CAT OWNERSHIP

Your new diffuser emits the calming scent of lavender, your counters and floors gleam from a cleanser suffused with the uplifting odor of peppermint, and youre thinking of placing a diffuser in your house-maybe with the cheering scent of lemon. But did you know that products like these, all made pleasing with the aromas of essential oils that have taken off in consumer use, could be toxic to your cat, and in some cases even lead to life-threatening reactions?

A Christmas tree to a cat may seem like a laser beam on steroids - lots of lights to chase, lots of other shiny objects. Which is why you should always anchor your tree. It can too easily tip and fall over onto a curious cat who views it as a fully outfitted play space, perhaps with fragile glass ornaments breaking into shards as they hit the floor and causing even more potential for your pet to harm herself as she scampers away.

Does your 12-year-old cat seem, well, a little different than she did when she was younger - perhaps not seeming to recognize you or other familiar people, or unable to maneuver around obstacles she used to find easy to navigate? Is she less interested in interacting with you, or perhaps more clingy, or anxious? She may have feline cognitive dysfunction, the cat equivalent of Alzheimers disease. And if she does, shes not alone.

Its pretty well known that for a medium-size dog, every year is equivalent to about seven human years. But what about cats?

Poor cats. While theyre still hardwired to think more like African wildcats than domestic house pets, often preferring solitary lives to social ones, their human caretakers have evolved to be social animals. They go for closeness and touching to display affection.

Its well known that cats dont need to keep putting on weight once they transition from kittens to adults at about one year of age, but data on 19 million cats published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Association reveal that pet cats tend to keep putting on weight until they are about 8 years old.

Perhaps youve already started leaving out bowls of food for a stray cat who comes near your house. Maybe she has even let you pet her, and you decide to go the distance and have her come to live with you inside. But before you do:

To help you in your Internet search for reliable nutrition information for your cat, we have compiled a list of the very best websites out there, divided into categories for your convenience.

Pop quiz: What do cats prefer most? 1. Food. 2. Interacting with you. 3. Batting around a toy. 4. Sniffing desired scents.

Do cats know their own names? It seems like sometimes my cat recognizes her name - shell turn her head slightly or look at me when I call out to her. But other times, saying her name makes no difference. She acts like Im not in the room.

The primary reason cats are given up to animal shelters is unfulfilled expectations, reports the American Veterinary Medical Association. You may have wanted a lap cat and instead brought home one that prefers to prowl, or hide. Or you may have fancied a retiring cat who pretty much just likes to lounge, but got a boisterous one instead. Thats why you really want to make an informed decision when deciding on a new feline. Choosing completely on impulse rather than on some knowledge of the cats temperament wont serve you, and it definitely wont serve your pet.

Sometimes pets are discovered in a persons home days after a tragedy such as an illness or accident that sends the owner to the hospital, or after the persons death, according to the Humane Society of the United States. Because cats have shorter lifespans than we do, we generally expect them to go first and dont make arrangements for their well-being. But because we love our pets, we should plan for the unanticipated. Heres how, according to the Humane Society.