#Cat Spraying Rehoming

[froody]

mom’s parting punishment on the couch pisser

[housekeepinginfo]

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[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

this man needs a home!

hello! this very friendly little stray orange boy in Houston TX needs somewhere to live that is not my house! I’m willing to drive within the texas triangle, or meet someone halfway. he is free to a good home and has had some basic vetting.

what’s his deal?

he’s about two, about ten pounds, and is freshly neutered, rabies vaxxed, and flea/tick/mite treated with revolution ii. he is a known community cat with no microchip, he will need a more thorough vetting and to be microchipped, but I’m currently unemployed and $200 is the max i can really spend on this man. happy to forward you his vet records, but my name and address are plastered all over them so i will not be posting them.

he’s extremely people-social and friendly (you can sling him around with one hand as he purrs up a storm) and im assuming cat social since I have seen him peaceably hanging out with other strays outside and he wants to be friends with my cat So Bad. he’s just orange.

why is he in my bathroom and why can’t he live there forever?

this cat has been the bane of my cat Mackintosh’s existence since we moved, because he wants to be friends So Bad i had to put up bird spikes on my windows and balcony to stop him from jumping up. he’s also been spraying on my front door. my cat’s solution to any stressor is throwing up. in the process of ruling out various tummy troubles, my vet and i agreed that this little orange man is a major stress trigger and if he came back (i have not seen him in months) i should scoop him up and rehome him. my cat wants him dead and there would never ever be a peaceful introduction or coexistence, unfortunately.

who else has been contacted?

BARC, Friends4Life, Houston Cares, Purrfect Cat, Animal Justice League, Adopt A Cat Texas, and Citizens for Animal Protection. I’m making my way through a list of tiny private Facebook rescues, but every major shelter in Houston is genuinely at capacity. we are going to try again at BARC next Sunday (9/15) during their open intake hours, since we tried last Sunday and they accepted exactly three cars. if the absolute worst comes to worst he will go back outside, since I’m not willing to put my existing cat through the severe anxiety of this man in her home for more than two weeks. however that is only a partial solution to “the sight of this cat makes my cat flip her shit and then throw up her next two meals”. hopefully it will stop him spraying on my front door though.

[theriu]

What advice do you have for someone who wishes to (eventually, as soon as she has both the space and the money) have a cat, but who has never had a pet before?

Oh goodness, I don’t feel like an expert but I will do my best! Here’s a few tips I can think of from my own experiences:

1) Decide how okay you are with shedding. Of my two cats, the long-haired one obviously sheds a lot more noticeably, and it can be a bit aggravating to find clumps of fur all over the carpet. Hard floors can make this less of a nuisance since you can sweep it up easily, but if you have a lot of carpet, I’d suggest a short-hair cat unless you just SUPER LOVE long-hairs. Of course, my cats were both strays so those kinds of considerations didn’t really factor in. 😅

2. Determine if you want a cat that is indoor/outdoor or indoor only. Now, there is a lot of argument against letting cats run free outdoors, but I used to live out on a farm right next to a trailer park full of stray cats, so a few more (all fixed) weren’t going to make much difference to the local wildlife. Once I moved into town, though, I rehomed my one cat I knew would be miserable being indoor-only, and the other two have adapted pretty well to being indoor cats. (They do try and sneak out the door sometimes, though.) I did this mainly because risks like being hit by cars or being mistaken for a stray and adopted by some well-meaning person are much higher in town. They are still risks elsewhere, though, so keep a collar on your cat, and consider getting it microchipped. Also, know that you will probably need to get the cat some extra shots, for diseases they can only get outside. Also also, make sure you spay/neuter! (The kitten issue aside, female cats are so WEIRD when they are in heat!)

For indoor cats, my house has stairs the cats can run up and down and they seem to stay in good shape, but just make sure they have some kind of ability to exercise if they can’t run much. Stimulating things like feeder dishes that make the cat work for its food can help mentally and with keeping them from overeating. (I got this neat feeding bowl that is actually a holder of five cups of varying sizes that get filled with food, and the cats have to paw it out of the cups. It’s really helped with how fast they were eating.)

3. Cats have very different personalities, so I think it’s good to try and figure out what a cat is like before adopting it. I kept all my cats because they were really friendly compared to other cats I had known. Of course, there is the issue where my two current cats don’t always get along, but they at least don’t get into full-on brawls. But if you don’t have any other pets when you get the cat, this should be easier - you only have to get it used to you! Cats don’t always show friendlieness by cuddling; a lot of times, they just want to be in the room with you. But if you’re looking for a cuddler, see if you can find one that isn’t too afraid of people and will come right up for petting. When introducing it to your home, give it plenty of space and time to get used to its new surroundings and roommate.

4. Remembering to feed and water and change the cat litter can be hard, especially if you have ADHD. >.> My solution on the water front has been to fill a large decorative bowl in the living room and the cats just drink off that. XD For the food, Stormy will always remind me when she thinks the food is low (this is generally a false alarm the first couple times, the drama queen). Make sure you clean the litter box frequently, or the cats may find other, less agreeable locations to go. 8/ (Such as, oh I don’t know, INSIDE THE DRYER ON MY CLEAN LAUNDRY) If your cat does pee somewhere, you want to get those pet cleaner sprays because they break down the stinky enzymes that make cat pee smell so bad for so LONG.

5. As mentioned, some cats are cuddlier than others, but here’s a few general tips on cat behavior: a slow blink is how they show they trust you. A cat rolling onto its back is also showing trust that you WON’T touch its vulnerable belly (but some cats do actually learn to love tummy rubs; you kinda have to figure that one out on a cat-by-cat basis). They often like being petted on the area over the hindquarters near the base of the tail, but they also have a lot of nerves there and can get overstimulated, so if a cat goes from letting you pet it to trying to bite your hand, it is probably telling you that petting needs to stop NOW because its nerves are going CRAZY. This can also involve some trial and error; my former cat Clyde still sometimes knee-jerk reacts to being petted, but my sister says he has never done it to her, so we think she just pets less firmly than I do. Meanwhile, Shuri has NEVER reacted poorly to petting, and in fact would love nothing more than for me to spend an hour petting her so hard that she squishes into the mattress.

6. Don’t waste money on fancy cat toys unless you have some indication your cat likes that kind of toy. (This may be different if you raise them with the fancy toys from kittenhood; mine were both strays and are Very Suspicous of anything fancy I get them.) Laser pointers are an INSTANT FAVORITE and only cost a few dollars! And a dangly thing on a string can usually get them excited. Cats will often prefer a plain cardboard box over a fancy catbed, but they like pillows and piles of clothes and chairs and couches and people beds. And sometimes the round puzzle you put together on top of your hope chest, because Borders Are Safe Zones.

7. GET SCRATCHING POSTS OR THEY WILL MAKE THEIR OWN. (They will probably make their own anyway; my couch is regretably covered in claw marks. But the scratching posts at least help slow the deterioration.) Fun Fact: Cats don’t use scratching posts to “sharpen” their claws, but rather to rub off the outer layers on their claws. If you trim your cat’s claws yourself, you may notice how the claws kind of flake off when clipped. Be very careful not to cut into the quick (the blood vessel) when trimming! If your cat strongly opposes this process, the vet can do it for you for a small fee, but I generally just wrap mine up in a towel and make them suffer the indignity. It’s cheaper for me and less stressful for them than a long car trip and a visit to the strange vet’s office would be. (And they always forgive me pretty immediately after I release them. I cannot speak for cats that may hold grudges.)

I’m sure I haven’t covered even a tenth of the useful info, but I hope these are helpful and that you find just the right cat buddy in the future! 😄

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for being "negative" about a bunny and refusing to apologize? I don't think I can really shorten this, so I'm sorry for the lack of a TL;DR :/ It's pretty long!! TW for animal death(and potentially animal abuse?)

My mom(42 F) has a habit of randomly bringing pets home. For context, she's a single mother with four kids, with me(17) being the oldest, alongside my sister("E",13) and my two brothers(7 and 4, not relevant to the story). My sister and I share a room and my brothers share one too. My mom works a job that involves sleeping at work and doesn't think it's worth it for us to rent a three bedroom, so she sleeps on the couch on her nights off.

The first time was mid-2020 when she brought home a feral kitten my grandpa found underneath his house. What was supposed to be a family pet quickly turned into a pet that was kept only to E's and my room. He had some sort of sinus issue where he snotted everywhere all the time, so snot was constantly needing to be cleaned and being found randomly on our things. The cat was eventually rehomed after a year because it scratched my sister really badly to the point that my mom was concerned she would need stitches(she didn't. the cat didn't like being pet / touched and my sister wouldn't respect its boundries).

The second time was another cat(2021) that followed my mom from her cat to her place of work. This was when I started getting frustrated with my mom randomly bringing home animals, since the same set up that happened last time happened again- except this time, the cat got old enough to spray, and my mom kept forgetting to get him fixed so our room just smelled fucking awful. This cat was also rehomed when I broke down after realizing it has sprayed all over my books. I told my mom he either needed to be fixed or she needed to get rid of him. He was gone the next week.

Then last year it happened again- except this time, with a puppy(2022). My aunt was looking to get a new dog and sent some puppy photos to my mom, which she cooed over and showed me. She told me she was considering bringing one home, which I instantly told her was a bad idea and went over all the cons. Mom seemed to agree. Then guess what happened to be an early Christmas gift.... -_-

My sister and I took charge on the dog. We got our brothers to agree on a name for him(anyone with younger siblings knows this is a BIG deal lmao), started attempting to crate train him(basically making sure he's okay with eventually being left alone without crying the whole time), and we were the only ones trying to potty train him. Our mom didn't stick to any of this(including choosing a new name??) and the dog still isn't potty trained, and I'm the only one other than my mom that doesn't refuse to clean up after him. The dog doesn't stay in our room like the other animals, but it took months for my sister and I to convince our mom to get a hook lock for our door so the dog wouldn't keep coming in and peeing. The dog didn't end up getting rehomed, but now regularly stays at our aunt's house way more than ours.

It's worth noting at this point that all of these pets were "family pets" according to mom, and she would get upset when me and E pointed out we were really the only one taking care of them. The dog evened out after a while and now it's mostly my mom and I doing the work when he's here, but the cats are still a point of tension for us.

And now. For the fucking bunny!! Jesus christ I'm sorry there's so much backstory to this!!

A week ago my sister comes into our room and wakes me up to tell me mom brought home a baby bunny. It was scary small(3.5 inches long not stretching, 2 weeks old), and wasn't moving much but was clearly alive. My mom said it ran into my Nana's yard after the dog next door scared it off, and it's pretty safe to assume the nest is destroyed. But instead of bringing the rabbit to a wildlife rehab or something, my mom brought it home and told my sister she could keep it. They then put it in a box with some grass and water and did no further research.

I was pretty livid, because 1. This is a WILD rabbit. That's a crime in my state, 2. I think it was insanely irresponsible for my mom to drop this on us, 3. This is not a pet and it's very likely it'll die in our care just from us not being experienced, and 4. On a very basic and selfish level, I didn't want to take care of this animal and I didn't want it in our room(which it had to be). But E has been asking for a bunny for years, so for once she wasn't on my side about a new pet being dropped on us. So I was pretty outnumbered.

I kept pushing for my mom to contact a professional at the very least to ask about its diet(it's very easy to kill baby bunnies by feeding them the wrong thing), and kept trying to get my sister to stop holding / petting it since rabbits can die of stress. My mom listened after a day and my sister never did. Tbh I also thought if my mom contacted a professional the pro would tell her to absolutely not keep the bunny? But it was never brought up in their convo, so I think my mom might have lied about it or something, idk.

I continued being "negetive" about the rabbit and my sister kicked me out of our room for it. I refused to care for it too, even though my mom kept insisting it was a "family" pet(without me it was just her and E taking care of it, and since it stayed in our room my brothers never really got to see it). To be honest I really didn't feel like I had a lot of options, and I thought if I didn't help then maybe they would get overwhelmed or something and decide to give it to a professional. But I still kept trying to give pet care advice, because I didn't want any harm to come to the bunny(for example, my sister likes our room to never have to ac on, but i made sure she was keeping it cool enough for the bunny).

Well... After four days, the bunny died. E was pretty heartbroken, obviously, and my mom was sad, but to be honest I'm just sort of bitter. I'm upset a rabbit died just because my mom wouldn't listen. For more context, I also thought bringing in the bunny was a bad idea because my sister recently lost her dad, and I knew if it didn't end well this would just add more grief to her life. I 100% don't think she's TA in this situation, even if she has frustrated me.

I'm still pretty pissed at my mom for all of this, so yesterday when she sat me down and told me I should apologize to E for how I behaved, I didn't take it well. She said my negetivity made it so E didn't fully enjoy her time with the bunny, and that if I had handled things differently maybe things would have tunred out better. I know E has been avoiding me, which started when we first got the bunny and she kicked me out of the room for being too negetive. I feel like she just needs time to process, and to be honest I don't think this is something I should apologize for, even if it is an apology just to make her feel better. It feels like that would be irresponsible of me? Idk. I told my mom none of this would have happened if SHE hadn't been so irresponsible and brought the bunny home to a grieving teenager, when there wasn't much of a chance of the bunny surviving with us in the first place, but tbh ever since her dad died I've been really trying to do right by E, so I second-guess myself a lot now.

So AITA for being negetive about the bunny and refusing to apologize? To be clear again I don't think E is TA here, but they're both upset with me so idk.

What are these acronyms?

[intersexfairy]

do not declaw your cat. do not do it. it is mutilation. it is traumatizing to them. their claws are their first line of defense - you take away that? now they're scared. now, they have to resort to biting to defend themselves. or maybe they just avoid everything, so they wont have to defend themselves. and then they also get insecure in their surroundings, and go outside the litter box. or get hostile towards new people. and remember how i said it's mutilation? yeah. you're not just removing their claws. you are removing their first knuckle. would you like the tips of all your fingers and toes removed? no? dont fucking do it to your cat.

if you do this to your cat knowing all of the above, you should not have pets or children. do not declaw your cat. and do not punish your cat either. no spray bottle. no yelling. no time out. modify the environment and use positive behavior reinforcement. rehome them if you are unable to do that. they will be happier and healthier in a home that can take care of them and teach them how to behave safely and healthily. if you love your cat, do that for them. do. not. hurt. them.

also stop forcing your cat to do things for your enjoyment, or for internet clout. learn their body language. respect their boundaries. if it would be unpleasant or abusive to a child, don't do it to your cat. they deserve better.

[cakemagemaeve]

So mama-cat October Daye and her eldest daughter Little Soot are both currently in heat, so that's fun. I'm having a tough time getting them in with the low-cost spay/neuter clinic. Can't happen soon enough! O_o Still, at least they're both inside cats now, and all my boys are neutered.

Since Soot is still semi-feral (though for the most part she's adjusted quite well to living inside and has really bonded with me in particular) and since Toby is such a stabilizing force for her, my family and I have come to the conclusion that rehoming either of them probably isn't going to be possible, so they're sticking around. And since Little Soot was always meant as a placeholder name because I was initially working under the assumption that she'd find a new home, I have changed her name to Marceline the Vampire Queen.

Also, I gotta tell ya, all three of us are more than half-tempted to keep Sir Cheeto the Cheez Doodl of the Marmalade Order, too. He's an absolute treasure of an orange idiot, and I love him so so much.

Anyway, have some more pictures!

Here's Marcy from a few days before we managed to get her inside. She was already letting me pet her at that point and had let me pick her up once without a problem (every other time she's been picked up Did Not Go Well, so I'm slowly building back up to it). She was still so timid and afraid to trust me, but it was clear that she badly wanted to. I started by leaving treats and toys out for her (her mother ate most of the treats, lol), slow-blinking at her when we'd make eye contact, spraying myself and the porch with feline calming spray every time I went outside, and very pointedly not approaching her. Once she realized I wasn't going to chase her, she calmed down considerably. Eventually, she got comfortable being within 6 feet of me, so I started using feather wands as well, which got her curious enough to get closer and closer, until one day I held out my hand and turned my head away (HTTYD-style), and she sniffed my fingers and rubbed her face against them. It wasn't long before she let me pet her, which she's come to really enjoy and is seeking out more and more frequently. She's even tried to get in my lap a couple of times, though she panicked at the last second each time and instead hid underneath the chair. Baby steps. <333

And here she is three days after moving into the guestroom (she and the kittens pretty much have the run of the house these days, and she has been very well-behaved and is responsible for almost none of the daily chaos and nonsense that goes on in this house).

Family photos!

Is there anything cuter than a kitten pile? <333 Damn, they had so much personality even back then.

I've got so many more recent photos of them, but before I can post 'em I have to resize/brighten them in PhotoPea and then I have to convert them from .psds to .pngs.

[is-the-owl-video-cute]

Since everyone is sending you stuff tonight I might as well vent a little, and maybe ask for advice. I have a cat and live with a roommate who also has a cat. My cat is sweet but uper skittish and basically hides 20 hours of the day, and only comes out for food or water or (rarely) cuddles with me. My roommate's cat has single kitten syndrome and is a nightmare. She poops and pees on the floor, scratches up all the furniture, turns the food and water bowls over 10+ times a day, and plays roughly. Like really, REALLY roughly. Draws blood, leaves puncture wounds roughly. And sees any attempt to shoo her away or run away from her as you playing back. Pulling away doesn't help. Making loud noises don't help. Pushing her or bopping her doesn't help. Spraying water doesn't help. Distracting her with toys doesn't help. If she wants to attack you she will. Not. Stop.

And still, all this I could tolerate if it were just me. But she attacks my cat too. And my poor sweet boy who's afraid of his own shadow now won't even come out to eat or drink or use the litter box. He's hiding in a corner, in his own filth, because she'll sit and watch him for hours on end and attack him if he comes out from under my dresser. And last time I managed to coax him out I noticed he's lost a lot of weight, AND he's got cauliflower ear really badly.

I tried talking to my roommate and asked her if we can't rehome the cat could she at least keep her in her room? So she stops attacking me and my cat? And she said that's not fair, because her cat was here first and it would be cruel to not let her roam every room in her home. I don't have anywhere else to go right now, and I can't afford to move out, and my local vet said it would be a $600 surgery to treat my boy's ear, which I also can't afford. They said it would get better on it's own eventually, but that was almost 2 weeks ago and it's only getting worse. I really, really don't know what to do :(

I’m not qualified to give you an answer on this sadly as I am not a cat behavioralist.

I would see if your roommate wouldn’t mind at least letting your cat stay closed inside your room in the meantime at least, and keep food and water around the house as opposed to just one location. Same with litter boxes and you should have at least three. It seems like a territorial dispute from what you’re describing but again I can’t really analyze through tumblr.

If your roommate refuses to rehome the problem cat however and you can’t move out any time soon, my best long term advice is unfortunately to seek out a new home for your cat. It isn’t ideal, but if the situation doesn’t improve it isn’t fair to make him stay there.

[pom-seedss]

We had to rehome Artemis... I am so heartbroken but she and Lil started seriously fighting and we can't trim Arts claws and Lil got a bunch of slashes on her face recently and it just.... fucking hell.

All because an in tact tom cat came around and started spraying all over the neighbourhood and hanging out on our window sills.

Art got so territorial and things were declining in the house so we had to make a choice.

I am

So fucking sad.

I will miss my potato sack.

[nerdby]

I've been like slowly melting down since like August because a bunch of new people moved into my apartment building and now there is a bedbug infestation. My apartment has been sprayed twice and it's done absolutely nothing. So I have to move even though I can't really afford to live anywhere else and I will also most likely have to rehome one of my cats because most places won't let you have any pets except for an emotional support or service animal and you're allowed to have one. I got lucky because my current apartment building waived the limit for a number of pets tenants are allowed to own as long as the animals aren't endangered.

I also had to get rid of all of my clothing because it was destroyed because the laundry machines are full of mildew and have not been cleaned. Even though I have reported the issue the building manager is not taking my complaints seriously. So I also have to set aside money for extra bus and cab fare so that I can go to a laundromat outside of the building.

There is also no heat in my bedroom and has not been for the three years I've lived here. I've been using a space heater to heat my bedroom.

So, yeah, I've been freaking out.

I did find out that there is currently no wait-list at my old apartment building for one bedrooms and I would be able to move in right away. The problem is that the rent is so high that if I moved there I would only be able to afford the bare minimum of everything. And like I don't really care cause it's not a bedbug infested shit hole where my ceiling could cave in at any moment -- yeah, that happened -- and I would hopefully have heat in the bedroom.

But I just really don't want to have to rehome my babies, and I don't want to have to start over with nothing. And I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm drowning. Nothing helps.

Getting that stupid Happy Meal was the happiest I've been in months.

[frogsandfries]

Made myself a coffee, put my sister's wash in the dry (the most part that fit; the rest, I laid out), and changed the cat litter, which I've been trying to figure out how to squeeze in since I slammed my upper door shut and haven't had the tools to un-jam.

I now have the tools, and now I just need an evening in which to fix the problem (I hope; maybe I'll just make it worse).

Last night, I got off work, finally pulled in the new garbage bins, since I was recently informed what was going on. On my way to fix that, I also fixed the rainwater barrel and found a cute little citation for excessive dog barking, our lawn, and animal neglect.

After letting the neglected dog out for probably the third time this week to run his little tail off and bully me, I called the nice officer and told him, the dog isn't neglected, he gets food and water daily, attention daily, gets outside most days, he's a behavior issue that we took on as a favor to another family member, he's not a good fit for our home and we're trying to rehome him.

He suggested the lawn and the garbage cans would make us a target for burglary 🙄 hhhhhhhhhhhh dude. I've now lived in two of the most dangerous cities in the US. This dinky little hamlet ain't shit. Besides, what the fuck would a burglar steal from us? We own two janky laptops, and they'd have to make it upstairs to get them. As far as I'm concerned, if you can get your hands on my shitty TV, you can have it, and good luck getting your mitts on my tablet. I'd be annoyed if they stole my work computer, but what is work really going to do to me?

We are not even nearly, remotely as wealthy as the size of the house suggests.

Now as for chaos, it would be irritating if the cats got out and it would piss me off if they spray painted or cut the window screens. With the doors being as janky as they are, I would have plenty of warning if someone tried to sneak into my bedroom.

What the fuck do I have to be scared of.

Anyway, I've been in the nastiest mood these past several days. It peaked yesterday, luckily. I still feel stuck in my job, which happens to take up a solid third of my life, but I do have the happy, lucky freedom to do whatever the fuck with my hands while I'm at work, which may periodically include seeking a different job. How many people can look for a new job on company time? How many people can work on bead weaving or patterning new projects while at their job?

Possibly another reason I've been feeling edgy is, I've reworked this Catbus pattern like five times and it's getting irritating, but I finally used the Pretl grid, multiplied it bigger. The Pretl grid was reliable even though I used rondelles. The random google grid caused my Eeyore to be warped. Most people probably wouldn't notice, especially once he's done and woven together, but I can't weave up more projects using that grid.

But the good news is, I'll be working up Catbus soon here; I'm almost done rewriting the pattern, I'm getting more beads for it, and Eeyore is now moving along well.

[okat235235]

I'm looking into adopting some brumbies soon because I'm one of the few people who have the desire to house a brumby, the skills to train them, and the moral standing to not exploit them. I had hoped that the brumby community would be a little pocket of, if not veganism, then non-exploitative horse loving in the broader equestrian world, but I've been increasingly frustrated by what I see.

Brumbies are invasive species in Australia, brought here by colonizers in the 1800s and used as tools to oppress the Indigenous peoples of our land. The general sentiment in the pro-brumbies communities is one that is worryingly racist and anti-science, as well as very right-wing. The rehoming group I'm in has spread conspiracy theories, with people even voting no on the recent referendum to try to save the brumbies - which is completely ridiculous and outrageously racist. The criticism seems to be leveled at the Labor government, who - while /far/ from perfect - aren't the issue. The libs would, of course, also shoot the brumbies, and more importantly, stand against animal rights. The problem with how the government treats brumbies is a symptom of the broader views of animals: as objects that can be removed with no regard to their individual rights whenever it becomes convenient.

This is where our view of animals as objects impacts our pet animals. While horses aren't strictly pets, and are almost universally exploited, dog and cat culling faces similar outrage. An example being the recent initiative to control cat numbers, where cats were sprayed with poison that would kill them when they groomed themselves. Feral cat, and to a lesser degree feral dogs, are slightly different to brumbies, in that their destruction of the environment and killing of our native animals are very well documented and extreme, whereas evidence of brumby destruction is more open to interpretation.

Personally, I do believe the evidence that brumbies cause destruction in the wetter areas of NSW and Victoria, for a number of reasons. However, I find it disgusting that we are slaughtering innocent animals in horrific ways rather than addressing the much more pressing issues of animal agriculture, deforestation, outdoor cats, pet breeding in general, and car-based infrastructure. My preference would be to address things that humans cause and benefit from first, in conjunction with rewilding to provide habitats for native animals, after which invasive animals are addressed in the least cruel way available, if they remain a problem.

I find it very disappointing that brumby groups do not condemn culling in general, but extend their protection and outrage only to brumbies - going as far as to advocate specifically for the culling of other species deemed less valuable, like pigs and goats. These animals are just as capable of suffering as brumbies, and are treated much worse than brumbies, with pigs being hunted in absolutely tortuous ways, and having no option of rescue like horses do.

They don't even seem to value the brumby's intrinsic value. The focus never seems to be on the animal's right to freedom, and the appreciation of an animal primarily viewed and valued by their exploitation thriving free - but rather their standing as an icon of colonizer heritage. I believe this is part of the reason why brumby advocates are so quick to throw other animals under the bus: those other animals didn't contribute so heavily to the success of colonization, and therefore didn't become part of the image of white Australia.

[strangerpeace]

So I have to store away my content creation computer and the rest of the home office into storage because my cats see me as an object to territory spray

and all I can think about

are all of the asinine defenses

for these cats that despite me trying to work with them, giving them anti-depressants, Fel-away, and literally everything else

for five years

have made me and only me live in a litter box.

Because they are cute. And it is funny to see me suffer.

The landlord noticed and issued a demand for cleaning under threat of eviction. We are trying to rehome these cats but the wait list is six months.

So now my entire household is in frenzy deep cleaning mode, what remains of my stuff is being removed from the house, barely sleeping and eating, all of us stressed and in a trauma hole because these cats have pissed so badly on my stuff that they have soaked the wood of the floors (despite the repeated cleanings).

But they can’t possibly do any wrong right?

They’re cute. And that is what matters.

Cute is all that matters. Ever.

[thelifeoflorna]

~16/1/2022~ It’s been colder today, which is always good news for me and my PoTS! My sleep was a bit disrupted and had weird dreams, but didn’t have too early a start, which helped. H arrived to help me with house bits. Once I was dressed she dropped me at Waitrose to do food shopping while she went back home to do the cleaning and hoovering. Wrote yesterday’s daily journal post while waiting for H to pick me up. We took the shopping home, then headed out to the Hilliers Garden Centre near Horsham - had lunch in the cafe there, which wasn’t the best. We also went in Camping World, which was on the same site, as that’s where I got my previous waterproofing spray, which I now swear by for giving my waterproof coats and bags a seasonal boost! They didn’t have it though :/ Also went to a nearby Pets At Home to pick up some cat litter for Bella. When we were there saw this very beautiful Dutch rabbit called Bluebell who was available for rehoming - was very tempted even though we’d agreed no more rabbits - then heard the shop assistants talking about how they’ve been struggling to rehome her as she’s known to bite quite badly - other rabbits and people - maybe not then! But still felt sorry for her. When I got home spent the afternoon adulting - paid my therapy for this week early for once, emailed about the shared ownership property where it seems a job to find anyone who knows what they’re doing, also completed and submitted my council housing application, which was quite a job as had to provide a lot of medical evidence - just hoping there’s a chance my efforts may be fruitful. Had rock choir this evening - it was good, though speakers seemed extra loud tonight, and I’ve come away with a slight headache - seems to be getting better on its own now though. Got an early start tomorrow for work so going to start winding down now for bed… 🦄 #instadaily #instablog #update #mentalhealth #dissociativeidentitydisorder #cptsd #autism #traumarecovery #edrecovery #anxiety #chronicillness #disability #pots #potsie #dysautonomia #positivevibes #recovery #brighton #brightonbeach #brightonbandstand #wintersday #sunburst #beachbound #bandstand #perfection #walking #perfection (at Brighton Bandstand) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnfeOHKoqQPOplzRdjFXl_YhL-_RoQ_VOnzajs0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[froody]

I thought she had just been pissing on the dog bed. Removed the dog bed and the dog toys. She started pissing in a certain corner. Cleaned the area, no improvement. Litter box clean and accessible. I thought I had been making progress with her behavioral issues. I can deal with a standoffish cat and a biter but not a sprayer. Not my house. A lot of carpet and antiques to destroy. I’d feel godawful rehoming her. She hates everyone but me. I am the quietest least exciting owner she could possibly have and she still feels the need to spray. Idk.

Daphne has started spraying in the house. The kitten has not arrived yet. It is not a medical problem. I do not know what to do. I cannot coexist in a house with a pissy cat.

[nerdby]

A while ago I posted about how I am having to move because the building I live in is infested with bedbugs. The landlord will only pay for chemical spray treatments which aren't working. I have told them myself that the treatments don't work. Nothing else is being done.

I applied to a supervised apartment program where I'd be able to keep my cats. That application was denied because I am not homeless. I am in the process of having my birth certificate corrected after a legal name change. That will take 6-8 months according to the people at Albany, and the people at the city hall in my hometown will not allow me to buy a copy of the old birth certificate on file because I no longer have state ID with my deadname on it.

Social services wants to send me back to the group home. Both of my cats would need to be rehomed to strangers because I don't have close friends or family that I can trust to look after them. All of my family members are serial rehomers -- they adopt animals and get rid of them as soon as they stop being cute and cuddly. Growing up my mom asked them to look after animals that had belonged to me and my brother twice, and both animals wound up dead.

I'm not okay right now.