Heliconia's Profile

About 15 years ago, we moved across country with our cats. It was three days of traveling with cats who normally yowled on the trip to the vet. We prepared by fitting them in harnesses about a month before the trip. The cats wore them 24 hours a day to get accustomed to them.

That last month we took them for daily short trips in the car—yes, we just drove around. The harnesses were tethered by a leash to the seat belt. So the cats had some mobility but not a lot but they could look out the window or lie down as they wished. They liked best to a drive in the evening; there was something about the moving flickering lights…. But we also took day trips and they learned that it wasn’t always a trip to the vet.

When the big day came, a small bowl of water, a small bowl of food and a small litter box were placed on the floor in back of the car. The cats were tethered to the seat belt with just enough play so that they could reach the litter box or the food and water. Yes, they had all the comforts of home. It worked well. They were fairly quiet but squabbled occasionally.

We made reservations ahead of time and confirmed that the hotels would accept cats. When we reached the hotel, we moved our stuff and theirs into the room first. Then we got the cats out of the car and took them into the room. They always looked around for their things and seemed re-assured by the familiar water bowl, food bowl, toys and litter box.

Like kariwk said, try to get a bed on a platform. One of our cats decided she was NOT going back into the car and climbed into the frame of the box springs.

At our final motel stay, the manager said that he accepted pets but did not want that fact to be known. We swore that we would never tell. The next morning we were awakened by tapping on our window. We faced a walkway and the cats were sitting on the window sill watching everyone go by. When we peeked through the curtains to find out what the heck was going on, there was a crowd cooing at the cats and tapping on the window to get their attention.

Get your house inspected. Your problem is not the flicker but the insects and the associated damage that the insects cause.

Once the insects go away, the flicker will stop coming around.

You don’t say where you live but if you live near an active volcano (around 300 miles or so) and the wind is blowing your way, it could be volcanic ash. That stuff is baby powder fine and seeps through the tiniest cracks.

Just thought I would mention it.

1050908, sometimes the pipes are old and narrowed by gunk. It is not always possible to avoid a clogging toilet. It’s not the fault of the person but is result of ancient plumbing.

Yes, we’ve remodeled our bathrooms and life is much more serene. We haven’t used our plunger in months. It was an expensive but necessary repair.

If you burn a lot of CDs or DVDs and buy in bulk, say 100 at a time, try using the empty container that they come in. There is a central spindle that the cardboard tube in the roll will fit on, the container is transparent so guests can see what it contains and it locks so that cats can’t get to the contents. The super-sized rolls will not fit so this solution will only work for a small roll. It’s not elegant but problem solved.

Alternatively, special metal containers with a lid are made to store additional rolls and can be kept near the toilet. Again the cats cannot get to the toilet paper, but these containers do cost money.

Good luck and lots of sympathy.

I would like to caution people about a possible problem when they claim an insurance loss on a flood. I live in a flood prone neighborhood and carry the mandatory FEMA insurance. Every year when I pay the premium, FEMA sends a listing of the flood claims on the property (none.) This leads me to believe that there is a data base of claims and it may be available to prospective buyers. If so, your property values may be affected in the future if you file a claim. In other words, you may only want to file for a serious loss such as Jennifer and Spencer’s.

And to those who say that I should just move out of my flood prone neighborhood, well it isn't that easy. I love my neighbors. I can ask for help in times of trouble and, in return, I give help. This is what keeps me and my neighbors here. Also although it is a flood plain, it is one a very rare event, not a common occurrence.

My heart goes out to Jennifer and Spencer.

This happened to me, as a pet owner on vacation. I have a very kind friend who was sitting for me and one day could NOT find the rather elderly cat. She looked under the beds, in the closets, in the cabinets, under the dressers—anywhere she thought a cat could hide. She then put some food in the food bowl. At the sound the cat emerged from her new hiding place. She had been under the quilt on the bed, nestled among the pillows. She looked like just another lump at the head of the bed.

My friend said that in one hour she aged ten years.