melbaboutown

Did you remember the deodorant this morning? 🤔

Yeah, it’s such a hassle. Increasingly getting forced into social media to stay in touch with people and then having to constantly defend the accounts when they’re compromised…

Hmm. I could try but from the other place a lot of these things weren’t successful :/ Good one Meta… https://www.reddit.com/r/phishing/comments/1dhbp60/help_someone_used_my_email_on_instagram_and_im/

If I was smart I’d make a different email for myself and then nuke that old one. It just involves lots of changing things and authenticating for each account to switch them out… I ask you why couldn’t they have had that level of vigilant checking when someone used my email 🤨

I’m not sure but I think you can deactivate FB while keeping the messenger app? Sorry that I can’t offer better info and I’m sorry this is happening

Edit: From the other place

Of course one of the more relevant answers about keeping chat history is deleted… but there’s at least some discussion in there.

I also hate social media and technology

I’m trying to work out how worried to be at some rando using one of my emails for their instagram (I’ve changed the password on seeing that and checked logins). Wondering if I should go delete their account. Seeing as I can’t make them use their own email.

Walked a little early before as I didn’t want to be out too late after dark… saw a familiar shadow going into my block. I did another loop hoping to give him the slip but when I got back he was waiting out the front of mine.

Thankfully he’s a bit miffed at me for not being around, so after a quick greeting (and an opportunistic scan) he sauntered off a little down the path. So I was able to get inside without him trying to slip in as well.

You’re a lot more sensible than I am! I adopted Melbcat as a senior so too old already for insurance.

After the vet suggested teeth brushing I tried out some toothpaste from a pet shop. I think the brand was Petsmile. But it was so not worth the excessive money. She didn’t like it, it all went to waste, and I wouldn’t buy it again. There are oral gels that can be used if the pet won’t allow brushing, or additives for their water.

But yeah. There’s a lot of marketing to pet owners. Since there’s no fluoride involved it’d probably be mostly something antibacterial (zinc, or sorbitol - which is an artificial sweetener and in excessive amounts can give them the runs but isn’t as dangerous as xylitol) and a flavour to make brushing more tolerable to the pet.

Ask your vet, but I’m guessing unless they specifically tell you to use paste or unless there’s serious gingivitis or bacterial problems and they really won’t allow brushing… wiping or scrubbing off the plaque before it can harden is probably the most important bit and can be achieved with something really simple. You might be able to get away with not using it.

Edit: Nevermind, I could be wrong. Don’t use baking soda though. By all means get an enzyme toothpaste if it’s in your budget.

I found this guide and some suggested pastes? And some have bundled brushes? I bought the blue Petsmile tube for the meat flavour but it looks more expensive than the others which are fairly cheap. There’s also brushes and finger brushes sold alone but your link looks smaller and closer to the one I bought. Uhhh… good luck I guess. Don’t get scratched https://www.petcircle.com.au/discover/how-to-brush-cat-teeth

There are finger toothbrushes sold at some vets or on eBay too but some might be a bit big for cats as they’re also made for dogs. There are very tiny long handled toothbrushes for cats on eBay but see how you go with the tip of the smallest little kid toothbrush you can find before you drop any serious dough, because specialty ones can be very overpriced.

I’m not familiar with all the toothpastes but a lot of things are dog products rebranded for cats (or generalised to pets) and can be dangerous to them. I’m not sure of a specific toothpaste that is dangerous to cats but good looking out.

This definitely applies to flea products

Flea bombs, powders, sprays, collars, and even some cat spot ons from the supermarket contain pyrethrins or may be contaminated by them. I avoid supermarket flea products. Avoid anything containing pyrethrins. Things like imidocloprid are cat safe (not the only chemical used in cat flea products but very common).

Also avoid things like tea tree shampoos or skin treatments. Tea tree and other essential oils are very bad for cats. As are flowers or plants like lilies.

That’s probably a good idea, wet food for the kidneys and a bit of dry food for the teeth. It’s what I did. I haven’t done this due to poultry allergy but I heard something about giving them uncooked chicken necks to chew. (Never cooked bones, which splinter.) But you might want to check with the vet if raw chicken is safe. It’s free to ring up and ask a quick question on the phone. Otherwise there are dental treats for cats which I haven’t tried.

The added water is great. Cats originated as desert creatures so they have an extra long Loop Of Henle in their kidneys to concentrate their urine and conserve water with maximum efficiency. But that is very hard on their kidneys, so keeping them hydrated may help delay chronic kidney disease which is very very common in cats especially as they get older.

Yes, premium parasite stuff is so pricey. Even cheaper brands can be. Buying multipacks is expensive up front but can make it cheaper per tube.

I was going to suggest Aristopets for the flea and worm stuff. Because I haven’t used it before, it was such a good price, and that brand is sold in supermarkets (sus) I specifically checked with the pet shop manager that it was safe. And it is! It’s a generic of another brand, while Purina wasn’t recommended.

However the Aristopet spot ons haven’t been in stock for a while now. I found a brand called Neopet that is similar in value but I haven’t tried it. Definitely ask the shop manager or the vet about it because I’ve only just seen it.

You can buy worm pills like Milbemax quite cheaply and add a cheap flea only spot on. But the all in one spot ons (usually described as Plus, +, or will say on the packet) cover those and everything else including heartworm mites and ticks. I got lazy and went without parasite treatment for a bit because I figured Melbcat was inside only… but you can still track or carry fleas in, or a mosquito can come in and spread heartworm. (Yeah, she still got fleas and I had to start dosing her again.)

Also some pet shops will give you short dated or expired spot ons for free if you ask. They will still be effective enough. Also at least one of the pet food banks I posted will give flea and worm treatments as well as food.

As for his weight, you can either get him weighed at the vet checkup which is quite standard. ~~You can stand on the scales holding him then subtract your weight.~~ Kmart has baby scales which are functionally similarly to the vet ones.

Or you can just guess. I was worried because I didn’t know the weight of a random visitor cat but was told you would have to be way way over the amount for there to be any danger of overdose. I knew Melbcat was about 6.5 kg (absolute unit) and he was big but skinny so I guessed him about 5kg and someone else agreed. There are also some pretty wide recommended weight ranges on some of the brands. A lot of brands are even just simply deciding between Over 4kg and Under 4kg.

Ah yes, the protest flop.

That’s definitely a good idea on all of it. Get pet insurance asap, establish good credit and start saving for at least one checkup a year plus for emergencies. And vaccinations. And flea and worm treatments.

And to go the extra mile -

While Melbcat wouldn’t accept this, if you’re able to get them used to having their teeth brushed past kittenhood that’s fantastic. There are special toothpastes and brushes (don’t use human stuff, xylitol is poisonous to pets) but even just dry brushing with the smallest baby toothbrush (or the cheap one that goes on your fingertip, or even tooth wipes) on the outside of the teeth is better than nothing. Even a scrub with a soft cloth on your finger every second day. The rough tongue should get the inside.

I don’t say that to be unnecessarily fussy. I say that because when I got Melbcat I paid $900 for surgery to have one of her teeth out due to a painful resorptive lesion. And that was on the cheaper side for an extraction. Vet care can be very expensive because there’s no Medicare.

Also consider that they may develop food allergies or IBD needing special food, and as they age they will very likely develop kidney disease which needs a prescription diet or phosphate binders. Also arthritis which may need pain meds and/or monthly shots.

Also watch out for urinary blockages especially in the boys! This is a medical emergency and can be incredibly expensive. Cheap dry foods can make them more prone to it. Even a cheap wet food is much better than dry, and even feeding both is better than dry only.

So yeah, just giving you some warnings about what to plan for that I wish I’d had! Hopefully you don’t get stung 🤞

If you find yourself struggling with affording the basics I made a post with low cost vet options, and low cost or free pet food. And cheap brands of spot ons.

Hey Baku! Good to see you.

He’s a great cat. Cuddly and will walk on a harness!

It’s an unpopular place but maybe you could bust someone out of The Lost Dogs Home. They tend to have compatibility/personality blurbs. Other choices might be Lort Smith, 2nd Chance Cat Rescue, or Friends Forever. There are timid cats and cats that are really chill with other cats but I don’t have much experience in introducing them. Maybe try watching Jackson Galaxy.

I’d recommend a senior cat because they can be calmer but to be honest while they’re the best ones (according to me) they tend to need more frequent checkups and need a bit more in vet costs if there’s any health conditions. Upkeep is usually a fair bit more than the initial cost of a cat.

Edit: Maybe an adult cat, because they will be at a good age to tell whether they have a similar personality. A kitten hasn’t settled into that yet and could be too boisterous

I should really get organised to use an old computer to store backups

It makes everything so unnecessarily complicated :(

Being told I can’t send or receive email because Onedrive is full and being leaned on to upgrade…

I already copied all the files over to a separate folder previously but just to be sure I did it again so I can drag that one onto a hard drive. Deleted some old recordings and photos I had backups of from Onedrive to free up storage, and unlinked the pc.

I don’t like how everything is a subscription model and in the cloud now. I really need to get the rest of my stuff out of cloud onto my computer and then onto separate physical storage.

Could be stress hitting you when you get a minute to yourself. Great news about how it turned out though

No, I don’t overreact or overclean. And I’m not dramatic.

It may be a fungus but is not always a simple easy thing to get rid of if you have a google. My immune system also isn’t good (I’ve been treating it for 2 months and it spread). I can’t get the drops without a prescription.

Plus other people’s laziness means I’ve had to deal with something shitty that’s not my responsibility. And now have to nag them about it. And risk conflict if I report the neglect.

The only difference between this and weaponized incompetence is that they don’t even care enough to do it consciously.

I am so tired of other people’s bullshit.

I’ve done the caring for him as an outside cat and it was incredibly stressful for me. A lot of labour and encourages him away from home. I just can’t do it anymore.

spoiler

I had to routinely don long clothes and gloves whenever I saw him then wash hands change out of clothes and shower fully with antifungal products and reapply treatment on my own lesions after. So much laundry on hot with sanitizer, and carpet shampooing. Frequent vacuuming. You have to regularly clean your house to prevent picking it back up from the environment so it’s a whole thing. And I can’t take constantly having to prevent reinfection after handling him. It was also hurting my mental health.

He refused the ringworm tablet hidden in food, I got two doses down the hatch by wrestling him but then the next two nights he started hiding from me and I had to go looking for him. At that point I realised “this is crazy”, dumped all the cat stuff on the owners doorstep and emailed asking them to take him to the vet.

I don’t think they have. I’ve handed over all the treatments I have which will be expensive and an hassle to get more of. (The tablets are prescription only and came from the rescue lady. That liquid requires a script to be uploaded to buy it and vets don’t prescribe to animals they haven’t seen. The lime sulfur dip alone was $50 and I don’t know if he’d let me bathe him.) And I’m not legally able to confine someone else’s pet for treatment or take him to the vet myself. They will have to do it.

And he’s still hanging around my door waiting to rub up on me or door dash in while contagious.

So unless I want to be on an endless ringworm reinfection treadmill (I really don’t) I am going to have to be a Karen, make a report to RSPCA or the council. And I’m worried about the backlash when I do.

This is actually kind of a nightmare. I can’t begin to tell you how much I didn’t and don’t want to deal with this.

I agree. My own stuff is enough to deal with for now.

The problem is I’m trying to avoid and ignore him, but he sometimes blocks me into my house because I’m trying to avoid physical contact and he’s waiting near the door to actively pursue it. It’s stressing me out. As is the idea of continuing to nag or confront neighbours (I don’t know these people and have had some dangerous experiences/sustained harassment in the past).

To make it clear - I’m very much not trying to adopt or take in the cat. I’m not after a new pet. I’m trying to make his owners take him to the vet and treat him so he stops reinfecting me. (Also for his own comfort because damn.)

I’ve just tried to submit a report to the RSPCA with photos and a video from my phone but it’s hanging on send. I’ll try again later on the computer.

spoiler

Oh no. The black kitty has heard some noise and come to sit on my doorstep wanting to be let in.

Not a big deal except I’m kind of trapped inside due to trying to avoid being touched by him and prevent him from dashing in. It feels terrible because I do care about him and he is a nice cat. But I’m pretty sure he’s not been treated for the ringworm (and could still be contagious if he had), also I’m trying not to encourage him away from his owners.

I don’t have a plan honestly. I just don’t know. For now I’m just trying to stay inside as much as possible to rest and sort my own life out. But if he doesn’t get vet treatment and it continues affecting my life I may have to start reporting to RSPCA or the council. Which I don’t want to and don’t think will improve matters but may eventually be forced to.

Because I am still treating the first round of infection I caught from him brushing against my leg. It’s so hard to get rid of. 😑 FFS people, take your cat to the vet or even just use the expensive medicines I left on your doorstep which you received. Why are you making this poor animal my problem

Edit: I’d be glad of any opinions, what you would do if this was you. Or if you have actually managed to sort something like this. It’s a legit problem and genuinely stressing me out. :( I just want to be freed up to focus on myself.

I don’t know these neighbours to just have a casual chat, failed at treating him myself, get really stressed about confronting people and from the constant deflecting via email they aren’t interested in doing anything.

Relevant

All respect to the troops but there’s the risk of tipping into jingoism and forgetting some important lessons about war

I have a young pic of my grandpa but due to a strong family resemblance it’s a bit doxable. He was an Anzac. I saw his medals when I was 8 but don’t remember what they were for. I’m not sure of the exact historical details or whether there has been any stretching of the truth but I’m told he was sent in as ground troops in the weeks after Hiroshima, and the remaining radiation is why he was bald for the rest of his life.

/snip Complaining about money and health.

I’ve done 10 lifts of the kettlebell, folded the towels into where they go, set another load of washing on delay. Taken meds and when I finish this last cuppa I’ll brush my teeth and get to bed.