#taming feral cats

[ftmsimonriley]

thinking a lot about how soaproachghost (as canon accurate as possible) would be a nightmare (affectionate)

roach is the most emotionally mature despite being the youngest by several years, dealing with a man with the self-awareness (outside of field capabilities) of a rock and another man who is constantly wrong move away from a breakdown. and both of them don't like each other that much

and he has to explain what poly is to soap (who is coming to terms with being gay at the ripe young age of 32)(was under the impression his innumerable homoerotic fantasies about price didn't count)("isn't that a mormon thing?" regarding polyamory) and for roach to bridge that Large gap of misunderstandings as quick as possible, "well it's like we're dating and ghost is our abused shelter dog."

only for soap to reply "...does this shelter take returns?" (<- ghost snatched his last pack of marlboro reds earlier that day)

[cursed-and-haunted]

Trying to take a picture of a cat be like

Bonus! One (1) actually good picture

[rjalker]

Anyways. Do you have pets? Do you own a vacuum or other loud appliance that scares them?

Would you like to know how to let them know they don't need to be afraid?

Tell them every time you're going to turn it on, and when you're done using it.

Yes, I am 100% serious.

You're about to vacuum? Tell your pets, "I'm turning the vacuum on", several times, in the same tone of voice, every time before you turn it on. I even include a little count down right before I push the button. Do they understand what a count down is? No, but they know it's what happens right before the vacuum turns on.

And when you're done using the loud appliance, tell your pets you are done. "The vacuum's off! All done!". Repeat this several times too. And give them treats and praise.

Do this every time you need to turn on the loud appliance, and whenever you're done using it.

Guess what? None of our cats are afraid of the vacuum anymore. They stopped being afraid after maybe the sixth time since we started doing this years ago.

And this now includes the four formerly-feral kittens we just acquired in July. They've only heard the vacuum twice, but they take their cues from the rest of the cats and me, and since the other cats were calm and acting like this was normal, the kittens weren't afraid, just startled and mildly confused. And that was the first time I ran the vacuum since we got them.

And by the second time I used the vacuum, they were so completely unafraid of it even while it was running that they literally chased a dust bunny all the way to the vacuum itself, and I had to sit there for two solid minutes waiting for them to leave because they were in the way. Literally playing directly in front of the vacuum that was on and running. Paying it no attention whatsoever.

Because they saw that the other cats weren't afraid, they saw that I wasn't acting out of the ordinary, they saw the vacuum wasn't hurting them, it was just loud. So they aren't afraid of it at all.

It's literally this easy.

Most of the reason pets are scared of vacuums is because it's surprising, and they never know when it's going to happen. IF you give them warning, and make sure they know when you're done, they'll stop being afraid.

Literally next time I am vacuuming I will get a video of the kittens completely ignoring the roaring vacuum in favor of chasing a piece of lint directly in front of it if you don't believe me.

[lifeisabitch-butimcute]

customer service is actually like 80% gaslighting people into thinking they’re not as angry as they are. and it takes 120% of your own energy to achieve.

[themerrymutants]

Another Mamoru dump for y'all

[litlunacy]

The Gingers™️ had some...unexpected dinner guests last night.

We knew the little possum was around, but he always waited until after Orki and Shrimp were done and left. Apparently bringing his mom along made him braver cuz this was about 15 minutes of our hairballs looking at them like 'WTF are these freaky things?!?' Shrimp has seen The Horrors.

Anyway I stayed by the door and kept watch in case I needed to break up a fight but nothing happened. (The possums around here are generally pretty chill, thankfully.) I gave the babies more dinner and Shrimp was so traumatized he spent his first full night in the house lol. (He tried a few nights ago but started being a rowdy nutball at 2AM and wouldn't stop messing with Graelynn and had to go outside so my frail lil old lady could sleep in peace.)

In other news, Mama Ginger is sort of letting us pet her now? You get 4 pets and then she's scrunching off and giving you stank face. It's progress.

[dark-elf-writes]

Would the dark urge be a part of the chosen ones support group? Or is it only for "chosen saviours"? Or maybe they became part of it once they lost their memories, because before they were tecnically chosen for evil and dadbhaal wouldn't let them hang out with those kids.

But the moment they got free of his influence and had the slightest chance of chosing to do some good? Get your ass in here, we are going to give you so much therapy and positive reinforcements. Here is how to ignore the voices in your head and a big bowl of Bilbo's soup

I mean we’ve been pretty fast and loose with Chosen One status so I could definitely see Durge being involved.

Imagining them slowly learning how to be good and slowly tamed by this collection of shattered people who only really have each other and being encouraged to care and be cared for is very compelling.

Also they arguably have the oldest of men not to trust

[wingsy-keeper-of-songs]

Writing BG3 fic and wondering why the goddamn elves always have to be so fucking Extra™ like I'm trying to convey this:

With the same vibes as this:

It's driving me mad, yo.

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

*fearal cat noises*

Oh! I know what to do with this!

*sets down a bowl of cat food, then sets up a chair 20ft away. Its back is to the food*

MWAHAHAHA! Two weeks of repeated feedings, and I’ll be able to move the chair a singular foot closer.

[2009-ghost]

I bless you with Toby pics ♡

He's so menacingly cute ^^

his beanss😭❤️❤️

girl i love your cat he's so pretty 🛐

he appears to enjoy nomming on stuff very much XD what's his fav food?

[rjalker]

We need more cat food and litter. If you missed the memo we had to rescue four kittens and their mom last July, and we're trying to find someone to adopt them, but apparently that's just not possible. So now we have nine cats, who eat a lot of food and use up a lot of cat litter.

I'm too disabled to work, but also too poor to prove to the government that I'm too disabled to work, and they won't give us food stamps either.

Still attempting to get all the kittens and their mom fixed but the organization has just stopped emailing back for no apparent reason.

Cashapp, PayPal, and venmo are all "Rjalker".

[rodatirhaalo]

It did that "character turned around backwards" cinematic bug and my voice is at a normal indoor volume.

[foxgloveinspace]

Me: yeah I’m not that big of a fan of birds.

*loves ravens crows and tufted titmouse’s*

Me: well…. Maybe I’m not a fan of parrots??

[beechicory]

My little boy cat is so mortally offended when I go into the washroom without him at night.

Even if he's sound asleep on the other side of the house.

As soon as I close the washroom door, he's there. Scratching. Pulling. Protesting. Loudly jiggling the doorknob.

I came out, and he said, distinctly, loudly, with a self-satisfied admonishment, "Meow". Then cheerfully walked off.

[shironezuninja]

The orange pig is just spouting empty threats.

[aeondeug]

i like the idea that while erthrar is the one who got out of the shitty spider cult and is now the kinder, better person that it is taliira who is the originally softer of the two. that if taliira had been the one to leave and be picked up by the eilistraeens she would have taken up the whole redeeming priestess thing after adjusting. she'd have ended up in the nautiloid as a cleric of eilistraee, as opposed to erthrar's honestly still very morally questionable ass. her oath and seeing reactions from like shadowheart to acts of cruelty she's committed are like. what hold her back. taliira was not the one who left though and was not the one who was picked up by eilistraeens.