Probably needs worming, specifically tape worms, which is a two step process. You give the first dose, and EXACTLY 21 days later he gets the second dose. My cats just got wormed for tape worms, and their signs included being thin rather suddenly and odd coughing. Vet diagnosed from my relating problems. NOT taking 7 barn cats to the Vet!! Figured they got the tape worms from catching varmints around the barn, part of their job description! My job to keep them healthy. They do get cat chow daily as well. Has cat been vaccinated for the common cat diseases? If it costs too much, you could vaccinate him yourself. Some of those diseases include coughing as a sign of problems. You just have to purchase the vaccines from one of the Vet supply catalogs. You will need two doses to get him started, then a yearly booster. I would strongly suggest you include Rabies vaccine in that yearly boostering list. Rabies shot protects YOU from him getting bitten by a carrier. Our barn cats are very playful, like to "play bite" as you scratch bellies. They never bite down, but it only takes a small tooth scratch and saliva to infect YOU or children if cat is not vaccinated for Rabies. Rabies is a cheap vaccine and you won't need the treatment shots if you do get accidentally bitten or scratched. The marks on your cat could be from a number of things, which other folks mentioned. For fleas, I see a dirtyish grey on the belly skin of animal like a dog. Might be harder to see on a cat with thick hair on all the body parts. Our barn cats are pretty tame, I would probably wash them using a flea soap to clean them up. Scabs seem to do well just being washed and having antibiotic ointment rubbed in. That method doesn't leave anything for cat to lick off later. With big or nasty holes, infections, I might treat the cat wounds/sores twice a day, the same way. Probably would lock cat up in my big dog crate in the barn or garage so I can be sure to locate him daily for treatment until his holes looked better. I also would look for another Vet, this one is not very interested in keeping your animals cared for, or helping you to care for them well.

Given some time off over the holidays I had time for some reading and decided to go a little denser with the pears (as well as shifting them to another part of the yard, putting peaches in their place, growing apricots in containers, etc). While researching the topic I found some interesting things and figured I'd update the thread with what I've learned and ask a question near the end. 1.) Really tight densities are being used: a.) I thought that the 2.5' spacing Scott suggested was tight, but these guys are going even tighter at 1-2.5'. Super Spindle spacing seems to be in the 1-2' range (page 39 in the link from #2). b.) The super spindle planting seems the most productive (in terms of total pounds), but it seems to reduce fruits size to a noticeable degree (over medium density plantings of 4-5'). c.) There is even a double-row spaced at 12' x 4' x 2.5' (last two rows in Table 2 on the last page). This article also has a nice list of differences between apple and pear growth habits. 2.) There are some pretty hardcore methods which growers are using to keep the trees growth down in such tight plantings. This page uses flash, but it has a great quantity of info- see page 26 for details: a.) Branch bending- the one item in this list I'm comfortable with... b.) Breaking branches- after harvest (before the energy has been transferred to the roots) snapping off upright growth with bad ratios/angles. This increases light penetration and causes the tree to spend additional energy to heal the wound, than if it was just cut (ouch...). c.) Stem incisions- using a chain saw to cut 1/4 to 1/2 of the trunk in multiple locations (spaced at least 30cm apart) to disrupt sap flow. d.) Root pruning- cutting both the small and large roots. Another article mentioned that generally one side of the tree's roots is pruned at a time and it is not generally done in concert with stem incisions (but incisions or root pruning can be done with branch breaking). A lot of this sounds too extreme for me- I could probably bring myself to rip off the waterspouts, but I don't think I would want to take a chainsaw to a tree that I like. I think I'll stick with a medium density of around 5' spacing, using branch bending and renewal pruning. This means I can add 2 trees to the 2 I already have on order (Honeysweet & Harrow Delight). I'm thinking about adding Magness and Fondante de moulins Lille (both on Provence Quince from Tierra Madre). The first 3 are all quite fireblight resistant. Fondante de moulins Lille is "moderately fireblight susceptible". I know some people in the forum (at least Scott) are growing this cultivar- how much do I need to worry about FB on this pear? Would I be better off with Belle Lucrative (moderately resistant) on OHxF333? OHxF333 isn't ideal in that it may not be as precocious as quince, though branch bending should help. Also, I haven't found much info on using it in high-density. Evidently OHxF333 decreases fruit size didn't even make the cut for most of the high-density testing. While OHxF97 and 87 did OK, I suspect that lots of the actions from #2 could be needed, given their higher vigor. Bob

If you have any in not-so-obtrusive places, you might test out an OTC skin-lightening cream with 2% hydroquinone, since they're mostly inexpensive, easy to get, and fairly harmless. A dermatologist will have many more options (many of which are inexpensive topical treatments rather than only pricey stuff like laser treatments). I have many freckles and moles, and when I was cooking professionally I had many small burns on my hands and forearms from spatters, bumping into hot surfaces, etc. which would turn brown after they healed, and of course a different shade of brown from my freckles - sort of a purply brown instead of the light caramel color of my freckles and darker warm brown of the moles, which looked pretty odd. It took years for them to go away, since I thought fade creams were just for old people's liver spots ;-) and I didn't have insurance to see a dermatologist. Here is a link that might be useful: article on lightening skin discolorations

My 10-12 guests will likely be weaving around giant packing boxes next week. But, I found the roasting pan and my dinner dishes. Yipee! I say just keep moving forward with the best of intentions and then just let go of whatever didn't get done at the end. That seems to be working for me....high expectations and lots of ambition, followed by a gentle surrender to reality.