Cats are among the biggest predators of birds and small animals. If you have a cat who is not living indoors full time, take these steps to make sure that they can roam freely and not kill wildlife. First, figure out where your cat likes to roam, sleep and hide. Then place birdbaths and feeders at least 10 feet away from these spots. But if you find neighborhood cats tend to congregate around your bird feeder, consider taking it down. Then focus on planting native vegetation that provides natural feed in the form of seeds and berries. This will make your yard less attractive for a cat’s natural predatory behavior.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Do you have an old pumpkin that’s decomposing and ready to be tossed away? Before you compost, consider giving backyard wildlife an autumnal feast! According to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), you can scoop out seeds and just let them dry out naturally. Scatter them in the garden, and large birds and small animals will eat them right up. You can also dice chunks of pumpkin flesh as a nutritious and tasty treat for wild animals. The NWF does remind you to only use unpainted pumpkins, since most paints have toxins that are harmful to animals.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

If you think your water-damaged, completely broken, not-functioning smartphone isn’t worth anything, think again. There is a market for broken phones, for one simple reason: the precious metals inside. Everything from pure gold to copper, silver and platinum all are used in phones. And when you combine the volume of old phones, it becomes -- no pun intended -- a gold mine for resell. In fact, there’s more gold in a pound of electronics than a pound of gold ore. So don’t just recycle your old phone when you can probably make some serious cash by selling it online to a reseller or recycler.

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