Category: Animals

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.

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.