The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page E002

E2 Akron Beacon Journal Ohio.com INFORMING. ENGAGING. ESSENTIAL. Saturday, March 30, 2013 E2 Saturday, March 30, 2013 Female cat hitting owners by the door This may seem silly, but please do not mark it up to age. I have a 10- to 11-year- old female neutered cat (my cats generally live to be around 18-19) who has developed an irritating habit.

She will sit in front of the kitchen door and hit you when you walk in or out. Mainly just my husband and not the We both feed her, and have food down at all times. She will also hit my husband every morning when he gets ready to leave for work. She will sit in the middle of the room between the kitchen and front room where the front door is. She leaves him alone, except for an occasional need to be petted until the time he goes to put on his shoes.

From that moment on she hits him either way he goes. She does not hit me when I get ready to leave, though. I do not think she has a preference to whom she likes more. She gets in both our laps, sleeps on both sides of the bed, etc. We wave it off as funny, and my husband will tussle with her when she does it, which he does many times a day anyway.

We really need a we would just like to know why she has been hitting. It probably has been going on for about a year or so. Also, she shows no aggression to her that we got a week after her. They are the same age and no real dominance is between them. C.S., Akron This is a fun one and it sounds like you have a cat with a lot of personality! Why she is doing this behavior may be as simple as it In your description you included some helpful information that you or your husband sometimes respond to her in a way that she enjoys, and laughing.

Whenever we in the scientific community look at any behavior we look for Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence. In your case, you go to walk by (antecedent), she hits you (behavior), you may or may not respond to her (consequence). Sometimes the consequence may be no response and other times the consequence is fantastic! For your cat this is somewhat like playing a slot machine at a casino sometimes the behavior pay, other times she cashes in big. This variable reinforcement is what keeps humans playing the slots and the same can be said for our pets. If you wanted to fix it, you could break the behavior chain by inserting a different behavior in the departure sequence.

For instance, before your husband goes to put on his shoes, you could engage her with a favorite toy, offer a food puzzle (yes, they actually make cat puzzles), or ask her to perform another behavior. At The Behavior Clinic not uncommon for me to train a cat to offer another behavior such as going to a high-five, or sit. For cat training ideas and how-to, check out Clicker Training for Clever Cats by Martina Braun (available on Amazon). Enjoy! Amanda Eick-Miller, veterinary behavior technician, the Behavior Clinic, Olmsted Falls Please send questions about your pet to Kathy Antoniotti at the Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640; or send an email to Please include your full name and address and a daytime phone number where you can be reached.

I will forward your questions to the expert I think is best suited to answer your particular problem. Phoned-in messages will not be taken. Breaking behavior requires changing departure sequence CRITTER CORNER AMANDA EICK-MILLER C.H.A.P. LOW COST clinic. Sat.

330-724-6181 4 mo old female, yellow labrador AKC OR 330-794-7790 MalteseMaltesePups $450USDBabydoll 330-284-2474 LABS AKC Chocolate yellow, 8 weeks old, $320. 330-592-7573 or 330-203-5128 OLDE BULLDOGGE, 10 months, female, black white, good bloodline, $650. 330-858-5681 ReadyforEaster.3fe- weeksold.Firstshots. 330-858-1618 SHIH TZU female 6 yrs old, all black. To good home.

330-685-7877 VIZSLA beautiful $500. Female Vizsla born Oct. 16, up to date on all shots. Potty trained and crate trained. $500 firm.

Interested buyers only please. 330-968-4013 TONSofdogsto todateonshots. ChapelHillPetsMart visitwww.pawsand- prayers.orgtosee available dogs WEST Highland white terriers, 7 all shots wormed. Microchipped. All paperwork.

2 males, would like to sell as pair. Pd. sell for 330-701-9507 LOSTBLACKCAT Black male cat lost on March 16 in Franklin area. His back is partially shaved and was being treated for an allergic condition. If you see him please call Kay at 330-6442427.

LOST GOLDEN RETRIEVER MARCH 27TH HILLS ALLOTMENT 330-607-6654. neighborhood skunks were leaving winter dens in search of food, Bosco was the first to pick up the scent of one and charged. Even after getting sprayed, the dog refused to back down until my husband separated skunk and dog and reeled Bosco in. Gabby, who apparently has more sense, went as far away from the fracas as her leash would allow and sat watching. Since had several of these run-ins, we generally keep a de-skunking product on the shelf.

Unfortunately, not this time, but I still had a few tricks up my sleeve. Forget tomato juice. It does not work and will turn your white fur a pretty shade of pink. Now, the trick with skunk spray is to realize a couple of things right off the bat. First, the spray is an oil that will spread over an coat especially if you put it into a tub of water and start spreading it around by shampooing the animal.

Second, time is of the essence. The longer it stays on your dog or cat, the longer the smell will last, no matter what you do. Third, if the animal was sprayed in the eyes, call your vet immediately. The eyes will be red, watery and very painful. Although face take a direct hit, I rinsed his eyes with a sterile saline eye wash I had in the cupboard, just in case.

I then used this homemade remedy, formulated by Illinois chemist Paul Krebaum, for his coat: 1 quart hydrogen peroxide cup baking soda 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap. The solution must be mixed in an open, wide-mouth container, such as a bucket, because it will fizz and could cause a closed container to burst. The mixture is best used when freshly made or it will lose its effectiveness. It neutralizes the skunk spray by changing the chemical structure of its components. Wet your coat with warm water and thoroughly massage the formula into the coat.

Be very careful not to get any into your eyes, nose or mouth. You can use a wash cloth to carefully wipe it onto its face. Leave on for five minutes then rinse well. Repeat if necessary. I followed this regimen two, then three times but could still smell the awful skunk spray.

The poor dog and I were both getting weary of the process before I realized that the dog the only one who smelled bad. The formula works on men, too. For more information on ridding your pet, home or even yourself of skunk spray, visit: www.njspca.org/articles/ Other animals in the news Zoo events The Cleveland Zoo is throwing a Party for the Planet to celebrate Earth Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 21.

Guests will receive $2 off the regular admission price. The event will feature environmental education and family fun while celebrating the sustainability initiatives, bio- diversity and conservation efforts for wildlife and wild places. An Open House will be held during the event, offering teachers information about programs offered by the Conservation Education Division. Registration is required and can be done at www. clemetzoo.com or by calling 216-6353391.

The zoo is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at 3900 Wildlife Way, Cleveland. Blessing of the Sheep Noon to 2 p.m. April 20 with bagpipes and herding demonstrations at the Spicy Lamb Farm, 6560 Akron Peninsula Road (off Boston Mills Road), Peninsula.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Contact Laura DeYoung at or visit www.thespicylamb.com. Northeast Ohio Pet Expo Show Sale 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 6-7, Eastwood Expo Center, Niles.

Trainers, retailers, groomers, pet food manufacturers, pet resorts and lodges, pet service specialists, pet apparel, pet photographers, animal charities. Pet fashion show is 1 p.m. April 7. like your contest 2 p.m. April 6.

Admission is $5 for adults; children under 12 and pets are free. Pets are encouraged to attend as long as they are pet-friendly and owners are responsible for them at all times. For more information call 330-5187794. Kathy Antoniotti writes about pets for the Akron Beacon Journal. She is unable to help locate, place or provide medical attention for an individual animal.

If you have an idea or question about pets, write her at the Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640; call 330-996-3565; or email to Pets Continued from Page E1 ROBERT C. State Press file photo A striped skunk is normally a shy critter. proves simply easy to resist in By Roger Moore McClatchy-Tribune News Service The thing that made Tyler Perry rich is much in evidence in Tyler Temptation It was called Confessions of a Marriage Counselor when he toured with it on stage. no Madea here.

But the women are beautiful, serious about clothes, makeup, hair and church. Older women are the name of a female-centric church in the movie. And they typically get all the funny, sometimes profane, always lines. The men are shirtless, rapacious heels, or sensitive pretty-boy disappointments. That matter, as these movies are first and foremost sermonettes about relationships, deserving more and eventually getting it.

But Temptation is a cautionary tale about wanting what you got. The marriage counselor Judith (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) at the heart of it is young, gorgeous, in a glamorous job with a high-end D.C. dating service. She married her childhood sweetheart (Lance Gross), who is a serious stiff looking at goals 10-15 years down the road. And the Internet tycoon who may invest in the marriage business? He (Robbie Jones) has money, confidence and written all over him.

Meanwhile, the husband might be tempted by a secretive and cowering new cashier (Brandy Norwood) at his pharmacy. Ella Joyce, as preacher-mother, has the role sassy, testy and all-wise. Perry clumsily frames this story as a tale a counselor (Candice Coke) tells a young woman thinking of cheating on her husband. The timing of the comic moments is off, and the film drags and drags before reaching a conclusion anybody can see from a mile off. The quartet of leads is blander than bland.

The Temptation of the title is a come-on and a false promise. How can a movie about cheating be with a PG-13 rating? Casting Norwood, a vapid Kim Kardashian as a shallow, judgmental colleague in the dating service, and Vanessa Williams as the boss of that service suggests that Perry is drawn to women who have been media (and man) victims, from time to time. But the filmmaker has points to make, about wealth and the allure of the new. nothing wrong with being rich and having nice things so long as the nice things own you become a lot of different people before we settle into who we With homilies like that, I expected Perry to get into the talk game, until Steve Harvey leaped at that. But cranking out two formulaic movies like this a year show the Atlanta true ambition replacing all those soap operas TV is canceling, two hours at a time.

and others fall back on rather than look for the perfect word. You want to start your eyes rolling? Look at how often the season pops up in news stories, and not only around holiday time. Another Beacon Journal search unearthed close to 400 uses of the phrase, in headlines and stories, from a reference to the season for holiday gift giving and to the season for the Butterball Turkey and the season for the Browns to make their offseason wish So maybe this year folks should think, Blind Side Actor in Ohio. Quinton Aaron, who played real-life football player Michael Oher in The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock, is on a multicity campaign to raise awareness about bullying and to fund anti-bullying efforts. As part of the tour, Aaron will sign autographs and pose for photos in the Quaker Steak Lube on Dressler Road in Jackson Township from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Monday; the Quaker Steak location on Canal Road in Valley View from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday; and the one on Reynolds Road in Mentor from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday. While his size might make you think otherwise, Aaron says, shy away from the fact that I was There is no charge for autographs or for taking your own photos, although donations are suggested. There is a charge for preprinted and autographed photos of Aaron, and if photographer on site takes the pictures.

Walters Eyeing Retirement? Numerous reports have 80-something Barbara Walters retiring from ABC News in 2014 although none of those reports cites Walters herself. Many said the news-and- interviews star will announce her plans in May, during local ratings sweeps, with hoopla to ensue. not clear how extensive this retirement will be whether, for instance, she will continue to host specials and drop by The View. As the Washington Post noted, Walters a state of in 2004 and 2010, she announced that she was retiring from her annual Oscars special interview She has also had some recent health problems, including a concussion from a fall and a bout of chicken pox. Talk Stopping.

NPR will end Talk of the Nation on July 1, replacing it with an expanded Here and Now on Monday through Thursday while continuing Science Friday. Talk host Neal Conan will leave NPR. According to a report on NPR.org, executives said public radio has a glut of vibrant call-in shows involving national issues and that they sought a news magazine with a mix of interviews and prepared stories to bridge the hours between Morning Edition and All Things Considered WKSU (89.7-FM) carries Here and Now in its current, hourlong form at noon weekdays, between blocks of classical music, but does not air Talk of the Nation. WCPN (90.3-FM) airs one hour of Talk and Science Friday at 2 p.m. weekdays (the national shows run two hours) but does not carry Here and Now.

Network Renewals. CBS has renewed 18 current series for the 2013-14 season. Included: reality shows Survivor The Amazing Race and Undercover Boss; dramas CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; NCIS; NCIS: Los Angeles; The Good Wife; Elementary; Hawaii Five-O; The Mentalist; Blue Bloods; and Person of Interest; comedies 2 Broke Girls, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and Mike Molly, and newsmagazines 60 Minutes and 48 Hours. Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and Ohio.com, including the HeldenFiles Online blog, www.ohio.com/ He is also on Facebook and Twitter. You can contact him at 330-996-3582 or HeldenFiles Continued from Page E1 Details Movie: Tyler Temptation Cast: Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Lance Gross, Vanessa Williams Directed by: Tyler Perry Studio: Lionsgate Running time: 1 hour, 51 minutes Rating: PG-13 for some violence, sexuality and drug content Theaters: Hudson Cinema 10, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinema 18, Macedonia 15, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Regal Medina Stadium 16, Shaker Square Cinemas, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24 Vanessa Williams (left) is the boss of a dating service and Kim Kardashian works at the service in Tyler Temptation.

KC BAILEY photos Robbie Jones (left) is a tycoon and Jurnee Smollett-Bell a counselor in Tyler Temptation. MOVIE REVIEW Cautionary tale carries some wisdom but drags with bland, boring leads.