Mayumi Kitakata frets about the health and wellbeing of Chi, her stoic housemate who enjoys treats, indulges a bit too much in the catnip, and at about 14 is getting on in years for a feline.

Kitakata, 57, has had pet cats come and go over the years, and to help give Chi as many seasons as possible, she¡¯s turned to artificial intelligence.

In March, Kitakata became an early adopter of CatsMe!, an AI-driven smartphone application that purports to tell when a cat is feeling pain. That cuts down on the guesswork of when it is necessary to embark on a stressful trip to the veterinarian.