Tradescantia sp, commonly known as the Spiderworts, and even more frequently called "Wandering Jew".  Is an extremely common cause of contact allergies in our doggy friends.  This plant is extremely common in the queensland backyard, often accepted as a ground cover plant in some gardens.  Here are a range of pictures of various subspecies and thier flowers.    As you can see the species can have many forms. 

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Tuesday May 20 2008

Giving your kitten the best start in life

Kittens can be trained as easily as a dog and learn acceptable behaviours in the

family home is the key message from Professor Patrick Pageat who advises on how

to build the best possible relationship with your kitten at the annual national

conference of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA).

“Three major groups of problems can make the relationship between owner and cat

difficult: inappropriate socialisation, lack of sensory and motor self-control, and

territorial management. Trying to provide consistent, appropriate advice is a real

challenge and your local veterinarian is strategically placed to try and help clients

understand how to train their cat,” advised Professor Pageat.

Professor Pageat gives four tips to give your kitten the best start in life:

1. Early socialisation is important. Kittens need to be introduced early to humans, cats and other dogs if they are to become active, social members of your household.
2. Kittens must be taught what is acceptable behaviour ie no scratching or biting.
3. Kittens must be allowed to sleep as it is important for development of the brain.
4. Kittens are very territorial and should be provided with different areas for different needs.