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It’s often said that if a cat is in a prolonged state of lethargy, he should be taken to the vet to see if there’s an underlying cause. Lethargy can be a sign of everything from an infection to arthritis to diabetes. But what is lethargy?

Your cat, normally so fastidious, has started lounging in her litter box. What’s going on? One possibility is that she has developed a condition that makes her feel the urge to relieve herself very frequently, so she’s trying to stay close to the “toilet,” so to speak. Illnesses that can increase the urge to urinate include a urinary tract infection, urinary crystals or stones, kidney disease, and diabetes. It’s important to rule out any of these diseases. Certainly if your cat is trying to urinate but not getting much out or seems to be in pain while “going,” she should be seen by the vet. Appropriate treatment should help solve the problem.

You acted with the best of intentions, taking in a homeless cat or perhaps just bringing home a second one because you thought the one you already have would enjoy the company. But the hissing won’t stop. And your first cat is so stressed she has begun urinating outside the litterbox. Or she has begun hiding more and is more irritable. Now what?

Whoever said that getting people to do what you want can be like herding cats never herded one. Cats in fact do like to cooperate, and you can use that to your advantage in brightening your pet’s day with feline agility. That’s right. You can teach your cat to jump through hoops, climb stairs, weave between obstacles, and clear hurdles. It doesn’t take special equipment to shake up your pet’s routine right in your own home. A hula hoop, stacks of books for the cat to weave around, a collapsable toddler tunnel, and a step stool to climb over will get you started. If you and your feline partner end up perfecting your routine, you can even enter an agility contest put on by the Cat Fanciers Association. Spectators will marvel at your pet’s ability to perform the feline equivalent of a triple lutz.

There are an estimated 600 million cats in the world, and almost 500 million of them are free-roaming. Up to 100 million homeless cats live in the U.S. alone. They often survive in suboptimal conditions while they prey on vulnerable wildlife. And they frequently enough get euthanized at overcrowded shelters even though there is absolutely nothing wrong with them. The answer is sterilization to prevent more unwanted cats from coming into the world, and dedicated cat lovers work hard in trap-neuter-release programs where they capture cats, take them to a willing veterinary facility to have them spayed or neutered, and then return them to their feral lives.

Q: I know that if a cat food has passed its expiration date it’s best to throw it out, but what about a “best by” date? That doesn’t seem as bad.

Q: My sister wants to get a cat, but her young daughter has asthma. Won’t that just make it harder for my niece to breathe?

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A cat allergy, whether to something in the environment, something in the diet, or insects such as fleas, often plays out on the skin. A cat that has an allergic reaction can become chronically itchy to the point that all the licking, chewing, scratching, and biting at the uncomfortable spot(s) can cause her hair to come out. It can also cause something known as miliary dermatitis, a skin condition characterized by crusty lesions. (Miliary dermatitis is also known as scabby cat disease.) Often, an allergy causes the skin to become inflamed, too, among other reactions.

If it’s all the same to you, choose blue and yellow toys for your cats. Those are the colors that stand out to them. A red ball on green carpet, on the other hand, will look kind of like the first 20 minutes of The Wizard of Oz — shades of drab that don’t stand out. It’s because cats have fewer cones in their eyes than we do. They evolved learning to hunt in low light, so differentiating between colors was not very important for survival.

As of this year, a veterinary specialty in shelter medicine is fully recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association. A veterinarian who is board-certified in shelter medicine must complete a residency that typically lasts 3 years (or work directly in shelter medicine for a minimum of 6 years). She or he must also submit a credentials packet that includes multiple case reports and research papers and then sit for a qualifying exam.

One or both of your cat’s eyes has become bluish-gray in color and looks opaque. Is she suffering vision loss because of a cataract? Probably not.