Cats can be challenging to understand, especially when they're misbehaving, so we sat down with veterinarian and animal behavior specialist Dr. Rachel Malamed to get to the bottom of some common cat behavior problems. Her top three? Going to the bathroom outside the litterbox, scratching furniture and fighting with other cats.

1. Not Using the Litterbox
For cats who won't use the litterbox, Dr. Rachel says to bear in mind that it may be a medical problem. If your cat is suddenly urinating outside the box, check with your vet to make sure he or she doesn't have a urinary tract infection or other condition.

Aside from that, Dr. Rachel says it's important to go out of your way to make the litterbox more appealing and other locations less appealing. Remember that cats can be very picky: just like us, they like a clean bathroom, so keep the litterbox clean, but also keep in mind that they may prefer one brand of kitty litter over another. Dr. Rachel says you can do a kitty litter cha

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By WebVet.com

Photo via Facebook

Everything you need to know about the latest viral cat sensation!

1) Bub is a "perma-kitten", which means she will stay kitten-sized and maintain kitten-like features throughout her life.

2) She is a dwarf, and her limbs are disproportionately small relative to the rest of her body.

3) Lil Bub is about 1 year old, but she might later experience medical complications related to dwarfism. IDSNews.com reported that she might only live to the age of 3.

4) She weighs in at 4.5 pounds.

5) Lil Bub's mouth is one of her most recognizable features. Her lower jaw is much shorter than her upper jaw, and she is toothless -- which is why her tongue is usually hanging out.

6) As a polydactyl cat (one with extra toes), Lil Bub boasts 22 claws.

7) Bub makes weird noises, described on her Facebook page as "squonks, squeaks, gurgles, snorts, hiccups, purrs and sometimes even growls." Check them out here!

8) Her owner Mike Bridavsky chalks her popularity up to he

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By Yvonne Claire Stecher

For most Olympic athletes, the proverbial "carrot" at the end of the stick for all their years of training has been an Olympic medal. But for a group of about a dozen glossy-skinned, doe-eyed members of our elite U.S. team, win or lose, an actual crunchy carrot will do just fine, thank you.

Joining the 530 U.S. human athletes at this summer's London Olympics will be the 13 mares, stallions and geldings that make up the equine segment of our crack U.S. team.

Horses compete in one of three disciplines at the games: dressage, which is like a combination of ballet and floor gymnastics; show jumping, in which the horses jump a set course of high fences at speed; and three-day eventing, in which the horses need to be able to "do it all" over the course of several days - a day of dressage competition, a day of show jumping and a day spent galloping cross-country while jumping over elaborate fixed obstacles, sometimes in and out of water.

Related: 10 Thing

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By Sarah Foulkes, GalTime.com

The bond between animals and humans is one of the most beautiful bonds time has seen. Besides giving love and a lifelong friendship, animals have proved beneficial for their owner's health.

AARP.com tells us that human and animal interaction releases a hormone called oxytocin in the central nervous system that causes a feeling of happiness and reinforces a bond. Animals also have a healing effect for their owners, and their owners for them. Karen Grindler who runs Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center in Columbia, Missouri says horseback riders with disabilities receive massive mood improvements through riding horses.
Research on the animal and human bond has been conducted, but it's surprising when you think about how big a part of people's lives these companions are, says Dr. James Serpell, Ph.D., director of the Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine.

If you're thi

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