It happens to all of us. You fall in love with someone’s looks… but then he’s not quite, what you expected. Even, sometimes, if he’s a cat.

“People come in and say, I had a black and white tuxedo cat before, so that’s what I want,” says Jim Monsma of the Washington Animal Rescue League in Washington, D.C. “But cats are not all the same. They have widely divergent personalities.”

That’s why the shelter is now using the Feline-ality program, developed by behaviorist Dr. Emily Weiss of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Part of the ASPCA’s Meet Your Match program, which also includes Canine-ality for dogs, the program assesses a variety of behaviors in individual cats. It rates the animals on confidence and sociability, which Weiss’ research has shown are independent of each other.

The program then tallies those assessments to place the cat into nine personality categories, which can be matched with a family’s situation and desires.

It’s not unlike a magazine quiz to find out, “Which kind of cat are you?”

The program is used at 45 shelters, with additional facilities preparing to use it.

On this day in the Washington shelter, Monsma brings Barnaby the cat into an unfamiliar room and opens the carrier.

Barnaby shoots out and takes charge, checking out the room and everything in it. Monsma uses a stopwatch to track how much time Barnaby spends on social interactions. For example, he adds up how many seconds Barnaby spends trying to get on his lap. He also monitors his noises and blink rate, both indicators of sociability.

Monsma then initiates some interaction, offering a hand, three different toys, and hug. Each transaction earns Barnaby some points.

His total comes out high on both scales – he’s both highly sociable and highly confident.

All of the types have fun, vivid names and descriptions. Barnaby is “leader of the band.” His opposite, a cat low on both scales, is called a “private investigator,” who stays out of trouble.

A more middle of the road cat is familiar to many people: the “personal assistant.” “You’re working on the computer? Let me press the keys. Reading the paper? I’ll hold the pages down for you… You’ll wonder how you ever managed without me,” according to program literature.

Equally important to the Feline-ality program is the fact that people differ, too. Adopters fill out a questionnaire and the results give them a color code, telling them which set of personality types would be best for them to consider.

The program aims to end animal-human mismatches, often a reason cats are returned to the shelter, Monsma says.

Weiss says the program has helped to increase adoptions in shelters that have tested the Feline-ality program, partly because people find the process fun.

Experts may differ on what details of a test best can predict a pet’s behavior in an adoptive home, says animal behaviorist, author and radio host Patricia McConnell.

However, she applauds these efforts to enlighten people about the differences among cats, which have always been less well understood than dogs.

“They’re complicated, interesting animals with rich emotional lives that deserve to be treated well,” she says. “Any kind of test is somewhat limited, but it’s an excellent idea to be thinking as much as we can about what’s the right cat for the right home, and whether we can do some matchmaking.”

Weiss says that people still sometimes fall in love with a cat that is not a perfect fit, but the program can help in these cases too: People who know what issues to expect are more prepared to deal with them.

Nevertheless, as Monsma says, “There are so many cats out there, why not get one that fits?

According to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, the popular plant Brunfelsia, also known as “Morning, Noon and Night” and “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” is poisonous to dog. In fact, canines are most susceptible to poisoning by this gardener’s favorite, aptly named for its fragrant flowers that bloom in vivid purple and gradually change to lavender before fading to white.

The Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), reports that Brunfelsia toxicity can progress very rapidly to a potentially lethal situation, so it is critical that pet parents seek immediate veterinary care. If pets consume any part of the plant, they can become ill within hours and develop gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting, diarrhea, as well as tremors, seizures, and muscle rigidity that makes the animal appear to be in a ‘sawhorse’ stance.

If you have Brunfelsia in your home keep the plant in an area, where pets can’t reach it, or replace it with a nontoxic alternative. Pet parents should remember to take precautions against the many plants and flowers that can prove harmful to their animals.

The following list is of some other common plants that are poisons to pets:

Lilies
Members of the Lilium spp. are considered highly toxic to cats. While the poisonous component has not yet been identified, it is clear that with even ingestions of very small amounts of the plant, severe kidney damage could result.

Marijuana
Ingestion of Cannabis sativa by companion animals can result in depression of the central nervous system and in coordination, as well as vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, increased heart rate, and even seizures and coma.

Sago Palm
All parts of Cycas Revoluta are poisonous, but the seeds or “nuts” contain the largest amount of toxin. The ingestion of just one or two seeds can result in very serious effects, which include vomiting, diarrhea, depression, seizures, and liver failure.

Tulip/Narcissus bulbs
The bulb portions of Tulipa/Narcissus spp. contain toxins that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation, drooling, loss of appetite, depression of the central nervous system, convulsions, and cardiac abnormalities.

Azalea/Rhododendron
Members of the Rhododenron spp. contain substances known as grayantoxins, which can produce vomiting, drooling, diarrhea, weakness, and depression of the central nervous system in animals. Severe azalea poisoning could ultimately lead to coma and death from cardiovascular collapse.

Oleander
All parts of Nerium oleander are considered toxic, as they contain cardiac glycosides that have the potential to cause serious effects—including gastrointestinal tract irritation, abnormal heart function, hypothermia and even death.

Castor Bean
The poisonous principle in Ricinus communis is ricin, a highly toxic protein that can produce severe abdominal pain, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, weakness, and loss of appetite. Severe cases of poisoning can result in dehydration, muscle twitching, tremors, seizures, coma, and death.

Cyclamen
Cylamen species contain cyclamine, but the highest concentration of this toxic component is typically located in the root portion of the plant. If consumed, Cylamen can produce significant gastrointestinal irritation, including intense vomiting. Fatalities have also been reported in some cases.

Kalanchoe
This plant contains components that can produce gastrointestinal irritation, as well as those that are toxic to the heart, and can seriously affect cardiac rhythm and rate.

Yew
Taxus spp. contains a toxic component known as taxine, which causes central nervous system effects such as trembling, in coordination, and difficulty breathing. It can also cause significant gastrointestinal irritation and cardiac failure, which can result in death.

Amaryllis
Common garden plants popular around Easter, Amaryllis species contain toxins that can cause vomiting, depression, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hyper-salivation, anorexia and tremors.

Autumn Crocus
Ingestion of Colchicum autumnale by pets can result in oral irritation, bloody vomiting, diarrhea, shock, multi-organ damage, and bone marrow suppression.

Chrysanthemum
These popular blooms are part of the Compositae family, which contain pyrethrins that may produce gastrointestinal upset, including drooling, vomiting and diarrhea, if eaten. In certain cases, depression and loss of coordination may also develop if enough of any part of the plant is consumed.

English Ivy
Also called branching ivy, glacier ivy, needlepoint ivy, sweetheart ivy and California ivy, Hedera helix contains triterpenoid saponins that, should pets ingest, can result in vomiting, abdominal pain, hyper-salivation, and diarrhea.

Peace Lily (AKA Mauna Loa Peace Lily)
Spathiphyllum contains calcium oxalate crystals that can cause oral irritation, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing and intense burning and irritation of the mouth, lips and tongue in pets who ingest.

Pothos
Pothos (both Scindapsus and Epipremnum) belongs to the Araceae family. If chewed or ingested, this popular household plant can cause significant mechanical irritation and swelling of the oral tissues and other parts of the gastrointestinal tract.

Schefflera
Schefflera and Brassaia actinophylla contain calcium oxalate crystals that can cause oral irritation, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing and intense burning and irritation of the mouth, lips, and tongue in pets who ingest.