Pet owners responsible for giving proper care

Dear Heloise: Your obvious love of animals shows in your columns. I have rescued many different animals. Today, I was saddened when I tried to rescue a small tropical bird. It arrived on my porch. I tried to catch it, but it was wary enough that it would not let me get too close. I found it the following morning, and it was dead! This brightly colored little bird was definitely someone’s pet that had escaped. This small tragedy could have been prevented if the owners had clipped the flight feathers. I’m sure they were sad that the bird flew away.

Please remind people once again that every pet dog, cat, bird, fish, etc., comes with a set of responsibilities for the care and maintenance of that pet. Spaying, neutering and seeing that they stay where they belong are all part of that responsibility. Hand-raised animals can’t fend for themselves when loose in the city or the country. B. in San Antonio

Our animal friends are our responsibility when we welcome them into our homes and hearts. They give so much and don’t ask for much in return. Heloise

Dear Heloise: What is the best and safest way to clean out the mold, mess, fungus, whatever, from the birdbath basin? Nelda G., via e-mail

Isn’t it wonderful when birds visit the birdbath and feeders in your yard? To keep birds happy and healthy, keep the birdbath clean and filled with fresh water. To clean a birdbath, use just a drop of mild detergent for hand-washing dishes and a scrub brush to clean. The Audubon Society suggests the following procedure to keep germs at bay: Clean your birdbath with 9 parts water to 1 part bleach, making sure the solution covers the algae. Let it sit for 20 minutes, making sure the birds don’t use it while this bleach solution is working. Use a scrub brush to clean it thoroughly, rinse several times and refill with fresh water. All the birds will thank you! There are commercial products for cleaning birdbaths, too. It is such a treat to look out and see these beauties! Heloise

Dear Readers: Clarence Hardy of Hallowell, Maine, sent a photo of a friend’s cat, Smokey, sleeping on “his” bed. Clarence says: “On a recent trip I took to see friends, they had four cats. Smokey claimed the bed I slept in as his daytime bed. Thanks for spotlighting cats.”

Visit www.Heloise.com to see Smokey on the bed. Heloise

Dear Heloise: If you have a cat or kitten, keep your toilet lid down. Your pet might get curious, jump onto the toilet, fall in and not be able to get out if the front paws go in the narrow part that flushes. That happened to my cat Boots twice when she was a baby. Luckily, she was rescued in time. Linda Cartier in Rapid City, S.D.

• Send 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