| How to Treat a Cat's Broken Tail Posted: 15 May 2016 05:00 PM PDT Cats frequently get into mischief, whether they live inside, outside, or go back and forth. It's not surprising then that cats can end up with a variety of injuries, including damage to the tail. If your cat comes home and will not lift his tail or if seems bent or broken, your cat may have a tail injury or even a broken tail. You may even see an open wound, blood or bone. Cats most commonly damage their tails from crushing (an item falling on it or door closing on it), pulling (getting stuck then the cat tries to run away, young children, abusers), or both.[1] Once you've determined whether the cat's tail is broken, learn to care for the cat during the healing period. EditDetermining if the Cat's Tail is Broken - Watch your cat's behavior. Your cat's changed behavior might be one of the first signs you notice that alerts you to a tail injury. Your cat may begin dragging his tail or keeping it low to the ground all the time, dribbling urine randomly, or diarrhea. Your cat may begin walking unevenly or lose coordination with his back legs.[2]
- Dribbling urine and having diarrhea are not symptoms of a broken tail on their own. If the tail injury was severe enough to cause these signs, the cat will definitely be dragging the tail.
- Examine the cat's tail for injury. Gently feel along the length of the tail. Signs of injury or break include tender, swollen or bent areas. If you notice redness, tenderness, and swelling with fluid underneath, there may be an abscess, or pocket of pus, forming on your cat's tail. If there is exposed bone or if the skin has been stripped from the tail leaving only bone this is called a 'degloving' injury.[3]
- If you happen to notice a hard, non-painful kink in your cat's tail, it's probably because he was born with the kink in the tail or it's an old, already healed injury.
- Never pull or try to remove a severed portion of tail since there are tough tendons and sensitive nerves. If you pull or stretch the tendons, you'll damage the use of the tail, hind limbs, bladder and bowel functions. It may also cause arterial bleeding, which is difficult to control and potentially life-threatening for your cat.
- Take your cat to the vet if you suspect a tail injury. The vet can address the injury without additional damage to the tail. Your cat may need a partial or full amputation of his tail if he has a degloving injury, deep cut, or if his tail is deeply or mostly severed.[4] Your vet can also prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection which is highly likely with any open wound. Even if there are no external wounds, the vet can check your cat for other injuries. The vet may find neurologic damage from the tail being pulled during the accident.[5]
- The vet will examine the tail for signs of physical or neurological damage. If the vet suspects nerve damage, your cat may have an electromyogram test. Anal sphincter and tail muscles are tested for nerve input. This lets the vet know if the tail will be able to recover.[6]
- Your cat may still be in pain when you bring him to the vet's office. Stay close to him and speak in gentle comforting tones. You may want to loosely wrap your cat in a towel and place him in his carrier when you bring him to the vet's. This will calm him.[7]
- Understand treatments. Depending on where and how the tail is injured, your veterinarian will determine surgery or another treatment. If the tail is paralyzed, but your cat can still walk, the vet will probably amputate the tail. If the end of the tail has a break that's not causing problems for your cat, the vet may tell you to let it heal on its own.[8]
- Your cat may need to stay at the veterinarian's for a few days to either rest and heal, or to determine the extent of the damage to the tail.
- If your cat's tail must be amputated, don't worry. It may take him a while to adjust to the lack of nerve sensation and change in balance. But, your cat will adapt to the change and his mobility won't suffer in the long run.[9]
EditCaring For the Cat - Allow your cat to rest in a quiet space. Keep the cat inside to let him rest and prevent further trauma to his injuries.[10] Try putting your cat in a small room (like a bedroom, bathroom, or laundry room). This way, you can easily find him, check on the injury, and administer medications.
- Cats that are sick or injured often prefer to be away from children, other pets and a lot of noise or activity.
- Monitor your cat's habits. You'll need to pay attention to your cat's appetite, water intake and litter box habits. Tail injuries can sometimes affect bladder or bowel functions. If your cat is leaking urine or feces or not urinating or defecating at all, he could have nerve damage affecting these functions.
- If you notice these problems continuing, talk to your vet.[11] The vet may need to test your cat's urine for infection and adjust any medications.[12]
- Give your cat medication. It's easiest to remember if you give medications on a schedule. You'll probably need to give antibiotics to prevent infections for any open wounds. Only give pain medication if your vet instructs you and gives a prescription. Never give over-the-counter pain medications.
- Many of these, like aspirin, or tylenol, are very dangerous to give to cats. They can have severe, even fatal, side effects in cats.[13]
- Keep any wounds or incisions clean. Check the wound at least once a day. Your cat may soil himself with urine or feces since it may be too painful to lift his tail or if there's nerve damage. Sometimes wounds will have crusted blood, discharge, hair, litter, or other debris stuck to or around them. You may need to clean the wounds gently with lukewarm water or very diluted betadine or chlorhexidine solutions, and some gauze or a washcloth. Tail wounds usually don't need to be bandaged.
- Don't use soap and peroxide since they're irritating and damaging to tissues. If you see dry scabs, remember that they're good and don't scrub or pull them off.
- Watch for infection. Whether or not you take your cat to the vet you will want to monitor the injury (or surgery) site very carefully. Don't let your cat lick any wounds. While there are some compounds in saliva that can help heal wounds[14], excessive licking can irritate the skin and bacteria from the mouth can cause serious infections.[15] Signs of infected wounds are redness, warmth, swelling, and discharge that is white, green or yellow in color.
- You may want to keep an Elizabethan type collar on your cat to keep him from licking the injury. It could take up to 2-3 weeks for a tail fracture to heal, depending on the severity of the injury. Note that it may not heal perfectly, leaving a kink in the tail, but there should be no pain. All open wounds should also close up.
- Your cat may have other injuries from the same incident. Cats whose tails are caught in doors may also strain their back legs trying to get free. Cats whose tails are pulled off instead of cut may have nerve damage that impairs their bowel functions.
- Only follow this guide if your cat has a new kink in his tail. Some breeds of cats have naturally kinked tails which are not broken and will not need to be treated.
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| How to Control Inventory Posted: 15 May 2016 09:00 AM PDT One of the most challenging aspects of running a business is learning how to effectively manage your inventory so you have what your customers need and want without having too much excess, which can be a waste of money. Whether it's deciding what and how much to order, when to order, keeping an accurate count of your products, or knowing how to handle excess and shortages, knowing how to control inventory properly will help ensure your business's success. EditAssessing Your Inventory - Understand the goals of any inventory control system. An inventory control system should accomplish three key goals. Knowing these goals are helpful in letting you know if your current system is effective, if it can be improved, as well as how it can be improved.
- Your system should let you know what is in your inventory at all times.
- Your system should have a means of detecting and updating changes in your inventory.
- Your system should involve a plan for how much inventory to order and keep, as well as when to re-order.
- Invest in inventory management software. The first step to inventory control is being deeply aware of how much inventory you have on hand at any given time, what type of inventory you have available, where the inventory is located, and how it changes over time. Today, there are plenty of software applications that can assist in this process.[1]
- Be sure to spend some time searching the software market. There are extensive online reviews and analysis on all the available packages, and these reviews can let you know if the software meets your specific needs. If you are just starting, getting inventory management software that is built into accounting software. This allows you to keep all your financial information in one program, as well as co-ordinate it.
- Consider using Quickbooks or Peachtree. These are accounting software programs, but they also have inventory management features that can help you keep track of your inventory, and they come with a central database that can make sure all staff have coordinated information.
- POS Maid is a free inventory management software program that can be very helpful for small retail businesses.
- Create clear labels. Each item in your inventory should have an item number, a quantity, and a basic description which includes the vendor name and any other important details. This makes it easy to identify precisely what the item is. For example, if you order shirts in boxes that contain 12 shirts, the box should have a label that includes the item number for the shirt, the quantity (12), and a description.
- This makes tracking easier by ensuring you know what each box contains and how much it contains.
- If you have extensive amounts of inventory, look into a barcode tracking system. This will allow you to place a barcode on each item, which allows staff to quickly scan, identify, and transfer inventory information into whatever software you are using. This is an alternative to manual labels.
- Perform an initial count of your inventory stock. Even if you are using software, it is important to a physical inventory occasionally. This begins by performing an initial count of your inventory stock. You will want to begin by creating a spreadsheet that has each item number, followed by columns that indicate the quantity.[2]
- You will then simply count all the available items you have, as well as their quantities.
- If you are using software, you will want to add your starting inventory to the software. You will need to add the item number, purchase information, as well as vendor. This will add the item to the software, and when you purchase inventory from now on, the software will automatically update the inventory. It will deduct from the inventory when sales are made.
- Doing physical counts are important to ensure your software is accurate. A physical count also protects against unknown shrinkage and obsolescence.
- inventory should be counted regularly, but can rely on statistical process or counting those items that move the most or the most valuable.
EditUpdating Your Inventory - Manually update your inventory. Inventory management software can be a helpful way to keep track of your inventory since it automatically updates your inventory records as new sales and purchases are inputted into the software. It is important, however, to have a system of manually monitoring your inventory so you have a way to cross-check the accuracy of the software (or if you opt not to use any type of software).
- You will want to pick an interval of time to regularly check your inventory by visual inspection and a physical count. This will depend on how fast your inventory moves.
- You will then want to acquire a list of any and all new inventory purchases for that time period (say, one week), as well as a list of the sales that occurred during the week (which represents inventory leaving).
- You will then take your initial inventory count sheet, and do a full count of all your inventory. Your current inventory should be equal to whatever the count last week was, minus all sales for the week, plus the new inventory purchases.
- Store the updated documents in an organized manner. Make sure to store your weekly checks (or whatever time period you chose) in neat folders or binders that are organized according to month. This way, if you need inventory data for a particular week, you can readily find it. It is also helpful in the case your accountant needs any information.
- You will also want to cross-check the information from your manual count with whatever software you happen to be using before you opt to store it. The inventory levels in the software and from your manual check should be equal. If it is not, it is possible that improper information was entered into the software, that inventory has gone missing, or that you made a mistake during your manual count. In this case, you should re-do it.
- Advance to a point-of-sale (POS) inventory management method once your business size grows big enough to need a more sophisticated form of inventory control. Point-of-sale inventory control is handled, as the name suggests, at the point of sale, meaning that the cash register or computer you use for check-out at your business keeps count of your inventory. It allows you to run reports at the end of the business day, the month, the sales report period, or any other designated time frame.[3]
- If your business has a very large inventory and if many sales are made throughout a day, a point-of-sale system can allow you to track your inventory in real time. These systems are typically computers running POS software, that come with a receipt printer and cash drawer. These systems automatically update your inventory every time a transaction is made, as well as help you notify when a re-order is necessary or when supplies are running low.
- When shopping for a POS system, keep in mind that you should look for ease-of-use and basic functionality at first, and then focus on adding more advanced features as your business grows.
- You can link the POS software with your inventory management or accounting software so that every time a sale is made, your accounting software is automatically updated.
EditMaintaining the Right Level of Inventory - Analyze sales data. The goal of inventory management is to keep up with demand, and this means that you will need enough inventory to meet whatever your projected sales are. If you have been in business for a period of time, you can use historical sales to predict approximately what your future sales will be. If you are new, you will want to base your sales forecast on the type of business you are, your location, other similarly sized businesses in your region/industry, and on any contracts or customers you have already secured.
- You will want to look at how much each type of product sells on a monthly basis, and ensure you order enough inventory to cover this amount plus some extra inventory in case there is more demand than expected.
- How much extra you order depends on the nature of your business. Is your business prone to rapid increases and decreases in demand? If so, you may want to keep extra inventory to be cautious.
- Decide how much stock to order and keep. How much stock you keep and how much you order depends on your level of sales, the type of stock, and how much space you have available. [4]
- If your inventory consists of perishable items or if you have low levels of space, you will want to look at your previous sales data and ensure you have slightly more than that to meet projected demand plus any potential growth. Inventory management is very important if you have little space or perishable items, and you want to closely monitor levels to be sure you do not run out. You always want to choose reliable suppliers who can get you your inventory quickly and on-time.
- If you have a trust-worthy delivery company for your stock and they are able to deliver frequently, you can reduce your back stock.
- If your items are not perishable and if you have the space, you can consider taking advantage of bulk discounts by purchasing more inventory. This is a useful approach if your sales are hard to predict, if they fluctuate heavily, and if your products are not in a market where preferences change rapidly.
- Choose a re-order point. Your goal is to always have enough inventory to meet customer demand, while not carrying too much inventory, as this ties up your capital unnecessarily. To make sure you have the right level of stock at all times, you need to know when to re-order.
- One approach is to specify a minimum level of stock, at which point you always re order. For example, you would never let your supply of shirts fall below 100. As soon as it does, a re-order occurs.
- This ensures you never run out. For products that move quickly, or have the potential to move quickly set a higher minimum level. If you are a seasonal business, you may want to increase this minimum level for a few months around the time of year that you see a seasonal boost.
- Arrange to have some "safety stock" to get you through shortages from unexpected events. For instance, if you carry items that are primarily cold weather items, carry more of specific items needed in case of big winter weather events. This safety (or buffer) stock will prevent shortages that could occur between when you place an order and when you receive it.
- The amount of safety stock you have should depend on how prone your business is to rapid changes in demand, as well as the time of year if you are a seasonal business.
- Consider using an outside inventory management agency. This is especially helpful if you are a large retailer or need a good inventory count for year-end or for the end of a big sale season. The agency will count your full stock, write the reorder and even removed unwanted merchandise to send back to the manufacturer per a predetermined arrangement with your company.
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| How to Fight a Traffic Ticket Posted: 15 May 2016 01:00 AM PDT Fighting a traffic ticket may feel like an uphill battle. In most jurisdictions, minor traffic violations such as speeding are infractions, not crimes – meaning you don't have the same rights as defendants do in the criminal courts, such as the right to a jury or the right to a free attorney. At the same time, many moving violations are strict liability offenses. This means your intent is irrelevant.[1] But if you want to avoid the possibility of having points added to your license that could cause your insurance to increase, you may want to do everything you can to keep that violation off your record. EditReviewing Your Ticket - Check your ticket for accuracy. Immediately after the officer gives you the written citation, make sure all the information is correct, including anything identifying you or describing your car.
- Missing or incorrect information on your ticket may be grounds for dismissal.[2] It has to be significant, however. For example, if the officer says you have a navy blue BMW when you, in fact, have a black BMW, this probably is not a big enough difference to justify dismissal of your speeding ticket. If the officer writes the ticket for a red Honda Civic, that's a different story.
- Make note of the exact code sections you're cited for violating. The officer will either check off or write down the exact sections of the city or state traffic code he claims you didn't follow.
- If you don't understand what you did wrong, ask the officer on the scene before she leaves. You want to make sure you understand exactly why you were pulled over and why you're being given a ticket.
- Find out the exact procedure for contesting your ticket. Typically the citation itself will have contact information for either paying your fine or disputing the ticket.
EditGathering Evidence - Record all relevant details from the scene of the incident. As soon as possible, make a record of the time of day when you were stopped, where you were stopped, what the weather was like, how much traffic was on the road, how long you were detained, and any other relevant information.
- Since many laws rely on subjective judgment, all of these details can help support your understanding of the situation. For example, in 20 states – including California, Texas, and Utah[3] – speed limits are not absolute and you can make a judgment call as to whether it is safe to exceed the speed limit. Although you could still get a ticket, you could use circumstances from the time of the incident to argue you were operating your vehicle safely.[4]
- Take statements from witnesses. If you had anyone in the car with you, or if there were people nearby who saw you get pulled over, find out if they're willing to make a statement on the record about what they saw.
- If you have eyewitnesses who are willing to testify on your behalf, make sure you have their names and contact information before you leave the scene.
- Passengers or bystanders who will testify to your version of events can help you convince the judge that you were right and the police officer's observations were inaccurate.[5]
- Take pictures of the area from your perspective and the perspective of the officer. If the officer observed you from a different location before pulling you over, go there and take pictures of what he would have seen.
- This is especially important if your case depends on an obstruction or other dangerous condition. For example, if you had to swerve to avoid a huge pothole and were pulled over and given a citation for an illegal lane change, photos of the pothole would support your argument that your actions were justified.
- You can almost always argue that the officer was not in a good position to see what happened, especially if there are obstructions or if there was heavy traffic.[6]
- Find out what devices or equipment the officer used. If the officer's position that you violated the law is based on information provided by a piece of equipment, you will need to verify that the equipment was functioning properly.
- Before you go to trial, request copies of maintenance records and schedules for any of that equipment. If the machines weren't calibrated or maintained according to industry standards, you may be able to get your ticket dismissed on the grounds that the officer's decision was based on unreliable information.
- For example, most radar guns need to be re-calibrated either once a month or once every other month. If the gun was not calibrated, or if the officer did not check the calibration when he issued the ticket, you may be able to get your ticket dismissed.[7]
- Get identifying information from the officer. Make sure you have the officer's name, his badge number, and his patrol car number.
- If the officer who issued your citation filed a report or made any notes about the traffic stop, you are entitled to copies of those as well.
EditAssessing Your Defense - Weigh the pros and cons of fighting the ticket or simply paying the fine. Given the time and effort it would take to fight a traffic ticket, if the infraction is minor and the fine is small, you might be better off simply paying the fine and moving on with your life.
- Determine whether you can argue that your actions were due to a mistaken fact. Although ignorance of the law is never an excuse, a legitimate and understandable mistake of a key fact may get you off the hook.[8]
- For example, if you didn't stop at a crosswalk because the paint was so faded it was barely visible, the judge might cut you some slack. However, arguing that you didn't stop because you didn't know you were supposed to stop at a crosswalk won't help you.
- Decide if your actions were legally justified or were necessary to avoid harm. Even though you technically violated a traffic ordinance, in some circumstances you must make an illegal maneuver to avoid something far more dangerous.[9]
- For example, if you were swerving to avoid hitting an animal crossing the road, you might be able to get a ticket for an illegal lane change dismissed.
- However, keep in mind that you have to be able to prove that your version of events happened. If there was nobody else in your car who saw the animal and it's going to come down to your word against the word of the police officer, you're probably better off to simply pay the fine.
- Your own inattention or personal need aren't the same thing as avoiding harm. The harm you avoid must be something you didn't cause.[10] For example, if you were having a fight with your sister on your cell phone and ran a red light, that argument would not excuse your actions in the event a police officer pulled you over and wrote you a ticket.
- Analyze the code sections you were cited for violating. Find a copy of the code and break the section down into elements. If one of the elements is missing in your case, you can't be held liable.
 - Look at the portions of the code where personal judgment come into play. Many traffic laws are not absolute and rely on the driver to make an honest assessment of what conduct is best given weather and highway conditions. For example, speed limits aren't absolute in more than a dozen states – this means that even if you get a ticket for exceeding the speed limit in those states, you can still make an argument that the speed at which you were traveling was safe given the totality of the circumstances.[11]
- Nearly any violation that has the word "unsafe" in it implies a subjective judgment was made on the part of the police officer. Any time you are cited for an unsafe movement, the door is open for you to argue that from your position, your actions were in fact safe.[12]
- If highway signs or signals figured into your citation, check them against the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, published by the Federal Highway Administration. The MUTCD is a compilation of national standards for all traffic control devices.[13] If you can demonstrate that the relevant sign or signal didn't meet applicable standards, your ticket may be dismissed on those grounds.
EditGoing to Trial - Find out if you can have an attorney represent you. Although you don't have the right to an appointed attorney, you may be able to hire a traffic attorney who can help you fight the ticket.
- Consider traffic school. In many jurisdictions, you can attend traffic school and have a minor violation dismissed. Typically this option is only available for first-time offenders or for relatively minor infractions.
- If it's your first ticket in the jurisdiction, you may be able to take a special "no contest" plea in which you pay a reduced fee and the violation doesn't add points to your license or go on your insurance.[14]
- Find out if you have the option of trial by declaration. In many states you can have a trial by mail. You write a letter explaining why you shouldn't be held liable for the violation, and then the officer writes in with his side of the story. If the officer fails to write in, you win by default. However, if you lose by mail you can still request an in-person hearing.[15]
- Request an in-person hearing, if necessary. You may have automatically been assigned a hearing date, or your city may require you to request a hearing date. If you're responsible for requesting a hearing, do so as soon as possible after you get your ticket so you have a greater choice on dates and times.
- In most jurisdictions, the police officer who issued your citation is required to show up at your hearing. If he does not appear, your ticket may be dismissed automatically.
- If your ticket already has a date on it, consider having it changed. Typically the officer who issued your ticket already has that date in his schedule and plans to attend several hearings that day. If you have the date of your hearing changed, there's a greater possibility the officer won't show up.
- Requesting a continuance also may increase the chances that the officer isn't available to show up.[16]
- Appear at your hearing. Dress in clean, professional clothing and arrive early for your hearing. Bring copies of all documents along with any evidence or witnesses you wish to present.
- Treat all court staff with respect. If there are other cases being heard before yours, take a seat and wait your turn. When you are called to come forward, address the judge as "your honor" and don't speak unless you are asked a question.
#*Leave your mobile phone or any other electronic devices at home or in the car – don't try to bring them with you into the courtroom.
- Organize your documents and evidence before you get there so you aren't shuffling through papers if the judge asks for something.
- Present your defense. When the judge calls on you, explain briefly why you are not liable for the traffic violation. Keep your argument succinct and stick to the facts.
- If you've brought witnesses to testify on your behalf, keep your questions brief and make sure they stay in line with what you're trying to prove rather than digressing.[17]
- Listen while the officer presents her side of the story. You can make notes if there's something you want to ask her about. But don't interrupt her or argue with her.
- Don't insult the police officer or accuse her of lying. If it comes down to an argument between you and the police officer without any factual evidence, the judge probably will believe the police officer.
- Ask the officer questions. After the officer has finished her testimony, the judge will give you an opportunity to ask her questions.
 - You want to establish some doubt in the officer's mind, as well as in the judge's mind. The officer may have walked into that courtroom absolutely convinced that she was correct in giving you a ticket, but if you can place doubt in her mind she may become less sure of herself. If the officer isn't entirely sure, the judge won't be sure either, and might dismiss your ticket.
- Create uncertainty in the officer's mind by challenging her subjective conclusions. Police officers often don't know the exact wording or interpretation of a law. The officer who pulled you over may not have realized that she has to make a judgment call every time she writes a ticket for violating a law that requires safe or responsible vehicle operation.[18] Ask the officer how she came to the conclusion that your driving was unsafe or irresponsible, and then provide her with evidence she didn't have at the time.
- For example, suppose she gave you a ticket for an unsafe lane change. She only saw you swerve erratically into the left lane and then back into the right; however, she didn't see the deer crossing the road that you swerved to avoid. This information might change her judgment, since it would be safer for you to swerve than to hit the deer.
- You also can impeach the officer's testimony by challenging her observations.[19] This is why you talked to witnesses and took photos of the scene.
- For example, suppose you ask the officer to describe the weather conditions when she pulled you over, and she says it was bright and sunny. If you have a photo showing that the conditions actually were gray and cloudy, use it to cast doubt on her observations. When she later says she's certain your car was the one that was speeding, you get the opportunity to ask her how certain she is – as certain as she was that it was bright and sunny?
- Accept the judge's ruling. After both sides have presented all evidence, the judge will decide if you are liable for the violation or not.
- If the judge rules against you and you decide you want to appeal, ask the court clerk for information on the appeals process.[20]
- Never pay a traffic ticket if you're planning on fighting it. In nearly every jurisdiction, paying a traffic ticket constitutes an admission of guilt.[21]
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