THE KITTY TIMES NEWSLETTER
End of Oct. 2006
Hello Cat Lover,
This time I'm going to cover a subject that disgusts
most people.
Bugs. (I know I can't stand them either.... ugh.)
I get a surprising number of questions in my email
about pest control methods that are not toxic to
pets - especially cats, whose systems seem to be more
sensitive to poisons than most. And the biggest pest
problem is roaches.
Depending on where you live, you might find things
worse with ants, moths, wasps, termites, mosquitoes,
or gnats. But some of these are seasonal problems,
and some are more specific to geographic areas.
But the one that seems to be a problem everywhere in
the world, no matter what time of year it is, and no
matter how nice and clean the home, is the
incredibly hardy cockroach.
While the most effective treatment is to hire a pro,
do-it-yourself methods are usually preferred by people
who are concerned about toxic substances that could
harm their pets.
And the hands-down "winner" of all products, that seems
to be the most effective, is boric acid... or borax powder.
Roaches generally prefer to travel along routes where
they can touch another surface, such as a wall or piece
of furniture, or cabinets. So you will want to sprinkle
the product of choice along the edges of rooms and
under furniture.
Here is a "recipe" I found that is claimed to be very
effective:
1 ounce trisodium phosphate (TSP)
6 ounces borax
4 ounces sugar
8 ounces flour
The strategy here is that you provide an attractant...
something they like to eat. Then they carry the poisonous
substance with them on their legs and bodies as they
return to their nests... where they are supposed to die,
and probably also share the powder with nest mates, so
they die, too.
Repeat this treatment in 4 days, and again in 2 weeks.
Then just keep some boraxo on hand for regular maintenance
treatments.
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WEB SITES
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To learn more, here are a couple of interesting web sites:
ohmyapt.apartmentratings.com/how-to-kill-cockroaches.html
www.roach-killer.com/roach-control-faqs.html
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TIP OF THE MONTH - HALLOWEEN SAFETY
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Of course, we all know how important it is to keep kitty
indoors during Halloween... especially the black cats.
It's unfortunate, but there are some nutcases out there
who think it's great sport to harm animals during their
trick-or-treat fun. We rescued a kitten two years ago from
kids who were attaching firecrackers to him. He did fine,
and we even named him Firecracker, but he was lucky --
we got to him before things got "out of hand."
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SPECIALS
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Just a reminder: I finished my ebook on Moving With Pets,
and it's available at a pittance right now (only $5). I
wanted to make it easy to buy so we can get a few bucks
coming in to the shelter again. Here is where you can get it:
http://letsmove.myhappycats.com
I also packaged up the CatCareClasses we did a few months
ago and it can be picked up at a special discount, too:
http://caringfor.myhappycats.com
(Here's an idea: Get it on CD to use for a Christmas gift.)
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A SMILE FOR YOU
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Do you have any fun stories to share about your cats?
Send them in and I'll put them here in this newsletter.
(Include your name and website if you have one, and I'll give
you a "plug" for your site. Or, anonymous is OK, too. It's
up to you.)
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https://www.ymlp.com/pubarchive.php?catsgalore
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