Articles written by Beverley Williams

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About me - Beverley Williams

After long years of related studies, including a PhD, I now work in animal health and welfare, where I always wanted to be. I relax by pottering in our small but perfectly formed garden (well, I'm biased), playing with our two mad cats, escaping to the Scottish

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Pets & Animals > Cat Psychology Feline superiority complex: 1 of 9
There is no such thing as a feline superiority complex - cats are much more straightforward creatures; they simply have their own needs, wants, and opinions. Just like the rest of us, they need food, shelter from the elements, a safe territory and preferably somewhere clean and non-smelly to go to the toilet. They are perfec... More..
Pets & Animals > Cat Training Why cats are difficult to train: 1 of 9
Many cat lovers will tell you that part of the attraction of cats is their independent nature. Dogs will pretty much adore anyone who pats them on the head in a friendly fashion, while most cats are much more choosy in who they bestow their adoring gaze on. This independence also means that they make their own decisions on w... More..
Pets & Animals > Cat Care & Health What you should know about declawing your cat: 11 of 30
Cats are independent, territorial and instinctive predators - the fact that they look cute and fluffy and meow up at us in that endearing way should not fool anyone. They use their claws for all manner of behaviours that are quintessentially 'cat', for example, climbing, catching prey, signalling ownership of their territory... More..
Health & Fitness > Sleep Disorders Is snoring a problem?: 9 of 23
Snoring is one of those things that is constantly joked about, but it's no joke when you're awake at four in the morning listening to the rumbles, snorts, starts and occasional stops of partner in full flow. Sometimes a bit of gentle nudging will encourage the offender to turn on their side, but how long they'll stay there i... More..
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Cat behavior: 59 of 125
Our two cats started life as feral kittens in a barn, and right from the start they've rewarded us with antics. That first day, we brought them home and opened the cat box door, but no way were they coming out into this new and scary world, no matter what titbits we tempted them with. So we left them to it and went through i... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Science fiction: 142 of 289
AFTERTASTE Saya Saya sat out in the garden, the cool evening breeze smelling of lavender, stroking her cheeks and lifting the hairs on her bare arms. This is it, I'm really leaving, going Downside. She absently pushed a strand of her long brown hair back behind her ear and thrust the thought aside. Now she was going to enjoy... More..
Pets & Animals > Cat Training How to keep cats out of houseplants: 2 of 4
Our two cats don't so much chew my house plants as splat and disembowel them. When they first arrived and had settled in enough to be getting adventurous about the house, they took great pleasure in playing hide and seek behind the plants, and when the hider was found, having mock battles through the foliage that generally e... More..
Health & Fitness > Emotional Health & Wellbeing Mental health and employment: 2 of 4
We all have mental health issues at some point in our lives, regardless of whether they have been given a clinical label - grief at the loss of a loved one, depression from long term unemployment, jealousy of attention given to a spouse, drinking more than is healthy on a regular basis. Mental health is a continuum - sometim... More..
Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) Great gift ideas for gardeners: 1 of 1
Gifts for gardener? Where to start?! It depends what the gardener in your life already has of course - have a sneak in their house/garden/greenhouse/shed before you go shopping..... Unless you know there's something specific they've been yearning for, I would avoid buying plants - part of the joy of being a gardener is wande... More..
Sciences > Disease & Illness The role of birds in Bird Flu: 1 of 1
Avian influenza, more commonly known as bird flu, is exactly that - a disease of birds. The recently troublesome H5N1 virus is one particular strain of influenza virus, of which there are many. Those relatively few people who have been unfortunate enough to catch the H5N1 virus have been in long term close contact with infec... More..