Jennifer T

I moved out of an apartment, and they are saying that after the carpet was steam cleaned, it began to smell like cat urine. The carpet was new when we moved in, and it looked fine when we moved out. My cat never had an accident (I stayed at home with him and did the housework), and my cat is fixed. They are charging us $300 for cleaning cat urine that I never saw or smelled, even on the final walk through of the apartment.

They said you don't always smell it or see it. They also said that they pulled up the carpet to find spots. When I was a kid, I remember smelling cat pee... am I mistaken?

We move alot. My indoor cat loves sitting on the balcony of our apartments and watching the world. That is as much outside as he normally gets. This time, we moved to an apartment with no outside space. It is on the second floor, and the closest our cat will be getting to outside is sitting in front of the window on the sill.

I was looking online for a solution that would let him go outside, and saw google listings for the Petsafe Cat Veranda. While this does look like a solution, I am concerned about the safety of it. Are there other similar products that are more secure, provide more space, and/or do not require me to damage the outside of the building? Nothing can cover up our downstairs neighbor's window either. The manager lives below us.

Any idea what I can do to give my cat a safe outside experience? (Walking him on a leash had some problems)

Several weeks ago, I started making sandwich bread for our family. It is the American White Sandwich Bread from America's test kitchen. It uses the rapid rise yeast packets and calls for honey. My first loaf was small and dense, but the next dozen or so loaves were fine (more kneading).

Last weekend, I made some artisan bread for my husband's friends, and as I was running out of honey from my first jar, I finished off that first jar and I opened a new jar of honey. The artisan bread didn't rise much, but as it was my first attempt at that, I shrugged it off.

I was making new sandwich bread today, using only honey from the new jar, and the bread didn't rise at all! I always check the water temp before adding it, and I hand kneaded for 15 minutes. The recipe was exactly the same as always. It is warm (72F) and humid in here. Usually by about 90 minutes, this dough is bulging out of its bowl, but this time it didn't grow a bit.

Can a new jar of honey be doing this? Or am I missing something else? If I switch to sugar to make sure that is not the problem, how much will that effect the taste of the bread?

I am a military spouse, so we move alot. I got my BS with only about 120 semester units. The next state we are moving to will let me take the exam, but I would need another 30 units to become licensed.

How easy is it to move credit for passing the exam between states? Also, is there an easy and inexpensive way to gain the additional 30 units that will qualify in most states?

Also, if I cannot get the 30 extra units, and I end up licensed in a state that does not require them, when we move to a state that does require them, how easy is it to transfer the license?

I have a balcony, a cat, and an urge to garden. What common herbs are toxic to my kitty?

I have looked at alot of those lists of "Plants Toxic to Cats" and I can't seem to discover if Basil (specifically Thai Basil) or Rosemary are toxic. I know the other two plants I have (catnip and cat grass) are safe, but what about these? My kitty adores the grass, ignores the catnip, but seems interested in the rosemary. He hasn't found the basil yet.

So are Rosemary (not Rosemary pea, that is different) or Basil varietals dangerous to my cat? What about other herbs? Basically if it is on my spice rack, I would like to know if it is toxic.

We bought http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productI... from Petsmart, And our cat adores it. He weighs about 10 lbs.

The only problem is, he only loves it if it is free standing (not against a wall). He loves to take a flying leap at it and land on the side, then scurry up it to drape himself over the top (it looks uncomfortable). The first time he did this, it was lucky I was holding onto the bottom, or there would have been disaster.

I have the end under a piece of furniture at the moment, but is there a better solution to weigh it down so I can place it in the middle of the room?

My cat prefers horizontal scratching, and is currently destroying the carpet. He doesn't understand that he can scratch the cardboard scratcher we got him, and while he likes the sisal boards we got (meant to hand from a door knob) he can't understand that he needs to stand on one end to keep if from moving. I think I am looking for a large board wrapped in sisal rope (which he seems to prefer over carpet), but I can't find anything much larger than the two small boards we have, or that is not a vertical post. Anyone know where I can get one? Thought about making one myself, but most of my projects seem to end in disaster.

I go to various asian groceries in whatever part of the country we are living in (we move alot) to get my husband's favorite foods. I keep seeing all of these interesting little jars, cans, and bags, not to mention meats and veggies I can't name. Anyone know of a site explaining what to do with some of these? The store that I currently go to seems to be a mix of Vietnamese, Thai, and Korean, with a fair mix of Chinese and some Japanese.

I have been looking for a cat tree or other similar furniture for my cat, and I came across the selection on the Sam's Club website. I do not have a membership, but I have been thinking about getting one.

Does anyone have any experience with Cat Trees from Sam's Club? How is the quality?

We have a young cat. He is 4 months old, and very good natured. We bought a collar to put on him, and we adjusted it correctly, and he has spent 2 days trying to get it off. We noticed that he wasn't eating, depite the fact the collar is NOT too tight, so we removed it. He is back to his happy self.

If he is going to be an inside cat, and microchipped when we get him neutered, does he really need to wear a collar? Or would it be a better idea to wait until he is older?

I got myself a box of Trader Ming's Satay noodles as a treat for myself (calorie overload, I know) when we moved back to an area with a Trader Joe's. Only one problem... no microwave.

Any suggestions on how to cook this with no microwave?

I am starting to plan out the wedding dress search, and I was wondering if anyone can recommend good bridal salons in Colorado Springs. I am looking to see around 3, as I only really have 1 weekend to pick one out (my mom is flying in from CA). I need a good balance of quality and price when I look for a dress. I would like to try to keep the dress under $1000.

Any help is appreciated.

Here is the situation: I have been living with my fiancee for awhile, and we are planning a wedding with friends and family in July, no matter what.

He is in the military, and may be transfered soon, and I have been having no luck finding a job in Colorado.

If we get married before our actual wedding, we will have several hundred dollars of additional income every month, and I will have health insurance. The only objection I can come up with is that "This isn't how it is supposed to work."

My question is this: Even though I know the marriage laws, how do I make this happen? I know I need to get the license, it has to be signed, and I do believe we need an officiant. We are not planning on anything fancy until July, but we would like to be legally married as soon as possible. What precisely do I need to do, and how long will this all take? I figure once we are married we can take care of the paper work with the military.

I don't get them often, but I do get them every few months or so. A bag of Chips Ahoy! Chewy I bought today taste different than a bag a few months ago. They kinda have a graham cracker taste. I hate graham crackers.

Has anyone else noticed this, or know what is up?

My spouse and I rented a room from a friend of his for a few months, and I became very attached to one of their cats. I miss her deeply, and dream about her at night. However, there is no chance of getting her for our own, as she loves her owners, and another tenant just as much.

We have been thinking about getting a kitty of our own, but we are waiting for a few months to make sure we can actually afford a cat and possible emergencies, as well as to make sure that we are not trying to get a replacement for our old friend-kitty.

We want to get a cat from the local shelter, as the price is right, it is well run, and it is NOT a no-kill shelter. We are thinking about a cat around 1 year old, but probably not older than 2.

Does the visiting room that they let you use to get to know the cat really provide an accurate picture of a cat's personality? I'd hate to end up with a cat that hated me, or turned out to be mean.

I would like to learn to apply eye makeup, but I wear glasses. I have worn them since I was three years old, and I can't see a thing without them. I simply cannot see to apply makeup if I remove them, and contact lenses are not an option.

So how do I apply eye makeup if I can't see to do it?

I recently moved from California to Colorado, and I miss Trader Joe's. I especially miss the Kettle Brewed Black Tea that came in those nice gallon jugs. In fact, I put 6 gallons into my car to bring with me to Colorado. I am almost out of it, and am looking for an alternative. Lipton doesn't taste good to me, and I cannot stand sweetened tea (which is all I have seen around here).

Please help me find an alternative!