Norms Bait and Tackle

[Marilyne]

Patricia - I agree that if you live in an apartment or condo, your cat should be an indoor cat.  Also, if you live in a climate like Fairbanks, where the temperatures stay so low for so long, it would be downright cruel to put a cat outside in that kind of weather.  Just as cruel to make a dog stay outside in the winter, with nothing but a doghouse for protection from rain and snow.  The same applies to pets in the Eastern states or the Midwest. 

The temperatures are so bland here in California year around, that it is feasible to let your pets go outside year around, when they want to. (In your own yard of course).  However, in an apartment or condo, there are no yards, and people do not let their cats out, except on their private fenced balconies or porches.  I think it would be a real hassle to have a dog in an apartment or condo, but they are allowed, and millions of people have them.  I don't think I could handle the multiple "walks" every day, so the dog can do his bathroom duties.  It's the law here, that you have to pick up any of your dog droppings, as you walk him/her in the neighborhoods.  Unfortunately many dog owners don't do it.

There are feral cat sanctuaries, in many areas throughout California.  Of course they are outside, and near a water source of some kind.  Volunteers build sturdy shelters, bring food every day, and keep the area clean.  Veterinarians neuter/spay, and return the cats after 24 hours.  Donations from the nearby communities pay for the food and all the services.  There is even a rabbit sanctuary, near me in Santa Cruz, which I think is nice.  It is so sad how people buy "bunnies" for Easter or other occasions, and then abandon them when they get tired of them.  

[Mary Ann]

Kendrick is essentially an indoor cat and in the winter he has no problem.  In the summer and in good seasonable weather, he has other ideas.  I have a 10x10 deck with good railing so I let him out on the deck for about a half hour several times a day in good weather.  He has been forgotten at times and spent a lot more than a half hour out there.  He has managed to dart out the front door and refused to come in a couple of times, once late at night.  He seems to wander around our building (four units) and he'll go to Tom's open window and lets Tom know he wants to come in.  I fight like crazy to keep him an indoor cat but Annie sometimes thinks he should be able to be out.  Sometimes I go out on the deck so he has company - that is, in good weather.  Kendrick can tell if it is raining or cold and he wants no part of it!

Mary Ann

[larryhanna]

Hi Everyone.  It looks like we will have a beautiful day today with it getting into the 60's and mostly sunny.  My morning didn't go exactly as planned yesterday but pretty close.  When I got to the lab about 10 am I learned that their lab tech had gotten another position and they couldn't do lab work at our downtown location at this time.  So I decided to stop at the café to get something to drink, I couldn't eat as needed to be fasting for the blood tests,  However, none of the regular coffee drinking friends were there so only stayed a few minutes and decided to go on to my doctor's appointment, which was in a building attached to the hospital.  I did make a very brief stop and got my taxes paid on my cars and got new tags for 2018.  I had a long wait to see the doctor but she finally came in.  Apparently all of her staff are out sick except for one lady who handled the appointment desk and she was having to fill in calling patients, etc.  The doctor was pleased with how I have been getting long heart wise and no changes in medications.  It was close to 1 pm when I went on over to the lab at the hospital to get the blood tests done.  I had planned to stop somewhere for a sandwich on the way home but it was raining pretty heavily so just came home and fixed a sandwich and then spent the rest of the afternoon resting as was beat.  Our granddaughter and her friend came over after she took her dad to work and they fixed the main dish for our supper last night and then the ladies played Farkle.  As they left they took the garbage can to the street to me.  Unfortunately the automatic garage door opener had stopped working.  I will probably have to call for service to be done on it today.  The garage door isn't very heavy and can be manually raised and lowered so the cars are not stuck in the garage. 

In a little while I plan on picking up my friends from the assisted living facility and going downtown to coffee.  I will probably pass on attending the Wisdom Group at 11:30 as am feeling some residual tiredness this morning from yesterday's activities.   I am going to suggest that we go out to eat later today as we haven't been out to eat for a couple of weeks.  That will be my exciting day.  I did have results from the PSA test done yesterday and my PSA has spiked about double from what it was a few months ago so it sounds like my prostate cancer is on the increase.  I will discuss this with my GP when I see him early tomorrow morning. 

Mary Ann, I still have the remnants of the cough but much better.  It was nice to get out of the house yesterday even though I did a lot of waiting.  I don't mind waiting for the cardiologist.  She had been held up at the hospital and I know that someday it might be me who needed to hold her up in getting to her appointments on time.  I hope you didn't get too much lake effect snow yesterday. 

MarsGal, hopefully Shan will calm down before all of your furniture is torn up.  At least he is keeping you on your toes.  We have had one cat in our married life and he was beyond the kitten stage when he came to live with us.  He still managed to do some damage with his teeth.  There will be no more pets for us. 

Marilyne, we did get a baby puppy for our kids when they were in grade school.  He was a small poodle and he was very hyper, probably from the kids playing with him.  He barked a lot which really got on my nerves.  I was surprised to read of the rabbit sanctuaries in California. 

Patricia, thanks for the information on the port-out scam.  I will have to look into that situation at the AT&T site.  I have opened the link to keep on my computer until I can check it out.

Carol, good idea to not take any chances on getting caught in a scam. 

Hi Joan.  I hope your weather is staying pleasant for you. 

[Marilyne]

Larry - Good to see that you feel well enough to start getting back to your regular activities.  Those lingering coughs are so exhausting.

Mary Ann - I'm sure Kendrick stays right around your building on the occasions that he does get outside.  Usually a cat who is not used to being outside, will find a safe place to sit and observe, and watch the world go by.  Once in a while, Winnie would get out in front, but when he did, he never left our yard.  He was definitely not a wanderer.

[Mary Ann]

Marilyn, I let Kendrick out on the deck in good weather and I have my amaryllis bulbs on the deck in a cluster.  He wanders around them and he does not eat the leaves.  I have let him out the front door when/if I've gone for the mail and he stays by the porch, however, he does get off the porch into what plants are there.  He does eat the grassy weeds and so far has had no ill effects.  If he sees something move, he goes for it and he got a young bird that had fallen out of a hanging basket next door.  He got it into the house and the poor bird was flopping around.  I gave Tom a napkin to pick up the bird and he got the bird outside.  Kendrick did not go back out but I'm sure the bird did not survive.  Kendrick was just doing what cats do!

I see my weather thing has changed, but it still is not right.  My clock says 11:50 but the weather thing says 2:20 and the temperature is nearer 20 degrees, not the 15 the weather thing shows.

Mary Ann

[wjoan]

Larry, thanks.  Weather is moderate here lately.  Not ice cold nor is it warm.  Somewhere in the middle, but nice.

[angelface555]

Good morning from a still warm Interior. Not much going on here.

For me, there are too many dangers to allow a cat outside or a roaming dog. Besides crazy dangerous people, cars, other animals both wild and domestic, hazardous temperatures, there are chemicals on lawns or roadways, antifreeze, paint removers, oil, etc.

We do have severe temperatures here and larger wild animals, however, other states have severe heat and alligators for example. Vets will tell you that an indoor only cat on average lives twenty-six to twenty-eight years while an outdoor or indoor-outdoor cat lives on an average five to eight years.

Larry, with both professional and amateur scammers and thieves out there, it pays to have a good antivirus and to stay educated and aware with phones, computers, and other electronic devices. There was a large hotel in the news that had all of its information stolen and held for ransom recently. The scammers had taken control through their "smart" devices.

[Mary Ann]

Patricia, other animals are exactly why I want Kendrick inside.  The only "other" animal we have around here is the raccoon and i haven't seen one in years, but I'm not up in the middle of the night, so who knows.  Kendrick could jump off the deck from between the rails, but we are several feet up from the ground and while I know he could do it (he did the first night he was left out), I think he'd rather not make the jump.  The deck is at the second floor level, over the patio.

Mary Ann

[angelface555]

Plants are another item that is dangerous to cats either because they are poisonous or because of the people growing them. Lawn chemicals are dangerous not only to cats and dogs but birds and small wildlife too. Last summer, a woman here became tired of dogs and especially cats getting into her flower beds. She decided to put out poison in her yard, on her unfenced property. After killing two cats and a basset hound, she was taken to court. She was released because the animals were not secured and it was her legal property.

MaryAnn, Kendrick is well behaved but other animals are not or are feral. Some folks in Canada or the states tired of having a feral colony near their homes have put out poison. One rescue group in Washington who was feeding and trapping cats for neutering and release, often found their food or shelters destroyed and poison set out close to the feeding stations. There are many people who either fear or hate cats, often because of allergies or ignorant superstitions.

[angelface555]

On another subject;

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/knit-human-anatomy-model-yarn

"Daniel Lam was knitting his way through the whole tangled slew of abdominal viscera, and things were looking pretty good. He’d found the perfect yarn for the intestinesâ€"a marbled pink hueâ€"and was closing in on the right proxy for a gallstone. It needed to be small and round. (A lima bean, to its credit, was small enough to shimmy between the stitches, but the shape was all wrong.) That’s when Lam hit the “rock bottom of nerdy knitting,” he wrote on his blog, Masculiknity. “AKA using a mardi gras bead inside a yarn gallbladder to simulate cholelithiasis.”'

[angelface555]

Pet rooms for those of the "Think big or go home," persuasion;

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/10-bougie-af-pet-rooms-better-than-your-first-apartment-255397?utm_source=at_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=02082018&recip_id=285453

[Lindancer]

Good afternoon, yesterday got to 50, with heavy rain. To day sidewalks and road were very bad, as the temp. feel so fast. To day will not get above freezing.

MaryAnn, as I have wrote before, I am afraid if Taffy got out, the other lose cats in the neighborhood would kill her. We have one of the largest raccoons anyone had every seen, he looks more like a dog.

Patricia, talking about poison, I do not know how anyone could poison any animal. the worst case was we had a neighbor who put out ground  glass.  Which killed our angora cat, when I was about 10, I have always remembered that. Me, I even carry a cricket out side, if one get in the house.

[Mary Ann]

Patricia, those pet rooms are something else.  I'm fortunate that I don't have the room or the money to even begin to think of such things.  What an imagination that man had to knit those various body parts to help others understand how we "tick". 

Gloria, our dog of 10  years was poisoned but I'm not sure if it was really poison or if there was some contamination in the garbage she got into.  This was 70 years ago when we could let our pets roam.  Also before disposal units and we all had garbage cans at our back doors.  She was a neighborhood dog and when she died, no one could say a nice word to me for a few days or I would break out in tears.  I was 25, so not a child.  Here, at the condo, I am not the only one who has a cat and they're all inside cats.  We are not allowed to have a dog. 

Gloria, I'm watching golf from Pebble Beach.  It's only the first day so I don't feel it is as interesting as toward the weekend.  Big names are playing but I don't know who's ahead.  I'm not an Olympics fan so probably won't watch much, if any, of that.  Maybe the opening ceremony, if it is on at a time convenient for me!

Tom is out driving, hoping for better (worse) weather when some others might not want to drive.  He has snow tires on his car which help driving in the snow.

Mary Ann

[Marilyne]

Mary Ann - I enjoy watching Pebble Beach golf tournament very year.  I do get a kick out of Bill Murray, and Clint Eastwood can be very witty too .

I can imagine how bad you must have felt when you thought your dog was poisoned.  I have had some extreme emotional reactions to the loss of certain pets over the years.  Most recently, when Winnie had to be taken to the vet and put to sleep.  I know he is the last pet I will ever have, so it was very difficult, and I will always miss him.

If anyone is interested in looking at the Rabbit Sanctuary, that is close to me in Santa Cruz, here is the web site.  Really wonderful how they rescue and take care of abandoned domestic bunnies.
https://therabbithaven.org

[Sasha]

Over the years, as our cat shelter has evolved into a sanctuary for mistreated cats, I’ve come to think far more highly of cats than people. Each of the seven we keep here has a horror story, and our fosterers have cats with baggage, too. I’m never out of Mariah’s sight unless I’m at the grocery store, and when I get home she has to have a serious sniffing to be sure I’m ok. She was 2 years old and weighed 3 1/2 lbs. when she squawked under the window, dropped off, we’re sure. We’ve rescued from poisoners, and even people who use cats as bait for fighting dogs. Do you wonder I rarely post anymore?

[Mary Ann]

Sasha, it is good to see a post from you and feel free to post any time.  Because Patricia, Gloria de, MarsGal and I all have cats and Marilyne did, we have a lot of cat talk in here.  My cat is really not my cat, but he lives with me and checks to see that I'm here every so often.

Right now Kendrick is sleeping on my bed on the mattress pad I have for him.

Mary Ann

[shirleyn]

Sasha!!  So good to see you here - it has been too long since you were last here!!  I wonder about you when I do not see you neither here nor on Facebook.

shirleyn.

[MarsGal]

Good morning everyone.

Today is Lucy's annual trip to the vet. Oscar has been looking for extra cuddles lately. I don't know what that is about. So far, Shan is behaving himself this morning. I don't exprect that to last.

I didn't go to the library yesterday. My back was bothering me too much. Pills and a heat pad helped a little, but what seems to help the most is the vibrator on my recliner. The added bonus of using the vibrator function, I've discovered, is that Shan doesn't like it. If I turn it on when he gets under the chair to shred things (and pull wires, there are a surprising number of those under there), he leaves rather quickly.

My best bet for getting to the grocery store will be tomorrow. It will be in the 40s.

[angelface555]

MarsGal, think about deterrents such as the Bitter Apple and the spray bottle of vinegar and water. They are safe, readily available, natural and they work.

I'm sorry your back is bothering you.

[larryhanna]

  Hi Everyone.  I am getting a late start this morning.  I had an 8 am doctor's appointment, a routine appointment with the GP, and all is well.  My son went with me  to Costco with me for some shopping and then helped getting the groceries into the house and we had purchased a lot of meat so he helped me get it packed and into the freezer.  Of course, we sent him home with a stock for his freezer plus a few other items.  The housekeeper is here and is about through in the bedroom.  I am feeling better each day and almost back to normal but worn out and ready to rest so am passing on individual comments today.  I did read all of the postings. 

[Marilyne]

Sasha - So good to see you here, but so very sad to hear about some of the mistreated/abused/neglected cats that you've rescued.  it's such a pervasive problem in our world, and I wonder why?  Why are there so many human beings, who have no compassion for animals? Cats, dogs, rabbits, and even horses, are neglected and abandoned every day.  I've reached the point where I can no longer watch a TV news story about an abused animal.  The story stays with me, and haunts me, because there is nothing I can do to prevent this sociopathic behavior.   Yes, we can and should support and contribute to sanctuaries and rescue groups, but there is nothing we can do to prevent people from committing these crimes against innocent animals.

To all pet lovers - if you haven’t already seen the movie, A Dogs Purpose, I highly recommend it to everyone.  The story follows the same dog through four different lives and families.  I know it sounds silly, but it is so well done, and is an uplifting and hopeful story, for those of us who have loved and lost our pets over the years.  Yes, it is a fanciful concept, but presented in such a way that it is not overly sweet and sentimental. When you’re  finished watching, you feel good, not bad!  It's playing on my free Comcast movies now, and probably on most other cable providers across the country.

[angelface555]

Marilyne one way to help besides supporting sanctuaries such as Sasha's is to support and demand as a voter and member of your community, animal rights bills and enacted and enforced tough laws about animal abuse and neglect.

[larryhanna]

  Hi Everyone on a foggy South Carolina morning.  We have the possibility of rain in the forecast later today but we will be in the mid-70's this afternoon.  After a pretty busy three days, at least for me, I find myself without much energy this morning.  I don't think I have completely recovered from whatever had laid me up for 2 1/2 weeks.  My calendar is clear for today so will just rest and take in some of the Olympic coverage later today and perhaps watch some golf later this afternoon.  I have already emptied the dishwasher and have things ready to fix Pat's breakfast when she gets up.

Sasha, I didn't comment on your posting yesterday  and how nice to see your post.  I also don't know how people can be cruel to animals.

Marilyne, I just wrote myself a note to check for that movie about dogs that you mentioned.  It does sound good. 

Patricia, our county has just enacted some new animal welfare regulations to better protect animals.  There have been several stories of pet's left out in the severe cold and a couple of dogs freezing to death late last year.  I think this has prompted the new regulations. 

[wjoan]

My Mgr. came up yesterday to tell us that she has an apt. for Candy.  Now they just have to do the paperwork and she can move in.  Tis upstairs from me which is fine.   We are both delighted about this.  LOL

[Lindancer]

Good afternoon, on a rainy warm day, for Feb.  Suppose to have heavy rain later. the middle of the country seems to be getting hit with heavy snow.

Larry, hope you keep getting better.  I was suppose to go to homemakers yesterday, but I got up with my feet so swollen, I did not go.

Wjoan, I am so happy to read, your daughter got her own apartment, and just above you.

Maryann, I watched the opening ceremonies for the Olympics last night, and am watch some of the games to day.  I also will be peeking in at my golf, as I like the ProAms.

Patricia, I am going to tell my neighbor about the bitter apple. She has adopted a kitten that was found in the motor of a car, in the parking lot where she works. No one claimed it. At first it was very tiny, it is now a couple of months old and a little devil into everything, tearing furniture, on the table, wires etc.  Even giving her other cat a hard time.

[angelface555]

I think the trouble with kittens beside being young and like any healthy young, intelligent and pushing boundaries is that they aren't pack animals like dogs. From Slate; " Humans also deliberately bred dogs to be more adorable. Other pets came later. Sheep and goats were first domesticated roughly 11,000 years ago, while cats became pets around 7000 B.C. with the advent of agriculture. (As people collected and stored grain, it would attract mice, which would then attract cats.)" Cats are wired to be more curious, it's a survival mechanism.

I think a major difference between a human baby and a cat is that humans are larger, slower and without claws, but that same curiosity is there.

It is not only for animals that we need education and laws protecting animals. It benefits us as a whole in safety, those who abuse animals are known to often graduate to humans, it affects property values in the damage done by wild animals, diseases carried over to us and other animals and it effects us in our behavior and attitudes. We need animals as much as they need us, as companions, service animals, emotional support, and to keep as originally noted, protected from being overrun by pests.

Here, unfortunately, animal laws are very poor like human care laws. This state has more of a John  Wayne attitude than a more progressive one.

Joan, I bet both you and Candy are glad to move on to her next step in life with a new apartment but still close.

[shirleyn]

Joan - YAY!!!

And YAY to you, too, Larry, on your recovery.

shirleyn.

[wjoan]

Shirley, thanks. 

[larryhanna]

Hi Everyone.  It is going to be a rainy but warm day here in South Carolina.  I was so tired yesterday that I spent most of the day laying down and not feeling energetic today.  I will miss Church for the third week in a row as just not up to going.  We just realized that today is our Great Granddaughter's Birthday so our small birthday gift for her is going to be late.  I will send her a Jacqie Larson card later this morning.

Joan, what great news and I am sure a big relief for Candy and for you.  You will have your own space back and Candy will be able to get settled and still be handle to keep on eye on you and keep you out of trouble. 

deAngel,  enjoy the warm weather and the heavy rain is sure better than the heavy snow.  I watched some of the opening ceremonies for the Olympics.  I heard them say that the spectators couldn't see all that was shown on TV.  I didn't find it a very interesting presentation other than seeing the joy on the faces of the athletes.  I also watched some of the games yesterday on my iPad on the NBC Sports App since they were showing the events live and you got to see many of the competitors participate.  There also wasn't as much advertising as what is on network TV.  I also tuned in on a little bit of the golf. 

Patricia, very interesting thoughts about animals and humans.  I guess Alaska is sort of the last frontier left in the USA and want to hold on to that designation. 

[Mary Ann]

Larry, Dot and I also are not going to church but not for the same reason as you.  We were debating as to whether to go or not and as we hung up, Tom called and said the roads were "horrific" so I gave that message to Dot and we decided to stay home - 2nd week for us.  Tom will be home about 11 am and offered to drive us to breakfast and at least I will take him up on it (I wrote "take" at first but Tom can't afford to "take" us, so drive is more apropos).  Mr Burger is about half as far as church is. 

I'll be back later after I wake up!

Mary Ann