HELOISE Readers write in with their hamster tales

Dear Readers: We recently shared some information about hamsters and included a couple of stories of their escape. We then asked our readers to share their stories. We have gotten some really funny ones and are going to share some of them:
UGeorgia Plumadore of Foley, Minn., says: "Even a hamster dreams of living life on the edge of danger. I was baby-sitting my daughter's hamster, Ozzie. One morning, he escaped from his playland of tunnels and exercise wheel. He discovered a treasure -- the cats' litter pan! I found Ozzie stuffing his cheeks with crushed-wheat cat litter. His bulging cheeks looked like two furry balloons. Luckily, the cats had made no attempt to disturb Ozzie. They seemed amused to find a live 'toy' by their litter pan. Back in his playland, Ozzie was too tired from his nighttime adventures. He spent the day sleeping."
UJane Jansen of Maple Grove, Minn., says: "I live in a townhome, and my neighbor at the time was a young family with a pet hamster named Harold. My cat had been acting strangely for several weeks, pouncing at various cupboards and closets for no apparent reason. I discovered the reason for his strange behavior while attending an orchestra concert. Much to my chagrin, my friend pointed to the jagged hem of my dress and asked me what had happened. Upon arriving home, I discovered Harold curled up in a lovely nest made from, you guessed it, the hem of my dress. I returned Harold to his happy owner after we both had a good laugh."
UMary Ann Fiore of Simi Valley, Calif., says: "I teach first grade. Our class hamster, Bobo, escaped from the cage one evening. We finally found him the next day and got a chuckle out of where he was ... the nonfiction animal book bin! We decided he was enjoying looking at the books with other animals in them."
Readers, we hope you enjoyed these stories, and keep an eye out for more to come. Heloise
Dear Readers: Marilyn Williams of Houston sent us a photo of her poodle, Savannah, kissing Natasha, a precious little calico kitten. Marilyn says she adopted a litter of five motherless kittens, and Savannah took over all the care except nursing. All the kittens lived and are doing great. Every time Natasha visits (she was adopted by someone), when she leaves, Savannah sits on the back of the couch, looks out the window, watches "her" baby and cries. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I have some type of small animal (fox, rabbit or opossum) burrowing under my backyard fence. An expensive bottle of granules to keep wild animals out of my yard did no good. I have found that a few shakes of red-pepper flakes from the discount store keeps the wild animals from digging in my yard for several weeks. These animals are on a nocturnal forage for food, and I encourage folks to keep pet food where wild animals cannot find it at night. Florence Tumbokon, Columbia, S.C.
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, Fax: (210) HELOISE or E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate