#water borne diseases

[teslahealthylife]

Exploring the Benefits of a Water Purifier for Waterborne Diseases

Water purifiers are machines that make water safe to use and consume by removing contaminants like parasites and germs. They are becoming more widespread as a means of halting the spread of diseases that are carried through water. Water-borne illnesses like cholera, dysentery, typhoid fever, and diarrhea are all caused by microbes and chemicals in contaminated water. These diseases have a high risk of rapid transmission and can seriously harm people, particularly young children. Because of this, it is essential to ensure the safety of ingesting water.

Read More - https://teslahealthylife.com/can-water-purifiers-prevent-water-borne-diseases.php

[sphylor]

......this country is a fucking joke in every regard and i am genuinely sick of it.

[spitxlfields]

I am going to blame how I’m feeling on the fact that I got my first dose of the smallpox/monkeypox vaccine yesterday and then slept for 13 hours.

Regardless, I’ll be around since I need to get some computer stuff done anyway.

[determinate-negation]

you may have seen me post about fidaa’s campaign @fidaa-family2 (this is a verified campaign)

graphic by @fading-event-608

fidaa is a 29 year old woman from gaza with two very young children, muhammed and sila, one of whom was born during the war. her home was destroyed and she’s been displaced many times, and is currently separated from the rest of her family- her husband, her many siblings, and her parents. i can only imagine how nerve-wracking this is.

she’s doing her best to take care of her children by herself, despite facing hunger, thirst, widespread disease, and the threat of death. the other day, there was intense bombing near her and another family close to her was killed. life in gaza right now is hell and she told me they feel like they are just waiting for their turn to die.

fidaa and i talk often, and i feel lucky to know her. she’s an incredibly strong person, she travels long distances to find limited supplies for her kids and helps her siblings raise money even though shes separated from them.

but she needs help. the situation in gaza is so bad right now, the idf is preventing aid from entering and the food, water, and medicine available are extremely expensive. please share and donate to help her and her children survive and eventually leave gaza

$18,738 out of $30,000

[alaa-gaza]

I’m vatted by association 🍉🇵🇸❤️‍🩹

Please help me and donate 🙏

Please don't skip , help my daughter to leave Gaza 🍉 Please donate and share it 🙏 ❤️

Save my daughter to leave Gaza 🍉🍉

Hello, I am Alaa from Gaza, 27 years old, and a mother of a baby.I was living a happy life with my husband and pregnant with my first child, but on October 7, my life was turned upside downI was displaced from my home on the first day and lived in my family’s home with my husband and I. I was pregnant with my daughter and went through the worst conditions. There was a siege, food shortages, and water pollution. During my pregnancy, many of the houses near us were bombed, and the smell of death affected my daughter and the smell of gunpowder, which put my daughter’s life at risk in light of the tragic conditions of the hospitals.

On December 24, my husband’s and my house was bombed and completely destroyed by Israeli raids. My husband and I became homeless.On January 23, the occupation launched a ground campaign against the place where I live, which forced us to flee within 5 hours. I fled, leaving my husband behind as he did not want to leave his city.It was a difficult displacement journey as I was carrying my daughter in the seventh month and I fled on foot for a distance of about 20 kilometers under enemy fire and shelling.

My child and I faced great difficulty during the displacement as There was no clean food or drink and a lack of vitamins. On February 27, I received the news of my husband's death in an Israeli raid. My daughter became an orphan before she was born. After the bitterness of loss and sadness, specifically on March 19, on a rainy night and under bombardment, the time for delivery came. It was one of the most difficult nights, as there was no doctor, and there was no continuation to go to the hospital. The sounds of explosions filled the place. After we arrived at the hospital, there was no adequate medical care, whether from doctors, cleanliness, or any needs for a pregnant woman. After hours of waiting and providing a doctor, I gave birth under the most difficult conditions, as there were no clothes for my daughter in light of the aggression. I suffered from the lack of a bed to sit on after giving birth. The delivery process was extremely difficult, as if I had escaped death again and God had blessed me with my daughter Fatoum. I was displaced again, she and I, to the unknown, and we live in a tent that does not protect from the cold of winter or the heat of summer. Due to malnutrition and poor living conditions, my daughter is exposed to chronic skin diseases and intestinal infections. Therefore, help me and my daughter to escape death and bear the burdens of life.🍉❤️

[townpostin]

Heavy Rains Disrupt Life in Jamshedpur

Low-lying areas face flooding as city grapples with continuous downpour Jamshedpur residents navigate waterlogged streets and flooded homes as intense rainfall hits the city, with more expected in coming days. JAMSHEDPUR – The steel city is experiencing severe waterlogging and flooding in several areas due to intense rainfall over the past 24 hours. Despite lower overall rainfall compared to last…

[pureverwatertanks]

Dangerous Water-Borne Diseases-Avoiding Tips and Tricks

Diseases conveyed through water are some of the biggest health threats. This may be because of the presence of contaminated water in some regions. These diseases consist of cholera, dysentery, and typhoid fever and can prove to be deadly once not well handled. Below are some water-borne diseases-avoiding ways so that you get safe drinking water.

Ensure Water Source Safety

Boiling Water: One of the most basic but rather successful forms of purification for water can be boiling. To eliminate pathogens, let water come to a rolling boil for at least one minute.

Use Water Filters: You should purchase a good water filter which will be able to eliminate bacteria, viruses, and other impurities. Filters are essential during traveling calamities or any other form of disaster.

Chemical Disinfection: For the purification of water use water purification tablets or even chlorine drops. Abide by the guidelines given by the manufacturer to get the best results.

Proper Storage Practices

Stainless Steel Water Tanks: Store drinking water in stainless steel water tanks. They are also hard products. Most of them are non-corrosive ensuring water purity as it undergoes the different processes.

Custom SS Water Tank: Have a custom SS water tank according to your requirements. They can be installed in any space and come in various sizes to hold any amount of water ensuring safe water storage.

Hygienic Handling

Clean Containers: Make sure the receptacles you are using for storing and transporting water are clean. Do not use receptacles that once contained chemicals or any other materials that are not fit for food usage.

Hand Hygiene: Always use clean hands while handling drinking water. Therefore wash your hands with soap in clean water. This helps avoid moving round germs on fingers to the water you are boiling or cooking with.

Regular Maintenance

Tank Cleaning: Wash and sanitize your water storage tanks regularly to eliminate the possibility of algae, bacteria, or any other pollutant products. The surfaces of the stainless steel water tanks are seamless. they are easier to clean.

Inspect Water Sources: Examine the wells, pipes, and possible sources of water from time to time to check if there are any signs of contamination and or damage. Arrange prompt repairs to prevent future outbreaks.

Community Awareness

Education Programs: Support or facilitate with provision of community education programs concerning practices regarding water sanitation. Application of knowledge sharing can thereby assist in limiting the development of water-borne diseases.

Safe Water Initiatives: Promote those programs at the local and international level that deal with giving safe drinking water, particularly to the suffering masses.

Conclusion

Water-borne diseases have numerous causative factors. So, water-borne diseases-avoiding entails measures on water source, storage, use, and general maintenance. It is crucial to improve water safety institutions in homes and businesses through the use of stainless steel water tanks and even custom SS water tanks. When seeking for the finest steel water storage, nothing stands superior to Purever products. They can provide you with an SS water tank of your desired size and shape to ensure hygienic drinking water for your family.

[chronicbitchsyndrome]

so: masking: good, unequivocally. please mask and please educate others on why they should mask to make the world safer for immune compromised people to participate in.

however: masking is not my policy focus and it shouldn't be yours, either. masking is a very good mitigation against droplet-born illnesses and a slightly less effective (but still very good) mitigation against airborne illnesses, but its place in the pyramid of mitigation demands is pretty low, for several reasons:

it's an individual mitigation, not a systemic one. the best mitigations to make public life more accessible affect everyone without distributing the majority of the effort among individuals (who may not be able to comply, may not have access to education on how to comply, or may be actively malicious).

it's a post-hoc mitigation, or to put it another way, it's a band-aid over the underlying problem. even if it was possible to enforce, universal masking still wouldn't address the underlying problem that it is dangerous for sick people and immune compromised people to be in the same public locations to begin with. this is a solvable problem! we have created the societal conditions for this problem!

here are my policy focuses:

upgraded air filtration and ventilation systems for all public buildings. appropriate ventilation should be just as bog-standard as appropriately clean running water. an indoor venue without a ventilation system capable of performing 5 complete air changes per hour should be like encountering a public restroom without any sinks or hand sanitizer stations whatsoever.

enforced paid sick leave for all employees until 3-5 days without symptoms. the vast majority of respiratory and food-borne illnesses circulate through industry sectors where employees come into work while experiencing symptoms. a taco bell worker should never be making food while experiencing strep throat symptoms, even without a strep diagnosis.

enforced virtual schooling options for sick students. the other vast majority of respiratory and food-borne illnesses circulate through schools. the proximity of so many kids and teenagers together indoors (with little to no proper ventilation and high levels of physical activity) means that if even one person comes to school sick, hundreds will be infected in the following few days. those students will most likely infect their parents as well. allowing students to complete all readings and coursework through sites like blackboard or compass while sick will cut down massively on disease transmission.

accessible testing for everyone. not just for COVID; if there's a test for any contagious illness capable of being performed outside of lab conditions, there should be a regulated option for performing that test at home (similar to COVID rapid tests). if a test can only be performed under lab conditions, there should be a government-subsidized program to provide free of charge testing to anyone who needs it, through urgent cares and pharmacies.

the last thing to note is that these things stack; upgraded ventilation systems in all public buildings mean that students and employees get sick less often to begin with, making it less burdensome for students and employees to be absent due to sickness, and making it more likely that sick individuals will choose to stay home themselves (since it's not so costly for them).

masking is great! keep masking! please use masking as a rhetorical "this is what we can do as individuals to make public life safer while we're pushing for drastic policy changes," and don't get complacent in either direction--don't assume that masking is all you need to do or an acceptable forever-solution, and equally, don't fall prey to thinking that pushing for policy change "makes up" for not masking in public. it's not a game with scores and sides; masking is a material thing you can do to help the individual people you interact with one by one, and policy changes are what's going to make the entirety of public life safer for all immune compromised people.

[teslahealthylife]

Everything You Need to Know About Water Purifier Prevention

Water purifiers make water safe to use and consume by removing impurities like parasites and germs. As a means of halting the spread of diseases disseminated through water, they are becoming more widespread. Infected water contains microbes and chemicals that can cause diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid fever, and other water-borne illnesses. These illnesses, which are particularly dangerous for children, have a high risk of rapid transmission and serious health consequences. For this reason, it is essential to ensure the safety of consuming water.

Read More - https://teslahealthylife.com/can-water-purifiers-prevent-water-borne-diseases.php

[bonefall]

Herb Guide: Deaf Warriors and Hearing Disabilities

UPDATE 1: Added more harshness to the lipreading section based on initial feedback; minor rewording of some lines!

A reference for Warrior Cats fans creating characters with hearing loss, blending human advice with cat biology, written for an in-universe perspective on living with and managing such disabilities.

AKA Bonefall casts Spell of Stop Being Weird About Snowkit on all amoebas in 500 mile radius

[ID: A headshot of three cats, a brown tabby with a shredded ear (Strikestone), a solid white cat with blue eyes (Stonewing), and a gray cat with a mane (Dovewing).]

In the five Clans, hearing loss is both one of the most common sensory disabilities, and one of the most intense to adapt to. Through any mix of simple infections, birth abnormalities, or even just getting older, any given Clan can expect at least 1 in 4 of its cats to have some form of hearing loss.

Hearing loss is any impaired ability to hear, defined as not being able to hear noises under 20 decibels. Deafness is "profound" hearing loss, which means their hearing STARTS at a noise that is 81 decibels (ex: motorcycle, middle-distant clap of thunder) or louder. Most deaf people can still hear slightly, but sound is "muffled" and they can only hear VERY loud noises.

Hearing loss = Any impaired ability to hear. Normal hearing is 20 DB or lower.

Hard of Hearing (HOH) = Mild to severe hearing loss; starts between 21 DB and 95 DB.

Deaf = Profound hearing loss at 95 DB or higher; a clap of thunder is a quiet whisper.

MOST hearing loss will affect one ear more strongly than the other, and the cat will be HOH. The vast majority of cats with a hearing disability will still be able to understand their Clanmates, if they're just spoken to louder and more clearly. Cats who are born deaf (congenital deafness), however, tend to have profound hearing loss which affects their ability to understand speech.

Cats rely on their hearing and sense of smell much more strongly than they do on their eyesight. With hearing that's 4x more sensitive than a human's and can differentiate between 1/10th of a pitch, a Clan's healer would recognize hearing loss as a disability long before humans would even notice a problem.

Since hearing loss starts with the high-pitch noises that prey makes, like squeaks and chirps, hearing loss is a major reason for a senior warrior to begin to consider retirement. However, with proper support and accommodation, ANY warrior could adapt to this disability; Especially cats born deaf and younger HOH warriors with lots of time to re-learn.

This guide covers;

Common Causes

Traits and Challenges of Hearing Loss

Communication: Signs, lipreading, and more

Unique Challenges Clan-by-Clan

Sources are linked in a separate post, here, and linked again at the very bottom!

(note: this guide doesn't cover devices of any kind, but one of many reasons why cochlear implants are controversial is because an implant will destroy that remaining hearing. They aren't hearing aids; hearing aids amplify sound. Aids and implants are two different things)

Common Causes

There are DOZENS of ways to destroy the incredibly sensitive ears of a cat. ANY infection or injury can lead to permanent damage. That can include,

Injury gone sour, from battle, hunting, accidents, etc

Concussion, or a hard enough blow to the ear

Ear Mites, especially if the cat can't stop scratching it

Swimming in cold or dirty river water

Fungal or bacterial infections

Allergies, which can lead to sinus infections. Even an infection in the mouth or throat can spread to the ear!

There doesn't even need to be an infection. Around the ages of 7 - 11, a senior warrior may begin to gradually lose their hearing. Sometimes, through genetic factors or degenerative disease within the ear, an even younger warrior will lose it for "no reason."

It just happens, and it's incredibly common. They will usually begin to notice it when they stop being able to hear and hunt small rodents, because hearing loss will start with high-pitched noises.

Healers can do very little about this, besides attempting to clean any wax out of the ear canal with flax oil and a dab (such as moss, wool, or cloth). There are SO many ways for it to happen and so little in the way of treatments, that it's practically inevitable.

The majority of hearing loss is from infection or disease, but the most predictable way to see deafness in the Clans is in kits born white with blue eyes. In fact, ALL pure white cats are more prone to being born deaf!

Pure white without blue eyes: 17% to 22%

White with a single blue eye: 40% (and usually on the side of the blue eye)

White with two blue eyes: 65% to 85%

In an afflicted kit, the inner ear will rapidly degenerate. They typically lose most of their hearing by their 4th day, and will only be able to faintly hear extremely loud noises.

Of course, there's also various other birth defects that can result in deaf and HOH kits, even if they aren't white with blue eyes. The ear canal and hearing organs can just not form correctly! Any kit could be born with hearing loss, and they can have any type!

If the loss came from injury or severe infection, chronic pain in the inner ear is also common. Nothing can be done about this besides painkillers such as poppy seeds. This condition is rare in born-deaf cats.

Most cats with hearing loss will also permanently hear a repetitive, single-note sound. For most it's a faint, tinny "ring," but others can hear hissing, crackling, or humming in high or low pitch.

At first, this constant noise can be distracting or even debilitating, preventing them from focusing or sleeping, until... you just get used to it.

There is no way to turn the noise off. It can get worse or better, but it's forever. Sleeping and not being stressed out will help, but over time, they typically learn to tune it out. Being reminded of it is usually annoying, just like when someone reminds you about manual breathing.

(We call this condition tinnitus. It is up to you what you would like your cats to call it, the same way they refer to pneumonia as greencough. Tinnitus is a LOT broader than this little snippet, but this is not a guide about tinnitus, this is about hearing loss)

So to summarize that,

There's a billiondy-million ways to damage one's hearing.

Losing your hearing from age or disease usually results in being hard of hearing (HOH) as opposed to deaf, and is likely to affect one ear more than the other.

It starts with high-pitched noises like rodent squeaks.

Cats born white with blue eyes have a massive chance of being born deaf; their inner ear degenerates.

But, any kit could be born with any type of hearing loss, not just deafness.

Most cats with hearing loss will hear a distracting, repetitive noise. They just learn to tune it out.

Traits and Challenges of Hearing Loss

Hearing impaired cats are LOUD.

Even warriors who have mild hearing loss will often end up speaking much louder so they can hear themselves, or not notice the sounds they're making as they shift around in their nests, scuffle sand at the dirtplace, or trample through crunchy leaf litter.

If one of their ears is better than the other, they'll usually try to stand with their "good side" facing any speakers or other sources of noise. They might appear to be constantly standing at an angle, with their head turned towards the sound. It might be so second nature that they don't realize they're doing it.

Plus, a cat with hearing loss in only one ear will lose their hearing's "distance perception," the ability to pinpoint a sound's location. EXACTLY like how losing the sight in one eye causes the loss of "depth perception," they will have difficulty telling how far away a noise actually is.

Warriors who lose their hearing later in life typically have years of experience in knowing how prey behaves and what sorts of actions make noise; but cats born deaf have to be taught this.

Instead, born-deaf cats tend to associate "sound" with "vibration." Echoes, rumbles, and the sensation of their own humming or laughter can feel very pleasurable. Their whiskers are so sensitive that they can even feel drafts of air from someone speaking in front of them! Because of that, cats with impaired hearing do better with low, rumbling "sounds" rather than high-pitched ones; even when they can't hear either. They can feel lower pitched noises.

(NOTE: Decibels are the measurement of volume, and Hertz are the measurement of pitch. These are different things, NOT interchangeable. HIGH pitch and LOW volume are lost first.)

This is why hunting is so difficult when cats begin to lose their hearing. Their sense of smell and sight can be perfectly intact, but a lot of how a cat hunts is in listening for delicate little sounds and balancing them in both ears to figure out prey's exact location. So, when a cat is learning to hunt without their hearing, they have to rely on their other senses and keep their whiskers low, dusting the ground with their chops and front paws, in hopes of their quarry making a vibration they can feel.

IMPORTANT: Don't forget that cats have carpal whiskers! They are short whiskers on the front paws of a cat, used primarily for "grappling" with other cats and struggling prey. They are less sensitive than facial whiskers, but still very useful for a hearing impaired warrior.

"Dusting," keeping the face low, is still more effective than relying entirely on "Sweeping" movements with the paws.

The younger the cat is, the more time they will have to practice and master this. Cats born deaf, who have never relied on hearing before, are usually better hunters than older warriors learning completely new techniques.

But. Clan cats aren't the only danger in the forest.

A warrior who is deaf or hard-of-hearing will not hear danger approaching, and is easy to sneak up on. Even if they keep themselves completely quiet, an intelligent fox or an enemy warrior can launch an unexpected attack on their unsuspecting target. The wilderness is dangerous, and it's not feasible to keep one's whiskers pressed to the ground at all times, even if vibrations did carry far enough to detect such danger before it's too late.

So, it would be recommended for warriors with hearing loss to not wander too far without a hearing Clanmate capable of alerting them to sounds.

They also will have a VERY difficult time acting as part of a "battalion," in large-scale battles.

In fights with dozens of entangled warriors, while they're focused on fighting the cat in front of them, they will have a hard time hearing commands. Even if well-trained in visual cues like tail signs, deaf and HOH warriors might fail to respond to yowled orders like, "RETREAT" or "SECURE THE ENTRANCE."

Even if the warrior isn't fully deaf, battles are loud and chaotic! It's very likely that such orders would get lost in the clamor of hissing and screeching cats, if the cat has any difficulties with hearing at all.

In summary,

Cats with hearing disabilities are loud.

Hearing loss in one ear will cause the loss of distance perception, and they will often stand at an angle with their good ear facing the noise.

If they were born deaf, they have to learn what makes noise.

Highly tactile, they tend to rely on whisker-sense to "replace" their hearing.

Keeping their facial whiskers low to feel for vibration, "dusting," is a very useful technique.

"Sweeping" with the carpal whiskers is also useful, but less so than "dusting."

They are in increased danger from things sneaking up on them, and shouldn't go anywhere unsafe without a buddy.

Following battle commands in large-scale battles will be difficult or nearly impossible, making them bad "team players."

Communication: Signing, lipreading, and more

(psst! @twiigbranch has a free-to-use version of pawspeak if you credit them!)

Since the majority of these cats lost their ability to hear later in life, most warriors with hearing loss will speak "normally." By "normally," that means they will talk the same way they did their whole lives, just louder so they can hear themselves better.

Over many years, they may begin to stop enunciating their words, 'slurring' their sentences, and their pitch may be a little off. Even then, it's rare that a Clanmate would be able to "tell" they have hearing loss just from their cadence.

But, meanwhile, cats who are born deaf will have a very complicated journey with speech.

It's PIVOTAL for the kit's development that the family and the Clan takes an interest in trying to communicate with them. Deaf children often become isolated from communities that don't seem to care about them, the same way any other alienated child would. This can result in trauma, lack of self-confidence, and behavioral issues.

Even if your project doesn't have Pawspeak (or doesn't have it yet!), kittens WILL find ways to communicate with their family and Clan. Sign language can evolve organically from home signs, unique gestures that will rise for a deaf child to speak with their family. BUT, the sooner they're introduced to a true sign language, the better they will be able to communicate.

Sign languages can also die naturally, simply fading away if the next few generations don't keep them alive. It's possible for the Clans to have gone through a few, over the years!

(Note: Sign languages are full languages, not just "physical versions" of a spoken one. American Sign Language and British Sign Language are from totally different families, even further from each other than English and Russian!)

It is also possible for cats born fully deaf, who have never heard words, to learn how to speak verbally... but, this takes a LOT more time and effort than using a sign language.

Teaching a deaf warrior how to say words is not quick, or easy, and is a very physical process. It involves a lot of dedicated practice time back-and-forth, with the apprentice placing their paw on their mentor's throat to feel their voice, and being coached on how to mimic the exact inflections of every word. It can be very repetitive, and very boring.

Even with lots of training, speakers born deaf have a noticeable "accent." They pronounce consonants better than they do vowels (aeiou), and often lack tone and inflection. Each warrior is an individual, and using a speaking voice is a skill some will be better at using than others.

Lipreading is very difficult. Most warriors born deaf will never learn how to do this, or even want to, as it takes an immense amount of time, effort, and tutoring. It will be more common for cats with more moderate hearing loss, especially if they lost their hearing later in life.

These are REQUIRED for a proper lip reading;

Clear view of the face. If the speaker is too far away, moving around, covers their mouth, stands in a dark place, or has their back turned, their lips can't be read. There are many ways that the view of the face could be obstructed.

Slow, clear speaking. If they're talking too quickly and mumbling their words, it will be extremely difficult to catch all of what they said. A better lip reader will be able to read faster.

Mental awareness. A cat who is tired to exhaustion, unable to focus, or not expecting to be spoken to will not be able to process what's being said. Lipreading is an action that takes brainpower.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: A single speaker, not overlapping with others. Lip reading is nearly useless during clanwide arguments. If there's tons of cats talking over each other, shouting out and interrupting, responding to unseen lips in the crowd, or even if an important speaker is just at a bad angle for the deaf warrior's line of sight to catch, they will not be able to catch everything.

Lipreading is also an action that takes focus. If the cat is tired, unable to concentrate, or isn't expecting to have to read lips, they won't be able to process what words the mouth was forming. It works best one-on-one, in clear lighting, looking straight ahead at the speaker... and even then, the BEST lipreader might only catch 40% to 50% of the words said.

So, it's truly reading. Interpretation. It isn't straightforward like language is. From, "I see a herd of deer, all of them are bucks" they might only catch, "...a... deer... of them... bucks." They will have to guess the meaning based on context!

(Look into a mirror. Quickly chant "Red right wrong" three times. Do you see how similar your lips look to form those words when you're not trying to clearly enunciate them? That's what lipreaders deal with.)

So, while there are other options, a sign language is absolutely the best choice if possible in your setting. Especially for cats who were deaf from birth, sign language is the ideal solution.

VERY IMPORTANT TIPS FOR WRITING A HEARING DISABILITY:

Please avoid them speaking with broken grammar, in third person, or with overly simplistic vocabulary, as if they are a toddler or a caveman. If a deaf cat is taught to speak, they will also learn grammar. BAD: "Examplefur go hunt. Me catch mouse good." OK: "I'm going hunting. I'm good at catching mice."

They will not suddenly "forget" how to speak if they lose their hearing, unless they have another condition such as brain injury.

Lip reading is inferior to signing.

They cannot perfectly catch every single word spoken in all conversations via lipreading, especially when the speaker isn't making an effort to include them, or it's during a disorganized group argument.

In ideal conditions, 30% to 40% of the words spoken will be picked up, and the reader will "fill in" the missing vocab with guesswork.

Teaching a deaf cat to speak verbally is a dedicated process, not something they easily "pick up."

Cats born deaf will almost never pick up lipreading, it is more common in milder forms of hearing loss.

Showing hearing clanmates making an effort to include hearing-impaired warriors, like doing translations or just making sure they understood everything, is massively appreciated.

A good culture around hearing loss is the best thing in the entire world for these cats. Support, respect, and acceptance are sincerely the most important factor in how well a hearing impaired warrior adapts with their disability.

So with that in mind, let's also explore the unique challenges in the terrains and culture of each Clan.

Unique Challenges Clan-by-Clan

Because of the nature of this disability, certain Clans are going to be more difficult for a hearing impaired warrior to function independently in, both in terms of environmental hazards and of culture.

Deaf and HOH warriors will not hear the sounds they're making if they step on noisy terrain or accidentally rustle nearby plants. Some enemies also rely more on stealth to attack their targets than others, and some territories will provide more places for prey and predators to hide. Water-related hazards will naturally cause there to be MORE disabled cats in some Clans more than others, which could mean that there will be less stigma and better community.

Environment means a lot to a cat with hearing loss!

RiverClan

Because this Clan is notorious for swimming in the river, they would have a massively higher rate of hearing loss (and scent loss) than other Clans; ESPECIALLY in late autumn and winter. This also means their healers would be MUCH more experienced with treating ear problems in general; but that's a subject for another guide!

(to answer a stray question before I eventually make that guide: RiverClan can make primitive earplugs out of beeswax to protect their hearing, but may need to trade with ThunderClan to acquire that.)

The important thing to note is that compared to other Clans, RiverClan has the highest rate of having HOH warriors. This means that there would be better support systems for hearing loss than in other Clans, and a cultural "bank" of techniques and knowledge to be shared.

They still have the same proportion of kittens born deaf compared to other Clans, but apprentices without hearing in RiverClan would have a bigger pool (heh!) of mentors who have experience with accommodating their disability.

Plus, you don't need to hear fish to catch them. While they'd still have issues hunting water voles and other wetland-loving rodents, fishers aren't at a significant disadvantage when it comes to providing food to the Clan.

Advantages--

High concentration of cats with similar disabilities provides community, and influences the broader culture to be more accommodating

Healers would have lots of experience with the injuries and illnesses that lead to hearing loss, leading to better treatment

Hearing is not necessary for catching fish, and thus has almost no bearing on how skilled a hunter would be.

Mentors would have better techniques for teaching deaf apprentices

Disadvantages--

Will not hear drowning cats. If you drop into that water you're on your own, bucko

Winter will be even harder than usual, when the river freezes over and fishing becomes more difficult.

Overall, RiverClan is THE best Clan for a deaf cat to be part of.

WindClan

With wide open spaces and lots of hills that offer a good vantage point, sight and vigilance is much more important for survival in a moorland than hearing. There's even an advantage to Pawspeak here; you can communicate from across the open moor without screaming out your location to all the prey!

On top of that, moorland has low-laying vegetation. It isn't a grassland, or filled with splashing water, or covered in crunchy leaf litter. There's not a lot of things TO accidentally make noise on, unless the warrior is trying to hide in a gorse or common heather bush, and WindClan is notorious for relying on speed over stealth anyway.

The one drawback to being a deaf moor-runner is that they will not hear baying hounds. Dogs are extremely common in moorland, either as sheep herders or as companions to human hunters shooting grouses. That said, the fact that hounds are the ONLY big predator they'll need to worry about immediately makes WindClan's moor safer than any woodland territory.

Badgers, boars, and foxes hate open spaces like moorland. It's just dogs that are a big concern, and hawks for smaller cats. There are very few "sneaky" predators in this area; most rely on speed.

So being a moor-runner is one of the best jobs that a warrior with hearing loss could have in the Clans... but the minute that they start to have problems listening to any orders, a tunneler should stop working underground immediately.

Deaf apprentices should be excused from their mandatory tunnel training, except to learn how to do evacuation drills.

There is no light underground. Even if they're capable of creating rushlights or are willing to sacrifice glowworms, that light will be dim at best, and could snuff out at any moment. Communication will become impossible with a deaf cat, and even moderate hearing loss will endanger any warrior who gets separated from their team.

If something as drastic as a cave-in or a flooding happens, they will be in extreme danger. They can't be properly warned unless they're pushed by a fellow digger, and they will not be able to notice anything that isn't rumbling. If they DO end up getting trapped under rubble, they will not hear a rescue party calling their name.

It's not just themselves they have to worry about, either. Not being able to warn or coordinate with their excavation team will put ALL of them in danger.

Advantages--

Moorland requires sharper eyes than ears to begin with.

Lack of ambush predators makes this territory particularly safe without hearing.

Quiet terrain makes sneaking less neccesary in the first place

Pawspeak is especially useful across wide distances

Disadvantages--

Hounds are still a massive danger; they could get very close before they're noticed, if they're upwind.

Will not receive a warning cry in case of any hawks or approaching predators.

Tunneling would be profoundly dangerous with a hearing disability; should be heavily discouraged.

Overall rating is that this is the second best Clan for a cat with hearing loss. RiverClan's sense of community still gives them the top seat imo, but if the attitudes of their Clanmates are good, WindClan's moor is an easy territory to adapt to.

ShadowClan

This one is going to depend on what version of ShadowClan the Erins feel like writing that day, or which one you've chosen for your own project. Do they live in a dry pine forest? Or a wetland?

If you're using the idea that ShadowClan lives in a dry pine forest, especially if your project exists in Britain where spruces, firs, and larches are non-native and thus the territory is a timber plantation, refer to the new growth section in ThunderClan below.

I do not abide by that idea, because Aengus the Prize Winning Hog did not emerge from a cranberry bog for me to disrespect him in this way <3 love ur local wetland <3

(quick note: a swamp is a wooded wetland, a marsh is an open wetland, a bog is acidic, and a fen is neutral/alkaline. Wetland is the general term here.)

Wetlands are rich with soggy ground, muck, and microbe-ridden stillwater. Though ShadowClan cats don't swim for fun, they would end up with more ear infections than most Clans through accidentally falling into the swamp. It's likely that they have the second-highest rate of hearing loss in the 5 Clans, but still significantly below RiverClan.

The lush, thick ferns and reeds provide lots of cover to the notoriously stealthy Clan, but to a warrior who can't hear, this terrain is loud and frustrating. The squish of mud under your paws and the rustle of undergrowth is very hard to adapt to if you can't hear it. ShadowClan's prey of birds, frogs, and water-rodents will respond to any accidental noises by fleeing, quickly, making hunting difficult.

Plus, ShadowClan doesn't rely on one, large, deep, stony body of water like RiverClan does, which seems to be sedimentary rock and open marsh all around. Predators are lurking everywhere in wooded swamps, and could sneak up on a warrior who can't hear them. Foxes, badgers, and boars are a danger in this territory.

All that said; ShadowClan still doesn't seem to rely on just rodents. They eat a lot of amphibians and reptiles, which are not hunted by sound. Most of the techniques they use to catch them can just be taught verbatim to a deaf apprentice, or continue to be used the same way by a warrior who has lost their hearing.

Advantages--

Concentration of warriors with hearing loss from falling into dirty water may provide community and support.

Has a good selection of prey that doesn't rely on listening to be hunted effectively.

Disadvantages--

Swamps, wooded wetlands, are dangerous and attract predators.

Lush foliage and soupy ground make moving quietly difficult for a deaf warrior; but not as difficult as leaf litter.

So, this Clan would be firmly middle-of-the-line in terms of its accessibility to a cat with hearing loss. It would depend a lot on how you plan to approach ShadowClan in your own project; such as if you plan to build out more campbound activities, see them as being social or antisocial with their Clanmates, and what kind of territory you choose for them to have.

SkyClan

As of the time of writing this guide in 2023, when the only decent description of SkyClan's new territory is from a single chapter of Squirrelflight's Hope, it's very difficult to figure out what sorts of terrain challenges a warrior with hearing loss would face at the lake.

Hopefully I can come back and update this later!

But it's most likely is that they have a diverse, varied territory, involving the climbing of steep hills and gorges. Even at the "gorge" territory, a lot of hunting would need to take place outside of the rocky parts of the ravine, in the sparse woodlands and countrysides nearby.

For hunting on sparse woodland, see the advice for ThunderClan. Most hunting in British countrysides is going to look very similar to WindClan's open fields, so refer up there for that.

Because of how close they are to humans, both in the Gorge and at the Lake, it's HIGHLY recommended that warriors with hearing loss avoid twolegplaces. ESPECIALLY towns. Between cars, crowds, and grabbing hands, these places are already dangerous (and sensory hell) for warriors with great hearing, but outright lethal for a hearing impaired cat who won't hear these things coming.

So while the majority of the Clan is jack-of-all-trades and regularly mixes up the particular terrain they hunt in, this is going to be harder for hearing impaired warriors. They have to invent brand new, unique techniques for ALL of these different environments, some of them more difficult than others. Because of that, it will naturally be easiest for a deaf warrior to "specialize" in a particular type of terrain.

This could result in some pretty intense feelings of alienation, as their hearing Clanmates regularly mix what sorts of places they tackle. Without even intending to, they could end up making the warrior feel very left out!

In terms of the culture though, SkyClan seems notoriously accommodating. Between the part-time-kittypet daylight warriors and the way they invented an entirely new mediator role for a cat who didn't enjoy hunting and fighting, it would likely be one of the BEST Clans in terms of supporting a hearing impaired warrior, even in spite of having a "standard" rate of hearing loss since their territory is not particularly wet.

So, it's very likely that they would WANT to fix the fact they've accidentally made their Clanmate excluded, and seek solutions that work for everyone. If any Clan besides RiverClan had a Pawspeak interpreter translating Leafstar's words, it would probably be these guys lmao

Advantages--

Varied terrain means there will be at least a few places that aren't too hard for them to adapt to

Sparse woods, open fields, and even gorges, the three most common terrain types, are at worst decent for a deaf cat to hunt in.

VERY accommodating culture, the absolute best outside of the Clans with a high hearing loss percentage.

Disadvantages--

Generalist training, where every warrior handles vastly different terrain types, will exponentially increase how much training a hearing-impaired warrior must learn.

Being unable to join with their Clanmates in hunting across the entire territory could feel isolating

Rating: Close to top tier, but variable. It's going to depend somewhat on the personality of the warrior. While SkyClan will likely make a big effort to include them, the reality of needing to learn several sets of parallel skills and the way they might feel like an "outsider" for specializing could cause extra distress. Especially for a warrior losing their hearing later in life.

ThunderClan

Because of their collaborative culture and hunting style, described as snobbish and bossy by other Clans, it's very likely that ThunderClan would struggle the most with a specific type of ableism. Since they value group cohesion, it follows they may force Assimilation onto a disabled warrior rather than Accommodation.

As mentioned earlier, Pawspeak is the best thing for the comfort of a deaf warrior... but it might not occur to this Clan to encourage the majority of the Clan to adapt to a minority of warriors.

But it gets worse. Forests are AWFUL terrain to hunt in if you can't hear. Imagine walking in a field with a bunch of invisible landmines, and if you step on one, it broadcasts your EXACT location.

It's difficult to tell if your mouse is running away because you crunched a leaf and made a sound... or because a bird in a tree SAW you and is now raising up an alarm cry. If you can't actually hear what the noise was that scared your lunch away, you might blame yourself for being clumsy as a fox barrels towards you!

When it comes to forests, there are significant differences between an old growth forest and a new growth forest. BOTH of them are going to be extremely difficult for a disabled warrior to adapt to, but old growth is harder.

OLD GROWTH

In both, ground litter is a challenge, but especially so in an old growth British forest. Natural forests there are primarily mixed oak, which drop twigs, leaves, and acorns all over the ground.

These areas are bountiful, productive, and brimming with life. Both in terms of prey and predators. The varied canopy of natural, mixed-age trees allows sunlight to filter through and create an "understorey," providing lots of food and cover to lots of different animals. Unfortunately, foliage is not a deaf warrior's friend.

As previously mentioned, a mix of areas for animals to hide in and a surrounding of rattling plant life is the worst possible combination for a cat who can't hear. Worse, hunting rodents depends massively on hearing them through the leaf litter, thanks to those high-pitched chirps and squeaks which are the first thing to vanish when a cat loses their hearing.

This would be so bad that it's likely ThunderClan "works" its youngest members much harder than its seniors, assigning apprentices and young warriors to significantly more hunting patrols. Since hearing loss is so common that it's practically inevitable, and the security of a Clan allows these wild cats to live to such old ages, it would be "common sense" to ThunderClan to structure things this way.

Old growth patches are practically food pantries for Clan cats, but hearing impaired warriors will have a HELLISH time trying to hunt in them.

NEW GROWTH

When a forest is new and all of the trees in a stand are about the same age, they create a uniform canopy. Like a continuous tent. This means they're so effective at blocking out sunlight that there's virtually no understorey.

No understorey means no food. Or very little food. But it also means no cover. And, usually, significantly less leaf litter. This is because in Britain, most of these types of forests are non-native conifers. Sitka spruce and douglas fir are the two biggest offenders-- and that's significant because nothing here has evolved to EAT the products of those trees.

In ThunderClan, Tallpines is an example of this, but this type of terrain could pop up anywhere that's seen massive destruction.

No understorey to feed prey, no products of the trees which native animals can eat, a silent floor covered in pine needles which offer no hiding places, almost chilling uniformity of the strange trees in evenly-spaced rows...

All of this to say that there's an irony here, that the hearing impaired warrior will be best at hunting in the most barren parts of the forest.

There's much less things to trip up on, or rustle. Prey can be plainly seen out in the open. Gray squirrels are the most significant prey that can utilize these areas, and they DO make a hearty meal for a Clan cat. Additionally, these areas are particularly silent because they're so barren, which might make them seem "creepy" to hearing warriors, but that wouldn't bother a deaf warrior one bit!

Advantages--

Cultural sentiment of "all for one; one for all" may lead to more dedication from the Clan as a whole in connecting to the hearing impaired cat

Which could be a blessing or a curse, depending on the individual warrior's feelings.

Ability to work efficiently in the most barren parts of the forest

Disadvantages--

Cultural emphasis on collaboration in group hunting likely leads to deaf cats being encouraged to adapt to the patrol rather than their own strengths.

May result in more emphasis on teaching lip reading and 'speech therapy,' rather than the adoption or implementation of Pawspeak.

Very difficult to stay quiet in a forest if you can't hear the crunch of leaf litter and twigs.

Lots of cover means random bullshit can spring out from any corner; abundance of ambush predators.

Cover also means there's a lot of places for prey to hide, and hearing can't be used to pinpoint the location.

Lots of rodent prey, which relies on hearing high-pitched noise to catch.

Rating: F MINUS, SEE ME AFTER CLASS. By FAR the worst Clan for a warrior with hearing loss to be part of, for both practical reasons, AND cultural reasons. Awful awful awful, absolutely abysmal, failing grade. Dark Souls for deaf cats

Though remember! This part of the guide is a suggestion. You do not need to include ableism in your own projects if you do not want to, and I hope with the information that you now have, you know how to better avoid it!

"Sources?"

Right this way~

[emanfamily3]

Save us before it's too late ‏🍉🥺

Please, don’t skip 🙏😭

I’m verified 🍉🇵🇸

Hello, I am Iman from Gaza 🍉, a science teacher, a mother of five children: Nada (11), Rahaf (8), Sarah (5), Sham (3), Zeina (9 months). Technology is a beautiful, beautiful life. When the war broke out, everything turned upside down. My school that she uses was bombed, my husband lost his job, our house burned down, and our children lost their schools, clothes, toys, dreams, and future. We lost ten members of the group and lived in a tent that did not protect us from the cold of winter or the heat of summer. We were displaced more than ten times to escape the hell of war and there was no safe place in Gaza! We would flee from another place until we were besieged and miraculously escaped death! Until we set up the tent on the Mawasi of Yu Khanis and lived in it. It was not suitable for human habitation. In the winter, the rain would drown the children and the tent would be flooded with rain, with the lack of stimulants that made my daughters suffer from influenza, colds, and diarrhea. They would shiver from the cold of winter and the winds almost tore the tent apart!! And we stayed in the tent until summer came with its dangerous, scorching sun and its many harmful insects, such as flies, mosquitoes, scorpions and mice. The heat almost melted my daughters' bodies, as they were symptoms of skin diseases, ulcers, hepatitis, epidemic and pollution, all this in a wretched tent that could not accommodate two heads, as it was the kitchen, the one that was gloomy and the one that was high enough for sleeping.

‏We suffer from fetching water long distances on foot, and it is not enough, and if we find it, it is not polluted and not fit for drinking or use.

‏In this tent, my little girl Zeina was born and she left the hospital to the tent under direct health conditions. We suffer from good morning to crazy in terms of selling prices and completing vaccinations and medicines, and my daughter stopped due to malnutrition.

‏Do you think the tent is safe? No, by God, other tents were bombed near us and my children and I were shot at by occupation naval boats while we were on the sea, but we survived!

‏Since the beginning of the war, we have been living on canned food and my children crave water, fruits, meat and dairy products, but they are expensive. They crave sweets that are not simple!

‏As for our house, its walls have been bombed and everything in it, including beds, children's clothes, their clothes and belongings, has been burned. They are always crying, wanting their clothes and their clothes!!

‏We have been suffering from power outages since the beginning of the war (a year ago) and gas outages. My children are working by collecting firewood to cook food in primitive ways. !

‏Save us from the hell of war before it is too late. We are growing slowly every day 😭 Please donate to my children, help us get out of Gaza and escape this deadly war 🙏🥹🍉

https://gofund.me/77751696

@appsa @90-ghost @90-ghost @el-shab-hussein @nabulsi @sar-soor @sayruq @queerstudiesnatural @appsa @communistchilchuck @fairuzfan @neptunerings @just-browsing1222 @appsa @akajustmerry @feluka @marnota @annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @tortiefrancis @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @vivisection-gf @belleandsaintsebastian @ear-motif @animentality @kordeliiius @brutaliakhoa @raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish @violetlyric-blog @the-bastard-king @tamaytka @4ft10tvlandfangirl @northgazaupdates @skatehan @awetistic-things @nightowlssleep @baby-girl-aaron-dessner @friendshapedplant @mangocheesecakes @commissions4aid-@timetravellingkitty @tiredguyswag @brokenbackmountain @imjustheretotrytohelp @sylvianritual @magnus-rhymes-with-swagness @aces-and-angels @marnota @cenobutch @transmutationisms

[pravalika]

Water Treatment Systems Market - Forecast (2023 - 2028)

View More @ https://tinyurl.com/bdhrmkkk

Water Treatment Systems Market size in 2019 is estimated to be $5.85 billion and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.56% during the forecast period 2020-2025. Water is an essential constituent in the food and beverage industry. It is being used for cleaning raw materials and for the formulation of food and beverage products. Water scarcity and rising demand for water are increasing the demand for cost-effective water treatment technologies. Increased efforts from regulatory bodies to conserve and recycle water is also contributing to the growth of this market. In the food and beverage industry, water treatment systems are used to help achieve sustainable and clean drinking water as well as to manage wastewater. 

Key Takeaways

Increasing demand for water treatment in the food and beverage industry to remove bacteria, brine and other contaminants, is a major factor driving the water treatment systems market.

The high cost of water treatment equipment is a major factor limiting the growth of the market during the forecast period 2020-2025.

By region, Asia Pacific accounts for a major share of the Water Treatment Systems Market, in 2019.

By Treatment Process - Segment Analysis

By the treatment process, the reverse osmosis systems segment is the fastest growing and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7% during the forecast period 2020-2025. This is owing to the increasing use of reverse osmosis in the food industry to remove bacteria and brine in meat, or for alcohol removal from spirits. Reverse osmosis allows water to pass through a semi-permeable membrane, which acts as a filter and prevents harmful chemicals, organic materials, sediments, and other impurities to pass through. The resulting water is fresh and free from any contaminants. This treatment process also offers additional advantages such as removal of color, odor, chemicals or taste, and ensuring that there are no residual products. It is also fast, efficient and environmentally friendly, making this method’s usage very popular in various applications.

The treatment processes vary with the quantity of water to be purified and the end-use. For instance, countertop water filters are commonly used in residential water treatment equipment whereas inline filters are more efficient for industrial processes. On the other hand, UV water purifiers and charcoal water filters can be used in small-scale as well as large-scale applications.

By Application- Segment Analysis 

By application, the Beverage Industry is estimated to account for a major share of the Water Treatment Systems market during 2019. This is owing to the rising usage of water to manufacture mineral water, fruit juices, sodas, soft drinks, energy drinks, alcoholic beverages, and others. Every beverage requires a specific water treatment procedure. The beverage industry requires a large amount of water to manufacture their products. Furthermore, stringent manufacturing regulations to ensure hygienic beverages and increased efficiency of production processes are increasing the demand for these systems. Growing consumption of energy drinks with the rising health concern is set to contribute to the growth of the Water Treatment System Market during the forecast period 2020-2025.

Geography- Segment Analysis

In 2019, APAC accounts for 36% of the Water Treatment Systems Market share by region. The increasing population along with the growing demand for fresh drinking water is a major factor propelling its market growth. Also, growing health concerns and strict government regulations to purify water from cleaning raw materials to implementing recipes is a major factor driving the market in that region. Besides, ease of availability of raw materials has encouraged global companies to expand to APAC and establish their production facilities in this region, further fueling the growth of this market.

Drivers –Water Treatment Systems Market 

Increased focus on preventing food or beverage contamination

Contamination is a key concern in the food and beverage industry. Government and regulatory authorities are establishing strict rules to reduce contamination in the food and beverage production process. Hence the use of water treatment systems are increasing. Industries such as dairy processing have major concerns over contamination since milk is prone to contamination by bacteria and other microorganisms. Techniques such as reverse osmosis, UV disinfection, and others are commonly used in the food and beverage industry. The use of water treatment systems in the food and beverage industry aids in disinfection and sterilization of water by removing dangerous organisms and contaminants in it. Increasing demand for water treatment is owing to the purity, safety, and quality of this water post its treatment and the wider application of this water.

Enhanced Taste and Clarity of Beverages 

Filtering enhances the taste of beverages as well as its appearance. Moreover, water treatment in beverages plays a prominent role in ensuring hygiene and efficient production while improving the taste of the product. This makes water treatment systems popular for use in the beverage industry. Also, increasing health concern has driven the demand for low-salt or low sugar beverages, which is fueling the use of water treatment systems in eliminating the excess minerals and salts in beverages. The rise in health consciousness is set to increase the consumption of energy drinks in the coming years thereby contributing to the growth of this market as production of such drinks also increases.

Challenges– Water Treatment Systems Market 

The cost of an efficient water treatment system is very high, including the cost of its technology and installation, which is hindering the market growth. Industrial water treatment systems also require timely maintenance and have other associated expenses, which for the end-users is a cost burden. Thus, the high cost of water treatment equipment is a major factor restraining market growth during the forecast period 2020-2025.

Water Treatment Systems Industry Outlook

Product launches, mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures are key strategies adopted by players in this market. Water Treatment Systems top 10 companies are Global Water Solution Ltd, Unilever PLC, EcoWater Systems, A.O. Smith, Koninklijke Philips N.V., 3M, Watts Water Technologies Inc., Aquasana Inc., Pelican Water Systems, and General Electric Company.

Developments:

In March 2019, Arvind Ltd. launched water components and O & M services business Kaigo where the components and spare verticals include the products and technologies used in the creation and maintenance of efficient wastewater treatment.

In April 2019, Pentair plc entered an agreement to acquire U.S. water treatment equipment companies Aquion and Pelican Water Systems.

In September 2019 Aquatella launched a 4-Stage countertop water filter that eliminates 99% of all harmful pathogens, heavy metals, pesticides and chemicals from drinking water.

[absentlyabbie]

i'll tell you what converted me to being all-in on keeping cats indoors only:

living for a year and a half in a rural area with a sudden feral cat colony explosion on the property.

i moved in with my folks for a bit and at that time, one (1) stray cat mama had taken up residence on the property, but was too feral to let my mother anywhere near her. but especially after she brought three kittens around, mom fed her and the kittens in hopes they'd grow trusting enough she could catch for spay and neuter at the minimum. momcat stayed mean and hella wary, but the kittens would hang around a little nearer and play with my mom via long stick, but still wouldn't come close enough to touch or catch.

unfortunately, two of the three kittens were girls and started having kittens of their own before further progress was made, shortly after i moved in. and that was pretty much instant doom.

there were so many kittens. SO MANY. multiple litters. every time we turned around, more kittens.

we fed them. we hunted for and located the kittens every time anywhere on the property and would move them to a repurposed doghouse anytime a mama cat had them somewhere else, so that they could grow up human-socialized and we could spay/neuter them when they were old enough. (also it was a handy tactic to push the issue of the mamas getting more used to/trusting of us themselves. only really worked with one of them, though.)

and we watched them die.

we watched litter after litter of kittens never make it to the age they could be spayed or neutered. the moms stayed, for the longest time, too skittish to more than briefly touch, much less catch and crate for a vet visit.

it sounds like a silly joke to say i have kitten-related ptsd, but i absolutely do.

too many goddamn times i'd walk out of the garage and find the carport and gravel drive strewn with tiny bodies. others simply went missing, never to be found.

one in particular, i wish i hadn't found, and the visual literally haunts me still, almost a decade later.

i saw so many kittens die of snake bite, spider bite, wild dogs, birds of prey, hit by cars, respiratory illness, covered in fleas and eyes crusted with infection.

and we loved them all. scrimped for antibiotics if the vet could be convinced to give it to us despite our being unable to bring them in. bought flea collars and ointments. we cared for them and fed them and petted them and played with them, brushed their fur and cleaned up their little faces, put ice in their water in hot summer, rigged a heating lamp in their house in the winter.

and they died. horribly. that property is pocked with unmarked graves of kittens and cats.

all the best intentions, not enough resources, and it didn't matter anyways because the population went from three to almost twenty (at times, over thirty) in the blink of an eye.

they died and died and died. our hearts broke over and over again. the stress and anxiety wore us down like sandpaper. i think, by the end of it all, we managed to find less than 10 of them all homes, including batman the disabled kitten i found a home across the country through tumblr.

it was carnage and tragedy, frankly. and we were helpless.

it only ended because they started dying faster than they could be born, and because we finally caught the two remaining mom cats in traps and got them spayed.

the points about outdoor cats being invasive predators devastating to local wildlife populations is true and valid and important.

but i know cat people, and cat people who don't know better than to let cats outdoors. what matters to you is the cat itself, generally. the cat being happy and taken care of.

keeping cats outdoors, letting them outdoors, is not taking care of the cats. it's not protecting them. it's not giving them any happiness or invigoration that couldn't be provided to them as indoor-only pets with just a little research and effort.

they die. they get ill. they get hurt. they're at risk of predators, and cars, and disease, and carelessly cruel children and deliberately cruel adults. they're at risk of disappearing on you because someone else saw a cat outdoors and intervened to give it a better, safer life not in conflict with the local environment.

and if that offends and angers you that someone would just take a cat they saw roaming outdoors, even collared, and that it sounds like i'm endorsing that, i am, but not if you intervene and be that person yourself for your own cat.

if what matters to you is doing right by your cat because it's family and a living creature whose happiness and health and safety is important to you,

keep them indoors. not part time. always. exclusively.

edit: since apparently i need to clarify this, i'm saying cats should live inside, that they should not live outdoors, even part time. visiting the outdoors supervised on a leash or in an enclosed catio is not the same as even part-time living outside, and i am certainly not advocating against it.

[walaamohamed1988]

Hello 💫✋

My name is Mohammed from Gaza,🍉 I am 34 years old, married to Walaa, 31 years old.. Father of four children.. Zeina 12 years old, Salma 11 years old, Omar 6 years old, Batoul 1 year old..😭😭

We are living very difficult days because of the ongoing conflict in the country.. We can barely manage our daily expenses because of the ongoing conflict in the country here..🙏

Zeina,Salma and Omar were deprived of their most basic rights, which is education, because of the destruction of all aspects of life, including schools, and they are now panting after water queues and food queues instead of their right to luxury as their most basic rights as children..💫❤️

As for Batoul, she was born in this war, so she saw or heard nothing but bombing and terror, and she was raised on malnutrition because food and baby milk were prevented from entering the northern Gaza Strip..💔🍉

All of this, while the four children suffer from serious skin diseases that have no treatment here.. Because most hospitals and clinics have stopped and treatment is not available for them..

Also, because of the war, our house was destroyed, even if partially, and is currently uninhabitable, and we cannot It was impossible to reach him because he is in a combat zone.

My private car was severely damaged due to the continuous and ongoing shelling. 🍉

My source of income was almost completely damaged, and I used to work in a grocery store. 🍉💔

We cannot even afford to travel outside the country because of the high price of travel, which costs an adult $5,000 and a minor $2,500. This is a huge amount that I cannot afford on my own. So I ask you to help me get out of this difficult ordeal and overcome this devastating war. 💔💔

Thank you very much.👋🙏

[frigidwife]

palestinian survivors in urgent need of support!

compiling these from my inbox and messages - please please share and donate if you can

alaa mahmoud @alaa-gaza / vetted through association / GFM 5072 / 7000 USD this is such an achievable goal!!! alaa's husband died before her daughter, fatoum, was even born. right now the two of them are living in a tent

doaa jad al-haq @dodoomar12345/ vetted by @/90-ghost / GFM 192,342 / 300,000 SEK [104 SEK = 10 USD] doaa and her 5yo son, omar, managed to escape to egypt. omar is nonverbal and has been severely traumatized by the war. doaa's husband, parents, and siblings are all trapped in gaza. she still needs help to evacuate her husband and support omar in egypt and her family in gaza

falestine jad al-haq @falestine-yousef / vetted campaign #246 / GFM 20,435 / 40,000 USD doaa's sister, falestine, and her husband were displaced by israeli bulldozers and are currently living in a tent in dangerous and unsanitary with their three-month-old son yousef. falestine is struggling to provide essentials like milk, diapers, and medicine

mohammed al-deeb @mohammedaldeeb / vetted camapign #212 / GFM 40,397 / 55,000 euros dr. al-deeb is an ER physician at al-shifa hospital. he and his family were displace and were able to make it to egypt!! however, they still need help covering living expenses in egypt after leaving everything behind

amany ubeid @amnyaburas / unvetted / GFM 1,180 / 68000 CAD amany and her family, including her three children, have been displaced from their home in the north to rafah. her son has an eye injury that could lead to permanent disability if untreated. they have lost everything and need to escape to egypt

lina @lina-gaza / vetted / GFM 39,824 / 45,000 euros lina is seeking to evacuate her family to egypt. she has two young children, saif who is 2, and sidra who is only 2 months. they are approaching their goal!!!

osama al-anqar @osama-family / unvetted / GFM 2,741 / 50,000 pounds omar is seeking to support his wife, their young daughter, his martyred brother's family, and his brother who has lost a leg

mounes al-kafarna @mones1998gaza / unvetted / GFM 623 / 20,000 USD two children in need of food and medical care, living a tent currently

anas al-sharfa @anasalshrofa / vetted #913 butterfly project / GFM 1,627 / 50,000 euros anas's tiktok. anas is trying to evacuate his family. they have been displaced multiple times and struggle to get essentials like water or cooking oil

sohad @kareem-family2 / vetted by @/90-ghost / GFM + paypal 9,626 / 20,000 euros on GFM; 5,783 / 15,000 on paypal very big family that urgently needs to evacuate - sohad's nephew kareem has cerebral palsy and is starving to death

hussein shamiya @husseinshamia / reblogged by @/bilal-salah0 / GFM 35,377 / 40,000 USD hussein has a 4 year old son and his wife, rehab, is pregnant. they are living in a tent with no water or electricity and need to evacuate ASAP

all of these situations are horrific beyond belief. these people are living every day under constant threat of bombing, starvation, lack of shelter, and rapidly spreading disease. the fabric of their daily lives has been completely destroyed. they have lost their homes, seen their loved ones and neighbors slaughtered, had their studies and careers indefinitely suspended. the courage to reach out to absolute strangers for help, in the face of such immense uncertainty, is incredible. in the west we should feel the disproportionate weight of our currency and our attention which has been purchased in blood, and we need to make use of both as best we can. please take a moment and give even 5 dollars or euros to one of these campaigns.