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Wag reader Wendy sent these photos of her cat, Prince Leo, also known as Bubba.

According to Wendy, Leo, aka Bubba, is NOT a fan of all the snow!

"He will go to the door in the morning because he wants to go outside, take a sniff, a brief walk checking out his back yard and then come right back to the door to come in!"

I'm with you, Leo/Bubba. I was never a big fan of snow before, but I've had enough now.

Perhaps we should organize a Happy Wag reader trip to Las Vegas, an escape from the wintery weather. Leo/Bubba can be our mascot.

These piles of snow that have been harshing my mellow have also wreaked havoc with many local events. The Roanoke Valley SPCA's fifth annual Best in Show opening night reception was originally scheduled for this past Friday night, but has been moved to Friday, Feb. 19.

Cross your fingers that nature will be done dumping winter precipitation on us by then. And feel free to smack the next groundhog you see right on his little stubby nose.

OK, totally not an animal-friendly bit of humor but I am so over this winter, thus I put all my misplaced blame squarely on the weather-forecasting woodchuck's shadow.

I digress. Back to the art show news:

The show will open at the Taubman Museum of Art in downtown Roanoke at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for kids 12 and under. Food will be provided by the museum's Norah's Cafe, a personal favorite dining spot of mine.

This is a great opportunity to see the animal-inspired works of more than 100 regional artists in a variety of medium.

All artwork will be for sale, with 50 percent of the proceeds going to the RVSPCA. All category winners will be announced at the opening reception, with note cards featuring their works available for purchase.

The winner of the Best in Show will be featured on the cover of the 2011 RVSPCA calendar.

UPDATE: If you can't make it to the reception on Feb. 19, you can still view this year's entries at the Market Gallery on Salem Avenue in downtown Roanoke from Saturday, Feb. 20 until Saturday, March 6. Then the show moves to the Shenandoah Club  on Franklin Road from Monday, March 8 through Friday, March 19.

I don't know if it's being cooped up because of the weather, I don't know if it's a lack of exercise now that he's no longer going to doggy daycare, but Stormy is going through a destructive phase.

His second birthday is next month and he's chewing everything like he's a puppy all over again.

The other day he got a hold of a prescription bottle. Luckily we got that away from him before he got anywhere close to the medicine inside.

Last night he found my W2 that my husband had propped up between the rails of the banister, a common practice in our house for things bound for the next trip up the stairs.

Apparently Stormy has a taste for our tax money. He found and destroyed the proof that I actually earned a living last year. Bits of it were strewn all over the living room. I threatened to report him for mail tampering.

With more bad weather on the way and no time to get out and look for a new daycare for him, I think I will need to make a significant investment in rawhide chews.

Cupid’s Critters Valentine Dance and silent auction, a benefit for the Pulaski County Humane Society, is Saturday, February 13 at the Norwood Room in downtown Radford.

A limited number of tickets are on sale now; $20 until Feb 6 and $25 starting Feb 7 and at the door.

The even will features hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, door prizes, and a silent auction.

Get tickets at Dublin Animal hospital, Radford Bike & Paddle Shop or call 674-4706 or 239-1639.

Today's Happy Wag newspaper column was a Valentine's Day-inspired collection of people-pet love stories.

Most people with multiple pets try very hard not to play favorites. We try to keep all the treats and attention divided evenly between our furry companions at the Chez Nelson Resort and Spa for Pampered Pets, but there is no denying that the some of our critters have definite favorites.

As I wrote in the article, Dexter is his Daddy's dog, and Thai is undoubtedly my cat. And while they have clearly chosen their favorite person, I do not mean to imply they aren't fond of the other two-legger who can provide them comfort and food.

Dexter would rather be with Phil than any other creature on the planet, but that doesn't mean he doesn't snuggle with me on the couch. And Thai will certainly, in a pinch, give Phil's pant leg a good chin rubbing if it will coax Phil into filling the cat food bowl.

Dexter and Thai just clearly prefer one of us to the other. Coral and Stormy, on the other hand, are kind of affection whores. They will gravitate to whomever is available for a good scratching or a yummy treat.

Tell me your love story. Which one of your pets has clearly designated you are his or her favorite?

The forecast of more snow this weekend brings out my inner housekeeper. When I am stuck inside the house, I like it be clean and tidy. So I will likely spend quality time this evening with the Swiffer duster, the steam mop and the vacuum.

Heather Brush, my fellow book editor and blogger here at the Times, has two kitties that are already getting into the housekeeping mode. Mooch is determined that O'Malley is getting a bath whether he needs one or not.

Hope you all get to stay inside all warm and snuggly this weekend.

Where does kitty go? Anywhere kitty wants.

Blog reader Crissy posted this question in the comments on yesterday's photo entry:

"On the more frustrating note of cats...does anyone have a good fix for a cat that is peeing on things? We think he is jealous of his dog brother even though the dog has been in the house for almost 3 years."

Excellent question, Crissy, and I wish I had a specific answer for you. I would recommend that if the cat is not already fixed, you may want to do that. Neutering can help neutralize some unattractive kitty habits.

While I have never had this particular problem with my cat Thai, he definitely does his business right outside the litter box if it is not clean enough or does not contain his preferred litter. Keeping his toilet area in decent condition solves this issue for me.

I worked with a woman once that told me she had her cat euthanized because the kitty would not stop urinating on a futon. Personally, I would have gotten rid of the futon. I think we can all agree that was an extreme, and totally unacceptable, solution to a behavior problem.

What do you say, cat-loving readers? What can Crissy do to discourage her kitty from taking his liberties in all the wrong places?

*Totally awesome photo by Stephanie Klein-Davis, taken at this past weekend's cat show.

This is Max and Cha-cha, new additions to the home of fellow Roanoke Times employee Ann Hackworth and her husband Bill.

Apparently, they only needed to purchase one new bed for the kitties.

You may remember a column I wrote last year about Roanoke-resident Beverly Amsler's trip to Utah's Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the subject of the National Geographic documentary series "Dog Town" and the home of more than 20 of the pit bulls rescued from Michael Vick's illegal dog fighting operation in northern Virginia.

This photo of Maya and Curly, two of the rescued Vick dogs, is from the BFAS Web site.

Amsler volunteered at the nation's largest no-kill animal shelter for a week helping to exercise and socialize dogs that one day hope to find a forever home.

She let me know that she is planning a return trip from April 24 to May 2.

If anyone is interested in joining her, and possibly sharing lodging and car rental expenses, please drop her an e-mail at newsrus@aol.com.

If you have ever wondered what goes on at a cat show, but have not been able to attend, this video, shot by multimedia producer Jordan Fifer, is the next best thing to being there. Enjoy.