November 29, 2011: We’ve scoured the Web to find the best and most compelling animal stories, videos and photos. And it’s all right here.

Fear of kittens

Woman Lives in Fear of Kittens

There are plenty of people (you can admit it if you’re among them) who love kittens, spending time watching those adorable viral videos of them. Not this woman. On a new episode of Animal Planet’s “My Extreme Animal Phobia,” Sandra cowers as a coach tries to encourage her to enter a room where kittens are behind plexiglass walls. She thinks cats are out to get her. To her credit, there is one kitten here who does look a little mischievous. — Watch it at the Huffington Post

Missing Dog Arrives Home by Bus

T-bone, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, disappeared from his family’s driveway in England five years ago. Pat Oates, his owner, did everything she could to search for him but when she had no luck, she thought the dog, who was like one of her children, “was gone for good.” So she was shocked and overjoyed when she was told last week that he was found riding on a local bus. The driver brought T-bone to a vet, who found a microchip in the pooch, and called Oates. — Read it at the Daily Mail

Most Owners Took Pets to Vet Last Year, Poll Finds

A new AP-Petside poll found that pet owners made veterinary care for their pets a priority last year, despite the poor economy. About 80 percent of pet owners took their furry friend to a vet in the past year, and the average bill for the visits was $500. — Read it at Petside

From Vetstreet: Find the Right Veterinarian

Pregnant Dolphins Swim Differently

Toward the end of pregnancy, some human moms have a hard time getting around. Well, researchers found that it’s much the same for bottlenose dolphins, who endure a 12-month gestation period. The study found that when they are within weeks of giving birth, female dolphins have a harder time diving for prey because they’re more buoyant, and they swim differently, with shorter and more frequent strokes. — Read it at The New York Times

Blind kitten

Blind Kitten Becomes YouTube Sensation

Mick and Bethany Szydlowski say Oskar, who was born without fully formed eyeballs, transitioned easily into their home, becoming pals with their other cat, Klaus. Little did they know when they adopted him that the video of Oskar playing with his first toys would make him a YouTube star. — Read it at Today and watch the YouTube video

Eagles Released Back Into the Wild

Two baby bald eagles were raised in captivity after they fell from a nest near Chicago five months ago. Now that rescuers believe they can fend for themselves, the two were released in a state park in Illinois. — Watch it at Yahoo

This Octopus Needs a Name

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo is hosting a name-that-octopus contest for kids. The grapefruit-sized Giant Pacific Octopus is one-and-a-half years old. — Read it at Discovery News