Hello, If you are still interested in a trade. I have Nematanthus Tropicana and would love to trade for a plantlet of leaf of Rob's Mad Cat.

Cat Deterrents for your Garden: Keep in mind that each cat is different (like people), a deterrent that works for one may not necessarily work for another. On the plus side, most cats will keep pesty squirrels, moles and other critters out of your garden. They're great for keeping out moles, rabbits, squirrels, and other critters which can do more damage in your garden than a cat ever will. If the cats have owners, talk to them without being confrontational. The cat owner who allows his cat to damage other peoples' property is as guilty as the cat hater who kills the cat for trespassing. Remember, cats will be cats, and it is unfair of us to blame them for being what they are and how nature intended them to participate in this world.� After-all, we praise them when they catch mice or rats or other creatures we deem to be 'pests'. * amonia soaked (corncobs, etc) * aluminum foil * bamboo skewers * black pepper * blood meal fertilizer * bramble cuttings * Carefresh - "recycled" wood pulp * catnip - donated into your neighbor's yards (so they'll stay in their own yards) * cedar compost * chicken wire (metal or plastic) * cinnamon * citrus peels * citrus spray * cocoa bean shells * coffee grounds -fresh & unbrewed, not just a light sprinkling (highly recommended by MANY Gardenwebbers!) * dogs * electric fence for animals * essence of orange. essence of lemon, lime (citrus essential oils) * fresh manure(ditto) * garlic cloves * gumballs from the Sweet Gum Tree * gutter covers * hardware cloth * heavy bark mulch * holly leaves * keep the area damp, they like dry soil * lavender * liquid manure (good for your garden too) * motion sensor sprinkler * pennyroyal * pinecones * pipe tobacco * plastic forks * predator urine * red wine vinegar * river rocks over the exposed soil * rocks, crushed * rose bush clippings * rue, an herb (Ruta graveolens) (highly recommended in plant form only) * short twigs throughout the planted area about 6" apart * six-inch bamboo skewers (pointy side up) * Spray on your leaves (not the cat): fill a spray bottle with 1/2 t chili powder, 1/2 t cayenne pepper, 1 t dish soap and water * squirt gun with water * talk to your neighbors * tansy * thorny berry, lilac, hawthorn, rose clippings * toothpicks * upside down vinyl carpet * vinegar sprayed on areas where they roam * water bottle on "stream" NOT RECOMMENDED: *** chili powder, red crushed pepper, cayenne pepper (NOT recommended), it gets on the cat's paws then they wash themselves and they get it in their eyes, beware cats have literally scratched their eyes out because of this. Even if it's one cat out of 500 infected in this way, that's one too many for me. *** Don't ever use mothballs or flakes. Those little toxic waste pellets destroy cats' kidney function, could seriously harm people who handle them, and yes, contaminate your own garden soil. Their packaging even warns against using them this way. Give them their own areas: (To keep them out of where you don't want them) (If you don't mind them protecting your garden from other critters) + pick the cat up and bring it to eye level with the plant to see and smell it up close. She noted that once her cat has seen and sniffed at the plant, she usually doesn't bother with it later. + give them their own plants - i.e., pots of grass for her to chew on and a place in a large planted container on her balcony with some miscanthus grass in it (the cat likes to curl up in that for some reason) + if the cats are strictly indoors and attracted to your houseplants, grow catgrass for them. If someone forced you to remain inside one enclosed structure all your life, you might be attracted to the plants too. + Barley Grass + Any type of "catgrass" from the pet store + Carex elata 'Bolwes Golden' but put it in some shade + Catmint Nepeta mussinicultivars (Simply put, Catmints are Catnips without any culinary or feline use. In any case, they are, however, phenomenal, long flowering, hardy perennials that belong in every fairie or flower garden.) + Catnip Nepeta cataria (in your own yard) The oils of which also work as a mosquito repellent that works 10 times better than Deet! Catmint is the common name for all varieties of Nepeta. Catnip is the common name for the specific variety of Nepeta called nepeta cataria, which is the variety that cats are most attracted to. + Cat Thyme (Teucrium marum) + Flax + Oat Grass + Jacob's Ladder + Lemon Grass + Loose soil and mulch like small bark mulch + Mints + Purple Fountain Grass so the cat lays in the long leaves all day. Maybe put something in that the cats really like and - you know cats won't winky were they like to hang out. + Sandy area + Silver vine (Actinidia polygama) + Striped Ribbon Grass (can be invasive) + Sweet grass + Trificum aestivum (type of cat grass) + Various Varieties of Cat Mints (Catnips) + Wheat Grass + Wheat Berries + Valerian This list compiled by Violet_Z6, email at violet_z6@yahoo.com for comments and suggestions regarding this list.

Is this stool small, hard, and constipated, or is it just getting stuck in the hair around her rear end? If it's actual constipation, you should try to find out what's causing it so that you can deal with the source of the problem, not just the result. What do you feed her? Canned or dry? Does she drink much water? Could she have ingested something (like a string or small toy) that is causing an obstruction? Since I am now caring for my third CRF cat, I am very tuned in to the fact that cats in renal failure are often chronically constipated. At 12 yrs old, it's certainly not uncommon for a cat to have some degree of renal insufficiency. You might consider having a full blood chemistry run on her to check organ function and see how her kidneys are doing. If this is a constipation issue, there are several remedies you can try. Mixing one tsp of canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling) into her food daily will help bulk up and soften her stool. Baby food peas will do the same thing. So will 1/8 tsp. of unflavored Metamucil. They are all sources of high fiber. Miralax is a very effective stool softener for cats and can be easily mixed into food or water. A low starting dose of 1/8 tsp once daily might do the trick, and it can be increased slightly if necessary to achieve the desired result. Constipation often goes hand in hand with dehydration, so if you are feeding her dry kibble, I strongly recommend you switch her to canned food. Better yet, mix some warm water into the canned food to make it a sloppy gruel that she can lap up. The more fluid running through her digestive tract, the more moist her stool will be. Laurie

trancegemini_wa, I think it's abundantly clear that you're one of the people who feel that they're entitled to let their cats roam where ever they want and to let them do what ever they want, no matter how they and you, by allowing it, infringe on other people and animals. Cats killing wildlife isn't the ONLY problem. They drive other people's pets crazy, they destroy plants, they crap all over walk ways, they kill people's chickens and aviary birds, amongst other problems. Then, there are a bunch of dangers that the cats face themselves, coyotes, dogs, poison, cars, disease, trigger happy kids and sickos, etc. The list goes on and on. Being turned into the SPCA would be a far better fate than being neglected by their owners like they are now. Better being adopted into a new home with an owner who cares than being found run over at the side of the road. My local SPCA is a no kill facility. Please tell me why a no kill facility would lie and kill cats that I bring them? I'm confused why you assumed that they'd kill the cats. And if people don't want their cats to be trapped and taken to the SPCA or the Humane Society or high kill shelters, then they wouldn't allow them to roam where ever they please. It's my property. They're lucky that I'm not sicking my dog on them, which would be my right but it's not the cat's fault, it's the owners and so the cats shouldn't have to be the ones to suffer. But cats are suffering. Do I need to keep a running tally of all the ones I see run over and brought into veterinary hospitals for unnecessary and totally avoidable maladies that don't happen to indoor cats?