What happens to earthworms when rain-saturated soil dries?
DEAR JOAN >> With the saturated soil,
I am finding a healthy population of earthworms, when I dig anywhere.
This raises a question for me that I have had before: What happens to these worms once the soils become dry and hard?
WDEAR SUSAN >> When the rains stop and the soil dries out, some earthworms will die, but most survive by advancing deeper into the soil to find the moisture they need. They also have the ability to go into diapause, a temporary state of dormancy, reviving when the soil is moist again.
In extreme, longer lasting conditions, such as drought, they can go into estivation, wrapping themselves into knots to reduce the amount of body surface exposed to the soil, and then using mucus to seal themselves in high humidity chambers. This allows the earthworm to survive for longer periods of time.
Gentle warning for breakfasting readers: This next reader question deals with cat incontinence.
DEAR JOAN >> I love your weekly pet column and think other readers might have this problem. Our precious cat, Pumpkin, is almost 19 years old. She was a rescue kitty, so we don't know exact age.
She is now quite senile, and one result of this is incontinence. Thankfully there are no urine issues but we now have an entire bathroom set aside for her. It's not enough. She poops, without knowing it is happening, on the carpeting throughout the house. This is usually accompanied by barfing. I find myself chasing her around the room with a newspaper to catch her barf at 2 a.m. While we clean up after her, the rugs are the worse for wear.
My husband is averse to putting her down but something has to happen regarding health conditions in our home of 35 years. It sometimes smells, but he loves little Pumpkin. Stress is running high. You would be doing us an immense service by offering advice.
DEAR MIKE >> My first advice is to take Pumpkin to the vet for a full checkup. Senility might not be the issue.
There are two primary physical reasons for bowel incontinence in cats. The first is reservoir incontinence and involves a disease of the rectum. The other common problem is sphincter incontinence. In this case, the muscle that opens and closes the rectum remains open due to lesions, nerve damage or spinal injury.
In either case, there are treatments and changes to the cat's diet that could help, but there is no definitive cure or medicine for the conditions. If Pumpkin has lesions, those can be surgically removed, and her incontinence might improve, but you won't know until she sees a vet and gets a proper diagnosis.
In the meantime, restricting Pumpkin to one part of your home — one that is the easiest to clean — can help with the mess and odor. You might want to cover furniture and rugs, so the offending material won't stain.
Pumpkin is nearing the end of a very long life, and I know she is well-loved. Try not to stress too much. It might be a little messy, but so is love.