How difficult would it be to dig it out completely?
This is not advised. They are sensitive to disease, and will not recover from pruning.Digging difficulty will depend on how mature the plant is. This information will offer more information:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/ponytail-palm/pruning-ponytail-palms.htm
Last year it bloomed in the exact location of the new growth. Is the tree healthy or is this a sign of illness or duress? Please see attached photo. Thank you!
I think it looks fine. I looked online and saw others with that same growth pattern. Here are some general care tips:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/ponytail-palm/ponytail-palms-outside.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/ponytail-palm/ponytail-palm-flower.htm
My palm is 45 years old, sits on a patio protected from most wind, and I live in Houston. When temps below 32-35 are expected, I wrap it in sheets and put a light bulb inside the sheet wrapping. Please tell me how to protect it from cold. Thank you
The thought of the light bulb under sheets worries me. They can take short cold snaps to about 25 degrees F, but prolonged cold will do them in. You don't say how tall it is but here are some other wrapping ideas. Also, the material around it shouldn't touch the plant. It should be draped over stakes. Some people just wrap the container with bubblewrap, not the plant.
If you can put your pot on a rolling base, you can move it next to the house for more warmth and protection during the winter.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/protecting-plants-winter.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/plant-covering-materials.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/wrapping-plants-in-burlap.htm
This plant was thriving, but a new kitten became a young cat, routinely attacking the fronds in a way that pulled them out whole from the top of the plant. The photo will show how damaged it is. Will it revive & rejuvenate on its own?
You should see some new growth, but you can trim off the broken leaves as they occur.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/cat-damaged-plant.htm
I’ve noticed that the fringe at the top of ponytail bonsai has turned lighter in color and kind of droopy. What would cause that?
Try giving it more light and fertilize if you are not fertilizing it. Use a liquid fertilizer diluted to 1/2 strength once or twice a month.
For the last fee years my ponytail has given 1 white/cream flower. After cutting this back once looking dead within 6 months it sprouted 4 flowers, these looked interesting Today I noticed that all 4 flower shoots are burgundy. Is this normal?
No, a male flower part will always only pollinate a female flower part.
If you mean "dioecious" then, also, no. The exception is with a female plant. They have the capacity to produce male parts under extreme stress. They wouldn't be a different color, though. They would, simply, have anthers with pollen on them. This is not likely the case, though.
Unfortunately, your photos did not come through, so I cannot see what it is that you are referring to. Flower color change can be natural, but there is a chance that it could be a pH imbalance. Checking that is easy, though.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-soil.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/soil-ph-plants.htm
This article will help you with the plant's care:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/ponytail-palm/ponytail-palm-care.htm
My ponytail palm is about 23 years old and is producing pups ON the bulb and ON the stem, not from the base of the bulb. The largest is on the bulb and is about 2" long; the others are smaller or just sprouting. Should I remove them all?
There is no rush to remove those, in fact, you can leave them if you want to. If you decide to remove them, wait till they are at least 4 inches long. In the spring, using a sharp knife, carefully cut them off and put them in a moist pot of cactus mix. When you remove plants from the bulb or stem, you are opening it up to disease and insects, so you need to watch for those. It should heal over.