GUARD CAT MODE ACTIVATED
We’ve all heard of guard dogs, but ever hear of a guard cat? Well, Bandit the calico cat somehow knew exactly what to do when she spied intruders at her owner’s back door! Some may call it instinct, some may call it luck, but to Fred Everitt, she’s a hero. Everitt, a 68-year-old retired oral surgeon, was sound asleep in his Mississippi home on Sunday, July 24, when Bandit started letting out deep meows sometime between 2:30 and 3:00 a.m. Everitt assumed Bandit had seen another cat or other animal outside and dismissed the ruckus. Cats tend to be active at night, and Bandit has been known to roam the living room and explore the kitchen cabinets while Everitt sleeps soundly. He quickly realized it was something else when she came into his room and tried to pull his comforters off and clawed at his arms. Bandit’s behavior was so unusual, Everitt knew something was wrong. “She had never done that before,” he said. “I went, ‘What in the world is wrong with you?’” Bandit’s persistence eventually pulled him from bed, and after throwing his robe on, he went to investigate. When he finally got into the kitchen, he noticed two figures — one with a crowbar and one with what looked like a handgun — trying to break into his back door. Feline Defender Prevents Robbery
By the time Everitt returned from retrieving his own handgun, the intruders were gone. Thankfully, it didn’t turn into a confrontational situation, and Everitt gave credit to the 20-pound cat that he adopted from a humane society. If it hadn’t been for Bandit’s alertness, it could’ve been a completely different story. “I want to let people know that you save a life when you adopt from a pet shelter or rescue one,” Everitt said, “but the tides could be turned some day. You never know when you save an animal if they’re going to save you.”
WINTER IS COMING Depending on where you live, you may already be experiencing freezing temperatures that signal the impending approach of winter. But while you can bundle up and protect yourself from the cold, your home can’t, so you need to find ways to protect it from winter damage. One area that’s often overlooked is the plumbing system. Don’t Let Those Pipes Freeze!
keep the house warm. Block any gaps in your doors or windows with caulking and weather stripping to keep the cold air out. Good insulation also helps lower your heating costs.
Consistent Heating and Running Water When you leave your home, you need to ensure that the
When water freezes, its volume expands. When this happens inside of a pipe, it’s at risk of bursting. Water from a busted pipe will begin to pour into your home until the water is shut off somewhere upstream. You’ll have to call a plumber to repair the broken pipes and may even need to replace flooring and/or furniture if they suffered from too much water damage. Thankfully, you can take some preventive measures to avoid the risk of freezing pipes. Proper Insulation Insulation should be installed around the pipes throughout your home. You can use special insulating tape or tube-shaped foam sleeves to protect your pipes in areas vulnerable to the cold. You should also check your attic insulation to ensure that it’s helping
temperature inside does not drop too much. Keep your thermostat at a minimum of 55 degrees F. Keep one of your faucets open with a slow steady drip, but be sure to choose a tap that’s far from your main water shut-off valve to help relieve the pressure that an ice blockage could cause. Any cabinets that have plumbing within them (like under your sinks) should be kept open. Warmer house air will help prevent the pipes from freezing . When a pipe bursts, you could be looking at expensive fees to get it repaired, so it’s much better to be proactive and prepare than reactive. Follow these tips and you shouldn’t need to worry about your pipes freezing this winter!
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