Because all cats have different personalities, likes and dislikes, some methods may work well with some cats and not at all with others. It's a case of trial and error.

1. If you have bare soil cover it with gravel, pinecones or slate chippings etc, it will discourage digging.

2. Gather up many pine cones and place them amongst the flowers.

3. Cats hate the smell of citrus. Get yourself some oranges and scatter the peels and segments too if you want around in your garden. You can also spritz the area with orange or lemon scented water

4. Try coffee grounds.

5. DON'T use cayenne pepper - cats get it on their paws, then in their eyes and scratch their eyes -painful and cruel.

6. Plastic forks (big pkg for $1 or so), but bamboo skewers would look much better - stick them in the ground all around plants and flowers!

7. Try crushing eggshells and sprinkling them around the flower bed. The prickly effect of the shells on the cat's paws may deter it for a while. Best to do this when you are expecting a few days of nice weather - rain will just wash it into the soil. Another benefit - it is also reputed to deter slugs.

8. Spray water at them (not from a hose) from one of those spray bottles from a garden centre or use a super-soaking water gun for cats further away.

Start with the cheapest method. You don't need to spend a lot of money to deter cats.
And talk to the cat owner about the problem and let them know what steps you are taking. Make sure they know you don't wish to harm the cat, just that you're trying to protect your flowers. They may have some suggestions that would help - after all, they know their cat's personality better than anyone.

Pet food safety is on the mind and concern of all pet owners. Just like there's always a fear of recalls and product safety just like with human food. We want the best for our pet and understandably so.

The risk of negative press can impact a company's sales.

Let's be realistic, there are always chances of recalls and or manufacturing errors, although slim and far and few between, when it does happen, the media blows it out of proportion, especially when it comes to pet food.

For anyone in any retail industry the key thing to minimizing such potential recalls in establishing a relationship with supplies and make sure that you know where the supplier gets their material from before it reaches your hands. The more hands, the larger the risk in for potential recalls.

A company needs to make sure that they have specifications on all sources of where an items or mixes comes from before packaging. A reputable company should not be afraid to challenge the sources in which the ingredients comes from.

Trust is good, control is better as said by Martin Karutz on a similar topic on this months Pet International magazine. It also encourages quality control.

If possible, a reputable food distributor should audit and visit the environment, working and manufacturing conditions of where the ingredients comes from etc. Seeing is believes and speaks volumes in regards to quality control.

On the consumer end, it may be difficult to get all the information that one may want in regards to the food that they choose for their pet, however, below are some basic guidelines for consumers.

Look at the label and make sure that the country of origin is disclosed as well as the ingredients.
1. Check the company's website and make sure that all ingredients are listed.
2. If possible, make your own pet food from fresh ingredients, properly prepared. There are tons of pet food recipe books out there.
3. Call the customer care line and get more specifics on origin. The information may be limited, however, having a bit more product knowledge is better than not knowing anything at all.
4. Don't be fooled by packaging, labeling and or claims, further research.

In the news:

Animal lovers protest a Cowichan Valley Pound in order to stop a cruel way to euthanize of cats.

On-line petition has gained more than 1,1000 to stop the use of carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide gas.

Public pressure against the use of "gas boxes" to euthanize cats have been successful in the past.

One shelter manager argues that when used properly a "gas box" is more humane than injection. Injection of chemicals can often prove to be too traumatic according Helen Roberts, shelter manager with the Nanaimo Animal Shelter. The gas proves to be an anesthetic.

If cats are clawing and trying to escape that can be 'cause the box wasn't set up properly. It should be pre-filled so that the cat goes unconscious right away.

"My cat Sammee is a small grey tabby. She is my best friend,so when she started losing weight and yowling [as they call it] I call it crying for help-I took her to the vet. He said she had an over active thyroid,a 103 degree temp. and was on the verge of kidney failure! he sent me home with these small pills that i was supposed to give her 2 x a day. well if you knew my Sammee you would know this is impossible. She has been difficult to give anything since she was a kitten! The pills helped but I could'nt give them to her everyday because it traumitized her so much. That's when I decide to go on line and research her condition. I ran across an article on pet well being that had a testimonial about their cat and how much the product Resthro worked. Sammee is 15 yrs old and she went from near death to running around her old self!! Not only that, the medicine is a liquid and it is so easy to give her! I am so thank full to have found this product and to have my Sammee at least for a few more years!!!Thank you Pet Well Being for caring about animals!!! Sincerely, Irma Gubany"

I see dead people! Not really, however, cats have been known to have that "sixth sense" when it comes to death.

For a cat named Oscar in Providence RI, he was able to predict the death of a patient by appearing in their rooms hours before their death to notify staff as family members of their loved ones passing.

Oscar jumps on the bed and purrs and comforts the patient and often sits with the family and or substitutes for family that either may not be in existence or on their way.

How does Oscar know that a patient is near passing? Oscar may be picking up specific odors surrounding death that the human nose may not be able to pick up. There are certain chemicals that are released when someone is near passing.