How rude.

esstee33 · November 2014

southernbelle0915 said:

abl13 said:

esstee33 said:

mobride2015 said:

We have Flavia machines at work, but the coffee tastes weird to me. They give us free Seattle's Best in the cafeteria so that's what I usually get.

Trying to get an appt with a vet - one of our cats is pissing outside of the litter box and FI is getting fed up. A coworker had the same issue and had her cat put on Prozac - hoping I can do the same and fix this issue, or we're gonna have to have her euthanized - I can't stomach sending her to a shelter where she may end up euthanized anyway, or with a family that would throw her outside or worse if she did it there (she's declawed). She's been gorging on food lately, so I think she's got anxiety issues (we have 2 other cats and a dog - I believe she'd prefer to be an only pet).

Are you fucking kidding me with this? The cat might just have a fucking UTI! You can't stomach sending the cat to a shelter where it might be adopted by a family who would actually care for it, but you CAN stomach having it KILLED instead?

My mind is absolutely blown that you'd rather just assume it WON'T get adopted and have it euthanized anyway rather than even giving it a chance at having a new life with a new family. That is fucking sick.

She said she's going to try to fix the issue first - calm the fuck down.

Yea this.

It might be more constructive to ask questions if you're curious about this, since there is very little information. Or just freak and and yell cat killer... either way.

Of course, it's not right to just be like "oh, my cat is sick...call the euthanizers." But she explicitly said she wants to try to fix the problem that's causing harm to the animal.

No, sorry. Even if she's planning to have the cat checked out and maybe medicated first, I have zero sympathy for people who would rather have their cat euthanized rather than giving them a chance at a new life with a new family by taking them to a shelter. I've worked at shelters and at animal hospitals, and I've seen many, many older animals adopted out to families who can care for them. Why preemptively euthanize the cat if it at least has a small chance to be adopted? That's cruel as fuck.

ElcaB · November 2014

I decided to be late today because I needed breakfast and stopped at a gas station with the best mother fucking breakfast in the world. Oh, glorious greasy hash brown and croissant sandwich...I don't regret you in the slightest.

Now I'm at work pretending to work because there are only three sleeps left between us and our honeymoon in paradise!

southernbelle0915 · November 2014

esstee33 said:

southernbelle0915 said:

abl13 said:
She said she's going to try to fix the issue first - calm the fuck down.

Yea this.

It might be more constructive to ask questions if you're curious about this, since there is very little information. Or just freak and and yell cat killer... either way.

Of course, it's not right to just be like "oh, my cat is sick...call the euthanizers." But she explicitly said she wants to try to fix the problem that's causing harm to the animal.

No, sorry. Even if she's planning to have the cat checked out and maybe medicated first, I have zero sympathy for people who would rather have their cat euthanized rather than giving them a chance at a new life with a new family by taking them to a shelter. I've worked at shelters and at animal hospitals, and I've seen many, many older animals adopted out to families who can care for them. Why preemptively euthanize the cat if it at least has a small chance to be adopted? That's cruel as fuck.

I guess I like to give people the benefit of the doubt before ripping them a new one. My impression of her statement was that she wanted to try and fix the problem.

I think we agree that "preemptively euthanizing" animals is a cruel solution and, further, that if putting the animal down is simply a matter of convenience for the owner, that it's terrible. But if an animal has a medical problem that's causing pain and suffering that cannot be corrected, sorrynotsorry, I'm on the side of putting the animal out of its misery.

@mobride2015 - would your choice to euthanize simply be because your FI is frustrated that the cat isn't using its litter box? Or are you saying it's a last resort if the problem is causing harm to the cat (not to YOU) and can't be corrected?

dcbride86 · November 2014

I can't even deal with thinking about euthanizing animals. It makes me so sad. Whenever my dog does eventually need to be put down (which will never happen because she and I will live forever and ever), FI is probably going to have to (gently) stress that it's the right thing to do.

Shit. Now I'm tearing up at just the thought. And my dog is only 5 (and has a life expectancy of almost 20)

esstee33 · November 2014

southernbelle0915 said:

esstee33 said:

southernbelle0915 said:

abl13 said:
She said she's going to try to fix the issue first - calm the fuck down.

Yea this.

It might be more constructive to ask questions if you're curious about this, since there is very little information. Or just freak and and yell cat killer... either way.

Of course, it's not right to just be like "oh, my cat is sick...call the euthanizers." But she explicitly said she wants to try to fix the problem that's causing harm to the animal.

No, sorry. Even if she's planning to have the cat checked out and maybe medicated first, I have zero sympathy for people who would rather have their cat euthanized rather than giving them a chance at a new life with a new family by taking them to a shelter. I've worked at shelters and at animal hospitals, and I've seen many, many older animals adopted out to families who can care for them. Why preemptively euthanize the cat if it at least has a small chance to be adopted? That's cruel as fuck.

I guess I like to give people the benefit of the doubt before ripping them a new one. My impression of her statement was that she wanted to try and fix the problem.

I think we agree that "preemptively euthanizing" animals is a cruel solution and, further, that if putting the animal down is simply a matter of convenience for the owner, that it's terrible. But if an animal has a medical problem that's causing pain and suffering that cannot be corrected, sorrynotsorry, I'm on the side of putting the animal out of its misery.

@mobride2015 - would your choice to euthanize simply be because your FI is frustrated that the cat isn't using its litter box? Or are you saying it's a last resort if the problem is causing harm to the cat (not to YOU) and can't be corrected?

Well, and there you have a difference in how the exact same wording can be interpreted in two very different way. Because the way it's worded absolutely implies to me that if it's not a simple solution, euthanasia is a reasonable next step. Not to mention the fact that her prevailing theory right now is that the cat is peeing because it's stressed out. That's not a euthanasia-worthy medical condition.

And I absolutely won't relax my stance that to euthanize the cat instead of taking it to a shelter to at least give it a chance is horrific and cruel. That's disgusting.

amelisha · November 2014

We have Keurigs at work but I admit I don't really like the taste of anything that comes out of one. I love coffee but I feel like I can taste the plastic. Maybe it's just psychosomatic or something but blech. I still drink like six cups a day, though.

I've got to take FSIL out for a birthday dinner tonight and I am NOT looking forward to it. She's a sweet girl but she's not getting along very well with my fiance right now and the whole meal is going to be me awkwardly making conversation. And she's not great at being gracious about gifts so the Kate Spade bag I bought her (based on her very specific requests for a new purse) is probably going to be all wrong and she'll hate it and she'll not hide it especially well. Add that to the fact that I won't be able to eat today until that dinner so it doesn't ruin my damn diet and I am one grumpy woman today.

southernbelle0915 · November 2014

esstee33 said:

southernbelle0915 said:

esstee33 said:
No, sorry. Even if she's planning to have the cat checked out and maybe medicated first, I have zero sympathy for people who would rather have their cat euthanized rather than giving them a chance at a new life with a new family by taking them to a shelter. I've worked at shelters and at animal hospitals, and I've seen many, many older animals adopted out to families who can care for them. Why preemptively euthanize the cat if it at least has a small chance to be adopted? That's cruel as fuck.

I guess I like to give people the benefit of the doubt before ripping them a new one. My impression of her statement was that she wanted to try and fix the problem.

I think we agree that "preemptively euthanizing" animals is a cruel solution and, further, that if putting the animal down is simply a matter of convenience for the owner, that it's terrible. But if an animal has a medical problem that's causing pain and suffering that cannot be corrected, sorrynotsorry, I'm on the side of putting the animal out of its misery.

@mobride2015 - would your choice to euthanize simply be because your FI is frustrated that the cat isn't using its litter box? Or are you saying it's a last resort if the problem is causing harm to the cat (not to YOU) and can't be corrected?

Well, and there you have a difference in how the exact same wording can be interpreted in two very different way. Because the way it's worded absolutely implies to me that if it's not a simple solution, euthanasia is a reasonable next step. Not to mention the fact that her prevailing theory right now is that the cat is peeing because it's stressed out. That's not a euthanasia-worthy medical condition.

And I absolutely won't relax my stance that to euthanize the cat instead of taking it to a shelter to at least give it a chance is horrific and cruel. That's disgusting.

Yea exactly - you can interpret it differently which is why it makes sense to ask questions and get clarity instead of jumping immediately to mudslinging.

But since we've reached the inevitable philosophical point, are you saying if your animal was in pain and suffering and that pain/suffering could not be corrected, you'd just let the animal live like that instead of putting it out of its misery? IMO, THAT is cruel.

flyingfoxes · November 2014

Stirred up a firestorm here!

Euthanizing is absolutely NOT the first-choice answer here, sorry if the wording was bad. Going to the vet and having full blood work done to make sure there are no physical problems is the first-choice answer. If there are no physical problems, then getting her on anti-anxiety meds such as Prozac will be the next move. I'm actually using my boss' vet, because she went through this a few years ago and took the same path (her story didn't end well, but I believe mine will be different). I think the cat has anxiety - we have 3 litterboxes out already, one is one of the fancy-schmancy Litter Robot ones, which is AMAZING - but this one of course refuses to use it because it's enclosed and probably scary. Fair enough - we have 2 other plain litter boxes out, and I'm actively trying new/different brands of litter to see if maybe she just doesn't like any of the ones we've tried already.

The reason I think she has anxiety is because we're in a fairly new living situation (6 months in the new house) and FI has a dog and a cat of his own, so we went from 2 cats to 3 cats and a dog. She hisses and growls at his cat and the dog when they pass by, plus now she's porking out and gorging on the food whenever we put the cat food in the bowls (which there are 3 so they don't have to fight over it, and it's fenced off so the dog can't get to the food). So that's why I believe it's emotional/anxiety-based and not physical, and why I want to try the medication route.

Lastly, she CAME from a shelter, and the reason I ended up with her is because the shelter asked me to foster her because she just doesn't do well in shelters and was acting out. So no, I won't send her that route again in the future - it would be horrific and cruel to her. What I wish was that I knew of a home where I could send her where she would be the only pet, which is what I think she really wants and would be most comfortable in. She just can't have that at our house.

Hopefully he'll find nothing wrong and a medication fix will help her out! I just wish he would call already so we can get an appointment set up.

esstee33 · November 2014

southernbelle0915 said:

esstee33 said:

southernbelle0915 said:

esstee33 said:
No, sorry. Even if she's planning to have the cat checked out and maybe medicated first, I have zero sympathy for people who would rather have their cat euthanized rather than giving them a chance at a new life with a new family by taking them to a shelter. I've worked at shelters and at animal hospitals, and I've seen many, many older animals adopted out to families who can care for them. Why preemptively euthanize the cat if it at least has a small chance to be adopted? That's cruel as fuck.

I guess I like to give people the benefit of the doubt before ripping them a new one. My impression of her statement was that she wanted to try and fix the problem.

I think we agree that "preemptively euthanizing" animals is a cruel solution and, further, that if putting the animal down is simply a matter of convenience for the owner, that it's terrible. But if an animal has a medical problem that's causing pain and suffering that cannot be corrected, sorrynotsorry, I'm on the side of putting the animal out of its misery.

@mobride2015 - would your choice to euthanize simply be because your FI is frustrated that the cat isn't using its litter box? Or are you saying it's a last resort if the problem is causing harm to the cat (not to YOU) and can't be corrected?

Well, and there you have a difference in how the exact same wording can be interpreted in two very different way. Because the way it's worded absolutely implies to me that if it's not a simple solution, euthanasia is a reasonable next step. Not to mention the fact that her prevailing theory right now is that the cat is peeing because it's stressed out. That's not a euthanasia-worthy medical condition.

And I absolutely won't relax my stance that to euthanize the cat instead of taking it to a shelter to at least give it a chance is horrific and cruel. That's disgusting.

Yea exactly - you can interpret it differently which is why it makes sense to ask questions and get clarity instead of jumping immediately to mudslinging.

But since we've reached the inevitable philosophical point, are you saying if your animal was in pain and suffering and that pain/suffering could not be corrected, you'd just let the animal live like that instead of putting it out of its misery? IMO, THAT is cruel.

I said nothing about terminal illnesses. I'm not sure where in any of my past posts you've gotten the impression that I would prefer to let a sick animal live in pain rather than have it put down. In that case, euthanasia would be the least cruel thing.

Quality of life is a huge factor -- one of my cats has a disease that will undoubtedly shorten her life, probably by a lot, even with the best care. She's had it her entire life and the people who owned her before me never caught it, so there were years of irreversible damage before I even got her. There are only a few treatment options, and the vet has ruled out one completely, and has advised that two others are a last-resort sort of thing. For now, she gets prescription food, bloodwork every so often, etc., and it's working. She's a perfectly happy cat who isn't in pain, since her disease is being controlled with the food. Now if her quality of life takes a dive, and her bloodwork results come back that she's getting worse and is likely to suffer, that's the point at which I'd consider euthanasia. I'm not going to make my cat suffer, but I will exhaust every possible treatment before even considering euthanasia. And that's why I bristled at @mobride2015 -- she doesn't even know what's wrong with the cat or if it's treatable, and she's already jumping right to considering euthanasia.

climbingsingle · November 2014

dcbride86 said:

I can't even deal with thinking about euthanizing animals. It makes me so sad. Whenever my dog does eventually need to be put down (which will never happen because she and I will live forever and ever), FI is probably going to have to (gently) stress that it's the right thing to do.
Shit. Now I'm tearing up at just the thought. And my dog is only 5 (and has a life expectancy of almost 20)

I'm totally with you on this. And my dog is only 4.

southernbelle0915 · November 2014

esstee33 said: southernbelle0915 said: esstee33 said: Well, and there you have a difference in how the exact same wording can be interpreted in two very different way. Because the way it's worded absolutely implies to me that if it's not a simple solution, euthanasia is a reasonable next step. Not to mention the fact that her prevailing theory right now is that the cat is peeing because it's stressed out. That's not a euthanasia-worthy medical condition.
And I absolutely won't relax my stance that to euthanize the cat instead of taking it to a shelter to at least give it a chance is horrific and cruel. That's disgusting. Yea exactly - you can interpret it differently which is why it makes sense to ask questions and get clarity instead of jumping immediately to mudslinging.
But since we've reached the inevitable philosophical point, are you saying if your animal was in pain and suffering and that pain/suffering could not be corrected, you'd just let the animal live like that instead of putting it out of its misery? IMO, THAT is cruel. I said nothing about terminal illnesses. I'm not sure where in any of my past posts you've gotten the impression that I would prefer to let a sick animal live in pain rather than have it put down. In that case, euthanasia would be the least cruel thing.
Quality of life is a huge factor -- one of my cats has a disease that will undoubtedly shorten her life, probably by a lot, even with the best care. She's had it her entire life and the people who owned her before me never caught it, so there were years of irreversible damage before I even got her. There are only a few treatment options, and the vet has ruled out one completely, and has advised that two others are a last-resort sort of thing. For now, she gets prescription food, bloodwork every so often, etc., and it's working. She's a perfectly happy cat who isn't in pain, since her disease is being controlled with the food. Now if her quality of life takes a dive, and her bloodwork results come back that she's getting worse and is likely to suffer, that's the point at which I'd consider euthanasia. I'm not going to make my cat suffer, but I will exhaust every possible treatment before even considering euthanasia. And that's why I bristled at @mobride2015 -- she doesn't even know what's wrong with the cat or if it's treatable, and she's already jumping right to considering euthanasia.
************holy fucking boxes @KnotTech @KnotProgrammers @XOgroupThatNeedsToGiveaShitAboutTheFunctionalityOfYourFuckingWebsite**************
To the bolded: The question wasn't necessarily about terminal illness. Any pain and suffering that can't be corrected. Almost especially if it's not terminal - in other words, it's not going to kill the animal, but it will drastically negatively impact their life. It was a clarifying question, not an accusation. And I'm with you on everything in your response to it.

Anyway, I think I know where you stand and it's exactly where I stand, too. Also, I'm really sorry to hear about your cat. It sounds like you're appropriately managing it and doing what's best.

vegasbride2015 · November 2014

We get free coffee in our office too, they have a vendor that brings in something I call Toxic Corporate Sludge. They also provide packets of hot cocoa (regular and sugarfree) and various teas, regular sugar and Equal. It's pretty generous of them. Even if the coffee is bad there are mornings where you might forget your Starbucks or coffee from home and it will do the trick.

I have a Keurig that was gifted to me in 2011. I'm over it. And I am with you, @amelisha, it tastes like plastic.

raissyrais · November 2014

When life gives you lemonade...hum drink lemonade I guess? Sorry can't help you there Lolo, I hope you get the coffee you deserve some day!

I'm meeting with a childhood girlfriend at a pub tonight and FI is joining us cause I really want him to meet her. Going to have some yummy berry cider and chicken pot pie. Yum.

ashley8918 · November 2014

Holy thread derail! Anywho, fuck that stale-lemonade-leaving motherfucker. I would be furious.

My work provides us with nasty ass Donut Shop brand coffee that brews almost clear. Yuck! We also have a secret squirrel keurig in my new area where we bring in our own coffee and sometimes play tradsies. Mmmmmm French Market Dark Roast Coffee & Chicory! Yes ma'am.

Not really related: It is taco friday. BEEEEEE JEALOUS.

(complete with mexican pastries... and regular donuts)

Bonus: LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS FUCKING AVOCADO.

theartistformerlyknownas · November 2014

ashley8918 said:

Holy thread derail! Anywho, fuck that stale-lemonade-leaving motherfucker. I would be furious.

My work provides us with nasty ass Donut Shop brand coffee that brews almost clear. Yuck! We also have a secret squirrel keurig in my new area where we bring in our own coffee and sometimes play tradsies. Mmmmmm French Market Dark Roast Coffee & Chicory! Yes ma'am.

Not really related: It is taco friday. BEEEEEE JEALOUS.

(complete with mexican pastries... and regular donuts)

Bonus: LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS FUCKING AVOCADO.

Never before has the phrase "holy guacamole" been more appropriate. Holy shit.

ashley8918 · November 2014

lolo883 said:
Never before has the phrase "holy guacamole" been more appropriate. Holy shit.

The amount of guac that's about to be made with these babies is insane. Will report back on deliciousness.

climbingsingle · November 2014

ashley8918 said:

Holy thread derail! Anywho, fuck that stale-lemonade-leaving motherfucker. I would be furious.

My work provides us with nasty ass Donut Shop brand coffee that brews almost clear. Yuck! We also have a secret squirrel keurig in my new area where we bring in our own coffee and sometimes play tradsies. Mmmmmm French Market Dark Roast Coffee & Chicory! Yes ma'am.

Not really related: It is taco friday. BEEEEEE JEALOUS.

(complete with mexican pastries... and regular donuts)

Bonus: LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS FUCKING AVOCADO.

WUT. I will be right there. Please save that avocado for me.

Sugargirl1019 · November 2014

I really wanted to comment about coffee, and then this took a turn for the worse.

So coffee: I want to get a keurig and put it in my locker in the break room, or even be nice and just keep it on the counter for others to use. I never have the time to make coffee at home, (although I would if I had a keurig probably) and then I'm at work seeing other people drink coffee and I'm jealous. But I take forever to make it taste the way I want.

I like the sugar with a side of coffee drinks. Caramel macchiato or pumpkin spice latte yuuummm.

But coffee does bad bad things to my heart rate. Starbucks drinks don't effect me that I can tell, but a regular pot of coffee - HR 130s, palpitations.

esstee33 · November 2014

mobride2015 said:

Stirred up a firestorm here!
Euthanizing is absolutely NOT the first-choice answer here, sorry if the wording was bad. Going to the vet and having full blood work done to make sure there are no physical problems is the first-choice answer. If there are no physical problems, then getting her on anti-anxiety meds such as Prozac will be the next move. I'm actually using my boss' vet, because she went through this a few years ago and took the same path (her story didn't end well, but I believe mine will be different). I think the cat has anxiety - we have 3 litterboxes out already, one is one of the fancy-schmancy Litter Robot ones, which is AMAZING - but this one of course refuses to use it because it's enclosed and probably scary. Fair enough - we have 2 other plain litter boxes out, and I'm actively trying new/different brands of litter to see if maybe she just doesn't like any of the ones we've tried already.
The reason I think she has anxiety is because we're in a fairly new living situation (6 months in the new house) and FI has a dog and a cat of his own, so we went from 2 cats to 3 cats and a dog. She hisses and growls at his cat and the dog when they pass by, plus now she's porking out and gorging on the food whenever we put the cat food in the bowls (which there are 3 so they don't have to fight over it, and it's fenced off so the dog can't get to the food). So that's why I believe it's emotional/anxiety-based and not physical, and why I want to try the medication route.

Lastly, she CAME from a shelter, and the reason I ended up with her is because the shelter asked me to foster her because she just doesn't do well in shelters and was acting out. So no, I won't send her that route again in the future - it would be horrific and cruel to her. What I wish was that I knew of a home where I could send her where she would be the only pet, which is what I think she really wants and would be most comfortable in. She just can't have that at our house.

Hopefully he'll find nothing wrong and a medication fix will help her out! I just wish he would call already so we can get an appointment set up.

I'm glad you clarified and you are taking appropriate steps to help your kitty. I worked at an animal hospital for a while, and I can't tell you how many people came in or called asking about euthanasia for their pets when it became inconvenient for them and their furniture. Some people wanted to euthanize their animals for the most fucking awful reasons -- frequently, peeing outside the litter box was one of them. The wording you used seemed very nonchalant about it, which set off major warning bells. Apologies for reading too much into it.

She may not like the enclosed cat box because the pee smell can be overwhelming in there. One of my boxes is enclosed, and neither of the girls will pee in it. They use it often for #2, but never peeing.

Can you contact a no-kill rescue agency that might know of another potential owner? Many, many agencies have fosters that can accommodate a one-pet-only household.

@southernbelle0915 - Thanks. I'm doing what I can for her, but it's hard to tell how much longer she has. I have to take her to get tests done on her heart to see how extensive the damage was before we caught it. This food really does seem to be working wonders -- all I have to do is keep her from eating the other cat's food, which we're working on. She's a persistent thing, and she's super quiet and sneaky as hell -- she'll be in the room eating the bad food before I even hear her. The other option is a $1,000 radiation shot, or lifelong medication that will do basically the same thing as the food, but I'd have to give her a pill and then she'd have to deal with whatever side effects could happen.

amelisha · November 2014

ashley8918 said:

Holy thread derail! Anywho, fuck that stale-lemonade-leaving motherfucker. I would be furious.

My work provides us with nasty ass Donut Shop brand coffee that brews almost clear. Yuck! We also have a secret squirrel keurig in my new area where we bring in our own coffee and sometimes play tradsies. Mmmmmm French Market Dark Roast Coffee & Chicory! Yes ma'am.

Not really related: It is taco friday. BEEEEEE JEALOUS.

(complete with mexican pastries... and regular donuts)

Bonus: LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS FUCKING AVOCADO.

Is that Mountain Dew in there for size comparison purposes, or is there some nefarious guacamole-related application that is totally going to gross me out?

ashley8918 · November 2014

ClimbingBrideNY said:
WUT. I will be right there. Please save that avocado for me.

Girl, don't you worry because THERE ARE TWO.

wandajune6 · November 2014

I've been working home all week so our food issues are directly related to me not grocery shopping. Work has been hideous so I'm living off of cereal and diet coke right now. I made dinner earlier in the week but the boys actually liked the meals (SS usually whines about my cooking being too hungry) so there are no leftovers.

If I was in the office, I'd be eating better: we have a Keurig with lots of options, a fridge filled with a bunch of different soda options, bottled water, and flavored sparkling waters, bowls of fruit (Monday had apples, mangos, grapes, and kiwis), and 3 cereal dispensers filled with nuts: almonds, pistachios, and pecans or walnuts.

They spoil us. If only the commute didn't suck.

ashley8918 · November 2014

amelisha said:
Is that Mountain Dew in there for size comparison purposes, or is there some nefarious guacamole-related application that is totally going to gross me out?

I just laughed WAY too hard at this. Definitely for size comparison purposes only!

ShellD13 · November 2014

mobride2015 said:

Stirred up a firestorm here!
Euthanizing is absolutely NOT the first-choice answer here, sorry if the wording was bad. Going to the vet and having full blood work done to make sure there are no physical problems is the first-choice answer. If there are no physical problems, then getting her on anti-anxiety meds such as Prozac will be the next move. I'm actually using my boss' vet, because she went through this a few years ago and took the same path (her story didn't end well, but I believe mine will be different). I think the cat has anxiety - we have 3 litterboxes out already, one is one of the fancy-schmancy Litter Robot ones, which is AMAZING - but this one of course refuses to use it because it's enclosed and probably scary. Fair enough - we have 2 other plain litter boxes out, and I'm actively trying new/different brands of litter to see if maybe she just doesn't like any of the ones we've tried already.
The reason I think she has anxiety is because we're in a fairly new living situation (6 months in the new house) and FI has a dog and a cat of his own, so we went from 2 cats to 3 cats and a dog. She hisses and growls at his cat and the dog when they pass by, plus now she's porking out and gorging on the food whenever we put the cat food in the bowls (which there are 3 so they don't have to fight over it, and it's fenced off so the dog can't get to the food). So that's why I believe it's emotional/anxiety-based and not physical, and why I want to try the medication route.

Lastly, she CAME from a shelter, and the reason I ended up with her is because the shelter asked me to foster her because she just doesn't do well in shelters and was acting out. So no, I won't send her that route again in the future - it would be horrific and cruel to her. What I wish was that I knew of a home where I could send her where she would be the only pet, which is what I think she really wants and would be most comfortable in. She just can't have that at our house.

Hopefully he'll find nothing wrong and a medication fix will help her out! I just wish he would call already so we can get an appointment set up.

@Mobride2015 - There is another option that you might be able to try while you are waiting for all of the lab results etc... The make this stuff called Feliaway (clicky) that might help. I used it when I moved to a new place and my furbaby was acting out - it helped. The other option is do you have a room that you can dedicate to your kitty - make it her safe place. I know it might seem cruel but if the stress is related to the other animals if she had a space that she didn't have to share the behavior might calm down naturally.

amelisha · November 2014

ashley8918 said:

amelisha said:
Is that Mountain Dew in there for size comparison purposes, or is there some nefarious guacamole-related application that is totally going to gross me out?

I just laughed WAY too hard at this. Definitely for size comparison purposes only!

You have no idea how relieved I am about this.

...but if Mountain Dew is capable of creating Doritos-flavoured Mountain Dew, then I feel like Mountain-Dew-flavoured guacamole was a legitimate concern.

jenna8984 · November 2014

I would be too scared to eat that avocado. Like it's a genetically engineering avocado that will turn me into Hulk or something!

But speaking of cats....my tattoo artist had a cancellation today so I'm bailing out of work "sick" to get my cat's face tattooed on my leg hahahha

flyingfoxes · November 2014

esstee33 said:

mobride2015 said:

Stirred up a firestorm here!
Euthanizing is absolutely NOT the first-choice answer here, sorry if the wording was bad. Going to the vet and having full blood work done to make sure there are no physical problems is the first-choice answer. If there are no physical problems, then getting her on anti-anxiety meds such as Prozac will be the next move. I'm actually using my boss' vet, because she went through this a few years ago and took the same path (her story didn't end well, but I believe mine will be different). I think the cat has anxiety - we have 3 litterboxes out already, one is one of the fancy-schmancy Litter Robot ones, which is AMAZING - but this one of course refuses to use it because it's enclosed and probably scary. Fair enough - we have 2 other plain litter boxes out, and I'm actively trying new/different brands of litter to see if maybe she just doesn't like any of the ones we've tried already.
The reason I think she has anxiety is because we're in a fairly new living situation (6 months in the new house) and FI has a dog and a cat of his own, so we went from 2 cats to 3 cats and a dog. She hisses and growls at his cat and the dog when they pass by, plus now she's porking out and gorging on the food whenever we put the cat food in the bowls (which there are 3 so they don't have to fight over it, and it's fenced off so the dog can't get to the food). So that's why I believe it's emotional/anxiety-based and not physical, and why I want to try the medication route.

Lastly, she CAME from a shelter, and the reason I ended up with her is because the shelter asked me to foster her because she just doesn't do well in shelters and was acting out. So no, I won't send her that route again in the future - it would be horrific and cruel to her. What I wish was that I knew of a home where I could send her where she would be the only pet, which is what I think she really wants and would be most comfortable in. She just can't have that at our house.

Hopefully he'll find nothing wrong and a medication fix will help her out! I just wish he would call already so we can get an appointment set up.

I'm glad you clarified and you are taking appropriate steps to help your kitty. I worked at an animal hospital for a while, and I can't tell you how many people came in or called asking about euthanasia for their pets when it became inconvenient for them and their furniture. Some people wanted to euthanize their animals for the most fucking awful reasons -- frequently, peeing outside the litter box was one of them. The wording you used seemed very nonchalant about it, which set off major warning bells. Apologies for reading too much into it.

She may not like the enclosed cat box because the pee smell can be overwhelming in there. One of my boxes is enclosed, and neither of the girls will pee in it. They use it often for #2, but never peeing.

Can you contact a no-kill rescue agency that might know of another potential owner? Many, many agencies have fosters that can accommodate a one-pet-only household.

@southernbelle0915 - Thanks. I'm doing what I can for her, but it's hard to tell how much longer she has. I have to take her to get tests done on her heart to see how extensive the damage was before we caught it. This food really does seem to be working wonders -- all I have to do is keep her from eating the other cat's food, which we're working on. She's a persistent thing, and she's super quiet and sneaky as hell -- she'll be in the room eating the bad food before I even hear her. The other option is a $1,000 radiation shot, or lifelong medication that will do basically the same thing as the food, but I'd have to give her a pill and then she'd have to deal with whatever side effects could happen.

@esstee33:

No worries - I see what you are saying, the wording I used was offensive. We are a household of 4 shelter animals and I used to foster, so they are always my first-choice when it came to pets. My original cat actually poops outside the box, and has for YEARS (but will pee in the Litter Robot, go figure)- at least she does it right in front of the box, so I just put a towel down and scoop it up from there. She's roughly 11 or 12 now, so I don't think she'll ever change. We keep the boxes in the utility room on concrete so there's no lingering smell.

The peeing is a huge problem though with my second cat - the smell never seems to go away and we're in a rental house, so it's got to stop (I use Nature's Miracle enzyme cleaner to soak the area to try and clean it and discourage future incidents). She's doing it on the carpet. Actually today I found that she'd peed right beside the box ON the towel I had it sitting on, so it was soaked into the towel and partially on the carpet. I had moved the litter box out of the utility room just in case that area was a little too enclosed for her liking and was more out in the open. (a plain old cheap litter box, not an enclosed one).

I wish I could make them understand the Litter Robot is the best thing EVER - it automatically rotates 7 minutes after the leave it so the scoops go into the drawer underneath and there's no smell. FI's cat used it exclusively from the first time he saw it.

I'm always up for recommendations on litter that people have had success with - I've tried a lot of brands, but cats are finicky, so who knows what they want/prefer.

Hopefully the vet will have some good ideas about what we can try. It's disheartening to see all of the rescue groups and the pages upon pages of cats that they have available for adoption and to know if they have room for one more - and I can't guarantee that she won't continue doing what she does, especially after we exhaust our options with the vet.

princessofgenovia · November 2014

Our coffee at work is actually really good, and we have yummy flavored creamers. And I decided we needed to start ordering splenda because it's what I like in coffee and now it's what like...95% of the people use.

I had a meeting yesterday afternoon with my bosses and learned two things. First, I got a raise. I've been here as a full time permanant employee (I interented before and basically created my position) for six months and in those six months they've seen at 50% increase in sales and they were able to figure out it's attribuated to the work I've been doing. Which translated to a 20% pay increase. So...yay!

Second, we're doing some layoffs today. Well, three employees who have been bitchy to me so I don't really feel as bad as maybe I should. Their positions are being eliminated and it's been determined we won't offer them any other position with the company. There isn't an open one now at the same pay rate anyways, so...bye bitches. Their last day at the company will be the 26th, but they're paid through the Thanksgiving holiday because we're nice. I'm sure there will be some fit throwing but I don't think they'll be missed.

esstee33 · November 2014

@mobride2015 -- PM inc your way, since I'm sure nobody else wants to talk about cat litter, haha.

ChemFanatic25 · November 2014

lolo883 said:

I was just so excited and then so very let down. I went to get my stankass work coffee (because free) and lo and behold, there on the counter sat... a Caribou coffee box! Eureka! Someone had an early morning meeting and shared the bounty, oh glorious... shit. It's fucking LEMONADE that someone didn't clean up after an afternoon meeting. Fuck you, deceitful temptress coffee box.

Happy Friday, Knotties. Hope yours starts off more nicely than mine. Whatcha up to today?

They add salt to the coffee at my work and it's not free. It's like $2 for a crappy cup of coffee. I use my french press mug or make coffee from the hidden coffee maker that apparently we are not supposed to have because of OSHA.

How rude.

Re: How rude.

Choose Another Board

Search Boards