#Is My Neutered Cat Spraying

[marblerose-rue]

click for better quality!

princess/request

do you think she's the type to beg for a little whipped cream (as a treat)

#my art #do not copy trace or steal #princess #warrior cats #warriors #wc art #HI DAWWWWN <3 #if it ever becomes illegal to give warrior cats anime hair im going to prison you will never see me again #also if one of the reasons firestar became a little warrior cat was to avoid getting neutered why wasnt princess spayed #i know they had different housefolk (im p sure . right.?) but like it should be good practice to get this done to your cats in the first #place so like. Hello #ANYWAY she is oh so soft and oh so pretty and ive always associated princess with my grandparents cat sissy #blowing a big kiss out into the wind for sissy #ALSO SORRY THIS TOOK A WHILE i cant just click the button on this pen and use the eye dropper i have to manually go for it and #change back into a pen and its soooo time consuming #i am taking a quick shower i still smell like bug spray

[chipper-smol]

The Adventures of Trying to TNR the New Pack of Kittens That Showed Up On Our Street

We caught an opossum instead!

#it was very angry n scary #G muses #ok punchline out of the way #we have successfully trapped TWO of the initial FOUR we saw #and are currently desensitizing them to see if they can be socialized and adopted instead of being released #so far its looking good #but now my sister thinks there might have been FIVE #and jeez #people please spay and neuter your pets #in female cats and dogs it significantly decreases the risk of cancer caused by heat hormones #plus if female pets go through heat too many times they can get cysts in their ovaries that can lead to sepsis its not good #and in male cats and dogs it significantly decreases the chance that they get lost or harmed during mating seasons #they can get into REALLY BAD FIGHTS and while the wounds may not look bad they can get horribly infected #plus unneutered pets spray to mark their territory and it STINKS so bad #so for the resell quality of your home you should also spay and neuter #ok info dump done i hope yall have a good night

[trickycactus]

coworker and i were arguing last week about outdoor cats n i was sayin its bad cuz ur cat can get eaten/shot/hit by a car n she was like nah my cats r cool they just lay around in one spot i dont gotta worry

guess who ran over her cat this morning (hint: not my indoor cat ass)

#not to be the writing on the wall but dude i literally foreshadowed ur shit learn to read a sign from the universe #also everyone was sayin they would adopt boy cats but not girls #n i was like um boy cats r more trouble they spray #n they were all on my ass like BOYS DONT HAVE LITTERS #thats why u spay/neuter u fuckin morons??? #cannot handle shit cat owners like yall dumb as fuck

[goldenamaranthe-blog]

Child Support

Shroud: Meow! (Jumps up onto Blake’s bed and sits on Blake’s stomach) MeooooooooOoOow!

Blake: Ugh! Alright! Alright! I'm up! Just get your fluffy butt off of me. I swear. You've put on some weight recently, and it's making those ice picks you call legs dig deeper than normal.

Shroud: (hops off the bed and licks her paw nonchalantly before following Blake to the kitchen)

Blake: (puts a kettle of water on the stove and starts getting Shroud's breakfast ready. She glances at the sleek, black feline waiting patiently, amber eyes falling on the slight barrel in her belly) I don't know if you even need this. (cracks open can of wet catfood) You're getting chubby.

Shroud: (meows indignantly and visually huffs)

*Ding-Dong*

Blake: (Raises an eyebrow, glances at the apartment door, and back at Shroud) Did you invite someone over?

Shroud: (eyes glued to the bowl of food) Prrrrrrrrr.

Blake: (rolls eyes and places the cat's food bowl on the specialty feeding mat before answering the door) Hello?

Yang: (standing in the hallway confidently in a pair of orange cargo pants and white tank top, an absolute unit of a fluffy ginger tabby tucked under her arm) Hey! I'm Yang! Your new neighbor from down the hall. And this is Ember.

Ember: (purring contently as he's being carried around like a bag of feed)

Blake: Oh. Um. Hello. (Mentally: Oh, fuck! My new neighbor is hot!) My name is Blake.

Yang: Blake! Nice ta meetcha. Soooo... This is going to sound strange, but does a little black cat live here? Maybe female type?

Blake: (blinks and glances back into the apartment at Shroud eating peacefully) Y-Yes.... Why?

Yang: (shuffles and laughs awkwardly) Well, you see. A couple of weeks ago, I was out in the back courtyard with Ember here and got distracted. When I saw him next, he was...well...he was mounted up on a black cat. I tried to break them up, but she got away and scaled the fire escapes to a balcony on this side of the complex.

Blake: .....Mounted up?

Yang: They were fucking.

Blake: (jaw drops as she stares at the Goliath tabby and back at her substantially smaller black cat) Shroud! You little whore. I thought you were fixed! Is that why you're getting fat?

Shroud: (licks her chops before trotting over to the door) Meow.

Yang: Yeah, I thought Ember was neutered, too. He never sprayed or scratched at furniture or was ever aggressive!

Blake: (groans and covers her eyes) I'm more wondering how that miniature tiger of yours didn't smother her. No offense.

Yang: None taken. He's a big boy. (Whips Ember around so he's cradled in her arms but is still spilling over)

Blake: (sighs) Well, thank you for letting me know I have to deal with kittens in the coming months. I thought she was just getting fat.

Yang: Oh! There's more! (Slings Ember over her shoulder like a feather boa, reaches towards the wall, and pulls out a 50-pound bag of kitten food) Child support!

Blake: Oh, my. (Takes the bag with some difficulty) Um. Thank you. I appreciate it.

Yang: No problem! It's the least I can do considering my boy (pats Ember's side with solid thuds) got your little lady pregnant. (Reaches down and scritches Shroud under the chin)

Blake: (shocked)

Yang: So, I was thinking maybe we could check in with each other every once in a while? For the kittens! I'm willing to help.

Blake: (trying not to stare at Yang’s muscles) Right! For the kittens! That would be nice! Thank you.

Yang: Don't mention it! But I'll get out of your hair. My apartment is just down the hall, third door on the left, if you or Little Mama need anything. See ya around, Blake!

Blake: I'll see you around (closes the door and stares at Shroud in disbelief) You had to get knocked up by a damn near domesticated tiger whose owner is also a blonde bombshell?

Shroud: Meow (purrs and rubs up against Blake’s legs)

Blake: (sighs and picks up Shroud before moving to the couch) Let's get you a vet appointment.

Yang: (quickly sprints back to her apartment, locks the door, and holds Ember up to eye level) You just had to knock up the pretty little black cat who just so happens to have a hot owner, didn't you?

Ember: Mow

Yang: I am not a disaster!

#bumbleby #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #rwby #rwby crack post #child support #cats #ember celica #gambol shroud #halloween whombo combo #kittens

[hellenhighwater]

My vet was telling me that castrated male cats don't necessarily stop spraying / territory marking

Does Vice?

If he doesn't did he need training to stop or did the neuturing stop it?

I have never had problems with Vice peeing outside the litter box or spraying at all. I understand it can be a problem for male cats that are neutered later, but that may be more of an established habit thing, or just an individual problem. Vice was neutered realllly young--young enough that I was a little shocked that they'd done it at that size. Still, he doesn't seem to have had any negative issues because of it.

Malice, on the other hand, is VERY demanding about the litter box cleaning schedule, and if I am a day late on cleaning, she will piss on something I love while making unflinching eye contact. Which does have the effect of keeping my executive disfunction from running the show and letting things get gross. This happens thankfully rarely, since I do generally keep to schedule. But that's not a scent-marking thing, that's Malice having standards.

She runs this household with an iron peet.

[stavromulabetaaa]

stav's feral cat fund!

hello all! i would typically never ask for donations, but in this case it is not for me or my personal use. it's all for the kitties!

i do feral + community cat TNR (trap neuter return) in my city and although i've helped many cats (i even found two of them forever homes!), they just keep coming. thankfully the spay/neuter program i use does not currently charge a fee, but the supplies i need to care for these furballs is beyond what i can realistically afford. i'm also gearing up in preparation for kitten season, which is right around the corner. i have two humane traps, and a large dog kennel for recovery. i have to keep the cats for 24-72+ hours after surgery, and am currently in need of these supplies:

cat litter, for obvious reasons

extra large towels to cover the trap during transportation, and to cover the recovery kennel. having these enclosures covered reduces stress for the cats and helps protect them on cold nights

warm cat beds, to keep them warm and to have a safe place to hide inside the recovery kennel

feliway spray, a calming spray that works wonders for ferals! i just used up my last bottle

canned wet food. the cheap stuff comes in huge variety packs, cats prefer the taste, and the kitties just need the calories and moisture while they are recovering in my care.

if you would like to donate any of these items to the kitties in my area i have set up an amazon wishlist. this seems like the best option, since you know exactly what your donation is going towards. i tried to find the cheapest options available. if you would prefer to donate a different way, please let me know and we can discuss! i can take PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, and Zelle. and i would be more than happy to send you photos of the cats benefiting from your generosity if you would like! there are also other costs involved when the spay/neuter program finds issues once the cats are under anesthesia, such as worms or injuries and illnesses. i pay for those myself and would appreciate any help with that, but i'm more concerned with the basic necessities right now.

and if you are interested in helping the cats in your area, please google your city + TNR to find local programs! you can also reach out to me and i will answer any questions you have. cat populations are out of control, where i live in the US it is continuously heartbreaking just how many cats need our help. and in many places, like my city, the responsibility of care falls upon people like me doing it in their free time. let's help these often ignored and hidden kitties in need!

credit to @getawayfox for naming most of the cats in the photos above! ❤️

#cats #feral cat #feral cats #rescue cats #cat photos #cute cats #cats of tumblr #catlover

[neotrances]

hi i’m tyler, black gay trans etc im terribly sorry to do this again but I need some help as i’m taking back in a pet that needs a home or else they’re gonna be put out on the street today, you may remember “salt” the cat, a underweight kitten i took in with bad fleas, diarrhea, and worms from this post,

after getting his multiple checkups, shots, bloodwork etc a family member took him in but this family member has recently moved to an apartment that does not allow pets, legally salt is my cat and i will be taking him home for good, the only problem is salt is not neutered yet so he is currently spraying, which is no problem for me! i’ve already set up an appointment for him but i need help getting him new supplies for him to permanently live with me and my other cat, here’s him all grown up ! ⬇️

i need help getting him a temporary large cage, a new litter box, and another large bag of cat food if possible, however the first two are more urgent than the food as i have an entire bag left over and the extra food would be more of a precaution for him, this is pretty urgent because i need atleast a large cage / pen for him today if not anything else

i really appreciate any help i can get for this little guy so he can finally come home, thankyou sm!

cashapp / paypal / venmo

#sooo very sorry to do this in such a short time but i thought i’d have a few more weeks ._.

[boy-above]

i'm really upset basically my mom brought a cat home last year (rescued stray) and despite both me and my dad not wanting to keep him my mom kept him anyway. i told my mom that i didn't want a male cat because there's a good chance he'd spray in our house but she didn't care, and then she waited WAY too long to get him neutered despite me regularly telling her to please do it because he Did start spraying in our house. and you know where he was spraying most? on my stuff. i just had to clean up SO much piss in my basement craft room. on the walls, on my table, on my carpet, on my stuffed animals. i had to throw away stuff because it was saturated in piss. the cat tree my dad HAND MADE for me was covered in piss. when i told my mom a few weeks ago that She had to be the one to clean that because it was her cat and her fault she said "can't we just throw it away?" which made me so angry because like i said my dad made that for me. he peed on some of my build-a-bears which are really important to me and i had to throw away one of their wigs bc it was so bad. i'm going to tell her she needs to buy a replacement and if she complains i'll be even more upset.

it makes me so angry because if he'd been spraying on HER stuff this whole time, she would have been angry and she would have gotten him neutered much sooner. but she took her sweet fucking time because it was My Stuff and she didn't care. and she's probably going to be mad at Me when she wakes up and im angry at her, because no one has a right to be angry in this house except for her. if the roles were reversed she'd be threatening to kick me and the cat out of the house but she'd never admit that.

the worst part is that she's the one who brought the cat home but she doesn't even like the cat much now because he likes my dad more than her. she was like "i want an animal that's just my own" but was upset when he liked someone else more, so she got ANOTHER cat, cornbread, after that. and then you know what happened? she didn't think cornbread was affectionate enough so she brought a dog home. now we have so many extra animals me and my dad never wanted. my mom used to be an animal hoarder and we finally got the problem under control but it seems to have reared its ugly head again.

speaking of hoarding, my mom is also a hoarder in general. thankfully not enough that our floors are covered or anything, but she's insufferable in the fact that she'll hardly part with anything. she basically never donates anything and insists on selling everything, but she's too lazy to actually Do the selling so it sits around forever. i keep telling her that there's less fortunate people who could really use the stuff, including baby clothes from when my nephew was little (he's ten now. it's been sitting around for a decade.) one time she spent like 15 minutes digging through my trash to get a mcdonald's toy i'd thrown out, and then boasted about getting ten cents for it at a yard sale. i told her digging through trash is not normal and is invasive and weird but she doesn't think so. she digs through my trash semi-regularly and i just Know she's going to dig through the piss soaked stuff i just threw out and be angry that i'm trying to throw it out because it can ~totally be cleaned~ but i'm telling her that if she wants it she can deal with it and keep it somewhere she can smell it because i'm Not dealing with it.

life is a fucking nightmare sometimes. please assure me that digging through trash isn't normal because she seriously tries to gaslight me into thinking it is

[sneezysubbyboi]

It's over guys, my brain has rotted too much. I was in a cat owners Discord and someone typed "no spay?", as in neutering, and I read it as "no spray?" thinking I had walked in on someone commenting on a sneeze 💀 

#for a sec I was like wtf - am I in the right server or did someone just out themselves #snz #snzblr #snz kink #sneeze kink #sneme #snz meme #snezblr #snez

[airedelalmena]

The kitty smells different since he was neutered.

He smelled so wild and rangy. I used to love smelling the funny cat scent when I would pet him. Now there is nothing (or, well, my nose is too weak). Guess that that was man-cat smell.

Under his chin smells like his spray, though, bizarrely.

#personal

[l3irdl3rain]

Re: the Duncan diaper situation, I've had to get diapers for my own peepee boy (he's spraying around the house, seemingly behavioral as his vet stuff checked out fine and he's a stray rescue that was neutered at ~2yrs) Anyways, in my quest I've found they make "cat diaper overalls" which might stay on Duncan better? I considered them for my own dude because he's very crafty and would army crawl on the floor to slip the diaper off before I realized I had them too loose b/c his knee was in the way

I have seen those! I’m thinking that might be my best option. He half walks and half drags his hindquarters so I think that’s part of the problem getting them to stay up

#ask #Duncan

[hyperdemona]

I actually started carrying pepperspray not because of men, but because a dog bit me and I want to be safe if I were to get attacked again.

Getting bit by this dog (puncture wounds bleeding down my leg, assumed he was running after me to ne friendly till he got close, I was young and oh my bike. Like he literally bolted down an street while I was biking, bit my ankle hard. Flat out aggressive targeted behavior I was biking around a park and he came out of nowhere .) It taught me to start yelling “hey! HEY! NO! Back up!” Dogs can sense anger, dogs can sense territorial animal behavior which is exactly what I’m doing, defending myself territory Aka body. I had this dumb territory try and go after my ankle while biking, I kept yelling “hey, hey, hey, hey,” everyrime I saw him going for my ankle… he stopped and barked all mad and fucked off. Scared the shit out of me when I saw a stuffy loose, held just pepper spray and told him to back up (insecure nervous dog bit thar is also a type that might bite if feeling threatened, he backed off.)

It’s kinda like men; get angry and scream like a bitch and they freak out from that energy.

(Ofc this won’t always work and I don’t blame kids just dumping in your inbox that I get your hate for dogs… I’m grown, not a child, child can’t defend themselves. I was still a girl when I

got bit and I love dogs I’m like wtf 😭😭 I don’t hate dogs, But don’t love them so ouch anymore and don’t blame you for hating dogs…

I don’t get the cat hate from folks, truly; when has a stray cat or a cat that gets out go around attacking folks? I’d trust a cat around a kid before I trusted a dog.

Wondering if so often they say “men are like dogs, women are like cats” cause cats have good boundaries and are “selfish” while dogs are dumb and bark at anything that moves?

I genuinely dislike dogs. Puppies are cute but it's HARD to like dogs these days if ur in Keralam these days. It's sooo bad here. Spaying and neutering have completely failed. It works in western countries because stray populations are low in the first place because of harsh weather, so many do not survive the winter. You only need to spay/neuter/vaxx the rest and have them be adopted. Doesn't work here because these things don't die off naturally and when there's enough of them to form literal wolf-packs, they LITERALLY just start hunting kids for food. Man that poor autistic boy, the villagers are still in shock.

Who tf is going to adopt murder dogs? We don't even allow dogs indoors or consider animals family the way they do in white western countries, it is not our culture. Animals get treated like animals, not people. In fact, dog lovers adopting fancy breeds to raise and then letting them loose in the streets when they get sick and difficult to look after (apparently long-haired western breeds don't do well in the tropics and get sick, WHO'D HAVE THOUGHT 🙄) are the ones that caused this in the first place.

Dogs regularly break into daycares and playschools and attack kids. It's happened multiple times over the last decade. I've seen idiot animal activists even call for an end to spaying/neutering because "dogs have a right to natural reproduction like people do". This is who you're arguing with.

[arvadthecursed]

I hate it when I'm telling someone about my cat and they're like "cats can't love you." Yes he can. What do you call it when he runs up to me when I get home, "sprays" (he can't actually spray, he's neutered, he just vibrates his tail) and stomps his lil feet? What do you call him headbutting me when I'm crying and wiping my tears? What do you call hit when he curls up beside me and watches over me when I'm sick? If you tell someone their cat can't love them you are a joyless hag and have never felt the love of a feline. And you never will. Bitch !

#this didnt happen today but i was reminded of an encounter i had with someone #anyway #millie says

[blazenfire223]

[ID in undercut]

Happy 2024 everyone! I'm just gonna talk about the past of 2023 and how I'm feeling about this new year so apologies if this gets long.

Okay so first off, personally, my 2023 wasn't that bad. It was actually rather enjoyable. I started out 2023 doing art while talking with my friend Kate while drinking apple cider and I think also playing Hamtaro. It was fun. Also during that time, I had been in a school program called RISE which was basically hands-on learning and I got to create some very memorable projects that I am so fucking proud of and submitted a whole 3-page original comic for my school's zine and then later got to see the comic IN the zine. I messed around with traditional art so much more and had so much fun with it. Like, I swear that school year I was a monster of creativity and I was just having nothing but fun during those days. I was a neurodivergent POWERHOUSE. I also got to see a high school adaptation of the Percy Jackson Musical that my partner got to play a minor role in and that was very fun. I got to make a friend and hang out with said friend over the summer, I went out on an official date with my partner (outside of school dances) to see Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse, and also saw my partner during a homecoming dance where we left and went to Walmart instead. I got to watch Good Omens season 2, WWDITS season 5/6 (I forget what the newest season was), OFMD season 2, and go to see the FNAF movie!! And although all of them broke my heart (except FNAF) in different ways I was still so happy I got to see them! My cat also went to the vet to get neutered which helped with his spraying problem.

It wasn't all good though. I always had the usual problems but there was also me having to go to the doctor's a few times this year which sucked, but I also got a family doctor for the first time in YEARS and now I get to get treated for whatever it is my body is doing. There was also a big personal mess regarding my partner's family shortly after I got to see him a few times and some family issues of my own.

But overall? It's been a pretty good fucking year but, if I'm honest, I'm not very hopeful for the new year. These past few weeks have made me feel so much in so little time. Mainly, anger, sadness, and guilt. All not very "good" emotions but they've all been there. I'm also kinda tired. I've felt all these things not because of anything personal. As I've pointed out my 2023 has been fucking amazing for the most part. My anger is righteous. Livid fucking righteous anger. Anger over the fact that there are so many injustices and genocides happening in this world and the fact that the United States has a hand in pretty much all of them in some way or another. I have seen so many dead humans and my brain can barely comprehend them. I feel so much for these people literally dying at the hands of awful people with weapons and money funded by this disgusting country I live in and I can't help feeling guilt because I'm in my house, comfortable and relatively safe watching Good Omens Season 2 on repeat and I just wish I could do more or give them comfort in a meaningful way. But I know I can only do so much. I still am just a kid and only one person.

And what pisses me off more is that these politicians that are supposed to represent the people don't. listen. There have been thousands of citizens shouting for the liberation of these countries and for the end of these genocides and yet politicians do the exact opposite of what the majority of people are in obvious support for. All for what? Money? A sense of superiority? It has made me feel so much that I end up shaking from anger at the thought. But I shouldn't be surprised. This is the same country that was founded on the genocide of natives and black people. Founded on slavery, racism, and white supremacy. The same country that wishes to control the rights of AFAB bodies and wants to ban any and all books that they don't agree with and that, deep down, wants to eradicate trans people and other LGBTQ+ people from social life and existence. I shouldn't be surprised that they are helping with genocide and continue to help in the killing of human beings again and again. I shouldn't be surprised. Land of the Free, my ass.

This, with the fact that the whole world is basically on fire and literally was at MULTIPLE times this year, I can't say I'm feeling very good about this new year. But I know what I WANT this new year to be. I want it to be a year that is filled with good memories, good art, and good experiences, but also a year where I can say that there is a Free Palestine, Congo, Sudan, and any other country experiencing oppression and harm and there are choices made to help to stabilize these countries and people. Where they have autonomy over their own land. I want a year where the oppressed get just one step closer to the equality they deserve. A year where this country isn't trying to make leaps back in time where no one but cis-het neurotypical abled-bodied white men could exist happily. I want a year where the individualistic Western mindset is burned to ash and we all actually treat each other as human fucking beings that deserve respect and not just as stepping stones for "success" (THE BARE FUCKING MINIMUM BTW.) I just wish for a year where I can say that, in every aspect, it was a good year. But we'll just have to see what the future holds now, don't we?

[ID: A digital illustration of Storm (irl) and Storm (OC) sitting together on the ground. Storm has their knees up to their chest and is holding a bottle of sparkling cider while OC Storm holds them close, cradling their head with both hands. Above them both are floating heads of all of irl Storm's hyperfixations of the year. Going from right to left there is Aziraphale and Crowley (Good Omens), Dante (Ineffable Family AU by chibiq122), Azra and David (Bun and Dove AU by chibiq122), Raphael and Zi (Star Weaver AU |Gone Wrong| by chibiq122 and Storm), Ana and Raph (Star Weaver AU by chibiq122), Nandor and Guillermo (What We Do in the Shadows), Anna and Crawley (Happy Demon AU by chibiq122 and Storm), Raziel and Westley (Lawyer Bois AU by chibiq122), Ario and Unas and Zaraphim (Reverse AU by Storm), Sariel and Damien + their kids Eden, Calysta, and Dakota (Blind Bear AU by Storm), and finally Izzy, Stede and Ed (Our Flag Means Death). Above all the little heads are the words 'Happy New Year 2024' and they are glowing. /End ID]

#good omens #blazenfire223 #blazenfire223's art #ofmd #wwdits #free palestine #free sudan #free congo #Free everyone really #Happy New Year 2024

[stevishabitat]

Long rant/emotional vomit incoming…. 

Where to start? 

In August, our neighbors moved out and left their outdoor cat, Franklin behind. We'd gotten him neutered last year during the big TNR project, so he'd retired from both the kitten factory and the tom cat fight club. So he was left kind of hanging around at loose ends.

Franklin in his previous outdoor life

He'd come to the porch for dinner with the ferals, but we could tell he wasn't super healthy, and when we had a heatwave in the 100°F range, and saw him looking like melted cat on the hot pavement, we just couldn't stand it anymore. Clearly they weren't coming back for him, and no one else was taking care of him. So we brought him inside.

This brings our indoor crowd to six. Four adults and two kittens (all courtesy of the same neighbors who had a constant stream of kittens that they would raise and then put outdoors to fend for themselves - we are not regretting their departure from the neighborhood).

The Crew at Feeding Time

So Franklin actually adjusted really quickly to full-time indoor life. But he came with a bunch of hitchhikers. Ear mites, fleas, and tapeworm for certain. I tried OTC treatments at home, but wasn't making progress, and Franklin clearly also suffered from flea allergies and secondary ear infections and skin infections from the mites.

So off to the vet we went.

He had two different bacterial infections in his ears (the tech that read the ear swab slides said "beyond reality"), so he got a full-spectrum antibiotic shot, twice-daily ear mite treatment, and I ended up with a Revolution Plus prescription and tapeworm meds for all six cats, to break the parasite cycle.

Franklin at vet visit #1

I'm hoping we're on the upward swing of things, although Franklin still has raw patches from the flea allergies that he licks compulsively. I've used an OTC cortisone spray for him, but he may need a more systemic approach. Meaning either a shot or prescription. Another trip to the vet is in the works.

Frankie being just the Sweetest

Little man, Henry, still needs to be neutered and he's going on six months old, so I can't put it off much longer. Three of the others need annual vaccinations. The plan was to do one vet visit per month, if I can swing that financially, but that's looking more difficult than I hoped. 

The Babies: Henry and Patches

We are also fighting a losing battle to keep our water heater running. It was damaged by the flood last July, but we've kept it limping along for a whole year. We've now been without hot water since the beginning of September.

My grandma (who owns the house, but is currently living with another relative) is still hesitant to invest in a new water heater. It will take all of us (me, my parents, and grandma) to jointly pay for it. So without her go-ahead, we're kind of in limbo. There are a couple more parts we can try replacing before we're certain it's unfixable. But my dad doesn't want to pay a plumber, he wants to do those himself.  

I bought a tankless point-of-use water heater so we can at least put together a temporary shower and sink in the basement.

But getting that installed and set up has been more difficult and costly than expected (needing extra adapters and fixtures to connect to old plumbing) and although my dad is doing the work when he can, he's also working part-time and can barely walk most days. He can really only do at-home projects once a week at most, and some weeks he just doesn't have the time or physical capacity. 

My pharmacy, insurance, and neurologist can't seem to connect the dots to get my Aimovig refilled, so I'm now more than a month without a migraine preventative and I'm running out of rescue meds.

I had been paying someone to help around the house for an hour twice a month, but I really can't afford it. But without the help, and without migraine meds, and with cats that are still having digestive issues from the worms, and fleas still hatching out and infesting the house... It's a hot mess.

Can you believe this service exists???

Anyway, we're floundering.

Physically, financially, mentally, emotionally... It's draining.

Anyway, I basically ended up maxing out my credit card on all of this chaos. And this is the time of year that work slows down and overtime dries up.

I wasted so much money on things that didn't fix the fleas, or Franklin's illnesses, or the water heater, or my migraines... or... or....

So much money on meal replacement shakes because I'm too nauseated to eat, and delivery for kiddo because I don't have the energy to cook.

Bought a bunch of rinse-free body cleansers and shampoos so we can try to maintain self-care and hygiene without hot water. Got that tankless water heater and a shower tent and floor mat hoping to make kiddo more comfortable with showering somewhere other than the bathroom (they're still very much against the idea). 

The payment for kiddo's therapy bounced this week, and my biweekly paycheck can't cover that and the credit card payment. So it will probably bounce next week too. I think after two non-payments we have to give up our time slot. Therapy is so important for kiddo's mental health. I have to find a way to keep up with that if nothing else. 

Kiddo is absolutely at max capacity for demands and just can't help at all, can't even do basic self-care, clean up after themselves, or help with the cats like they used to. The state of the house is stressing them out, and they want more connection with me and Grandmummy, that we don't have the time or spoons to give.

Kiddo, Jack and Henry

My mom has also been without her meds for several weeks, and honestly, she's been in an autoimmune flare for most of this year. I think all the physical work from the flood, plus the mold, and a case of covid in the last year really messed her up. 

My dad going back to work (which was financially necessary) means he's physically unable to do things at home, and time wise he's not able to pick my sister-in-law up from work, or take grandma to doctors appointments - so all of that is on my mom now. So she's less able to spend time with kiddo - leaving me as sole caregiver most of the time, including when I'm working from home.

My car is still dead from the flood, and the vehicle I share with my parents has multiple issues. So I get groceries and necessary supplies delivered and only do errands on the day I take kiddo to therapy. That's about as much as I can physically do anyway.

That one time we thought the car was driveable (we were very wrong)

I was supposed to meet my (long-distance) girlfriend for renaissance festival this weekend, but I don't have gas money and her car is in the shop getting necessary brake repairs. It's our twice a year getaway without kids, and I think we're going to miss it.

RenFaire in the Spring

I'm really just venting because I don't have anyone to talk to who isn't also in the thick of it with me. 

I think a lot of my mutuals will understand all of this. So if you're in a mess like this, know that it's not just you. You aren't a failure. 

We're all doing the best we can, and sometimes no matter what you do, the best still looks like a disaster. 

[squidproquoclarice]

Yeehawgust Day 1: Meowdy!

It seemed ridiculous.  Though admittedly, naming animals things like Prince Sprinkles Geode Sandstorm never sat right with Arthur much either.  Nothing wrong with a good name that meant something, whether joking or not, but the name had to actually refer to something.  When it came to a string of names that sounded like a person vomiting up a magnetic poetry set or writing a Mad Libs, count him out.

For all that, the beast in that cat cubicle having the mere moniker of Bob felt like it didn’t suit.  One unholy terror of a big tomcat, some kind of dusty golden spotted Bengal, with several scars and a broken right upper canine to tell the tale.  Every time Bob squinted at him with those golden eyes and hissed, Arthur knew that he hadn’t been forgiven.  Not for the betrayal of luring the cat in onto his porch with food, not for catching him and bringing him in.

Plenty of feral cats they rescued here at the Ambarino Animal Shelter turned out as TNRs, unsuitable to become pets.  Didn’t help everything, but it at least assured they would be the final generation living in the misery and danger of the streets, so it ended the cycle of suffering.  

Given he’d been a homeless kid himself for a time, he sympathized.  A mean life, fighting for everything, with no assurance of food or safety on any day or night.  Hosea made plenty of jokes about how he’d rescued a wild angry juvenile delinquent along with the cats and dogs, though at least he hadn’t needed to use a spray bottle on Arthur.  And they hadn’t had to neuter him either.

But Sadie had been the one doing intake after Arthur had to drop the cat off and get to work, and so she’d called the shots there and had named the thing “Bob”, probably tickled by the sheer mundanity of it applied to a force of furious nature, and that was that.  Probably some other full name behind it too–given Sadie always named them for people and the last one had actually been Henry (VIII), and before him had been Gwen (Stefani)–though she refused to tell him about Bob. 

Robert the Bruce?  Robert Gould Shaw?  Robert Downey Jr?  Robert Louis Stevenson?  Robert “Bob” Ballard?  All he’d gotten so far was Bob.  Sadie’s humor would see the dissonance in the simple public name and enjoy it, as opposed to John, who if he ever worked here legitimately would just name an animal Bob or Rachel and think nothing of it.  Karen tended to slightly whimsical names, usually of Disney characters: Belle, Moana, Stitch, and the like.  Hosea liked cutesy names of things: Silver Dollar, Toast, Pickles.  Often food, at that.

Him?  He liked to pull from history.  After he’d named one sweet but sassy girl Boadicea, following the archaic spelling, Hosea had said he respected a teacher bringing some history to the party, but pleaded with him to at least use names most people could easily pronounce.  He’d been tempted to pull out “Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch” just for shits and giggles on his next intake, but he’d behaved, skirted the edict just a little to tweak Hosea’s nose, and went for Llewellyn, called “Lew”.    Privately, Arthur thought Bob also worked as “B.O.B.”, and it stood for “Big Old Bastard”.  Though Karen and Sadie both kept insisting he was a lover, not a fighter.  He’d seen Sadie petting Bob and him leaning eagerly into her hand, so he had to admit there was something to it.  He must have had a home at one point to allow that.  Bob had been flagged for socialization, and he utterly trusted Hosea’s judgment on that.  Though he suspected Sadie would end up taking him home in the end, attached as she’d gotten to him already.         

Maybe it was the lingering resentment at the man who’d trapped him, and maybe it was Bob reacting to recognizing a fellow former feral, and getting ready to fight.  Leaning against the window of the cat room, he looked in at Bob.  “Don’t need to fight me for anything,” he assured the cat wryly.  “Wet food and kibble isn’t my ideal diet.  Your blanket’s yours, buddy.  Not nearly big enough for me.  You’re safe here.  I know it’s hard to believe that after what you’ve been through, but you’ll see.”  It would take time.  He knew that better than any of them.  And Bob was the rare exception–usually it was Arthur who could get through to an animal first.  Well, he liked a challenge.  Liked when the cautious ones came around and started to feel safe.  It meant a lot to win that trust, after it had been taken from an animal by other people.  

He grabbed a few of the treats and slipped them through the door.  Bob slunk forward, nosed them, and then gobbled them up, before giving Arthur a hiss to let him know his place.  A smaller one, though.  It felt almost perfunctory rather than heartfelt.  Progress.  Definite progress.  He found himself grinning at that.  “Well, Bobby boy, thing you’re gonna learn about these folks–Hosea especially–is they’re not giving up on you.  He wouldn’t quit on me.  Bunch of cats and dogs?  Child’s play after that.”  

Bob eyed him with something approaching curiosity rather than hostility, and crunched down noisily on another treat.

#yeehawgust #arthur morgan #animal shelter au #rdr2 #yeehawgust 2022 #bob the cat (as opposed to bob the horse) #there was an animal shelter au a ways back #with sadie adoring bob the bastard cat #had to riff off of that a little #writing