a dog that underwent the controversial surgery but was later abandoned.

There are fat cats, and then there is the totally over-the-top cat named Meow. The orange and white tabby was recently brought into the Santa Fe, N.M., animal shelter tipping the scales at 39 pounds. The  2-year-old feline is so fat he barely fit into his animal carrier, and he can't play for very long, because the extra weight makes him lose his breath easily. His feline weight roughly translates into a human weight of more than 600 pounds. Meow has already gotten caught in his share of cat house doors -- as if all of his nine lives are rolled into one rotund furry feline body.

Martin Poll, 89, a veteran producer best known for "The Lion in Winter," the Oscar-winning 1968 film that starred Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole, died Saturday in New York. He had pneumonia and kidney failure, according to his son, Jon. Hepburn won a best actress Oscar for her portrayal of Eleanor of Aquitaine. The film was also honored for best musical score and best adapted screenplay. Poll produced a remake for television in 2003 with Glenn Close in the Hepburn role. During a five-decade career, Poll produced a dozen films with stars such as Elizabeth Taylor and Woody Allen.

Cal State trustees vote to hire two new presidents at $324,550 and $303,660, respectively, 10% more than their predecessors. Meanwhile, students face tuition hikes, shrinking services and canceled classes. What will become of these Cal State students? Cartoonist Ted Rall takes an educated guess. ALSO: Cal State's closed-door plan Photo gallery: Ted Rall cartoons Santa Monica College: Lost opportunity costs Photo: Ted Rall cartoon.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals did a few things right when it opened its new West Coast headquarters in Echo Park last month. First, PETA spent $7.4 million buying and renovating its 82-year-old building, equipping it with such eco-industrial flourishes as a restored Art Deco facade, exposed ducts, vintage glass casement windows and cork flooring. Next, the animal rights group brought in 60 jobs - mostly transfers from its main office in Norfolk, Va. - but some local hires as well.

Godmothers matter, especially when it comes to the maritime tradition of women christening cruise ships, just as if they were children. And these days, no choice is too outrageous. Tinker Bell provided the animated honors for Disney Wonder in 1999, and a holographic form of Fiona from " Shrek " did likewise for Allure of the Seas in 2010. Now comes Priscilla Presley, who will be godmother to the steamboat American Queen when it's christened April 27 at its home port of Memphis, Tenn.

The problem was daunting: Round up every last one of the who-knows-how-many cats living in the wild on wind-blasted San Nicolas Island, a 33-square-mile chunk of chaparral and jagged canyons off the Southern California coast. And don't get in the way of the missiles that are launched from, and sometimes aimed at, the arid, Navy-owned island. And don't hurt the cats, the seabirds they feast on, the threatened island foxes, the native deer mice or, for that matter, anything else. The solution was something a little more complicated than "Here, kitty kitty.

One important fact was missing from "Make Cats Wear License Tags? Just Try It" (April 25). Microchips are available from your veterinarian that ID your cat when a wand is passed over the neck-shoulder area. All three of my grandson's cats are licensed, neutered and spayed and have microchips implanted under their skins. No need for tags, which we still receive. E. LAUREL CROSSLEY, Oxnard

I read with horror and disgust the Sept. 8 article about three high school boys accused of bludgeoning 16 cats to death at the Noah's Ark shelter in Fairfield, Iowa. The "boys will be boys" attitude is getting a little passe when it comes to violence against people and animals. The statement about cats and boys being enemies is a farce. The only enemy greater than a small, helpless animal is a person's insecurity and hatred, and the community that fosters this hatred. Cases have shown that abuse against animals spreads to abuse against other children, siblings, spouses and others.

California has a state bird, a state flower and even a state fossil — the saber-toothed cat. Joining the bunch could be an official state marine reptile. A bill introduced last week by Assemblyman Paul Fong (D-Cupertino) would name the endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle to a growing list of symbols that includes the California quail, the gray whale, the California poppy and the garibaldi — the state marine fish. The leatherback, the world's largest sea turtle, would claim an entry in the law books right below — and not to be confused with — its relative the desert tortoise, a landlubber that has held the title of state reptile since 1972.

Angels slugger Mark Trumbo, slowed all winter by a stress fracture in his right foot , will undergo a CAT scan on Feb. 28, after which he hopes to be cleared to run. Trumbo, who reported to camp with pitchers and catchers on Sunday, was diagnosed with the injury in the final week of 2011, a season in which he led the Angels with 29 home runs and 87 runs batted in. An expected five-month recovery delayed Trumbo's transition to...