Tying up blind cords can deter pets

Dear Heloise: Recently, you printed a hint/caution regarding the safety of window-blind cords. I don't have children, but I do have three cats that like to play with the cords when the blinds are up. I was worried that they might get tangled up and strangle themselves -- not to mention the damage they can do to the blinds.
On the side of each window, at the top, I hammered a nail. When the blinds are up and the cord is at its longest, I wrap the cord around the nail and out of reach of the cats. No more worry. The window treatments hide the nails and cords. Steve Hamilton, Amarillo, Texas
Steve, thanks for bringing this lifesaving pet hint to our attention. Cats, dogs, ferrets and other pets just might find a long, dangling blind cord too irresistible to ignore. These cords can potentially become a strangling threat to children, as well as beloved pets. Heloise
Dear Readers: Steve Owens of Gastonia, N.C., sent in a photo of Ivan the bird dog precariously perched in a pedestal birdbath. Steve also included the caption "Ivan thinks that because he is a bird dog, he should be able to get wet in the birdbath."
Visit my Web site, www.Heloise-.com, and click on Pet of the Week to see Ivan. Also, don't forget to send in a favorite or unusual pet photo that you would like to see in the newspaper. Send to: Heloise Pet Photo, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000. Heloise
Dear Heloise: It seemed that more often than not, I found myself asking "Did I actually feed the fish, or just think about feeding the fish?" I purchased two plastic containers that have a compartment for each day of the week and are used for medication: a sunny-yellow one for the morning feeding and a gray one for the evening. Once a week, I put a pinch of food into each compartment -- no more worries about the fish being fed or not.
I have also found that this has made it easier for my child to feed the fish. I no longer cringe at the huge pinches of food she used to drop into the tank. Susan Casavant, Germantown, Md.
Dear Heloise: When my wife and I were raising puppies, we found that putting an old, mechanical alarm clock wrapped in a soft towel into a puppy's bed would calm it immediately! It resembled the mother dog's heartbeat. Charley Collins, Huntsville, Ala.
Dear Heloise: I take the cardboard roll from toilet paper (or paper towels). I cut the cardboard roll into four rings and tie small pieces of leftover yarn on the ring in about five or six places, leaving "tails." These make great disposable cat toys. Children could make these as craft projects, too. A reader, via e-mailP
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