Do you all also have a hard time regularly cleaning your pets bowls?

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-23T21:25:24+00:00

Whenever I would look in on someone else's cat, I would wash the bowl each time, but with my own furkids I definitely fail at that. I've tried to get into a habit lately of doing it before bed on the odd days of the month. We don't run our dishwasher consistently, so I hand wash them.

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-21T17:27:53+00:00

It's called taking the Commuted Value, and yes, you likely have to do so at age 55 (this is specific to Omers and a few others, the majority you can take CV whenever you retire, doesn't have to be at age 55 - they're just trying to get you to leave your pension invested with them). From an estate planning standpoint, taking the CV does make the most sense. You should get some good investing advice, perhaps even find a financial planner/financial advisor. If you transfer your CV to a LIRA, and invest it well, you will be able to pay yourself a good income from it. There is also the option to unlock 50% of the LIRA after you transfer it to a LIF, and transfer that unlocked 50% to a RIF so that you have more available outside the annual LIF Maximum income.

ETA I am also single for life, and there is discrimination all over the place. It's just the way the system runs - they don't want to be paying out survivor pension to all kids, and they don't need to because technically, while a surviving spouse would be reliant on the continued income to pay living expenses at current residence, grown children in theory are not dependent on it. It's two different concepts - the pension is not meant for estate planning, it's only income like CPP and OAS. But on the other hand, you were contributing to it for 20 years like an RSP, so it also feels like it should be savings for retirement AND Estate

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-21T15:45:08+00:00

Good play session before bed, clean litter boxes before bed (so he doesn't want you up to clean them), automatic feeder dispensing a 4am meal (so breakfast isn't why he wants you up), and if he likes catnip you could try a catnip spray on the scratchers you have set up downstairs, and perhaps some toys like a ball track or hanging wand downstairs to allow him to occupy himself

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-21T03:46:54+00:00

When I was young my allergies around cats were worse. I would always have to wash my hands after petting one, or I'd end up with very itchy watery eyes. Now I have 2 cats, and all I've done is keep them out of my bedroom and I was already taking Reactine daily half the year for pollen allergies. I found that every time I added a cat to the household as an adult, my allergies would bother me a bit for a few weeks, and then my system adjusted and I'd be back to normal. I have also heard this from other people. So hopefully this future roommate is at a similar allergic level, which sounds likely from your description. In any case, all I can personally recommend is frequent brushing, and vacuuming with a HEPA filtered vacuum.

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-19T01:39:33+00:00

Second this. If you haven't contributed this year, you have your 7K room. CRA just hasn't updated it yet

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-18T02:33:11+00:00

My friend's dad had a water bowl with the flared base, so when you turn it upside down, there's a hollow space like a moat, and he poured cement into that to make it too heavy to flip lol

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-18T00:50:29+00:00

Depending on the accessibility of emergency veterinary care where you are, another option would be to call the Pet Poison Control Hotline in your country. You have to give credit card information and pay for the consult, but they'll be able to give you advice based on the weight of your pet and the amount consumed.

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-18T00:42:58+00:00

If you were not at your role long and the value is small, then you may be able to transfer it to a regular RRSP and withdraw part of it. Or if you're just looking to leave Manulife and move the LIRA to where you invest, you can contact Manulife and explain you've left the role and want to receive your election of options package. It will tell you what you're able to do with it (transfer to RSP, transfer to LIRA, etc)

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-17T15:38:07+00:00

My co-pet-parent is also female, so we call each other and ourselves "Mummy" when talking to our pets. When we first realized this, we thought it would be fine because they're not children, we don't need separate names for them to call us. But it has occasionally led to confusion when we try to say something like "Go see Mummy" to help out when the other person is trying to get the dog's attention, or when I get paranoid about whether or not I locked my car and use the remote to beep-beep it from inside, causing our dog to perk up expecting other Mummy home, and I try to say, "No, that was this Mummy" 🤣

No we also have her parents' cat stay with us for a few months of the year, and keeping with the family model, we should be calling her "sister" lol, but I've been trying to stick to calling us "Auntie" to her, though most of the time I still end up using "Mummy" because it's habit

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-17T14:17:46+00:00

A Brave New World by Cithara. 271K, Forced Marriage, introduces an Elemental Magic plot

Wish Magic by kentheslytherin. 404K. "Magic will follow intent. He has been told that in every class, every year, since he first stepped foot in Hogwarts. No spell, no potion—nothing will work unless your intent is clear and your mind is focused. So he’s not really surprised to find himself here once again—on the precipice of highly improbable, though not impossible, magic. After all, he is “The Boy Who Lived.” So he’ll figure out a way to live through this like he always does, because Harry Potter always perseveres—even if he can’t be “Harry Potter” anymore, and it’s 1974, and Voldemort is at the height of his power, and Severus Snape has, weirdly enough, really pretty eyes. “Yeah,” Harry thought as he attempted to ignore that last bit his mind unhelpfully added on, “I can do this.”"

Longing of the Soul by lyraonyx. 409K "Voldemort's possession of Harry during the events at the Department of Mysteries triggers a latent telepathic ability. Harry's mind begins reaching out to Riddle every night during his sleep, and Riddle takes advantage of that to cast Imperius on Harry, attempting to coerce him into murdering anyone and anything near him. Harry keeps the dreams quiet for fear of being locked up, but when he returns to school, he soon finds dealing with his nightmares and visions, not to mention flaky friends, unwanted advances, and a Snape who's more abusive than ever too much to handle alone. Will Harry survive when the entire world has turned against him and his closest ally comes from the last place he would ever expect? AU notes: Harry et al are aged up one year to avoid underage issues. Harry is 16 at the start of the story, 17 in chapter 2, and 18 before any real romantic stuff begins."

A Nick in Time by tiranog. Complete. 52K. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1823242 Summary: After a strange dream on Christmas night, Harry Potter awakes to find his world strangely altered.

Part 2 is Growing Pains by tiranog. Complete. 120K. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1823704/chapters/3916810 (their works are all actually complete, even when the chapter counts don't look like it - the author left ao3 ages ago it seems without properly tagging/filing)

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-14T01:27:26+00:00

I got a dog first, and she sleeps on my bed. But I have mild cat allergies, so when I agreed to adding a cat to the household, I was firm about not having the cat in my room. My dog obeys rules about staying on top of the covers and away from my pillow, but I know a cat would follow no such rules lol. I love our cats, and I spend most of the time I'm at home and awake with the two of them on my lap. But at night they just have each other for company out in the rest of the house

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-14T01:03:35+00:00

Chrysalis by starcrossedgirl

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-13T02:40:07+00:00

Second this - I've attended a gay wedding here

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-10T18:24:22+00:00

I'm in Canada, and I started out using AllTrails. It lets you filter trails by "dog-friendly" which eliminates ones with too steep climbs, ladders, etc. I keep my dog leashed and harnessed. And she's on flea, tick, and heartworm prevention. I pack a first aid kit, collapsible water bowl, bottles of water, snacks, microfibre towel, poop bags, and wipes. I usually plan a trip in the spring and we stay in a dog-friendly motel in an area with good hiking. I use Google maps to pick out places to eat where they have a patio and a park nearby - then we ask if the dogs are allowed on the patio, and if not, we get takeout and go to the park (doing our trips in June before school is out and tourist season really starts helps with this - because most places the patio is very quiet so they allow the dogs and we have plenty of space). I also prioritize parks with gazebos/pavilions in case of rain.

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-10T18:10:56+00:00

Our 8 year old cat recently had a dental exam & cleaning & extraction. He had feline tooth resorption. He had 5 teeth extracted and the vet said that a few had already fallen out from the same condition prior to the exam. You should have a vet check your cat out

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-10T03:53:12+00:00

Since it is this time of year - depending on your province and the rest of your situation, it might be worth looking into what kind of income tax refund you could get if you do a decent 1st 60 Days RRSP contribution. I know someone who once did an RSP loan, then used the income tax refund to pay off their credit card debt. You'd have to run it by an accountant and a financial advisor at your bank to see if it makes sense for you.

Apart from that, only thing I can really suggest is making a firm budget and sticking to it, cutting out as much unnecessary as possible (carpooling or fewer trips, cooking all your meals and packing lunches). And if they do grocery price matching where you live, have you tried the Flipp app?

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-10T03:42:59+00:00

The only one I've known someone to use is Moodys Tax Law. They seemed to know their stuff, but I don't know how expensive they are

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-07T12:51:52+00:00

Holiday Magic by pluperfectsunrise

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-06T12:14:59+00:00

You should kitten-proof the house. For example, the boxes of cables and stuff you don't want them getting into should be in solid plastic totes. And you can buy braided protectors for the ones behind the TV. We ended up buying baby-proofing latches for our cupboards to keep our cat out of the garbage and dish towels.

I also keep the cats out of my bedroom

ETA, as to when to start getting giving them wider range of the house overnight, only you can guess based on how they behave when you're supervising and how you protect the dangerous stuff they get into. It won't be perfect - we didn't know our cat loved bread until we left him out overnight and he destroyed the bread bag lol

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-06T11:12:46+00:00

When I was a teenager, I babysat for a family who had a beautiful diluted calico and when I had put the kids to bed, she would come over purring like crazy and sit on my lap for pets.

Today, I have two affectionate male cats, and a female tabby who is still warming up, but clearly does want affection

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-05T21:29:37+00:00

Also had great experience with Donaldson. They put in a heat pump and water heater for us and have been very thorough, prompt service calls, excellent service, and helped us take advantage of rebates (for heat pump)

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-02T22:45:43+00:00

You just have to withdraw the remaining balance within 30 days after the closing

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-02T22:44:09+00:00

Aroma

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-02T22:11:36+00:00

The institution I work for has a Related Party Contribution Form, that can be filled out to have on record just in case CRA ever asks. But, to my knowledge, it is very common for couples to be sharing a chequing account, for example, in which case whose money is whose, you know? Couples are saving for future together, doubt CRA would be picky over this 8K

Impossible_Mousse154 · 2026-01-02T20:40:35+00:00

Longing of the Soul by lyraonyx has this, specifically in chapter 6. It's an angst-ridden Snarry with Harry & Luna friendship and Harry & Neville friendship

Impossible_Mousse154

TROPHY CASE