These tips will help keep your pet cat safe

Dear Readers: Here are a few hints on keeping your cat safe:

• Be sure your cat always wears an ID outdoors and indoors (in case your cat scoots out the door).

• Store all household poisons and cleaning products safely so a curious cat or child won’t get in trouble!

•Many human medications are lethal to cats, so don’t administer without a veterinarian’s directions.

•Please follow the directions for flea products carefully, and call your vet or the manufacturer if you have any questions.

•Recognize the signs of poisoning: bumping into things due to blindness, not eating, seizures, vomiting, dizzy and uncoordinated, constipation or diarrhea. Get your cat to the vet or emergency clinic ASAP.

•Car fluids such as gas and oil are harmful, and antifreeze can be lethal! Heloise

Dear Readers: Florence McInerney of Hazlet, N.J., sent a photo of her grandson’s boxer, Sydney, carrying her green-and-white purse and ready to tag along and shop. If you would like to see Sydney, just visit www.Heloise.com. Heloise

Dear Heloise: Our daughter wanted an aquarium, so we selected different varieties of fish, then went home and set up the new tank. In the morning, only a few fish were swimming in the aquarium! We learned we had mixed aggressive and nonaggressive fish! Before buying replacements, we asked the experts at the pet store and learned a lot. S.K.G., via e-mail

Do your homework before bringing any animal — four-legged, two-legged or one-tailed — into your home. Heloise

Dear Heloise: When refilling pet bird’s seed dish, don’t throw out the seeds — put them into your outside feeder. Gently blow on the seed to remove empty hulls, mix it up and blow again. Your outdoor feathered friends will appreciate the variety you add to their regular feed. Anita in Montana

Dear Heloise: For your readers who may be thinking about getting a snake as a pet, snakes can be long-lived! Many will continue to grow throughout their lives. Certain species of pythons and boa constrictors can grow to over 20 feet and live more than 30 years. Zoos and reptile houses don’t always have the room or means to take in any more snakes that have outgrown their owners. Be sure you are prepared to take on the responsibility of these special exotic pets for the long haul before committing to one. A.B. in New Jersey

Dear Heloise: My dog got into a bag of flour! I decided to keep the bag of flour just in case my dog got sick. I would know how much she ingested (it was only a little bit). This would work for any item your dog decides to snack on. M.C., via e-mail

King Features Syndicate