I disappear off on holiday for a weekend and everything happens...

Congrats again Blackie, are you heading for becoming a paramedic then?

Minque, she's lovely, I thought I recognised her as a Norwegian Forest. Those things grow huge right? I can see that you'll be looking forward to getting her home. And two kittens are always better than one, but if you got a male one you could have mounds of kittens...

SubRosa, that's certainly good news and a releif. I'm glad to hear it.

Indeed good news all round for once, a pleasnat change from recently.

Olen, I hope you had nice hols.

minque, I love Indra's little tufty bits on her ears. Norwegian Forest Cat - woo hoo!

SubRosa, good news indeed!

This post has been edited by Acadian: Aug 23 2010, 12:46 PM

Rosie!!!

I am SOOOO happy to hear that your Mums is out of danger...


*does happy dance*

I'm watching Pokemon...yay...and spent the last...4 hours watching the episodes....which are pretty good IMO.

My friend Josh is becoming a drug-addicted junkie I'm worried about him. Any advice?

It is a really hard thing to see a friend going down a path that may bring them harm. You can't act for them, sometimes you wish you could. You can talk to your friend, but you can't make them listen. Sometimes when someone is self-destructing and you have done all you could it is time to step away from them - not just avoid them, but tell them:

"I care about you, but I'm not going to watch this happen to you. When you want to stop, I'll be back."

It is a tough love, but no one can control what another does. When you feel the need to take the reins for them it is time to step off and let them reach the decision. You can't control them, but you can control what you put yourself through.

I was biting my tongue until what mALX said gave me the courage to speak up. She is right.

Be honest, be supportive, and be firm.

I once had to tell a friend- "I do not want to look in your eyes and see that there is no one home. And I won't. I will walk away before I will do that."

The thing is, you also need to take care of yourself. How good a friend can you be to anyone if you turn into a basket case over things you cannot control?

Please also know that you have friends here. PM or IM or email or whatever you need to do, but do not isolate yourself and do not try to carry the weight alone.

What they said, Zaphlon.

And JUST in case Josh DOES see the light before it's too late....and he reaches out...THEN GET READY to sweat as you do the 1001 things that needs to be done to help a recovering addict. If his repentance to kick the habit is genuine, then you owe his that much.

Change of subject here... which does not mean I am not still thinking of you, Zalphon.

Monday, when I made my usual lunchtime phone call, Mrs. treydog had some excitement to report.

Princes Juneipurr had caught a mouse. Unfortunately, it was not one of her toy mice, but a real one. Still less fortunate, she did not quite know how to deal with it, and it escaped. Least fortunate, this all took place inside the house. (The Princess is strictly an indoor kitty.)

So last night, she caught it (or one of its rodentate relatives) again. And lost it- again. I went to the home improvement store and got a couple of live traps. No luck yet, but I am hoping.

Meanwhile, around 10 p.m., I noticed the Princess checking something out under the kitchen table. Thinking it was a mouse, I grabbed a flash light and saw...

something that was definitely not a mouse. It was shiny and scaly, and a sort of cream color with reddish brown markings- oh, and no legs.

When it began to move away from the excitement, it looked to be about 14 inches long. I eventually got it in a bag and took it outside. My best guess is that it was a young pine snake. (Based on false rattling of the tail, leaf-shaped head, markings, etc.)

Moving is beginning to have a strong appeal. I like Nature as well as the next person- but I prefer to enjoy it in the woods rather than in my kitchen.

Needless to say, Mrs. treydog is not aware of the visit by Mr. Slithers. (I sure hope she doesn't read the forums).

Fourteen inches....Wait a minute, am I missing something -

(checks pants)

SPEW !!!!! Er...What?

I think you got your system of measures confused-

That was standard inches- not centimeters

The snake will eat the mice, what you need now is a pet mongoose to eat the snake.

preferably after the snake eats the mice, not before!

We had no problems with mice while my first pair of kitties lived in the house. Then when the old boy passed away, and we were cat-free for about six months, mice moved in (he died in July, the mice moved in that fall). We put out traps, which caught five over three months. Then I brought my current Siberian (retired breeding queen) home after spaying her, and in that first month she nailed seven mice. Seven! She may be a civilized lady, but she doesn't mess around when it comes to mousing! Needless to say, we've been mouse-free once more for the seven years she has lived with us.

Hmm the joys of vermin, my last flat had major mouse problems to which a veriety of creative things were tried. Traps never caught any, poison (not an option with Juneipurr around I'd imagine) failed, gassing them was only just short of catastrophic... In the end mouse-proofing all the food and letting the flat get really cold persuaded them to leave. Still you've got Juneipurr so I suppose she'll get all the mice given time and then the snakes won't come for them.

But snakes... inside I think I'll stay here where the wildlife is fairly harmless (at least if you avoid the sea).

We have been fortunate in that I have never seen a poisonous snake in the wild, despite the facts that I grew up in the woods and that copperheads and rattlesnakes are both native to the area....

And I really don't mind all the non-venomous ones (or even the others, which would just as soon stay out of our way)- just not in the house. I am just glad Mrs. treydog did not meet Mr. Slithers- she would have ended up getting a hotel room- probably after torching the house. The mouse had her at wit's end already...

And you are right, with the kitty around, I really prefer not to use warfarin- though it may come to that.

I have had a feral cat colony living under the deck since the year 2000, and have a cat inside that is always catching mice even with all those felines outside. Are they just not mousers? - actually, they are, but they don't bother with mice. That is too small of game to tempt them. I have seen them bring in hares, squirrels, chipmonks...etc.

It is def caused by living in the boonies, Treydog. When your house is the only structure for miles it becomes a huge draw to any creature seeking food and a comfortable environment.

Also, right up where you live is loaded with copperhead, so be careful. They love to come indoors, or even just slither into your sleeping bag when camping.

This post has been edited by mALX: Aug 25 2010, 08:12 PM

Oh, you can go to one of those farmers coops and buy giant rubber snakes and lay them around in your yard. Spray them heavily with snake urine. Spray the perimeter of your house and underneath with fox urine and you should never have another creature cross into your yard...not even human ones. (or those that lived there before you did this...)

This post has been edited by mALX: Aug 25 2010, 08:37 PM

I wonder if he makes house-calls?

ROFL !!! From what he said earlier...

This post has been edited by mALX: Aug 25 2010, 09:29 PM