| How to Change an Outdoor Cat Into an Indoor Cat Posted: 13 Jun 2017 05:00 PM PDT Outdoor cats endanger surrounding wildlife, particularly birds. They are also at increased risk of infection, disease, road accidents, and animal attack. Thus, bringing your cat indoors is good for the environment and good for the cat. Most cats will learn to love being inside; you only need to give them some time to acclimate and a home full of toys, trees and other cat conveniences to keep it happy and engaged. EditPreparing Your Cat for the House - Train your cat to use the scratching post outside. Your cat will always want to scratch on things, and if it doesn't know how to use a scratching post, it will use your furniture instead. Before bringing your cat inside, place a scratching post in a dry spot, near your cat's food. Give your cat at least a week to become accustomed to using a scratching post before bringing it inside.[1]
- Train your cat to use a litter box outside. Before bringing your cat indoors, place a little box outside in a dry location. Fill the litter box with fine-grain, clumping litter. Give your cat approximately a week to get accustomed to the litter box before bringing it inside.[2]
- Make sure to clean the litter box every day. Outdoor cats tend to like to use clean areas to eliminate waste. If the litter box is not clean, they are likely not to use it.
- Put the litter box in a safe and quiet area. Otherwise, the cat might be too scared or hesitant to use it.
- Take your cat to a veterinarian. Before bringing your cat indoors, you should be sure that it won't be bringing disease with it. If your cat hasn't already been microchipped, a process that allows it to be identified, your veterinarian should perform this procedure as well. A wild cat will also need to be vaccinated and neutered.[3]
- Before the cat is spayed or neutered, the vet should perform a test for Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV). FeLV is highly infectious between cats and can be deadly if untreated. The vet will do two blood tests to see if your cat has this disease.[4]
- The vet should do a complete check-up of the cat. This includes checking for ear mites, fleas, lice, and other parasites. The cat should also be dewormed.
EditIntroducing Your Cat to Its New Home - Take it slow. Your cat isn't likely to adapt immediately to living indoors. To prevent it from doing damage to your house, you should let it outside periodically, until it seems to be comfortable inside.[5]
- Begin by allowing your cat indoors for brief periods of time. Then keep it inside for progressively longer each time.
- Feed your cat indoors. While you might still allow your cat outside periodically, you should only give it food and water inside. This way, it will come to associate food with being inside. This will create positive associations with your home.[6]
- Give your cat two litter boxes. Place one litter box in a place that is convenient for you. Place the other near the door your cat takes to exit the house. This way, when your cat wants to go outdoors to use the restroom, it will see the litter box and use it instead. As your cat gets accustomed to the litter box, move the one near the door closer to the interior litter box. When the two litter boxes are next to each other, you can remove one.
- Use litter boxes that are large, but not very high. To encourage your cat to use the litter box, you should remove all obstacles. Thus, you should avoid boxes with tops or boxes that require your cat to jump up high to get inside of. [7]
- The cat should feel secure when using the litter box. Place the litter box in a quiet area of the house where other animals and humans won't bother it too much.
- Allow controlled outside time. Don't allow your cat to decide for itself when it leaves your home. If you have a screened-in porch, you can allow your cat onto it periodically. You can also purchase a harness designed for cats and take your cat outside on walk. Some cats are resistant to walking on a leash but if you can leash train your cat you will both find it to be a rewarding experience. [8]
EditMaking Your Home Inviting - Buy toys for your home. Your cat will feel less of a need to break out to hunt, if it has plenty of opportunities to express its hunter's instincts inside. You should have several balls, fake mice, and other toys for your cat to play with. Most importantly, you should play with your cat to give it something exciting to do in your home.[9]
- If you roll a ball along the floor, your cat might chase it and swat at it.
- Try getting a toy mouse attached to a stick. Drag the mouse on the floor or dangle it over your cat's head. Your cat should try to attack it.
- Cats also like feather toys. These are often feathers that are attached to the end of a string or a stick. Drag them on the ground or dangle them in the air.
- Try rotating new toys into the home every couple of weeks to keep your cat interested.
- Buy catnip. Many cats enjoy the smell of this herb. Buy some and place it in strategic spots where your cat likes to spend time or where you would like it to spend time. Placing it on a scratching post, for example, can encourage it to begin sharpening its nails on the post, instead of your furniture.[10]
- Get a cat tree. Cats enjoy looking down on humans and jumping to high lookout spots. At the pet store, you can buy "cat trees" with multiple platforms for your cat to jump on and climb around.[11]
- Cat trees can be expensive. Alternatively, you can clear off some shelves or arrange your desks and bookshelves so that your cat has nice perches to jump to.
- Give your cat a warm place to sleep. A warm, comfy cat bed can be a great way to entice a cat indoors during cold and rainy months. If you don't want to buy a special cat bed, try to arrange some blankets on your bed or couch in an inviting way. If your cat finds a spot that it seems to like, set the space aside for it.[12]
- Give your cat a sunny spot to rest. Cats love to sit in the sun and providing an indoor sunning spot will decrease the incentive for your cat to run outside. If you don't have a windowsill that is an appropriate sunning spot, place a table next to the window for your cat to lay on. Leave your blinds up near the bed, so your cat can catch some sun on a warm bed.
- If you open the window, be sure that the screen is secure so that your cat can't bust out.[13]
- Grow some cat grass. Pet stores and even some grocery stores sell cat grass that can grow inside. The grass is a nice snack for your cat and will remind it of being outside.[14]
EditDealing with Problematic Behaviors - Designate one room for the cat. If your cat is scratching or refusing to use the litter box, put it in a small room with all its toys, scratching posts, and litter boxes. There will be less furniture for your cat to damage here and your cat is more likely to learn to use the litter box if it is confined to a small space with it.[15]
- Buy SoftPaws. SoftPaws are pieces of plastic that can be glued onto a cat's claws to prevent it from scratching. To place the soft paws on the cat, one person will need to hold the cat. Another person will clip the cat's nails and then glue the SoftPaws on.
- Squeeze the cat's paws gently to encourage it to show its claws. Then use a clipper to trim the claws. If you do not have experience trimming a cat's claws, cut only the end, to avoid cutting too deep and hurting it.
- Squeeze the glue that comes with the SoftPaws into the SoftPaws. Then place the SoftPaws on your cat's claws and push until the plastic covers the entire claw.
- Cats can have their claws permanently removed, but declawing is generally considered inhumane and should be avoided if possible.
- Discourage your cat from running outside. Even if your cat still periodically leaves your home, you should be in control of it when it leaves. Watch the door closely to ensure that it does not sneak out. If it does, do not hit it, because that will make it less likely to want to stay inside. Use moderate reinforcement to encourage it to behave better.
- If your cat tries to make a run to the door squirt it with a water bottle or rattle a jar of coins.
- Throw a treat or a toy in the opposite direction when you open the door. This will encourage your cat to run away from the open door and break it of the habit of running away.[16]
EditSources and Citations
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
|
| How to Start a Business As a Stay at Home Parent Posted: 13 Jun 2017 09:00 AM PDT Starting a business as a stay at home parent offers the possibility of an extra source of income. However, starting a business comes with a wide variety of challenges in that you'll have to manage your responsibilities as a business owner and as a parent. In addition, you'll need to manage your time and money. Ultimately, though, by choosing the right business, figuring out how you'll balance your responsibilities, and knowing how to run your business as a professional, you'll be better equipped to start a business as a stay at home parent. EditChoosing an Idea - Become a freelance writer. If you like writing, you could make a substantial amount of money as a freelance writer. In addition, freelance writing offers the opportunity for you to put your creative abilities to use and to create a wide variety of content.
- Freelance writing jobs can pay between $10 and $30 per hour.
- Look on websites like www.freelancewritinggigs.com for writing jobs that might interest you.
- Contact your local newspaper to see if they have any opportunities for paid writing.
- Enroll in courses that will help you sharpen your writing.
- Offer to do no-charge copyediting for friends or nonprofits in your community. This will help you get lots of experience and to sharpen your skills so you can eventually charge customers.[1]
- Start a tutoring business. Tutoring is one of the easiest ways you can make money and put your academic or intellectual background to good use. If you have a degree in a specific field (like English, Math, or History) or professional or teaching experience, you're likely qualified to tutor a subject.
- If you have kids in public school, let their teachers know you offer tutoring services in certain subjects.
- Look for tutoring jobs on websites like www.wyzant.com or www.varsitytutors.com.
- Charge an hourly fee. For instance, you might charge $20 to $50 dollars per hour depending on the subject and the level. Tutoring AP Chemistry might fetch a higher fee than elementary school English.[2]
- Begin a dog walking business. By charging a fee per dog, you can make a good amount of money over the course of a week. In the end, you'll make money working with animals and doing something enjoyable. When starting your business:
- Put up flyers in your neighborhood advertising your dog walking business.
- Tell your friends, family, and neighbors about your business.
- Offer discounts if a person has multiple dogs or has you walk their dogs several times in one day.
- Your fee may vary on your location. For instance, dog walking fees in Southern California will be higher than in Atlanta, Georgia.[3]
- Create a list of products you could sell. While services might be a good option, selling or reselling products might offer you a profitable alternative. Reselling products will give you the ability to take care of your family and make some money on the side. Consider selling:
- Vintage clothing
- Baked goods
- A variety of goods on Amazon Market Place or eBay. For example, you could resell toys, dishes, electronics, or more.[4]
EditSetting Up Your Business - Estimate your potential costs and profits. After you've created a list of goods or services you can offer, you need to narrow down your list and figure out if you can make money. In the end, an unprofitable business is not worth starting.
- Think about how much you would charge for a certain service. For example, if you're offering a dog walking service, think about how much money you need to make per dog so it is worth your time.
- Decide how much it would cost you to resell a product. For instance, if you are reselling vintage clothing, determine how much you will or can pay for a specific article of clothing and how much time and money it costs for you to sell it.[5]
- Conform to laws and regulations. Before starting your stay at home business, you should investigate any local, state, or federal laws or regulations that may be applicable to your business. Without being aware of laws and regulations, you could wind up being fined or have your business shut down.
- Call the permit department of your local municipal government for information about laws and regulations that govern small businesses in your area.
- Be aware that some cities or municipalities have laws that govern what type of businesses you can run out of your own home.
- Make sure to pay municipal, state, and federal taxes if applicable.
- If you employ others, make sure to have them sign appropriate paperwork. For example, if you hire hourly workers as independent contractors, make them sign an independent contractor agreement. Consult a contract lawyer for more information.[6]
- Get your business license. Most governmental authorities require many types of businesses to register and to get a business license. Without a business license, you could find yourself in violation of state statutes.
- Call your state or province's department of business regulation to find out if you need to apply for a license. For example, in Florida contact the state's Department of Business and Professional Regulation at (850) 487-1395.
- Certain professionals, such as real estate agents or cosmetologists must be licensed. In addition, many states and provinces require certain professionals to enroll in continuing education courses.[7]
- Purchase insurance. Depending on the type of business you start, you may need to purchase insurance to protect you from loss or lawsuit. Without insurance, your small business may open you up to monetary losses much larger than anything you may gain by working. Some insurances you may want to consider include:
- Worker's compensation insurance. This insurance will cover any employees if they are injured in the line of work and are unable to continue working.
- Liability insurance. Liability insurance may protect you if someone is hurt due to the fault of you or one of your employees.
- Property insurance. Property insurance will cover your property – and sometime other people's property – if it is damaged during your work.[8]
- Set a budget. Creating a budget for your business is perhaps the most important step you'll need to take to make sure it is successful and profitable. Without a budget, you won't be able to keep track of your expenses and project income.
- Know how much money you spend on supplies weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
- Calculate your general overhead for a given period. For instance, tally up what you pay for a website, a store front, or to rent equipment. Ultimately, your sales must cover the cost of product and general overhead.[9]
EditBalancing Your Responsibilities - List your time constraints. Before putting together a schedule to balance your work and family responsibilities, you need to list all of your obligations. This is important, as you might have significant time constraints associated with taking care of your children. Thus, reflect on them when picking a potential business to start. Some time constraints might include:
- Picking up and dropping off children.
- Coaching little league or another extracurricular activity.
- Preparing meals or cleaning the house.
- Readying the kids for school in the morning.
- Taking care of unforeseen events like taking a sick child to the doctor.[10]
- Create a schedule. Balancing your many responsibilities as a stay-at-home parent and small business owner will perhaps be your biggest challenge. There are several steps you need to take to create a proper schedule so you can manage your responsibilities. Make sure to:
- Get a day planner so you can organize your time.
- Write in all your family obligations on your day planner. This includes little league, picking kids up from school, and everything else.
- Block out portions of the day for your business. For example, put aside 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon to take care of your work.[11]
- Set aside time for your family. During this time, you won't work at all. Ultimately, while you're in business to make money, you're first priority will always be your family.
- Dedicate meals, bedtime, homework time, and other time to your family.
- Wait until after family events to answer phone calls. If you're at one of your children's softball games, you should wait until after the game to respond to a customer.[12]
- Answer phone calls and emails promptly, but don't let them dominate your life. While your primary responsibility is taking care of your family, you also need to make sure that you provide service to your customers.
- Return all phone calls and emails within 24 hours.
- Acknowledge the fact that your customers have contacted you. For example, if you're on a family trip and won't be able to access the internet all weekend, set up an autoreply message that lets your customers know when you'll be back.
- Don't interrupt family events to answer a call that can be answered later. For example, don't leave the dinner table to call back a customer unless you know the issue is time sensitive.[13]
- Be punctual when providing your goods or services. Without punctuality, you'll establish a poor reputation. To avoid this, make sure to get your product to your customer as quickly as possible.
- If you sell products over the internet, make sure you ship them as quickly as you can. However, don't pick your children up from school late because you were shipping something at the post office.
- If you provide a service, don't show up late. If you have to because of family obligation, let your customers know as soon as you can.[14]
EditLaunching the Business - Buy your supplies. After you've chosen what type of business you're going to start, you need to make sure you have everything you'll need to run it. Without gathering your supplies, you'll be ill-equipped to attend to the needs of your customers.
- Stockpile your product. If you're starting a consignment shop, make sure you've lined up enough people with enough goods. If you're reselling clothes, visit thrift stores and start to accumulate clothes.
- Buy anything you'll need to provide a service. For instance, if you're starting a dog walking business, you'll likely need treats, leashes, and dog poop bags.[15]
- Get the word out. After you've stockpiled products or determined what service you're going to offer, you need to make sure people know that you're in business. Ultimately, advertising is one of the most important aspects of establishing a successful business.
- Create a website, if appropriate. For instance, if you're setting up a consignment shop, you should probably create a website that lists store hours, location, and gives potential customers an idea of the products you offer.
- Use social media to promote your business. For instance, create a Facebook page for your business.
- Take advantage of your friend network to get the word out about your business. For example, let your friends know, and let the parents of your children's friends know. This might be especially helpful if you're offering a dog walking or babysitting service.[16]
- Have your product ready. While you've set your budget, gathered supplies, and done some sort of advertising, you need to be ready to serve your customers when they call. Thus, make sure you are ready to supply your goods or services when the time comes.
- If you provide a service, be ready to set aside time to provide that service. For instance, if you have a dog walking service, write in the times that you'll walk a person's dog.
- If you sell goods, make sure you have plenty on hand. For example, if you sell baked goods, make sure you have ingredients on hand to bake cupcakes when your customers want them.[17]
EditSources and Citations
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
|
| How to Take Chlorophyll As a Supplement Posted: 13 Jun 2017 01:00 AM PDT Plants have a class of pigments called chlorophyll that allow them to absorb energy from the sun. This pigment also makes plants green. For human health, chlorophyll has traditionally been used for its deodorizing and wound healing properties. More recently, anti-carcinogenic properties have been identified, although further research is needed. Plants such as algae, spirulina and leafy greens such as kale, Swiss chard and spinach have loads of chlorophyll. In addition, one can purchase chlorophyll supplements in liquid or tablet form.[1] EditTaking Chlorophyll Supplements - Talk to your doctor before starting chlorophyll supplements. Your doctor should be able to offer advice on whether or not you require chlorophyll supplementation. In some cases, chlorophyll supplements should be avoided. For example, since there has been a lack of safety research on chlorophyll supplements, pregnant women should avoid commercial supplements.[2]
- If your doctor advises against supplementation, you can still get your chlorophyll from natural sources such as kale, spinach or broccoli.[3] In fact, eating green vegetables daily is a much better way to get chlorophyll into your diet along with fiber and other nutrients.
- Keep in mind that chlorophyll supplements may not be recommended if you are taking other medications or if you are pregnant or nursing. Check with your doctor to be sure.
- Shop for chlorophyll supplements. If you are unable to get enough chlorophyll from vegetables, you could use a supplement. Chlorophyll supplements can give you a boost of energy, as well as provide a number of potential health benefits. You can find chlorophyll supplements at most health food stories. Ask the health food clerk which brands are reputable. If there are no health food stores nearby, shop online.[4]
- You can get chlorophyll supplements in a variety of combinations, including with papaya, spirulina and green mixes containing a variety of other vitamins and minerals.
- Chlorophyll supplements cost between $15 and $70.
- Also, keep in mind that the FDA does not regulate supplements. Check the label for other indicators of quality, such as a USP label.
- Choose a supplement form. You can get chlorophyll supplements in a variety of forms, including tablets and liquids. If you choose the liquid form, you squirt a few drops in a glass of water. It will get very green and tastes slightly minty and a little bitter. If you choose the tablet form, you don't have to worry about the strong taste. Follow the dosage recommendations on the label, or as directed by your naturopath or doctor.[5]
- Recognize side effects of chlorophyll supplementation. Taking the supplement orally may give you a green tongue or green feces. If you apply it topically to treat a wound, it may lead to a mild burning sensation or itching. If you take a lot of the supplement and in unusual situations, rare side effects include diarrhea and abdominal cramps.[6]
- Seek a doctor if you experience rare side effects.
- Buy chlorophyll water. Many juice stores sell chlorophyll water, which is water with some liquid chlorophyll. If you are on the run and forgot to take your chlorophyll supplement in the morning, you could pick up some chlorophyll water from a juice stand.[7]
EditNaturally Supplementing Your Diet - Get chlorophyll from food. Prior to choosing a chlorophyll supplement, you should make sure you are eating enough leafy greens and other sources of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a pigment found in any green vegetable, so it is not difficult to find. If you want to get more chlorophyll in your diet, eat lots of leafy greens such as kale, Swiss chard, spinach and arugula.[8]
- Blanch your greens. If you overcook your green vegetables, you may not be getting a desirable amount of chlorophyll, since cooking will reduce the amount of chlorophyll in the dish. Instead of cooking for a long time, blanch greens like kale or broccoli. Place a bowl of ice water in the sink. Then, bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove. Add a teaspoon of salt to the water. Throw your vegetables in the water for thirty seconds, scoop them out and cool them in the ice water. Add them to your recipe and enjoy.
- Supplement your diet with wheat grass shots. One of the best sources of chlorophyll is wheat grass.[9] You can juice wheat grass with any regular fruit juicer. Wash the wheat grass. If you spot any mold, throw it out. Juice and enjoy a shot of wheat grass on its own, or add it to an orange or carrot juice to improve the flavor.[10]
- Make green juices. Chlorophyll is found in any fresh green vegetable, so you should try to consume as many as possible. You can increase your chlorophyll consumption by juicing greens like kale, swiss chard and spinach. Use a standard juicer and experiment with different combinations, such as kale, carrot and ginger juice.[11]
EditTaking Chlorophyll for Specific Reasons - Recognize the benefits of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a class of pigments that allows plants to absorb energy from the sun through photosynthesis. It is present in any plant that uses photosynthesis, such as algae, wheatgrass, broccoli, and many other vegetables.[12] The health benefits of supplementing your diet with chlorophyll have been explored in relation to weight loss, cancer, wound healing and other conditions.[13] Some of the health benefits of chlorophyll include:[14]
- Chlorophyll may be useful for blocking effects of cancer. However, more research is needed in this area.
- Chlorophyll from green vegetables may be useful for reducing the risk of liver cancer.[15]
- Chlorophyll may also be used to increase energy, prevent altitude sickness and lose weight, although further research is needed on these purported benefits.[16]
- Apply chlorophyll for wound healing. One of the oldest uses of chlorophyll is to reduce inflammation and improve the healing of wounds and burns. Start by following the normal process for treating a wound. You should wash your hands, use a bandage to stop the bleeding, cover the area, apply antibiotic cream and then cover it up. Once it has healed up a bit, you can apply an ointment with chlorophyll in addition to the antibiotic cream.[17]
- In this case, chlorophyll can help your body fight against infection and prevent scarring from burns, cuts, scrapes or other wounds.
- For instance, you can find a variety of skin creams that contain chlorophyll at your local health food store. These creams can be used once the wound has closed up, in order to prevent too much scarring.
- Use chlorophyll to fight bad odor. Chlorophyll has long been used as a natural deodorant. It cleans you out from the inside. You can use wheatgrass shots, chlorophyll juice or a chlorophyll supplement. Ideally, follow the guidelines for the oral supplement you purchase and enjoy a glass of chlorophyll after your yoga session or workout.[18]
EditSources and Citations
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
|
No comments:
Post a Comment