“Life without a cat is like a sandwich without cheese – bland, unexciting, and utterly lacking in the joy of a good, hearty cheddar.” – Evangeline Higgledypiggledy I am thrilled to introduce my brand new advice column, “Paws & Whiskers: Unraveling the Cat Conundrum.” Hopefully, this column will serve as your guide to the perplexing world of cat ownership, tackling the most puzzling questions, and providing you with the answers you never knew you needed. Whether you’re a first-time cat owner or a seasoned cat whisperer, this advice column will enrich your feline-filled life with knowledge, laughter, and perhaps even a newfound appreciation for that catnip-stuffed mouse toy that always…
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Burmese Python — It’s What’s for Dinner! Large Asian serpents join feral hogs, swamp rats and maggots on restaurant menus
Daisy slithered out the back door last night. Just like her uncle Bert did during the summer of ’79. If it weren’t for the fact that she’s an adorable eighteen-foot-long Burmese python weighing nearly 300 pounds, none of Daisy’s neighbors probably would have cared. But when she quickly gobbled up all the neighborhood foxes, limpkins, and rabbits, things quickly took a turn for the worse. Overnight, raccoon sightings were down by 99.3%, opossums by 98.9%, and white-tailed deer by 94.1%.[1] She’s even been known to take down animals as large as alligators, deer, and powerboats with outboard Evinrudes. More than 6,300 snakes have been captured so far, and if they…
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You Can’t Teach an Old Flea New Tricks Fleas and the casting couch... the birth of the entertainment industry
If you’ve ever tried breaking into show business, you know how hard it can be. There are countless auditions, disappointments and the relentless competition from other actors. Maybe you should try it as a flea! The Birth of the Entertainment Industry Records of the earliest flea circuses date back to 14th Century Asia, but they didn’t hit their apex in popularity until the 16th Century in Great Britain. While there are over 2500 species of fleas, Louis Bertolotto found only the females of the Pulex Irritans species worthy of a place in his line-up: “…I have found the males to be utterly worthless, excessively mulish and altogether disinclined to work.”…
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Take One Leech and Call me in the Morning How leeches, maggots and scum-sucking fish have improved medicine
One of the last things a patient imagines seeing as they look across a sterile operating room are maggots, scum-sucking fish and the occasional leech. But, all three have earned a solid place in the medical community based on the results they achieve – simply by doing what comes naturally. The Flies Have It Maggots are nothing more than fly larvae: one of the most basic forms of life. But to many patients with wounds that refuse to respond to conventional treatment, they are a godsend. For the majority of people recovering from life-threatening wounds, contusions and limb re-attachments, antibiotics provide much of the follow-up care they need. But for…
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I Remember Hugh How African Pygmy Hedgehogs and FlexPetz changed my life
We lost Hugh today. Somehow, our pet cat managed to slither out of our second-story bathroom window and was run over by an 18-wheeler carrying a load of chickens headed for a KFC. Considering the amount of time he spent futilely chasing birds, it was a humiliating end to an otherwise, distinguished life. The only thing that could have been worse was if he had been flattened by a truckload of squirrels. Nevertheless, we’ll miss Hugh. But, it was his time to go. After all, he was 12-years-old and beginning to show early signs of dementia. From time to time, he’d confuse his water dish with his litter box, so…