Nico Dauphine, the former National Zoo researcher who last month was convicted of animal cruelty for intentionally leaving out food laced with rat poison for feral cats who roamed her Meridian Hill Park neighborhood, was sentenced yesterday to 180 days, suspended, along with 120 hours of community service. more ›

We here at DCist love our animals, particularly those who can use a helping hand. Unfortunately, I doubt DCist HQ can adopt all these furballs. I've seen our editor-in-chief's apartment and it's a tad too small to accommodate. But this weekend there will be plenty of cats and dogs available for adoption across the area, as two local organizations are holding adoption events to cap off the coming end of the summer. more ›

Sure, they might be making life difficult for our local indie rock bands. But to the country's credit, Canada's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, is posting adorable cat videos to YouTube. more ›

I have to be honest -- the DCist staff was about 95 percent sure that the Craigslist ad for a 16-cat Dupont sublet which we featured yesterday afternoon was a fake. And that was well before I received an email from one "Fred Decatt" (get it?) last night, claiming to be the poster and asking me to be "more receptive and tolerant of cat enthusiasts such as myself" in future posts. Of course, by the time another reader forwarded us an email exchange in which the photo to the right was proffered as a photo of Bitnum, one of the cats listed in the ad, well, the inauthenticity of the ad was pretty much a foregone conclusion. more ›

Adventures in Craigslist is a whenever-we-find-something-interesting series in which we dive headfirst into the vast complexities of the Washington region's Craigslist. Today: that's...a lot of cats.

I don't use the term "cat lady" loosely. It's actually kind of offensive, and The Simpsons has really cornered the market on the joke. But sometimes, the moniker just seems totally appropriate. For example: when applied to the kind of person who places an ad on Craigslist for a Dupont Circle sublet which the new occupant will have to share with 16 cats while the original renter is in Denmark attending a cat convention. more ›

Whenever a slow news day hits the District, we can always count on the National Zoo to lift us from the doldrums. The Zoo announced today that two cheetah cubs have been born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia. more ›

Every month, DCist works with the Washington Humane Society to bring you some of the many dogs and cats that are available for adoption. The Washington Humane Society's goal to "increase adoption, decrease the number of animals in need, and teach responsible pet ownership" is one that we truly believe in, and hope that many of you believe in, too. For our third installment of Pet Worth, we are bringing you the dogs and cats separately. Today we have the cats, and in case you missed it, the dogs were posted on Friday. more ›

Last month, we launched our first collaboration with the Washington Humane Society and highlighted a handful of dogs that needed to find a home. The WHS's goal to "increase adoption, decrease the number of animals in need, and teach responsible pet ownership" is one that we truly believe in, and we're happy to report that two of the dogs we featured in October, Tancho and Nina, found homes!! Nina's new owner saw our photos and knew that she was the right dog for their family. She now lives with a family of five, two young children, two adults and another pit bull who is Nina's new best friend. Sumi, the beautiful and smart Akita mix is still at the shelter waiting to be sprung. Kate was diagnosed with heart worms and has been moved to the Washington Animal Rescue League to recover. She will be up for adoption again once she gets better. more ›

LAist began the month with a new food series exploring the popular and unknown late night eats around town. If a Top Chef winner opened up a late night spot in Los Angeles, denizens would flock it, yet the LA Times and other media might be wary. Turning to sports, the Dodger season was quite memorable in the way that it imploded and the LA County Sheriff's Department made some games of their own such... more ›

This week, Phillyist saw the waters of a landmark fountain run red for a Showtime marketing stunt, the Phils pull ahead, and some serious nostalgia. They also got a chance to review an awesome tribute album, reminded folks to see the King, and appreciated their beautiful skyline. Chicagoist knows what it's like to like the Cubs. But naming your kid Wrigley Fields? At least they can breathe a little easier now that Grossman's out and... more ›

Neither Mozart nor Hockey Themed Washington works hard to burnish its dining credentials. D.C. fat cats who are literally fat need somewhere to eat, and they're not going to throw down lobbyist dollars for just any slop. No. D.C. is a dining destination, beckoning the up-and-coming chefs and their myriad foodie followers. People are noticing, too. From the New York Times to the National Geographic Traveler, we're a getting noticed -- enough so that a... more ›

Oh noes! A widdle kitten from our own widdle city has been found to have a terrible disease that causes animals to viciously attack anyone in its path! How could an adorable kitty do such a thing? It's all too true, reports the Post. The kitten was found at the Anacostia Farmers Market and actually bit five different people before being captured and testing positive for rabies. Anyone who might have had contact with the... more ›

Because we care about our readers, we've dug around and found another pair of Virgin Festival tickets to give away. The LOL Cats-themed contest produced such creative and hilarious results, we're going to kick things up a notch this time around. To win a pair of tickets to next weekend's festival, make a video that somehow includes one or more Virgin Festival artists. Whether you're lip syncing, using them as the score to a... more ›

Maybe we just have a short memory, but yesterday was the first day of the summer that felt oppressively awful in that distinctly D.C.-ish way. Apparently we weren't the only ones — NBC4 says that a bunch of kids from the National Student Leadership Council who were visiting Capitol Hill became sick from the heat, requiring treatment in a Senate office building (they're all fine). Today promises to be two degrees hotter. Md. Teacher Sentenced... more ›

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week's "Segway Mom" and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It's not West Side Story, but about as close as they'll get. They're also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested. As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried... more ›

Like so many great jazz artists, guitarist Mike Stern got his big break playing with jazz legend Miles Davis. Over the past 25 years, he has become a first rate performer, composer, and bandleader in his own right with fifteen albums to his credit. Still, very few artists have the draw to book a six night stand at Blues Alley. While the word "supergroup" may be a bit cheesy, it's an accurate description of the... more ›

There have been many great performers in Music Land, for example Bono, Freddie Mercury, and Madonna, just to name a few. There are also many folks who go out of their way to exude cool via ironic t-shirts purchased at Urban Outfitters and meticulously unkempt hair. It’s one thing to dance with a pretty girl in the audience, but how many rock stars put a guitar in her hands and then proceed to wrap their... more ›

The nicer the weather gets, the busier we get across the Ist-A-Verse. But we like being busy. Here's a peek at what we've been up to since last week! Chicagoist had an interview with Audrey Niffenegger, whose popular book, The Time Traveler's Wife, was based in their fine city. They also had a heated discussion about Rush Limbaugh's controversial Barack Obama parody, talked about whether Uncle Julio's Hacienda is a good place to get... more ›

Post 'em if you got 'em, Washington. According to WJLA, today is the smack-dab middle of cherry blossom season. We hope you got your photos already. With rain in the morning, a cold snap beginning in the afternoon and winds that are likely to pull off blossoms, this year's best days for walking around the Tidal Basin seem to already be over. Rats. D.C. Council Provisionally Mandates HPV Vaccine: The debate over the Gardasil... more ›

It's the Ides of March and there's not much to fear, D.C. As long as we don't step on any cracks (and therefore break mothers' backs) or allow black cats free reign, we might not jinx our chances for voting rights. Stay tuned for full DCist coverage on the debate/vote today. On a more personal note, for all those who succumbed to the irrational exuberance of sartorial selection this week, temperance is due; it's back... more ›

Cue sounds of cats hissing at each other. The latest issue of the Washington City Paper contains not one but two tongue lashings of Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham. The first, a lengthy cover story by Jessica Gould, nicely summarized in the subtitle: "Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham never met a misbehaving nightclub that blanket legislation couldn’t fix," details Graham's latest crusade against nightclubs -- an issue we've certainly talked about before.... more ›

It's a revolutionary time for the D.C. theater scene. Because audiences here will FINALLY get the chance to be exposed to a little-known work featuring the musical antics of a group of crazy cats. Get ready. Sarcasm aside, we're sure that SOMEBODY will fill the seats of the once-longest running Andrew Lloyd Webber show, Cats, which plays a brief stint at the Warner beginning March 6. We just wish it would leave. Now and forever.... more ›

The Wizards and Timberwolves both played like they were still suffering from Las Vegas induced hangovers last night but Washington rode the hot hand of Gilbert Arenas and got some timely contributions from his teammates in the Wiz's 112-100 win. Honestly, this game was a bit of a snoozer. The Wizards shot over 50% from the field and built up a sizable lead in the first half, weathered the inevitable run from the TWolves... more ›

FRIDAY: >> Baltimore's Fertile Ground return to 9:30 Club for a concert with collaborator Raheem DeVaughn called Let's Do It Again. Also singer Anthony David. 9 p.m., $22. >> Gallery Openings of Note: Maria Friberg opens her show, titled embedded, at Conner Contemporary, reception 6 to 8 p.m. That's embedded #4 at left. Also we checked out a preview of Colby Caldwell's new show, Small Game, at Hemphill Fine Arts on Wednesday, and definitely recommend... more ›

>> Apparently, eighth-graders and cats have a lot in common. A Maryland teacher is accused of making three boys pee in a soda bottle, rather than escorting them to the bathroom during class. The school has a policy that students must be accompanied to the potty after a bout of vandalism and problems with kids "urinating in inappropriate areas." We'll go out on a limb and label soda bottles "inappropriate areas," too. [NBC4] >> On... more ›

Hey D.C., how ya doin'? We've got some good news and some bad news for mother nature this morning, but it's all good news for you. Just nine days away from the official start of winter, Washington will enjoy another day of temperatures near 60. Remember these days when you're stomping through January snow. Potomac to Get Slightly Less Gross: Looks like the Army Corps of Engineers is finally getting around to meeting a 2003... more ›

>> Is that a branch of Rock Creek or is Q St. just happy to see us? It's wet out there and many D.C. streets and sidewalks are swelling over. Parts of our area are still under siege from a storm front that turned deadly in N.C . A flash flood and tornado watch for D.C. should expire at 6 p.m., but don't expect to find completely dry conditions on the commute home. Elsewhere, Stafford,... more ›

From Nashville by way of Murfreesboro come De Novo Dahl, restless and inventive popsters who garnered attention when their debut album, Cats and Kittens, hit the shelves in 2005. With a single CD failing to offer enough space to their creative ambitions, Cats and Kittens ended up being a double album—one disc of the original songs, paired with a second on which those songs were remixed, reconstructed, and reimagined. The results: pure enjoyment. Even... more ›