Don’t ignore them, even small ones can become a big problem.

Like dogs, humans and any other animal, a cat’s mouth contains over 100 different types of bacteria, and some of them can cause a nasty, even life-threatening infection. While dog bites can be more serious both physically and visually, a bite from a cat is more likely to become infected.

In many cases a dog bite will leave an open cut on the flesh that will bleed. The bleeding is actually a good thing since the blood will flush out much of the bacteria from the dog’s teeth. Not all dog bites include tearing of the flesh; many just involve a puncture wound, but most will bleed.

A cat’s teeth are different than those of a dog., they are long and needle sharp. A cat bite often is a deep puncture wound that may bleed a little at first but usually will stop bleeding and close up. Washing the bite area and putting antibiotic ointment on it may help on the surface, but beneath the surface germs can thrive.

For a bird that is not much bigger than a large bug, hummingbirds are sure a feisty lot. As most people who attract hummers to their yard with a flower garden or just a nectar feeder have seen, these little guys are pretty territorial. The male bird that finds your food source first and claims it for himself will not tolerate intruders. Any other male hummingbird that ventures too close will quickly learn that he is not wanted there.

If you have a hummingbird feeder you have probably been entertained by this ongoing struggle by the dominant male to keep the nectar for himself. It seems as if the time, energy and calories burned chasing intruders away from the feeder cannot be worth the effort, since there is enough nectar to feed 100 hummers. But that’s the way they are.