Photo Credit: © About.com Member Squirooncat

BJ, the raccoon, had been rescued and cared for by Squirooncat, then taken to a wildlife rescue. The same day, Squirooncat had adopted Tiger, the wildlife rescue notified him that BJ would be happier with him and his wife. The two pets bonded immediately, as shown by this photo. BJ is now back out in the wild, having been slowly acclimated to his natural habitat, and Tiger has taught his younger family members to wash their toys. Read more of their story in the Funniest Cat Pictures Show and Tell gallery.

Previous Cool Cat Photos of the Week:

• Cool Cat Dude
• Winter Holiday Cat Kaylee
• Fishful Thinking

Minimizing Stress and Anxiety in Your Cat

My own cats have been experiencing stress for some time now. Their stress comes as a result of multiple causes, from the constant turmoil of contractors, real estate agents, and potential buyers coming in and out of our former home; to the 74 mile move to a strange new home; the winter holidays right after the move; to the necessity of trips to the new veterinary clinic for all four cats. You see, cats do not deal well with environmental changes, and when their humans are stressed, as we were, the stress is telegraphed back to the cats, increasing their anxiety. Cats are very sensitive to our emotions.

Anything from your own new job which changes yours and their schedule, to visitors from out of town, to a new baby or new cat, and your cats' stress quotient is on the rise again. This article highlights the various causes of stress in cats, with suggestions for ways you can help. As always, our forum members can also often come up with examples of how they dealt with similar problems. Jaspurr, pictured here, often uses the scratching post as a means of working off his stress. Maintaining an alpha cat position is not always easy.
_{Photo Credit: © Franny Syufy}

Sooty lives with her adoptive family in the U.K. and was adopted from the RSPCA. Laura had always wanted a kitten and she and her husband visited two shelters. She didn't make a connection until they went to the second shelter and when she saw Sooty, it was love at first sight. Now, at seven months old, Sooty is completely bonded with his family. You can see his full picture on his Cat Picture of the Week page. And now that we have three Cats of the Week for January, the 2012 Cat Pictures of the Week Photo Gallery is making its debute.

Prior Cat Pictures of the Week Galleries:

• 2011 Cat Pictures of the Week
• 2010 Cat Pictures of the Week
• 2009 Cat Pictures of the Week

It's only a little over a week until February, and not too early to submit your white cats photos and stories. We traditionally celebrate white cats in February because their pristine, snow-white coloring reminds us of the snow in February. This also accounts for the many white cats named Snowball or Snowy. Also, this month, all the Cat Pictures of the Week will be selected from the Life With a White Cat Show & Tell gallery.
_{Photo Credit: © oktobe1, About.com Guest}

But like people, each cat is unique. If you share your home with a white cat, we'd like to know more about your cat. Your story will help prospective owners decide whether a white cat cat is the right pet for them.