Most kittens are born with the instinct to use the litter box and will do it without training, but there is the occasional exception. If your kitten just won’t use the box, maybe it’s his way of telling you about a medical problem like a urinary tract infection. Always rule out health issues first!

Here are some of the non-medical reasons for poor litterbox habits:

• too many cats using same box,
• failure to change litter frequently enough,
• failure to provide constant access,
• change in type of litter used, change in location of the litter box,
• unfamiliar, frightening, or loud objects near box: dishwasher, etc.,
• food and water too close to litterbox,
• objectionable chemical used to wash or disinfect litterbox.

You should consider the problem from the cat's point of view. Stress plays a big part in poor behavior on the part of cats. What you may consider as "no problem," your cat may find extremely stressful.

Here are a few situations that may cause your cat to feel stressed:

• the addition or subtraction of other pets in household;
• visitors, company, parties, redecorating, construction,
• any type of commotion;
• a move to a new environment;
• a change in routine or schedule:
• a new job or working hours;
• a return of the cat from boarding or hospitalization;
• interaction problem with other pets or cats.

Because scratching is a normal behavior, and one that cats are highly motivated to display, it's unrealistic to try to prevent them from scratching. Instead, the goal in resolving scratching problems is to redirect the scratching onto acceptable objects.

Unless you train your cat, she will not know the difference between a scratching post and a sofa or carpet.

Cats follow habitual patters of behavior, therefore, make using the scratching post a part of her morning ritual. If you have a kitten, introduce her to scratching posts early!

If your cat has already started scratching an off- limits item, you need to break the habit as soon as possible. Some options available are squirting her with water, covering te item with a plastic drop cloth, or applying doubled sided tape.

Another option that works with some cats is repellant spray. Many cats stop scratching items that have been sprayed with Feliway, a spray that is a chemical copy of feline facial pheromones.

Does this happen to you? Every time I sit down to read the newspaper I suddenly find several of my feline friends want the Sports section, or the Classifieds, or maybe one wants to read the latest adventure of Carlyle from the Arlo & Janis cartoon. Regardless, they make it near impossible for me to read the paper.

Well, I have now given this some considerable thought and have decided that there are several possibilities why my cats love the newspaper.

I think maybe they just like to be in the middle of things -- the center of attention (Now that is a Bengal for you!)

I suspect, however, that they may be telling me something. Like, maybe, "I can do whatever I please, thank you very much!" I'll just bet that you can relate to that one.

Cathy says that they are just looking for some reassurance that they are incredibly adored and much more important than the news! Well how do you argue with that?

I prefer to think that perhaps they notice that I am oh so busy and take it upon themselves to give me a little break from my work. Hmmmm, the more I think about that one, the more I think they may be pulling my leg, but it sure is a nice story!

I will end this with a thought from the English novelist, George Eliot, "There is one order of beauty which seems made to turn heads. . . . It is a beauty like that of a small kitten."

Many common household plants are poisonous to cats. Most cats, especially kittens, will nibble on anything green.

Here is a partial list of plants (there are about 150 different plants in total) that you should not have in your house if you have cats:

• poinsettia,.
• mistletoe, .
• cherry or common laurel, .
• true ivies,.
• oleander, .
• rhododendrons and azaleas,.
• elephant ears, .
• false Jerusalem cherry, .
• iris, .
• amaryllis,.
• rubber plants, .
• and lilies.

FACT # 1: Almost half of all cats receive Christmas gifts.

FACT # 2: A cat's heart beats about twice as fast as your heart—about 110 to 140 times a minute in the average cat.

FACT # 3: Cats seem to have an instinctive ability to find their way home; tests have shown that they use the earth’s magnetic fields to navigate.

FACT # 4: Pouncing is powered by a cat's thighs. These muscles are so powerful that if you had a cat's thigh muscles, your thighs would be as big as your waist and you could jump from the ground to the top of a house!

FACT # 5: It has been scientifically proven that stroking a cat can lower one's blood pressure.