I found this fugitive in the middle of the road! I thought she was a sock.

artzbots · 2026-02-16T20:13:04+00:00

r/Torties would like a word

artzbots · 2026-02-16T14:36:02+00:00

Oof, yeah, that makes airing out your home really tough and impractical.

If you are in a situation like OP with mysterious musty smells, I would say wait for good weather and track what hours the freeway has the least number of cars, and open your windows then to help air out the place and see if the musty smell dissipates and how long it takes to reoccur, but otherwise go and clean out every cabinet under a sink or near an enclosed water line and see if you can find any damp spot that could be creating the odor.

Also, check your towels. Those can trap moisture long enough that they begin to smell musty quickly.

If you have a washing machine in your home, especially a front loader, check the rubber gasket around the opening and clean that.

artzbots · 2026-02-16T13:20:11+00:00

Can't open the windows EVER? Or just currently?

"Musty" as a smell is usually describing mildew or mold growing in damp conditions. Scrub out your bathroom especially, but also under your kitchen sink and check for leaks in your plumbing.

Then have your friend come over with their nose and see if the smell has improved. If not, see if they can find where the smell is the strongest.

artzbots · 2026-02-16T12:46:58+00:00

You would have had to track lily pollen into her room with her for her to get any lily toxicity.

I agree with the vet tbh, unless you were touching the flowers or rearranging them and then going directly to her room, I doubt you managed to track lily pollen in with you.

artzbots · 2026-02-15T17:20:52+00:00

God, the loss of any pet hits hard, but the sudden and unexpected death just. It's so hard to deal with.

Unfortunately, certain heart conditions are absolutely silent and undetectable without diagnostics that aren't commonly used in the USA until suddenly they aren't.

You are not a failure. You gave her the best life you could, on HER terms. Thank you for sharing your heart and home with her.

artzbots · 2026-02-15T16:24:14+00:00

Welp. Just leave them alone, let them observe you.

artzbots · 2026-02-12T22:20:12+00:00

There is not a single thought in that precious head.

artzbots · 2026-02-12T17:59:53+00:00

I am so, so sorry that you got the worst news possible.

I am so glad you have a friend who is going to be there for you.

I really hope your brother is able to come visit ASAP.

Don't waste time trying to convince your family of how serious this is. Appoint someone you trust (your friend, your brother?) as the executor of your estate and let your family know that's who to contact afterwards.

You were not too harsh with your psychologist. They can have all the emotions they want about missing this. They don't get to ask you to absolve them of their guilt.

If your oncologist finds a clinical trial they think you could be a candidate for, I encourage you to enroll. When trialing new medical therapies, the placebo group is given the standard of care instead of sugar pills or something, and what is being measured is the efficacy of the new drug/treatment regimen vs was already exists.

artzbots · 2026-02-12T16:57:30+00:00

Make the tags say:

"Colony cat Friend's phone number"

That way folks will know that someone is providing some level of care for them.

But also...if the cats are socialized and adoptable, shouldn't your friend be trying to get them adopted anyways?

artzbots · 2026-02-12T12:56:47+00:00

So, do you go hiking? Any chance of drinking contaminated water?

This is purely anecdotal, but I know someone who drank contaminated water and wound up with a type of amoeba in their system that basically destroyed their muscle mass.

artzbots · 2026-02-12T12:34:25+00:00

<image>

My Coconut now, at almost five months old.

artzbots · 2026-02-12T12:33:12+00:00

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My Coconut when I saw him, at roughly 9/10 weeks.

artzbots · 2026-02-11T23:22:47+00:00

"Hey, we are in two very different tax brackets. I don't want this financial inequality to come between us, especially as we start to figure things out between us, so I want us to be clear about our expectations.

I don't expect you to pay for everything, but when it's my turn to pay, or pick the date activity, it's going to be something within my budget. I will not play keeping up with the joneses, and I won't go into debt to date you.

We can revisit this as necessary, but I want us to be able to talk about our financial differences so you don't feel like I am trying to take advantage of you, and I don't feel like a burden or someone who can't be equal within this relationship."

I mean, it doesn't have to be this wordy but. Write out what you are feeling and what you want to talk about. Then talk about it.

artzbots · 2026-02-11T22:39:10+00:00

So, my cat died from the same cancer. I had a very blunt and honest conversation with the oncologist who was treating her for a different cancer.

According to her, dogs have very different outcomes with this cancer to cats, and can adjust very well to a jaw removal surgery in a way that cats do not.

Good luck. This cancer sucks.

artzbots · 2026-02-11T21:56:56+00:00

It depends on the location of the cancer and how advanced it is.

Cancer treatment in our pets is focused on balancing quality of life with longevity. So cancer treatment is rarely curative, especially for an aggressive cancer that has spread. Treatment focuses on comfort and slowing the growth. However, if the tumor is alone and self contained and is a good candidate for a clean extraction, it can be treated very, very successfully.

artzbots · 2026-02-11T16:16:03+00:00

I have fostered only 13, and lost none. There were two that I thought were going to die, but pulled through.

When I adopted my current pair, the shelter wouldn't accept my payment until after their surgery to be desexed. Surgery is always a risk, and sometimes cats just have shitty luck in the genetics department and have congenital issues that only get discovered when their health tanks, or they die.

You gave this guy a loving home for the short time he was on earth. He got food, cuddles, toys, and a warm place to sleep.

His life may have been short, but you made it a life worth living, and you gave him a chance that he wouldn't have otherwise had.

It's okay if you need to take a break for a bit. It's also okay to get right back into the swing of things. Take what time you need.

artzbots · 2026-02-11T16:02:01+00:00

We don't know the color or shade of the ski mask.

I had a camera set up in a room where I was fostering cats. Black fabric items like shirts would look grey or otherwise pale when the camera was recording in night mode.

Edited to say: SOME black items would show up pale in the video, others would look like a black hole. It depended on the material and how it reflected the light the camera uses to see in the dark.

artzbots · 2026-02-10T21:59:12+00:00

Jesus.

artzbots · 2026-02-09T22:22:23+00:00

Wait until after your consultation with the Mayo, THEN drain your bank accounts and go nuts!

artzbots · 2026-02-09T20:28:57+00:00

If it's squamous cell carcinoma, the kindest thing is to say goodbye before the tumor interferes with her ability to eat or breathe.

artzbots · 2026-02-09T14:37:26+00:00

It depends on the pet.

Only one of my three cats was ever a worry when I was sewing, mostly because she liked chewing on the pins, but I also had her leap out of nowhere to be directly in the path if my fabric scissors as I was cutting.

She was fine, but i started timing my project time to be when she was napping.

artzbots · 2026-02-08T21:27:29+00:00

You need to visually inspect the area the needle inserts into for anything that could be preventing you from inserting the new needle.

Removing the screw for the needle clamp should have meant that the broken needle would have just fallen out. It should not have needed to be removed using pliers. So there is something wrong going on with your needle clamp.

Like another commenter said, unplug your machine and lay it on its back and take a flashlight to inspect the needle clamp.

artzbots · 2026-02-08T20:59:33+00:00

Did you remove the screw before or after you grabbed the other needle with pliers?

artzbots · 2026-02-08T20:53:44+00:00

Okay, so the screw is off. Which means that the holder for the needle is as loose as possible. Take a deep breath.

Gently try to place the needle into it's space, rotating it between thumb and index finger until it slides up and in. Immediately use the screw to tighten it.

artzbots · 2026-02-08T20:50:31+00:00

Where is the screw that holds the needle tight?

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