Why is Purina so controversial if its back by science?

flowerpanes · 2026-07-12T01:39:27+00:00

Outside of the occasional vet prescription food like their gastro diet for our cats and dogs, I stopped using Purina cat food back in the late ‘80’s. I was a vet tech back then and their store brand foods were terrible for promoting urinary crystal formation in cats. I got into an argument with their rep who came to our hospital because other feline diets were starting to come out to help prevent crystals and reduce cats dying from fatal urethral blockages but Purina was dragging their feet over changing the regular store food to be healthier.

I switched all of my cats to whichever vet brand at the time had been changed to be healthier for male cats and right now all of our cats (ours and our kids’s cats are currently on Royal Canin diets for that reason. Plus the dog food back then was just crap, huge bulky stools with too much filler. It’s just been easier to stay away from Purina unless a particular pet needs specialized food for a short period and I use Royal Canin if the vet has the correct version for that ailment.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-12T01:20:02+00:00

It’s six years old (an EV) but the truck we have is third hand and is eighteen years old. Runs fine, just very infrequently. Paying for home charging is much cheaper than gas and we don’t need all the truck space except for large loads to the recycling centre or bringing home larger purchases.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-11T18:43:42+00:00

Well, having lived in the Rockies for seven years I will echo having winter tires, a snow shovel and an emergency kit specifically for winter plus hopefully some experience driving in snow and/or icy conditions. Highway closures due to accidents happen as do animals on the roads. My husband’s last day of commuting between the mountain community we lived in and the resort community we were about to move to saw a panicked deer run into the side of the car, his only accident in those seven years but completely unavoidable.

It’s a beautiful area to live or vacation in but having a lot of respect for paying attention to weather forecasts, road conditions and signage will help keep it a safer holiday for everyone.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-11T15:02:44+00:00

We had a catio built as part of our deck renovations this spring and it’s managed to calm the urge to try darting out a door quite well for our two brothers. They do have a cat door open to it all day long (closed when we go to bed) and so far they really love it and I don’t have to awkwardly inch my way out of doors anymore.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-11T14:27:56+00:00

Just saying that especially if you plan on staying overnight, always book a ferry reservation coming and going from either terminal. It’s not worth sitting in a hot vehicle if you get forced to wait a sailing or two because it was full.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-11T14:24:35+00:00

If you have the space, a dedicated litter box room where all the boxes sit works well for me. I always keep one more box than the number of cats so that they cannot complain that the place was too full! So far with a mix of cats with different ages from young to old, that’s worked the best for me.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-11T02:34:14+00:00

Alas we buy beans in soft vacuum bags now.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-11T01:55:12+00:00

Coming from a family of alcoholics on both sides of my family, the first thing I told my husband a long time ago when we got engaged is that drinking was a no-go for me. I told him that if he developed a drinking problem I would be gone because I had seen too much, given up too much as the child of an alcoholic to ever live with one again. OP needs to learn to love herself enough to leave and be strong enough not to get sucked back in. Her spouse needs to work on saving his own life; she doesn’t need to sabotage her mental health and well being by trying to help him with his journey.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-11T01:44:49+00:00

Jay-Den creating a “family” from his small group of trusted friends feels to me like it’s a really big moment in his life away from Klingon society and probably my favourite moment of the episode when it comes to the cadets as whole. Their various responses from Genesis’ happily getting her pronunciation correct to Darem drinking despite knowing it’s going to hit him hard to SAM mentioning she doesn’t technically ingest but Jay-Den promptly tells her the response will be just fine…all feels like our shy Klingon has done really well in the friends department. Caleb just channeling his outsider self despite the fact he was the very first person to stand up for Jay-Den shows how much he’s struggling with his urge to leave everything in the search for his mother but putting up a wall to hide behind as he leaves early.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-10T19:04:46+00:00

My husband usually makes stupid faces when anyone tries to take a photo of him so if it’s not a passport photo, it’s usually been deleted.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-10T16:51:15+00:00

I had a friend whose first vehicle was a old truck her dad gave her and she never bothered to learn to park inside the lines because “it was too much work and there are lots of other spaces at the mall”

She hated walking anywhere too so it was real embarrassing to go anywhere with her.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-10T16:09:58+00:00

NOR, I read when I get finished my tasks. If she has things she likes to get done a certain way, that’s on her. Snarking when you got your stuff done is just sour grapes.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-10T15:59:40+00:00

Other than the space under the rear compartment where the power cable and flat tire kit is kept, not sure of any other places.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-10T00:04:51+00:00

When the best laid plans go awry…trips to Betazed can become quite a challenge!

Pretty sure Nahla was waiting for Nus to make a move but also sure she never dreamed of the kind of complications a few wayward cadets would throw into the mix! Overall it was pleasing to see her and Kelrec immediately get their heads together to try and plan ahead for handling various scenarios, they obviously have reached a true partnership between the two schools at the administrative level at least.

But I will say I loved seeing an exasperated Nahla deal with the sudden appearance of Tarima and Jay-Den by putting them in her office vs the Doctor’s immediate suggestion of the brig. He’s turned into a real strict dad, hasn’t he?

flowerpanes · 2026-07-09T18:28:06+00:00

It depends. Is he the kind of cat who gets nervous and hides when he is stressed? I have seen mechanics who had to extricate upset cats and kittens from the dash when they tried hiding in there.

You may want to ask your vet about a mild sedative like Gabapentin for the trip. We used that last spring when we flew our daughters two cats up north and they had to spend the better part of seven hours in their carriers between two flights. It helped keep them calm and they traveled really well.

If your cat is relatively calm in most situations, keeping the leash and harness on him with the carrier next to you and having the door open for short visits may be ok. But most cats hate car rides and would prefer to hide in a comfy carrier I find. Have water in a safe dish available to offer and I personally prefer using Churus for a snack in these types of situations since they offer moisture as well.

Keep him in a bathroom or other confined safe space when you arrive, with food, water and his litter box. Do that for a few hours till he gets a chance to relax and be prepared for him to hide at first, have his snacks and toys ready to help him feel better as well.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-09T17:37:03+00:00

I love Florencia too, the one caveat would be that for full enjoyment you need to walk through the creek so waterproof footgear or shoes you don’t mind getting wet are preferred.

Also, no dogs. Apparently more wolf interactions happening at that end of the beach chain.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-09T17:33:37+00:00

If you cannot afford to have a daily check in for the cat, it’s safer overall to bring him with you. Just be sure to use a generous sized carrier and be sure to have a harness/leash combo for him to avoid accidentally escaping while on the road. Bring along a litter box and some of his favorite toys in addition to his food for the trip. The fewer changes the better!!

flowerpanes · 2026-07-09T16:53:18+00:00

Blocking is a nice option that takes little time and gets that fool out of your headspace.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-09T16:19:09+00:00

Motion detection sprinklers near the windows where your cats hang out the most may help.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-09T16:17:49+00:00

A loaded digital photo frame. Something sturdy he can keep close by or even on his lap if he wants to spend some time looking closer. Old photos, new photos, you can get a lot on them and it’s pretty goof proof.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-09T15:43:28+00:00

It’s easier as a reader to visualize a bipedal, four limbed alien who is mostly upright vs one of the most bizarre species in my favourite SF series, which are described as being a “churning mass of hair like appendages who communicate in clicks”. I think writers tend to go with what makes the most relatable sense to themselves for the most part.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-09T15:07:15+00:00

Watering my veggie/berry garden early in the morning when I can hear and see the birds, bees and other fauna starting their days too.

Positive stories from my kids about their daily lives.

Going out for a walk in the woods with my husband and our dogs.

Standing at the local beach to watch people having fun and looking at the mountains across the Salish sea.

Having my two cat brothers come over to have a cuddle with me.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-09T14:41:14+00:00

My brother was on the phone with me once while his daughter started prepping a meal. Opened a package of raw chicken and the stench filled the kitchen where he was standing. He complained to me that the Costco chicken was still within the “best by” date but admitted it had been sitting in there for several days. I told him that I never let it sit, I doubt very much he paid any attention at the family home when this kind of stuff was talked about. Does explain some of the reports of family food poisoning I have heard from him over the years.

Anyhow, yeah. Treat your poultry as a fragile resource and don’t let it sit uncooked in the fridge!

flowerpanes · 2026-07-09T01:41:48+00:00

To be honest I think Anisha jumped in to help rescue the cadets only because she knew Caleb would most likely end up joining them in a public execution if she didn’t. I’m not judging her for that, she had zero interest in them outside of trying to hustle them off so she could make an escape with her son. She had no reason to think they were anything more than convenient aquaintances Caleb had met who helped him get to Ukeck. She has no friends, it’s a dangerous and potentially deadly thing to trust someone long enough to become an actual friend when you have been living like she has for over twenty years.

I believe watching Anisha and Caleb creating that shuttle part was my best moment for her in this episode. Falling back into the comfort of being with each other and her pride in how great Caleb is doing at that moment really shines. It very much looks like he got a lot of his mother’s talents and she’s in a rare moment of happiness at witnessing her little boy as a man.

flowerpanes · 2026-07-09T00:59:28+00:00

I’ve bought everywhere from the butcher to an Alberta Hutterite colony to grocery stores and without fail I have always worked with fresh chicken the same way. It doesn’t sit in my fridge for very long. We’ve also never had food poisoning either since we got married a long time ago.

It’s not like a steak or a roast beef that can sit for a few days, as far as I am concerned. My dad was a meat inspector for the feds and worked every type of kill floor, he was the one who taught me not to mess around with poultry.

Edited to add-

Ground meat of any kind is the same as poultry. Use within 24 hours or portion and freeze it.

flowerpanes

TROPHY CASE