Can I hide out here?

[Are_grits_groceries]

I know I only post occasionally. However, all the news has made me terribly depressed. I'm having a hard time pulling out of it.
My 2 cats, Scat and Mouse, are applying excellent therapy.
:hide:

[Jamastiene]

1. Sometimes, it's best to take a hiatus from the news.

It's all so dour and grim lately. I think happy thoughts and have dreams abut Whoopi Goldberg. That usually helps me.

[Are_grits_groceries]

2. I am going back over Calvin and Hobbes to help. nt

[pokerfan]

13. C&H?

I love Calvin and Hobbes as you can see from my avatar.

[old mark]

8. Do I ever agree with that!

I stopped reading newspapers years ago, and slowly became happy.
I just got re-interested in this political crap here because of the elections, and it is really annoying and irritating.

Too many self important unimportant people.


mark

[Jamastiene]

10. Actually, it was my therapist who recommended it.

She said if the pictures and images and stories from the news were affecting me badly enough to change my mood and cause nightmares, to stop watching the news. The news really was causing some serious nightmares and depressing me. She said I should only take happy stories from friends only, like the Ugly Cat, lolcats, and rescue (positive) type stories and other happier, interesting stories from now on.

She was right. It helped.

Of course, last night, I dreamed Whoopi Goldberg was in a bathroom stall with a laptop computer and a bean analyzer. The bathroom stall was her cubicle, but she was the only one there.

It was a strange type of dry bean I had never seen (uncooked) before. Someone had cooked some for me and I just loved them. So, I bought some dry beans.

They were called "New Beans." They were huge. One bean would feed one person one serving. Supposedly, they were nutritionally balanced to represent your entire serving of vegetables.

And you know how when you go through dry beans looking them over for bad ones? I was doing that. I had bought a bunch to store in my root cellar. Why? I don't know. I just know I wasn't sure about a few of them and I didn't want to waste them.

So, I took them to Whoopi Goldberg in her bathroom stall with the bean analyzer. She told me which ones were bad, which ones would be good to plant, and which ones were ok to go ahead and store or cook. I remember I had some little bags like the velvety looking jewelry bags people use, only larger, to carry the beans in.

It was very futuristic dream. I normally run from any movie that is futuristic. I always hate how far off the mark I think they are. This dream was really strange though. I actually had a rash on my legs that she said was caused by not enough input. She said I needed to ask more questions and keep my brain busy.

What a weird dream, but still tons less disturbing than the news. I woke up feeling sort of hopeful for the future, like it's going to be ok after all.

[old mark]

17. Interesting - I had a strange dream last night as well - a lot of people

I knew were going to this sort of college- they all had been selected for advanced degrees after taking some sort of tests.

I had been selected to go to bartenders school.

Then I woke up.

Still wondering about that.
mark


ADDED: Like the old joke -
Doctor, it hurts when I do this.
Then don't do that!

Sometimes the simple answers are the best.

[libodem]

20. That is the most interesting dream I've heard of in a long time

I will be thinking about it. If I have any inspiration about its meaning I'll let you know. I hope anyone who knows dream analysis will comment. I'm truly fascinated. Kinda makes ya go hmmmm?

[Jamastiene]

24. I would be interested in finding out

what the rash meant especially. The other parts, I can kind of understand. I do love Whoopi Goldberg a lot. Beans are something I used to love to grow when I could have a garden. So, those parts kind of make some sense. The rash on my legs didn't.

[Droopy]

3. Maybe you can educate me and forget about your troubles for a little bit

I've never owned and taken care of a cat. I'm thinking about getting one. What do I need to know?

[Are_grits_groceries]

4. Well, the first thing to realize

is that they own you, and you just can't take care of them. You have to be ready to wait on them hand and foot.
I know that some people have to wait on the "right one." I have found that if they just look at me and purr, they will own my heart. You may be like me or you may need to see a special one. Either is okay.

Take he cat to a vet for a checkup. I moved and found a vet by asking my brother. He has 11 cats, and he found someone who came with a good rec. She is a very good vet.

You have to get a litter box and keep it clean. I have probably tried a brazillion types of both. You will find one you like at some point. I also have them on a special diet for older cats.

They are sisters, and 12 years old. Someone left them in a dumpster and a vet tech found them. An older cat of mine had just passed so they called me. I took them home right away. They could eat solid food. However, they were so tiny that they couldn't get in a regular litter box. I had to get one of those aluminum pans from the grocery store so they could crawl over the side.

I have bought them toys, beds, and a host of other things to play with and sleep in. They try them out, but invariably I have found that the place they seem to always want to be is somewhere on or near my head. Scat loves to watch golf. When I am not home, I leave the tv on the golf channel. I thought it was because she liked to watch the ball or the flag on the pin. However, one day she was watching just the commentators. I changed the channel, and she turned and gave me such a look. I changed it back, but I didn't realize she was interested in pin placement, and why such and such had used the wrong club. She must be a Tiger Woods fan.
Mouse hates tv, but she loves the computer. She watches everymove I make. I got a concussion one time when she jumped on the back of my chair and pulled it over. I know she sends catmails when I am not home.

I have rambled, but it has helped. :-) I don't know if it helped you. I have found that the basics such as food and whatnot are the least of the things to worry about. You eventually settle on what you need. All you really need to add is love, and I'm sure you will.

Thanks!!

[Droopy]

5. Thank you

I'd really love to have a cat. The thing that is holding me back is that I live in a little one bedroom condo and the best place I have for a litter box is in my bedroom. I'm just trying to decide if I can live with that.

[Sanity Claws]

6. Can I jump in?

Why can't you put the litter box in the bathroom? That's where I keep my kitties' litter box.
I have had to travel with them a few times and they seem to understand that their litter box is always in the bathroom, the place with the tile and the usual bathroom fixtures. You'd hate to travel and have the kitties unable to find or remember where their litter box is.

[Droopy]

7. My bathroom is very small

I'd have to dance around, move, and step over the litter box to do my business in there. I'm sure at some point I'd step right in it.

[Sanity Claws]

9. Sorry to hear

So if you put it in your bedroom, get one with a hood.
I hope you decide to adopt. I love my two little kitties and couldn't imagine living without them.

[Jamastiene]

12. I have already decided that the next kitten I get

later down the road, I am going to try to train it to use the toilet. They have kits you can buy to slowly train the cat to use the toilet. I have always wanted a cat that did that.

[Are_grits_groceries]

14. I want another cat,

but I am going to wait. It will be a rescue of some sort.

(Sorry if I disappeared.)

[sammythecat]

25. I found a really good video you might like.

It's an interview with an animal behavioral specialist the answers the specific question "Should I get a cat?" There are other videos on this website, with the same woman, that talk about all the concerns of a potential cat owner. This site is an excellent resource. I hope you check it out.
http://www.videojug.com/interview/should-i-get-a-cat

Cats are wonderful companions and I'd hate to be without one. They're relatively easy to care for. Of course they need love and attention. They're not quite as needy as dogs, but cans can get bored, lonely, and depressed too. A long distance truck driver with a tiny apartment is not the best situation for a cat, or most any other pet for that matter. And remember that this is a long term commitment, count on 15-25 years.

As for the litter box. I like to use a fireplace shovel and a standard litter shovel. The fireplace shovel is good for scraping and lifting the clumps, drop them in the litter shovel and give it a shake, then drop the goods into a container for disposal. Get the clumping litter, never the cheap non-clumping. You'll both be much happier with the good stuff.

Be aware too that cats can puke easily, and they will do this on occasion. If the cat is indoors all of the time you will have to be able to deal with this fact. It's usually hairballs or undigested food, both of which are relatively dry and easy to clean, but sometimes not. And it never occurs in the toilet bowl.

Sorry for being so wordy and please don't take this as a condescending lecture from me to you. I don't know what you know or don't know and my only intention is to be helpful. It's obvious you're being properly cautious in this matter and I'm sure you'll make the best decision.

Maybe I shoulda just shut up and given you the link. It's all there and said much better than I can say it. Good luck! :hi:

[Jamastiene]

11. I think you'd make a great cat person.

:)

[snappyturtle]

19. I have cats and I think this sums up cat keeping:

Dogs have masters; Cats have staff. But, I love them for it!

[rurallib]

15. I have kind of moved in here quietly also

Some days I just want to hide.

[Are_grits_groceries]

16. Lately it's been a lot of days nt

[snappyturtle]

18. I have never come to the lounge much...but the last few days I have

read more here than anywhere on DU. The news is depressing to me because it seems we won the election and now have a bigger battle going on in the media than ever before.

Cats? I came here because I am so-o distraught....I put down a 16 month old cat Thursday afternoon after he, Charlie, re-appeared after being gone for almost 48 hours. He was a gruesome mess....but he came home. NOW, I think he could have made it and that I acted way too fast. The vet wasn't any help in the decision making and I really was so focused on the cat that I wasn't thinking. My husband was at work and couldn't come home. I feel awful. I am never one to question my decisions because I do the best I can at the time but this incident....I think I could have done better.

The ONLY bright spot is that I 'think' Charlie fathered an up coming litter....I sure hope there's a little Charlie.

[Kajsa]

23. I'm so sorry, Snappyturtle.

That is such a gut wrenching decision!

I know, I had to make that decision when both
my cats had feline leukemia, way before the
vaccines were available.

Don't beat yourself up.
You did what you thought was best
and you were on your own with the
decision. That's hard on anyone.

:hug:

[snappyturtle]

29. I thank you for answering. Mr. Snappy will not talk about it....he's not mad

or anything, he just doesn't care as much as I do. The thing is I caught enough of the drift of the vet's opinion that his recovery would be lengthy, require a lot of care (no problem) BUT I could also hear the ka-ching of the cash register. We are just getting back on our feet and I know that my husband is working too hard for his own good so-o-o there was that and then I didn't bring Charlie home to bury under his acrobatic apparatus, the live oak trees, because we're in a drought. I can't scratch the surface of the earth with a nail much less dig a hole. So the ground would have taken a lot of soaking and then there was what to do with Charlie in the mean time....it was 80+ degrees.

The vet thought his pride a joy, an enormous fluffy tail, would have to be amputated. Necrosis had set in a small spot of the lower lip. He NEVER stayed out after dinnertime but that night he just didn't come in, although I saw him at six when I was fixing dinner. SO, I had two days I looked for him constantly....but obviously not in the right place. Maybe I should have tried harder and had I found him earlier his condition wouldn't have deteriorated so. He was alert, eyes good, and didn't start labored breathing, and even that wasn't horrible, until I got to the vet. So I think that was just fear. His tail only had a bit of fur on the tip; the rest was raw cord...horrible. Maggots were on his rear....and I think that freaked the vet out. I guess in hind sight I should have let them x-ray him and find out the extent of damage before I pulled the plug. I had offerred him water and food which he had no interest in and I told him it was OK...I never use that term with a pet unless it's true. Now I can't even drive by the vet's office without wanting to throw up and I have to,to go to town for anything. I hope all this passes....soon. Thanks so much for listening....I'm new here in town and have been so involved with either helping get this place in shape or with the business that I haven't had the luxury of making friends yet.

[Kajsa]

36. Poor guy!

It sounds like he was suffering a lot.
:(

Anytime you need to talk, you can always
PM me.

Take care of yourself.

:hug:

[rurallib]

26. Not sure what to say

everyone makes some decisions that they have doubts about. The decision is done and will count as a guide should anything similiar come up. We learn.
And giving a new kitty a good home is a very, very good thing. And it is good for the kitty too.

[snappyturtle]

30. Thank you. I have three other cats....but Charlie was unique as each of them is.

I came here with one cat....now ten years old...she's just fine as ever. The other three, now two, arrived last year....dumped! SO I took them in. I did the best for them as I could afford to do. They had clean places to sleep (in the small house where we live) and plenty of food and fresh water and lots of love. I had just found out about a program to have them neutered and spayed that would have reduced the price considerably. It's for people like me that take in strays or ferrel cats that will be returned to their environs.I think Charlie was on a male galavant! My decision really was all about not having enough money (until the last few years this never would have been even a consideration)....or fearing that I don't have enough. I don't think this vet 'works' out payment programs. My ten year old is a patient so I knew the vet and there are signs about payment due at time of service posted in obvious places. I know it's just an animal....but...........again, thanks so much for listening.

[Are_grits_groceries]

31. I'm sorry you had to go through that.

Second guessing yourself and feeling guilty will drive you crazy. I know about the money part, and that makes it harder. They aren't just animals and we do what we can. Forgive yourself. I'm sure charlie forgives you and waits on the other side of the rainbow bridge.

[snappyturtle]

33. Ok. now you have me in tears for your kindness...you're right...Charlie

would forgive me. I just am selfish for the wonderful times he gave me....he was an acrobat in the trees....chasing birds! Sometimes I couldn't watch he'd 'fly' so high! Never caught a bird but never gave up trying either! Then he would post himself, squished by the rafters over the domestic doves' cage waiting, I guess for the day one of the winged creatures escaped or something. The doves were not afraid....which always amazed me. I don't know that I can forgive myself but I certainly learned a huge lesson. What gets me is that I would not have made a decision so fast about a human being but for some ungodly reason I did with an animal. An animal. A creature that couldn't tell me how he felt or where he hurt and I didn't take the time to find out. I assumed he was in a lot of pain and I couldn't watch him suffer....but I don't know why I thought that...after all, he did make it home....where he thought he was safe. See? This is why I can't forgive myself. However, I'll hang onto the thought that Charlie would forgive me. Thank you.

[yy4me]

27. Me too. This winter has been so bad for all of us. I'm not talking

about just the weather. It is everything. This year has been the most awful in my life and it just keeps getting worse.

Today I am burying myself in a kitchen priming job. I want to lighten the color, maybe that will lift my spirits. Started at 7:30 this morning, right after the weekly filing for unemployment. I've now called it a day and will pick up again tomorrow. This primer dries quickly and I'll give everything another coat, the first coat looks like a 4 year old did it.

If I keep busy, it keeps my mind from wandering to places I'd rather not be right now.

[Kajsa]

21. Check out the Sunday LOLcats thread

here,

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=8586574&mesg_id=8586574

Lizzie did a GREAT job filling in for SCE,
today.


It's a real picker upper, especially first thing in the morning.

You need a break from all the bad news.
It would depress anyone.

:pals:

[libodem]

22. Dear Grits

there is some real awful stuff going on in the world right, now. Stuff that I would have thought we had evolved out of. Stuff that I thought we were achieving the pinnacle of civilization at this point in our human development. Stuff that I thought the grownups whom were controlling the world would have taken care of by now. I have a few friends that 'hate politics' and try to avoid the news because they can't stand the effect it has on their mental status. I can't stand not to keep my nose in what's going on in the world. Cat therapy rules.

[Are_grits_groceries]

32. Thanks!

I usually have my nose in everything. I just reached a point, and I need to recover. I get very scared that I will get very depressed when I can usually pull out of it. My Mama used to say something like this:
"I am wounded but not slain. I'll lay me down and bleed awhile, then rise to fight again."

[stuntcat]

28. If I can hide with you..

then YES.

I haven't been to DU much the last few days. I was busy entertaining guests, whose full hard drive I almost broke. Now they're driving home and I'm scared to death.
I need DU to cheer me up. I've been in the lounge 30 minutes and now I'm laughing again :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:

I'm asking a favor from anyone who sees this- I need vibes, prayers, karma, ANY sort of goodness you can send out to save my friends pictures and songs. Please. So seriously.

[kiva]

34. I also want to claim refuge.

It's scary out there...and worst of all, I feel the snark rising in me and sometimes it spills out, especially in GDP. I'm much nicer here, think it's the influence of Ceiling Cat.

Ummmm, by the way, the lounge war is over, right?

[azmouse]

35. Cheese sammichs for everyone!!

:hi: I come to the Lounge too when the news gets overwhelmingly depressing.

Someone here is guaranteed to do something silly and make me laugh.
Don't tell them but... the Lounge denizens are pretty nice people. :)