HELOISE Make life easier for stray animals

Dear Friends: If you feed stray dogs and cats, please try to get them neutered and immunized if you can. If you don't plan on keeping the animal, it is kinder to call your local animal rescue organization.
Strays have a hard life fighting disease, traffic and each other, and they usually lose the fight.
Also, the animal you feed might be registered as a lost pet with a shelter, and the owner might be anxiously waiting for word about it. So be sure to check area vets, shelters and "lost" signs. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Please remind your readers to check with their local animal shelters to see if they need newspaper to line cages for kittens and puppies. This is a great way to recycle. C.J. Hitt, Dallas
This is a purr-fect hint. While you are calling the shelter, ask what else they might need -- blankets, bowls, brushes, toys and all kinds of pet paraphernalia is welcome. Heloise
Dear Readers: Louis and Muriel von Egloff of Acton, Calif., sent us a cute photo of their cat, Tigger. He has his paw over his eyes as if to say "no photos, please" in typical cat fashion.
Send your unusual, fun pet photo to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279. Visit my Web site, www.Heloise.com, to see it. Heloise
Dear Heloise: When you travel to visit relatives or friends and the dog goes along, sometimes it gets lost. If the dog's ID tag has your home telephone number on it, it is of no help.
An easy solution is to stop at a chain pet store and emboss an inexpensive dog tag with your friend's phone number, then attach it temporarily to the dog's collar. If the dog gets lost, the "finders" can call the local number. Susan Poeper, via e-mail
Good point, and might I add -- be sure to remove the tag when you get home. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I read your article saying you wanted more tales about rabbits as house pets. I have had two rabbits as pets. The last one died in September 2002 after 121/2 years in my house. They make great pets; they can be litter-box trained and can be very affectionate.
In their younger years, I would often wake up to find one or both bunnies on the bed with me. They started out on the floor and jumped the 22 inches up to the bed. They are very easy to care for and require very little veterinary care if you take good care of them. Doug Scott, Arlington, Texas
Dear Heloise: We have four indoor cats that were forever tearing the patio-door screens out, so I screwed a sheet of plastic glass onto the bottom half inside the screen. Now I can still have fresh air from the top half, and the cats can't get at the screen. Joan Ricketts, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax: (210) HELOISE; e-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate