Slow and steady: Morning Zoo October 21 2011

We had a bit of a kerfuffle at the Pets home office last night when a big raccoon squeezed in through the door to the deck and came upstairs to help himself to some kibble. He was herded safely outdoors before the resident cats even noticed him. Over in Boulder, however, this Maine coon is pretty determined to show a local mountain lion who's in charge. Happily, no real fights broke out in either location, but let's all be aware and respectful of local wildlife, folks. (Animal Oddities) 

A cat is sitting in a tiny bunny chair, on top of a duckie rug, watching TV. Obviously. (Funny or Die)

Considering a turtle as a family pet? Read up on the star tortoise, a cool-looking and hardy species who enjoys eating, among other things, pumpkin! (Reptile Channel)

I kind of love JWOWW from "Jersey Shore," because she doesn't mess around. Just one example: she doesn't just dress her dogs up for Halloween, she also decorates their indoor doghouse with fake spider webs and a pumpkin. Amazing. (People Pets)

Barbara J. King explores the question of whether non-human animals grieve, and prompts many beautiful and touching stories in the comments section. (NPR)

Cable's out, eh? Head down to Home Depot for supplies, then get to work on that papier-mache dog sculpture. (HGTV)

And don't forget to browse around the Pets section for handy tips from our network on key questions to ask your vet,