Sherrie Smith and her black domestic shorthair Simon have a strict morning ritual. Smith starts her coffee, then strokes Simon’s face for a full five minutes. After six years of this routine, Smith was stunned one day when Simon growled and swatted her. The next day, he hissed and hid behind the couch. She couldn’t understand why Simon was behaving so badly. Simon wasn’t being a bad cat, but he was suffering from the most common disorder to affect pets: dental disease.
**Get the February 2009 issue of CAT FANCY to read the full article.**