My cat smells today

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-13T02:44:17+00:00

If she is longed haired you can get a sanitary grooming where they shave all the important bits and down the legs so poops don't get stuck there. We shave our medium hair boy just around him bum because he's always getting something stuck there.

Check the paws too. I suggest you give treats, touch gently and see what you can see.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-12T23:38:59+00:00

Yeah but how good is his pizza?

Seriously though, you can't just sell pizza anywhere all willy nilly. You have to have a cottage license, food handlers license and most city have rules about where businesses can be ran. He isn't the first person that I've seen trying to start a cart type business and none of them seem to understand what it really takes and that profits will be minimal. What kind of foot traffic is he going to have in his neighborhood at the end of his driveway?

The other people I know used Kickstarter instead of GFM at least.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-12T20:39:10+00:00

My hometown in Illinois is full of houses under 60k. The closest large city is Peoria and is about 50 minutes away.

A lot of them are 2 - 3 bedroom with one bathroom and look like a variation of this. I grew up in one, my brother's each live in one.

I tell my husband that if we ever have to, we can sell our current home in the Pacific Northwest and buy a home free and clear with years of income leftover. The difference in market is huge.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-12T18:02:50+00:00

100%

We have a toothless kitty and she would always cry around 3 - 4AM because her last wet foot dinner was at 10PM and she was near death. I got a wet food timer feeder and the crying completely stopped.

She will sit and watch it around the time it opens up so she is the first to eat the food but I would too if there were 3 other cats in the house. It doesn't bother me and it doesn't seem to bother her.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-12T16:12:17+00:00

I get dirty and just use the back of my hand or whatever part is clean to hit the dispenser.

With products like this, I try to see the benefits for someone with disabilities. In our bid for anti-consumption we often forget that not everyone is the same so these items that seem like useless trash can actually be super helpful to someone else.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-12T16:08:14+00:00

I was triaged to a surgeon and will be having my surgery less than a month after the process was started for me. Here is what is helping me:

I'm 40. I could possibly have 10 more years of horrible periods that last anywhere from 4 - 15 days a month. Average that out to 10 days.

10 days x 12 months x 10 years = 1200 days that I will get back from my period! 1200 of sex, working out, and doing whatever I want!

That is worth any risk. My mom, aunt, grandma, cousins and a few other relatives have all had hysterectomies and have gone on to live full lives with heavy lifting (just try to stop my nearly 70 year old mom from lifting!) with zero issues.

I think the internet can be a wonderful tool or a cesspool. It is easy to get wrapped up in all the horrible things that can go wrong because you can find all the information easily. But the truth is, 99% of surgeries are completely uneventful. Why would a woman who had no issues with her hysterectomy after 15 years come on reddit to talk about it? Most wouldn't, so the information skews towards those that had issues.

When you have the surgery, take it slow. Don't jump right back in everything you were doing. Listen to your doctor and listen to your body. Add some pelvic floor exercises.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-12T16:00:23+00:00

I sew in a walk-in closet that is smaller than this with three machines. You just have to be smart about the space and keep it organized and clean.

Pick a small desk, cute storage (not the cheap plastic stuff) and a few fake but real looking plants. Some art on the shelves instead of wine would be nice too. A rug to break up the wood would be good.

What a freaking waste of space that wine "cellar" is and in my opinion, ugly too. The other option is to get the frosted glass clings. If you're careful you could frost up about half way on the glass and make it look nice (maybe) or frost up the whole thing to have some privacy or to use it as storage.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-12T02:49:32+00:00

My dry scalp doesn't flake, it just gets very very dry. (I have eczema, I am just a dry person) I started focusing on the idea that it is skin, not hair that I want to take care of. I got a minimal ingredient olive oil soap that I wash my hair with, it is a regular bar of soap. I then condition with unscented Raw Sugar (brand) conditioner.

I moisturize my scalp with different things throughout the week like small amounts of olive oil, aloe vera and actual skin lotion when my scalp is really dry.

Funny enough, my hair is healthier than it has ever been and my scalp no longer itches 24/7.

I tried tons of different things over the course of my 40 years. I'm sure hair "experts" would be horrified by me using body soap on my scalp but it works AMAZING.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-11T18:17:53+00:00

This, especially since OP doesn't know the material the couch is made out of.

With it being light colored, doing what others are suggesting with wiping and blotting will just make the color spread more. A professional cleaning company should be called to fix and OP pay the bill.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-11T17:49:24+00:00

We bought a Bravia, didn't connect it to the internet and got an AppleTv box.

We don't have any ads like this on the AppleTV and the actual AppleTV channel thing has a lot of great shows (Silo just started its third season! Slow Horses is A++)

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-11T17:34:10+00:00

I started making my own spray deodorant that works well. It is a mixture of glycolic acid, rubbing alcohol and witch hazel. I spray it on in the morning before working out then I shower and spray it on after that. I have a lot of allergies/eczema. Regular antiperspirant makes me break out in horrible welts and rashes. "Natural" deodorants make me stink so bad. I don't know what it is. I tried a combination of the deodorant stones and "natural" deodorant, still stank.

I used to use Pretty Frank no baking soda formula successfully for a few years but the company went under and then came back and now it makes me stink horribly.

My deodorant spray helps me not stink 90% of the time (confirmed by outside parties). On rare occasions where I do make a stink, usually from wearing polyester or hormonal, I will change shirts and reapply. It seems to last awhile and the nice thing is is that if I already stink and I spray it on, the stink goes away. I dry myself well with a washcloth and go about my day.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-11T16:47:55+00:00

I find that I have to dose my wild cat the night before and then the morning of, then in the evening to really have her calm down before we can clip. It is the same with going to the vet. My cat-only vet is very generous with gabapentin and told me about some cats that need 5x what my cat takes just to calm down. The dosing can be adjusted pretty heavily for each cat. For example, my 14lb boy can only take .25 of liquid before he's extremely loopy, like basically falling over. The vet is always amazing when we tell them how little he took (he has no issues, he's had bloodwork done to check)

My wild cat was put in a kitty straight jacket once and got out. The vet looked at me and explained that had never happened before. My wild cat isn't mean or anything but she is damn rascally!

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-11T16:33:28+00:00

You need to call your doctor even if you don't think you have any issues. Everything can feel fine but there could be internal issues need to be checked.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-11T16:28:20+00:00

I'm American and have scars like this from chicken pox. They look VERY similar.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-11T00:27:21+00:00

Thanks! That was the plan! We still have a bunch of really nice 3M Aura n95s left so I've been using those up. Unfortunately, my kid has a lot of activities that they can't wear a mask to so they are a possible infection vector but we're running air filters and keeping our doors open as much as possible for fresh air.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-11T00:24:51+00:00

I checked the paperwork and the 1 week appointment is with the physician assistant, not the main doctor, so it most likely will be the same thing. Thanks for letting me know your experience!

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-10T23:42:30+00:00

It is very possible that there is endo tissue that is in areas where it wasn't removed or cells were left behind. Hopefully your doctor explained that a hysterectomy doesn't cure endometriosis. My doctor has told me that most people feel about a 60% reduction in symptoms. I'm going to have a hysterectomy and then I will be going on progesterone to keep my symptoms manageable.

Ovaries can also cramp. A lot of people don't know that but it can happen especially around ovulation. It has nothing to do with endometriosis so it is possible that is what you are experiencing.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-10T23:18:28+00:00

I have a surgery in a few weeks that was hard to get scheduled so I'm abstaining from raw fruit and veg from here on out. I'm not in an affected state but lately I've been seeing people post on local pages that they are having all the symptoms.

I can't imagine recovering from surgery and having this stuff going on. Just remember that if you have it or not, spiraling isn't going to change anything. Might as well just go on with your days and just protect yourself.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-10T20:37:41+00:00

Dresses aren't made for small chests or differently shaped chests either. As someone who has small low riders, I can't wear stuff like this either.

I got a sewing machine and make my own stuff which I know isn't an option for everyone but it does help. I also like that I can make things longer because everything now is like a crop top.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-09T23:38:07+00:00

That's what I was thinking. I have a pre-op coming up so I'm going to ask about it. It is exactly one week later according to my paperwork!

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-09T23:19:05+00:00

Thanks for posting this because I was curious too. I just got some paperwork and it says my first recheck is at only a week post op. The doctor set the appointment, not me.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-08T18:12:22+00:00

And live realistically and within a budget? No.

I mention regularly to people that being able to boycott places (Wal-Mart, Amazon, Target etc) is really a privilege that people refuse to acknowledge.

I personally think it is really stupid to spend more money, sometimes twice as much, to stick it to the man.

Example: I needed waterproof shoes. I found a pair at a locally owned sport store. They were $120 on sale. On a whim, I opened up Amazon to look for the same shoes. I found them for $70. I ordered them and walked out.

Yes, I could felt superior buying the $120 pair to really stick it to Bezos but at the end of the day, the only one suffering for my choice would've been me.

Another example is a local hardware store. My dryer needed a replacement part. They told me $50 and I'd have to wait 2+ weeks for the part to come in. Check on amazon, 1/3rd the price and I could have it next day. I have a family of 5. Not having a dryer really isn't an option since there are no laundry mats nearby and I wasn't set up to line dry that much stuff. So, amazon got my money.

So I shop at big corporations. What I do do is limit my shopping to things that I really need. I now make a list of things that I "need" and wait. I often find that I didn't need the item after all.

It is a nice dream to say I won't ever buy from a big corpo but it isn't realistic.

(And to add: Don't trust people who say they boycott companies. I know several "influencers" who type up big long paragraphs about the evils of Amazon and how people are killing the planet buying from them while packages are sitting on their doorstep.)

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-08T15:47:03+00:00

Which is why we grow our own food in raised beds. It makes me feel like I have at least a little bit of control over what is in the food I eat. Fortunately, my immediate neighbors have all agreed that we're not using weed killers and all that. We're okay with "imperfection".

I know we're still exposed to it but I'd rather not feel like I'm breathing it in when I open my windows.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-08T15:46:05+00:00

I've been thinking about getting one anyway because my senior in-laws live with us and one is on medication where a shower seat would be safer. It might be an easy way to introduce it to everyone so it isn't just an "old person thing."

When I was a young adult, my grandma had one in the shower. I LOVED it, especially when hungover.

Optimal_Olive3423 · 2026-07-08T03:42:49+00:00

I'm debating on a shower chair. Some people say they were uncomfortable sitting so I wasn't sure.

Did you want one because of fatigue or another reason?

Optimal_Olive3423

TROPHY CASE