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Blog reader Wendy sent us this haunting photo of her cat, Prince Leo. Spoooooooky!

Reader Skip sent this picture of his calico kitty, Beeker (LOVE that name, by the way) blending into the autumn colors. Can you find her?

Remember Abby? Blog reader Sandy adopted this adorable feral kitten earlier this year. On top is a picture of Abby when she first came to live with Sandy, and below is a picture of Abby now, more than half way to being a grown-up kitty and ready to play what will surely be her annual role as the very best Halloween decoration ever.

Abby would like to remind everyone to have a safe and happy Halloween this Saturday. Remember to keep the candy, especially chocolate and gum, far away from nosy pet noses. Be careful to keep the pets away when opening the door to those spooky trick-or-treaters. And if you dress your pet in a costume, make sure she or he can move easily in it and doesn't get too hot.

And take pictures and e-mail them to pets@roanoke.com.

And if you are coming back to the Wag for the first time this week, check out the entry two posts below for details on winning a great book. Keep those dog vs. kitty comments coming folks.

Trick-or-treat is not typically a two-way transaction. Or maybe it is. I guess you do give treats as sort of blackmail payoff to prevent being tricked. Any old hoo, the usual process involves one party giving and the other party getting the goods.

Until now.

Bring edible goodies for homeless pets to the Franklin County Humane Society Planned Pethood Clinic and Adoption Center this weekend and you will get a few tasty treats yourself.

The Bow Wow Meowl'oween party start Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and continues Saturday from 10 to 2 p.m.

The shelter is asking for Purina Chow for cats, kittens, dogs and puppies, and all manner of kitty- and pooch-palatable treats, or donations of cash.

Refreshments will be served and prizes will be awarded for the top fundraiser.

And while you are there, take a few minutes to say hello to the adoptable pets waiting for their forever families.

I got my flu-ridden self feeling better over the weekend and came back to work today. It took many hours and a few tears, but I finally found the bottom of my inbox and the top of my desk.

Not that I've dealt with everything, mind you, but at least it's all sorted and prioritized, and the hottest fires are, at least temporarily, doused.

But I did get some cool swag delivered to my lonely office while I was away. And good stuff sent to me finds it's way to you.

I got this gorgeous book, "Why Dogs are Better than Cats"by Bradley Trevor Greive with photographs by Rachael Hale.  Now before you start bombing me with comments, I certainly did not mean to imply I agree with the title. You know I love my cat and my pack of pooches equally.

The inside cover indicates that the author is simply "pro-dog, not anti-cat." But the back cover carries the text "Dogs are inherently good. Cats are something else entirely."

So, this book, loaded with charming photos and witty observations about felines and canines, will go to the reader that writes a brief comment explaining why they agree with the book's premise that pooches are superior to kitties. Humor will be count heavily toward a winning entry.

Please remember that many feline fans read this blog, so let's not be too harsh. And please refrain from making creative suggestions on how to quickly lead a cat through all nine of his lives. That's just creepy.

And fear not, cat fanciers, you will have the chance to voice your opposing viewpoint, too. I promise.

I'll take comments until Friday morning at 10 a.m. The best one, as judged by a panel of roanoke.com bloggers, gets the book.

Hello my patient readers. I am afraid I am home with the flu. So there will be little more than photos on this blog for the rest of the week.

Don't forget that the Roanoke Valley SPCA's Howl-O-Ween Walk for the Animals is this Sunday. Click here to visit the Web site for all the details.

Blog reader Kim sent in this photo of her kitty, Gracie, who decided to see what was for dessert after Kim got up from the dinner table.

Blog reader and Roanoke Times book reviewer Joan Bugbee reached out to me for help finding her dog Anna a new home.

Joan and her husband will soon have to move to a continuing care facility, and Anna cannot go with them. The family is running out of options and is looking for any advice, guidance and suggestions to help Anna.

Joan wrote:

"Surely other pet parents have faced the same dilemma about finding a home for their beloved dog when the continuing care facility can't take her.  Anna is nearly 12, arthritic and going deaf, but still loves playing ball, is great watch dog and would be perfect for someone with no other pets.

She was a rescue, saved from an abusive owner who chained her in the yard, where she was attacked by other dogs, so our vet opines.  As a consequence, she has to go to a home without other pets.   Angels of Assisi and the valley shelters have turned her down."

Relocating out of a family home is difficult in itself; doing so and facing the loss of a beloved pet is heartbreaking.  What do you say, readers? Do you know anyone who can help this family? Please send e-mails to pets@roanoke.com and I will pass them on to Joan.

 This spooky little snapshot was sent in from Eric:

"This one is of my boy Tigger when he was a kitten. When I hit the shutter release button on my digital camera he looked very normal. This is what came out. I guess the flash got to him."

Sure, it was just the flash. He's not plotting anything with that wicked smile. BWAHAHAHAHA!

Have a hairy-scary weekend, pet people. The Wag is back with the latest news on pets and furry-events on Monday.

I have been a negligent blogger lately. In addition to the blog and column, I am also the office manager and this is the time of year we work on budget. Ugh.

So I leave you this morning with a photo: This is Thai, who was sneaking up on me this morning and apparently auditioning for the role of Zombie Kitty. I swear I heard him hiss, "BRAINZ NOM NOM NOM!"

But that could have been me thinking about budget numbers. Eating my brainz. Nom nom nom.

If you have any spoooooky photos of your pets, e-mail them to pets@roanoke.com.

Today's Happy Wag column was based on the blog entry I did last month about declawing cats.

I was talking about it with my husband this weekend and he knows I regret declawing Thai, but he pointed out that Thai still runs his front feet over every surface in our house. If Thai still had claws, we would have no rugs, carpets, furniture, bedding, window coverings or even doors that would be unscathed. How long could we have reasonably co-existed with him if he destroyed every flat surface in our home?

And believe me, Thai is virtually immune to behavior modification techniques. He's a sweet loving kitty with a Frank Sinatra attitude: He does it his way.

If I had it do over, I don't think I would have declawed him before at least trying to train him to channel his inner Shredder in a positive way. But if declawing keeps a cat from being turned in to animal control, it may be the best alternative.

The discussion continues.