Tag Archive for animals

How Cats’ Cutest Features Are Also Their Deadliest

Cats Deadliest Features are their Cutest

It’s no secret that cats—while one of the most adorable creatures on the planet—are also one of the deadliest. Some of the very features that make felines so endearing to us are also the same features that give them their amazing hunting abilities.

How Cats’ Cutest Features Are Also Their Deadliest

It’s no secret that cats—while one of the most adorable creatures on the planet—are also one of the deadliest. Some of the very features that make felines so endearing to us are also the same features that give them their amazing hunting abilities.

Let’s take a look at which parts of cats that we find so cute have evolved specially to make them fierce predators.

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Keep Your Cat Indoors to Protect the Environment

Keep Cats Indoors to Protect the Environmet

Outdoor cats can disrupt the entire ecosystem by hunting native species to extinction, spreading deadly parasites, and taking food away from native predators.

Keep Your Cat Indoors to Protect the Environment

Though most responsible pet owners understand the importance of keeping their cat as an indoor-only cat for the cat’s safety and health, many never think about the importance of keeping cats inside for environmental reasons. Allowing your cat to roam outdoors can directly contribute to the collapse of entire ecosystems. It is important to understand the effects that pet cats can have on the environment and on native wildlife when left allowed to roam unsupervised.

For both the well-being of your cat and the well-being of the planet, please consider keeping your cat as an indoor-only cat.

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10 Plants to Naturally Repel Mosquitoes From Your Garden

Plants that naturally repel mosquitos

These ten plants can help keep mosquitoes out of your garden to protect you, your family, and your pets from these blood-sucking insects.

10 Plants to Naturally Repel Mosquitoes From Your Garden

Mosquitoes can make enjoying time in your garden difficult. Not only are they annoying, they can also potentially spread diseases to you and your pets. Luckily, there are certain scents that these blood-sucking insects can’t stand. Reducing the number of mosquitos attacking you in your garden is as simple as planting a few strategically chosen plants.

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Natural and Humane Ways to Repel Raccoons From Your Garden

Repel Raccoons naturally and humanely

Though trash pandas may look cute and cuddly, they cause massive amounts of destruction in the garden. Here are some tips to keep raccoons away from your garden or yard.

Natural and Humane Ways to Repel Raccoons From Your Garden

I’m going to be honest up front. These methods only have limited success and seem to work best when I switch out methods on a regular basis and combine more than one method at a time. Some methods work better than others, and sometimes methods that some gardeners have had luck with just don’t work with another family of raccoons living in a different area. Most of these methods are scent-based and need to be reapplied after it rains.

I have a family of at least six baby raccoons and their mother living near my property who visit almost every night, as confirmed by my trail camera. Though they are very cute, and I don’t want to hurt them, I would much prefer that they keep their cuteness out of my garden, as they have a very bad tendency of digging up my plants and forcing me to replant them first thing in the morning. It is quite annoying. Here are a few raccoon deterrent methods that I have tried to use to repel the trash pandas from my garden and how effective I have found each to be.

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10 Pet-Friendly Houseplants That Are Safe for Cats and Dogs

Pet-friendly house plants

It is possible to enjoy a home filled with houseplants even if you have a cat or dog. Here are 10 houseplants that are safe to have in your home if you have pets.

10 Pet-Friendly Houseplants That Are Safe for Cats and Dogs

It is possible for pets and plants to coexist in the same home. While you should try to keep your plants away from your pet’s reach, accidents can always happen. To keep your furry friends safe from potential poisoning from toxic plants, keep only non-toxic plants in your home if you have cats or dogs.

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10 Pet-Friendly Succulents That Are Safe for Cats and Dogs

Pet-friendly Succulents

It is possible to have succulents in your home even if you have pets. Here are ten types of succulents that are non-toxic and safe to have in a home with cats and dogs.

10 Pet-Friendly Succulents That Are Safe for Cats and Dogs

It is possible to have both pets and succulents living together peacefully in the same home. While you should try to keep your succulents and other houseplants out of your furry friend’s reach, it is always possible for accidents to happen despite your best intentions. To keep your fur babies safe from possible poisoning, keep only pet-safe succulents (and pet-friendly plants in general) in your home if you have pet cats or dogs.

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Why Are Monarch Butterflies in Danger?

Why are monarch butterflies in danger?

Monarch butterfly populations are in rapid decline. Find out why these iconic butterflies are in danger, and what you can do to save them.

Why Are Monarch Butterflies in Danger?

Monarch butterflies are important pollinators in our ecosystem. Without pollinators, we humans, and most other animals, wouldn’t have much of the food we rely on for survival. Pollinators such as monarch butterflies are a vitally important part of the food chain. Butterflies are important indicators of the overall health of the environment and ecosystem where they reside.

Additionally, monarch butterflies are considered a “flagship” species for conservation. This means that they are a well-known, well-liked, and easily recognizable species that people are more willing to get involved with conserving. These butterflies help to get people involved in efforts to protect and restore habitats, which benefits not only monarchs, but other pollinators as well. Simply put, these butterflies inspire people to help protect the environment.

Unfortunately, these iconic pollinators are in danger, in no small part due to human influence. Because of human activities such as agriculture, pesticide use, urban development, and pollution leading to climate change, monarch butterfly populations are in rapid decline. Here are some of the biggest threats faced by monarch butterflies, and what we can do to help them before it is too late.

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How to Protect Milkweed Plants From Aphids, Naturally

Protect your milkweed plants from aphid attacks

Are aphids infesting your milkweed plants? Follow these tips to naturally get rid of aphids and prevent them from coming back, while keeping the monarch butterflies that visit your plants safe!

How to Protect Milkweed Plants From Aphids, Naturally

The most common aphid species you are likely to find infesting your milkweed plants is the tiny orange Aphis nerii, also known by the common names oleander aphid or milkweed aphid. These aphids suck the sap out of milkweed plants and can reduce flower and seed pod fertility of the plants. As an invasive species, beneficial native insects are less effective at controlling them than they are in controlling native aphid species. In extreme cases of infestation, aphids may completely kill your milkweed plants, destroying the monarch butterfly habitat you worked so hard to create.

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Five Great Native Flowers for Pollinator Gardens in Northeast Ohio

Ohio native plants for pollinators

Attract local pollinators, including bees and butterflies, to your Northeast Ohio garden with these 5 native flowers.

Five Great Native Flowers for Pollinator Gardens in Northeast Ohio

A pollinator garden is simply a garden that features many plants preferred by pollinator species, such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Of all the food that humans (and all other creatures) rely on to survive, 80% requires pollination by insects or other animals. Due to human influence in causing climate change, habitat loss, and pollution, pollinator species populations have been rapidly declining in recent years.

By planting a pollinator garden in your own backyard, you can help to do your part in restoring populations of these important species. By planting native pollinator-friendly plants, you help to feed and restore habitat for these creatures that we rely on for our own survival.

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How to Turn Your Own Backyard Into a Certified Wildlife Habitat

NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat

Do you love wildlife? Consider turning your own backyard into a Certified Wildlife Habitat recognized by the National Wildlife Federation.

How to Turn Your Own Backyard Into a Certified Wildlife Habitat

A National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat is a property that is certified by the NWF as meeting their requirements for a habitat that supports local wildlife. Anyone can certify their property as a Certified Wildlife Habitat by first ensuring that the property meets all the requirements set forth by the NWF, then applying on their website and paying a small fee. Just about any type of property can become a Certified Wildlife Habitat, but this article will focus on your own backyard. It is easier than you think to implement everything you need for your garden or yard to become a Certified Wildlife Habitat.

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