Let's Babble Our Way to Post #4,000,000 And Win Prizes Too!

[margd]

@foxxycat  - It's not that bad anymore but when I first started, it was actually worse than I thought.  I'm really looking forward to having a nice clean home tomorrow night.   My daughter is doing much better, thank you for asking!  We never did get a diagnosis but the symptoms have not returned.  Whew!

It is hard to believe that it was only last week that Floey went to the bridge.  It seems like it's been much longer.  She does look very tired in her photo.  You did the best thing for that dear little girl.  

 

[foxxycat]

Thank you Margd. I hope i sleep tonight. I was awake until 10 last night. i feel wide awake when I should be getting ready for bed. I stopped buyin snacks to much on before bed so right now i am prowling around looking for something to eat. 
But I am not hungry. Honeybee is mad that I brought her in. its 8pm and getting dark. hopefully something good to watch. i watched the closer last night and it was ok. not as good as law and order but it was ok for a crime show. pumpkin is still outside. she doesnt want to come in. she comes in for Jon-she is his kitty. I am the meanie.

 

[DreamerRose]

I am torn. I dropped a fecal sample off at the vet's yesterday (Mingo had giardia), and I stopped to look at the kitties being offered for adoption. One cage had a half dozen kittens in it, and as cute as they are, I have finally recovered from Mingo's kittenhood and I couldn't go through kitten energy again. The other cage had a very pretty light tortie with tiny white toesies about a year or two old. She was named Lily Potter and had been the mother of three kittens, Potter, Weasley, and Malfoy. Don't know what happened to Harry. The info sheet for her said she had been feral, but now craved attention and was a very loving cat. She is so pretty I am thinking about adopting her but am worried about the cost. Mingo costs more than I ever expected, and I'm on a limited income. The last few weeks I've been dreaming that if I got another cat, it would be female and I would name her Lily. This seems like karma.

I'm going to go back tomorrow and see if I can visit with her out of the cage. So many questions - will Mingo adapt to her? Will she get along with him? Can I absorb the cost? I hope I can get an answer from her tomorrow.

 

[LTS3]

 
I love yoga.  The key is that if it hurts, you don't do it.  Yoga is not supposed to be painful, and if it is you're either doing it wrong or doing something too advanced for your body.  You stick to what you can do without pain.  Push yourself a little bit further occasionally, if you want to, but you don't have to.  In my opinion yoga is the perfect exercise -- basically, it's just stretching.  It makes your body feel better immediately, and then you find yourself moving more all day long just because you feel good.  Cats are masters of it -- just look at the way they stretch whenever they wake up.

Yes, some people do yoga as a spiritual practice, and I have nothing against that, but the techniques work just fine for your body without imposing any kind of religious beliefs on you, unless you get into a class with a teacher who insists on some particular viewpoint.  In that case either find a different class, buy a book, or get it from YouTube or record some of the yoga classes they run on television in the wee hours.  Just remember that you are in charge -- you get to decide how far you're comfortable going and no one has any right to try to shame you into going further than you want.

The two classes I've done so far are at work. The person leading the class teaches yoga on the side (day job with the company is something with audio / visual engineering) and she's really nice. The two classes were a mix of newbies and more advanced people and the teacher taught us some basic poses that a newbie unflexible person like me could easiy do but still allowed the experts to do a bit more stretching. I didn't feel sore at all afterwards.

I'm looking into taking classes outside of work. There's one studio right across the street from me but it's expensive for a monthly membership (no drop in classes or pay-as-you-go). There's another one I pass by on my way to work but all the yoga classes are done in a heated room. No thanks

On the other end of town a new studio opened late last year. They have a new student special $30 for 30 days. That one might be worth looking into.

The book I recommend is Richard Hittleman's Yoga 28 Day Exercise Plan, by Richard Hittleman (duh), ISBN 0-553-27748-0.  You buy the book (you can probably find it used at ABE books) and a yoga mat, and then you take it at your own pace, at home, no further expense required, showers right there when you need them.  Much more comfortable and convenient than going to a class.

I suggest the local library for this and other yoga books first. if you end up liking the book, then go ahead and buy a copy. I feel it's kind of a waste of money to buy a book, espcially online, only to find it not exactly what you were expecting or hoping it to be. I just checked the local library's online catalog and it is available.

 

[NewYork1303]

 
I am torn. I dropped a fecal sample off at the vet's yesterday (Mingo had giardia), and I stopped to look at the kitties being offered for adoption. One cage had a half dozen kittens in it, and as cute as they are, I have finally recovered from Mingo's kittenhood and I couldn't go through kitten energy again. The other cage had a very pretty light tortie with tiny white toesies about a year or two old. She was named Lily Potter and had been the mother of three kittens, Potter, Weasley, and Malfoy. Don't know what happened to Harry. The info sheet for her said she had been feral, but now craved attention and was a very loving cat. She is so pretty I am thinking about adopting her but am worried about the cost. Mingo costs more than I ever expected, and I'm on a limited income. The last few weeks I've been dreaming that if I got another cat, it would be female and I would name her Lily. This seems like karma.

I'm going to go back tomorrow and see if I can visit with her out of the cage. So many questions - will Mingo adapt to her? Will she get along with him? Can I absorb the cost? I hope I can get an answer from her tomorrow.

Being in the middle of introducing cats, I would say that Mingo probably would be okay with her with the right kind of introduction. How old is he? Has he been around other cats before? Cost is more of a problem probably. 

 

[DreamerRose]

 
Being in the middle of introducing cats, I would say that Mingo probably would be okay with her with the right kind of introduction. How old is he? Has he been around other cats before? Cost is more of a problem probably. 

Mingo is two, so they are about the same age. I know the proper way to introduce them, and I'm planning in my mind. Many years ago, I also had two cats, and they just ignored each other. I guess I'd rather these two be friends, but you never know. And back then, cats weren't so expensive. I think one of them lived her whole life - a long one - on Meow Mix. I will take a look at Lily, but if she's not friendly, I'm not going to go through with it.

Mingo hasn't been around other cats since I got him, and he's a timid cat. He's fine with me, but shy and frightened with other people. That's another doubt - I would hate for him to shut down when another cat comes in.

 

[segelkatt]

@foxxycat  have you told your doctor that you sleep on the couch instead of in a proper bed? That can't be good for your back or the quality of your sleep.  If your shoulder bothers you after the surgery (10 years now, you've got to be kidding to be putting up with that for so long)  you need to tell your surgeon. I assume that the "he" you are referring to is your husband or at least somebody you share your life with on a permanent basis. What does he have to say about you sleeping on the couch while he sleeps in the bed? If the movement of him during the night bothers you then perhaps you need to get a mattress that does not move, foam rubber works well, especially if you have a platform bed with NO box spring which just makes everything move. I have slept on a platform bed with a foam mattress for years and it does not  move, I barely notice a very heavy cat (20lbs!) jump on the bed.

The fancy headboard "he" has acquired should be no problem if it is big enough, like if it is for a king size bed, then two twin bed mattresses would  work. You don't sound like you are so old that you don't want to snuggle. I would give anything to have someone to snuggle with besides the cats. Don't waste the time you have for snuggling.

If you have trouble sleeping in general that also is something you should discuss with your doctor, and sleeping with the TV on is not a good idea either, it makes for restless sleep and stuff going around in your head while you are trying to rest your brain. Any doctor will tell you to get the TV out of the room where you are sleeping, the computer too.

I can understand the need for cool air and thus why you sleep in the living room, but perhaps a fan would do the same? Or one of those portable ACs that you vent out the window? 

Your life style does not sound like it is very conducive to your general health, perhaps you need to look at it again and see if you can't change things to make it better.

I am always concerned about the well being of my fellow cat lovers, our cats need us to take care of them and we can't do that if we are in poor health ourselves, so do not consider this to be a condemnation on how you live your life. That is strictly up to you. Just don't make your life worse than it has to be.

 

[NewYork1303]

 
Mingo is two, so they are about the same age. I know the proper way to introduce them, and I'm planning in my mind. Many years ago, I also had two cats, and they just ignored each other. I guess I'd rather these two be friends, but you never know. And back then, cats weren't so expensive. I think one of them lived her whole life - a long one - on Meow Mix. I will take a look at Lily, but if she's not friendly, I'm not going to go through with it.

Mingo hasn't been around other cats since I got him, and he's a timid cat. He's fine with me, but shy and frightened with other people. That's another doubt - I would hate for him to shut down when another cat comes in.

I see that. Its a big decision. It's definitely not something that can just be clean cut and simple. I personally have enjoyed watching Carrot and Angua build a wonderful relationship and as challenging as it is, I like seeing Ruby learning to play with them and to get used to them as well. I love having multiple cats. I think its good for them and good for me as well. 

 

[tallyollyopia]

Wow. 

That's a lot  of posts since the last time I was on this site. I'm sorry; I just skimmed without really reading, I'm still a little tired. To make a long story short (and as vague as possible so as not to worry people) there was an incident  at my store. Because of this incident the girl on third got too frightened to stay, and I got called in. (Really; I've heard the details; it wasn't that big of a deal. Or maybe I'm slightly fear impaired. Not sure.) Anyway, I got called in. Then I had to work the next night because the guy (it may be sexist of me, but I expect better from guys--especially guys who brag about their body building) was too scared to come in. And last night, of course, was my shift. Luckily, the girl who had it tonight  has a spine (or was told to grow one because if I get one more hour on my time sheet I'm getting overtime), so I was finally able to relax. And this coming after a double-shift day. (It didn't help that the afternoons have been too hot to sleep--almost one-oh-five with high  humidity.) So--slept almost thirteen hours (would have been longer but RB woke me up so I could stay on schedule) and I feel much  better. All I can say is that I hope the girl with a spine is scheduled for Sunday, because I'm not  working on my birthday (not when I put in for it off two weeks ago  and got it approved already). 

@NewYork1303, how was your wedding? Is Ruby getting along with Carrot and Angua?

@bootse  , what's going on with the cat next door?

@Margd, are you doing any better?

(I'm sorry, I'm sure you've posted the answers to these questions and more already, but I missed a chunk.)

 

[foxxycat]

actually my shoulder doesn't bother me at all anymore. I just prefer to sleep alone. I don't care for snuggling-I get too hot. I guess I am strange. I don't have a doctor anymore as mine retired and the one who did my shoulder no longer takes my insurance. I don't have much shoulder pain anymore. I got this. I just prefer sleeping alone. I snuggled when I was younger but now I just prefer my own space. We snuggle at night watching tv and then in the morning but otherwise he snores so loud that it makes me tired. I don't like those memory foam mattress. I sleep on a linen old antique sheet because I sweat so much. He doesn't allow the fan to blow on him so that's another reason we sleep separate.  I prefer my couch. It has one long cushion and my back is fine. Its just how I prefer to sleep. on the trip in maine we sleep in the bed but my sleep gets interrupted by him tossing and snoring. I have never heard someone snore as loud as he does. He doesn't sleep well either. I have been trying to get him to get a sleep study for years but he wont do it. He is stubborn and I am too. For now as long as I do some kind of physical workout I sleep just fine. Now that Floey is gone I have noticed I don't wake up as often checking on her. It will be ok. maybe this fall I will think about a new mattress but I tried to buy one earlier this year and he said no that one he has is fine. So for now we sleep in separate beds. I guess I just am a bit weird? Pumpkin face sleeps with him so she hogs that part of his bed and honeybee sleeps with me when its not so hot out.

On a different note-WE HAVE A HAWK INSIDE THE SHOP!!!

He is a BIG sucker!!! They have called someone to come down and try to scare him out. They moved the crane to try to get him to fly away. He is I think 1 to 2 feet high. BIG BIRD!!!

 

[tallyollyopia]

 
actually my shoulder doesn't bother me at all anymore. I just prefer to sleep alone. I don't care for snuggling-I get too hot. I guess I am strange. I don't have a doctor anymore as mine retired and the one who did my shoulder no longer takes my insurance. I don't have much shoulder pain anymore. I got this. I just prefer sleeping alone. I snuggled when I was younger but now I just prefer my own space. We snuggle at night watching tv and then in the morning but otherwise he snores so loud that it makes me tired. I don't like those memory foam mattress. I sleep on a linen old antique sheet because I sweat so much. He doesn't allow the fan to blow on him so that's another reason we sleep separate.  I prefer my couch. It has one long cushion and my back is fine. Its just how I prefer to sleep. on the trip in maine we sleep in the bed but my sleep gets interrupted by him tossing and snoring. I have never heard someone snore as loud as he does. He doesn't sleep well either. I have been trying to get him to get a sleep study for years but he wont do it. He is stubborn and I am too. For now as long as I do some kind of physical workout I sleep just fine. Now that Floey is gone I have noticed I don't wake up as often checking on her. It will be ok. maybe this fall I will think about a new mattress but I tried to buy one earlier this year and he said no that one he has is fine. So for now we sleep in separate beds. I guess I just am a bit weird? Pumpkin face sleeps with him so she hogs that part of his bed and honeybee sleeps with me when its not so hot out.

On a different note-WE HAVE A HAWK INSIDE THE SHOP!!!

He is a BIG sucker!!! They have called someone to come down and try to scare him out. They moved the crane to try to get him to fly away. He is I think 1 to 2 feet high. BIG BIRD!!!

A hawk? Really? Be careful--those talons are sharp enough to cut through leather (I've seen it happen at the Grant's Farm expos).

Just so you know--back when I was a small child and my parents were still together (this isn't why they divorced, FYI), AWM slept on the couch and DD slept on the bed. See, he had gotten a waterbed that AWM thought had no  support, trapped heat, and she hated the rippling noises it made, so she slept on the couch. After the couch wore out we got a Daybed (that she got in the divorce, since that's what she slept on anyway). 

I'm glad to hear that your shoulder is feeling much better, and that you're starting to heal after Floey's passing. (It will never completely go away, but it does get easier.)

 

[foxxycat]

yes we just saw it flying around-its HUGE!! so majestic. One of the guys was worried it would poop on them

 

I am just so used to sleeping alone=we are in the same room LOL. I turn the volume on low so I don't hear it. I just don't like dark rooms but I don't like lights on either. Been sleeping like this for years. Some nights Jon turns the tv off but usually he watches tv in the middle of the night-he falls asleep around 7ish and wakes at 1am so the tv doesn't bother me. I got a fancy couch with a nice firm bottom and the cushions feel so much better than the bed.

I will bring up the discussion about the bed later this fall. Its too hot to sleep in the bedroom right now. I only have one window in the bedroom so the air conditioner is out. That's the cats window seat. So for now I prefer my couch-he sleeps on the couch bed we built. Plus he prefers it hot-I like it COLD. He can sleep on the bed if the room is too cold for him. I told him I need to snuggle in my blankets- I roll into a ball and Honeybee crawls up on me in the middle of the night except lately=I think she needs a haircut-her fur is growing in very thick and he doesn't want her to get a haircut-I said we need to shave her bum otherwise he will have to chase her with a wet washcloth after visiting the catbox

 

A funny story-the first week we had her-he named her sh$tfoot. She had a bad habbit of stepping in her poop and stuck to her leg-she was all long hair-I took her to the vets to get her clipped. But she hated me touching her leg with a washcloth to get the poop off. She used to claw and bite HARD. then we took her to the groomers=took THREE of us to restrain her=all I wanted was her belly/bum'back legs shaved-we never got her armpits done. She has very fine hair and would NOT allow brushing. I have been using a comb on her at small areas and she still hates being brushed so off the fur goes. She bunny kicked us on the table-then we had to put a cone of shame on her because she kept biting the clippers and I held her back legs while the other girl held her arms and scruffed her. We found out she does best if I hold her up by her arm pits and her belly is hanging free-so we can do it this way-I wear my welding gloves and leathers-she has SHARP teeth. We clip her claws too. So now its been 4 times we have shaved her or 5 times? this past session was the first time we could get her arm pits. She is getting better-now that she knows we wont hurt her. That cat is a FIRECRACKER!! Floey was NEVER like this. Floey has gotten her haircut for ten years or so-she only needs light pressure of restraint. She hissed and growled but nothing like Honeybee. We take both together and we used to do Floey first so she could see Floey wasn't getting hurt. This was the only time Floey allowed Honeybee next to her-they used to huddle in the cage together at the groomers.

Many years ago Floey got the other woman good even after I warned to not touch her backside or tail-she would whip around and take a chunk of skin out-she had old injuries-looks like a dog attacked her-she had claw marks down her back when I had to shave to the skin due to matted hair. Broke my heart. Floey will rest in peace now. no more scary groomers with dogs-even after I told the woman over and over to get the dogs out of her face or she will attack them. Then I had to tell this story again and she understood. Mind you there are not that many who groom cats but I go with the cats and sometimes its harder on me than the cat to hear them cry and spit-at least its only 10 minutes or so but still makes me nervous. This groomer lady is really good with cats-if Floey tolerated her buzzing her hair off then she can't be that bad-just kind of weird with the dogs LOL So yes today is the 1 week anniversary of Floey earning her wings.
 

Yesterday Jon cleaned up the area around Floey's  site-it looks so peaceful with the pine tree and the rock wall then the one rock that is about 2' x 2' marking her grave so we don't forget where they are for the next one. I only hope Pumpkin face lives as long as she did.

Last night and this morning I pilled pumps the dasquin. She wont eat it on wet food. She didn't eat too much last night but she ate a ton the prior night. She has been eating out of Honeybee's dish-so I know she is eating-she only eats when we are sleeping. She is my closet eater.

The guys are watching this huge hawk fly around-they shut the lights off to try to get it to go out-and one guy made a fake mouse out of a piggmatt and string-poor bird probably scared.

 

[NewYork1303]

 
Wow. 

That's a lot  of posts since the last time I was on this site. I'm sorry; I just skimmed without really reading, I'm still a little tired. To make a long story short (and as vague as possible so as not to worry people) there was an incident  at my store. Because of this incident the girl on third got too frightened to stay, and I got called in. (Really; I've heard the details; it wasn't that big of a deal. Or maybe I'm slightly fear impaired. Not sure.) Anyway, I got called in. Then I had to work the next night because the guy (it may be sexist of me, but I expect better from guys--especially guys who brag about their body building) was too scared to come in. And last night, of course, was my shift. Luckily, the girl who had it tonight  has a spine (or was told to grow one because if I get one more hour on my time sheet I'm getting overtime), so I was finally able to relax. And this coming after a double-shift day. (It didn't help that the afternoons have been too hot to sleep--almost one-oh-five with high  humidity.) So--slept almost thirteen hours (would have been longer but RB woke me up so I could stay on schedule) and I feel much  better. All I can say is that I hope the girl with a spine is scheduled for Sunday, because I'm not  working on my birthday (not when I put in for it off two weeks ago  and got it approved already). 

@NewYork1303, how was your wedding? Is Ruby getting along with Carrot and Angua?

@bootse  , what's going on with the cat next door?

@Margd, are you doing any better?

(I'm sorry, I'm sure you've posted the answers to these questions and more already, but I missed a chunk.)

Wedding isn't until September. Ruby is getting along great with Carrot and Angua. Carrot is becoming more of a problem though. He likes to pee on things to make a point and he peed on something right in front of me the other day. I wonder if he is upset since Ruby is in "his" bathroom most of the time. He likes to hang out on the counter in there. Otherwise he seems fine, he meows back and forth to her through the door and follows me around even after I give him attention begging me to let her out if I don't do it right away.

On a different note. I really love Chewy.com customer service. I got my huge shipment of cat food and two of the cans got smashed in shipping. I let them know so they are sending me another 24 pack of canned food to replace it. This is on an item that was already on sale meaning I am going to end up with 46 cans for the price of 6 dollars after I throw the two smashed ones away.

 

[LTS3]

 
Just so you know--back when I was a small child and my parents were still together (this isn't why they divorced, FYI), AWM slept on the couch and DD slept on the bed. See, he had gotten a waterbed that AWM thought had no  support, trapped heat, and she hated the rippling noises it made, so she slept on the couch. After the couch wore out we got a Daybed (that she got in the divorce, since that's what she slept on anyway). 

Some parents are like that

My parents haven't slept in the same bed for 30 + years. Honestly I don't blame Mom. Dad has, shall we say, serious personal hygiene issues, smokes disgustingly awful smelling fake cigarettes all day (he buys them from a guy selling unmarked packages out of a duffle bag) and he snores. Dad sleeps on the sofa which is at least 50 years old (likely a hand me down from relatives or neighbors who were moving) and has zero cushioning (you can feel the sofa's hard uncomfortable frame right through the cushions).

 

[donutte]

foxxycat , grief is a weird thing. I didn't cry very much for Sara until a couple months after she died. I was (and still am) grieving the loss of Lucky, and it's been a week shy of nine months for him. Mom didn't cry much for Sara either but then we were talking about her the other day, earlier this week actually, and she just broke down. There's just no rhyme or reason to it.


Speaking of Lucky, he must be on our minds a lot this week. Both my mom and I, at separate times and not in the presence of each other, called one of the other cats "Lucky". From certain angles, mostly from the back, Oliver looks SO much like him. Mom did it again yesterday when she saw him, that time in front of me. The funny thing is while Oliver has his looks, Oscar definitely has his personality. It's so ironic that the two boys out of a litter of five that I got, and the two of them, collectively, are so much like Lucky. Which is the reason the pic of black and white kittens caught my eye in the first place, a little over a year ago. Oscar even has the pipsqueak kittenish mew that Lucky has for so many years. That was why I called Lucky my Kitten-Cat - he sounded like a kitten most of his life.

Anyway, mind went waaaay off on a tangent I wasn't expecting. We started Maple on the k/d yesterday. She only gets it once a day right now (50% of her diet has to be low-phos, and the dry food she gets is already low-phos). I bought my bins! I had wanted to cut them up into litter boxes yesterday, but then ended up spending a bit more time than expected at a friend's house after work. And then at 9:30pm had to get on a call for work, and I NEED my relaxation time at home. So I will cut them up tonight. Will probably take them out Sunday and wash them. Or, if I get the hose soon enough today, and the weather stays nice, I'll wash them out today. It's supposed to storm this morning, but haven't see anything yet.

And tomorrow morning is when the sitting starts! This weekend feels crazy, with a bbq tomorrow and then the cat shelter fundraiser on Sunday. No day to relax. Good thing I won't be going out late for anything.

 

[bootse]

foxxycat hi there out in TCS land it is 9:06am here and my husband and I are really happy and proud of our shy cat BOOTSE this morning because from 5pm-10pm last night my Brother in Law and Sister in Law were over and we hadn't seen them in s year and a half so they never met BOOTSE actually so we didn't know what to expect and were very concerned but to our surprise BOOTSE was cool and my sister in law called her from the kitchen and BOOTSE came to her and got her chin scratched then just jumped in her tree where later on my brother in law petted and talked to her for a few and she loved it My beautiful princess BOOTSE made us so proud I don't think she's a shy cat any more all our nurturing for the last 8 months paid off have a Purrfect Day. =^w^=

 

[foxxycat]

my parents slept in separate beds all their marriage. my mom snored like Jon does. So she was like me with ac. he got cold so he slept in the room next to mine- with a window fan and nothing else.mom had a fan and ac going year round even in the winter. we always called her a polar bear. mom had asthma and she breathed better with it cold. I figured it was the inflammation in her airways and the cool air felt better.

Sometimes we share a bed but usually if he comes in after I fall asleep-by then I don't wake as easily but its hard to tell.

the guys are still trying to get that bird out of here. its flying around and so very handsome!

 

[bootse]

BOOTSE on her Tree View media item 366459Just being herself and hanging out with my brother in law and sister in law and us of course and let us not for get our dog Kira too

 

[handsome kitty]

@Margd   forget the house work and play.  you can do before and after pictures.  My mom died of cancer in her early 60's.  I was with her the last week she was alive.  She spent her time 'fixing' dinner and folding laundry while she laid in her bed, her mind riddled with drugs for the pain.  I wish she had a better life and more fun things to think about during her last week.  My house is a mess and I don't care.  The litter boxes are cleaned 2x a day and the cats are fed and given fresh water.  There is food in the fridge and pantry.   If I get to that stage in life I want more than housework on my mind.

@foxxycat I'm not sure how you work through grief either.  I think it depends on the relationship you had.  How is Jon handling it?  You've mentioned she was more his cat.

 

[rhondalee]

foxxycat did they get the hawk out yet? That's got to be adding some excitement to the workday!