How do you get rid of stray cats?
May 8, 2004 | 12:00am
Dear Home 911,
How do I get rid of stray cats that have made my garden their home? The mother had kittens here and they leave their pooh and ruin my plants.
Luisa Of Fairview
Get a dog? There are many ways to get rid of stray cats, most of them cruel. And I’m begging you not to do any of those. My only suggestion would be to use deterrent sprays formulated to keep animals away from plants and generally anything you don’t want them to touch. Stop and Grannick’s Bitter Apple, both available at most pet stores, have a strong bitter scent and a taste that annoys the animals but won’t harm them. My friend Ivy, whose dog Borgy had an appetite for her plants, used Stop with success. My own dogs Freeway and Alley, who have the habit of dragging anything on the floor, sneeze when they smell either scent and leave the floor mats and slippers alone.
I have two things I want to raise regarding the issue of strays. First, bear in mind that the animals are not to blame, their irresponsible owners are. My neighbor lets their dog get pregnant at every heat and God knows what they do with the puppies. A few months ago, the dog gave birth again and the pups would be left outside their gate from where they would wander onto the street and into our garage. We kept returning the puppies, telling the owner that we might accidentally run over them because at only two weeks old, they were so small. Every day, it was the same. One time, I saw one kid take a puppy and put it up on top of the wall. I couldn’t believe it – I mean, all that trouble just to be mean. Finally, when the dogs were wandering again, I yelled at the owner that if he didn’t want the puppies, why the hell didn’t he have their bitch spayed?
Animal welfare groups such as PAWS and CARAFIL routinely hold free spaying and neutering of pets, and pet owners don’t take advantage of this. In fact, some owners think it’s cruel to have the dog neutered or spayed. It’s not. Animal rights groups emphasize that animal control starts with the owners. Without having them spayed, what do they expect their dog to do, tell another dog "Not tonight, honey. I have a headache"?
That’s why I am so disappointed that in this election, not one politician raised the issues of animal control and animal welfare, even though they’re a big problem in every Metro Manila neighborhood – you see cats and dogs as road kill every day; kids being bitten by rabid stray dogs; strays scavenging in trash, getting and spreading diseases; you see ads in Buy & Sell of owners trying to swap their dogs with cell phones.
Maybe they don’t have this problem in the exclusive villages and condominiums where our leaders live, which is perhaps why government has paid so little attention to this problem. Or maybe it was more important to get the crowds agitated beyond reason during the TV debates – that always gets the ratings, doesn’t it? – which is why the debates went the way they did.
I know that there are more important concerns our city halls are preoccupied with – but that’s no excuse to ignore this problem – and there is the Animal Welfare Act that puppy mills don’t even bother to read and the Bureau of Animal Welfare does little to go after violators.
It bothers me that we live in a society where some pet owners hire yayas for their pets, and other kids grow up kicking and throwing stones at these animals thinking there’s nothing wrong with it – after all, it’s just a cat or a dog.
So when you come right down to it, the cats that stray into your garden are left without a choice. They’re just trying to survive. They’re not like people that can make something of themselves on their own – they depend on humans.
Assuming you can’t find their owners, you can ignore the cats or you can feed them. If the deterrent sprays don’t work, just be patient, they will eventually leave and just think of it as your contribution to the animal world. And think of the numerous studies done on animals’ effect on people, two of which I read in Dog Francy: One is that children who grow up with pets become more tolerant of the disabled and the elderly, and that petting a cat or dog can lower your blood pressure.
While cleaning the inside portion of my microwave oven, I noticed that the paint had chipped, exposing a pea-sized rust. Is it still safe to use the microwave?
Beth
Remember the time when thawing brick-hard meat from the freezer meant we had to wait for hours? I don’t even remember how we did popcorn before the microwave!
Microwave ovens have made our lives so much easier and convenient. But remember that when they’re damaged by cracks or holes they can cause dangerous microwaves or MWVs to escape. Damage can result in radiation leakage, which is why microwave ovens undergo some of the most stringent testing required by the US FDA. While radiation leakage from a tiny crack may be below the harmful level, it’s better to be cautious. Don’t use your microwave until you have it repaired by a qualified technician.
For more microwave safety tips, log on to www.mjelectric.com.
What’s the best solution to clean acetone stain on my wooden flooring in my bedroom? Namuti ang sahig.
Flordeliza R.
For this problem, we asked chef and furniture designer Claude Tayag, whose pieces are simply beautiful. Claude is also one of those people who collect old wood, salvaging them from demolished houses and structures. If you’ve seen any of his designs, you’ll know that he believes in the purity of wood – he never stains them but just uses natural varnish.
"I’ve never come across this problem," says Claude. "But I suppose it’s the same effect as spilling bleach on the wood, Kung pumuti in blotches, resand the wood with sandpaper grit #180, then #320, and finally #400. Wipe clean, then apply classic wax which is available in antique stores." Claude says you have to do the entire area.
I have a black blouse that was accidentally treated with bleach. Now it has white swirls all over it. How do I save the blouse?
Black Lady
How attached are you to this blouse? Is it a gift from a boyfriend, is it something you blew your Christmas bonus on? Sorry, you can’t repair it, the color has faded due to the bleach. You can dye it if you like, but ask yourself two things: 1) Is it worth the trouble? 2) Do I need an excuse to go to the mall?
How can I make my desk look nice? I’m 13 years old and I want to know what arrangement and what stuff is best for my desk.
Miles
Ah, you remind me of me when I was 13 years old – neurotic about the mess in my room and forever trying to find my sister’s diary among her clutter.
The first thing to remember is that everything needs to have a place. Pens and pencils belong in a cup, letters that you don’t want your parents to read belong in a box and should not be lying around where the maid can find them and giggle over them, and books belong on the shelves. If your desk has drawers on the side, ask your mom to help you file your things according to your needs. The things you need most often for school belong to the top drawer, the things you need least belong to the bottom. If your desk doesn’t have drawers, get some of those stackable shelves (you can find a wide selection at Dimensione, Make Room, Anonymous, and Tickles for those really cute ones).
Then there’s the style. What do you like? Do you like frou-frou stuff , are you a monochromatic kind of girl or do you like posters of your favorite singers? You can buy ordinary boxes and wrap them in gift wrapper or posters.
You can also personalize your desk. If it’s ordinary wood, you can bleach it or paint it yourself in your favorite color (just remember that matte paint is more beautiful but attracts dirt quicker than glossy paint). If it’s made of narra and other rare woods, re-varnish it.
Anything you do with your desk should fit your lifestyle and your needs, Make sure it’s conducive to studying and neatness plays a big part in that. At 33, I have the same habits as I did when I was 13. I can’t begin to write at home until the room is neat, giving my husband a lot of grief.
How do I remove chocolate and food stains on my dining chairs? I tried to sponge them with water and soap and then blow-dried them, but they left a water stain.
Dorothy
I had the same problem with my dining room chairs. One time, I asked my husband R. to clean the chair, which he did grudgingly. The stain was removed, but the problem was outside that clean "ring" the rest of the chair looked so dirty you can tell which part had just been sponged. When you clean a spot, you don’t just remove the stain, you remove the dust that has accumulated on it, too. So to make it look even you have to clean the entire chair and dry it with an electric fan. Try this first. If the stain doesn’t go away, try Goo Gone, an orange-based stain remover. The same principle applies – clean the whole chair, not just the stained part. You can also have it professionally done by carpet and upholstery cleaners (check out Home 911 February 21 issue, which listed three professional companies with their numbers and rates).
Another reader reminds us that stickers reduce visibility, which is why in other countries like the US, stickers are allowed only on the bumper of the car.
On the extra virgin coconut oil problem, Dominador C. Fonacier of Mt. Mayon Living Products, Inc. (802-0538) wrote to say that virgin coconut oil extracted through the cold process is better as "nutrients naturally found in coconut, such as tocopherol or vitamin E, are dissipated when heat (above 40°C) is applied in the production. Most producers, in their desire to accelerate production, apply heat one way or another. This could come from the presser they use or during the recovery of oil from water. Using a screw press, for example, can easily generate heat above 40°C. Some producers claim that their VCO is ‘cold pressed’ but this does not necessarily mean they did not apply heat at a later stage of their production."
"There have been many claims as to what quality of virgin coconut oil suppliers or producers have but to date a standard has yet to be finalized. For this reason, CITEM sponsored last March 23-24 a workshop to define once and for all what really is the standard for virgin coconut oil or VCO or VCNO. The TWG Workshop proposed to define Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) as: ‘Oil suitable for human consumption in its natural state and produced from the fresh kernel of mature coconut with or without the application of heat which does not lead to the alteration of the oil.’ Some VCO available on the market today come from sapal (secondary pressed) and this may no longer qualify as VCO since sapal may no longer be fresh when processed into VCO."
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