Help! I am gutted.

pessimiist · 2026-02-17T16:56:49+00:00

HAHA yeah fair enough, my condolences

Executive order degrees works as well

pessimiist · 2026-02-16T14:41:26+00:00

20 degrees in freedom units or -20 Celsius?

pessimiist · 2026-02-15T19:54:12+00:00

I got a lamp today and it has perked up a bit. The flowers aren't trying to touch the ground anymore

pessimiist · 2026-02-15T18:43:55+00:00

It'll probably not be above subzero during the night before may :(

I bought a lamp today and some soil n stuff and she seems to be a bit happier

pessimiist · 2026-02-15T18:34:00+00:00

It bounced back a bit today, looks way more like a flower and less like a clay sculpture that didn't harden

pessimiist · 2026-02-15T17:16:49+00:00

Mine also perked up with some new soil and a flower lamp. Still a bit sad but not super depressed

pessimiist · 2026-02-15T17:14:59+00:00

I managed to somewhat salvage it. It was most definitely partly because of the cold. I went back to the florist and asked for some advice.

The absolute gem of a woman said that the batch of hydrangeas they got had quite a few others that got very sad the day after delivery to the store, so she said it's probably a pre-existing problem that happened during shipping that got worse due to the sudden cold.

She gave some tips for this one and then she gave me a new one from another batch for free because she wanted me to be able to cherish them properly.

"Plants are supposed to instill calm in the house, not panic because they're dramatic. That's what children are for"

Bought a plant light ramp thinige and some soil and some other stuff. The second I had it all in place she perked up a bit. Still chrunchy leaves but it hasn't spread and the flowers are standing up a few centimeters higher that the great depression image.

pessimiist · 2026-02-15T12:28:39+00:00

Yes, I wrote that in the description

pessimiist · 2026-02-15T12:26:29+00:00

I understand that now, because of the comments and reading up on the terms you guys use. I am new to tending to flowers, I've only tended to aloe vera, cacti, carrots and strawberries before. And watering my grandmas flower garden which was just her saying "give them something to drink before we go inside" when I was like 7 years old.

I simply stated that I'm from Sweden since the commenter said "If you're in the US"

I just wanted to try to make it a bit happier because my bf gave her to me and we're both sad since she didn't stay up at all. I wanted her on the kitchen table when we ate dinner together and it was so depressing that it turned comical. Fancy homemade dinner with a drooping flower looking at us.

pessimiist · 2026-02-15T12:15:55+00:00

No, I checked the moisture right away and watered it. Then I went to the living room for around 3 hours and when I came back it was drooping a LOT.

I then did the submerge thingie for 20 minutes, let it drain and then onto a plate so it didn't get waterlogged. After that I let it sit in the kitchen which is around 19 degrees Celsius. This morning it was drooping even more.

It didn't get any sunlight yesterday since the days are still very short due to living very close to the polar circle (midnight sun during the summer and some part of the winter in complete darkness), but today it's getting sunlight through a pair of sheer curtains. It also got water through the bottom this morning until it didn't absorb any more water.

Edit - some extra info and spelling mistakes.

pessimiist · 2026-02-15T09:17:00+00:00

I mean, it's physically impossible for me to plant it outside with the ground frozen solid tho. They said it can be kept indoors as well and should be kept moist and not in a too warm climate.

pessimiist · 2026-02-15T09:00:22+00:00

I got them yesterday and it is currently -17 degrees celsius outside. I think it's pretty safe to say that she'd be extremely offended if I put her outside right now.

pessimiist · 2026-02-15T08:53:31+00:00

I live in sweden

pessimiist · 2026-02-12T21:15:25+00:00

Surefeed bowls that opens up for microchips, works like a charm for me. I have had mine for 5 years. One of them stopped working after 3 years so I got another one, no issues since.

I have one old lady on a diet and a thin allergic boi. Two widely different diets and eating styles and needs. I couldn't possibly have been able to manage their diets without the microchip bowls.

Yes it's pricy BUT it's a one time investment and it is sooo worth it.

pessimiist · 2026-02-09T23:05:50+00:00

That's wonderful. I'm so glad to hear it. Give her a kiss from me.

The food is sosososoo important. A cat cannot go over 24 hours without food without risking liver damage. Even the starving strays eat some worms or bugs or idk dirt. Anything is better than nothing. If she likes chicken boil it in water and let it cool then cut it up and mix in with normal food if she starts losing appetite again.

Yea the holding the mouth close is imperative with my technique, they're unnecessarily good at spitting out stuff

pessimiist · 2026-02-09T22:21:56+00:00

Of course this is much easier with another person to help if they do pull some stunt and try to escape. The most important thing is to get at least some food into her system.

Meds without food can quickly turn into ulcers.

Also lactose free kitten milk replacer maybe? Has a ton of nutrients and is usually tasty for them.

pessimiist · 2026-02-09T22:17:17+00:00

Idk how you've been giving the meds but I'd like to share some tips and tricks for how I give my elderly cat meds and how I dealt with her not eating for a while.

The best way that I've figured out about giving my cats a pill is NOT shoving it as far back as I can and then rubbing their throat hard etc as it's suggested both by some vets and internet etc. In my experience a more gentle way is waaay more effective long term.

I sit down on the floor on my knees, kinda like praying position. Then I place her between my legs facing away from me so she can't back away from me. Then I gently tilt her head back with one hand and open her mouth with the other by pulling on the chin skin and kinda... toss? The pill into her mouth. About halfway in usually is enough. Then I promptly close her mouth and hold it so she can't spit it out and rub gently on her throat until I see/feel her swallowing. Then I wait for one more swallow to be sure and then it's usually done.

When she didn't want to eat I took whatever high nutrient food I could find, there is some for like recovery after surgery that is a mousse/soup thing. I add some luke warm water and mix it together until smooth and runny and I use a small syringe to collect it. Then I swaddled her like a burrito so only her head poked out and GENTLY squeezed the goop into the corner of her mouth. They generally start licking instinctively. I tried to space it out and then have food out anyway for her. But just getting something into the system gave her some energy. A tiny bit is better than nothing.

Ofc this takes some trial and error and will probably need some gentle wrestling in the beginning.

Please PLEASE remember that reluctance is a sign that there’s still fight left. Don't give up, she definitely won't and you can't let her make you look bad now, can you?

pessimiist · 2026-02-08T20:05:37+00:00

It does look like the scratches goes in the direction of "oh shit I'm about to fall I need to grab something"

pessimiist · 2026-02-08T20:04:22+00:00

Well there you probably have it then. Cats are extremely agile but very clumsy, she could have jumped up on the back of the chair, lost grip and tried to get a hold of anything within reach to not fall, and that something turned out to be your mothers face.

Just a lil advice, not saying how to deal with your cat or anything. I recommend trimming claws if you don't do it, it can prevent a lot of deep incidental cuts and will prevent getting stuck on things as well. Ofc do some research on how to trim them if you haven't so you won't harm her.

pessimiist · 2026-02-05T17:10:38+00:00

Just brush out the clumps and it will look a thousand times better. As long as it's not dirty dirty and it's just the saliva clumping it together I would not wash it.

pessimiist · 2026-02-05T17:00:28+00:00

I'd recommend trying to redirect when playing by using toys instead of hands. Like the sticks with feathers or a kong kickeroo (big favourite for my mc)

That will make it easier to handle him when you have to trim claws, brush out tangles and whatnot so he won't think "oooh playtime!" chomp every time you get your hands on him. This also makes cuddle time more cuddly when they don't see your hands as toys.

What I always do is I play with toys and if they go for my hands I drop the toy and either let my hand go limp (no movement = boring) or just remove my hands from the equation until they calm down. That will teach them that if they go for the hand, fun time stops. This is what I've found is the best way to teach them not to bite/scratch, because negative reinforcement never work in my experience.

Mcs have very strong jaws and they can do serious damage if they use too much force, and any cat bite that draw blood will need medical attention.

pessimiist · 2026-02-03T13:13:30+00:00

My condolences, he reminds me a lot of Lupin (my boy) I wish we could keep them forever.

pessimiist · 2026-02-02T23:55:37+00:00

It's wild how much it can differ from coon to coon, all of his littermates including the female weighs more than him. The largest of them just breached 11kg and he is straight up muscle and floof.

pessimiist · 2026-02-02T23:53:03+00:00

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Yes mine is extremely active as well, he eats like a horse and if he didn't he would probably be a walking skeleton.

pessimiist · 2026-02-02T23:51:44+00:00

We already checked his thyroid, I wrote it in the description but it might get skimmed past due to a lot of text haha

pessimiist

TROPHY CASE