@PensiveCrayon made me think of another reason the social media gushing annoys me. My husband and I show appreciation for each other by helping out and making the other’s life easier (like your H taking kiddo to swim lessons). I’ll take that any day over some mushy FB post.
These are wide generalizations, of course, but I think the facebook posts can be a symptom of two different things - either being extroverted, or narcissistic. There is a difference though: extroverted people just generally post more because they are more "social" in real life, which extends to their social media life. Narcissistic people tend to post "self-promoting" posts to gain attention and "likes". They are not doing it to show that person how much they love them by posting about them on facebook, but so that they are commended for their love (or congratulations, or appreciation, or whatever). And how often are you tempted to click "like" on those types of posts because they are sweet and happy, and therefore validate that behavior?
Like I said, these are generalizations, so I am not calling everyone a narcissist - maybe they are just so happy that day that they want to "shout it from the rooftops" type of deal, but it's certainly something to think about.
+1 for not liking obviously curated social media perfection! I have several cousins who are total drama queens. One day they post “my man is so great” things, then the next day they share crap like “if you don’t treat your woman right, she will leave you” I block all of those pages, but still see their shared BS. So as a result I don’t follow them. #sorrynotsorry
But I’m okay with the subtle spouse/parent appreciation on holidays. A few sentences will suffice, but of course, my feeds were also inundated with long stories and all the photos. DH had a private Fathers Day with me and the dogs. That was nice.
+1 for loving the zipper merge! I love it so much that I’m the person who ALWAYS lets in trucks - they’re just doing their job, cutting them off is rude & dangerous. Wish more folks obeyed on-ramp meters (during metering hours), they work great if each car is willing to wait ten whole seconds between cars!
NTNP since Dec 2012 | TTC since Jan 2016 Dx: Unspecified IF BFP#1 Nov 2017 • Blighted Ovum + MMC • D&C at nine weeks BFP#2 Apr 2018 • It's a boy! • Born 13 Dec 2018
Yes! @Jens_Hoes Can we start an "Annoying Shit My Husband Does" thread?
My SO is a good husband and father but there is definitely room for improvement. Keeping it real, best dad ever is a stretch.
One of my best friends will call me crying about how her husband and her got in a terrible fight and how awful he is...next day an Instagram post of flowers he got her "for no reason" and how great he is
Add me to the list of people who's husband does annoying shit. I love him dearly. And I appreciate A LOT that he does for me (and he does do a lot) and I do believe he is the best dad ever (specifically for DS) as I don't think anyone in the world could love DS as much as he does. But in no way do I think he's perfect. In fact I could make a giant list of things that pissed me off yesterday alone.
Also: thought this point in pregnancy you're supposed to get an increased sex drive. Only thing that's increase for me is my desire to throat punch H.
I actually took a few great pictures of my husband with Nugget doing fun things together on Fathers' Day that I normally would have posted, but I didn't specifically because it was Fathers' Day. I hate those posts too... not so much because of the AW factor, but because prior to being a parent, there were a couple decades where I didn't get to do Fathers' Day and it sucked every year, and the advent of Facebook tributes just made me feel more alienated than I had before (and with their newsfeed algorithms being what they are, it's always like an entire week of I-have-a-great-dad-and-you-don't gutpunches). Fathers' Day tributes, Mothers' Day tributes, and honestly, formal pregnancy announcements all put me off a little for that reason. Too many people I know struggle, and it's probably more widespread even than I know, so I keep that stuff private.
Tack me on to the long list of people that despise AW social media posts. Remember my momzilla friend I griped about last week? Well, her husband is kind of a buttface and is not a very active father and husband (MH admitted last night that he has lost ALL respect for this guy and does not want to be friends with him anymore). She posts on FB all. the. time. about "my man" and "my rock" and the "best Dad ever." I just can't with it. The next day, I'll ask how things are going with them and she'll rant about how he hasn't gotten home in time for the kids' bedtime all week long (he doesn't work late). Ummm, ok, at least the FB world knows you have the perfect life. Cool story, bro.
Don't get me wrong I love the zipper merge. My rant this morning was more about when we are all STOPPED and people create their own lanes to try to get ahead of the stopped line of cars. When there is a traffic jam, just wait your turn! I am team aggressive (but not dangerous) drivers who zipper merge lol
I think the other reason why the social media BS bothers me, is that the world creates this view of what a marriage "should be" based off of movies/tv and social media. In the last 4 years we bought a house, got married, started a business, had a child and got whoops pregnant again. These past four years have been REALLY ROUGH at times, and I've felt isolated at times because the world wants to make you think that they are perfect. I think we would all be better off if people stopped lying about how great they are and support those that they can. Not saying I don't have supports in my life who I vent to, because I do, but man marriage plus parenting is REALLY hard. And if you don't agree, I don't think you are based in reality
I'm glad some of you dislike your husbands sometimes too lol
I guess I have the super UO here - I love posting nice things on Facebook for my husband, especially on Father's Day, because he is like in the traditional "mom" role in our family, in the sense that he does every single daycare pick up and drop of and doctor's appointment, in addition to having a demanding job and I feel super guilty about it! It's just due to logistics (he works down the street from her daycare, he gets PTO and vacation time, I do not) but it amounts to 2 hours of commuting daily with a toddler and lots of check ups and staying home when sick, and it is a LOT in addition working 50-60 hours a week! So I probably do post performatively, but I want him to feel extra appreciated (AND I know a bunch of guys who just make their wives do 100% of parenting related stuff, so I also think it's good that they see examples of dads who actually put in parenting work and are appreciated for it.) I can see how it would be annoying! But I'm at the point with social media where I'm very much you do you, I'll do me, and if I find you annoying I will unfollow you and you are free to do the same, haha.
@katy0990 I had a great talk with my daycare lady when she got back from vacation on Monday and I politely instilled some fear in her (she has mentioned so many times how she would hate to lose us...she even CRIED to MH about it). I just told her that we have taken the fall for my friends irresponsible parenting more than once. The first time could have been avoided had my lady adhered to her 24 hour policy and not allowed my friends child to come back after 12 hours. She had a talk with my friend and let her know that she has had multiple parent complaints about her bringing her kids to daycare while sick and if they're sick, she needs to suck it up and stay home from work with them (like every other parent out there). I had been busy at work up until today, so I plan on having the talk with my friend...because she can tell I have been a little stand-offish. This whole situation just makes me stressy and want to run away...because I'm a weiner.
+1 here as well for not being a fan of the AW FB posts on Father's Day, Mother's Day & V-day. DH and I agree that we will show each other our love in person and give a card rather than a FB post. I just have never liked them. *TW also, a really good friend of mine lost her dad to suicide two years ago & didn't get the chance to get to know him. Also, she has a super shitty mom, so I think of those type of people on those days & how every post is a gut punch*
AFM, I don't like fitbits and any kind of fit watch. I think no matter how hard you try, they don't look fashionable. I seem to do better myself when I'm not overly focused on my steps/calories.
@temmetime i don't like fitbits either! I got a leaf to track workouts, sleep, menstrual cycle, and meditation. It's cute, but i don't really use it that much because found that it wasn't really something i wanted to be obsessed with anyway. Sometimes I will wear it when I know I'm going to be especially active, just out of curiosity. I also don't have any kind of smart watch because I love to wear "old fashioned" analog watches!
@temmetime *gasp* I love fitness accessories! Granted, I've never owned a Fitbit per se, but I loved my Jawbone UP and I lurve my Apple Watch. I'm not too interested in fashion or steps either, but it's easy to deny the elevator and say "gotta get my steps in" when in reality I just take the stairs as often as possible so I don't get too fat (regardless of steps). I got into it because Jawbone does sleep tracking, and it really helped me identify my sleep patterns and confirmed restless nights - I thought I was losing my mind.
NTNP since Dec 2012 | TTC since Jan 2016 Dx: Unspecified IF BFP#1 Nov 2017 • Blighted Ovum + MMC • D&C at nine weeks BFP#2 Apr 2018 • It's a boy! • Born 13 Dec 2018
@temmetime It’s not my steps that I’m obsessed with...it’s my sleep stats! But yes, I will admit my Fitbit is fugly and enormous. I used to have the clip-on style but wanted to have the heart rate info. I do wish there was some workaround (ankle Fitbit??) because I want to go back to wearing my nice watches.
Me: 31 | DH: 31
Together since 2003 | Married 2010 TTC #1 January 2016 BFP April 18 2016 | EDD December 29, 2016 Welcome baby A! January 9, 2017
TTC#2 March 2018 BFP March 30, 2018 | EDD December 12, 2018
oohh man I'm dying for an apple watch but haven't been able to justify the $400 for it. I am secretly hoping DH surprises me with one when he gets his July bonus.. but he probably won't since we have to buy baby things + a shed instead.
@pensivecrayon I posted before I saw what you wrote. I have a fitbit blaze and put it monitor side toward my boob in my bra and it still does a good job of tracking heart rate, steps, etc! I love it there as opposed to my wrist!
I'm still in the "fax machine era" and have the FitBit One (I think it's called?). It's the tiny one you can clip on your bra or waistband. I'm surprised I don't still have a flip phone, if we're talking about being behind the times!
@AdorkablePixie what's TTT? I don't think I know that one lol.
+1 for not liking AW FB posts on holidays/birthdays/anniversaries. I used to be that person, and I always felt so pressured to "say the right thing". Now, I just tell people in person how I feel. Who cares what the rest of the world thinks? Just my opinion.
@tumbleweed-1 my cats get dry food and I'm wanting to switch to wet, but idk what to get!! I can't do anything super expensive, but I can do more than the cheapest brand. I've got a long hair cat who is difficult because she eats so fast and swallows her food whole, then throws it up whole. I'm hoping wet food will help that! I'm just so overwhelmed by all the options and tying to figure out what's healthy and "right" for our cats, so I've just stuck with the dry food my mom gave them. If you have any suggestions/help with type of wet food (brand, flavor if those make a difference, or anything that's hairball control or weight management (long hair is super fat because my grandma used to feed her at will...) I'd love some advice!)
@PensiveCrayon My side boob next to the underwire! It's also good when you push a stroller because my fitbit has a hard time knowing I'm walking when I push a stroller because my arms don't move, so it's worked better for that, too!
@texas_t Thank you! This is so great! It will also make things more accurate during the newborn period, when I racked up all sorts of steps from jiggling my kid to sleep. I could tell how bad of a day we had based on whether it was a 10,000-step day or not.
Me: 31 | DH: 31
Together since 2003 | Married 2010 TTC #1 January 2016 BFP April 18 2016 | EDD December 29, 2016 Welcome baby A! January 9, 2017
TTC#2 March 2018 BFP March 30, 2018 | EDD December 12, 2018
I love my apple watch, which tracks my steps and heartrate and whatnot. I use it for running, too, because it's about as accurate as anybody would really need for tracking that. Like, I don't care that it's .02 different than my friend's garmin.
But honestly, I use it mostly as ... a watch. I also adore that I get notifications there so I can check that more discretely than whipping out my phone. And the weather... I check the weather on the damn thing constantly to decide whether I should walk outside or inside at work.
@Jens_Hoes domestic cats are descendant from desert cats in the Middle East/north Africa (you know, ancient Egyptians and cats). The species still has a very low thirst drive, unlike dogs who drink when they are thirsty. Some cats will drink water because the like it, but overwhelming if a cat is drinking water it is already dehydrated. They are used to getting pretty much all of their moisture from the food they eat (mice and stuff). Commercial dry food just doesn’t have enough moisture in it to sustain a cats water needs. Cats are very good at hiding when they are ill and could have kidney issues later in life from chronic dehydration. It’s important for cats to either have access to creatures to hunt and eat, or be offered canned/raw food to make up for that. (Cat raw food is a debate for another day) They should also always be offered water. My cat has a water bowl, but I’ve only seen her drink out of it a handful of times in the 4 years I’ve had her. Cats are often more likely to drink out of a fancy bowl with running water, or a fountain. (We just have a regular bowl, sorry tumbleweed-cat)
@CecilB93 there are a lot of helpful lists online that review cat food brands and some compare cans, companies etc. It depends on how in-the-weeds you want to get with it- the protein, the additives, the company (history of recalls for example), other ingredients, how easy it is to find in stores, etc. For a healthy cat, I’d start with picking a can that has meat listed as one of the top three ingredients (vs a grain first, or a meat by-product). It might just say the name of the animal; “chicken” for example. There are a couple of options for slowing down eating, one is to put the cats food on a plate, wet or dry (what we do). Another idea to get cats to be more active/eat slower is to put the kibble in a food dispensing ball. Photo example of my cat and her “treat” ball in spoiler. Sometimes it can be hard to get a cat to eat canned food if they are used to only having dry food. Offer a bit of wet food at meals and the cans can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days. (Life hack- frosting lids cover regular size cat food cans well)
I try not to judge too hard on other cat owners, because I know we are all doing the best we can. I feel like I’ve become one of *those* cat moms though because my cat developed accute colitis. I’ve spent the last 2 years trying to figure out her triggers. She eats a brand that I’m ashamed to admit how expensive it is- let’s just say she eats better than us. But everytime we switch her to a more affordable line, the colitis flares up. I’d rather buy her nicer food than pay vet hospital bills and pill her multiple times a day. One thing we’ve discovered is she reacts to binders like guar gum- which is commonly in cat food and for a healthy cat is completely safe and fine to feed. For my cat, it lands us back at the vet and on steroids.
Don’t get me started on vegan cat diets. If someone is vegan, a cat is not the pet for them. Just no. Cats kill, and sometimes they kill in excess/“for sport”- like humans often do.
Ok, one last thing, cats can easily become addicted to tuna and then won’t eat anything else. Keep that in mind if feeding a mixed protein variety of food.
Thanks for sticking with my cat facts and (hopefully) not thinking I’m a total TW with a bougie cat.
Well now I'm questioning all the times I've seen my cat drinking from her bowl and the dog's bowl. Maybe I have a rare, water-loving cat, because I've seen her drinking water almost as much as I've seen her actually eating food. But maybe she's just sick
And holy hell it occurs to me that our cat is 12 years old this year. How in the hell did that happen.
@tumbleweed-1 I'm happy that you're such a health conscious cat mom When I had cats I always felt bad for giving them dry food, but they were little water buffalos - and stayed well hydrated. I know that some would argue that I shouldn't have had two gatos if I couldn't feed them as well as possible, but I 100% percent knew that they were better off with me than the tweakers who wanted the kittens away from their illegal dog breeding operation
NTNP since Dec 2012 | TTC since Jan 2016 Dx: Unspecified IF BFP#1 Nov 2017 • Blighted Ovum + MMC • D&C at nine weeks BFP#2 Apr 2018 • It's a boy! • Born 13 Dec 2018
@runrinserepeat and @echo-charlietango I certainly don’t mean to make you (or anyone) feel bad. Lots of cats live long, happy lives on only dry food. I’ve had to become health conscious/uptight about my cats food because of her specific medical history. There’s so much more to being a good pet owner than just what we feed them. Snuggles, play/exercise, grooming, and medical care are all important to a pet’s quality of life. I have to spend more on my cats food because she almost died and it was traumatic and horrible and I don’t want to go there again, but I’m not a perfect cat mom. My cat is behind on her shots (she’s indoor only since the first colitis incident), and I can only trim one nail of hers at a time (before she attacks) so I mostly don’t even bother.
Also, it’s hard to talk about what’s “best” for pets and what they should or shouldn’t have without coming across as very classist. I’m aware of that. I grew up poor and we had probably more pets than were within our means, but should my siblings and I have been denied the experience of the unconditional love of a dog because of the amount of money my parents earned? I don’t believe so. My parents did the best they could to provide, and now, I’m in a different situation with more disposable income than my parents had, and I’m doing the best I can to provide.
^ Agree! I'm so happy that DH & I can provide for our doggos. They give us all of the love and protection, the least we can do is keep them happy and healthy as possible
NTNP since Dec 2012 | TTC since Jan 2016 Dx: Unspecified IF BFP#1 Nov 2017 • Blighted Ovum + MMC • D&C at nine weeks BFP#2 Apr 2018 • It's a boy! • Born 13 Dec 2018
@hkom That is exactly how I feel about fitbits. It'll just stress me out to track so much stuff, especially sleep. I'll get anxious when the numbers aren't good.
@tumbleweed-1 omg the water thing totally makes sense!! I've been joking that I need to find or create a fancy water fountain thing for our other cat (short hair). I don't think she drinks from her dish much, she prefers to climb up in my bathroom sink and meow until I turn the faucet on a low stream so she can drink it. But I do have to fill the water dish every day or two, so between the two of them, the water is being drank. I've been wanting to start wet food, I honestly didn't know any better until the last year or so because my family (Mom, grandma, etc) has only ever done dry food! My mom has a new cat and has worked in wet food for her because she now knows better, but she does get dry sometimes too. So question about "meal times"...we don't really have a set schedule for feeding our cats...I usually just fill the dish when it's empty, which is every day and a half or two, they don't eat it all in one sitting. Should I be limiting how much I give them and do that two or three times a day? What do you usually do? I'm such an uneducated pet mom...I just do what I know, which I know isn't "right". I'm also horrible about grooming our cats...the long hair hair cat is so fat she can't reach her back to clean herself, so she gets matted hair and dandruff...I have a brush, I need to keep up with it better...
@CecilB93 it’s ok to free feed (leave it and they eat when they want) with dry food, but wet food should be set meal times. Because of the moisture, bacteria can multiply on it the same way if we keep our food out. If I put my cats wet food out and she really doesn’t seem interested in it I try to pay attention and put it back in the fridge within 30 mins or so. Then I take it back out for her to eat later. If I forget and it’s been out for more than 2-3 hours without her finishing it all it sadly goes in the trash. My cat is spoiled with 3 meals a day rn (we have flexible schedules and one of us is usually home). The only “set” meal time she has is dinner (at 8pm). Lunch she gets if we are home, if we aren’t home in the middle of the day it turns into two dinners. Breakfast depends on when humans wake up- despite her best efforts to meow and annoy us. Your cat’s food bag should have the recommended serving amount per day based on their weights on the back. If it were me, I’d start with smaller scoops of the dry food in the morning, just the amount they will eat in a day (what the bag says if you aren’t sure). Then pick a time in the evening to set out some wet food and see how they do. Good luck! Mad for grooming, I’ve never had a long haired cat, but in know my cat hates being brushed. If your cats like it that’s a big help. Do you have a vet/groomer who can cut off the matted fur? You could also try carefully to cut off the mats with scissors. I used to have a long haired guinea pig and I did that with him. I’d hold a comb close to his skin, under the mess of fur, to help protect him from accidentally getting cut.
Re: UO • 6.19
Like I said, these are generalizations, so I am not calling everyone a narcissist - maybe they are just so happy that day that they want to "shout it from the rooftops" type of deal, but it's certainly something to think about.
I have several cousins who are total drama queens. One day they post “my man is so great” things, then the next day they share crap like “if you don’t treat your woman right, she will leave you” I block all of those pages, but still see their shared BS. So as a result I don’t follow them. #sorrynotsorry
But I’m okay with the subtle spouse/parent appreciation on holidays. A few sentences will suffice, but of course, my feeds were also inundated with long stories and all the photos. DH had a private Fathers Day with me and the dogs. That was nice.
+1 for loving the zipper merge! I love it so much that I’m the person who ALWAYS lets in trucks - they’re just doing their job, cutting them off is rude & dangerous. Wish more folks obeyed on-ramp meters (during metering hours), they work great if each car is willing to wait ten whole seconds between cars!
Dx: Unspecified IF
BFP#1 Nov 2017 • Blighted Ovum + MMC • D&C at nine weeks
BFP#2 Apr 2018 • It's a boy! • Born 13 Dec 2018
Can we start an "Annoying Shit My Husband Does" thread?
My SO is a good husband and father but there is definitely room for improvement. Keeping it real, best dad ever is a stretch.
One of my best friends will call me crying about how her husband and her got in a terrible fight and how awful he is...next day an Instagram post of flowers he got her "for no reason" and how great he is
I love him dearly. And I appreciate A LOT that he does for me (and he does do a lot) and I do believe he is the best dad ever (specifically for DS) as I don't think anyone in the world could love DS as much as he does. But in no way do I think he's perfect. In fact I could make a giant list of things that pissed me off yesterday alone.
Also: thought this point in pregnancy you're supposed to get an increased sex drive. Only thing that's increase for me is my desire to throat punch H.
I think the other reason why the social media BS bothers me, is that the world creates this view of what a marriage "should be" based off of movies/tv and social media. In the last 4 years we bought a house, got married, started a business, had a child and got whoops pregnant again. These past four years have been REALLY ROUGH at times, and I've felt isolated at times because the world wants to make you think that they are perfect. I think we would all be better off if people stopped lying about how great they are and support those that they can. Not saying I don't have supports in my life who I vent to, because I do, but man marriage plus parenting is REALLY hard. And if you don't agree, I don't think you are based in reality
I'm glad some of you dislike your husbands sometimes too lol
@katy0990 I had a great talk with my daycare lady when she got back from vacation on Monday and I politely instilled some fear in her (she has mentioned so many times how she would hate to lose us...she even CRIED to MH about it). I just told her that we have taken the fall for my friends irresponsible parenting more than once. The first time could have been avoided had my lady adhered to her 24 hour policy and not allowed my friends child to come back after 12 hours. She had a talk with my friend and let her know that she has had multiple parent complaints about her bringing her kids to daycare while sick and if they're sick, she needs to suck it up and stay home from work with them (like every other parent out there). I had been busy at work up until today, so I plan on having the talk with my friend...because she can tell I have been a little stand-offish. This whole situation just makes me stressy and want to run away...because I'm a weiner.
AFM, I don't like fitbits and any kind of fit watch. I think no matter how hard you try, they don't look fashionable. I seem to do better myself when I'm not overly focused on my steps/calories.
DS: 12/20/16
EDD: 11/29/18
Dx: Unspecified IF
BFP#1 Nov 2017 • Blighted Ovum + MMC • D&C at nine weeks
BFP#2 Apr 2018 • It's a boy! • Born 13 Dec 2018
TTC #1 January 2016
BFP April 18 2016 | EDD December 29, 2016
Welcome baby A! January 9, 2017
TTC#2 March 2018
BFP March 30, 2018 | EDD December 12, 2018
*Rainbow 8/2015*
*Expected Rainbows 12/2018*
*Loss of Twin 5/2018*
*Rainbow 8/2015*
*Expected Rainbows 12/2018*
*Loss of Twin 5/2018*
Lol - boob fitbit. Is that a natural evolution from boob money?
+1 for not liking AW FB posts on holidays/birthdays/anniversaries. I used to be that person, and I always felt so pressured to "say the right thing". Now, I just tell people in person how I feel. Who cares what the rest of the world thinks? Just my opinion.
@tumbleweed-1 my cats get dry food and I'm wanting to switch to wet, but idk what to get!! I can't do anything super expensive, but I can do more than the cheapest brand. I've got a long hair cat who is difficult because she eats so fast and swallows her food whole, then throws it up whole. I'm hoping wet food will help that! I'm just so overwhelmed by all the options and tying to figure out what's healthy and "right" for our cats, so I've just stuck with the dry food my mom gave them. If you have any suggestions/help with type of wet food (brand, flavor if those make a difference, or anything that's hairball control or weight management (long hair is super fat because my grandma used to feed her at will...) I'd love some advice!)
DS2 due 12/12/18
TTC #1 January 2016
BFP April 18 2016 | EDD December 29, 2016
Welcome baby A! January 9, 2017
TTC#2 March 2018
BFP March 30, 2018 | EDD December 12, 2018
*Rainbow 8/2015*
*Expected Rainbows 12/2018*
*Loss of Twin 5/2018*
TTC #1 January 2016
BFP April 18 2016 | EDD December 29, 2016
Welcome baby A! January 9, 2017
TTC#2 March 2018
BFP March 30, 2018 | EDD December 12, 2018
But honestly, I use it mostly as ... a watch. I also adore that I get notifications there so I can check that more discretely than whipping out my phone. And the weather... I check the weather on the damn thing constantly to decide whether I should walk outside or inside at work.
I'm addicted, I don't care if it's fug.
*Rainbow 8/2015*
*Expected Rainbows 12/2018*
*Loss of Twin 5/2018*
@Jens_Hoes domestic cats are descendant from desert cats in the Middle East/north Africa (you know, ancient Egyptians and cats). The species still has a very low thirst drive, unlike dogs who drink when they are thirsty. Some cats will drink water because the like it, but overwhelming if a cat is drinking water it is already dehydrated. They are used to getting pretty much all of their moisture from the food they eat (mice and stuff). Commercial dry food just doesn’t have enough moisture in it to sustain a cats water needs. Cats are very good at hiding when they are ill and could have kidney issues later in life from chronic dehydration. It’s important for cats to either have access to creatures to hunt and eat, or be offered canned/raw food to make up for that. (Cat raw food is a debate for another day) They should also always be offered water. My cat has a water bowl, but I’ve only seen her drink out of it a handful of times in the 4 years I’ve had her. Cats are often more likely to drink out of a fancy bowl with running water, or a fountain. (We just have a regular bowl, sorry tumbleweed-cat)
@CecilB93 there are a lot of helpful lists online that review cat food brands and some compare cans, companies etc. It depends on how in-the-weeds you want to get with it- the protein, the additives, the company (history of recalls for example), other ingredients, how easy it is to find in stores, etc. For a healthy cat, I’d start with picking a can that has meat listed as one of the top three ingredients (vs a grain first, or a meat by-product). It might just say the name of the animal; “chicken” for example.
There are a couple of options for slowing down eating, one is to put the cats food on a plate, wet or dry (what we do). Another idea to get cats to be more active/eat slower is to put the kibble in a food dispensing ball. Photo example of my cat and her “treat” ball in spoiler. Sometimes it can be hard to get a cat to eat canned food if they are used to only having dry food. Offer a bit of wet food at meals and the cans can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days. (Life hack- frosting lids cover regular size cat food cans well)
Don’t get me started on vegan cat diets. If someone is vegan, a cat is not the pet for them. Just no. Cats kill, and sometimes they kill in excess/“for sport”- like humans often do.
Ok, one last thing, cats can easily become addicted to tuna and then won’t eat anything else. Keep that in mind if feeding a mixed protein variety of food.
Thanks for sticking with my cat facts and (hopefully) not thinking I’m a total TW with a bougie cat.
And holy hell it occurs to me that our cat is 12 years old this year. How in the hell did that happen.
Dx: Unspecified IF
BFP#1 Nov 2017 • Blighted Ovum + MMC • D&C at nine weeks
BFP#2 Apr 2018 • It's a boy! • Born 13 Dec 2018
Also, it’s hard to talk about what’s “best” for pets and what they should or shouldn’t have without coming across as very classist. I’m aware of that. I grew up poor and we had probably more pets than were within our means, but should my siblings and I have been denied the experience of the unconditional love of a dog because of the amount of money my parents earned? I don’t believe so. My parents did the best they could to provide, and now, I’m in a different situation with more disposable income than my parents had, and I’m doing the best I can to provide.
That’s all we can do.
Dx: Unspecified IF
BFP#1 Nov 2017 • Blighted Ovum + MMC • D&C at nine weeks
BFP#2 Apr 2018 • It's a boy! • Born 13 Dec 2018
DS2 due 12/12/18
My cat is spoiled with 3 meals a day rn (we have flexible schedules and one of us is usually home). The only “set” meal time she has is dinner (at 8pm). Lunch she gets if we are home, if we aren’t home in the middle of the day it turns into two dinners. Breakfast depends on when humans wake up- despite her best efforts to meow and annoy us.
Your cat’s food bag should have the recommended serving amount per day based on their weights on the back. If it were me, I’d start with smaller scoops of the dry food in the morning, just the amount they will eat in a day (what the bag says if you aren’t sure). Then pick a time in the evening to set out some wet food and see how they do. Good luck!
Mad for grooming, I’ve never had a long haired cat, but in know my cat hates being brushed. If your cats like it that’s a big help. Do you have a vet/groomer who can cut off the matted fur? You could also try carefully to cut off the mats with scissors. I used to have a long haired guinea pig and I did that with him. I’d hold a comb close to his skin, under the mess of fur, to help protect him from accidentally getting cut.