Desert Messenger

P��� 22 ���.D�����M��������.��� CLASSIFIEDS FOR SALE: 7 SPACE RV PARK plus 2 bdrm, 2 bath mobile on 1 acre near shopping/ library. Large trees & cactus, quite park, CUP for 9 spaces. Good income, low maint. New electric & backflow valve just installed. $149,500 for quick sale! 928-916-3514. jerlucyferguson@gmail.com. Will send photos on request. WANTED: OFFICE SPACE. Accupuncturist looking to share or rent a business space from Oct. thru April in Quartzsite. Call Steven 602-625-6612. FULL SIZE COKE MACHINE. Complete has Dollar Bill Changer, asking $50. No deliv- ery MUST pickup. Allan (Ace) Chandler. 928-927-6409 FOR RENT: 2 BDRM, 2 BATH mobile in RV park, with add- on. $600/mo. plus elect. Also one RV/5th wheel space for rent, $175/mo. plus elect. 440 E. Sunrise. Sonrise RV Park. 928-916-3514 or jerlucyferguson@gmail.com. NEED TO FIND WATER to drill a well? Never fear the “Water Witch” is here. Call Jon at 928-927-5196. CARETAKER WANTED for security purpose on 30 acres near Quartzsite. Some light chores in trade for FREE RV space. Available immediately. Call for details. 951-532-5604. WANTED: PARK MODEL/ nice trailer to rent from Oct. thru April. Professional couple working in Quartzsite w/ small very well behaved hypoal- lergenic dog. Call Steven or Helen at 602-625-6612. 1999 DODGE CARAVAN, runs good, needs body work $1500. 928-927-9551. WOODEN DROP LEAF dinnette set with padded swivel chairs. Like New $350. Sears treadmill. Excellent condition $250. 928-927-9551. GAS DRYER, great condition, $150/OBO. 928-927-9684. ANTIQUE WATERFALL BEDROOM set w/new box spring & mattress. Exc. cond. $1200. 928-927-9551. POLES FOR ARIZONA ROOM, some panels, many extra fit- tings, $100. 928-387-3187. 1999 FLEETWOOD MOBILE home, porch model, 16x70. 2 bedroom, 2 bath, big deck, fur- nished. Many extras! Located at Desert Gardens, 55+ park. Call to see, 928-927-5771. COZY CRADLE BABY SLING is a convenient, comfortable, secure and safe way to wear your baby! We offer Pretty Pink and Go Green for an affordable $17. For more info visit: www.ILoveMyBabySling.com OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR, $500. Compac laptop comput- er with Windows Vista, $200. Lexmark color printer, $25. All in great condition. Prices ne- gotiable. 928-927-6021. 72 TRAVELEZE TRAILER/ park model, $2000. 32’ x 8’, w/4’ x 8’ tip-out. Includes deck and shed. Must move from Black Rock RV in Brenda. 928- 387-3187. HANDYMAN ZANE Fix it or build it. Professional, year-round, references, reasonable rates, work guaranteed. Happy to help! Free estimates. Not a licensed contractor. 928-97-5240. By Beth Praast Part 1 of a 2 Part Article wild. They have had no human contact, and like any “wild” animal will be leery of any human. For the most part, a feral cat will not approach you. If you have laid out any food for it, the feral cat will not approach the food until you have walked away from the food you’ve put down. Feral cats are silent. No purring, very little vocal sounds unless of course it is a male who can sense a female in season (that will be discussed in another article). The feral cat can appear well groomed and therefore is usually mistaken for an abandoned or lost cat. It is noteworthy, that feral cats are noc- turnal. The silent vocals and nocturnal be- havior is in-bred like many other wild ani- mals. They hunt in the night when it’s safer, and they do not make any vocal sounds to alert any predators of their location. Cats have been living outdoors near hu- mans for centuries and can survive on their own. Do not think that just because the cat is outdoors, perhaps in the heat or extreme cold that it is suffering. Feral cats are quite happy with their lifestyle. Like all animals, feral cats make their homes where they find shelter and food, often in close prox- imity to humans. Quartzsite has quite a large population of feral cats. I know that not everyone enjoys Do you have a stray or strange cat hanging around your home lately? Do you know the difference between a stray or abandoned cat and a feral cat? Here are a few tips to help you determine the difference. A feral cat is a domestic cat born in the S�������� 1, 2010 Stray or Feral cats? having cats in their yard, and these simple tips will help you divert outdoor cats away from certain areas. • Place a tight lid on your trash can. Ex- posed trash bags will attract other wildlife as well. • See if neighbors are feeding the cats. If they are, please ask them not to do this or make sure they are doing it on a regular schedule. It is a cat’s natural instinct to dig and de- posit in soft or loose soil, moss, mulch, or sand. So if this is a problem: • Scatter fresh orange and lemon peels or spray with citrus-scented fragrances. Cof- fee grounds, pipe tobacco, or oil of laven- der, lemongrass, citronella, or eucalyptus are all natural cat deters. • Plant the herb rue to repel cats, or sprin- kle dried rue over your garden. • Use plastic carpet runners spike-side up, covered lightly in soil. They can be found at local hardware or office supply stores. Or, set chicken wire firmly into the dirt with sharp edges rolled under. • Physically block or seal any location the cats are entering with chicken wire or lat- tice once you are certain the cats are not inside. Be sure to search for kittens before confirming that the cats have left–espe- cially during spring, prime kitten season. Feral cats cannot be socialized, please do not take a feral cat to your local pound, shelter, or animal sanctuary unless they are currently advertising or promoting a program called, “Trap-Neuter-Return- Program”. You are not doing the feral cat any favor, and you are not doing your local shelter any favor. The most humane way of caring for or eliminating a feral cat colony is to humanely trap them and see that they are neutered and vaccinated and then released back into the wild. If you don’t want the feral cat in your neighborhood, release it away from your home. This en- sures that the cats will live longer, healthier lives. Females will not get pregnant or need to nurse, and male cats will not fight or prowl for mates. It’s so important to always remember, a feral cat is wild, do not attempt to tame or domesticate it. If you have found very small kittens that are feral, they could possibly be so- cialized and adopted out to good homes. There really is no hard and fast rule on how many weeks old is “too old” for a kitten to be handled, or how long the socialization pro- cess will take. Typically, the older the kitten is, the longer it will take to socialize her. This subject will be addressed at a later date in a different article. In Part two we will discuss and learn about stray, aban- doned, or neglected cats. Stay tuned…. PUZZLE PAGE (page 20) ANSWERS

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