text:
Assemble a feline first-aid kit. Be sure to include hydrogen peroxide, hydrocortisone ointment, absorbent cotton, a pair of tweezers, sterile eyewash solution, and a syringe for giving oral medications.read more
Spraying urine, avoiding the cat box and clawing furniture are just a few kitty behaviors that can grate on the nerves of even the most fervent feline admirers. While these actions make perfect sense to cats, some owners are convinced their cat isn't normal. Others go so far as to think their wayward pet is rebelling or misbehaving out of spite. Perhaps, in frustrated moments, you've felt that way, too. What you may not realize is that you could inadvertently be the cause of your cat's reform-school behaviors.
If your cat's extracurricular activities are causing it to wear out its welcome, don't despair. Nearly all cat behaviors -- even the most exasperating ones -- are predictable and easily remedied. The key to solving problem behaviors is to see the world through the eyes of your cat, according to animal behavior consultant Pamela Johnson-Bennett, who was certified in Nashville, Tenn., and is the author of Psycho Kitty, Tips For Solving Your Cat's Crazy Behavior (Celestial Arts). "You can't truly correct a behavior problem until you discover the cause," she says, adding that most unwanted behaviors are only problematic to you and not your pet.
Why Cats Do What They Do
A cat's actions, big or small, can be grouped into two categories: behavioral and medical. According to cat expert Rolan Tripp, DVM, founder of AnimalBehavior online, behaviors related to medical issues can stem from problems such as painful urinary tract infections, diabetes or renal disease. Getting to the litter box in time can be a problem for some of these cats, and accidents outside the litter box are not uncommon. A trip to the veterinarian will rule out any health problems.
If your kitty receives a clean bill of health, it's time to do your homework because one or more of the following behavioral issues may be the root cause:
Tackling Three Common Kitty Misbehaviors
Like dogs and kids, cats are not immune to naughty behaviors. A refresher course in good feline behavior may be warranted if your cat engages in any of these three very common activities:
Spraying Urine
Many owners complain that their cats spray urine, which is also known as marking. Un-neutered males are the worst offenders, followed closely by un-spayed females in season. Any perceived threat, environmental change or stress can also cause cats to spray urine, especially if they haven't been fixed. Since marking is a natural behavior, experts suggest these steps for redirecting your cat's instincts:
Scratching Doors, Walls and Furniture
Cats scratch to groom their front claws, stretch their back and shoulder muscles, relieve stress and leave visual and olfactory markers of their presence. If your cat has picked up this destructive, albeit normal, behavior, experts suggest these strategies:
Urinating Outside the Cat Box
If your cat is relieving itself anywhere and everywhere but its litter box, experts recommend these problem-solving tips:
When All Else Fails, Seek Professional Help
If these lesson plans fail to give your cat a passing grade, don't be embarrassed to call in the professionals. Some ingrained habits may require the skills of a Dr. Doolittle type of cat behaviorist, located through veterinarians, online and yellow page searches or word of mouth. Cat experts frequently work in conjunction with veterinarians to provide the best and most current information and therapies, which can include medications, if necessary. Before you say, "Pass the catnip," your furry friend's reform-school behaviors will be a thing of the past, and you and your pet will once again be purring together.
has authored six books about dogs, including Building Blocks for Performance (Alpine 2002). She exhibits Australian Shepherds in obedience and conformation, and she also shares her home with six cats.
Generic Valium says: [url=http://bestpriceval.com/]bestpriceval.com[/url] moclobemide and codeine buy valium buy valium canada online [url=http://cashadvancepaydayloancapl.com/]cashadvancepaydayloancapl[/url] payday loans 50 off payday loans dayton oh [url=http://www.bestpricex.com/]bestpricex.com[/url] xanax online reviews valium dubai buy xanax [url=http://ordercialisonlinerx.com/]Cialis[/url] buy tadalafil india pills buy tadalafil online muscle aches
firstname.lastname@example.com says: My cat Oreo a tuxedo cat likes to jump up high on the frig, counter top my kitchen is an open one. No doors and he knocks everything down and he jumps up.on my stereo stand with pictures, I spray him I tried ignoring but it has been going on for awhile , I want him to be a in door cat, but my other cats where out door cats and theywhere easy to control, but Oreo is 6 months now and he is large. I do not know what to do with him I have never had this much trouble with a cat
BJ Cappozzi says: i recently moved out of an impossible situation of a household. Because I brought a yr old tuxedo cat into it, the woman living with us adopted a 7yr old gray tiger. Things went well the two adapted great. My cat started licking me about a monthe before we moved. We moved to our own apartment and now she will lick people she feels comfortable with. Why and will it ever stop?
caroline Saienni says: My cat is a year old, and he still bites me sometimes- I'll be scratching his neck and shoulders and all of a sudden he grabs my hand with his claws and tries to bite. I usually stop moving my hand immediately, without withdrawing, and at the same time say "NO!" very loudly. That usually gets his attention, and he will look at me, where I look at him back, with my hand still in his paws, and then I say "No" again, reproachfully, a few times, and slowly take my hand away while doing so. When I finally get my hand away, I will then try to pet him again, and talk a little to him, so he knows that the yelling reaction was isolated to the the fact that he was clawing/biting, and that he will be rewarded (as in with a nice neck scratch) with good behavior. Try this everytime and hopefully it will help you. Cat biting and clawing is a form of play and is an instinctual reaction- as in DO NOT PUT YOUR CAT DOWN if he does so- HE CAN'T HELP IT! You may get scratched a few times- clean out the scratch and deal with it, but follow this and see what happens. Cats, like all animals, obviously do not speak english or have any rational to be able to really do anything spitefully. So if you make the decision to have a cat, or any pet, you must also be mature enough to deal with the responsibilities of owning one, and have lots and lots of patience.
amelia says: i have a 1 month cat, he eats and uses the litter box. but for some reaso when he is on the beds and sofas, he peason them even doe he knows how to use the litter box. can you tell me why he does this. is it marking his teretory like they say, or some thing else, because we spoil him rotten and are always giving him love and attention, he always want to be around us too. every thing is nice and good with him is just the pieng on the sofas and beds. what can i do?
mary says: i hve a cat who likes to suck on blankets when my daughter lays down what does this mean how do i stop this
ginger says: you should not ever have a pet. unbieveable that you would put down your cat because it bit you 3 times. iam sure you deserved to be bitten.
Laraine Willingham says: I have had my cat for 15 years and I recently took her to the vet because she ate something around the Christmas tree and had diarrhea throughout my house. My husband was so upset when he got up in the morning. He told me to take the cat to the vet because something was seriously wrong. Well to my surprise and the vets surpise she came out to be a pretty darn healthy cat. She just ate something that didn't agree. The reason I tell you this because I want you to know she is healthy but her behaviour has just been unexceptable in the past few years. At times she will deliberately go into my closset and pee on my shoes or sometimes poo on top of my shoes. Sometimes she will stop for awhile and now it has gotten worse, now she only pees on my through rugs in both bathrooms and even the rug right next to her clean cat box. Sometimes she will do it even after I make sure the cat box is clean. I know it has nothing to do with a dirty cat box. She has always been an indoor cat and we have no other animals. We do have a 7 month old baby. But she was doing this behaviour before the baby too. We notice it more when we bring in new furniture or my husband has one of the rooms under construction. I have talked to the pet stores and they think it is stress but I have no clue what stress she is feeling now. I think it might be because she has fleas. But I am always trying to figure her our what is her problem. I am all out of ideas. She may be stressed but she is stressing me out more than anything. I am on my way to the store to get rid of the fleas and hope she will stop for awhile. I think, why is she betraying me? I rescued her from a warehouse when she was a kitten. I have always taken very good care of her. Please help me with this senior citizen cat.
Fran says: My 9-month-old tortie is smart and super playful, as a kitten should be. But--BAD HABIT: BITING. I have tried everything. Just so I'm clear here--I know she loves attention, and sometimes all it takes is for me to toss her a favorite toy or to get engaged with her and play. Other times, though, it seems as though she loses her little mind and just goes after me with her teeth--one night she even chomped down on my ear (I must have flung my arm at her in my sleep!). The ONLY thing that'll stop her is a time-out. I close her in the bedroom for ten minutes, then when I open the door she's cool and collected as if nothing had happened. fine, that works- Sometimes i need to time her out more than 5 times a day. Seems cruel. I'd like to do something a bit more interactive with her if possible, that is, discipline her hopefully in a firm but loving way that WORKS without the time-outs. Any ideas besides the squirt bottle?
Natalie says: I've had Lexi since she was 6 weeks. Apparently very sweet and lovable, but turning into a she-devil w/o warning. She scratches, latches onto your arm then bites increasing pressure as you try to get her to stop. I used to look her in the eye and raise my voice saying, do not bite mommy, and she would retreat. but as she is growing the bites are more fierce and I am ready to give her up. I have had experience with people who have owned Calico's and always warned company that their cat might bite w/o warning. This was my first apprehension when I was given Lexi as a gift. I love her and she has been spayed. She is fed and given kitten milk along with her treats during the day. She is a very good eater given a mix of wet and dry food twice a day. I do not know what else to do with her. She has all of the amenities that a kitten needs and shows affection when SHE wants. I have raised Siamese, domestic black and tiger cats, but have never had a cat act so aggresive and vicious. I have read all of the above questions, and it seems that I am not alone with this problem. She is also very destructive and must be kept confined in the bathroom room with all of her "stuff" while I go to work. She has destroyed plants, satin comforters and furniture. She does have two scratching posts which she uses. Help!
John says: my cat has started poo poo outside the litter box all of a sudden. what can i do to make him use the litterbox for both pee and poo? he pee in litterbox but won't poo in litterbox. he is 9 and alwys has been good before this. vet put him on antibotics/steroids but didnt solve..
Chris Nelson says: I have read all the problems from the writers but where are the solutions to these problems.???
firstname.lastname@example.com says: You put your cat down because he/she bit you three times? that is a lousy attitude. Like children, cats need time and patience in order to behave properly and three bites is hardly being patient with the animal. The cat is better off without you.
pat madison says: We have 2 male cats and one older female that is always being chased by the 2 males. All are neutered. The female was pooing in the liter pan but peeing on a rug beside it which I washed since I could not seem to break the habit. This has been going on about 6 mos. now. Now she is also pooing on the back bedroom rug. I am at my wits end. Help anybody!
Louise says: Why are my cats biting my stair rail spindels?
j fahmer says: A cat bite is the most dangerous of all bites. I had to put our cat down because he bit me three times, I have the scares. Vets recommend this, as some animals are not meant to be domesticated.
Jim says: Our cat has started hollering at night. She goes out in the evening and comes in at sun up and then starts hollering and driving us crazy. I can deal with letter her in but the hollering makes it impossible to get back to sleep. She sleeps all day and is active all night. I know this is normal for a cat but I just need her to stop hollering and keeping us up. Her play is not really that destructive.
Esther says: I had lost 2 cat for medical resons within 4 month of each other. I didn't have enought time to grive when someone gave me 2 kitten as a Christmas gift, though they meant well I wasn't ready for another cat and enven less 2 cats. I have not been able to give them the proper love and attention they deserves and I have been very distance with them. I don't know why I am not that type of person but for some reson I can not warm up to them at time I may pick them up and kiss them and have cryed the thought of giveing them up due to they may be separated they are brother and sister but deep down I don't want to keep them I need to find a good home for them the are 5 month old could someone out there be so kind and give them a happy home they deserve it.
Paua says: not sure what to do. Have her in a head protector for that, but, they have to eat and drink. They also like to lick themselves clean, but, she likes to get at the sore area, which won't heal 'cause she bites the scab off. Have tried all the sprays, cat-relaxing liquids sold, etc. Bandages are hard because it's on like the upper joint of the leg. Hard to keep bandages on there. Help! Thanks!
Pat says: My son has a cat that is about 7 months old. He attacks my 4 yr. old granddaughter but she can handle that. What is driving them nuts now is that he knocks everything ovewr. glasses of water. glasses of tea. It doesn't make any difference what it is he will knock it over. He has plenty of food and water so he can't be looking for something to drink or eat. HELP Forrest is driving them nuts.
HOPE says: i have a 9 month old snowshoe he is beautiful to look at and is a friendly cat my issue is he bites when my husband or i try to pet him. when we are away for a few hours when we return he is so loving and friendly about 20 minutes later he starts his biting and wanting to play aggressively what do i do?? how do i get him to stop the biting
Peggy says: My male cat is about 3 years old, at least that is how long its been since I rescued him. Anyway, he loves to bite, nip and claw at my feet, toes and ankles when I feed him. He is not mean by any means, but those sharp teeth hurt! I have done EVERYTHING I can think of to break him of this naughty behavior. I have never had a cat do that before, and the other two kitties don't behave that way. I have been told that these are love bites. Who says love doesn't hurt!
susan says: My cat scratches and bites all the time. She is hungry for affection but we are not able to provide as she gets nasty. In fact, she almost took my eye out one day. We have tried spraying her with water each time she bites with no luck. We love her but we are at our wits end. Short of giving her up what can we do?
Dean sullivan says: I have a 3month old male manx. How do I break him from jumping on everything and knocking things off. I had two cats before this kitten. I had them for 13 years before they passed away and they never got into stuff like this kitten. Help
debra winfield says: hi i have a female siamese cat i got a 11/2 year ago from a man that couldnt treat her right and we put a lot of money in her for a neck lift from being attacked by a dog shes not an outside cat shes an inside cat ,we dont mistreat her in anyway we love her she is going to be 3 years old in april. with her growling, hissing,and scratching at you makes me worryabout my kids touching her and i dont know what i should do cause we love her and we saved her from a bad man that treated her wrong please help me fiqure a way to get her out of this thank you the winfield family
Tina says: About mid fall, my neighbor a cat lover informed me that there are2 stray cats in our complex and the female was pregnant. She made sure to feed them well during her pregnancy. We figured she had her kittens and kept a close eye out to see where she had them. A drainage ditch, immpossible to get to her or her kittens. So none of us were able to take them in. Well, I decided to keep the male kitten fed, and made him a little home under my grill with fabric around so the wind is kept out and is a little warmer on cold nights, if it gets too cold I will get him in the house. So now the female cat is pregnant again, should I get her a box and put it under the other side of my grill, in hopes that she will have her kittens in there? I really dont want a cat and am allergic to long haired cats, so if I were take in the female and kittens when she gives birth, what are some problems I will likely run into? My neighbor tried taking in the male cat and seemed very uneasy after a day, and when let outside would run for the female cat. Are they lonely for each other? Please any information you have for me would be appreciated. I did get a cat box for the cold nights the cat is inside and he uses it!!!!
Linda says: I was bathing my cat when at one point he was startled and sunk his claw in my arm and broke the skin that caused my arm to swell and bruise immediately. is this a health concern for me, should I seek medical attention . thank you ..
Cat lover says: My kitty, a year old male siamese mix, has been biting us recently. He flattens his ears, but does not hiss. Almost all the time when I am going up the stairs, he attacks me, or my family. He is spayed. If anyone can give answers to what is happening here, and to tell me what I can do, that would be great! Thank you!
Tricia Wallander says: My cat that we have had since she was three months old has been declawed and is a house cat. Just the last couple of months she has started to attack us. But she only does this when she is looking out the sliding glass door and sees another cat on the patio. She growls and her ears lay back and her tail gets huge and she come charging to where we are and trys to bite us. I am thinking it is an aggressive problem. She is a very loving cat most of the time. She is 3/4 siameze and 1/4 calico. We don't know for sure how to handle this problem. Would appreciate any help from anyone. Thank you
sharon f fendrick says: I just purchased a 11 week old male persian tabby. He came from a home that had multiple cats including his mother and brother. He is meowing for no apparent reason and I will play with him to try and settle him down. What do I do to stop his meowing when I know of no reason for it. He also follows us into the kitchen when we are preparing food and will come to us looking for "people food when we sit down to eat??? I need to train him not to do this everytime we sit down to eat. I will give him a treat but he still continues to meow for our table food. Please can someone offer me assistance in the problem we are having with Tanner. He is adorable and playfull but is seeking attention. He does not roam around the house as my other kittens did??? Appears to stay around us. Please help. Also he does not want to be held!!!
RHONDA says: my cat is mean with the other cat we have please help
Krista says: I adopted peanut when he was 4 months old at a shelter. The vet says he looks pure bred manx. He was very affectionate and playful when I first got him (1 yr. ago) He is still cuddly with me and plays nicely with my other cat but only after the other cat "makes" him. Otherwise, Peanut just sits in a chair or on my bed all day. I worry that he is depressed? He has become increasingly "paranoid" over the last year. He startles at every sound. When company comes over he runs and hides, foams at the mouth and howls! It makes me sad. He doesn't seem to have the manx personality I've read about. There has been no abuse, I promise my cats are very spoiled and my house is peaceful. Can cats suffer from anxiety? Depression? How can I help Peanut not be such a spaz? He is so pretty and people want to see him, but he's so scared!
Erin says: my cat is 6mo old and loves to jump on counters and get into trash. as a punishment we put him outside for a month. he likes it outside so, now he is both.. anyway, when he came back in, he still jumps on counters. his bowl is always filled with food and water. i need advice on how to stop my Mr. Kitty.
RACHEL says: my cat has been crying so much that it is so anouning we have moved to a new houes and wont to go out side she is ainside cat what do i do adout her crying.
Bonnie Campbell says: I have 2 cats-one will be 2 yrs soon & the other is not quite 1 yr. The small hardly ever meows & it is a weak meow when she does. The older cat doesn't usually meow unless is up. I wish I understood her meows. I will usually check liter box, food & water, etc., trying to figure out what she's trying to tell me. Overall they have learned to get along well together - the older cat is not nearly as social as the younger one. She will hiss at people she does not know - once she comes out of hiding. But surprisingly she can also take to other people very easily. I would really just like to understand them both better. Thanks for any help you can give me. Bonnie
Lisa says: We have a leather recliner that has become the object of peeing in a turf war. Most aggravating. We found that the Woolite brand carpet and upholstery cleaner for pets does a good job of cleaning and odor removal. We now keep the chair covered with a plastic tablecloth when we're not in the room (lovely in the living room), but when we forget and it's peed on, this cleaner's done a good job. It says it's safe for leather, but best to try a spot where you won't see it to make sure.
Lisa says: We have a Maine Coon who splashes his water like Marli does. We finally obtained a good-sized foot bath that we keep filled fairly high with fresh water. We set it in the shower, so no matter how he splashes, it doesn't do any damage and there's always enough water to drink. It needs daily changing, but is pretty easy to maintain.
Crystal says: I have a 2 year old adult cat. He is very active but when I try to pet him sometimes he grabs my hands and he will bite and scratch them and he also uses his hind legs and will not let go. But he is not always like this so I do not know when its ok to pet him. He only does this to me not my Fiance. I would really like to make him stop but I am unsure as to what to do. The only solution I can think of is to not try and pet him anymore but I do not want to do that. Also I have another Female cat year younger who is very calm and can get scared very easily but lately I have noticed my male cat keeps fighting her and pouncing on her. She tries to get away but he keeps following her and she is getting very upset hissing and crying very loudly. I have even seen marks on both of the cats from there fighting. But they also at times lick each other. I try everything to keep them from this fighting but my male cat will not stop. Please help me to understand what I can do.
dw says: me and cat moving around a little bit since ive gotten her and right now we're in a house with guinie pig owners. they have and open that they refuse to cover in anyway and she seems to think that their pets are toys. she loves to climb up the walls of cage and jump in with them and kinda slaps them around, i know shes just playing but their owners get really upset and we cant seem to keep her outta there. ive tried slapping her butt, telling her no and they always lock her up in her kitty carrier. i dont want to have staying that box for hours just because im away. she listens to me when i yell at her to get down most of the time, but she stills gets there. i just dont know what to do. please e-mail any helpful responses. email@example.com
tad says: he has a post toys but continues to want to get at wires and knock down and break things and jump on furniture other than that good cat do not want to give him up but my diabilty may make me have to
Tina says: I have a great cat ;loveable,good natured etc.The only complaint I have is that he is super-dooper frisky at night while we are trying to sleep.If he can't get our other cat to play at night(who is dramatic and loud)he gets in to anything and everything.How can I get him to sleep more at night and stop being a menace?
Shelley DeBlase says: I have a 3 year old Siamese female that constantly wants to be the center of attention. It's especially annoying when I have company over. If no one is paying attention to her, she will leap up and latch on to them. I don't know how to break her of this habit. If her claws aren't trimmed, this is painful to both me and my guests. Please help!!
NICOLE J. says: I have 3 cats, 8 years, 7 and 4. They very good in general but they always in our beds or on the couch and is impossible to set after them because of the amount of hear is in there after that. I used to have an leather couch that not me or the cats liked saw I decide to change with an upholstery one that cost me allot of money. After 2 days I realized my cats start to scratch the hand-rests of my beautiful couch. What shout I do. I place pepper on my bed and I cover my couch with plastic thinking they will dislike it and don't set any more, but it didn't work. I am desperate , help me please!
Vicki says: I have 3 older cats 13, 12 and 11. We recently adopted a kitten who is 4 months old. She terrorizes the older cats. She bites their tails and jumps on them and swats at them. What can I do to control the kittens chasing and terrorizing the older cats? I am having her fixed in February, do you think this will slow her down?
Gina says: My cat Niko who will be 5 in feb. is eating my clothes!!!! Not my husbands just mine, puts holes right trough them, WHAT IS GOING ON?? He always was a biter and chewed on laces and things that would hang, but why my clothes??? I heard stress, he could be feeling my stress?! Could that be it? I love my cat, but he needs to STOP!! Can someone give me a clue Thank you Gina P
Cyndi Olsen says: I have two cats that have lived together very happily for at least 3 years. I moved them to a new house and the older one (7 yo) got out and now sneaks out all the time, but when she is inside, the younger one (5yo), fights with her. I try to keep them separated, but the older one gets out of the room I put her in and it is on. Should I just let them fight it out, hoping that they won't kill each other? What should I do? I am at my wits end. Thank You.
Marie Dow says: I have had my Maine Coon male since he was little. He is just over 1 year and now is attacking me. I may pet him which I do often but not excessively. Without notice he may turn on me and give me one giant bite and break the skin. I have not hurt him or petted him in a sensitive area. It seems random. Why is he doing this and how do I stop him? He immediately runs off and I have chased him with a rolled paper and made noise. He is more careful of my authority now but just did another big attack a moment ago. Why?
Jan Petersen says: My neighbor was moving & said she was going to take her 8 year old cat to the shelter so dumb me said oh I will take him. Well my 2 other cats cannot stand him. It has been 2 months & they still do not like him so he has started to pee on the dog beds, pillows, the carpet etc. I'm sure it is because he is stressed out but I am wondering if it will ever change. He uses the litter box but at least once a day he pees on something he is not supposed to.
Susan Kirchner says: Help! We have two adult male cats. They have never been happy when we've gone away for a weekend, however now one of them has taken to peeing outside the litter box or spraying the wall when we return home. He waits until we've brought everything in the house, have greeted him etc. but within 10 minutes of us gettting home he pees on the carpet at the foot of the steps or sprays the wall in the same area. Last time one of our children even stayed home and played with him while we were gone. He had no problems with the cat. However, as soon as the rest of us got home - the cat sprayed the wall. Any suggestions on how to modify our cats behavior?
Ilona Rawlins says: My male cat (1 yr) is wanting to mate with a new female kitten (8 months), but he is fixed ??? What's up with that ??? She hasn't been fixed yet . At what age should that be done with no harmful affects by doing it to early
Joan says: I've had Mack & Jack for 2 years. They seem to get along well and nothig has changed in our home. However, all of a sudden, Mack is peeing on the kitchen floor. He poops in the litter box but doesn't pee there. This has been going on for a month now. I started putting liners down on the floor so I wouldn't have to mop so often. He pees on them aand there plastic backing keeps the urine from getting on the floor. I just pick up the liner and throw it away. My husband said I was encouraging the cat to pee in the kitchen so I went out and bought a litter box and placed odor absorbing crystals in it. The cat used the box for about a week and now has reverted to peeing on the floor again. Please help. I love Mack and don't want to get ris of him. Thanks. Joan
Faye says: Someone left a cat at our place about a month ago. I took her in and she was fine at first but all of a sudden she turned hostile. She used to let me pick her up and pet her but now if I try she hisses and growls and swipes at me or anyone that tries to. I could understand her behaviour if I was mean to her but she has received nothing but good care with me. I'm afraid she will harm my grandchildren at some point so I'm wondering if I should take her to the shelter. She will roll over and invite me to rub her belly but if I try she lashes out then runs away. Also she upsets her water bowl constantly. I'm just about ready to throw in the towel. Can anyone give me an explanation for this problem?
Nichole says: My 6 month old cat Marli is a very well behaved sweet girl! But all the sudden she has started splashing all the water out of her water bowl. She has a double bowl food/water dish and never did this before but for the last week she has. I give her fresh water daily and clean it regularly. I have never really witnessed this but it keeps happening. I can give her fresh water and look an hour or so later and there is no water in the bowl and it is all over the floor! I have not moved the bowl recently and her food is always still in the bowl. If she is playing I can live with it but worry about her having water to drink. Does anyone have any idea why she may have started doing this?
cedar says: Nettie has started some new and horrible behaviors in the past month or so. she is not and never has been allowed in the bedroom at night. so all night long, she has started to howl and tear apart the house. she is constantly "whacking" at stuff and breaking things, she even moves potted plants that weigh several times her own weight. we lay in bed at night and listen to things crashing in the other parts of the house. during the day, she has begun to try to eat people food and is on the counters and table constantly. nothing has changed in her environment or in how she is treated or fed or . . . i am so tired of cleaning up glass, broken pottery, plants, etc... and then there is the "picking up" that has to be done each morning - books, photos, dishes, newspaper, piles of bills, knocked over wastebaskets (no food items are them.) the vet has asked us to try a small dose of valium and it has had no effect whatsoever. any ideas short of making our home "naked" of anything she can move?
kattywaller says: Please help. I don't want to get rid of my expensive sphynx male kitty but he keeps getting on the table and counter in search of a table scrap. I try to always keep his bowl full, but this behavior is causing me to want to find him a new home. Is there any solution you can offer?
Angie says: Three days ago I picked up my daughters cat (Tig) to come live with me and my lonely 3 year old cat. He is afraid of everything. He was fine with me while I was at my daughters but now wants no part of me or my cat. He hisses growls and tries to scratch me. I can't get near him without him howling, hissing or tring to scratch. He does eat and drink. Mostly he stays in the bathroom although the door to the bathroom stays open. How can I change this behavior?
Linda says: I have a cat whom ive had 12 years, shes quiet and just wants to be left alone, recently a stray cat (Female both) has come to live with us, and she jumps my older cats back and bites every chance she gets why does she do this...she has toys all over the place ive hidden and she....My older cat has been fixed for years, and i have an app. to get the kitten spayed...what can i do to save my poor older cat? (KeeKe)...the kitten will not let her eat or use the litter box...I have been putting kitten in a cage at night but i hate doing this, any advice???
DR. STEPHEN J. HERLIHY says: I HAVE 2 MALE CATS FOR 5 YEARS. ONE RECENTLY STATED TO POO OUTSIDE THE CAT BOX. TODAY I PURCHASED 6 BOXES WITH 2 DIFFERENT LITTERS. WHAT IS REQUIRED TO CORRECT THE ISSUE? THANK YOU, THE CATS LAS VEGAS NV
esther says: My son named my cat sasquatch because he is a polydactle and has the biggest front feet you ever saw. He has six toes onboth front feet and five on one of his back feet.he also has dew claws on his back feet. He is 17 mo. old and weighs 18lbs. About 6mo. ago I had to move from pa. to Ind. when my father became ill. Sasquatch likes to go outside and play alot and I was afraid he would run off and try to go back to pa. I tie him out in the yard on a 15ft. light weight chain so he has plenty of room to run. I've had people tell me this is cruel. Will this cause him any harm? He doesn't seem to mind and he lets me know when he wants in the house because he will not go to the bathroom outside he has to have his box. But lately the weather has been turning colder and he doesn't get out as much and has been getting into alot more michief in the house. How can I calm him down more while he is indoors?
sadie vallieres says: i want my cat to be nice and loveing and playful and sleep with me at night and i want to understand my cat when it is trying to tell me something but how do i learn how to under stand my cat as much as they under stand me i have a 3 year old female a 1 year old female and a kitten female help
Inga says: We have a rescue cat that we got at 6 month old. She uses her litter box to urinate, however most times she like to ppop outside her box. If I cathe her in time I place her in the litter box and she does fine.
Joan Culver says: Kitty was a breeder cat for 2 1/2 years when she was rescued and then spent 8 months in a large adoptive home with 20 other cats. When I first got her she was anti-social and still doesn't like to be held much. But she turned into a loving cat who greets me by flopping over and insisting on a belly rub when I come in the door every day. She loves her ears and chin and sometimes sleeps with me especially if I am sick (then she will only leave me to quick eat or use her box). When I first got her I scooped daily but after two months I decided to completely dump the whole lot into the trash can and pour new litter and as soon as I finished she bite me hard and I bleed. Since then I have always tried to only scoop when she is not around.....now two years later I did it again and she bit my leg and ankle so hard that I was bleeding in several places and my leg swelled up. I yelled loud and strong --bad kitty, very bad kitty several times. I was crying immediately since I was in a lot of pain and I left the bedroom locked with her in it for 30 minutes while I cleaned and flushed my leg with Peroxide, first aid cream and bandages. When I returned she tried to be real friendly but I gently pushed her away and said, bad kitty and refused to accept her love. She calmed down immediately and has been sorry for a day now. I left her alone most of the night due to a social event and the next morning she was ok and I went to work. But when she sniffs my hurt area I respond in a firm voice that she was a very bad kitty and hurt me. Did I do a no-no in dumping the whole box and it set her off being defensive about her territory? I will continue with scooping daily without her in the room and not dumping the whole lot in her presence again. Any other suggestions? If my wound doesn't feel better in another day I will seek medical attention from my doctor but the medicine I am using is very good but the bite caused bruising as well the actual bite areas and deep scratches from the front paws. It was only one very hard bite and claws fully in my foot and ankle. The bite is on the lower leg and got the muscles so walking is hurtful after 24 hours but getting better.
Jaent Roider says: My daughter's cat has taken to using her sofa to poop on when she isn't at home! Recently, he started urinating under the sofa, on the floor in one spot. Her cat is over 6 years old and he's shared her with a husband of five years and a son of 3 years. What's up with him all of a sudden?
rita yee says: lmy cat sits at times with his back to me and this behavior is driving me crazy. Can you explain this to me please?
sherri says: someone left a new kitten under our tree, barely had her eyes open and could not eat very well, nursed her to a good eater and too cute, but she has the bites! hands, feet,,leg, she jumps on you like a flying bat! and is relentless, no no,put her down, tap on bum, look in face w/ eye contact nothing, i am afraid to give her away, she is so bad with this, any help would be appreciated....
CH-owner of lots of cats, too many says: Reading your posting made me think of our dear Sasha we had to put down last year just a few days after her 17th birthday. She to was a handful from the start when we got her at six weeks old.We were just talking last week about how we had to handle her with ovenmitts.When she got to about ten years she decided she wanted to be a lap kitty.But just with us.No one else could touch her.Just look at her. And she was beautiful! She would sit right by the front door and stretch out and pose. As soon as someone tried to touch her,watch out! You might want to try putting the cat in a bedroom when you have company. Or just make it known that the cat doesn't like to be "handled".We used to joke that "Sasha lets us live here",and she looked at us like "you stupid humans". Good Luck!
Aman Yadav says: I have a 3 month old tabby.He is very cute but restless.He doesn't wants to stay in my lap.What to do?
carl margo says: lola a bengal when she is in heat she urines all over the place . And she also scratchs at my bedroom door . She was giving to me so I l Lola a bengal she is always urining everywhere when she is in heat.She also scratchs atmy bedroom door all the time . I do not now how old she is .
Aman Yadav says: I have a 3 month old tabby.He is very cute but restless.He doesn't wants to stay in my lap.What to do?
concern says: I have a 4yr old male inside and outside cat. Recently he does not want to come in the house and when he does come in the house he is doing all kind of things that he is not suppose to do. Like I have a new roommate that moved in about 2 months ago and he is going into her room and going to the bathroom on the bed and floor. Only her room! If he can't get in the room he will go to the bath (number 2) outside the door.
julie calabrese says: My vet said to give my cat laxatone daily. I have given him wet food, no improvement. Thank you.
patti says: I have an alergy to cats and agreed to take this beautiful ragdoll to avoid his being put down - I am taking alergy meds but I would like to keep him out of my bedroom so hims dander is not on the carpeting or he sneaks up on my bed - I would like to keep him out of my sleeping territory as night is when my alergies are most active - I need a space for myself but he needs his space also - I have tried keeping him in the bathroom whick he does not seems to mind but I find this cruel - HELP - patti
Marlene says: My Cat winds herself around my legs and keep tripping me. I realize she is trying to be friendly but This happens especially if i wake up and go to the bathroom in the middle of the night . Any ideas on how to get her to stop?
Tabitha says: I have a ten month old cat that I've had since she was six weeks old. She had her first litter of kittens about five weeks ago, and has since started jumping on my counters. I feed her 3-4 times a day, but she always acts like she's starving. How do I keep her off my counter tops?
Sharon Jenkins says: I have a beautiful, white, neutered male cat, 3 1/2 years old, that I rescued from an animal shelter when he was 5-weeks old. He seldom makes a sound, occasionally a weak squeak comes out when he's particularly stressed. His problem is that he's been very aggressive, almost from day one. He's like a bully...if I'm sitting on "his" spot on the sofa, he lunges at my arm, biting me until I relinquish "his" spot and chase him away. Only showing him the flyswatter makes him calm down. I'm ready to give him up, because I can't control that particular bad behavior. I know if I give him away, he'll get abused if he treats his new owners the same way he treats me. He also doesn't like strangers visiting "his" home. Visitors are not welcome and get hissed at when they pay attention to him. I've told them, "Just ignore him and pretend he's not here." If they ignore him, he will chase strangers down my hallway and slap and at their ankles. He just doesn't want anyone in "his" home...I'm not sure, but I don't think he even wants ME there. I've had antisocial cats before, but none as bad as this one.
Big Cat says: My cat bites and stalks my daughter we have tried walking him but he is not at all mellow. He also wakes us up and my daughter has to carry a spray bottle where ever she goes!! please help
elena98 says: My sister has 2 cats and a dog. One cat loves the dog. The other one is afraid of him. I guess it's just the way they are wired. I can't find any other reason for it as the dog, although large, is extremely gentle with the cats and the children.
Patricia Woods says: my cat has started poo poo outside the litter box all of a sudden what can i do to make her use the litterbox for both pee and poo. She pee in litterbox but won't poo in litterbox she did before what happen. she one and a half now she has changed.
Ellen says: I have 3 cats about 5 years old. In and out cats. Ayear ago some one droped off a beautiful little Manx at the road. All cats are fixed. She is the boss and gets after the other cats. I think they hate her. What can I do. All of them will hunt together but in the house she rules. She likes to go up to them and put her paw on their head and look them right in the eye. they hate it. They never get right down and fight but I,m afraid the older cats might leave. Help!
Ugene says: Cats are like children as mentioned before. They are a lot of work and require a lot of care. In most cases, you wouldn't return your kid to the shelter if they don't behave so why not get a book about cat behavior or consult your vet to figure out a solution. Most problems require a simple solution such as the litter box. A cat's sense of smell is 100x ours (as mentioned) so what stinks to you is unbearable to them so the solution is to clean the litter box more often. if that does not work maybe try another type of litter. give your cat attention spend time with them. Give your cat attention, talk to them, play with them, if you were to ignore a child it would be considered abuse. It is the same thing for animals.
Jackie says: I have a male cat I had fixed he still tries to hunch stuff and tries to ride my female cat is that normal?
Barbara says: I have an 18 year old cat that is blind. I also have a 3 year male cat, he has become very mean to the older cat, attacking her even while she sleeps...I have tried spraying him with water when I see him sneaking up on her for the attack..but it has done no good. Why is he being so mean?
HOLLY says: Saying that cats will go crazy if not allowed outdoors is one of the most ignorant statements I have ever heard! According to The Humane Society of the United States (check their website) it is a myth that cats need to live outdoors! Statistically, cats live longer, healthier lives than do cats allowed to roam outdoors, where they are exposed to cars, dogs, diseases, etc. Do your research..... If you take proper care of your cat, and give it enough attention, it will be just as happy indoors as out. If it is lonely, consider getting a 2nd cat as a companion. And don't give up on changing behaviors too soon; in my experience it takes WEEKS to see a change or have a new pet get used to a resident cat. And they may never be best friends, but will probably learn to tolerate each other.
Jessica says: For all of yopu that have indoor cats , think again ..A cat is never meant to live in indoors, it leads to neurosis So frankly speaking, take them to a cat shelter or let soneone have them to allow them to have the freedom they deserve Imprisonment drives anyone and everyone crazy Cat and Dogs.Your cat will never like your like Dog and is peeing itself in fear Get a new home for either the cat of the dog Cats that climb up legs . Everytime that the cat does this, pick it up gently and look it straight it the eyes and say loudly "NO" and then put it down again..After a few repitions of this , it will be fine. Pooing in cat tray, but not peeing .. Cats need the pooh taken out before they will pee very often.They have a very acute sense of smell and are 100% super clean..If they are not it is because their owner does not undertsand something and the owner is doing something wrong JR MSc Animal Psychologist
Stephanie says: I've have my two cats for 4 years now. They are about 5 years old - They are usually very well tempered and behave. But sometimes they decide that I am not giving them the attention they want and they will do things they know they will get trouble for. Cats can be just like children if they don't get their way. I know that they must want something if they are expressing themselves in a bad way. Discipline your cats when they do things you don't want them to do. I use a water bottle and tell them NO. Play with your cats often. Some of the bad behaviors can come from boredom or neglect. Cats are creatures of habit. Routines are best. We have a feeding routine every morning and night and if I'm not there right at feeding time they let me know! Be patient with your cats and if you stick to your guns - the bad behavior ought to stop.
LESLIE says: MY MALE TABBY IS 5 YEARS OLD AND HAS RECENTLY STARTED BITING MY HAND WHEN I PET HIM,WHEN I SEE HIS TAIL MOVING OR NOT,THERE IS NO RHYME OR REASON, FOR THAT BEHAVIOR HE STRIKES ME BUT DOESN'T BREAK THE SKIN,HE JUST WARNS ME NOT TO PET HIM ANYMORE,ALSO WHEN HE SITS ON MY LAP IF I MOVE JUST SLIGHTLY HE JUMPS UP AND OFF ME.
Sherry Gregory says: My cat Nick is so scard of my dog. We have tried putting them near each other to get used to each other. Nick now hides behind furniture to avoid the dog and not only does she not come out he urinates on my carpet behind the couch as well as poops. Any advise on how to get him used to my dog.?
Lima says: I have a cat who I think is the most wonderful creature ever (not that I'm biased :) ) but she bites. So, things I've discovered: - using the water spray doesnt really work. But what I do is spray her bottom when she bites me. At other feisty times, just showing her the bottle is enough to make her abandon the next 'jump and bite'. - she likes to latch on and do the rabbit kicks especially when she's just woken from her sleep - Compromise: I've explained to her that she shouldnt bite me as i have no fur...but if i have a sheet protecting me, it's ok...sort of controlled madness, if you will. it's worked as she leaves me alone and doesnt ambush me anymore, except the 1% of crazytime. Also - the reason why i guess she likes skin more that clothing is because it's not naff...i mean you try sucking your thumb vs. sucking the edge of a sheet. Like I said - she still bites, but things have improved from me getting ambushed, bitten and scratched almost every day to a bite attempt once every 2-3 weeks. Hope this helps :)
Marly says: My kitty Vince becomes restless every single night at 2am, 4am and then again at 6am. He scratches the door, mirrors and walls. He also kind of bawls as he wanders around. Its a studio apartment so its small, but he has ALWAYS been an indoor cat. Its been a year of broken sleep and Im exhausted.
James Busby says: Our problem is not the resident cat, which is a male about a year and 1/2 old but the new cat, which is a female almost 2 years old. Both cats are fixed. The new cat (Canden) is not accepting the resident cat while the resident cat Cooper) just wants to play with her. No hissing or nothing. Now, when Cooper is not in the room Canden does well with just the two of us. Wehave had the new cat about a 3 days now. Do you have any suggestions on what we can do to help this transition? Cooper is just soo sad by himself as he lost his companion about 4 weeks ago and we feel kind of sorry for him. He just wants a friend. but Canden want do anything but Hiss at him. Help!
marie quick says: Occasionally my one year old indoor cat seems to display anger by running madly around the house and growling loudly. I can't seem to find a reason why she does this. Could it be that she may want to go outdoors?
Tami says: I have an 8 wk old kitten who is just feisty as ever!!!! She doesn't like to be touched or handled and she is not lovey at all. The only time she tolerates being touched is in the morning when she first wakes up or at night when it's time for bed. She will follow us around the house at both of these times and meow her lil head off, but when we pick her up she freaks and claws her way out of our hands. What is going on and is it normal???
Baron says: Someone thought it'd be funny to have one of the kittens climb up their leg while they wore jeans. Now the kittens think it's perfectly fine to claw up my legs regardless of what I am wearing at any moment. My legs are torn to shreds and I'm nearing the limit of my patience. Any ideas or advice to reteach these cats to not do that would save their lives as I'm about to take them to the animal shelter if I can't end this nonsense.
Lisa Wong says: Dear Stressed: You said there is a cat box for each cat...how many cats do you have? Maybe the resident cat is bullying the new cat and the new cat is stressed out as well. She is trying to mark out some territory for herself. As for getting the smell out of your furniture, Petco/PetSmart sell a detergent/cleaner that breaks down the compounds in cat urine to eliminate the smell/stains. How long ago was the cat adopted? What were the conditions like at the shelter? Did this cat have any behavior problems? Why was this cat up for adoption in the first place? Possible food allergies? Possibly doesn't like the brand of litter you use? If you already ruled out any medical/physical causes, it's time to take the cat to the vet and address emotional/behavioral issues.
Lisa Wong says: Dear Joan, When you say "bites" is it just playful "love nibbles" or does you kitten grab on/latch on and does the "rabbit kicks" with it's hind feet and actually breaks the skin? You can redirect your cat's behavior by not allowing it to play with your bare hands...you can use a toy called "the kitten mitten" which is sold at most Petco/PetSmart stores that covers your hand and upper arm so you can play with kitty and not get bit/scratched. If kitty goes for the bare hands/arms, you can distract it with a loud noise, or other toys in your hand, but you want to discourage the contact with the bare hands/arms. Other more aggressive ways to stop the behavior would include looking kitty in the eye and firmly saying "NO" while you slowly take your hand away, using a spray bottle with water, or the sound of compressed air when sprayed often startles cats out of unwanted behavior, the cans of compressed air that you would use to clean your computer keyboard with. This has worked the best with my 5 year-old cat and her biting behavior.
Missy says: would there be a reason why a kitten of perfect health only poo in the box but always find something else to pee in or on? bed, rug, behind tv. i have 3 adults also and everyone is getting along fine. the pee issue is only her.
Joan Walker says: I have never had a cat that would bite. The cat is have now is 5 months old and always reaches for my hands and bites. Is this normal for kittens? Are they just playing? And how do I stop this action? I don't want my grandchildren to get hurt.
KD says: I'm not a vet and I definitely recommend asking yours for advice or checking out a good cat book from the library, but for "ellie," I would definitely say that your very young cat is really lonely. She's naturally up at night and looking for companionship. You might try a nice long play session before bed and see if you can wear her out. In fact, try to exercise her every chance you get. That's half the battle with kittens, especially if they're alone during the day. Use one of those kitten glove toys to keep her away from your hands. if she's ever rough with them, you need to ignore her and stop playing so that she gets the message that the game ends when she gets rough. You might also make a loud, yelping ow noise so she gets it. A fellow cat would do the same. If you don't want to sleep with her you can set up a really nice bed for her somewhere else. Make it a really happy, cozy place with catnip and stuff and after your play session, try petting and soothing here there. You're at the tough stage because she's young and still learning how to navigate. She'll grow out of some of this stuff. Be consistent! Be patient! It will pay off forever if you work at it now. Good luck!
ellie says: I have a 7 month old kitten. She attacks my hands and thinks the bed is hers. I have to lock in her in the bathroom and night when I go to sleep or else she will take over the bed, crawl on me, purr loudly in my ear and play with my hair. She won't let me sleep. I have tried spraying her with water as a training method so she will stop, but she likes the water and I hate locking her up in the bathroom as I think it's cruel but I have no other choice. Is there anything else I can do? By the way please don't suggest crate training. I tried that to; it did not work.
Stressed says: 3 yr female we adopted.Spayed. Pees on new furniture, repeatly. Cat box one for each cat, cleaned daily. No UTI. Can't get smell out of the leather furniture.Can't get Kitty to stop the behavior. Im am totaly stressed about thie. Advise please?
Cats reach full skeletal development when they are this old:


text:
NEW HOPE: Drugmakers have been shifting much of their research money away from pills for the millions to rare, often-deadly diseases with few or no treatment options. Nearly 30 million Americans have one of the 7,000 rare disorders.
THE NUMBERS: Pharmaceutical and biotech companies are running about 8,000 patient tests of potential new treatments. Nearly 1,800 research projects are for rare diseases, and hundreds more are for disorders for which there's been no new medicine in a decade or more.
THE SOURCE: The data come from a study sponsored by the trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Hope Swinimer knew it was time to leave her home on Winnies Way in the tiny community of Seaforth, Halifax County, when she found a dead pigeon on her doorstep, torn with birdshot. A note wrapped around the little body like a shroud read, in jagged scribble: "Fix this."
Swinimer had known, five years earlier, it was time to move from her home in Eastern Passage when she realized her budding wildlife rehabilitation centre would only be taking on more patients. Outdoor cages began to creep inside as the guest room became a nursery. The rehab was growing and Swinimer needed a wilder place for the animals. She picked up and moved to Seaforth, where houses and farms are spattered along the Eastern Shore and the hills run down to the ocean.
ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE AUG. 24: For details, click here
"People hate so much of nature," says Swinimer. "There isn't a little critter out there someone doesn't hate."
Swinimer bought the house on Winnies Way, freer, better for the animals. Five years of growth later, the cramped feeling returned. Swinimer will try to rehabilitate any bird or beast brought to her doorstep, and this clashed with the rural sensibilities of some of her neighbours. She decided she needed space when someone, Swinimer never found out who, left the pigeon corpse.
As it happened, a nearby farm Swinimer had tried to buy when she first came to Seaforth went on the market. She made an offer, and now she runs the Hope for Wildlife Society on four hectares of peaceful and remote land.
Swinimer is energetic, her sentences punctuated with gasping laughs. She's almost always moving, naturally restless, never in repose. A squirming, hopping woman with piercing blue eyes crinkled at the corners. Swinimer is almost always smiling. She wakes up at 4 or 5 a.m. on days she doesn't have to. These are few; her tasks are many.
The farm — two red buildings, a white house, a few wire-enclosed bird pens, and a sprawling, fenced run for deer — lies on a south-facing hill, looking down at the Atlantic. Up the hill, past a roiling, squawking swarm of ducks, geese and peacocks, past a chain-link enclosure that's home to fat and serene Butterball, the groundhog, stands Swinimer's white house.
Billy Joe the Canada Goose walks the yard at the Hope for Wildlife property in Seaforth while a tour is conducted in the background in late spring. (TED PRITCHARD / Staff)
It's a grey day and cold blows over the lake speckled with birds. The house is old, as old as the rest of the farm, and the paint curls back from the grey wood siding. The cold seeps inside through the old farmhouse's tired boards, but gets no further than the corners, thanks to the pellet stove's radiating warmth.
Swinimer paces back and forth when on the phone. Right now, phone to her ear, she's doing half laps of the kitchen.
People from all around Nova Scotia call Swinimer — often, she says, after the Department of Natural Resources sends them her way. This time it's raccoons. They come every night, says the woman over the phone. The neighbours feed them because they're so cute.
Staff member Nicole Payne handles an orphaned raccoon kit. (TED PRITCHARD / Staff)
Swinimer listens, speaks. Try rubbing castor oil on your back deck. It gums up their paws; they find the smell disgusting. Play music with thudding bass on a radio overnight. It doesn't have to be loud enough to wake the neighbours. Shine a light in their ringed faces.
Swinimer pauses, smiles: "It's not what you wanted to hear, was it?"
She says kind but ignorant people often think of catch-and-release when nature creeps too close. At this time of the year, when the morning dew freezes and snow blows slowly south, catching the raccoons in a live trap and releasing them somewhere wilder and with less deliciously plump garbage bags, though seemingly an act of benevolence, would kill them almost as surely as a cake of poison or a bullet.
Without enough time to secure a source of food before the long freeze, and with local, established and territorial raccoons on their autumnal guard, transported raccoons will freeze or starve.
Swinimer urges the woman to scare the raccoons without uprooting them. "Call me back and tell me how it goes."
Setting the phone on the kitchen table, Swinimer kneels down. Below her, on a worn dog bed pushed close to the softly hissing stove, lies a fox. Eyes closed and orange fur matted,the fox's breath is quick and shallow. The diagnosis is head trauma from some unknown source. Swinimer strokes its fur, then gently lifts the fox and, with some difficulty, uncurls its legs, stiff as if from premature rigor mortis.
Little reaction, a twitch. She pushes its snout into a red clay bowl with a mixture of soft brown cat food and Boost, a supplement drink. The fox blows bubbles in the soup, coughing softly. It starts to lick without opening its orange eyelids. "She's forgotten how to chew."
If the fox, named Susie, starts to show signs of recognizing its surroundings — Swinimer says she can't even be sure Susie can see or hear — she might make it in the wild.
Swinimer carries the fox outside onto the grass and sets her down on four black mitten paws.
The fox toddles back and forth like a numb drunk, waving her small orange head slowly around, staring at nothing in particular. Swinimer will find out if this is the confused behaviour of a wild animal with partially deadened senses or the randomly firing synapses of near brain death when the results of a blood test come back in two weeks. Carrying Susie back into the house, Swinimer is almost resigned.
I don't take a salary," says Swinimer of money raised for Hope for Wildlife. "I don't take a penny and I never will."
Leaning against the back of the molting house is a wood-framed hutch with chicken wire. Grumpy at being woken up, a long, sleek animal with brown fur and a cream-coloured face pops out of a wooden box, yowling and chittering. Just as quickly, it's gone.
One of Swinimer's roommates, Gretel is a pine marten, the curious and vocal cousin of the wolverine and the weasel. A tunnel leads from Gretel's hutch to the warmth of the white house, where she has free range. "She steals socks," says Swinimer. "And measuring cups."
As November flies by, the mud freezes. The fowl beside the barn don't seem to mind, honking and screeching through cold fog.
Outside a red building called the education centre, home to animals too injured or tame to thrive anywhere but in captivity, stand two volunteers wearing festive sparkling headbands topped with bobbing Christmas tree ornaments. Volunteers walk all around the farm, fading in and out of the fog, in preparation for today's event. Hope for Wildlife is one of the many stops for Seaside Christmas, an event put on by a tourism association along the Eastern Shore.
Inside, Christmas music plays softly so as to not scare the animals. Swinimer spends the morning and afternoon talking to guests as they trickle in, telling different animal stories.
Oliver Twist, a barred owl, is an educational animal that's a permanent resident at Hope for Wildlife and cannot be released because it lost a wing and has vision in only one eye. (TED PRITCHARD / Staff)
People alternately reach out to and cringe from bronze-and-gold Cornelius, the metre-long corn snake. A blond boy in a hockey jacket befriends a yellow parrot named Topaz, who is twice the boy's age. Normand, the one-winged kestrel, pulls apart the body of a mouse, spreading flayed muscle and grey intestines across the surface of a flat rock until it looks like a sacrificial altar.
Many guests mention the Hope for Wildlife TV show. One woman tells Swinimer her family watches the show "religiously." Filming for the fifth season began this past summer. Swinimer admits the show is "a little hammed up," but it brings money into the rehab centre and children from all over the country write letters asking about the animals. A volunteer tells me of meeting people in South Africa who first heard of Nova Scotia on the show, which airs in more than 20 countries.
There are wildlife rehabs as near as New Brunswick and as far away as Australia, where colourful songbirds and small macropods, a type of marsupial whose largest member is the kangaroo, are menaced by, among other things, house cats.
Cats are a huge killer of small wildlife, so Swinimer's cat — Taffy, orange and languid — lives indoors. (Swinimer calls Taffy, a tom, "she," calling him "girly." Taffy, who stoically shares the house with Gretel, the irate pine marten, says nothing one way or the other.)
In a lull between waves of visitors, Swinimer and the volunteers form a crescent around one of the televisions playing old episodes of the show. An adult brown bear the size of a dresser lies sedated on a metal table; a rubber-gloved hand peels bloated, marble-sized ticks from its half-closed eyelids. The scene moves to men with blurred-out faces carrying a bear-sized box away.
Swinimer, who chased the bear through the forest with a net herself, says DNR blames her for giving the bear distemper. Swinimer disagrees.
"You know government. It's my fault," says Swinimer.
"They said it was your fault?" asks Elizabeth McGhee, a new volunteer with a Hope for Wildlife tuque.
"Oh, yeah."
"I mean, if you could catch an adult bear, wouldn't you think it had distemper when it came in? Any time you can catch a wild animal there's usually something terribly wrong."
"So did they just use it as an excuse, or do they genuinely not like what you do?"
"They hate what I do."
"Oh, really?"
"Hate it. They would shut me down tomorrow if they could. I got an email the other day saying, 'You're not allowed to take native wildlife off-site.' But I'm not going to stop. I've been doing it for 10 years. The teachers are begging me to come in."
"What's the worst they could do?"
"They could shut me down. They could really shut the place down. But they'd have to arrest me. I don't know if they'd be willing."
"You'd go into hiding?"
"No, I'd say 'come get me!' I would so love that. Roll the cameras."
A week later, Swinimer waits for a visitor promising to leave a big donation after a tour of the farm.
Buttercup the Groundhog, another of the educational animals. (TED PRITCHARD / Staff)
It wasn't until two or three years ago, Swinimer says, that the rehab centre started to turn a profit. Two or three years ago was also the time when, after years and years of waking up in the middle of every night to feed and check on recovering animals, Swinimer could afford to pay help and, more importantly, sleep for more than three hours a night.
The money for the farm comes, in large part, from small donations. Annual donations in the neighbourhood of $10 each pay for about $95,000 worth of feed, cleaning supplies and repairs. The rest comes from bigger donations, which are more rare, from events like the open house where hundreds of people tour the farm, proceeds from the gift shop, a government grant for summer internships and money from the TV show.
Swinimer spends eight hours a week accounting and bookkeeping for the Metro Animal Emergency Clinic and runs Homeward Bound City Pound, where she's on call every day of the year (even when the alarm goes off at 2 a.m. in a storm), to make a living. All of the money raised for Hope for Wildlife goes into the farm or toward paying the salaried employees — one full time and three part time.
"I don't take a salary," says Swinimer. "I don't take a penny and I never will."
The cost of running the rehab goes up every year, as the farm grows new animal pens and attractions like the garden and the small apiary. This year, Swinimer thinks the total cost of running the farm will be more than half a million dollars, higher than it's ever been.
"The first 10 or 15 years, I would put half of my salary into the farm to keep it going. It was always running at a deficit; I was always in the hole."
Swinimer has always been busy. An accounting job with a trucking company opened the door to a manager job at the Dartmouth Veterinary Hospital, where, over 22 years, Swinimer gathered much of the practical knowledge needed to start the rehab.
After Swinimer finishes the tour, the man leaves a $10,000 donation in memory of his wife, who passed away in the fall. Swinimer tells me this in a text message with five exclamation marks. A big donation can mean the difference between scraping a few more years out of the old red barn and building a new facility with plumbing and heat.
Swinimer forwarded me a message sent to the Hope for Wildlife Society Facebook page. It reads: "thanks for the raccoons, just what we need, a new pest!! keep bringing them down east!!" Attached is a picture of two raccoons lying supine on gravel, legs spread and mouths bloodied.
It's a common misconception, Swinimer says, that they release rehabilitated raccoons in Seaforth. Once raccoons are strong enough to survive in the wild, and if the time of year is right, they're set free in remote Nova Scotian wilderness. The DNR has handled fox, skunk and raccoon releases since 2011, re-seeding areas where animal populations have waned.
Swinimer worries about the future, about people who hate animals, people missing the beauty and complexity of what she refers to often as "their natural world."
"There's time I feel total doom, almost thankful that I don't have children because it's a mess. And it's so sad. It really is sad the way the Earth has become."


text:
SMS students compete at TMSCA
Sweetwater Middle School competed in the TMSCA (Texas Math and Science Coaches Association) held at Lincoln Junior High in San Angelo on Saturday, March 5. Four students from Sweetwater Middle School qualified for the state competition to be held in San Antonio, Texas on April 9. Eathan Speer, an eighth grader, placed third in the eighth grade science and qualified for the state competition with a score of 152, outscoring 42 students. Cody Chapman and Chance Adams tied for fourth place and Leah Warren received sixth place. All four students have qualified to compete at the State meet in San Antonio on April 9. Last week at the Plainview TMSCA competition, Daniel Peña placed first in the sixth grade Science out of 32 students. Austin Watts placed fifth in the eighth grade Science category. Both students will be competing at the state TMSCA competition along with the students listed above.The TMSCA students still have one more competition left to attend, the regional meet at Wylie next weekend. One of the coaches, Larry Hopple, said, "We are always proud of every student that competes in TMSCA. These four students show the strength of our science program at SMS and SISD as a whole. We could not be as successful as we are without the support of all those teachers in the lower grades. They come to SMS well prepared as shown by the exemplary schools of SISD."


text:
As I've made no secret for my love of fall and everything that comes with it, Halloween is undoubtedly my favorite aspect.
That being said, I've decided to break format a bit this week to bring you a round-up of the numerous Halloween-themed events happening this weekend and beyond.
What: The Charleston Riverdogs and Halloween Express will host a costume party with live entertainment, special food and drinks, and more. The Blood Thirsty Thursday will feature $1 beer, Sangria Witches Brew, limited-edition Pumpkin Beer Shakes and specialty food items including mummified hot dogs and other themed concession items. DJ Natty Heavy will be spinning spooky tunes and the winner of the costume contest will go home with $1,000 cash. The American Red Cross and Dracula will be on-site for a blood drive from noon-5 p.m.
When: 7-10 p.m. Today
Where: Ashley View Pub, Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park, 360 Fishburne St.
Price: $5 in advance, $10 at the door
More info: 577-3647 or www.rileyparkevents.com
What: Chamber Music Charleston, an organization that aims to expose all ages to chamber music, is putting on a special kids-themed show featuring Halloween music. During the show, audience members will learn about the instruments of a brass quintet as they listen to favorite Halloween stories come to life through music, artwork and narration. Attendees are invited to dress in their favorite costume and "take part in the Wild Rumpus."
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Charleston Museum Auditorium, 360 Meeting St.
Price: $10 for adults, $5 for children 4-16, kids 3 and under get in free
More info: 763-4941, www.chambermusiccharleston.org
What: This event will feature games, crafts, trick-or-treating, a climbing wall, pony rides, a costume contest and more at this family-friendly Halloween event.
When: 4-6 p.m. Friday
Where: Hampton Park, Mary Murray Drive
Price: Free
More info: 724-7327
What: The town of Edisto Beach is hosting its fourth annual kid-friendly Halloween event, which will feature free hot dogs and S'Mores, a costume contest, cake walk, games and more. Table‐to‐table trick‐or‐treating will be part of the fun.
When: 6-8 p.m. Friday
Where: Bay Creek Park, 3706 Dock Site Road, Edisto Beach
Price: Free
More info: 869-2505, www.townofedistobeach.com
What: The popular Wannamaker Movie Night series continues this fall with a special Halloween edition featuring an outdoor showing of "Monsters, Inc." The family-friendly Pixar film offers a look into the world of monsters and follows the antics of everyone's favorites, Mike Wazowski and Sulley Sullivan.
When: 6:35 p.m. Friday
Where: Wannamaker County Park, 8888 University Blvd., North Charleston
Price: $1
More Info: 795-4386, www.ccprc.com
What: The Isle of Palms Recreation Department is gearing up for Halloween with ghost stories on the beach. The family-friendly event will include ghost and pirate stories of the Lowcountry told by storytelling Eric Lavender and S'Mores by a camp fire. Attendees should bring chairs or blankets.
When: 7-8 p.m. Friday
Where: Isle of Palms Recreation Department, 24 28th Ave.
Price: Free
More info: 886-8294, www.iop.net
What: Break out your best costume for the eighth annual Halloween Howler Bar Crawl. While costumes aren't required, organizers warn up-front that those not wearing a costume will be "ridiculed." Participants in the crawl include Mad River Bar & Grille, Wild Wing Cafe, Market Street Saloon, Wasabi, Tsunami and Mac's Place. Each venue will hold a separate costume contest and feature drink specials.
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Check-in is at Wild Wing Cafe, 36 N. Market St.
Price: $10
More info: CarolinaNightlife.com
What: American Biker will host a Halloween Biker Bash complete with food, vendors, a bike show, bikini bike wash and more.
When: Noon-6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday
Where: American Biker, 679 Treeland Drive, Ladson
Price: Free
More info: www.americanbikerofcharleston.com
What: Soundwave Music & Movies will be giving away free comics at this event that's practiced worldwide. And as comics aren't just for superheroes, this event will feature themes ranging from horror, paranormal, sci-fi and spooky twists on traditional super-hero books. The family-friendly event will feature local guest artists Albert Capitan and Dexter Blanding along with local costume specialist Christa Elrod. The shop's annual Halloween Party begins at 6 p.m. and will feature a costume contest.
When: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday
Where: Soundwave Music & Movies, 2139-B N. Main St., Summerville
Price: Free
More info: 821-8810, www.halloweencomicfest.com
What: Mount Pleasant Towne Centre is opening up stores to little ghosts and ghouls so that they can trick or treat at stores throughout the area. Events will include a Pet Costume Contest at 1 p.m. at Hairy Winston Pet Boutique, hayrides, face painters, pumpkin painting, local artisans, food vendors, a farmers market with fall crops and more.
When: Noon-4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Mount Pleasant Towne Centre
Price: Free; Pet Costume Contest registration is $10
What: Live entertainment, games, pumpkin decorating, food samples, free beer and more will benefit the Share the Food Foundation. The Great Pumpkin Fall Festival will include a Best Carved Pumpkin contest, pumpkin decorating, Spooky Bingo and Witch Hat Ring Toss, a costume contest, free beer, face painting and a make-your-own caramel apple station.
When: 12:30-5 p.m. Saturday
Where: Southern Season, 730 Coleman Blvd., Mount Pleasant
Price: Free
More info: 416-3951, www.southernseason.com
What: Monster Music will host this second annual Halloween event complete with pumpkin carving, live music, a costume contest judged by local celebrities and more. Participants will be provided pumpkins free of charge but must sign up in advance and bring their own carving tools. Anyone may participate in the costume contest and there are separate categories for adults and children. The headlining music act is Acrassicauda, a heavy metal band from Iraq featured in the 2008 documentary "Heavy Metal in Baghdad." The Dig Rig will be on-site serving food and beverages.
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Monster Music and Movies, 946 Orleans Road, West Ashley
Price: Free
More info: 571-4657, www.monstermusicsc.com
What: After weeks of back-and-forth trying to nail down a venue, this adult-only party has again landed on James Island. The party will be hosted by rapper and TV personality Flavor Flav and will include musical performances by Ozomatli, Dirt Nasty, Blowfly, Cee Know the Doodle Bug of The Digable Planets with the CFO band and The Dubplates featuring Zumjay. In addition, there will be DJs, circus acts, burlesque pole dancing, belly dancers, live art, video mapping and a laser light show. Due to a noise ordinance, a silent disco will be held from 11 p.m.-2 a.m. Guests will be limited and coolers will be welcome. The event benefits the Tanzania Education Foundation and Keepers of the Wild.
When: 2 p.m. Saturday-2 a.m. Sunday
Where: Brick House Kitchen, 1575 Folly Road, James Island
Price: $100
More info: www.skinfulhalloween.com
What: Rising Expeditioners, a group that provides school supplies, mentoring and scholarships to kids in need, will host a fundraiser Halloween party with games, a hayride, costume contest and more.
When: 6-8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Ravenel Community Hall, 5700 Conner St.
Price: Free
More info: www.rising-expeditioners.us
What: There will be guided ghost walks, hayrides, food vendors, carnival games and more to benefit the Summerville School Supply Fund.
When: 6-9 p.m. Saturday
Where: Hutchinson Square, 150 S. Main St., Summerville
Price: $4 advance, $6 at the gate
More info: www.summervillejsl.com
What: The city of North Charleston will host the inaugural Harvest Festival & Block Party featuring live musical performances, art and craft booths, costume contests and children's activities. The family-friendly event will feature live music by The Local Honeys and performances by other local arts groups; a Kid's Zone with ghost stories by the Backporch Storytellers, a student art exhibit, craft activities, carnival games, face painting and inflatables; a street dance with "festive" tunes by The V-Tones; a costume contests for children, adults and pets with prizes in several categories; and more. Proceeds from the costume contest will benefit the Charleston Animal Society, which will be on hand with pets available for adoption.
When: 6-10 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Old Village, East Montague Avenue, North Charleston
Price: Free; the costume contest entry fee is $5
More info: 740-5854, www.northcharleston.org
What: A Costume Challenge hosted by Lily Slay will have the audience choose their top four favorites to compete in a "last man standing" challenge featuring various events. Prizes will be awarded. The party will also include live music by Hymn For Her and a late-night dance party.
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Tattooed Moose, 1137 Morrison Drive
Price: Free
What: A Halloween Costume Party with the Hed Shop Boys.
When: 9:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Sand Dollar Social Club, 7 Center St., Folly Beach
What: This "safe, fun and not-so-scary" alternative to going door-to-door will have participants instead going trunk to trunk. All attending adults are encouraged to decorate their car trunk and hand out treats. Prizes will go to the best decorated cars. Dinner will include hot dogs, chips and soda. In addition to "trunk-or-treating," the event will include Halloween games and more.
When: Sunday
Where: Bethany United Methodist Church, 1853 Maybank Highway, James Island
Price: Free
More info: 795-3527
What: The Summerville Shag Club will have dancing, a costume contest, refreshments and more.
When: 7-10 p.m. Monday
Where: Summerville Country Club, 400 Country Club Blvd.
Price: Free
More info: 214-0242, www.summervilleshaggers.com
What: Grant Show, making his debut in ballet theatre as the Columbia City Ballet's Count Dracula, is best known for his role on Fox's "Melrose Place." This award-winning alternative Halloween ballet has a rock/jazz musical score.
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Sottile Theatre, 44 George St.
Price: $45-15
More info: www.columbiacityballet.com/production/dracula
What: "A Halloween Tribute to the Music of The Band" with special guests Mike Quinn, Zach Hudson and more.
When: 9 p.m. Tuesday
Where: The Pour House, 1977 Maybank Highway
Price: $5
More info: 571-4343
What: Mount Pleasant families are invited to bring their kids ages 2-5 out for some early fun. Trick-or-treating, themed games and crafts will be held in the building, while a jump castle and pony rides will be available outdoors. Attendees can also have their faces painted, watch a magic show and go aboard a fire truck to visit members of the Mount Pleasant Fire Department.
When: Noon-2 p.m. Wednesday
Where: G.M. Darby Building, 302 Pitt St., Mount Pleasant
Price: Free
More info: 849-2061
What: There will be Halloween-themed food and drinks, live music and more. Guests are encouraged to wear costumes.
When: 5:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Aloft Charleston Airport & Convention Center, 4875 Tanger Outlet Blvd., North Charleston
Price: Free
More info: 566-7300, www.aloftcharlestonairport.com


text:
example of Ebay false ad
Posted 20 April 2011 - 09:47 AM
My thought was that this was an olive oil bottle. I ran it by Marc T. and he confirmed. This is one example of why you need to be careful!
Posted 20 April 2011 - 09:57 AM
Edited by rammer, 20 April 2011 - 09:57 AM.
Posted 20 April 2011 - 10:43 AM
It could be La Rochere only calls their pontalier glass an absinthe glass, when they make at least another two that are regularly used as absinthe glasses, but in the case of the Versailles the sure called it a water glass.
Long story short, vendors will peddle any 'old looking' glassware as being made specifically for absinthe, even though the maker never intended to do so, like in the case of the olive oil bottle, and the water glass.
Edited to add last sentence.
Edited by Miguel, 20 April 2011 - 12:11 PM.
Posted 20 April 2011 - 10:47 AM
Posted 20 April 2011 - 10:50 AM
But it made us smarter faster.
I mean no offense. There are bottles of extraordinary booze out there. I've tasted a few. Relax.
Posted 20 April 2011 - 11:42 AM
The L'Ancienne may also actually be quite recent, but I surely won't do it a disservice by watering it from an olive oil bottle.
Thanks, Scott, great info.
Yes, I'm Krinkles the Clown on
an absinthe a beer bender.
You got a problem with that?
Posted 20 April 2011 - 04:54 PM
I purchased a few weeks ago a "modern thing".... it is basically a cylindrical shape, all regular, with the the same measurements..... it is not vintage, but it does measure correctly and it is also nice..... Is it the same name for this "modern glass" ?
- Marcelo
Posted 20 April 2011 - 06:09 PM
For the record, it is so important, and I'll say this again, to buy real absinthe pieces from people like Marc at the Musee boutique, or other dealers with trustworthy reputations. The online auction sites are often full of misinformation whether intentional or not. This is why I posted the photo of the oil bottle a few posts up. Literally every major piece I acquired was done through someone with an established reputation, and only minor common things were found elsewhere.
It's just way too easy to get taken, or buy something that is not genuine, even from an honest on-line auction seller who thinks what they have is real!
Posted 21 April 2011 - 06:31 AM
P.S. The USD is currently doing very, very bad against the Euro. If you're a bargain hunter, now may not be the best time to be making overseas purchases.
Posted 21 April 2011 - 06:46 AM
It's not winning the battle against my bills, either!
The USD is currently doing very, very bad against the Euro.
Posted 21 April 2011 - 07:32 AM
Posted 21 April 2011 - 09:25 AM
It's not winning the battle against my bills, either!
The USD is currently doing very, very bad against the Euro.
I believe it. The USD isn't winning battles versus anything lately.
Edited by Phoenix, 21 April 2011 - 09:26 AM.
Posted 21 April 2011 - 09:34 AM
Posted 21 April 2011 - 09:41 AM
the unemployment rate here is through the roof. the jobs that are available are garbage. they normally are contracts for 3 to 6 months with no benefits......
everyone is in debt up to their eye balls. city halls can't make payroll.
they opened an IKEA in Jerez last year. for 300 positions, they had 50,000 applications....
i think our own government is keeping the dollar weak to move exports....... either way it is hurting us big time for those of us that have to use the euro and get paid in dollars.............
i apologize if i derailed the thread a bit........
Posted 21 April 2011 - 11:11 AM
As soon as I recover from the IRS, I might get some VC to keep Marc's bottles company.
Posted 19 October 2012 - 03:15 PM
and the sad silent song made the hour twice as long,
as I waited for that sun to go sinkin'.
Posted 19 October 2012 - 03:28 PM
Don't you know the Russians invented everything?
Don't believe me?
Just ask one, sometime.
Seriously, that spoon handle looks like a fantasy replacement, but it's certainly attractive.
Yes, I'm Krinkles the Clown on
an absinthe a beer bender.
You got a problem with that?
Posted 19 October 2012 - 04:54 PM
List of WS articles from across the web.
Help other absintheurs and newcomers by submitting a review. Click here to go to the main review page to submit your entry.
Rantings of a DC Gourmand.
WS on the Mutineer Blog!
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users