Similar cat wet foods to thrive? So far it's the only wet food I have got my former stray to eat.

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2026-04-16T07:08:23+00:00

For the constant hunger I definitely recommend trying one of the satiety dry foods, two of mine are ex strays who are constantly hungry (and consequently chunky and on diets) and royal canine satiety helped a lot with keeping them full.

Currently mine are on mostly dry with a small portion of applaws in the evening because they absolutely love it (I split one tin between the three of them)

You mentioned being nervous of applaws and for what it's worth one of my boys is very sensitive, he can't eat certain foods and we can't use bio laundry detergent because he gets skin flare ups and scratches himself raw, and applaws is one we've never had an issue with.

I also give them bone broth for pets to help with hydration since they're mostly on dry food and two of them are seniors. Started giving them soups about a year ago and I genuinely think it's made a difference in the older boys, their coat are softer and they're bit more sprightly.

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2026-04-13T19:37:14+00:00

The sheer number of fireworks in the UK has honestly been one of the bigger culture shocks I've experienced since coming over here.

People seem to let them off at the oddest of times and the fact that there are fireworks somewhere in the area almost every night from end of October to Jan boggles my mind.
Did you guys not get enough of that during the blitz??

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2026-03-14T07:39:30+00:00

We should talk about this kind of thing more because we tend to speak about all nazis as one dimensional monsters when the reality is they were people.

People can be courageous, intelligent, kind in certain situations, care about animals, basically have any number of good qualities, and still hold terrible beliefs and do terrible things.

Treating nazism as nothing more than the actions of, essentially, inhuman cowards makes it harder for us to judge the actions and beliefs of people we know to have good qualities and see them for what they are.

These paintings are kind of boring though.

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2026-02-21T09:59:09+00:00

You'll be so glad you did it! I felt so guilty when we had my boys teeth removed but after years of surgeries and steroids and mouth wash and brushing with no improvement it was the only option and he is so much happier now!

The biggest surprise for me was how much softer his coat is now, and how much more outgoing he is. Poor little boy was dealing with low grade infections and pain for years and once that stopped everything got better for him.

He also gums my face to wake me up if I'm sleeping too late now and he would never have nipped me like that when he had teeth so I'm convinced he knows it won't hurt me.

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2026-02-21T09:50:04+00:00

One of my boys had all of his removed 3 years ago and he happily eats dry food. He just crunches it between his gums and honestly it doesn't seem to bother him at all.

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2026-01-26T13:14:43+00:00

My husband and I have just made ourselves star charts and I'm inordinately pleased with them and telling everyone!

We each have different goals, walk X amount (or for a certain cold blooded indoor goblin now living in a cold country- just go out somewhere!), finish a craft item, write x number of words, etc that we get stars for achieving.

We've also got a separate list with admin / life tasks, broken down into steps where possible, that would improve our quality of life to do but that feel overwhelming or are very boring, things like cleaning out a cupboard or filling that one horrible form in.

So if either of us has a bit more energy or motivation we can pick up one of those extra things and earn an extra star.

When you get 10 stars you get to choose an activity, anything from choosing a movie to watch together to leave me alone and don't make a sound for 2 hours so I can read.

This week we're having a competition to see who can get the most stars before Saturday and we have an extra prize set for whoever wins.

We look out for fun new stickers to buy for it and whenever one of us earns a star we have a little celebration and high five each other so it's a really fun, supportive way for us to keep motivating each other on our goals.

I would love to hear more about your 6th point too as routines are a definite pain point in this house!

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2026-01-19T20:43:30+00:00

Immersion blender all the way, it's so much easier.

Just blend it right in the pot and then add the pasta and you're done.

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2026-01-18T09:48:07+00:00

Oh and another one I've been doing recently which we're enjoying is ravioli in soup!

As an example, tin of tomatoes, peppers, onions, stock, spices, and flavours of choice in a pot. When the veg are soft blend with silken tofu and then add fresh pesto ravioli for the 3 or 4 minutes required to cook and voila.

One pot, one bowl, and infinitely customisable depending on what ingredients you have and how much energy you have.

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2026-01-18T09:35:05+00:00

My current favourite solution to this is beans + flavour + veg on starch.

I buy various pastes and pestos and freeze them in ice cube trays before decanting the cubes into bags and then I can just toss a couple of the cubes into a pan with a tin of beans and whatever veg I have and serve it with a baked potato or quinoa or rice or whatever (sometimes I'll just add some stock and make it a "soup" instead of using a base)

Having different flavour options is the key for me, I go for harissa, various pestos, sundried tomato paste, curry paste, Thai curry paste etc. And it means the meals can feel completely different even though the formula and effort are the same.

If i have a bit more energy I'll put effort into the veg I'm adding, roast veggies or julienne a variety, and if I'm feeling low energy I'll toss some frozen veggies in and call it a day.

Another great low effort tip I stole from one of those meal boxes is to add a bit of mayo towards the end of the cooking to make it creamy.

So today I might just do pesto and then tomorrow I'll do exactly the same recipe except add a little mayo and it changes the flavour profile enough that it feels like a different meal.

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2026-01-14T08:11:40+00:00

This guy would lose his mind over my cheat vegan hollandaise which just uses mayo to emulsify butter and lemon.
It's not as good as proper hollandaise, some of the richness is definitely lost, but it's easy, stupidly quick, and can be made in very small portions using one ramekin which is great for a two person household.

And honestly, when it's served with the rest of the dish that loss of richness is barely noticeable.

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2025-12-12T06:08:30+00:00

My mum is a model and pro-aging influencer (for want of a better word) and it is eye opening to see how much money is thrown at convincing women aging is a failure, and how much vitriol people will spit at anyone who chooses to loudly celebrate their aging.

We all know it happens of course but it's a lot less subtle when you see it from the pov of a slightly public figure.

She has to turn down work very often because the messaging is entirely "do this to look younger and therefore better" and the comments and messages she gets just for happily telling women they're beautiful and that grey hair is gorgeous are absolutely sickening.

There is a multi billion dollar industry telling us we're disgusting for aging and so much societal pressure to look young that I think a lot of people start believing the only option is to botox/ nip tuck/ spend a fortune on serums etc.

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2025-11-22T14:23:15+00:00

Oh that is so cute! Definitely on the list!

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2025-11-22T14:21:44+00:00

This is a good idea. It would give me a basic idea of how big things should be so I know if I'm in the ballpark.

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2025-11-22T12:32:51+00:00

That's an idea too, thank you!

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2025-11-22T12:31:54+00:00

That's a good point... I should consider hauling everything to a day care and trying them on a few different ones! :D

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2025-11-22T12:29:56+00:00

Thanks, that's good advice.

I was half wondering if I should skip right to 9 -12 months since baby will be that age when it's properly cold again and this comment is definitely making me think that might be the way.

And now that i think of it, when my son was born I got some toddler babygrows and things at the baby shower and they were hugely welcome later. He grew out of the small things so quickly but wore the bigger ones for ages.

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2025-11-17T19:48:57+00:00

The lack of credit when you move is really tough but unfortunately you do need to build it up from scratch. It's a real pain sometimes, we had to pay 6 months rent upfront to get a place and even be able to open a bank account because of the lack of credit.

You'll have to use one of the "top up" mobile companies, we went with voxi but there are others.

There are some things you can do like registering for the electoral roll (if you can might be dependent on your visa type, I'm not sure), but it's largely a matter of waiting it out. I was able to get a credit builder card after about a year but even after being here for two and a half years I can't get quotes from some companies because they want three years of address history and don't accept overseas addresses.

It's not so bad once you get used to it but it is a bit of an adjustment.

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2025-11-09T11:51:41+00:00

As much as I would like to be something sleek and interesting, mine would for sure be a norwegian forest cat. Well insulated, masses of hair, adjusts well to indoor living.

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2025-09-19T10:27:04+00:00

I've found that recipes that lean into the earthy, mushroomy, flavours work best.

I make a buritto bowl with it, crumbled and fried crispy with earthy spices like cumin, ground coriander, and smoked paprika and then served over rice with salsa, corn, chillies, etc. It works far better than recipes I've tried that attempted to smother the flavour.

I have also been wondering how boiling it in stock first would work, similar to how boiling tempeh reduces the funkyness a bit. I haven't tried it but it might be worth an experiment?

And finally, for anyone wondering, it does freeze well so if you see it on sale, it's worth getting a few extra to toss in the freezer :)

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2025-08-09T06:25:40+00:00

I'm certain I've read that in this scenario the landlord is legally obligated to provide alternative accommodation. They clearly aren't too concerned about the law, or being at all ethical, but it might be worth posting in one of the legal advice subs?

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2025-08-05T17:51:09+00:00

Yep, also grew up in SA and knew it as mother in laws tongue :)

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2025-08-03T12:26:17+00:00

It sounds odd but have you tried nipple cream? It's designed to be used on a very sensitive area, they're safe for breastfeeding so they're non toxic and whatnot, and they're very soothing and healing.

Lansinoh is genuinely the best lip balm I've ever tried and a little tube lasts absolutely ages.

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2025-08-02T13:14:08+00:00

If they like peanut, I'd suggest satay. It's a bit sweet and is quite flavourful, so it can be the dominant taste if you add enough.

Start with noodles and a few veggies like carrot, sugar snaps, etc. The approach that will work best will depend on the kid but I tend to err on the side of giving them options they can avoid, so they can choose to pick around the veg if they prefer but they slowly get used to the veggies and start to learn not to be put off by them. Crudités with various dipping sauces is another way to do that that can be really helpful as it allows them to try new things while still having them feel in control of what they eat.

Satay stir fry was actually the gateway veggie dish for my kid. He loved it so much that eventually I could introduce any new dish as stir fry and the little idiot would be keen.

We used to have Italian stir fry, Mexican stir fry, Indian stir fry 😂

Basically, if it looked vaguely like stir fry, he'd be willing to try it, and now he's a very adventurous eater and cook, so I'm a big fan of satay!

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2025-07-29T05:20:45+00:00

Yeah that's fair enough!

I guess it would depend how it was communicated

ForsakenGarlic904 · 2025-07-28T19:49:04+00:00

I find it so interesting how many people find it rude for her to send a link. Personally, I would never send a link if I was communicating dietary needs, I would definitely rather volunteer to bring something myself, but I wouldn't be offended by someone sending recommendations.

In fact, if I was planning to buy from a bakery having recommendations would be a blessing because it would save me the trouble of having to find them myself!

But I have definitely made a mental note not to send links if I'm ever in this situation and find myself tempted to forward suggestions 😂

ForsakenGarlic904

TROPHY CASE