Young cat, frequently out of breath, panting...normal?
booboo60
11 years ago
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lzrddr
11 years agolaurief_gw
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Cats!!! Owners of Cats!!! Who to blame??!!!
Comments (16)Stephanie, you got a good thread going. And let me put in my 20 cents. Having been a pet owner for all of my life, and now having lived in the city for the last 20 yrs I have seen how careless people can be with pets. Sometimes to train an animal one has to use measures that might seem extreme to others. The soft BB's worked and it was his pet that he was training. I doubt he is that bad of a shot that he would miss a rump. And, it worked with little harm to the dog. And the neighbors garden is the winner. I have put rags soaked in a vinegar solution in areas that I want to protect from the countless stray cats that wander thru my yard/garden. We have indoor cats and two of them spend time outdoors on a leash. They are happy to lounge in the sun and watch me work. Or they explore in my jungle of plants/rocks/and garden junk. My illiterate neighbors (they are such, believe me, and from the number of 'guests' either they are very popular or do some kind of selling business. To keep their younguns happy they got them a kitten for Christmas a year and a half ago. Once the kitten got old enough to fight back against the mauling, it was soon let outdoors for longer and longer periods. Now, it is a pest. But they probably don't care. Last year I was friendly towards it and felt sorry for it and even set out food for it (and still do). But it has become an unwelcome guest and will even come up and fight with my leashed neutered cats. So, now I keep a spray bottle with a 10% vinegar solution. The first time I got it wet and even a bit the second time. Now, all I have to do is hold the bottle and it turns tail. Same thing happened with training one of my indoor cats from bad behavior. All I do now is make a 'swish' sound holding my hand out and it knows to stop doing something. There are rules that they must follow. Now in the garden where I don't want that neighbors cat at night (and to all the other countless feral cats around) I place a small piece of rag soaked in that vinegar solution from the bottle. I have noticed that they avoid this area. I can't stop this cat or the others from 'cruising' my yard but I seem to have been able to prevent them from lingering in the front or in newly planted areas. The back I don't care about. And in the alley is where I put some food occassionally. (My elderly neighbor has been doing this for years, especially in the winter). I have noticed a lack of birds this year. And my favorite cat got out a torn screen once and spent 3 days 'lost'. He came back the third morning while I was out (late eve's and early a.m.) searching the neighborhood. I never knew there were that many B&W cats (Tuxedos I guess) around this area. My guess is that many started from the playful kitten that soon got let out or outright abandoned. They bred and there is enough abandoned sheds, garages,etc for them to breed more litters. Probably keeps the mice and rat population in check but they also kill birds and other mammals. Such is city life for them and me. Flinging the liter over the fence makes about as much sense as me flinging the occassional beer can back over. It don't work so now I add them to the recycle bin but I still fling the bottle back. The worst offenders moved a year ago so this hasn't been much of a problem since. And, I found that giving tomatoes to the top dog (The big Mamma) kinda keeps the peace. She's ok but her kids are rather feral themselves. BTW, the ones that moved left their beloved pet kitten (then a cat), behind to fend for itself. It disappeared a few weeks after they abandoned it. I don't know why, perhaps it lost a fight? Animal control don't patrol for feral cats. There are too many. What progess have you made? If you are still flinging the poop over the fence, I would add that if you would add it to some clay cat litter and place it (perhaps in the dead of night) in one location near your property line, the cat might start to believe that this is where it is supposed to go. Then just keep dropping the poop there, no need for more litter. It might just get the hint that probably escapes the humans....See MoreWhat to do if your cat pees out of the littlerbox
Comments (10)So what if you go through the list, and are still having problems? Because our 3 year old cat was so playful, and we thought it would be nice for him to have a buddy, we adopted a 2 year old neutered, declawed male cat from an animal shelter. After their initial adjustment, they seemed to get along well. The new cat was never very affectionate with us (our first cat is), but I don't think that's all that unusual. All was well for a few months, then the new cat started pooping outside the litterbox. My vet said he had colitis, and gave him some prescription food to try, which worked well - I kept him on the prescription food, and he always pooped in the litterbox from then on. A few months later, though, he started occasionally peeing on our beds. Thinking it was another medical issue, I took him to the vet a couple more times. He didn't find any medical issues - said it was most likely behaviorial, and gave us some Feliaway and advice similar to the above article. We had two litterboxes, and both were in the laundry room (upstairs). I could imagine that the location and/or noise might be an issue, or maybe privacy (our bedrooms are all upstairs), so I bought two additional litterboxes - one for the main floor (covered), and one for the basement (uncovered). I scooped all litterboxes daily, changed litter, tried different brands, etc. He continued to pee on the beds, and then later started peeing on our leather furniture, and carpet. I ended up returning him to the animal shelter, but have always felt terrible about it. I know that being a good pet owner means that you are willing to spent a certain amount of time and money when necessary, but after paying for several trips to the vet, Feliaway, replacing mattress pads, carpet pad, sections of subfloor, pillows, and buying gallons and gallons of Nature's Miracle and Urine-Off, I just reached my limit. Thank goodness for our first cat, or my confidence as a cat owner would be completely gone. Still, I don't think I will ever get another cat - I feel horrible that our second cat's behavioral issues were just beyond my capacity. Every time I see an article like this, I read it and think, did I do all I could? One of the most frustrating experiences I have had....See More'Breathing'
Comments (14)here are two articles saying breathing does nothing for a wine... http://www.moodysweeklywinereview.com/store/custom.html?id=254 http://www.winepros.org/aftertaste/3-myths.htm But some people feel more comfortable with old ways... but here's a little article.. MYTH: Wines taste better when allowed to "breathe" and get "smoother" the longer they are open. IMPLICATION: All wine should have the cork removed long before consumption and the longer the better. ORIGIN: The only substance other than grapes traditionally added to make wine is sulfur, which prevents the wine from oxidizing (spoiling). In the traditional application of sulfur, experience was often more of a factor than science and excess frequently left wines stinking of sulfur dioxide (burnt match), hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg), or mercaptan (skunk). In young wines, these stenches often are volatile and not chemically bound in solution, thus some aeration can alleviate the problem. If not removed prior to bottling, however, the sulfur compounds can bind over time with other elements and become harder if not impossible to remove. Another basis for breathing is that wine seems to get "smoother" over the course of a meal or overnight. REALITY: Simply removing the cork to allow the wine to "breathe" has no effect whatsoever. APPLICATION: The waiter, sommelier, or "expert" is wasting your time by simply removing the cork without decanting the bottle. It has been scientifically proven1 that the narrow space of the bottle neck where the wine can contact air is inadequate to produce any change within a period of even 24 hours, let alone a few minutes. MY CONTENTIONS: I first became suspect of the value of "breathing" in 1974, when, in wine appreciation classes, we drank two different bottles of 1899 (not a misprint) Sierra Madre Zinfandel. These 75-year-old bottles were throwing a very silty sediment and so we decanted them to remove it. The first bottle had a wonderful, heady, cigar-box nose when we pulled the cork, but by the end of the 30 seconds or so we took to decant it, the aroma had almost entirely vanished. So, when we opened the second bottle, we beckoned everyone gather around the decanting table to enjoy the fleeting sensation. Modern methods of wine hygiene and low-sulfur production techniques have greatly reduced the occurrence of sulfur-compound stinks in wine, rendering aeration at serving moot. The phenomenon of wines "changing" over the course of a dinner to become perceptively "smoother" is a function more of physiology than chemistry. In the time window of one or two hours during which it is consumed, the wine does not change so much as the wine taster changes. That first taste of wine includes the very slightly painful sensations of heat from the alcohols and pucker from the acids and tannins. As the wine is consumed, not only does the palate adapt, becoming more tolerant and less sensitive to these stimuli, but the tastebuds and brain also become more and more anesthetized from the effects of ethanol. As the initial shock dissipates, the taster becomes aware of more subtle complexities. The wine seems to taste smoother and more complex, when it is in fact the taster's sensitivities that undergo the most rapid and greatest degree of change. (see Taste: A User's Manual) As far as (especially) big red wines tasting smoother the day after opening, I suspect most of the smoothness comes from the very slight evaporation and reduction in ethanol, the most volatile component, but this at the expense of the aromas which have dissipated. Before you argue against this point, try an experiment (with no deviation or prejudice). It requires two bottles of the same wine, preferably from the same case, two identical decanters, masking tape, a pen, and an assistant (although this exercise is more instructive and fun with additional tasters). The morning of your tasting, open and decant one bottle. Do not open the other bottle. Out of sight, the assistant uses the pen and masking tape to mark each bottle and its corresponding decanter (with a random mark, such as X and O) to keep track. Several hours later, but immediately before tasting and out of sight of the taster(s), he decants the second bottle. The wines are then immediately poured "blind" for the tasters to decide which bottle (decanter) smells and tastes best. Most of the time, the just-opened bottle wins. The results, furthermore, will be consistent, whether using young or aged wines, whether white or red, and whether the tasters are experienced or not. A great deal of the pleasure of wine comes from smell. The smells in wine are comprised of Volatile Organic Compounds. Some VOCs are present in such minute concentrations and are so volatile that they may be exhausted and disappear completely with only a few seconds of aeration. Is it worth sacrificing these scents for what amounts to superstition that has no scientific basis? MY ADVICE: If you are unwilling to forgo the "breathing" ritual and truly place great value in allowing your wines to aerate, simply pulling corks won't do it. Decant the wine, regardless of an absence of sediment. However, you must keep in mind that the older the bottle of wine, the more brief the aroma window, so gather your friends around to appreciate the fragrances as you decant to remove any sediment and then pour that wine at once! And, if you are tempted to spend money on one of the many devices on the market that promise "instant breathing" or "accelerated aging", please consider instead purchasing a bottle of Dr. Jim's Cure-All Snakeoil (its placebo effect is guaranteed to solve all ailments but stupidity) ... (Post Script: the unpleasant, musty smell that comes from the presence of TCA, often referred to as "corkiness", unfortunately will not dissipate, no matter how long the wine is open, nor how violent the decanting.)...See MoreHolding my breathe.....Thoughts on our family home plans please!
Comments (29)I think all of us that have been brave enough to post our plans here have felt like they are ripped apart and the statement that there are no good redeming qualities is said quite frquently. Based on this I hypothesize that close to 90% of the houses in the town I live in would ever meet the standards set here. That being said I did get some good ideas that we incorporated (and we used an architect that apparently shouldn't be allowed to practice based on what he designed for us). I found the kitchen forums to be a much more helpful bunch, they give lots of great ideas and help without making you feel like your entire plan is horrific. Frankly, I am so THRILLED that my plan and especially my early elevations were ripped apart. It is because they were ripped apart over and over again, that I will be building a much better, more well designed house. I would much rather live in a well designed house that meets mine and DH's needs and looks like it belongs in the neighborhood, than something that was just so so. After all, if I'm spending 6 or 7 figures for a custom built house, shouldn't I get the best house I can possibly get for our needs? My advice is to listen with an open mind. Yes it's hard at times. I remember several nights where I repeated the same thing over and over (the fact that because of my lot, my house size downstairs was limited) but the good folks here, still wanted to try and figure out how to give me more space. :) Or when they basically bashed an idea of mine (can we say entry laundry?), I felt extreme frustration. However, even what seemed like a silly idea or an undoable idea, sometimes sparked a workable idea that helped improve my house. And I would absolutely listen to the architects on this forum. Without their extensive knowledge, my craftsman house would have looked like a mashup of every applied craftsman gee gaw without having any cohesiveness....See Moredees_1
11 years agolzrddr
11 years agoNanci Strauss
6 years ago
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