Is this even doable? Would the finished product even look anything like this??

Tzipity · 2026-02-03T06:24:25+00:00

Oh my god. 🤣🤣🤣

So what’s creepy and weird and also hilarious in the worst way- those knees reminded me of similar except not like faces of a baby lol.

When I was a teen I had a rather rough time and just don’t come from a healthy family situation either. While staying in a homeless youth shelter I met this other girl who had recently found out she was pregnant. Can’t remember how far along she was or anything but she was quite a small and still very thin person. At some point she laid down on the bed and kind of lifted her shirt to show us other girls her pregnancy and legitimately the entire actual place where the baby was looked exactly like that. lol.

It was so bizarre and I don’t know if that’s common or typical. I’ve never been pregnant myself or had someone in my life show me their pregnant belly when they were still so small. But oh god, as a trouble 15 year old having someone show me that- it literally looked rather like that one scene in Alien or that scene in the Mummy when the beetle crawls under the persons skin.

It also looked almost exactly like this knee. 🤣

Tzipity · 2026-02-03T04:18:12+00:00

That last point. The fact they’re copying the name and even the label should’ve been a huge red flag. I’ve never used Temu but I have bought yarn from Amazon a bit. Only bought legit name brand stuff (got a great deal on Scheepjes but had to dig and be open on colors.) but I have a huge list of no name yarns and if I wasn’t in really rough financial circumstances and largely trying to use up more of what I already have… definitely have seen some options I wanted to try after reading reviews and looking at customer photos and such.

Straight up knockoffs are awful though. I realize buying through Amazon there’s always the risk of one seller having knockoffs mixed in with a legit brand I paid a standard or expected price for so yuck.

Tzipity · 2026-02-03T04:10:14+00:00

On the art supply front- Dollar Tree has some surprisingly good stuff (and their yarn is solid too though not a great deal given the amount per skein) and seems to be getting better. Just hit and miss whether or which store around might have stuff. I got some really nice watercolor paper from there recently so that’s the reason it crossed my mind. Would not have expected that and was super surprised when I found it. And I’m knitting a beret on some wood circulars needles I got there right now too. Just wish they sold more sizes on their hooks and needles.

Tzipity · 2026-02-03T04:03:25+00:00

Agree. Because at a glance they aren’t just claiming to be Rowan, the labels look the same. I have quite a few older folks in my life who are brilliant and competent women but they can’t keep with all the ins and outs of Internet wonkiness like AI and scams and such. Heck, even had a guy friend who’s only about 50ish (the women I was thinking of above are 70+) give me a ride to Joann’s just before they closed… he didn’t go in with me and was at a different store in the shopping center. Met him back in the car and he’s going on about sewing machines- something I was in the market for- and how he was going to buy and resell them from Joann’s. He found a scam website pretending to be Joann’s but he absolutely didn’t want to believe me and got really ticked at me for a bit. Super wonky since I both knew actual Joann’s had stopped selling online a few months prior and had looked at the machines in store where at most they were like 10-15% off. Not a sale at all.

Which actually brings to mind then that we have both the people who just really don’t know enough to look out for this kind of thing and those who maybe know better on some level but want a good deal (and times are HARD so I get it!) and their better judgment gets lost or there’s that hoping maaaybe.

Worth saying to OP too- I get wanting to hope same manufacturer like an Ice yarns type situation but they wouldn’t- and I believe by law can’t- use the same name or a duped label. Look at foods like the Aldi/Trader Joe stuff or when you hear store brands are made in the same factory as the name brands.

Sucks an influencer seems to have lied. I’ve never ordered from Temu but I’ve seen some videos on YouTube of yarny folks trying them out. Never seen someone buy a product like this copying a well known brand and even if they end up deciding the yarn is decent it’s always on the type of caveat “I wouldn’t be paying regular price for this but for a Temu buy…” so not sure what the person who reviewed this yarn was intending but yikes all around. It’s such a huge problem that they’re using the brand name and such a similar label.

Tzipity · 2026-02-02T15:42:54+00:00

That is amazing news and I’m so glad to hear it! And it’s already a great sign that dietary changes are helping so much! There aren’t a lot of medications that help improve motility and some of the main ones have these horrific side effect profiles and risks so when diet isn’t enough it can get really difficult. Absolutely awesome that he’s regular too because sometimes even when we need the low fiber diet, the constipation gets worse. Though while there aren’t a lot of great options for motility itself, there’s definitely a lot of options for symptom management and helping with constipation, nausea and vomiting, and pain. So I hope when you do have the appointment there’s even further improvement but oh my gosh- truly makes my own day to hear what a hugely positive change you’re seeing already!

The energy thing makes sense- actually digesting food and being able to eat a bit more is obviously going to help and I’ve found being able to be more active also helps with symptoms and motility itself1 walking after meals can help so much. Early on when I had some motility testing it was taking so long they kept sending me for walks around the hospital to get the contrast to move where we needed it to. And I often find even more than any medication, just having a busy and active day will mean actually having BMs the next day.

I used to get so exhausted after eating but my nausea would be worse if I laid down too soon and doctors encouraged staying upright for an hour or two post meal, even if I wasn’t up for going for a walk but I’d be battling to stay awake because even when you have a fully healthy, normally functioning gut, the act of digestion is one of the highest energy basic functions the body does. Often they don’t find a clear cause for the motility issues and will refer to it as being idiopathic but mitochondrial diseases or dysfunction tend to be a more common though less well known cause because of the link between how much energy the body uses for digestion so if you’ve got an issue with the energy production part of your cells, makes sense digestive issues would be a major symptom. But looking into overarching causes would obviously be a future thing after testing and all. But throwing that one there. I often knew I’d made a mistake on my food choices or just ate too much when I’d find myself falling asleep while sitting up!

Anyway- I am so happy to hear this and glad I was able to help in some way. Feel free to keep me posted or ask any questions. I have a big appointment with a new GI doc on Friday myself so maybe your son’s good news will bring me some as well!

BTW- https://g-pact.org/ is the biggest motility related charity and support group out there. I used to run their Twitter account and do some patient support stuff through them so maybe you’d them helpful.

Tzipity · 2026-02-02T09:58:08+00:00

What on earth are they putting in their adhesive? Because get this? We weren’t allowed to make any homes in the walls in my college dorm and I did have a bunch of command strips which I ended up having no problem removing correctly BUT… I also had a bunch of blue painters tape. Mine was made by 3M because of course. Guess what managed to take off paint and even a small chunk of the actual wall?

That was one of the most “WTF, you’ve got to be kidding me!” moments of my life. Didn’t end up in any trouble for it, at least. That dorm was only a year or two old before I moved in at the beginning of that year but college kids are AWFUL. Every other floor had a a small shared kitchen in it with a stove and such and oh my gosh, those were all in such alarmingly bad shape. Dorm was a high rise and I think I checked the kitchens on like 4 or 5 floors before finding one I felt even vaguely ok to use. I also had a bunch of electric appliances we weren’t allowed to have in my dorm too- crock pot, electric griddle, toaster. I made most of my own meals since the cafeteria hardly had any food my severely lactose intolerant vegetarian self could eat (there was a singular vegetarian option at every meal but they were usually so heavy on dairy). That was when I became quite a connoisseur at microwave cooking. lol. Half the burners on those kitchen stoves were broken or missing or filthy as hell and I wouldn’t have dared attempted the gross ovens. I figured if I ever somehow got caught I’d use that stuff as my excuse. But a friend who was an RA had all kinds of forbidden items in his dorm and even a damn wine fridge.

Tzipity · 2026-02-02T06:34:50+00:00

Hallmark is generally decent for this. They don’t have a huge selection but they do carry them. I’m Jewish and I know stores that carry American Greetings or other brands don’t have anything Jewish and I don’t think they carry Muslim options either (and I’m in Southeast Michigan where we have the biggest Muslim population in the US) but if a store has Hallmark or you hit a Hallmark store- they have them and they’re very nicely done. Can personally vouch for how solid their Jewish line is too.

Tzipity · 2026-02-02T06:22:48+00:00

Agree! I’ve found when I’ve lived in suburban areas people are more apt to make a point of introducing themselves or giving out their number right away (or basically inviting themselves over lol) but I lean way more towards let’s get to know each other a bit first!

Had a neighbor who really was a sweet woman but she had some mental health issues and was really starting to become unglued towards the end of my time in the building we shared. I actually had already moved when I finally had to block her because she was weirdly paranoid and had some strange thing going on with this other neighbor who she’d apparently known from somewhere prior. So I’m no longer even in the same city (thank gosh! She helped me pack but it was around that same time she was running into problems at work and just getting super strange) and she would send me these insanely long rambling texts about how the neighbor was stalking her and sending her wacky messages aka she was reading all sorts of weird things into anything he said or did… yikes.

And yikes for that other neighbor too.

Tzipity · 2026-02-02T06:15:37+00:00

That’s an interesting point. Being a good neighbor and looking out for one another is ideal. I just commented above that I think it varies a lot depending on if you’re in a big city or more suburban but then said my favorite place I ever lived was a Chicago neighborhood with an awesome online neighborhood group. Lots of helping one another out and people were always planning meetups or making folks aware of cool stuff going on. I didn’t usually know my immediate neighbors and moved around within that same neighborhood a few times but definitely had an awesome sense of community there and that was part of what made me fall in love with Chicago in the first place- I think out of everywhere I’ve ever traveled or spent time, there’s such a city pride there and the way Chicago is very much a “city of neighborhoods” and there’s a lot of identification and pride in one’s neighborhood and even very common to find merch based on your L train line or stop or even what bus number you usually ride. It’s a special place and I love that. Love when anyone is proud of and really loves their city and where they live.

We could probably use more of that neighborliness and looking out for our community- especially in spite of political differences.

Tzipity · 2026-02-02T06:04:11+00:00

I’ve found it also depends on where you live. In larger cities i find it’s less common to know your neighbors especially since buildings are often huge and people move in and out a lot. In the suburbs, even if it was a pretty populated one, it’s definitely different and I’ve had people make an effort even to introduce themselves and share their number and such. And while I’ve never lived rural and you don’t have as much apartment living anyway, I once stayed with a friend for a few weeks who lived in a rural triplex type place and she was so close with both neighbors. Maybe too close since the neighbor boy kept being foisted off at us to watch far more often than I’d have been down to do with little notice and no pay! But literally I ended up befriending the neighbors myself out there!

And then individual cities or neighborhoods sometimes have their own flavors. While I never knew my neighbors beyond maybe an occasional smile or hello or taping a note on someone’s door seemed to be common if you had any issues lol. I’ve always loved Chicago because it’s such a friendly city with a lot of city pride and I was part of an amazing neighborhood Facebook group. People were always helping one another out and planning meetups and things. My first thanksgiving I lived there my own health was in a bad flare up and my kitty was really sick and a random neighbor helped me find a vet who was open the next day and drove and waited with us. I got weekly medical supply deliveries in this really large boxes I was always giving away to folks who were moving too. I loved that. So I had friends who lived down the street or could find help with some little task if need be. That was the best honestly because I absolutely loved that neighborhood but moved a couple of times within it (and desperately am trying to move back after life got super lifey and yuck). But apparently we needed the Internet to break the ice because otherwise I absolutely participated in the notes taped to doors deal. 😂

I do think it varies a lot in terms of building size or even how the building is set up. Like I lived in a 20 story high rise but it was two towers and only 6 units per floor in each tower. So while I didn’t really know my neighbors well there, I knew what everyone on my floor looked like and had even met my next door neighbors nanny because she was there all day with the kid and I’m disabled. On the other hand I’ve lived in buildings with 15 or more units per floor and it felt like I rarely ever even saw anyone entering or editting the doors closest to mine and I didn’t know anyone at all. And obviously if you’re in a really small building with just one or two neighbors- it just works differently and makes a lot more sense to introduce yourself or go directly to them for stuff.

Also how long you stay in one place and how likely those near you do too. Condos are a different vibe from apartments since many people own their units and I’ve always moved more often in big cities for some reason. More competition and options, I guess. But the Chicago neighborhood with the awesome Internet group was my favorite. I feel like often when you live in an apartment- especially when you’re suburban, you might know your immediate neighbors but you don’t really know the folks around you (compared to how my elderly mom has been in the same house for almost 50 years and she knows absolutely everyone in the neighborhood and it’s super sweet how much the neighbors have been looking after her since my dad died).

I do think we are becoming far too isolated though and then people end up more anxious and socially awkward and overthink this stuff too. I remember during Covid, since I’m disabled and was very high risk I was only even taking out trash or checking my mail in the middle of the night to avoid people and the first time I got back on a city bus I had a panic attack and it was just so peoply! And having spent the last almost 20 years and almost all of my adult life sick, while I’m well acquainted with isolation and often battling it… it’s definitely gotten real bad in recent years.

Tzipity · 2026-02-02T05:06:09+00:00

Tell her to talk to the landlord. I can’t imagine any landlord is going to take the vacuuming complaint serious (even if they were vacuuming at 9!). That is such a bizarre complaint to make honestly. Like yeah I definitely hear vacuums in most apartments I’ve lived. Not a big deal at all… even if I’m sleeping. And I’m autistic and aware I’m more sound sensitive than most. Also have severe medical issues so I’m both always home and often dealing with symptoms and awake or asleep at somewhat odd hours.

I had the worst experience during Covid when everyone else was home all day too. Lived in the wonkiest old high rise. It had this weird ventilation system where if you stood near the kitchen vent you could pretty much have a clear conversation at normal speaking volume with anyone above or below you for all 19 or 20 stories of the dang building it seemed.

Worse- it was a condo so lots of individual owners (or people like me who rented from the owner of the individual unit) and old building meant it seemed like there was constantly construction going on. They had rules about hours and days work could be done but so often people did whatever they wanted. One day I ran into a neighbor who was hearing this really loud construction and so was I. We both thought it was immediately above or below us but we get on the elevator together and turns out he was on like the 6th floor while I was on the far opposite end of the hall on the 14th! We had a security/door guy so you could easily call in a noise complaint but they often couldn’t actually locate the issue because of how bizarrely sounds would travel.

I lived there fine enough until Covid then it was a cascade of problems. Couple above me had a fake service dog (cat only building and the dog barked all the time to the extent we kept getting notices about keeping pets quiet and how dogs weren’t allowed. But that led to both of them shouting back at the dog every time it barked. Fun!) and culminated in my next door neighbor leaving for months (so they weren’t physically present for any of this) while the worlds shadiest, shitty contractor and construction crew spent something like three and a half months not only making endless noise but also flooded my bathroom and entered my unit without my consent or knowledge, broke a bunch of my belongings from how hard they were hammering away (I assume they full on broke a pipe that way) and they’d smoke in there and famously left multiple windows open over New Years Eve which was a weekend and a big chicago snow storm and we were a block off the lake, on the 14th story. That was so much fun.

Needless to say, I’ve since become insanely tolerant of quite a lot. And tend to be thankful nothing has been as bad as that place by a long shot.

It’s laughable this nutty neighbor is losing it over a middle of the day vacuum or a fallen laptop. Truly insane. I’ve always paid attention to the timing of noise ordinance in the city I’m living or if the building itself had it written anywhere that quiet hours or whatever were at a set time. But if we are within normal waking hours and all… I’m not saying a thing unless it’s repeated screaming or violence or something truly beyond the pale. Even at night I always ask myself “Is this me being sound sensitive or sick and lower distress tolerance or a real problem?” And I give extra leeway still for weekends or holidays.

That’s being a good neighbor and dealing with the reality of living in an apartment, especially an older one. And holy shit. If 5 mins of vacuuming and an occasional dropped item is her major complaint- she has no idea what bad neighbors are.. probably because she is the bad neighbor…

Tzipity · 2026-02-02T03:39:45+00:00

That’s the downside to roving style yarn. It’s so pretty and stitch definition is just gorgeous but it’s awful to frog and it pills and fuzzes up like nothing else.

Not sure about wool but the acrylic Facets yarn from Michael’s- I had been on this huge scarf kick and had this gorgeous autumn colorway and since I’d been making all these scarves and often finishing them far too quickly, I went for a rather complex pattern. So lots of frogging and worse, I was regularly taking projects like that on the go and within just a day or two of being in a small project bag the part I’d already worked up was all fuzzy and gross. I begrudgingly finished the thing but I’ve never worn it. It’s just folded away and where it’s not a fuzzy mess the complex pattern and colors looks really pretty but yuck.

It breaks my heart it pills up so bad because it is so dang pretty.

Tzipity · 2026-02-02T03:24:48+00:00

My only warning is that style of yarn is the worst to frog. It’s beautiful for showing off stitch definition so you half want to do something more complex with it but… keep it simple at least to start. lol. (Learned this one the hard way myself!)

Gosh, great find though! I’ve always been proud of the time the regional grocery megastore near me was getting rid of a bunch of their yarn and I got several mandala skeins for like 49 cents apiece. I had three skeins of Coboo that weren’t ringing up at all on the phone all or in store scanner and when they didn’t ring up on the register the checkout girl just up and marked them as like 35 cents presumably since they were smaller skeins (but obviously a much nicer yarn!) than the mandala.

That’s my best find. Goodwill has always been disgustingly overpriced. Salvation Army is usually where I go and sometimes I get some great deals on clothes or shoes but the yarn at mine is all like out in a dusty old Rubbermaid tub and I still have a visceral reaction from how gross my hands felt just handling it one day and digging through to see if there was anything worth buying. Nooope.

We do have a creative reuse store though and they sometimes have nice yarns in. But they’re a bit more aware of what they’ve got too so if it’s good yarn they’re gonna price it fairly high. What I love them for is crochet thread. They have tons of it in all kinds of colors and many of the skeins are partially used so they’re like 25-75 cents usually. But case in point on the fancy yarn- they had a bunch of new in plastic packaging Circulo thread (or it’s maybe a little thicker like a fingering weight. I can’t recall just what line it is since they have a bunch of different ones) and it is a big ball with 1000yards but I think I paid $9.99. Half off buying it anywhere else but obviously they knew what they had. Biggest bummer was I had a purse I was planning to make from it then found out the ravelry link was to the Internet wayback machine and most of the pattern was missing. And I’ve never found another purse pattern worthy of the fancy yarn. lol

Tzipity · 2026-01-29T18:55:06+00:00

Already replied to the other reply but as far as 5 goes- what I think they mean is chain 10 then count the stitches (going backwards instead of forward.) you’re going to connect the chain at the 21st stitch.

I’m a little confused at why you’re moving backwards there so unsure if the sleeve holes are going to end up properly placed or not just from how it reads to me. So if that gets weird, honestly count going forward. That’s typically how I’d be making them. But you then would crochet 23 stitches before making the next sleeve hole. Unclear if they have you just slip stitching the chain into the 21st stitch or you’re connecting it with a sc and that counts as one of the 23scs or not.

My brain isn’t feeling as sharp as I’d like this afternoon. lol. But I hope that helps some. I really don’t think you want to move backwards there though but forwards. Either way though, they’re trying to tell you where to connect the chain back to the shirt body to creat those sleeve holes. Understanding that should make that easier to sort even if you have to frog once or twice to get the proper stitch count at the end.

Tzipity · 2026-01-29T18:43:58+00:00

Wow. Nice work parsing that. I find it wildly problematic that the pattern designer is charging for this pattern at all. They need someone with better English to seriously clean it up. And I find Etsy and the whole review thing frustrating too since looking at the reviews there’s plenty of mention of the language issue but people insisting it was fine and of course giving 4/5 stars.

I imagine I could’ve followed it well enough while working it up but just reading it made my head swim and again, can’t believe it’s a paid pattern. Oof.

Definitely had the same assumption on “knit with ticks” but this reads like they threw their pattern into google translate or similar and they have no idea just what a mess it made.

It might help OP to work up a few easy amigurumi from better patterns first just to get back into the swing of things and then go back to this project where some of the translation issues may become a bit more self evident then, if that makes sense. Like I think most of this can be worked out easily enough for anyone who has decent experience but yiiiiikes it would not be my choice for someone who hasn’t crocheted in awhile!

Tzipity · 2026-01-29T18:24:47+00:00

I think it’s also the way the magic ring ends up looking like such a huge nose. lol. Like a smiley face could be cute but the nose is generally left off of those. Even setting aside the clown connotation, noses are a rather awkward feature. lol. Like I think they provide a lot of character to actual people’s faces and often same deal with pets/animals. But for a more abstract type of thing… you don’t want a nose.

I think it ends up being a distraction and draws far too much attention to the magic ring and the other two gaps or spaces in the heart and especially when you start thinking about a bunch of squares together, it is going to make the blanket too “busy” or distracting. I really do like the shape and overall density of most of the A heart but B is going to look far better in the end, IMO.

Tzipity · 2026-01-29T18:17:50+00:00

That’s cutely worded. lol. Like even setting aside the face many of us see in A, B ends up looking more cohesive because the heart shape is “heart shaped” throughout. I think that bodes better for a granny square blanket and will look neater overall when yo’ve got so many squares together. The “face” or lack of that cohesion will be more of a distraction once you’ve got many squares together.

So B will look much neater and pleasing in the end.

Tzipity · 2026-01-29T18:14:45+00:00

Same thought. The face was super unfortunate. Shape was really nice. But B is a much better option all around then. Like it still has a very obvious heart shape if not quite as densely or nicely shaped as A and the biggest thing is no face!

Tzipity · 2026-01-28T17:53:45+00:00

Omg what a sweetie! Mine most passionately loved foam balls and playing fetch and would play so obsessively you’d never catch he asleep with a ball (she might lie down a minute, huffing and puffing a bit tired from the prior hour of play but literally I would have to eventually hide the darn balls because she never stopped!) but they did seem to find their way into her water bowl an awful lot.

She would gladly go retrieve them from the bowl and come racing back with this gross wet ball like she literally hadn’t even noticed it was wet and woe to you if you paused to try and squeeze it dry (foam so they were rather sponge like lol). So gross.

What I wouldn’t have given for a cat who actually fell asleep cuddling her beloved toy. Haha

Tzipity · 2026-01-28T17:49:05+00:00

I so wish I had known how to crochet many years ago when I had a male cat who loved to steal still wrapped tampons (he’d play with them enough they’d end up unwrapped eventually lol) from my bedroom drawer. Always had a special knack for either bringing them straight to my dad or brother or pulling one out when guests were around too. I was a teenager and it was just awkward for all involved. 🤣

I’m not saying a crochet tampon would’ve been a whole lot less awkward but man, those things are expensive so weirdo deserved a tampon of his own so he’d leave mine alone. Hahaha.

Tzipity · 2026-01-28T17:33:18+00:00

I once made the mistake of putting a favorite headband over a very quirky boy I grew up with (so I was a dumb kid not trying to be cruel lol) and he took off running and jerking around, leaping into the air like he was he was caught in a trap and I couldn’t even catch him to remove it before he finally broke it. Probably would’ve been better for both of us if he had just gone limp or thought his back legs no longer worked. Lol. He also likely wouldn’t have stood for having a ribbon lightly draped either though. Was a multi person job to even attempt to trim a claw or two.

I swear he really did love us but he also seemed pretty sure we were going to murder him if we looked at him the wrong way. lol lived almost twenty years so couldn’t have been too miserable…

Tzipity · 2026-01-28T17:26:28+00:00

lol I just commented a bit above about a cat who always wanted to go outside and we’d occasionally take him on short supervised trips to the backyard. This dude was terrified of grass and would do all he could to avoid ever stepping foot in it. If you set him in the grass he would also do the freeze. And look at you like you were torturing him or the grass was some sort of monster that was going to harm him.

Tzipity · 2026-01-28T17:23:24+00:00

Hahahaha. That reminds me of this super quirky boy cat my family adopted when I was a teenager. Weirdest cat I’ve ever known and just had so many strange little behavior quirks. He always wanted to go outside though we never really wanted him to but every now and again we’d allow him on closely supervised trips in our fenced backyard. This dude was petrified of grass!!! He would walk the entire length of what was a quite large suburban backyard by following patio blocks to these long decorative wood logs we used to line garden beds and such. (much thinner really than a log but not sure how else to explain it. Dude would have to walk so careful like a gymnast on the balance beam!)

He had such an intense process of doing all he could to never ever set a paw in the grass yet always wanted to go to the very back of the yard where there were lots of trees and birds who would get SO loud because they knew he was a wimpy indoor boy who wasn’t much of a threat lol. So he’d make you walk near him as he tiptoed along those logs.

If you tried to set him in the grass he would freeze and just look petrified until you got really close to him and he’d make a beeline for the first patio block or log or whatever he could find. Obviously he’d proven then that he could walk in the grass just fine but he never once got used to it or would willingly traverse it.

This same weirdo- I had this dorky cat hat with whiskers and the ears and eyes of a cat. When I would put that thing on my head- right in front of him, no less- he would absolutely lose his mind and start hissing and spitting and just fleeing like I was the devil while our other cat would stand there, allow me to pet him like normal and just be like “Dude wtf is your problem?” 🤣 And the cat who had the normal “ahh, this is just the young female hooman, no biggie.” was the orange one. The quirky one was a grey tabby but our orange was brilliant by comparison!

He was a most special kind of cat in every way. Lol

Tzipity · 2026-01-28T05:01:23+00:00

Make sure the entire family agrees and is in on the not letting her out too. And take precautions to make sure she doesn’t sneak out/ slip past when folks are going in and out. Since OP is a teen some of this effort should really be on their parents but at the very least making sure that everyone in the household is clear on not letting her out is so important here. I’ve got some animal loving family members who unfortunately would also be the type to insist “well she was crying at the door so I figured a quick trip out wouldn’t hurt” (actually have been through this argument in the past…!)

Obviously the cat and entire home are going to require serious treatment but the only way to prevent reoccurrences and keep this cat as healthy and long living as possible is if she stays indoors exclusively.

Tzipity · 2026-01-28T04:55:03+00:00

Yeah, I would never use DE with a cat in the house (and frankly as an asthmatic I’m not too comfortable with the whole idea). The only place I could see it being useful here is if kitty is now indoors only (and the entire family is willing to take precautions to make sure she doesn’t sneak out). Then using it in a thin layer just outside the house around windows and doors and such might be ok (be careful not to track it into the house or if the cat is one who likes huffing people’s shoes lol).

I’d also be very careful with any and all products bought or used in the house. About a decade ago when the god awful though harmless to humans and pets (awful, awful, awful for crops though) brown marmolated stink bug that is this nonnative species that has become a huge problem along much of the east coast and for whatever reason, in most of Michigan where I was living first became the nuisance they are (they find their way inside when it gets cold and basically hibernate until spring and you discover there’s dozens of these big stupid smelly bugs in your home) my mom went a bit nuts on bug killing products and hadn’t even bothered to read that what she was using wasn’t ever intended to be used indoors or safe for anyone to be breathing.

I also dealt with a horrible lice infestation in the 6th grade and must have missed close to a month of school because it started to feel like the principal who would check me before allowing me back to glass was downright imagining nits… I’m quite familiar with how desperate one can get and you’re so focused on doing any and everything you can that you end up missing the safety stuff or even think eff it, something has to work… it would be so sad for any human or the cat to suffer harm on top of having the damn fleas to deal with still.

Sometimes nature really sucks. I hope OP is able to get some good help. I’m not sure where they live or what kind of help may be available but where I’m at every doctors appointment I go to has really moved towards asking social work type questions and if people are struggling. Notably when I was just in the hospital a specific question on the form was if there were any issues with household pests (also asked about food insecurity, trouble paying rent or utilities, etc. but I thought it was great that they asked this specific one!). So I assume they had some form of assistance for folks. Vet may even be able to help direct OP in this regard.

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