C2
PeninsulaNorthwest
SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2013
PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Jumpy cats can learn to accept petting MY TWO CATS are both beautiful. I may be a little biased, but I’m pretty sure it’s true. When it comes to temperament, though, their similarities end. One cat is relaxed and easygoing, a born lap kitty. The other is easily aroused, sometimes reacting to petting by scratching the person in whose lap he finds himself — which, more than likely, of course, is mine. Over the years, I’ve worked to lengthen his short fuse, starting with the most important rule when it comes to dealing with feline aggression: Never, ever hit your cat. If punishment won’t work, what will? You need to understand the reasons why cats lash out and learn to read feline body language, while also retraining and managing your cat to prevent bites or clawing. Here’s what makes cats go
but they’ve missed the warning signs of a cat who has simply had enough. crazy and how Gina The tail is the key. If your cat correct these starts twitching his tail in a jerky Spadafori to problems: fashion, it’s time to stop petting. ■ OverAnd you can often keep him stimulation. from getting to that overstimuYou’re petting lated place by petting along the your cat, and side of and under the chin only, suddenly he avoiding touchier spots like the grabs you with back or the belly. his claws and ■ Play aggression. Never let teeth. your cat view you as a plaything, Don’t strug- not even when he’s an adorable gle or fight kitten. back, or you Wrestling barehanded with may trigger a real bite. your cat or kitten is a no-no Sometimes, smacking your because you’re setting up a bad other hand loudly against a hard precedent. surface — a tabletop, for example A stuffed sock is a great substi— may startle your cat into break- tute for a human hand when it ing off the attack. comes to playthings. Let your cat If you stay still, however, he bite, claw and bunny-kick to his usually will calm down and heart’s content. release you. Give your cat lots of other exerCat lovers often think such cise, frequent sessions that burn his youthful energy, such as playattacks come without warning,
PET CONNECTION
ing with a “fishing pole”-type toy. What if he persists in seeing you as a plaything? As with an overstimulated cat, stop the behavior by freezing if he has you in a painful grip. If he’s ambushing you, water from a small squirt gun might help convince him this is not a game worth playing. ■ Redirected aggression. Your cat sees another cat, an intruder, outside your living room window. He becomes enraged. You walk by, and he nails you. This is redirected aggression, and it’s a management issue. Motion-detecting sprinklers can discourage strange cats from being in your yard. If you can’t keep feline intruders out, block your cat’s access to the window through which he sees the other cats. And again, be aware of your cat’s body language. A cat who’s looking for trouble is one who’s best avoided.
The trick with cats is to eliminate the triggers for biting or scratching and work on your cat’s tolerance levels. If you’re patient and consistent, your cat may well improve over time. If you’re not getting anywhere, talk to your veterinarian about a referral to a behaviorist experienced in feline behavior. Additionally, veterinary behaviorists can prescribe medications that can help ease your cat’s anxiety while you work on permanent changes to his behavior.
_________ Pet Connection appears every Sunday and is produced by a team of petcare experts headed by veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are the authors of several best-selling pet-care books. Email them at petconnection@gmail. com or visit www.petconnection.com. Or write to them c/o Universal/UClick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.
Aldwell: Elwha River floodplain still bare of life taries. Replanting the barren valleys to stabilize steep slopes shades the river and provides for the protection of young fish, Chenoweth said.
CONTINUED FROM C1 The Elwha River floodplain, clearly visible from the trail, is still bare, with an active river braiding through it. Cottonwoods are sprouting in some of the higher spots in the floodplain, which eventually will provide shelter for young fish, Chenoweth said. “Cottonwoods are very sturdy. They are tough and fast-growing. A 2-inch seedling can have a 12-inch root system,” he said. There has been little loss of vegetation to deer and elk browsing in the former Lake Aldwell basin, which has been somewhat of a surprise, Chenoweth said.
Dam history Elwha Dam, which once rose 108 feet above the river canyon about 5 miles from the mouth of the Elwha River, was removed in March 2012, leaving the Elwha River to tumble freely through the narrow stone canyon. The dam’s location is marked only by pale, blasted rock where crews removed the last bits of cement. Little remains of the 1927-built Glines Canyon Dam, which is in Olympic National Park about 8 miles upriver from Elwha Dam. Glines Canyon Dam has been reduced from 210 feet to 60 feet, and Lake Mills is gone. Removal of that dam is on hold while repairs are made to park water facilities that have been clogged by sediment. Park Public Information
a
Walks CONTINUED FROM C1
Problem areas
Turn north — a sharp right — off Highway 101 onto Lake Aldwell Road immediately after the Elwha River Bridge. Visitors should wear sturdy walking shoes or boots and be prepared for windy conditions with no shade. The guided portion of the walk lasts about an hour; visitors are then free to continue exploring the lakebed area. The land is controlled by ONP but technically is not part of the national park. No park admission pass is needed. For more information about the walks, phone the Elwha Ranger Station at 360-452-9191. Peninsula Daily News Officer Barb Maynes said the amount of sediment released by dam removal is about what was expected but that the facilities didn’t work as they were designed to. The Elwha River Restoration project includes the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams and restoration of habitat for the seven species of salmon native to the river and tribu-
Sponsored By: KeyBank, Peninsula Daily News, Elwha River Casino. Series Partner: Brown and Caldwell
Concerts Pier
The plants that have established themselves at the northern end of the lake are doing very well, but those south of the gooseneck and at the dam site itself are less successful, he said. The former dam site is the most surprising for its lack of regrowth, Chenoweth said. Despite being reseeded and replanted, very little is growing on the hill where the power station once stood. “We don’t really know why. Maybe it is too dry,” he said. This fall, crews will concentrate on replanting the former dam site, cutting holes for young trees in a layer of matting that was meant to protect new growth but may have smothered it instead, Chenoweth said. Once that is done, crews will leave the lower lakebed’s new vegetation to take care of itself, then monitor its progress, he said. Upper Lake Aldwell, including the delta and former lakebed south of the gooseneck curve, has produced mixed results in regrowth and still has large areas without growth. “Texture is everything,” Chenoweth said. Fine sediment slopes near the treeline show good growth and survival of both plantings and natural seedlings, but much of the lower area is sandy or rocky sediment that doesn’t hold water, he explained.
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Andy Ritchie, Olympic National Park Elwha project hydrologist, stands near a large cedar stump. Stumps were left behind from when loggers cleared the timber before the Elwha Dam was built in 1910. Planting in fall Chenoweth said larger, more substantial native plants will be added this fall, hopefully before invasive weeds get into those more difficult areas. There are stands of willow and cottonwood that are already between 8 feet and 10 feet tall, and are choking out weeds underneath them, he said. Once complete, crews will shift efforts to the former Lake Mills, which has not had as much time to recover. Of the 150 species classified as exotic species known to be in the area, the team has classified 33 as invasive and harmful in the revegetation zones. The worst of those are Canada thistle and reed canary grass, which form thick mats of grass and roots that can choke out other growth, Chenoweth said.
Port Angeles
________ Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
ARWYN RICE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
The former Elwha Dam site, now a large hill, has proven to be is one of the more challenging locations to replant, said Joshua Chenoweth, revegetation manager for the restoration effort.
Math and reading tutoring: 6SRWV À OO XS IDVW IRU WKH VFKRRO \HDU 5HVHUYH \RXUV QRZ WR HQVXUH VXFFHVV
August 28 6-8PM
Sequimarimba
Contact Rebecca to arrange a
SCHOLARSHIP OPEN HOUSE
AUG. 29 - SEPT. 3
Start for $0
All Ages
Waived Joining Fee • September FREE
Public & Home Schoolers
Hurry, sale ends September 3!
August 28th 1-3pm
Check out our class schedule and register now at jazzercise.com/sale 37812317
For more information call
360-452-2363, Ext.11
Start for $0 with 12-month minimum registration or choose to start for $29 with 6-month minimum registration. Offer valid for new customers at participating locations. Redeem by September 3, 2013.
38860459
Wednesdays from 6 - 8 pm
for more info call Bob Woeck: 477-6497 or Betty Marshall: 683-3049
Classes in Sequim & Port Angeles Call (360) 797-3622 peninsulajazzercise@gmail.com
38860457
Free Admission • Port Angeles City Pier
FREE CONSULTATION
rwanagel@gmail.com or text: 360-477-7792 www.beamathwiz.com
38837868
37835423
SALE!
Brought to you by: Peninsula Daily News KeyBank Elwha River Casino Brown and Caldwell Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce
about the restoration, including links to the project webcams, dam-removal blog and Elwha River Restoration Facebook page, visit the Olympic National Park website at http://tinyurl.com/ Elwha-Restoration.
Rebecca Wanagel, MS
on the
Sequimarimba is a local band that has been playing on the Olympic Peninsula for 20 years and has been performing for Concerts on the Pier since the summer series began. The 9-member band plays high-energy dance music from Zimbabwae on an ensemble that consists of 7 wooden marimbas, drums and hoshos. They made most of their instruments and when they finish with their performance they invite people from the audience to come on stage and try them out. Money they make from performing is donated back to the African villages from which most of their music originates.
There have been several outcroppings of canary grass, the largest of which have been treated and removed or reduced, but small patches continue to show up, he said. Upper Lake Aldwell and the delta can be accessed from the former boat ramp area on Lake Aldwell Road off Highway 101. (See accompanying article.) For more information