Not even in her wildest dreams did Marlene Todd think of sharing a hot bath with a cougar. But she almost did last Thursday, when she suddenly found a mountain lion in her backyard and staring at her as if wanting to share the relaxing soak.

A cat breeder who stored dozens of dead cats in her freezer will have six cats, including two dead ones, returned to her that were seized by authorities. Officials had charged Heidi Erickson with animal cruelty. Authorities found five malnourished cats, a malnourished dog and more than 60 dead cats in her Boston apartment in 2003. Most of the dead animals were stored in freezers.

The Berlin Zoo celebrated the first birthday of its famous polar bear Knut, who was born and then rejected by its mother. Since infancy, the polar bear has caught the attention and the endearment of people the world over. The birthday celebration, which was held Wednesday, involved more than 2,000 attendees by noon, and was highlighted by a giant birthday cake made from 300 eggs and 22 pounds of marzipan.

A one-year-old cheetah in the St. Louis Zoo escaped from its exhibit Monday, stumping zoo officials the day after as to how it was able to do so. According to zoo staff, the cheetah must have managed to go over a wall at least 10 foot in height, before arriving at a rocky area that served as a separator between people and animals at the River's Edge exhibit.

Local police in Kansas City has arrested a 21-year old man for allegedly possessing a highly-hallucinogenic toad. Police said David Theiss planned to get high by licking the Colorado River Toad's venom glands, which can induce hallucinogenic effects.