Before buying or adopting a cat, examine its general health and disposition. Its coat should be sleek, with no bare patches, and completely clean on the hind legs and under the tail. Observe how the cat responds to your holding and petting. Invite it to play by trailing a piece of string. Lack of alertness and playfulness may indicate poor health or former neglect.

Housebreaking

Centipedes-fast-moving, multi segmented arthropods up to several inches long-prey on household and garden insects. House centipedes are harmless to humans, but the bite of some other species is poisonous. They bite humans only if disturbed. You may be allergic to their venom; if you are bitten, consult a physician.

Millipedes, often mistaken for centipedes, are harmless, slow-moving arthropods with two pairs of legs per segment (centipedes have one pair). Millipedes feed on decaying organic matter. Both hide in damp places: in decaying vegetation, beneath scrap lumber, and in other debris.

To rid your house of an infestation, clear the foundation and the basement of all such hiding places. Locate your compost pile well away from the house. If the problem persists, spray infested areas with the household formulation of malathion or with diazinon or carbaryl.

If you’re raising chickens for meat, get a breed that gains weight quickly, such as a cross between a White Cornish (male) and a White Plymouth Rock (female). If your interest is in eggs, get light-weight, egg-laying hens, such as White Leghorns. For both eggs and meat, get a dual-purpose breed, such as Rhode Island Reds or Plymouth Rocks. Housing and health

Day-old chicks are available by mail from commercial hatcheries. If they have not yet been vaccinated, have a veterinarian inoculate them against leukosis and against other diseases that are prevalent in your area.

Keep the chicks in a brooder or a box warmed with a bulb or heat lamp until they are 6 to 8 weeks old. Set the temperature at 95F for the first week, and decrease it by 5F every week.

These tiny (1/8 inch long) black bugs with white wings suck the juices from the stems of grass and corn. They reproduce rapidly enlarged  when temperatures exceed 70F Infestations of chinch bugs cause spreading irregular brown patches in otherwise green turf. Corn plants remain green but fail to produce good ears of corn.

To protect turf against attack, fertilize it before the weather gets warm; chinch bugs do more damage to underfed lawns. For corn, sow resistant varieties and protect the plant with a collar of building paper dug 1 inch into the soil.

Treat infested lawns with carbaryl, diazinon, or chlorpyrifos according to manufacturer’s instructions. If the soil isn’t damp, water the lawn first.

Cats scratch wood and upholstery to exercise and to sharpen their claws. If your cat doesn’t have access to trees, provide a scratching post to prevent furniture damage.

The post should be stable and tall enough for the cat to stretch out. It can be a bark-covered log or a 2 x 2 nailed to a base of 1/2-inch plywood and covered with burlap or a piece of wool carpet. Attract your cat to the post by rubbing catnip on the post or by attaching a toy on a string to the top of the post.

If the cat still claws, apply a cat repellent to the furniture or squirt the cat with water from a squirt gun when it claws. When training a kitten, restrict it to the scratching post area until it learns to use the post.

To prevent an infestation, deprive roaches of their needs: food, moisture, and hiding places. Put all food in the refrigerator or in metal, glass, or plastic containers. Keep counters, shelves, and floors immaculate. Fix leaky plumbing; wring out and dry sponges and dish towels.

Caulk openings around pipes, appliance connections, and cabinets. Clean under low furniture and appliances.

If an infestation does occur, take these steps simultaneously: 1. puff boric acid powder into wall openings and under low equipment; 2. after removing all food and utensils, spray suspected hiding places and paths with a household formulation of malathion, chlorpyrifos, or diazinon or with a commercial roach spray.

Caution: Do not treat food preparation areas with any pesticide or poison.