In what situations is it more appropriate to use inheritance in object-oriented programming?

Inheritance in object-oriented programming is appropriate to use when:

• There are common characteristics and behaviors that can be extracted into a base (parent) class.
• You need to create specialized classes that extend or refine the functionality of the base.
• Code reuse and easier maintenance are desired.

For example, if there is a class Animal with methods move() and makeSound(), then classes Dog and Cat can inherit from Animal and implement their versions of these methods.

It is important to avoid inheritance if classes do not have a logical hierarchy or if composition would be more flexible.