Cats used to be worshiped as Gods...

[Allergictoironing]

... by the ancient Egyptians and according to the late, great Terry Pratchett, have never forgotten. Neither should we.

Next thread in the general chat about Life, The Universe, Everything and most importantly, CATS

Told FWK about the measuring of cats, and he is measuring his as I type.

Apparently Gandalf is measuring in at 25 inches forehead to base of the tail, but he is lying down a bit curled so he reckons at least another couple of inches may be possible. The slightly smaller Taliesin is very roughly 21-22 inches (hard to get right, he's playing with the tape measure) and 14 inches ground to withers.

Thank you @Grumpyoldpersonwithcats I actually live in the Med (temperatures about the same as the UK right now?!) so my dcats and I are used to sweltering heat and we have air conditioning ❄️

Kone Head Kloppy occasionally often gets heatstroke during July and August and has to be resuscitated under a damp tea towel from the freezer 🙀 Dcats 1 & 2 sensibly find a nice cool place to sleep and never have this problem 🥵

@Allergictoironing I saw this when I was on the bus earlier - looks like your newest house guest's fame is spreading! Not quite his name in lights, but close enough...

Hello all, I have been lurking with not much to say but watching with interest. I'll measure Mattwhen I can but am currently incapusscitated while his lordship snooze on me.

Hi Papergirl. How's the baby?

Ahh, there are problems, @TheShellBeach
She was on!y two weeks old when dd disappeared across to the other side of the country with her for two nights which turned into five. The following weekend she left her with me overnight to go out and get drunk, which was fine, but when she asked again the next weekend I had to say no, because my anti seizure meds had been reduced by the neurosurgeon a few days earlier and he warned it could result in a seizure so did t want to risk dropping baby down the stairs or something. So dd screamed at me that I was an f-ing selfish bitch and left the house late at night to dump the baby on friends who she really doesn't know that well. The following weekend she left to stay with her half sister (birth family side) for a couple of days. That was more than three weeks ago and I've seen them once since for about 15 mins.
I've been really emotional since the surgery and this has exacerbated that, as well as my DM being very poorly at the moment. Plus I've very tired, like I can't put one foot in front of the other. Ended up sobbing down the phone to the poor GP who isn't sure if it's stress or post op recovery or a physical problem such as a vitamin deficiency so is sending me for counselling and for blood tests.
Thank goodness for the pets. They have been a huge comfort and a reason to get up in the morning.
So that's why I've been rather quiet on here but I've enjoyed reading what everyone's cats are up to so keep them coming x

@Papergirl1968
I'm just a lurker on here as I don't have a kitty cat, but decided to peek out to tell you I'm sorry to hear you're having such a hard time of things...I hope the situation improves soon!
I am so glad you have your pets to bring you comfort, like you said. They know just how to bring us some joy and laughter without any of the human backchat 😒

Oh bless you @Papergirl1968 . I deal with the back office for advisors for care leavers, and I know what a mess these young people can get themselves into mentally even with the very best foster carers or adopters. Plus she's still pretty young to have a baby, at that age they rarely grasp just what an impact it will have on their lives, then they have the baby and reality hits them like a truck.

Going by recent cases we've had, this could go either way. She'll either settle down after a few months once she's finished reacting to the shock of it all, or the same thing will happen to her as happened to her sister with the child taken into care. I think all you can probably do (apart from your best to ensure the baby is safe ofc) it to be prepared for either eventuality and support her then. At least she has taken the baby away with her, not just dumped it on you and vanished!

Aw, Papergirl - I'm so sorry you're going through such a bad time with your DD and her baby.

There is pretty much nothing I can say to comfort you, but I will keep you and your family in my thoughts, and hope that things turn a corner soon.

It sounds incredibly stressful for you.

Matt is showing you the Path of Healing, Paper. Rest up. Ignore unhelpful humans. Snack. Cuddle. Tao of Matt, on repeat.

Megasympathies and love 💕

Thank you all, that means so much.
She's an idiot because she desperately wants children's services off her back and they were on the point of withdrawing. With all this going others likely to stick around for longer, because I've informed them.of my concerns, and the SW spoke to dd 2 and tried to explain about the importance of creating a safe stable home for her, routine etc.
I've sent dd a message this afternoon saying this cannot go on indefinitely and that by next Friday - a month after she went - I'm going to need an answer as to whether she's coming back or not, as when she moved back in before she had the baby it cost me extra in council tax and insurance. And that I also need to decide whether to take her to court to put a case forward to see the baby.
If she wants to come home, it's something we need to discuss (because I've had years of verbal and physical abuse from both kids and I won't be putting up with it any more) and if she doesn't want to come home she needs to think where she is going to go as she can't stay with her half sister indefinitely. She's read it but hasn't responded yet.
Welcome @Sweetpea1532 and thank you for unlurking (delurking?).
How are you doing, @Allergictoironing ? Are you recovered? Thank you for your insight into similar cases, really helpful.
Getting a lot of kitty (and doggie) love, Lana, especially in bed on these hot nights! A cat one side and the dog the other...
Thank you for thinking of us @TheShellBeach

Going to take months to get this arm back to normal. I seem to have lucked out with the hospital physio, saw him yesterday & he's great. Thinks that after the rotator cuff repair I had a few years back, I never really got the strength back up so I'm going to be more prone to muscle/tendon damage & cartilage damage until we get that sorted. At least I'm OK now to drive, work etc., just need to be careful & do the exercises he's set me. Start regular appointments with him in another month or so, which isn't really that bad for NHS physio!.

@Papergirl1968 If you want to PM me anything to do with care leavers, feel free. It's a legally mandated service all local authorities have to provide for certain categories of young people 18-25 who were in care before they turned 18

I can't wait to drive again, Allergic. End of Jan at the earliest for me.
Glad you've got yourself a good physio though. Make sure you take it easy including not hefting cats around!
I'll let you know if I have any questions about care leavers. I know they're entitled to support but dd doesn't want it, just wants them all out of her life. 🤷

Just seen your message Papergirl1968. Just adding my thoughts for you - wish I had some sage advice but I haven't. Glad Matt, Socks and the dog are being supportive.

No time for a proper message but and good thoughts Paper, wishing some peace of mind for you and your daughter

Somewhat unimpressed with Amazon today.

They have failed to deliver the new scoop & sieve I ordered to try a slightly different method of litter tray cleaning, to counteract Tobias's habit of enthusiastically digging after a pee so the damp is spread evenly throughout the litter.

Amazon website says the packages were handed directly to resident. They were not 😡. Neighbours either side have been out all day, so didn't go to them. Window next to (creaky) porch outer door was open so I would have heard anyone coming in. They WILL redeliver in 2 days, or refund/replace.

@Papergirl1968 Im sorry, this isn’t playing out how you’d hoped & it sounds like she can’t see the wood for the trees.

I'm sorry things are difficult @Papergirl1968 💕 my eldest has MH issues and has cut me off completely. It's so hard isn't it? Can't imagine how much more difficult it would be with a tiny baby involved x

Bloody hell - not cat related but...
Just had car and house insurance renewals come through. Been with the same company for years, no claims.
Both car and house premiums have an uplift this year of about 35%. House insurance has gone from £640 odd to about £865.
How the hell can this be justified with inflation 'only' running at 10 or 11%.
Cats need to start earning a living...

Papergirl that all sounds really tough.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats I just got Squidge's insurance renewal quote - last year was about £16/month, this year £23/month. She's almost 8 and we've never needed to make any claims. I was - I think I'm going to shop around.

Shadow from downstairs is having issues - we now have a flea infestation in the hall, and an owner who only lets him in to be fed and then kicks him out again. No cat flap, and he doesn't leave any water out for him.

Apparently he's had fleas for a year but frontline doesn't work, neither do the flea bombs he's been using in his flat (and in the hallwithout telling me), and vets are a rip off and prescription flea treatment is too expensive and anyway Shadow is registered with his gf's name, addressn and pdsa branch several towns away so he can't do anything about it. He claimed to have a pdsa appt to get the bravecto i recommended, until I pointed out none of the branches in our county are doing flea treatments when I rang them to ask over the weekend....

I've given him a can of indorex and offered to make a private vets appt where he can claim shadow just turned up in the garden one day if he doesn't want to claim ownership, and to pay for a pet health plan for a year, but apparently I'm a stinking b*tch who needs to mind her own business. And a crack whore.

God I needed a rant there - sorry.

Yikes - time to shop around. Profiteering at that scale ain’t funny.

@NewBootsAndRanty Jesus. Do you let shadow in yours when it’s cold and he hasn’t got passengers?

He only started going out a few weeks ago - apparently bc his owner cba with a litter tray any more. He's been an indoor kitty for about a year up to then.

My own flat door is firmly closed to Shadow during the Flea Episode (and hes not been up in there yet); he tends to hang out in other ppls houses or in the bushes down the garden. He's been spraying in next doors garden and seems to have remarkable baubles for an allegedly neutered cat.

Squidge is due her next Bravecto dose next week; I've indorexed the communal hall stairs and landing this morning and will be doing my flat tomorrow I think.

I'm so angry with him about treating a cat like this (and keeping my phone ready to record him if he gives me any more grief). I've also asked my support worker to tell our housing assn about the hall/flea thing and to ask them to ask him to sort it out - I am not sure how well that will be received..

Ugh. I have to flea treat paws because he's visibly uncomfortable and crawling with fleas sometimes
Some people shouldn't have pets

Grumpy - try calling them & say you're considering moving your insurance. Got my car insurance down from £1100 to £450 a couple of years ago doing that! Best to be prepared first by going on a comparison website & seeing what that comes up with In my case, the same company came up at the £450 if I were a new customer, so IO was armed with that when I called tham.

NewBoots I would guess if Shadow still has his balls then he won't have a chip? If he doesn't, then you could always kidnap him & take him to the vet as a stray yourself ...😜