HELOISE Plastic six-pack holders can be deadly to wildlife
Dear Readers: When going on picnics or to the beach, please don't carelessly leave those six-pack plastic ring holders for drinks lying around. They are extremely harmful to birds and small animals. They've also been found entangled on fish. The rings can easily get caught around their necks, and as they grow, the rings eventually cut into their skin and strangle them. They should be cut into small pieces, then thrown into a trash can.
If you are away from home and have no way to cut them up, put them all in a plastic bag, and once home, cut up and dispose of them properly. It doesn't take long to do this, and you can save our precious wildlife. Heloise
P.S. Plastic rings don't break down -- they stay in our landfills, lakes and the sea for years. Please take a few seconds to do the right thing to help our wild animal friends.
Dear Readers: Marti McNamara of Athens sent a photo of her four adorable, 2-month-old bichon fris & eacute; puppies. The photo shows all of the puppies sitting on Marti's husband's lap, and they all have their mouths open as if to say, "Yip, yip, hooray!"
Their names are: Frankie, MiniMichelle, Guy and Maurice. Heloise
My iguana, Sol, loves the outdoors. I keep a harness on her so she won't get lost, but she prefers to sit on my head and get the sun.
She surprised me the first time she leapt off my head and dove into our rose of Sharon bush to munch down on the flowers. I immediately checked my sources to see if the flowers were included in a healthy iguana diet, and sure enough, the rose of Sharon, which is in the Hibiscus family, was on the list.
I now include the flowers in her food bowl a few times a week. She definitely prefers the purple and pink to the white flowers. She is one happy lizard. Jane, Heloise's assistant
Dear Heloise: I have another cat story for you. This happened once when I went into our kitchen. I heard muffled meowing. It seemed to be emanating from our refrigerator.
Hastily, I opened the door. Out jumped Snowflake, our pure-white cat. Apparently, she'd climbed in when my wife put some food away. After I got over the initial shock, I couldn't help thinking that Snowflake was one "cool cat." Philip M. Hotchkiss Scottsdale, Ariz.
The name "Snowflake" really suits her. Thank goodness you can smile about it now. It's true about a cat's curiosity -- that's why you should always check the washer and dryer ... and now the fridge, too! Heloise
FYI: The next time you are clearing out your linen closet and want to get rid of old towels, blankets, etc., don't throw them away. Donate them to animal shelters.
You can make it easier by cutting the blankets into different-size squares. They can use them in sections of the cages for the animals to rest on. Don't forget newspapers, too. Call local shelters in your area and ask them what they need. I'm sure they would appreciate it, and all the animal friends will, too. Heloise
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, Fax: (210) HELOISE or E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate