Cats are carnivores, which means they need a diet of animal-based protein to thrive. So you might think giving them a little water-packed tuna is a treat that's good for them, too, right? Think again. Tuna can have trace amounts of mercury in it, and giving a cat a consistent diet of tuna can lead to mercury poisoning. Also, unlike cartoons that show cats lapping up milk, the reality is most cats are also lactose-intolerant. So skip dairy products for your frisky feline, too.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

You might wonder what's the big deal about putting a chipped Pyrex glass dish in the recycling bin. Isn't all glass the same, after all? Unfortunately not. Heat-treated glass from brands like Pyrex and CorningWare melt at much higher temperatures than traditional glass recyclables. And if the sorters at the recycling facility don't catch it and pull it out, heat-treated glass can do a lot of damage. According to the website Recyclebank, "It takes only 5 grams of heat-treated glass to contaminate an entire 1-ton batch of recycled container glass." Be sure to throw your old heat-treated glass in the trash.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

When shopping for a snow shovel, go for one with an aluminum or steel blade. Metal shovels can withstand heavier loads of snow than plastic and will keep a clean edge through hard use; plastic ones can chip and shatter, quickly making them unusable. Durable metal shovels last season after season, and perhaps best of all, when they do finally need to be replaced, aluminum and steel blades are recyclable.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION