One of my doggies stubbed his toe real good and has to wear the Cone of Shame for ten days. Keeping it on him is super not fun…I’d rather wear it myself than make him do it, but the vet says that just won’t work.
I’m in the same boat today, without the air quality issues. Although the damn furnace that Minnesota current is doesn’t help. Work is making changes that are going to create a lot of training issues, I’m realizing someone I thought was a good coworker is actually dumb as a stump, and overall I work with wannabe do-gooders who have no grasp of what our clients actually deal with.
My mother is bringing up perceived slights from decades ago, woe-is-me’ing about stuff dad wanted to do but she didn’t follow through (because you need more property? You can’t handle what you currently have, crazy lady).
Daughter and future son-in-law are embarking on their first large purchase together and while I’m proud he’s actually making decisions, they’re based on emotions not on logic, which could cost them more than they can handle.
My housemates’ kittens got neutered today and one of them may end up in the Cone of Shame if he doesn’t stop licking his stitches. I’ve got paper plates. I can make one myself if he doesn’t knock it off.
I don’t think you wearing a paper plate cone is going to discourage your kitten from licking their stitches, unless they cat laugh so hard their rough little tongues are too busy.
It’ll give him something to mess with. I’ve learned distraction is a valuable tool when dealing with curious kittens.
Wait, they stitched a neuter site on a male kitten?? That’s not usual …
There’s something down there. I can’t tell what because the boys are a bit sensitive right now and won’t let me look too closely. Understandable, really.
Little wonder. Look what happened to them the last time they let a human look closely there.
Don’t they use glue for neuters? I bet he’s licking because his balls got shaved and now it itches. (Probably TMI, but once I shaved in that area and missed several hairs which made all of that area itch until I could get home and deal with it.)
Of course, you still want to stop him from bothering the itchy spot because you don’t him licking the glue loose. I’d suggest you use the paper plates for tonight and see what he does after the fur has time to grow out during the night.
Shhh! We want pictures of this!
For a male kitten, there’s sometimes nothing and sometimes a little bit of glue. Irritation can come from the glue, from the plucking of the hair, or from the incision. In the shelter, people tend to go for the inflatable um… I’m drawing a blank here. I know this is really stupid, but I’ve been experimenting on my brain recently. It’s not a cone. It’s blue and soft and round like… a cheerio shape? I can’t remember the name of the shape, I’m sorry. We use them in the shelter because they’re available and lying around everywhere, though. In a home, I prefer/recommend baby onesies because a) you can get them for like $1.50 at Goodwill b) they’re adorable. That may be harder depending on the age/size of the kitten, but it may be an option. And once they get used to it, they hate it a lot less than a cone and spend a lot less energy trying to get it off.
For foot wounds on dogs, the donut (that’s what it’s called!) is probably the best option. Not the cheapest unless you want to get creative with a cut-up pool noodle, but it is generally the most comfortable for them. They can see fairly normally and aren’t knocking into things, so it doesn’t make them nervous and depressed if they’re prone to that kind of thing.
My mini-rant is just… everything.
There’s the combination of the fact that things were already sort of wearing at the seams and falling apart before I went to the hospital, the fact that my roommate wasn’t honestly very helpful except that she could/would/might be in specific small ways, like that at least I would have someone I could ask to go get the mail or take the trash can to the end of the road or other things that are not really hard work if you’re not… you know… in a wheelchair, but are next to impossible if you are. And… I’ve lost track of my sentences here. I’m not having a good day, I’m afraid. But also the fact that she chose the time while I was in the hospital or immediately after I came home to move out.
So here I am, up to my ears in various treatments that leave me in varying states of usefulness, physically and mentally. Up to my ears in mess- all kinds of mess. The mess of someone being half moved out. The mess of a house being more-or-less abandoned unexpectedly for a few weeks, and now the mess of just… doing the best I can since I’ve been home, but with a lot of limitations.
I need someone to come over and just spend… a day? two? helping me get everything put back together. Change all my litterboxes. Do all my laundry because I don’t actually know what’s clean and what’s not at this point because I can’t get down the stairs to the washer/dryer and all my clothes are still in the bags from the hospital. I feel like I remember having a system, but again… I can’t remember. Cleaning out the fridge and pantry, both of foods that aren’t good anymore and of foods that just aren’t mine. It’s all little stuff. But all together, it just seems impossible. And a lot of it is stuff that I could/would be able to do except… you know… there’s that one obstacle with the stairs and/or the driving. Like I can clean the fridge out on my own, but I can’t get the bag to the outside trash can and the trash can to the curb without help. It’s not that I can’t do my own laundry- it’s that I can’t carry my laundry down or back up the stairs and the washer/dryer is in the basement. And a lot of the individual things, I could probably figure out, but… I’m overwhelmed.
Also, I hate the fact that not being able to drive puts such a massive damper on my independence and ability to function as an adult. And that living in a rural area means both no access to public transit (I did take uber to my last appointment, but that’s awfully expensive) and that even as I do improve physically, I live right off one of the most dangerous roads I know- blind curves, one lane each way, no shoulder, speed limit 60. So if I wanted to TRY driving, I couldn’t practice on one of those nice, wide, well-lit, city streets without having to take Driving Level Advanced roads to get there. There’s no room for a learning curve if it turns out my muscle control isn’t good enough yet.
… I’ve lost track of what I’m ranting about. Suffice it to say that everything feels like it’s falling apart, I need more help in more different ways than I know how to find and where and than it’s reasonable to ask any friend or loved one for, I’m angry that my roommate chose this moment to abandon me even though I admit she wasn’t really much help to begin with, I’m upset that I’m not a fully-functioning adult who can just take care of everything myself… things just suck, I suck, my house is a disaster, I’m a disaster, and I don’t even know where to turn for help. I should hire someone? Like a house cleaning service or like a… disability care service? Also, this is f’ing expensive and it adds up, especially on top of the mounting medical bills.
Also, I’ve never in my life paid someone to clean my house or anything like that, so I just… hardly know where to start in terms of research, even. I guess I can just call the first one that pops up on Google and tell them all this/ask them. But on top of having a bad day in many other ways, I’m also having a lot of trouble speaking without stuttering today, so talking to strangers on the phone isn’t high on my list of things that sound like fun. Maybe I’ll send an e-mail? Although, clearly, I’m not even writing very well today. Shit, maybe I’ll just take some sleeping pills, go back to bed, and hope that I’m in better shape tomorrow. … Except that I have an appointment tomorrow morning and should probably have clean clothes for that.
And here’s another weird thing about my clothes: my drawers and closets are totally empty and the only clothing I have is in the bags I took to the hospital. I remember yesterday thinking I had a system where I knew which ones were clean, but today, I have no idea what that was. Also, where are the rest of my clothes? I didn’t think that much of it before because I had some jeans and t-shirts, but now… first of all, all my pants are now way too big for me and I know I own (or owned?) quite a few sets of scrubs that were smaller, but where are they? Where are all my hoodies? I know I owned a couple dresses and cardigans and just… things other than jeans, work t-shirts, and humorous socks. Where are they? It’s a problem for another time, I guess, but it’s still an odd thing.
I guess in summary/conclusion, my head isn’t in good shape, my body isn’t in good shape, my home isn’t in good shape, I’m kind of overwhelmed by everything, and I have more help than I deserve, but it’s still not as much as I need. I’m a fully grown adult woman and shouldn’t need ANY, but if I’m being fully honest with myself at the moment… things just are not functioning correctly. My cats are being taken care of, though.
My Shep wore the donut of shame last week after a growth was removed from his neck and butt. Benign growths for the record. But expensive!
Clear to me you don’t have as much help as you deserve. The amount of help you deserve is defined by the amount of help you need. We deserve what we need. Nothing about any number of years you are old that precludes it being ok to need help and certainly nothing to get down on yourself about. Glad I could clear that up.
Try Next Door or that What’s app for some short term household help. It is likely to cost less than the first service that pops up on Google. Those prices have to have the cost of advertising on Google built into what they will charge you.
Glad your cats are being taken care of, hope you can enjoy their companionship. Nice thing about cats? They don’t care about the laundry or dirty dishes and they will never tell anyone about undone laundry.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone needs help. Sounds like you need it but can’t get it. Different thing.
Dot, listen up–or read up. You’re overwhelmed because there’s too much to deal with. You need ONE PERSON to help you out. That person makes a list of what you need: transportation, cleaning and organizing, etc. Then that person makes phone calls and all arrangements. There may be volunteer groups that would clean, organize, and transport. She–I’m nominating your kindly landlady–could call the hospital social worker, for a start.
WRITE THIS DOWN: “Ask landlady about getting help: cleaning, etc.”
Did your former roommate take your clothes? Landlady can help figure that out, too.
Kitten update: there was no untoward licking of the surgical area today. Both kittens were wiped out, possibly from the meds the vet gave them. Some kind of anti-inflammatory I think.
I checked and there weren’t any stitches, so it was probably the glue I saw yesterday. It must have been the irritation that Murphy was licking at.
And, because I know it’s required, here’s a pic of the kittens sleeping in a box in my closet. Murphy’s the one on the bottom and his brother Connor is on top of/behind him.
I’m obviously not a cat person (see avatar) but even I have to admit that there’s something about a box’o’kittens that’s pretty cute!
Those are gorgeous boy kittens. I would have taken them home in a New York minute. Marvelous names too. There is a continuing requirement for periodic pictures as well, so ante up regularly, please.
You don’t have to ask her to do it all, just recommend solutions.
This is what Next Door is great at, too. Just make a quick post (not the place to get long-winded) that says: “Need help with A, B, C and D. Any recommendations?”
You’ll get help that’s pre-vetted… “Jeb Loy over on Ludlow St. does a great job cleaning for us, did the laundry last week, too!”
The cat rants continue…
SOMEONE peed on my bed. I had been smelling something suspicious the last couple of nights and last night I tracked it down to the left side of my bed. Pillow, blankets, sheets, and mattress pad. I got up at 11:30 to strip the bed down to the bare mattress, rubbed some baking soda on the area that stank*, and remade the bed. Since my comforter and quilt were stinky, I had to pull some thermal blankets out of storage. Fortunately I had taken a half a Benadryl so after forcing myself to relax, I was able to get back to sleep.
It wasn’t the kittens. I know that. I think it was Little Bitch Tabitha because I caught her peeing on something else recently. She must be going through a “I feel so NEGLECTED” stage. If she’d ever come out of hiding she’d get more attention but no, she has to be a little bitch.
She’s on my Specialized High Intensity Training List and she knows it.
*I don’t think it penetrated to the mattress, but better safe than sorry. Boy, if there was ever a good reason to use mattress pads, that is it.