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

[arouetta]

No one's really commented on the thread in the cat health sub-forum. I just can't type the details again, but the vet said to take pictures and compare them, look at her face, her face will change. I've always had an issue with partial face-blindness, and I can't see the difference between today and the picture taken in February, even though the vet said it was clear there's a change. Other than the messiness of the fur, is there a difference in Shadow's face? She was meowing in the picture I took today and her skin inside her mouth is mottled peach and black, that's the black spot.

February

Today

 

[handsome kitty]

Today I bought my 9th cat tree. It arrived at work today and this weekend is the quarterly 20 percent off for employees.

 

[kashmir64]

I did see the pictures in the other thread. And I may see a difference in the coat and eyes. But since I'm not sure, and it could just be the lighting, or even her mood, I didn't want to say anything. It could also be just me. The two pictures are too close to tell any real difference. Either way, I don't think she's ready.

No one's really commented on the thread in the cat health sub-forum. I just can't type the details again, but the vet said to take pictures and compare them, look at her face, her face will change. I've always had an issue with partial face-blindness, and I can't see the difference between today and the picture taken in February, even though the vet said it was clear there's a change. Other than the messiness of the fur, is there a difference in Shadow's face? She was meowing in the picture I took today and her skin inside her mouth is mottled peach and black, that's the black spot.

 

[Margret]

J. R. R. Tolkien was a philologist. That's why the Lord of the Rings appendices contain Dwarven and Elvish grammars; he enjoyed making up new languages. And if you ever get the chance, read his "Farmer Giles of Ham," an incredibly funny story where a lot of the jokes are making fun of linguists and philologists, including himself.

Margret

 

[arouetta]

J. R. R. Tolkien was a philologist. That's why the Lord of the Rings appendices contain Dwarven and Elvish grammars; he enjoyed making up new languages. And if you ever get the chance, read his "Farmer Giles of Ham," an incredibly funny story where a lot of the jokes are making fun of linguists and philologists, including himself.

Margret

I attended a panel at a sci fi convention called "Xeno-linguistics". The panel was comprised of professionals who study languages, this was not a "grab random people and call them a panel". They pretty much focused on real languages and the real hobby of creating new languages for the fun of it. But one of the panelists said that there was talk among linguists and philologists that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings for the sole purpose of showing off the Elvish language he invented.

Edit: I hit the reply button before my thought ended. Did you know there are real languages that have four different pronouns? One more beyond "I" "you" and "he/she/they" (or them or me or whatever). I thought that was cool.

 

[NewYork1303]

We think Darwin might have been an outdoor kitten, too. We adopted him when he was six months old. Although he's obviously a pure Russian Blue, he was probably a kitten mill kitten because he wasn't properly socialized. He's always wanted to get out side and would sit at the patio door and howl and scratch on the glass. We got a Cat Wallet harness for him. It fastens well with Velcro so it's quick on and off. They come in different sizes so it fits well and is hard to escape from. They come in a variety of colors and have several options. It might work better for Ruby.

If Angua hates going out, why do you take her out?

The 15 minute outing has made a world of difference in Darwin. He no longer scratches the glass and howls constantly. He's more affectionate and less aggressive.

Now if it only weren't so hot at humid even at daybreak...

We don't take Angua out usually. We only take her if she sits at the door while Carrot is out and acts like she is interested. Ruby's harness is one that is velcro and snaps like Carrot's. It is good for her, but she just doesn't like any kind of confinement. We are working on it some.

 

[Margret]

I attended a panel at a sci fi convention called "Xeno-linguistics". The panel was comprised of professionals who study languages, this was not a "grab random people and call them a panel". They pretty much focused on real languages and the real hobby of creating new languages for the fun of it. But one of the panelists said that there was talk among linguists and philologists that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings for the sole purpose of showing off the Elvish language he invented.

I've heard the theory, and I believe it's overly simplistic. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit for his children; Lord of the Rings was partly the result of the success of The Hobbit, partly the fact that he genuinely had a story to tell (and told stories very well), and partly a desire to show off his invented languages and alphabets. That's my personal opinion, but I also think that it's equally likely that he wrote it primarily for the first two reasons and the chance to show off his new languages was just icing on the cake for him. And on top of that it's equally possible that he was working off steam inventing the languages whenever he had writer's block or was upset with editors and publishers.

Certainly philology was his first love, but he wasn't a one-dimensional person. Originally Tolkien himself was the person who drew the maps for his books! He didn't just build languages, he built worlds. He worked out a huge backstory for LOTR; that's what The Silmarillion is, and I don't believe he originally intended to publish that hodge-podge; he felt that he needed it for LOTR.

My opinion, for what it's worth. I'm neither a philologist nor a linguist; I took one quarter of Greek in college and came very close to flunking out. But I'm thoroughly addicted to reading, and I adore Lord of the Rings.

Margret

 

[Alejandra Rico]

Aww, sorry, my not-so-smart smartphone decided to correct "Philology" to "Filología" I catch the end and corrected it, but didn't realize that the begining of the word was wrong too.
Tolkien is one of my favourite authors! I read the Lord of the Rings when I was eleven and it changed my Life, I think that it was one of the books that made me love fantasy novels so much.
I think that there is more influence in his writing from his philologic background than just languages. He had a notion of rithm, of how words can work together to take a sentence to a new level. There is a love for words by themselves un anything he write and that is why he will always have a place in my literary heart.
Patrick Rothfuss, my favourite author, does also show that love for words in his books, which are so so so close to what we call narrative prose. If I could be a thousand times less good a writer than he is, I would still consider myself a pretty good one.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

A friend of a friend named Cassandra contacted me and said she's interested in taking Smokey. I gave her a call to talk about it yesterday but no response. Things have escalated these past couple of years with the cat's fighting and I know, based on both their personalities, they will never get alone. Most fights, there is blood involved. Smokey has become so on edge lately. I can't even joke around with her anymore or play with her because she's constantly looking for Felix to surprise her. I keep thinking whether or not I'm making the right choice but it's more about Smokey than it is about me. I'd hate to keep her in this situation if she's not going to be her natural self and enjoy her life. Am I wrong?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

A friend of a friend named Cassandra contacted me and said she's interested in taking Smokey. I gave her a call to talk about it yesterday but no response. Things have escalated these past couple of years with the cat's fighting and I know, based on both their personalities, they will never get alone. Most fights, there is blood involved. Smokey has become so on edge lately. I can't even joke around with her anymore or play with her because she's constantly looking for Felix to surprise her. I keep thinking whether or not I'm making the right choice but it's more about Smokey than it is about me. I'd hate to keep her in this situation if she's not going to be her natural self and enjoy her life. Am I wrong?

If you are making this decision because you are certain that you cannot fix this issue, and I know you have Smokey's best interest at heart, AND you are confident that Cassandra will provide a loving home, then you are doing just exactly right. Both of the cats and you need peace in your lives.

Man, I HATE vertigo! It hit me yesterday while I was sitting at the computer. I'd JUST done my emails and opened TCS! Thank goodness, the daybed site right next to the desk, so I managed to shoot of a message, then roll into the bed. I was fine by 8 pm, but it was a rough few hours. Back to normal (or as normal as I get) today!

 

[Graceful-Lily]

Yes, I spoke with her today. We are going to take Smokey over on Monday and see how she reacts to the new environment. She was even open to continue feeding her raw meat but I told her to research first before attempting. She also told me that I can visit her whenever I want. Just the very thought of not having Smokey around has brought tears to my eyes. It's going to be a hard day for sure. I've been debating whether or not I should let her go for years but I think I've finally found the perfect person to look after her. She also doesn't have any other animals so I know Smokey will be at peace. I love her a lot but it's not fair for her to be living like this. Even Felix has become more aggressive with everyone because she thinks Smokey is watching. *sigh*.

 

[arouetta]

Shadow's gone.

While looking for pictures of her I found a date on the oldest photo I have. That date means all my cats are older than I thought. Shadow was 20. Montressor is 18. Midway is 14.

 

[Margret]

Shadow's gone.

While looking for pictures of her I found a date on the oldest photo I have. That date means all my cats are older than I thought. Shadow was 20. Montressor is 18. Midway is 14.

No matter how old they are, they still go too soon. Rest in peace, dear Shadow. You were and are beloved.

Margret

 

[arouetta]

I'm worried about Montressor now. He was so close to her. Is her death going to trigger him into getting sick?

 

[artiemom]

Shadow's gone.

While looking for pictures of her I found a date on the oldest photo I have. That date means all my cats are older than I thought. Shadow was 20. Montressor is 18. Midway is 14.

I am so sorry for your lost.. she did live a nice long live, and was loved...((hugs))

 

[kashmir64]

Shadow's gone.

While looking for pictures of her I found a date on the oldest photo I have. That date means all my cats are older than I thought. Shadow was 20. Montressor is 18. Midway is 14.

I am so very sorry.

 

[Margret]

I'm worried about Montressor now. He was so close to her. Is her death going to trigger him into getting sick?

No, probably not. Cats do grieve, and are stressed by loss just as we are, but if Montressor is basically healthy he should be okay. Give him some extra attention for a while. It will be good for both of you.

Margret

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Shadow's gone.

While looking for pictures of her I found a date on the oldest photo I have. That date means all my cats are older than I thought. Shadow was 20. Montressor is 18. Midway is 14.

Ah, Darlin, I am so very, very sorry.

Rest you gentle, Shadow, dream you deep. You are remembered always.

 

[Mother Dragon]

We don't take Angua out usually. We only take her if she sits at the door while Carrot is out and acts like she is interested. Ruby's harness is one that is velcro and snaps like Carrot's. It is good for her, but she just doesn't like any kind of confinement. We are working on it some.

Some cats suffer from "freeze and fall" which means that when swaddled by a harness or clothing, they lose muscle control and cannot walk. If they do manage to stand, they usually fall over, much like a fainting goat.

We were afraid this would happen with Darwin, but he took to the harness immediately. When he comes back in, he's quite ready to get out of it again.

We tried a ThunderShirt for Velcro because of his incredible ADHD but he got out of it like a greased eel. It didn't slow him down a bit. Nothing does except for finally running down and falling into a long, deep sleep. Then he's up and running again.

 

[Docs Mom]

arouetta I am sorry to hear about Shadow... She is at peace at the Rainbow Bridge. I know that doesn't soften the loss now, maybe later.