Month: June 2021

Florida’s Snake Problem

Florida is being overrun with snakes like the Burmese python. They are putting the natural wildlife in the Everglades in danger. The population, estimated to be over 100,000 in the Everglades, will attack and consume any type of wildlife including an alligator.

The governor of Florida is considering signing a bill putting a bounty on a captured snake to reduce the population. This procedure was used to control the alligator population. Besides the bounty, the licensed trappers will keep the proceeds from selling the meat and skin. The trappers will be licensed and trained by the state to capture them. It will be considered very dangerous for anyone to try to capture them without the proper training. It is competing with the alligator as the number one predator in the area.

The burmese python is one of the six largest snakes in the world. It can be found near water or in trees. It can grow up to 18 feet and weigh 160 pounds. It is lighted colored with brown blotches outlined in black. It is found throughout Southeast Asia but has a presence in the United States due to the pet trade.

It is native to Southeast Asia. It is an excellent swimmer and climber and needs a source of water to survive. The Everglades is a perfect habitat for it. It is active during the night and will sleep during the day. It tends to live in the underbrush. Florida’s marshes and wetlands are ideal locations for it. It’s diet consists of birds and mammals but will attack anything for food. It will seize its’ prey with it’s teeth and crush it’s prey with it’s body.

It has been hunted for it’s skin, folk medicines and in some areas, food. It has also been captured for the pet industry. It has a reputation as being docile, but can kill a human being with it’s strength. It is usually afraid of people, but like any wild animal, it is unpredictable and may attack a human. It has an instinct to hunt and will try to escape from it’s cage in captivity. It is recommended that two people be presented when handling the python. If it does attack one person, the other person can unwrap it.

Because of the size it reaches at adulthood, it can outgrow it’s surroundings in captivity. As an adult, it requires a large amount of food and an expensive enclosure. Owners tend to overfeed it. Many owners cannot deal with it as an adult and will release to the wild. As in the situation in Florida, it can start to breed and overwhelm an area causing an imbalance with the natural wildlife.…

Shoe Lexicon – Part 1

These days the fashion magazines, blogs, and catalogues are littered with terms that are so alien, so unfamiliar, we simply don’t know what we’re buying anymore. Which is why I’ve put together a shoe lexicon that will serve as your guide when shopping for new shoes.

Peep Toe. As you probably can tell, a peep toe is a style of shoe that shows off a little bit of your toes. Typically, peep toes have a small crescent-shaped opening at the tip of the vamp of the shoe, big enough for your big toe and the one next to it to “peep” through. Although these days, some shoes just have a tiny teardrop-shaped hole big enough to shoe your big toe. Because of its playful design, many consider it the easygoing cousin of the pumps.

Tips When Wearing Peep Toes:

Get a pedicure. Granted that it only shows two of your toes or even less, the fact remains that it shows. So best to get a good pedicure when wearing peep toes. This can also be a great chance to show off your awesome nail color.

Brogues. Brogue shoes are a style of shoes that was extremely popular fashion among men. Also called wing tips, they are low heeled shoes that are ornately decorated with perforations, holes and different kinds of leathers. Just think back to what mob boys would wear for shoes and you typically have an idea what brogues are. However, fashion mavericks like Marlene Dietrich wore brogues that helped it transcend from a men’s shoe to a masculine-inspired fashion for women.

Tips When Wearing Brogue Shoes:

Balance it out. Because brogues are very manly, balance the look out by wearing a very girly A line skirt and a tank top. Don’t forget to add in accessories like a charm bracelet or silver bangle bracelets to complete the look.

Kitten Heels. There are many speculations on how the kitten heels came to be known as kitten heels. My favorite theory thus far is that it earned its moniker because as compared to the killer high heels models wear when they sashay down the catwalk, the modest height of these particular shoes’ heels are just kittens. I don’t know if the theory is true or not, but it’s a rather cute explanation though. However, kitten heels have slowly made their way to the catwalks middle of this year.

Tips When Wearing Kitten Heels:

Show Off Your Shoes. Maybe it’s its 1950s origins that make me want to favor dresses with this style of shoes, but generally wear something that will show them off is a good rule to follow. Bodycon skirts paired with a flowy top and kitten heels is a number one recommendation.…

Cat Sneezing Symptoms – 5 Main Causes

Kitten sneezing symptoms and cat sneezing symptoms, like human symptoms, are not in and of themselves a necessarily bad sign. However, chronic sneezing coupled with other symptoms can be especially concerning. Let’s take a look at some common cat sneezing symptoms and cat cold symptoms.

1 – Dust, Pollen, Cleaning Supplies, etc

Little Muffy sticks her investigative nose everywhere… in corners, under furniture, in old smelly shoes. Her sneezing may be nothing more than a healthy reaction to a common household irritant such as mold, dust, cleaning supplies or pollen, or some other mild cat sneezing allergies. As long as your cat is not frequently sneezing, mark it up to her curiosity.

2 – Upper Respiratory Infection

Cat upper respiratory infection symptoms can mirror cat sneezing allergies, and are the most common cause for continual cat sneezing. Comparable to the common cold in people, they can usually be cured by good food and rest. If the sneezing continues, a natural application of homeopathic medication can help. Borax and Phosphorous are two elements found to help alleviate kitten sneezing symptoms in cats of all ages. As always, contact a reputable source to obtain these remedies.

3 – Dental problems

The next major cause of sneezing in cats is dental disease. This is not generally something that cat owners think to check, but a disease in Tabby’s teeth can easily creep into her sinuses and infect her there. If your cat has pain when eating, or shows swollen gums, take her to a veterinarian for a dental cleaning.

4 – Feline Herpes

Actually rather common, the herpes virus usually causes cat sneezing symptoms and upper respiratory problems, possibly even cat vomiting symptoms, but only lasts a few weeks, then goes back into hibernation. If this virus inhabits your cat, he will have it his whole life. However, it is rarely a danger to his health. Pulsatilla was used in ancient Greece to cure runny eyes and noses, and is still used effectively in many homeopathic remedies for cats today.

5 – Feline Leukemia

The most dangerous cause of cat sneezing is Feline Leukemia. Leukemia weakens your cat’s immune system, and can cause your cat to contract other more dangerous diseases such as asthma. If the application of other common remedies and medication does not help, take your cat to a vet for a comprehensive checkup.

Cat sneezing symptoms can be early warning signs of a more serious problem, and are more serious when you notice kitten sneezing symptoms because of the youth of your pet, but are generally treatable by the application of safe, non-invasive, natural homeopathic medicines. Always make sure that anything you use on your feline friend is FDA approved and contains no artificial colors or preservatives.…

Should I Get Insurance For My Kitten

If you have a kitten and you are wondering whether you should get insurance for your pet, then the answer is a resounding yes. Kittens are just as prone to things like stomach upsets and ear infections as older cats, and it costs just as much to treat them.

It is always better to get a pet insurance plan while your cat is still young as most insurance policies exclude existing conditions, if you get it before problems can develop then your pet should be covered for everything. If you want the best for your kitten right from the beginning, then you really need to give serious consideration to purchasing pet insurance.

It’s an idea to take a good look around on the internet and at the information board in your local vet’s surgery because they often have some quite reasonable pet insurance plans. Take your time over making a decision because you don’t want to take on a plan and then find that it doesn’t cover everything that you want it to cover. In the UK pet plans have certain terms and conditions, understanding these fully is key to ensuring that your cat is fully covered. There are a number of things that you need to take into consideration when you are looking for a pet plan.

The breed of kitten that you have is important because some cats are more prone to certain conditions than others. Many people think that the alley cat is usually the most hardy but this is not always the case. If your kitten is a pedigree breed then you probably know something about its family history and this could be important when it comes to getting insurance for your pet. Where you live should also be taken into consideration here, cats and kittens are notorious for exploring the area where they live. If you live in an area where there is a lot of traffic then your kitten may be more at risk of being hurt in a road accident than if you lived somewhere quieter.

There are a number of different ways that you can insure your cat and it is easy to get a quote online or over the telephone. Some companies offer a discount when you pay for your cat insurance online and that is worth investigating further, particularly with some of the leading insurers. Before you start asking for quotes you need to know exactly what you want for your kitten and also what you can afford to pay in premiums and in excess.

With most pet insurance plans a higher excess, i.e., what you are required to pay towards the cost, which might be £50 or it might be 10 or 20 per cent of the total cost of a course of treatment. The more that you can pay in excess, then the less you will pay on your premiums – just as you might find with a car. It’s a good idea to insure your kitten once it is about eight weeks old, that way there is less chance it will have a pre-existing condition. Once you know what you want and what you can afford to pay, it is time to start looking for pet insurance quotes.…