Cats are among the easiest animals to live with as pets, which in part accounts for their massive and ever-growing appeal. Cats are naturally quiet, clean, affectionate and largely self-sufficient, capable of adapting to any kind of dwelling and any type of family.

But when things go wrong, they go very wrong from the human point of view. Behaviors that are quite natural to a cat can cause us humans to react with dismay and anger.

One of these flash points in feline-human relations is urine spraying.

The application of urine to mark territory, which we call "spraying," is different from the release of urine to eliminate waste from the body. The cat who's marking territory backs up to the object he wants to mark and sprays urine backward, with his tail held high and quivering, alternating his weight on his back feet. Although both male and female cats spray, unneutered males are the biggest offenders, followed by unspayed females in season.

The first rule of dealing with this stinky problem is to make sure that your pet is altered: This procedure takes care of the problem in 90 percent of the cases if done before sexual maturity is attained, at about six months.

For those cats who don't respond to altering, physical or environmental stresses, such an illness or a new person in the house, may be triggering the spraying. Check with your veterinarian to be sure your pet is in good health, and discuss anti-anxiety drugs while you're there -- for your cat, not you -- if you're pretty sure the stress is environmental.

A common reason for cats to start spraying is the introduction of an additional cat. It's always a good idea to introduce cats slowly, by keeping the new cat sequestered in a single room with food, water, cat box, scratching post and toys for a week or more.(Yes, you should visit him often!) If you've just sort of thrown the new one in and now you've got problems, separate them for a while into their own territories, then reintroduce them slowly. It may be temporary, or not: Some cats will eventually be able to share food bowls and cat boxes, but others never will.

Discourage fresh marking by cleaning sprayed areas thoroughly and covering them with foil. (Cats dislike anything involving foil, and the sound of urine hitting it really annoys them.) Putting plastic carpet runners with the point-side up around the marked spot will also discourage revisiting the area. Another deterrent is two-sided tape; cats don't like to walk on sticky surfaces.

Don't hit your cat for spraying, even if you catch him in the act; doing so makes him even more insecure and likely to mark. Clap to distract your cat instead.

No, you don't have to spend the rest of your life with foil on your furniture or plastic on your floor. Nor do you have to keep your cat in a single room for the rest of his life. But these things are key to training your cat to give up a behavior he finds natural. And chances are if you're reasonable and consistent in your approach, you won't be living with that urine smell for long.

If you're just not getting through to your cat, though, or if you're getting angry enough to think about getting rid of your pet, ask your veterinarian for a referral to a behaviorist. Better yet, ask for help in the beginning. A good behavorist will save you time, money and aggravation, and will help you return to loving your cat much sooner.

Pets on the Web: For information on everything from goldfish to the most elaborate saltwater setups, FINS: The Fish Information Service (www.actwin.com/fish/index.cgi) is one of the best resources online. FINS is an exhaustive collection of articles on fish-keeping as well as links to other related Web sites, information about e-mail lists and notes on the best places to secure equipment. It's all neatly and logically organized, too, with a minimum of graphic fuss, except for some lovely bubbles.

Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies" and "Cats for Dummies," and is the editorial director of the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international online service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or e-mail to Giori(at)aol.com.

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600

Too often when people ask me to recommend a "good" veterinarian I discover that they are really asking for a "cheap" veterinarian. I always remind them that while cost is important, there are other issues to consider when choosing health care for a pet.

And if that doesn't get through, I ask them if they would choose a pediatrician the same way. Can you imagine price as the only consideration when choosing a doctor for your child? Of course not. Nor should that be your only consideration when it comes to choosing a veterinarian for your pet.

For me, the keys to a healthy relationship with a veterinarian are the same as with a physician -- communication, skill and trust. The last is even more important with a veterinarian than with a physician. Knowing what goes on in a veterinarian's office after you leave your pet behind is impossible. An animal can never comment on treatment, and so an animal lover must rely on trust to be sure a pet has been dealt with humanely.

Before you choose a veterinarian, ask friends, co-workers and neighbors for recommendations. Animal lovers can tell which veterinarians are knowledgeable, compassionate and hard-working. Those veterinarians are always talked up by satisfied clients.

Other factors may help you narrow down your list of possibilities:

-- Is the clinic or hospital a good match with the pets you keep? Not all small-animal veterinarians are well-versed -- or even interested -- in treating birds, reptiles or small mammals such as rabbits or hamsters. You may wish to use a specialty practice, such as a birds- or reptiles-only practice. Cats-only practices are becoming more popular and may be more comfortable for your cat.

-- Is the clinic or hospital conveniently located, with hours you can live with? If you have a 9-to-5 job, a veterinarian with a 9-to-5 clinic won't do your pet much good. Many veterinarians are open late on at least one week night and for at least a half-day on Saturday morning. Some large group practices run 24 hours a day.

-- Does the staff seem knowledgeable and helpful? You want to be sure you're dealing with a practice interested in hiring or training people to recognize an urgent situation when you call. Animal-health technicians are the backbone of any good practice; look for the veterinarian who values them.

-- What kind of emergency care is available, if any? Although emergency veterinary clinics are prepared for any catastrophe, the veterinarians there are not familiar with your pet as an individual. If your veterinary hospital does not offer 24-hour care, does it work with one that does?

-- Does the veterinarian ask for help when needed? The best veterinarians consult with veterinary college staff or independent or in-house specialists. An increasing number subscribe to online services for access to specialists and databases of information and journal articles. A willingness to discuss tough cases with colleagues is the sign of a veterinarian who's putting in effort on your pet's behalf.

-- Does the veterinarian seem willing to refer you to a specialist for treatment? Your veterinarian should be open to a referral when your pet's condition warrants it. Current companion-animal specialties include: anesthesiology, behavior, cardiology, dentistry, dermatology, emergency medicine and critical care, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, radiology and surgery. Each of these requires additional study and certification over and above that required to achieve a degree in veterinary medicine.

Finally, be sure you feel a rapport with the veterinarian you choose. You should be comfortable asking questions and discussing everything -- including those fees. The final call on whether a veterinarian is right for you comes down to intangibles. If you don't like your veterinarian, you're less likely to call or come in. The lack of productive communication will hurt your pet in the long run.

Pets on the Web: Shame on you if you name your cat "Kitty" or "Fluff" after visiting the Magic Names for Mystic Cats Web site (http://www.k-net.net/(tilde) ingram/magicat.htm).

Dominic Marks has gathered dozens of graceful names from a wide array of cultures -- including African (Kyala, the king-sky god of the Nyakyusa tribe of Tanzania), Finnish (Tuoni, the god of the underworld) and Japanese (Haya-Ji, the god of whirlwinds). My Veterinary Information Network colleague Dr. Becky Lundgren found this site, and she was right when she told me it promised a long period of fascinating reading.

Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies" and "Cats for Dummies," and is the editorial director of the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international online service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or e-mail to GSpadafori(at)aol.com.

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600

As disasters go, this one hardly rates a mention. The howling winds of our winter storms have rocked the twin pines in my yard, have made the dogs soggy, the lawn boggy, and filled my yard with pieces of what I uncharitably hope came from someone else's roof. But in the end, it was a 4-inch piece of dog-eared fence board that caused me the most grief.

It's hammered in tightly now, but when I saw it resting on the driveway as I drove up one day my heart danced a two-step in my chest. Could a dog have slipped through the gap? Thankfully no, but that one missing board gave me good reason to be grateful that if the whole fence had blown down and the dogs had been foolish enough to get off the front-room couch and explore the county, I had a decent chance of getting them back.

I am prepared, and you should be, too.

A pet can become missing at any time. I've had readers tell me enough stories to know it's true. Like the indoor cat who fell out a first story window when the screen she was leaning on gave way. Or the dogs who slipped away after the contractor, youngest daughter, next-door neighbor or father-in-law didn't latch the gate carefully. And then of course there are natural disasters -- little ones like blown-down fences and big ones like floods, hurricanes and earthquakes.

Figure your pet will one day be lost, and you'll always be ready.

Since your pet can't speak, the first thing you need is ID to speak for him. The basics: collar and ID tag. Got them already? Good. Now check to be sure the information is current. I got caught in this trap a short while ago when ordering a tag for the new dog, Heather. I checked what I had on the other two dogs' collars and realized there was a phone number for a place I'd left months ago. Instead of one tag, I ordered three.

Even if the information on your pet's tag is current, make sure it's readable. Some plastic tags wear down, and the grooves of metal ones seem to get filled with grime. If you can't read it, or clean it enough to make it readable, order a new tag. They're the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy.

Important as they are, collars and tags should be supplemented by permanent ID such as a microchip implants. Most shelters and many veterinarians have scanners that pick the numbers off the tiny devices, which are inserted in the loose skin between the shoulder blades on dogs and cats. For years companies produced equipment that couldn't read any chips except their own, but now scanners will pick up the presence of any chip. After your pet is chipped, register the number so people can find you if they find your pet; the person who chips your pet should have sign-up information.

One more step in your lost-pet preparations: Take your camera out and shoot a whole roll of pictures of your pet -- then ask for double prints. You'll need these to put on fliers if your pet ever becomes lost.

Should the worst happen, don't waste time hoping your pet will wander home. Put fliers everywhere you can and place a "lost" ad in the newspaper. Scan the neighborhood, watch "found" ads, and check the shelters every other day in person (phone calls don't cut it because the staff is just too busy to know every pet in the place). Don't give up too soon; pets have been found weeks after their disappearance. If your pet left outfitted for the worst, chances are you'll get him back.

If you're lucky, you'll never have to face the sorrow of having your pet go missing. But if you do, knowing you've done everything you can to keep your pet safe is the only thing that will help you and your pet. In this game, you make your own luck.

Pets on the Web: Looking for the nearest college of veterinary medicine? Try the Veterinary Medicine Educational Network, or VetNet (http://www.vetnet.ucdavis.edu/vetnet.html). The site offers a clickable map of all the veterinary colleges in the United States and Canada, and links to the home pages of each school.

Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies" and "Cats for Dummies," and is the editorial director of the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international online service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or e-mail to Giori(at)aol.com.

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600