Practical articles for dog and cat parents: health, care and the numbers behind them.

The first visible sign is often a brief appetite dip around week 3. Here is what to look for from mating to whelping, week by week.

About 4 cups of typical kibble per pound; dense kibble runs closer to 3, light up to 5. The bag math, plus the one-time trick that makes it exact.

The working rule: about a pound per month of age until six months, so a 4-month-old kitten weighs around 4 pounds. The chart, and when to worry.

The first visible sign is "pinking up": around day 16, the nipples turn pinker and more prominent. Signs week by week, plus how a vet confirms it.

A dog's first year equals about 15 human years, the second adds 9, then 4 to 7 per year by size. Here is where those numbers come from.