Black swallowtails (BST's) eat rue, dill, fennel, parsley, etc, Giant Swallowtails (GST's) eat rue, citrus, etc. So your cats are BSTs. It should be fine to offer them other host plants that they are known to eat. The birds, spiders, wasps, lizards and other critters are probably what's behind the missing cats. If at all possible, protect them inside an enclosure which will keep out the predators. If that isn't possible, cover the plants with netting (to allow for sunlight and air flow) to keep the predators off. Some use the pop up hampers placed upside down over the plants to protect the cats. Caterpillars do not eat when they molt. It can sometimes take 24 hours or more for them to start eating again. They often will leave the host plant to molt since they are very vulnerable to predators at this time. I have several enclosures (cages) that I raise my cats in. These were made from plastic containers from Sams that had snack type foods in them, I cut panels out of the sides and cover them with screen, attached using bathroom caulk (so it is waterproof when I sterilize the cages). Good luck with your cats. Mechelle

I was pretty sure I saw a wolverine up north one time a few years back- The noise they make is pretty remarkable. I do not think they all have a light coat- I have seen a fisher- and it does move like a cat- except it keeps it's tail out straight behind it's body for the most part- at least as I have seen. It is odd how it holds it very think otter like tail... Either way- keep the pups away- and enjoy their sightings! I was really frightened when I first saw your subject that I was going to read about a cougar..... Thank goodness that is NOT the case! Julie

I will be going to Thailand for a month in the July/Aug time frame, and am still undecided how to leave my two cats Prescilla and Max. Max is 3.5 yrs old male persian cat with dog paws that still eats out of my hand every day. He is the main concern, as he has taught me over and over that he will starve himself to dehydration otherwise. But the last 3 months have been better for him in the sense that I recognized the need (as someone mentioned above) to have a daily routine when at home. Like having a set time when leaving for work and coming home. Like not studying or spending too much time on the computer while at home. Don't know why other than it's complicated. So it is Max who joined "the family" of Prescilla and I at just 6 weeks of age, and ever since has been intimidated from eating by Prescilla who hisses at him. So the last 3 months, since moving into a B&B with a view, and about 1500 sq ft of play space, and 5 litter boxes, that my cats can be seen playing and sleeping together often. And lots of windows too. But Max soon figured out that he didn't have to let me off the hook so soon, and was starving himself every day while I was at work so that I would have to hand feed him when I got home. So I realized that what he needed and wanted, was for me to show Prescilla that he was important. So I decided that I would hand feed Max with Prescilla present. And wha la! Max feels important in "the family" structure, and now wants to cooperate. Another thing I found helpful is leaving for work at the crack of dawn (here in Vermont it's 6am), and not spending too much time in the morning getting out the door (prepare the night before). Also not spending too much time at home. Also putting the feeding bowl back in its central location in the kitchen after feeding him in my bed (which is just placing the bowl next to me, instead of having him eat directly out of my cupped hand). As far as spending time studying or on the computer, I think it's a problem because (a) I'm their sole provider and am single, and (b) they take it as being selfish (they expect attention). On the other side, they do fine when I am away during the daylight hours. Don't know why. Leave for work at crack of dawn, and return just before dusk. If I need to study, I leave and either go back to work or find a book store. I return and go to bed immediately. It is an intermediate step until Max and Prescilla get to "re-know" each other. Prescilla has never seen a healthy Max, and neither have I. Except one time when I went away for 2 weeks when Max was one yrs old and I placed him and Prescilla in a vet/boarding place. Max came back all healthy looking and confident around Prescilla. His coat was healthy and not dehydrated-looking. I eventually concluded, after a lot of thought, that Max was eating in front of Prescilla, either in the same cage, or in a cage nearby, and with the constant protection of nearby humans, was freewilled to eat as he pleased. On another note, this whole thing of mess Max found himself in, could most likely be due partly to having been taken from a breeder's house, run by a couple (ie TWO providers), and taken from his remaining sibling sister cat. He was from a litter of 4 and had probably seen his other siblings taken just days before. All just to go into a home where the sole provider was not home much, and the other "kitten" was a large mature spoiled street-smart female (I got found her in the streets of San Diego). Well, you get the idea. I started the hand-feeding the next day, as soon as I saw the dueling between them. And promised to myself I'd do it for a year max(imum). Oh well. Anyways, I can't bet that I will have 3 years of neglect fixed in 6 months. I put an ad up on craigslist for free room and board for free petsitting services, and have gotten a dozen or so responses. Just not sure if Max will go into hiding from seeing strangers in the house, thus increasing his chances for not eating. Boarding for a month seems long. The landlord lives next door, and has pet-sit before, so it might be doable to have her pet-sit again. Taking the cats with me to Thailand is scary, especially with the hot weather there and the plane-sitting-on-the-tarmac thing. And the H5N1 thing. Vermont is much cooler weather. And yes, I paid $$$ for Max from a breeder, and yes his coat is off white with hints of grays browns and golden browns. Why are the cats you pay money for so difficult? Prescilla was free, but she's the plain nothing-fancy black and gray tabby. Standard stray cat formula there. Any thoughts/ideas would be most appreciated. I'm pretty sure that a paid petsitter for an hour a day would do just fine, but was hoping for something cheaper. Even then, I don't think a petsitter would be able to hand feed twice a day, or if Max would let a stranger do it. Probably not an issue, since (a) Max now knows he's important, (b) Prescilla knows to respect him or else, and (c) Max knows the handfeeding thing is a control gig, that won't work if I'm not around (I know he eats out of the bowl when I'm not around for like more than 14 hours or so). I know, it's complicated! Stephanie

Just wanted to give an update. Monkey is still hanging in there. About 3 weeks ago, it wasn't looking great as his lump had grown very rapidly in the prior two weeks, so we tried another chemo. He did well for the last 3 weeks. Good energy, purring. But in the last day or so, I've noticed some of his prior behaviors coming back. The pacing/restlessness and the strange litter box behaviors. I'm a little nervous that the brain involvement is beginning again. We were scheduled for his next chemo next week, but I called and we moved it up to today. I'm hoping it will help this latest issue. I'm also going to see if we can start him on some pain meds to keep him comfortable. I'm a little worried this is the beginning of the end, since I saw this exact progression before his radiation to the point where we almost put him to sleep. I always knew that the treatments were only buying us some time but admittedly part of me was in denial after seeing him respond so well. But I'm at peace with the situation as I know I tried everything I could and sometimes these things just happen. If you have any spare good thoughts, I'd appreciate them for Monkey and my family that he will feel a little better, and if this is the last stage, that he won't be in too much pain and that I will know when it's time. It's so hard because I want to spend time with him but he doesn't really want attention or affection right now. :(