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Cats are basically freeloaders. They’re perfectly capable of foraging for food on their own, but there they are at feeding time, tails twitching like clockwork, waiting impatiently for you to open the can. Maybe you should make them work a little harder for their supper. Puzzle feeders can help.

At least, that’s the conclusion reached in a new study that tested the efficacy of using computer touchscreens to stimulate dogs’ mental abilities, especially older dogs. Researchers in Austria and Hungary tested the cognitive abilities of 265 dogs of various breeds and ages by training them to push their snouts against a special touchscreen and select one of two pictures.

Dogs’ personalities can change to reflect similar changes in their owners. Which means your midlife crisis could have life-changing consequences for your dog. “When humans go through big changes in life, their personality traits can change," said William Chopik, PhD, MS, an assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University. "We found that this also happens with dogs—and to a surprisingly large degree.”

Aggression, disobedience, repeatedly running away, and too much barking can doom dogs to an early death, according to a new study by researchers in the UKat the University of London Royal Veterinary College’s (RVC) VetCompass program. Per the report, one-third of dogs in the UK who die before the age of three die because of “undesirable behaviors” (UBs)—many by euthanasia.

It’s part of a general trend toward happily paying for services that make living life in general a little easier. A new survey found that 46% of Americans regularly pay for delivery, driving, cleaning, handyman, and pet care services—a total of $177 billion dollars a year. How much are they willing to spend to make pet owning in particular a little less stressful? A lot, it seems.

If someone brought an injured red-tailed hawk to your hospital but the bird was too far gone to save, and euthanasia was the only option to relieve his pain and suffering, would you know what regulatory agency to call for permission to end his life? It’s a trick question. Veterinarians don’t need permission to euthanize a wild animal in cases like that. And if you didn’t know that, you’re not alone.

This week: The death of a pet influencer can influence his owner’s income, a pet insurance claim that involves missile silos and missing dogs, and pets can tell time (you’re running late on dinner, BTW).

Dogs can be kid magnets. So bringing therapy dogs in to a hospital to cheer up sick kids seems like a great idea. But sick kids with weakened immune systems can be superbug magnets. And bringing an outwardly healthy therapy dog who might be carrying antibiotic-resistant bacteria into a children’s cancer ward can suddenly seem like a really bad idea.

The answer isn’t colored contacts. It’s chromosomes. Technically, a duplicated stretch of DNA on a single chromosome: Canine chromosome 18. That’s the conclusion drawn in a new study led by Adam Boyko, PhD, Aaron Sams, PhD. How did they get their data? They crowd-sourced it through direct-to-consumer DNA testing.

This week: Social media turns some pets into stars and sends other to animal shelters, a chicken who’s probably not your long-lost cousin inherits $15 million dollars, and you could get snubbed by cats on a Greek island—and get paid to do it!