Gina Spadafori

Quieter, neater, and, of course, smaller than their larger relations, the parrots grouped together here include what may be the world’s most popular pet bird, the budgerigar, and others with loads of fans, too, such as the cockatiel.And don’t forget the parrotlets and the lineolated parakeets, both popular and rising in popularity.

Love at first sight? Slow down a little! When it comes to buying a bird, you need to be a savvy consumer, with your head more in control than your heart, and your wallet firmly in your pocket — or better yet, left at home — until you have good answers to some crucial questions. Restrain your urge to buy until you’re sure what kind of bird is the right match for you.

Finches — and canaries are finches, too — have been popular for centuries, with good reason. They’re attractive, active, and fill our world with sound, including the sweet songs canaries are known for.Well-suited to life in a cage or aviary, these canaries and other finches (shown) are perfect for people who don’t want a lot of physical interaction with their pet birds.

Tornado, earthquake, hurricane, fire, flood — if you were faced with any of these and had to leave your home, would you know how to help your bird? Disaster-planning experts advise you to take your pets with you when told to evacuate, but that plan isn’t as easy as it sounds. 500px/Getty ImagesThe strikingly beautiful blue and gold macaw hails from South and Central America.

Some signs of a healthy cat or kitten are obvious to anyone; others require a veterinarian’s help to pinpoint. Before you settle on a promising kitten or cat, perform your own health check, and be sure to follow up with your veterinarian within a day or so.Don’t fall in love with a sick cat. With so many kittens and cats available for adoption, it just doesn’t make sense to take a chance on one who may cost you a great deal of money in veterinary costs—and may not be with you long, anyway.

Veterinarians see every imaginable problem a cat can get into. Although every animal lost is a tragedy, some of those are a little harder to take than others. Into this class falls those cats whose deaths were the results of something an owner could have done to protect them but didn’t know about.We want you to know about them, so we’ve assembled in this list of the most common household dangers your cat may face.

Pedigreed cats are roughly divided by experts into two groups that are distinguished by body type and activity level: Oriental and non-Oriental.The breeds in the first group, the Oriental, are notable for their long, sleek bodies and active participation in the world around them. They’re not happy unless they’re supervising dinner, climbing to the top of the bookshelf, teasing that dopey dog, or seeing what every member of the household is up to.