Make plans for care of pets during an emergency

Dear Heloise: Can you please, please, help?

I am sometimes called to feed the pets of people who have been unexpectedly hospitalized, and their pets have been left alone in an apartment with no food.

My problem is that the door is locked and I can’t get in. Most apartment managers won’t open the door unless there is a written release on file, and some won’t even take that.

Can your readers encourage friends who live alone but have pets to give someone a duplicate key so someone can care for the pets if the owner cannot?

Thanks so much for helping those hungry pets! Patsy from Texas

Patsy, thank you for helping both the humans and their pet friends! For all of the pet lovers reading this column, give this a thought. Heloise

Dear Readers: Helen Burbey of Kihei, Hawaii, sent a photo of Leonard, a 20-pound tabby cat, lying on the bathroom counter and watching a rubber duck float in the sink. Helen says that Leonard is prone to knocking over his water dish, so now she fills the bathroom sink full of water for him to drink.

Go to my Web site, www.Heloise.com, and click on Pet of the Week — you’ll find Leonard’s picture there! Also, if you have a great or unusual pet photo you’d like to share, send it to: Heloise/Pet Photo, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000. Heloise

P.S.: Aloha to my friends in Hawaii, where I lived on Oahu as a young child. Maui is a beautiful island, as are they all!

Dear Heloise: I have a pet parakeet, Joe, who dearly loves my homemade chew toy made out of the cardboard roll inside paper towels (not toilet paper). I cut the cardboard roll in two, and using one half, I poke a hole in each end close to the edge. Then I insert a twist-tie in each hole and attach one to the inside of his cage (about 3/4 of the way up). Joe loves to sit and chew on it. Mae, Springfield, Ill.

Dear Heloise: Our Chihuahua was started on dog-training pads at the age of 11 weeks. These pads are easy to train a dog to use. As our dog was trained and no longer needed the “scent” on the pad, we then switched to disposable hospital-bed pads that can be purchased at stores that carry “human” supplies for incontinence. We buy them by the case, as this is much cheaper than the scented “doggie” pads. Our dog uses the pad when we are at home, at friend’s homes or at a motel. Jean Tauc, Ventura, Calif.

XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate