The "What's on your mind?" Thread -2017

[permanentruby]

All week, all I can think about is this situation I got myself in. I brought in a second cat on Monday and my girl isn't liking it. She's my baby and I don't want to do anything to upset her, so I'm not sure if I should keep him or let the clinic I volunteer for adopt him out to someone else.

And, we are going out of town this weekend 2-3 hours away to visit my parents. My cat isn't comfortable with the new one yet, so I don't want to leave them home alone together all weekend. No one else is around to watch them. I don't know what to do...

 

[arouetta]

I broke the MRI machine.

Lol, joking of course. But midway through the scan the computer had some sort of major software failure and the tech couldn't continue. I'm rescheduled for next Thursday.

 

[foxxycat]

All week, all I can think about is this situation I got myself in. I brought in a second cat on Monday and my girl isn't liking it. She's my baby and I don't want to do anything to upset her, so I'm not sure if I should keep him or let the clinic I volunteer for adopt him out to someone else.

And, we are going out of town this weekend 2-3 hours away to visit my parents. My cat isn't comfortable with the new one yet, so I don't want to leave them home alone together all weekend. No one else is around to watch them. I don't know what to do...

It's going to take a bit of time. Did you give them time apart? Often it's recommended to keep them in separate rooms for the first week-you want to do the scent switch-blanket/shirts with them sleeping on it then switch them. That way they both get used to each other's scent. Otherwise forcing them together too fast may have issues. I would put the new cat in a bedroom with it's own litterbox this weekend when you go away. food and water of course. and keep the door closed and let the resident cat have the rest of the house. with their own food and water n litter as well. Make sure there's a couple bowls/cups of water for the kitties in each of their "space" and extra food as well. play the radio for them. to keep them company.


Normally we keep them separate but able to smell each other then the second week we set up a screen inbetween their living areas so they can see each other but not attack each other..there's no set time limit. some cats get along right away. Others take time. Try a time out. I bet if each cat has their own space that is theirs then they may settle down faster.

Do you have any pictures of the babies?

 

[segelkatt]

There are varying opinions about the value of reducing salt to lower blood pressure; you may want to do a Google search on "how to lower blood pressure" and "does salt cause high blood pressure," then have a talk with your doctor about the things you find. When doing the Google searches, a good rule of thumb is that the more reputable sites you can find that make the same claim, the more likely it is to be true. The sites that tell you it's all a conspiracy to kill you by the government/the communists/the evil liberals/the evil conservatives/the Jews/the Muslims/whoever are, by definition, not reputable sites.

I was put on Lisinopril to "protect my kidneys," because of the diabetes. It turns out that the way Lisinopril protects the kidneys is to lower blood pressure. It was so effective that my dose had to be cut in half.

Most low salt diets seem to make up for the lack of salt by substituting other spices. There it's a matter of taste. Do what works for you. Exercise, within the limits of what your heart can handle, is relaxing. Meditation is always good. And I would bet money (if I had any) that someone, somewhere, has done a study proving that a purring cat can lower your blood pressure.

If your doctor isn't able to take the time to give you some more specific advice, may I suggest that you ask for a talk with a Nurse Practitioner? This really does fall into their area of expertise, and it's obvious that you feel you need more information than you've been given.

Margret

Many years ago I moved in with my fiance who suffered from kidney disease and could not have any salt in his food. I had to learn to not only cook without salt but also eat without salt. He also could not use the salt substitute which was loaded with potassium to which he was very sensitive. At first using no salt made my food taste bland but I got used to it and after a while I could taste things I never noticed before, I could actually taste the difference between different kinds of potatoes and different kinds of apples or tomatoes. Our taste buds are so overloaded with the taste of salt and hot spices that we can't taste the more subtle flavors. Ever notice that French food is less salty but has subtle flavors which are brought out by herbs, not spices? I also learned to use many different kinds of herbs to impart flavor. I have happily stayed on a no-salt diet ever since and find when I go out to eat that many things are too salty for me although many restaurants do not load their food with as much salt as they used to. On the other hand, now they use hotter and hotter spices and call it "flavor", thus the rise in the popularity of Hispanic and Asian foods.
It will take several weeks for you to find salt free food to be palatable, you can also just use less and less instead of going cold turkey.
And there have indeed been studies made about a purring cat and lowering blood pressure although I find it doubtful that it is only the purring but your own actions to elicit the purring (sitting quietly, repetitive slow motion etc) that really lowers the blood pressure.

 

[Margret]

The emojis are back! It takes a moment for them to come up, but once they do they're divided into topics, so it's easier to find the one you want, and they stay there so you can keep adding as many as you want.

Margret

 

[permanentruby]

It's going to take a bit of time. Did you give them time apart? Often it's recommended to keep them in separate rooms for the first week-you want to do the scent switch-blanket/shirts with them sleeping on it then switch them. That way they both get used to each other's scent. Otherwise forcing them together too fast may have issues. I would put the new cat in a bedroom with it's own litterbox this weekend when you go away. food and water of course. and keep the door closed and let the resident cat have the rest of the house. with their own food and water n litter as well. Make sure there's a couple bowls/cups of water for the kitties in each of their "space" and extra food as well. play the radio for them. to keep them company.


Normally we keep them separate but able to smell each other then the second week we set up a screen inbetween their living areas so they can see each other but not attack each other..there's no set time limit. some cats get along right away. Others take time. Try a time out. I bet if each cat has their own space that is theirs then they may settle down faster.

Do you have any pictures of the babies?

They had some time apart. We kept Zola in my bedroom because that's her safe zone; she spends most of her time in my room and always sleeps with me, so I didn't want to kick her out. We were alternating them for a bit, but then I noticed a tiny note on his paperwork that says he had ear mites (!!!) so I don't want him in the bedroom again until that's taken care of, as I'm already afraid she may have gotten exposed to it. Zola was showing interest; they were both on either side of the bedroom door sticking their paws underneath, so that's when we started to show them to one another. The clinic I volunteer for recommended that I try to let them set the pace and not take too long to introduce them, since we are leaving this weekend :/

Zola is my profile pic; that photo is from right after I got her. I also attached a photo of her yawning and one of new kitty Moz.

 

[foxxycat]

love the yawn!! And yes revolution will take care of the ear mites. you can get it at the vets or online. I buy mine from new Zealand at www.inhousepharmacy.vu and they ship airmail. but you have to use echeck with them. I have been ordering Honeybee's inhalers from them since 2013 and not had any issues. I think it may need a script for the flea meds but you just have to email it to them. it's really easy to do. I found their prices for flea n tick stuff half the price of here. Same exact stuff.

 

[arouetta]

I really don't add salt to my food. The problem according to the cardiologist is that pretty much anything you buy that isn't marked "low sodium" is chock full of salt. Sneaky stuff like frozen vegetables, seasoned meats like raw Italian sausage, healthy breakfast cereals, bread, things like that. So I don't know how to avoid salt since throwing out the salt shaker is nowhere near enough according to the cardiologist.

 

[arouetta]

Sigh. I'm hoping for the best, planning for the worst. I used some online will template to plan my will. Since it drafted it for free but required payment to save or print, I took screenshots and am hand-typing it from the screenshots. There is a pet clause and the phrasing is giving me the heebie jeebies. I don't know whether to alter the phrasing or just trust my listed executors. They are both fanatical cat lovers, but what happens if neither can serve and it goes to the court?

Basically it requires euthanasia if the pet is suffering (I agree), beyond reasonable care (I agree), in poor health (I disagree, that would require euthanasia today for Shadow, my avatar), or unable to be placed with a suitable caregiver (um, who determines that criteria?). In the actual pet descriptions it specifies if the pet is alive and healthy. That doesn't describe Shadow today. She's not healthy. But she still has great quality of life and probably will for many, many months.

But I can't think of a way of rewriting it that doesn't cause a pet to go on when the pet is suffering. Anyone else address their pets in their wills? If so, I could use advice. I'm too broke to talk to a lawyer just about how to phrase the pet clause.

 

[segelkatt]

You will need to become a label reader. everything tells you if there is salt in it and if it does then you don't buy it. You also need to learn all the different names for salt. Best is not to buy anything that is processed. Most frozen veggies do not have added salt but sauces are a real killer and so are canned veggies. Time to learn how to can your own when it's in season, it's easy with a pressure cooker.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

SIGH...I got here. It took two days, but I did. Nuff said.

 

[arouetta]

Yeah, it just about blew my mind yesterday when I looked at the back of a bag of potato chips and those were 25mg/serving but my nice and healthy raisin bran was 200mg/serving.

 

[NewYork1303]

I am so happy to have the bananas back. Also adding lots of them is so much easier now.

 

[foxden]

Yeah, it just about blew my mind yesterday when I looked at the back of a bag of potato chips and those were 25mg/serving but my nice and healthy raisin bran was 200mg/serving.

You always need to watch the serving size and the number of servings per container. That serving of potato chips could be 5 chips, while the raisin bran is probably 1/2 cup

 

[tallyollyopia]

I know. It's not the same.

I'm sure it'll be great when it's finished. Most upgrades are (and I'm trying to be optimistic).

I had wondered why I wasn't getting email updates. Didn't know about the site moving.

My mind is just a whirl right now. I'm hoping that Monday I'll have some definite answers. Hard to plan out how you're going to pick up the pieces and move towards a goal when you don't even know what the pieces are or what the short-term goal should be. The long term goal is "be physically healthy and mentally eccentric".

Anyone know any reputable sources for a low-salt diet or other lifestyle changes to bring blood pressure down? The cardiologist said "lifestyle changes and low salt" without really defining either.

You need clarification on whether he means salt or sodium. The two are not synonymous.

All of the emojis we're used to are gone, for now. It isn't permanent, though. We've been promised that they will not only be back but there will be even more of them. We've also lost capitalization on our user names, which is a real problem for some of us and is apparently very difficult to fix, and a lot of people are having trouble uploading pictures. On the other hand,

1. it was necessary,
2. the new site does seem to be much airier.

We're just going to have to be patient while all the kinks are worked out.

Margret

Patience is my middle name, next to "Right Now Please."

There are varying opinions about the value of reducing salt to lower blood pressure; you may want to do a Google search on "how to lower blood pressure" and "does salt cause high blood pressure," then have a talk with your doctor about the things you find. When doing the Google searches, a good rule of thumb is that the more reputable sites you can find that make the same claim, the more likely it is to be true. The sites that tell you it's all a conspiracy to kill you by the government/the communists/the evil liberals/the evil conservatives/the Jews/the Muslims/whoever are, by definition, not reputable sites.

I was put on Lisinopril to "protect my kidneys," because of the diabetes. It turns out that the way Lisinopril protects the kidneys is to lower blood pressure. It was so effective that my dose had to be cut in half.

Most low salt diets seem to make up for the lack of salt by substituting other spices. There it's a matter of taste. Do what works for you. Exercise, within the limits of what your heart can handle, is relaxing. Meditation is always good. And I would bet money (if I had any) that someone, somewhere, has done a study proving that a purring cat can lower your blood pressure.

If your doctor isn't able to take the time to give you some more specific advice, may I suggest that you ask for a talk with a Nurse Practitioner? This really does fall into their area of expertise, and it's obvious that you feel you need more information than you've been given.

Margret

I agree.

All week, all I can think about is this situation I got myself in. I brought in a second cat on Monday and my girl isn't liking it. She's my baby and I don't want to do anything to upset her, so I'm not sure if I should keep him or let the clinic I volunteer for adopt him out to someone else.

And, we are going out of town this weekend 2-3 hours away to visit my parents. My cat isn't comfortable with the new one yet, so I don't want to leave them home alone together all weekend. No one else is around to watch them. I don't know what to do...

Try looking for a sitter. It might cost a little, depending on the time involved, but a good sitter can watch them for you.

I broke the MRI machine.

Lol, joking of course. But midway through the scan the computer had some sort of major software failure and the tech couldn't continue. I'm rescheduled for next Thursday.

Been there. *Hugs*

Many years ago I moved in with my fiance who suffered from kidney disease and could not have any salt in his food. I had to learn to not only cook without salt but also eat without salt. He also could not use the salt substitute which was loaded with potassium to which he was very sensitive. At first using no salt made my food taste bland but I got used to it and after a while I could taste things I never noticed before, I could actually taste the difference between different kinds of potatoes and different kinds of apples or tomatoes. Our taste buds are so overloaded with the taste of salt and hot spices that we can't taste the more subtle flavors. Ever notice that French food is less salty but has subtle flavors which are brought out by herbs, not spices? I also learned to use many different kinds of herbs to impart flavor. I have happily stayed on a no-salt diet ever since and find when I go out to eat that many things are too salty for me although many restaurants do not load their food with as much salt as they used to. On the other hand, now they use hotter and hotter spices and call it "flavor", thus the rise in the popularity of Hispanic and Asian foods.
It will take several weeks for you to find salt free food to be palatable, you can also just use less and less instead of going cold turkey.
And there have indeed been studies made about a purring cat and lowering blood pressure although I find it doubtful that it is only the purring but your own actions to elicit the purring (sitting quietly, repetitive slow motion etc) that really lowers the blood pressure.

Genetically my family has the opposite problem. We tend to have low sodium levels and low blood pressure.

I agree with you about the purring cat studies. After all, correlation doesn't mean causation.

Sigh. I'm hoping for the best, planning for the worst. I used some online will template to plan my will. Since it drafted it for free but required payment to save or print, I took screenshots and am hand-typing it from the screenshots. There is a pet clause and the phrasing is giving me the heebie jeebies. I don't know whether to alter the phrasing or just trust my listed executors. They are both fanatical cat lovers, but what happens if neither can serve and it goes to the court?

Basically it requires euthanasia if the pet is suffering (I agree), beyond reasonable care (I agree), in poor health (I disagree, that would require euthanasia today for Shadow, my avatar), or unable to be placed with a suitable caregiver (um, who determines that criteria?). In the actual pet descriptions it specifies if the pet is alive and healthy. That doesn't describe Shadow today. She's not healthy. But she still has great quality of life and probably will for many, many months.

But I can't think of a way of rewriting it that doesn't cause a pet to go on when the pet is suffering. Anyone else address their pets in their wills? If so, I could use advice. I'm too broke to talk to a lawyer just about how to phrase the pet clause.

So, don't talk to a lawyer. Talk to a student. If you have a school near you students, under teacher supervision, sometimes give advice as part of a class.

 

[tallyollyopia]

All right. It's amazing how much better I feel after work when I actually managed to get two days off in a row! I'm waiting on food now, and I thought I'd share some things. Yesterday was apparently some sort of "grand re-opening" to celebrate our new store logo (that we've had for months), and we were giving out free stuff (a soda koozie stuffed with a re-usable bag and a bottle opener keychain that was held closed with a chip clip--and all had the store logo on it) and had balloons everywhere in the store. At one point I was watching the balloons wave in the air currents of the store and I realized something: the cats have never seen balloons before. So, I brought some home. Spot--ignored them. (The first thing I do when I get home is put down wet food, and food is more important that strange floating things.) Princess didn't know what to make of them. She spent a little bit of time poking the strings with her paw--and then Spot started eating off her plate, so she had to put a stop to that. Both of them are outside right now, and the other two haven't come in yet. (I also got one of the free things, as long as I said I had the store app on my phone.)

Well, I had a couple funny customer conversations I wanted to share.

Me: Welcome to (insert store name). How may I help you?
Customer: Just the Gatorade.
Me: Yes, Sir. We have a special sale on Gatorade, two for three dollars. Would you like to add another?
Customer: Dear Lord--you should work in sales!
Me: I do work in sales!
Customer: (rolls his eyes) I mean real sales, where you actually get paid!


Me: Sir, would you like to also get a lighter? We have this new design that came in on the last truck and seems to be popular.
Customer: I better not. My wife makes all the design decisions in our relationship. Personally, I see nothing wrong with getting all my clothes for five dollars at a yard sale.
Me: I understand sir. My last wardrobe was free from the estate of a woman who had passed away.
Customer: (excitedly) I know right!
Me: Yes sir. That's why other people dress us.

 

[Margret]

I just got another text message from Mamanyt1953 . Her Wifi is down, again. The guy is going to come back to try and fix it (again) on Tuesday. She thinks the problem is the 30-year old wiring, which makes a lot of sense.

Resetting the modem is working for her occasionally, so she may be able to bop in and out every once in a while, but don't be surprised or worried if we don't see too much of her for the next few days.

Margret

 

[margd]

All right. It's amazing how much better I feel after work when I actually managed to get two days off in a row! I'm waiting on food now, and I thought I'd share some things. Yesterday was apparently some sort of "grand re-opening" to celebrate our new store logo (that we've had for months), and we were giving out free stuff (a soda koozie stuffed with a re-usable bag and a bottle opener keychain that was held closed with a chip clip--and all had the store logo on it) and had balloons everywhere in the store. At one point I was watching the balloons wave in the air currents of the store and I realized something: the cats have never seen balloons before. So, I brought some home. Spot--ignored them. (The first thing I do when I get home is put down wet food, and food is more important that strange floating things.) Princess didn't know what to make of them. She spent a little bit of time poking the strings with her paw--and then Spot started eating off her plate, so she had to put a stop to that. Both of them are outside right now, and the other two haven't come in yet. (I also got one of the free things, as long as I said I had the store app on my phone.)

Well, I had a couple funny customer conversations I wanted to share.

Me: Welcome to (insert store name). How may I help you?
Customer: Just the Gatorade.
Me: Yes, Sir. We have a special sale on Gatorade, two for three dollars. Would you like to add another?
Customer: Dear Lord--you should work in sales!
Me: I do work in sales!
Customer: (rolls his eyes) I mean real sales, where you actually get paid!


Me: Sir, would you like to also get a lighter? We have this new design that came in on the last truck and seems to be popular.
Customer: I better not. My wife makes all the design decisions in our relationship. Personally, I see nothing wrong with getting all my clothes for five dollars at a yard sale.
Me: I understand sir. My last wardrobe was free from the estate of a woman who had passed away.
Customer: (excitedly) I know right!
Me: Yes sir. That's why other people dress us.

Now this is where I would hit Purraise and make a remark about why all your customers love you and how the unnamed store should quadruple your salary but I guess I'll have to put it here.

I just got another text message from Mamanyt1953 . Her Wifi is down, again. The guy is going to come back to try and fix it (again) on Tuesday. She thinks the problem is the 30-year old wiring, which makes a lot of sense.

Resetting the modem is working for her occasionally, so she may be able to bop in and out every once in a while, but don't be surprised or worried if we don't see too much of her for the next few days.

Margret

I imagine she will have her nose buried deep in a book.

 

[Margret]

---SNIP---

I imagine she will have her nose buried deep in a book.

Actually, it sounds like she's getting her exercise repeatedly alternately resetting, threatening, and swearing at the router, sorry to say.

You know, if this is really the wiring in her building, I would expect her lights to be out, as well, and it doesn't sound as if that's the case. I wonder whether she needs a new router. Or perhaps her service provider is having problems; that happens sometimes.

I'll text message her with your book suggestion.

Margret

 

[arouetta]

Tonight is Mystery soup. I call it that because I have no idea how it will turn out. It'll either be really good or really bad. I didn't know what to make for dinner. I wanted to do a crock pot as that's easy, so I walked around the store and grabbed what looked good. This is what looked good:

Carrots
Parsnips
Celery
Onion
Garlic
A package of fresh rosemary, sage and thyme
Mushrooms
A can of petite diced tomatoes, undrained
Orzo
A package of long grain and wild rice, flavoring not used
Navy beans
Lentils
Boneless chicken breast (almost chose bone in chicken thighs but I didn't want to deal with the skin)
Smoked sausage
Italian meatballs
Salad-sized shrimp

On top of all that, some pepper, some Mrs. Dash, some crushed red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, butter, water and beef bullion cubes (I spent a long time debating between beef and chicken).

I'll let you all know how it turned out.