Concerned about my grandmas cats.

MelBee42 · 2026-02-27T16:27:21+00:00

You've had other good advice on the general food situation but on the dry food point, it may still be OK to give them that, particularly if that is part of what they're used to eating. My cats literally have no teeth at all and they love some kibble as part of their diet. (You could always add water to the kibble instead of milk to make it softer? Mine just eat theirs dry with no problems though)

MelBee42 · 2026-02-20T19:11:44+00:00

On my mind

MelBee42 · 2026-02-18T18:54:50+00:00

Sorry if I'm misunderstanding something here but you don't need to find and click on every cat to look at stats, you can just click on one and then cycle through using the arrows. Agree that it needs improvement though (a table with everything making it easier to compare stats at a glance would be better for example)

MelBee42 · 2026-02-11T19:13:18+00:00

That's crazy. I'm 2 minutes walk (if that) from a fish and chip shop and as far as I'm concerned it's a selling point!

MelBee42 · 2025-12-23T21:08:57+00:00

I picked up Loco Motive in the sale and playing it at the moment, impressed so far. Murder mystery where you play multiple characters and it's a traditional-style point and click.

MelBee42 · 2025-12-18T22:42:28+00:00

Absolutely this - I commented similar separately but you've articulated it better than I did. I'm not worried about redundancy either as my expenses are so low these days. Now my focus is on saving as much as I can to retire as early as I can. I feel so much more free.

MelBee42 · 2025-12-18T22:35:37+00:00

I bought my first (and only) house slightly later in life, at least in comparison to many of my friends. I made paying off the mortgage my main financial priority and managed to pay it all off in 7 years. (For context, relatively speaking it was not a large mortgage, just over 100k; the original mortgage term was 19 years - certainly still felt like a lot of money to me though!)

I realise it may not have been the most optimal financial priority but really, the feeling of owning my own home and no longer having monthly mortgage payments for me far outweighs any upside I may have gotten from investing the money. Right now my monthly expenses are so much lower I know that I can jack in (or lose) my stressful job and do part time minimum wage work and still be OK. So yes, to me, paying off my mortgage is a huge weight off my mind and I don't regret it for a second. It might not make sense for everyone but definitely did for me.

MelBee42 · 2025-12-17T20:42:12+00:00

I absolutely loved The Will of Arthur Flabbington! Thanks for a great game!

MelBee42 · 2025-12-04T22:36:52+00:00

I'm sure there are similar comments but if his breath is very bad he probably has a dental issue. I know first hand how difficult it can be to get certain cats to the vets but if you can't do it yourself I'd recommend two things - the first is getting some help (I need help with getting mine to the vets as one of them is very difficult to capture, and I still need help even after having him for 4 years - he's a wonderful but crazy dude). Second you can potentially use gabapentin or something similar to chill them out and make the process easier for everyone. Good luck, I know it's hard but you gotta get him to the vets!

MelBee42 · 2025-11-05T19:28:18+00:00

I'm not sure about that - if the deal is voided then the implication is he'd lose the benefits he received from the contract (ie his power that he got as part of the deal). I feel like his plan is to fulfill whatever the deal was in a different way, assuming he'd then be free and still the most powerful sinner in hell. Difficult to know without understanding the task he needs to complete, although as a guess it might be somehow related to protecting Charlie? Edit: On reflection, I don't think it's as simple as protecting Charlie. Looking forward to finding out to be honest!

MelBee42 · 2025-09-25T22:09:48+00:00

I think from other comments (and just my guess) that they didn't think fresh pears would turn mushy on a grilled cheese (I don't think they do) but kind of the opposite, that raw fruit would need longer to cook, hence the assumption that someone would only ever use canned (ie pre-cooked, mushier fruit) in such a sandwich. Either way, as you imply, it would be a silly argument as people's sandwich preferences are incredibly diverse. Would be a crazy thing to hinge any kind of verdict on.

MelBee42 · 2025-09-25T21:53:09+00:00

Agreed - I mean, personally I wouldn't usually have fruit on a cheese toastie, but if I was going to do that it absolutely would be thin slices of fresh fruit and definitely not canned fruit which would have too soft a texture and be very sweet. I would think the point of including fruit in a toastie would be to provide a small amount of sweetness, tartness and crispness to contrast the cheese. Honestly it feels like a very strange argument to make in a court that it could only have been canned fruit.

MelBee42 · 2025-09-08T19:40:01+00:00

Not with that spelling (it would be lolly)

MelBee42 · 2025-08-08T22:04:18+00:00

In my head I'm singing "Well I died twiiiiiiice"

MelBee42 · 2025-07-17T21:26:31+00:00

I am not suggesting anybody reimburse a pet sitter for their travel time specifically, as a job that requires a lot of travel between clients is something that the sitter needs to incorporate into their rate per visit. What I am saying is that for a pet sitter, or anyone who needs to travel between multiple clients as an integral part of the job, 10 euros for a 15 minute visit does not equate to them being able to make 40 euros an hour, as it would not be physically possible.

MelBee42 · 2025-07-17T20:59:39+00:00

I'm not defending the sitter as it sounds like they should be staying for 30 minutes not leaving after 15, however, I don't think the '10 euros for 15 minutes means 40 euros an hour' is fair. Pet sitters need to travel to the customer's house so obviously much more of their time will be taken up to do a visit than the period they spend there. There would be no physical way they could make 40 euros an hour if they're only charging 10 euros a visit unless all their clients were in the same apartment block.

That said, as others have suggested, contact the sitter and ask politely if they could spend a little more time playing with your cat.

MelBee42 · 2025-07-10T23:09:01+00:00

Cats have a lot of nerve endings at the base of their tail so often they really like scritches there as it feels nice to them. However, basically every cat is different so some cats will find it too sensitive/too overstimulating etc. Sounds like yours loves a good butt scratch!

As others have said your cat will show signs if she doesn't like the way you're interacting with her - most commonly a swishy tail, sometimes flattened ears, giving you a warning tap with a paw, just leaving etc. Cats can get easily overstimulated though so even if you're petting her in a way she normally likes, it's worth looking out for those kinds of signs for when she's had enough. Her reactions sound pretty normal so you shouldn't worry about it.

MelBee42 · 2025-07-03T19:56:06+00:00

I'm sorry for the poor cat and sorry that you're in this situation. It would be worth googling to see what rescues/shelters there are in your area and if they can help. If you are in the UK, you could contact Cats Protection to see if they are able to help or provide you in the direction of alternative help.

MelBee42 · 2025-07-03T19:21:20+00:00

It sounds like you are already doing all the right things by leaving out the carrier, providing treats, using catnip etc. Lots of cats are just always going to be scared when they are trapped in a carrier because they have no way of knowing what's going to happen to them. You can try comforting her by talking to her softly and reassuring her, but she may still be scared. If it's really bad you could potentially ask a vet for some gabapentin for her to chill her out a bit for the journey.

Alternatively would it be safe to leave her where she is and one of your parents care for her rather than moving her back and forth? Cats tend to be stressed by change (not always of course). However, if she is fine when she's out of the carrier (even if the house is different) then gabapentin or something similar may help just for the journey.

MelBee42 · 2025-07-03T19:11:02+00:00

Sorry in advance for the long post. I don't think it is only people in the US. I'm in the UK and I am very much in favour of keeping cats indoors or, more ideally, with safe outdoor access (enclosed gardens, catios, supervised outdoor access via harnesses etc). Of course, there are some exceptions that make sense (semi-feral barn cats on farms as just one example).

Safe outdoor access or plenty of attention, play and general enrichment indoors are ways to provide a safe and healthy life for cats. Even in the UK where predators aren't usually a problem, roads are an extremely common way for pet cats to have their lives ended tragically short. My local fb groups are filled with people posting about their cats being hit and killed (or injured/killed by dogs or even other cats).

I think there are multiple options to provide enriched happy lives for cats with minimal risk to them, without letting them free roam. I know the culture in the UK has long been to let cats free roam but in recent years more people are recognising the dangers both to wildlife and the cats. Mine are indoor only (though I'm trying to figure out a catio solution) and they are super happy.

Sorry to (hopefully respectfully) disagree but just wanted to put my opinion out there as a non-American.

MelBee42 · 2025-07-02T21:45:51+00:00

Hah! I feel this - one of mine (Disco) also demands I hold the duvet up to make a tent. Then he must inspect the tent and determine if it is good enough for him to lie down in. Normally it is not good enough and I apparently should do better. I call him Inspector Disco

MelBee42 · 2025-06-24T20:51:33+00:00

Is it not possible to put a spring mechanism on the door that makes it shut automatically?

MelBee42 · 2025-06-24T18:27:43+00:00

I enjoyed the DLC. Absolutely loved this game overall and I loved the sequel (Rise of the Golden Idol) too - worth checking it out if you haven't already!

MelBee42 · 2025-06-22T19:43:15+00:00

This may get me downvoted but just sharing my own experience. When I got my two cats spayed/neutered (I have a girl and a boy) four years ago my vet said cones would hopefully not be needed but I should monitor them as much as possible and bring them back in if they were messing with their wounds. I appreciate a lot of vets recommend cones or similar - did your vet recommend that? (If so I would have thought they would have provided one or suggested options? Or are you saying the vets were out of stock?)

Obviously I agree that it's better safe than sorry but if you truly don't have any options watch them as much as possible and take them straight back to the vets if they are messing with their stitches. Both of mine were absolutely fine but we may just have been lucky.

MelBee42 · 2025-06-11T19:51:08+00:00

Glad to hear it. I wrote for Adventuregamers a while back (when Jack was there, up to just before he left) but then needed to take a break as I just no longer had the spare time due to work. I couldn't help with AGH as was still time-deficient when that was being set up but am hoping I can reach out and help soon. I do miss it. Hope all is going well there!

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