Choosing Cats over Friends
Karen10125
9 years ago
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sylviatexas1
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Old Rose Forum Friend: New to SoCal Beach City. Help me choose!
Comments (32)Hi Beth - I'm new to this forum, but not new to coastal Southern Cal rose growing, so I'll chime in too. I'm in San Juan Capistrano on the South end of Orange County and about 2.5 miles from the beach in a coastal canyon. So I know all about roses in the marine layer fog. Mildew, not black spot, is the bane of our existence here. The only blackspot I've ever seen in my garden was on florist roses. But I do spray. And the three most fragrant ones on your list -- Double Delight, McCartney Rose and Fragrant Cloud -- will mildew even with religious spraying. But, the fragrance is worth it and I grow all three. No one has told you about the rose societies here yet. There are several. I go all the way south to the California Coastal Rose Society in Carlsbad. That's probably too far for you. There are two other OC rose societies -- the Orange County Rose Society which meets very near to Huntington Beach in Westminster -- they focus on exhibitions and hold their show the last weekend of October every year at Rogers Gardens. There's also another one that focuses mostly on gardening, garden tours and garden parties -- no exhibiting -- which is the Saddleback Rose Society -- that one's a bit inland for both of us. Wholly different climate those folks have. You can get to either one by googling the names, or I've put a link in here for the OCRS. On the rest of your list, I've grown most of them, and they do just fine. But as a general rule, in coastal cool areas like ours, fewer petals is better. Many roses just won't open like they do in hot climes, and sometimes you just die waiting for a leeeetle bit of heat to get them open, which never comes. So, plan to have some that open without heat. As for colors, try these -- Pink -- Our Lady Of Guadalupe is by far the best pink floribunda. But also check out The Imposter and Lovestruck, both of which do well for me. For Hybrid Teas, I like Memorial Day. Purple -- Intrigue is okay, but try Purple Tiger -- it's better and it's striped. It does really well on the coast. For a Hybrid Tea, I like Neptune and one that Armstrongs carries called Della Reese that is a darker purple hybrid tea with occasional exhibition form. Orange -- About Face Red -- I'm still looking for a good one. Yellow -- Julia Child or Midas Touch. Or even Peace, which gets enormous blooms on the coast. Multi -- get some stripes -- City of Carlsbad if you can find it or Cabana if you can't. Have fun. I seem to move every few years just BECAUSE I get to replenish my garden. Enjoy it. Kathy Here is a link that might be useful: Orange County Rose Society...See MoreMy cats pees all over
Comments (9)As suggested by elly_nj, get her to the vet right off. She could have cystitis, which is extremely painful and can kill her. And PLEASE spay her! AFTER her vet clears her, take a look at the cleaning products that you use. You could be poisoning her. Think about it from the cat's perspective. You stated that you take pride in a clean home that smells good-so I'm guessing that you are using toxic things with the added problem of heavy fragrances. Remember, cats are built low to the ground. Fumes are difficult to escape. Also, your cat washes herself with her tongue, thereby ingesting whatever she washes off of her fur and feet. There are many ways to clean and disinfect your home without using such potent toxins. She may simply be offended by the cleaning products that you use. Cats don't tolerate perfumes. Are you using scented litter? Don't. You clean the litterpan daily anyway, so you don't need rubbish to mask any smells. Scented litters are a marketing ploy designed to make you think that your home reeks of cat. They are repulsive to cats and can even be harmful to sensitive cats. Oh, and don't fall for the all-to-common misconception that 'green' or 'organic' or 'natural' cleansers are safe. They are still comprised of concentrations that can be very harmful. Next step is to clean the peed-on places thoroughly to remove all traces of urine. There are excellent enzymatic cleansers on the market for that purpose. I tried everything from plain white vinegar (which seems to entice male cats to pee where it's been used) to cheap vodka (which made the place smell kind of funny for a long time but the cats stopped paying attention to the spots where it had been used) to several of the available enzymatic cleansers. Enzymatics win hands down. I urge you to treat the spots, let them dry then treat again. They actually have a pleasant light fragrance that isn't as offensive as the heavy cleaning products. For most cleaning, plain hot soapy water is great, and baking soda is little short of miraculous for smell control. Next. You cat would rather use door jambs than her scratching post. You have a few options. Apparently she likes the feeling of wood under her claws and a tall stretch when scratching. You can get her a log and set it upright. I have cats who won't touch a carpet covered post but are thrilled to have a log to dig into. I have others who prefer sisal fabric and sisal rope wrapped round a post. Make certain that the post is large and sturdy. The teensy posts you get at the big box stores aren't worth a hill of beans. You can buy simple little boards covered in sisal that are cheap and much loved. You can hang them from the door knob, you can lay them flat, you can place them on a step so they're slanted. See which placement you cat likes the most. Some cats like to stretch vertically (yours probably does) so a good stout tall post is ideal. Scratching is exercise and a natural behaviour. Once you have addressed these steps, and inappropriate littering issues are still a concern, then it's time to examine the psychological aspect of your cat's surroundings. Is she assailed by the children when she'd rather watch from a distance? Does the noise level upset her? Does your cleaning routine bother her? Does she have a favourite person in the home with whom she prefers to play and snuggle? Encourage that person to give her plenty of attention. There are so many possibilities. These tend to be the most common factors that result in cat littering problems. I hope that this is helpful. I learned the hard way about toxic chemical use around the home. I'd like that it not be so traumatic for you. Good luck, and please don't get rid of the cat without giving her a chance....See MoreStill sad over sudden death of cat :(
Comments (13)Two years ago I had four cats, now 2. Two died in past 2 years from cancer both between 10-11. One last year and the recent one. The last one was hard as well. She died of vaccine associated fibrosarcoma. A very bad cancer that some cats appear to develop from injections. I tried getting her treatment, but the oncologist really indicated not much hope and treatments would severely impact quality of life. So I waited until tumors were bad and she looked sad and I put her down. Go figure, my cat died in that case from the vaccines I thought were to keep her healthy. I kind of expected people to say my recent cat's death was my fault as well. He lived with smoker for just under a year as I quit about 8-10 months after I got him and when I started again I never smoked inside. He did go on porch, but not so much when I smoked. He liked to lay out there and I just assumed 10 windows in 12 x12room was well ventilated. He was the only one of my cats who went out there cause he loved porch and back yard. I do not know where he lived first year either as I adopted him. So, if what I did to him didn't cause it, it definitely did not help. What I wonder is lung cancer in cats in urban areas is much higher too. I was kind of curious if anyone had thoughts on that one. It puzzled me. Maybe cause cats usually are just indoor? He was indoor only cat except when he went out on harness in spring and summer. My friend also said I should test my house for radon as cigarettes is horrible and radon is bad, but together the chances of lung cancer go through the roof at least for people. Now I am a little freaked about that one. Like you said though. Live and learn. I need to quit smoking for myself. None of my other pets have been around smoke in 8+ years, so I hope they are all ok. With 4 senior pets still in my house, I just hope I do not kill anymore. Cause 2 in 2 years is enough....See MoreKT friends we have lost over the years
Comments (24)Mae is still alive in Arkansas.....I got an e-mail from her daughter in law a couple of months ago and she is alive and still as spunky as ever but she is now living with them or in a granny house on their property. She is very forgetful, she said and doesn't get to garden or take care of the llamas like she would like to do. I remember how she used to talk about doing this or doing that before she "tipped over." Her DDIL told her she was say hello from me at the KT but said she wasn't sure she would remember us....See Moreemma
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