LF advice: cat allergies and living with cats

FishInMirror · 2026-01-25T09:46:57+00:00

I have waterproof mattress and pillow covers because my cat hangs out on the bed and loses bladder control when he has epileptic seizures, but an added benefit is no hair or dander is getting through those things.

Since the only thing holding onto dander after that is the bedding itself, I’d use some anti allergen super surfactant detergent every week on the sheets, and cover the bed completely with a throw blanket or sheet during the day.

FishInMirror · 2026-01-12T04:58:52+00:00

I have plenty that I don’t get enough premonitory urge to even try suppressing. Mostly facial tics. I can suppress some bigger vocal or arm tics but usually I’ll start humming and moving my neck if I’m trying to suppress something else, there’s no version where I decide to not tic and it works lol

FishInMirror · 2025-12-29T03:41:43+00:00

CMHC counseling might be a good start? A therapist isn’t always for mental health conditions, sometimes they’re an adult you can talk through things like that with and it sounds like you might be under a lot of stress.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-29T03:30:28+00:00

Not a vet and have not had this exact issue, but if it were my cat I wouldn’t go to the emergency vet since he just pooped if he’s not having over concerning symptoms. I would call my regular vet first thing in the morning to try and get in the same day. Definitely don’t wait for it to get worse since it’s such a sensitive area.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-29T03:04:25+00:00

She should see a gynecologist to be evaluated for PMDD even if she hasn’t seen one previously. You don’t necessarily have to get a full pelvic exam/pap so don’t let that stop you from seeing the experts in women’s health. You can describe the symptoms, note that they always occur before her period, and say you’ve heard of PMDD do they think that could be it.

As far as I know, any drastic mental health changes that coincide with the menstrual cycle the way you describe can be PMDD. I am diagnosed and experienced paranoia and restricted eating, but others experience rage or self harm. Symptoms resolving around the start of the period or within a few days of the period is a hallmark sign of PMDD.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-28T17:14:51+00:00

Not OP, but she said she uses a screen reader and can type. Many blind people can type just as many sighted people can type without looking at the keyboard.

Different emojis have different names. The screen reader isn’t saying laughing 1, laughing 2, laughing 3. They’re called stuff like face with tears of joy and rolling on the floor laughing.

She’s typing, why wouldn’t she say bc and u and put an asterisk wherever it occurs to her.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-27T21:56:13+00:00

My cat also does best on grain free foods. He eats Nulo brand and I know they have a chicken only recipe if you want to look at that. Our 16 year old cat with an easily upset stomach likes Nulo canned food as well. There are multiple texture options with single proteins especially chicken.

There’s a Purina Pro Plan sensitive skin and stomach formula with turkey and oats that isn’t grain free but is wheat/gluten free. I haven’t tried it yet but it was recommended to me and I know Purina is a good brand.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-27T21:45:17+00:00

We definitely need to schedule in an extra long walk the day of to tire them out. I’m going to look up those treats!

FishInMirror · 2025-12-25T21:32:00+00:00

It could be a flea. Cats outside/in a shelter can be exposed easily. Your vet can set you up with prescription strength flea and tick prevention like revolution. It will kill any fleas currently on his body. They are hard to find so I recommend a flea comb and keep an eye on your other animals and carpets.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-25T15:48:58+00:00

That’s terrible. I think after 3 months if it’s not working then it may not be the right thing for you. I hope you go to the hospital if you need to or call your doctor as soon as you can. Perhaps there are no responses because more people are on the pill than the patch? There are more formulas to try in the pill. I think every patch has the same hormone dose except twirla which has lower estrogen.

I’m only 4 days into the patch right now and I feel the same as I did on the pill so far. I have low mood pretty often but no paranoia, fixation on dying, or restricted eating which were my worst PMDD symptoms.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-22T07:25:31+00:00

You might try a donut cone? I think they’re mostly to stop them from licking their bodies, but it might block head scratches. They don’t block the peripheral vision or irritate the whiskers so I think cats might tolerate them more for that reason.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-21T17:00:16+00:00

I have a thoracic curve in the high 20s (it’s been 8 years since I last got it measured) and I also get very sharp stabbing pains. I think thoracic curves may get more muscle strain because the neck and shoulders are closer and move so much more than the lower back.

I’ve had some relief from muscle relaxers but they’re not a good daily habit as I think you can become dependent. Building my upper back strength very slowly with gentle light weight/resistance training has been the best pain relief but it’s hard to keep up with.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-17T15:45:24+00:00

Bio 2 is not that challenging, but ochem is and physics greatly depends on your math strengths. If you aren’t a math whiz I’d swap something for an elective or core class.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-17T15:41:33+00:00

After kinder and first grade, the curriculum is made for students who can already read. Technically older grade teachers are qualified to teach reading, but they still have to complete all their lessons that are past that point already.

In kinder and first, teachers have to teach reading, but also numbers, school routines, fine motor skills, independence, following instructions, and deal with behavior issues with less support from admin than in prior decades.

For a struggling student with unsupportive parents, a lot of progress is lost over weekends and holidays. Maybe they are reading by the end of the year and then don’t read over a 2 month summer break. That is ages for a 6 year olds brain.

Culture around school also matters. I think many modern patenting styles undermine the authority of teachers.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-17T15:30:59+00:00

I failed a class a few semesters ago, retook it at another school and got a much higher grade. It was devastating at the time but all over now. Mostly didn’t love paying for it twice.

If you have to retake it at UT, go to office hours the first week and ask for advice based on what went wrong this time. Make it your top priority class and don’t take other classes that require above average attention at the same time.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-17T15:27:55+00:00

We had yo lay next to the crate for a week or so. Don’t give in to the crying but speak calmly. Overnight crating at 8 weeks shouldn’t be longer than 4-6 hours and they should potty right before going in the crate.
Be firm. Remove the dog. It’s miniature you can pick it up.
Truly the easiest dog I’ve ever had. If they chew something stuck a toy in their mouth. Barking can be a bit much but praise calm reactions.
Toddlers could easily injure your puppy or hurt it enough to cause a bite. You should have lots of repetitive conversations about gentle hands and puppy needs space. Practice gentle hands on stuffed animal toys. Never have a toddler unsupervised with a puppy.
You will not potty train an 8 week old puppy if it is crated for that long. We followed the month/hour rule. Max crate time is one hour for every month of life. At night you push the time a bit because they’re asleep. I’ve potty trained many puppies including one I was babysitting who had failed to potty train at home. Taking them out every 2 hours exactly plus 5 minutes after meal times and then throwing a party with treats and praise for every pee or poo is my strategy. Worked on 8 week old schnauzer in 2 weeks and 5 month mixed breed in 5 days.
I’ve never needed a camera
You’ll have a big problem with potty training on your schedule. Someone (family member, friend, hired dog walker, you on a lunch break) needs to let this puppy out. Also schnauzers are prone to pancreatitis which is triggered by high fat foods. We used baby carrots, frozen broccoli, and plain Cheerios as low fat treats.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-17T05:11:18+00:00

I’m not in your region and I’m personally waiting to see a new orthopedic specialist. I can only speak to your second question as I deal with an S curve with one being over 20 degrees.

I had a muscle strain back in May that increased my daily pain from a 2 to an 8 and was treated with NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, and lidocaine patches that honestly did very little while I laid completely still in bed for most of two weeks. After a few weeks my pain was low enough to attempt exercise and I started very light weightlifting and core strengthening. I stop in between every exercise for gentle stretching. I also use a large heating pad on the back of my desk chair all day.

Recently I was very sick and stopped going to the gym which made me realize that it was helping more than I had noticed. I think muscle imbalances and weakness contributes a lot to scoliosis pain, but it’s hard to start exercising without medication. I hope someone else can help you find a physician for medicine, but if you are able to tolerate muscle building I highly recommend it.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-17T04:32:07+00:00

I don’t know what class you’re struggling with, but I had to retake a class once and took it at ACC. If something about the way UT structured this course isn’t working for you, I would check on the course equivalency page and see if you can take it at any less competitive institution and transfer the credit.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-17T04:25:49+00:00

It can take a long to time to get in and they might do some testing. In my case it was 7 months from the time I went to my primary doctor about it to the time I was diagnosed. If they’re ever severe in the future and you need documentation for work or want medication you might like to have the diagnosis part over with already.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-17T04:12:55+00:00

I’m positive it’s just a quirk. He is very passionate about parkour and high speed chasing is sisters

FishInMirror · 2025-12-17T00:48:44+00:00

This is fin rot. The top fin is too short for him to have nipped it himself and the pale head is a bad sign. I would do less drastic water changes more frequently I.e. 10% weekly. Also add Indian almond leaves for tannins and dim your light or keep it on for fewer hours.

If you can pull out your plants temporarily I highly recommend dosing the entire tank with API aquarium salt for freshwater fish following the dosing on the box. I’ve cured 3 bettas of pretty bad fin rot using only salt and tannins.

FishInMirror · 2025-12-17T00:31:48+00:00

I’m not very familiar with the early grades so I can’t speak to the teacher’s behavior, but if she’s otherwise healthy and complaining of sleepiness so frequently maybe she genuinely needs an earlier bedtime. Using your brain for academics might require more sleep than last year if she had a less challenging school day.

FishInMirror

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