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Nonsmokers beware

3 min read

Dear Heloise: I would like to add another very important question when apartment and condo hunting: What are the SMOKING REGULATIONS in the building?

When someone smokes inside or on patios and balconies, the smoke fills the surrounding apartment homes.

Children and seniors should live in smoke-free environments. Smoke-free apartment and condo buildings are gaining in popularity to protect the health of their residents. — Jacque P., via email

Jacque, you are spot-on! When apartments share heating and cooling (as in a central system), it may cause odors (including cooking) to be noticed in other apartments. Even if the apartments have individual AC/heating units, there is still a “drift” factor. Thanks for sharing. — Heloise

GLOW STICKS

Hello, Heloise: I enjoy your column in the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader. My hint is a child/pet safety warning.

Glow sticks and necklaces can be given to children throughout the holidays and into New Year’s Eve. My granddaughter was given a glow necklace, which she laid on the kitchen counter.

Our cat bit into it, and he shot off the counter and around the house. He was foaming from his mouth. We held him over the sink and washed his mouth out with water. He was fine, but he might not have been if we hadn’t been there. — Zelda W., Springfield, Mo.

Zelda, these glow sticks are tempting for children, cats, dogs, ferrets and other inquisitive animals. Glad your kitty is fine.

The research I did shows that if animals ingest a small portion of the fluid inside the glow stick, it won’t kill them. An animal may get an upset stomach and minor mouth irritation, which should be temporary symptoms. Much depends on the size of the animal and the way it eats or ingests food. Birds are different from dogs, and cats are, well, cats!

When in doubt, don’t wait! Call your vet or an animal poison-control hotline; with most the call is free, but the consultation may cost. — Heloise

PET PAL

Dear Readers: Dean in Fort Wayne, Ind., sent a cute picture of his deer-headed Chihuahua, Lonnie, being hugged by his Christmas toy, the Abominable Snow Monster. If you’d like to see Lonnie and our other Pet Pals, visit www.Heloise.com and click on “Pet of the Week.”

Do you have a picture of your cute and funny pet that you’d like to share? Please email to Heloise(at)Heloise.com (put in the subject line “PET PHOTO”), or mail to Heloise-Pet Pal, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279. — Woof, meow, chirp and chuckle, Heloise

DOG HAIR AND LEAVES

Dear Heloise: I read your column every day in the Texarkana Gazette. With four dogs and lots of trees, I had trouble vacuuming the combination of dog hair and leaves with my regular vacuum cleaner; it would stop up too quickly.

I discovered that my wet-and-dry workshop vacuum was the answer. It goes for a long time without stopping up or filling up. — Betty F., via email

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