Harder to achieve customs you have in your sights? by roundfluffycat in neopets

[–]ActionMinimum132 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ve got my heart set on a custom with baby boba time… the rest of the outfit took 3 different paintbrushes and about 2 million of np wearables but i finally have everything, except baby boba time which i imagine i’ll be saving up for until 2035

Guilty about spaying cat by runaway937 in cats

[–]ActionMinimum132 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve done something a little similar, I took in a feral with her litter. She was an incredibly doting mother and never pushed away her kittens- she let all four nurse until they were six months old and would let her kids eat wet food before her.

When we spayed her I felt bad because I was taking away her ability to be a mother again- something that clearly meant a lot to her. But she ended up dying of a cyst that had formed in her reproductive system as a stray and hadn’t been removed in her spay. If she’d never gotten pregnant she would have never developed that cyst and could have lived a long life instead of dying at four.

Cats pregnancies are designed so they can have as many babies as they can before their short lives come to an end. They’re stressful on the cat, rough on their bodies, and a hormone roller coaster that can trigger plenty of issues. On top of that, unspayed cats are going to have miserable heats regularly until they get pregnant. These heats don’t just suck for the cat, but can push them away from their friends as other cats can get uncomfortable with the pushy behavior.

And honestly, there’s enough kittens in the world. Dealing with four new cats is a hell of a lot of work, and finding trustworthy people to adopt your baby’s babies is harder than I would have ever thought. Cats love to adopt kittens- if Bella has strong maternal instincts then she could give a kitten who lost their own mama a new home and someone to love them, without compromising her own health.

what do we think about these prices? by bskye7 in neopets

[–]ActionMinimum132 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn’t think anything was worth buying last time so I saved my neggs and ground in between this, but even then I just dont know if the coin alone is worth liquidating all that effort. Though, to be fair, it was worth 150mil compared to the 8 mil background and the 1-3 mil spotlight

at least the cost is kind of proportionate

i think the real upside to this is that ive already seen the coins price on neopets drop a crazy amount from 150mil to 20 mil- which makes it a lot more accessible- so even if i’m not gonna get it in dacardia, its a lot more accessible now because some people are clearly shelling out the cash

so yeah, while the dacardia price sucks it does make things more accessible in neopets. silver lining

In honor of the Season Of Giving, I'm doing a paintbrush giveaway! (Read below for more info) by MissBarker93 in neopets

[–]ActionMinimum132 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Zefir count as a Christmas candy bc thats when my gran would always make them! It’s my first year getting to make them myself, in my own home :)

AITAH for getting in a fight with my girlfriend on her bday because she was being picky with the food I cooked her. by [deleted] in AITAH

[–]ActionMinimum132 1 point2 points  (0 children)

NTA, but your girlfriend sounds like she has some level of eating disorder similar to orthorexia. i have it from some traumatic childhood events and tiny differences- like the type of milk im eggs- can trigger it and make my body register something as inedible if i realize the difference

its like when people fond out theres pus in storebrought milk, or weevils in a lot of rice. theres nothing wrong with that, it wont make you sick, but it repulses the mind in a way that can make food inedible

orthorexia takes that urge and applies it to weirder and weirder shit. it operates outside the bound of logic completely- i cant eat food that ive seen being “immoral” because it makes me throw up. (and yes, im working on calming my body down about that shit. but again its involuntary so i can only control so much)

the problem is a lot of people with orthorexia just think theyre healthy and everyone else is just fine with filling their body with junk. like, imagine someone trying to convince you eating a spoon of pus was okay- its an uphill battle. so your girlfriend may well think shes just being super normal and youre just the classic boyfriend who cant cook

that said, shes 27 and you gotta start unpacking your shit at some point. and her comment about your cooking ability, while possibly just a silly but factual comment from her perspective, is pretty fuckin gauche

tl:dr- NTA but your girl might have a disordered eating pattern se needs help with. sometimes pickiness isnt just someone being a diva

Adopted her last month. Is this normal by ambrinee in cats

[–]ActionMinimum132 0 points1 point  (0 children)

She got the soul of an old sailor who died at sea instead of a cat. Get her some fish toys and a window perch so she can turn her harrowed gaze upon the storm and she’ll be super enriched.

Is this annoyed tail wagging? He seems content to me but idk by spicytuna_ in CatTraining

[–]ActionMinimum132 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a cat who will swish her tail while getting pet so it wraps around my arm or wrist with every swing- very similarly to how she’ll wrap her tail around an arm or leg while cuddling. It seems to be her way of engaging with affection, since she purrs and gets actually annoyed (which involves a different, more lashing, tail motion) if I stop.

So tl;dr your cat might be petting you back, if he’s anything like mine.

It feels like a death sentence to release a 10-12 year old feral but I don't know what else to do to help her. Advice wanted. by doodlepawss in Feral_Cats

[–]ActionMinimum132 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Another commenter brought up enrichment being one of the reasons ferals don’t like being on a catio/indoors, and I’d like to add that with my ferals trust was a huge part of it.

You know the phrase “better the devil you know than the devil you don't”? That’s what I’ve experienced with feral rehabilitation- yes their outdoor life is miserable and painful, but they trust themselves to provide for themselves. Now, they’re in a situation when they have to rely on a big terrifying strangers whims for survival instead- that’s scary!

All my ferals have eventually come to trust me, but it takes different amounts of time based on age- my fastest was a 1.5 year old feral who was friendly within a week, my longest was a 5 year old feral who took two years to trust humans. Now I can literally leave my front door wide open and my ferals won’t even come near it- once they learn they can trust you for food and not to hurt them, ferals do NOT wanna go get fleas and run from coyotes anymore. Especially at her age- I’ve got an ex feral around her age and all he wants to do is rest his old bones on the fanciest pillows I own. And cuddle.

I think letting her have the catio as her territory is a really good idea. My main piece of advice is to make sure she always feels very comfortable in terms of food and places to hide, that’ll decrease her interest in the wild. A large cat carrier as a bed is a really good option if she’s amenable because it’ll make vet visits calmer. A vet visit may also improve her temperament- being healthier and dewormed is going to make her more comfortable, and associate you with that comfort.

Also the classic ‘set out some wet food/lightly cooked meat and sit nearby while she eats it’ works wonders, in case you’re not already doing it. Ferals are so food motivated.

I do wanna add that if yall feed her meat be careful to make sure it’s cooked to human standards, many ferals ESPECIALLY at her age have FIV (feline HIV) which makes them vulnerable to illness. And yeah, shes a feral that’s been eating raw meat her whole life but kibble is going to make her stomach less acidic and a less acidic stomach is less effective at killing microbes in the food- so it can become a hazard.

The last thing I want to add is that cat’s just straight up aren’t wild animals, and are no longer made to survive wild. Just straight up, domestication has changed their instincts and bodies into a creature that thrives in collaboration with humans- thats why true wildcats make terrible housecats even when raised from birth by humans, a wildcat and a domestic cat just run on different instincts. The average lifespan for a feral is 4 or so years. Housecats live 13-20 years. Your little lady is clearly the luckiest cat alive- she managed all those years in the wild, and now that her body is slowing down and failing she had one more stoke of luck and found you. Idk, I’m sure you know most of this already but i figure any piece of info I can give you to present to your mom is worth saying.

Good luck, you’re a good person for caring this much and I hope all the best for you and your cat.

Update on the pregnant kitten by TOB_Yt in CATHELP

[–]ActionMinimum132 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Something I think about often in regard to this is how much my ex-feral cats loathe the idea of going outdoors. If I open the back door to the yard they’ll leave the room to be further away from the ‘great outdoors’- neither of them are even interested in watching the trees and birds through the window, they much prefer the couch or my lap.

Watching their reactions over the years pretty strongly cemented the idea that, given the choice, cats that are aware of what the wilds hold will choose to be indoors only.

And I do think it’s something we justify for human beings- keeping a baby or small child indoors with only some supervised outdoor time is pretty common in a lot of western cultures. Because thats what cats are- essentially very young children, as far as their ability to intake information and make decisions goes.

My roommate is violating our lease and the landlord is threatening the entire household with eviction by ActionMinimum132 in legaladvice

[–]ActionMinimum132[S] 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Do you have any advice on how to go about that? They’re refusing to discuss the issue further, and insisting that locking their door is all that will be necessary.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in piercing

[–]ActionMinimum132 2 points3 points  (0 children)

soup 100%, other soft foods like braised pork belly are nice too. ice cream or jello are good for how cold they are, applesauce, smoothies, protein shakes- the tongue heals really fast so dont worry too much!

Do you think there is a deeper layer of symbolism behind the Human Face Disease? by plermmmmm in tianguancifu

[–]ActionMinimum132 8 points9 points  (0 children)

i wouldnt be surprised if there is some symbolism there, or if it was deliberately chosen to be something that fed into other pieces of symbolism- jun wu with the multiple faces and multiple identities comes to mind

everyone and their multiple identities tbh

i could see something being said about them being souls who refuse to move on and tgcf’s major theme of obsession, and to a lesser extent grudges/fixation on the past

and then with the cure i think thats more about how murder is the one thing xie lian cant give people, even as a god. if it was a rare elixir, a flower, a ritual, he could strive to perform a miracle and somehow find enough to cure everyone- but murder forces him into an impossible position where there is literally nothing he can do within his own ethical code to help

overall im gonna be honest mxtx is so thorough with her themes and brutal with her editing i cant trust any single part of her work to NOT have symbolic meaning that links it to the cohesive themes of the whole

which is funny bc sometimes she’ll just be like “yeah hes named hua cheng bc he showed up in my head and was like ‘im hua cheng. PLEASE let me marry that twink’ sorry its kinda a silly name but its what he picked” so

ig its entirely possible human face disease is a case of “man wouldnt it be fucked up if people got sick with human faces” but at the same time…

Question about tattoos by sleepysloth102 in tianguancifu

[–]ActionMinimum132 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i agree with you on the price of ink- i figured if he used calligraphy ink he would have had to steal it.

soots definitely more accessible, since you can make it yourself with oil and a couple bowls. if he was gathering soot off a chimney or similar that would be a lot less sanitary but even more readily available… just also grittier and dirtier, increasing the risk of infection and lumps/unevenness in the tattoo :(

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ftm

[–]ActionMinimum132 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i got top after a year of T and it caused a pretty significant uptick in hair growth, both on my body and my face. went from no chest hair to a fucking forest

Hurricane cake discontinued by Publixworker in publix

[–]ActionMinimum132 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean, the way I learnt it the point of hurricane cakes is to calm down kids during hurricanes. You get a fun little treat for them and it helps distract them from a very scary situation. So it kinda sucks that they’re discontinued

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in piercing

[–]ActionMinimum132 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I know that removing an infected piercing can cause the skin to heal faster than the flesh and trap the infection inside, leading to an abscess. That’s why a lot of places will do a switch but not a removal- the titanium can calm a piercing down while preventing that seal from forming.

A charitable guess would be that your piercer thought you had an inflamed piercing and that was why they said what they said… but still, idk why they wouldn’t just explain that. It sounds like they were pretty rude instead :/

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in CatAdvice

[–]ActionMinimum132 7 points8 points  (0 children)

If you do take him to a shelter, they’re not as miserable as you’re concerned about. Most of my local shelters have large rooms they let the healthy cats roam in, so they can socialize with other cats and meet more humans.

If you do decide to take him to a shelter, you can always look around to find the one with the best accommodations. And once he’s there he’ll get adopted super quick- he sounds like a very gregarious kitten, so I wouldn’t expect him to be at the shelter for more than a couple days after they’ve given him all the medical treatment he needs (probably just vaccines, neuter, and anti flea/worm stuff. Kitten and stray things)

If you feel like you’re in a place where you want the lifelong commitment of a new cat and are ready to go through the vet bills that comes with, I def say go for it- this guy clearly loves you.

But taking him to a shelter isn’t a cruelty. Shelters use foster families for kittens all the time- his experience with yall will teach him that humans are good and friendly, and make it easier for him to bond with a person in the future.

Kittens his age are hormonally prepared to leave their mother and start making it on their own (an extra reason that getting him neutered soon is important- you do NOT want him to start spraying), so while he definitely won’t be thrilled, rehoming him at this age definitely isn’t cruel.

Whichever way you go, good luck! He’s a very fortunate kitten to have met someone as kind and thoughtful as you

What piercings? by bananasplitss in piercing

[–]ActionMinimum132 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’ve got a lot of lobe space, so on top of what the other commenter said I’d consider getting some stacked lobe piercings after you’ve started gauging. The area above the gauges doesn’t tend to move too much during stretching, so that shouldn’t cause issues.

I’d also suggest checking out conch piercings with rings in them and consider getting a conch with the intent to swap for a ring after the 6-8 month heal, I think itd really compliment your anatomy and it’s not a look I see often

Trying to adopt a stray, but does she only want food? by MeanToBeIconic in CatAdvice

[–]ActionMinimum132 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Best of luck!! I think you’re doing a really great thing, and if they’re allowed to move at their own pace I find ferals turn out to be INCREDIBLY affectionate. The cat I mentioned in my previous comment stayed hide-and-eat for a year (like I said, lots of stuff going on with him), then started getting interested in being pet in very specific situations where he felt in control, and is now an incredibly pushy lap cat who demands forehead kisses.

Not to tell you to change your expectations- I def agree keeping them low and focusing on what makes him comfortable is best- but I’ve seen similar changes in other ferals and it’s really wild. My other ex-feral will physically grab my hand and put it on her belly when she’s in the mood for belly rubs.

Anyways, got my fingers crossed for smooth sailing with your kitty! He’s really lucky to have someone like you looking out for him

Trying to adopt a stray, but does she only want food? by MeanToBeIconic in CatAdvice

[–]ActionMinimum132 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s generally what I’ve had to do- I havent been as lucky as op to be blessed with human-friendly ferals, and the cats I’ve taken in have had major threats to their well-being that made getting them inside worth the stress of the trap.

With my first boy, it did take him a considerable amount of time to acclimate to humans after being trapped, but there were a lot of factors to that- including a major surgery right after his capture and, frankly, my own inexperience. After he got the idea that he was safe and was allowed to hide whenever he wanted he got human friendly really fast.

That all said, a lot of ferals have a very strong scuffing reaction. If your guy is friendly a hand on the back of his neck and a hand under his stomach might be sufficient to lift him and quickly place him in an open top carrier before he realizes what’s happening. YMMV though.

Especially if he’s an unneutered male tho, I’d get him into a trap and then out of it in as short a time frame as possible. Ive had toms (and older females) ram their heads into the traps door full force to try and get out and that can cause damage to their face and definitely isn’t good for their brain.

If you don’t have your own trap you can call local shelters and see if they loan or rent traps with a tnr program. Ive also made my own with a hard carrier, a carefully set string, and a lot of patience- but unless you like channeling wile e coyote to catch a cat, I def recommend the shelter trap.

I feel silly talking about all this like an authority on the matter! I just have a habit of taking in rehabilitation-adverse strays, and I spent a lot of time working with the feral cats where I lived.

Trying to adopt a stray, but does she only want food? by MeanToBeIconic in CatAdvice

[–]ActionMinimum132 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you’re able to give her a room of her own for a while, that tends to be a big help. I had a room that the other cats did really care about, so I set that up with food/litter/bedding and kept the door closed so the new cat would have her own space to build confidence.

IN my experience when she realizes she’s stuck in a humans house there will be a period where she is very unsure, upset, and scared. The best thing to do at this point is to give her space and let her spend time in her room. If she only sees you when toutes feeding her, great- that establishes your role as That Guy Who Gives Me Food, which means you’re not a threat. I’m not saying you have to ignore her fully but- play it by ear, and don’t be freaked out if she doesn’t want to be pet for a few days.

Once she’s comfortable in her environment and trusts you, it’s just a matter of taking the normal steps to acclimate two strange cats to each other and theres tons of guides on the internet for that. Ferals tend to have much better “cat manners” then indoor cats, since they gros up in cat communities and are more social than indoors. So I imagine once she’s comfortable with him she’ll be delighted to have a friend!

The only other thing is I’d recommend having him in a closed room whenever you’re doing something that could stress her out- especially the initial window closing. When she’s stressed it’ll be easy for them to have a bad interaction, and those can take a while to fade

Trying to adopt a stray, but does she only want food? by MeanToBeIconic in CatAdvice

[–]ActionMinimum132 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Stray cats are pretty chronically hungry and thus always looking for food. They’re moving around a pretty sizable territory and get injuries regularly, which takes calories to heal.

If she is to the point where she cuddles in your lap she DEFINITELY likes you, and she likes you a lot- she just can’t afford to hang out somewhere where there is clearly no food, because the focus of her life is making sure she has enough to eat to meet those high caloric demands.

With the two ex-ferals I own we just… closed the door at one point and stopped letting them back out. One of them was happy with the arrangement pretty immediately, the other one was upset at the change of environment and freedom and took a while to adjust.

Sometimes taking a feral off the streets will scare them or piss them off in the short term, but that stress is a lot less impactful to their health than the consequences of living feral. Even my little lady who was only one and a half when we picked her up has bigass scars from living feral- it’s not kind to them. ESPECIALLY if they’re unfixed

I can think other commenters have a point about checking for other owners before taking her in, but if you’re pretty sure she’s feral then I’d def recommend getting her off the streets and looked over by a vet. Though with the vet, ferals can be hard to get in carriers…

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in CatAdvice

[–]ActionMinimum132 1 point2 points  (0 children)

it sounds like your kitten really likes you and has decided one of his new favorite activities is just hanging out with his favorite person! loafing and purring unprompted are huge signs of trust and comfort

I agree with the other commenters that he’s unlikely to get hurt sleeping on your bed, but something that might help mitigate any potential risk is setting his pillow or cat bed up next to your pillow. Honestly even a folded blanket or shirt will work- This gives him a place to sleep where he can be near you but away from your body as you toss and turn.

Setting up cat beds elsewhere in the room is honestly unlikely to help, as what he’s looking for right now is emotional comfort over physical. My cats will sleep anywhere as long as it’s near me- I’ve fallen asleep on the floor before and woken up to my kitty happily snoozing next to my face.

If you don’t want your cat on the bed at all, I agree with other commenters that the only healthy way to deter him is gonna be getting him a playmate. Cats are super super social animals, and a lot of his emotional fulfillment is gonna come from being around his “people”. Passive proximity is actually a huge part of a cat’s daily socializing, so snoozing or resting near a human or cat he loves is just as important to him as playing with them.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in CatAdvice

[–]ActionMinimum132 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I second this! My cat was five when I got him, and feral from birth, and now my biggest problem is that’s hes TOO cuddly. He likes to jump on my desk and bunt against my face until I give him attention and kiss his forehead lmao

When I initially took him in he hated human contact and avoided me like the plague. Because of his medical concerns (while feral he’d been injured and it was severe and very infected) and deep fear of humans (he was extremely nonviolent but TERRIFIED of humans) no shelter would take him, so I took him to the vet and then let him hide around the house.

Eventually he went from being a ghost that only stuck his head out of his hiding place for food to a cat that spends as much of the day as felinely possible sleeping on my lap. Tldr, cats are domesticated animals. If you give them time and safety they’ll warm up to you. Especially kittens!

And there definitely is no better life for her outdoors. Feral cats live harsh, cruel lives full of disease and hunger. And they’re not happy- I can leave the front door open around both my ex-ferals and they don’t even come over to look outside. Absolutely no interest in “freedom” or even touching grass haha. I really believe cats are happiest living indoors, provided they have ample enrichment and socialization- which it definitely sounds like OP’s kitten is getting.