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LyraGardenia said:
@Trilt you've probably seen this because it's a couple years old, but I came across it and thought of you! Unfortunately there's a sad ending. 🙁
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141013-baby-sloth-born-by-caesarean?ocid=fbert
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Yeah, I think this got posted on my fb wall a time or two when it happened. 😉

Sam Trull and I actually shared an undergrad advisor, I've chatted with her. Very passionate person who does cool stuff.

Eta: Also, her book Slothlove is gorgeous!
 
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I'm not particularly good at make-up, my day to day make up consists of BB cream and lip balm. Special occasions get mascara and lipstick. Blending and contouring stuff is way above my paygrade, so trying to do the FTM make-up for my Senji crossplay is proving especially difficult. You need a ridiculous amount of make up to look like a man.
 
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The weather in Oregon sucks and my SO is dealing with the hurricane in Florida. I forgot to take a sandwich to Pudge.
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katashark said:
The weather in Oregon sucks and my SO is dealing with the hurricane in Florida. I forgot to take a sandwich to Pudge.
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It's sandwich day! Every Thursday I take Pudge the fish a peanut butter sandwich, and today we were out of peanut butter. So I asked my sister what to give him and she said "a tuna sandwich"! I can't give Pudge tuna!! Do you know what tuna is?? It's fish! If I give Pudge tuna, I'd be an abomination! I'm late because I had to go to the store and get peanut butter 'cause all we have is... is... stinking tuna!!!


(I don't know if I should be ashamed or proud that for the most part I was able to quote that entire line (with the rest content checked by google)
 
twelvetigers said:
Pudge controls the weather and her parents died in a car accident because of bad weather, right? So she has to feed Pudge. She doesn't want anyone else to lose their parents.
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And now I has a sad
 
Went and saw The Girl on the Train tonight with friends. It totally blew my mind and now I have to read the book over winter break. There were a few slow parts in the middle, but I seriously enjoyed it. If you like murder mysteries I recommend it. It was a lot like Gone Girl.
 
alohacat319 said:
Went and saw The Girl on the Train tonight with friends. It totally blew my mind and now I have to read the book over winter break. There were a few slow parts in the middle, but I seriously enjoyed it. If you like murder mysteries I recommend it. It was a lot like Gone Girl.
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They are actually so similar in pace and tone that I keep mixing up which is which...probably doesn't help that I read the books pretty close together
 
DVMDream said:
Really have been having a difficult time keeping up around here. Might find myself parting ways with SDN. We shall see, just depends on how busy life really gets.
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We'd miss you too much. 🙁


If I spent sdn/internet time doing something productive (like cleaning?) instead, my life and home would look so different. You do what you gotta do but we love ya.
 
What is everyone's opinions of cat declawing? I'm just curious. I have known ppl in vet med that are abhorrently against it as well as people who say so long as they're given proper pain meds and all other resources have been exhausted, it's fine & of course every opinion in between. Just interested to see what opinions people on here might have.
 
lhmhtd said:
What is everyone's opinions of cat declawing? I'm just curious. I have known ppl in vet med that are abhorrently against it as well as people who say so long as they're given proper pain meds and all other resources have been exhausted, it's fine & of course every opinion in between. Just interested to see what opinions people on here might have.
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I don't like it 🙁
 
lhmhtd said:
What is everyone's opinions of cat declawing? I'm just curious. I have known ppl in vet med that are abhorrently against it as well as people who say so long as they're given proper pain meds and all other resources have been exhausted, it's fine & of course every opinion in between. Just interested to see what opinions people on here might have.
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It's not something I would have outlawed outright, but I personally wouldn't do it on any cat over 6 months old**, and would want for all other options to have been exhausted. It is probably done far more often than it needs to be.

**There are always exceptions and special circumstances and I've heard many many examples. You have to be flexible of course, but that's like the fine print after the general policy.
 
lhmhtd said:
What is everyone's opinions of cat declawing? I'm just curious. I have known ppl in vet med that are abhorrently against it as well as people who say so long as they're given proper pain meds and all other resources have been exhausted, it's fine & of course every opinion in between. Just interested to see what opinions people on here might have.
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I certainly don't like it, but if there truly are severe problems and all other resources have been exhausted, and the clients keep insisting on getting it done or else they're going to just dump the cat off somewhere... I'd rather have it be done than have yet another cat end up homeless and most likely killed. I'd also prefer it to be done when the cat is younger rather than older. :shrug:
 
lhmhtd said:
What is everyone's opinions of cat declawing? I'm just curious. I have known ppl in vet med that are abhorrently against it as well as people who say so long as they're given proper pain meds and all other resources have been exhausted, it's fine & of course every opinion in between. Just interested to see what opinions people on here might have.
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Generally not in favor of cat declawing - especially if the cat is an "outdoor" cat.

Many years ago, a neighbor of mine declawed their outdoor/indoor cat because they didn't want the cat to scratch furniture inside of their home. One day, they left for a few hours, and inadvertently forgot to let their cat come back inside the home. Unfortunately, a coyote was prowling around the neighborhood. Without its natural defenses (i.e., claws), the cat was unable to escape the coyote because the cat had no claws - so the cat could not climb a tree to escape the coyote, nor use its claws to climb onto something higher for safety. So, you already know what happened - and I won't go into further details. It was a tragedy!
 
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lhmhtd said:
What is everyone's opinions of cat declawing? I'm just curious. I have known ppl in vet med that are abhorrently against it as well as people who say so long as they're given proper pain meds and all other resources have been exhausted, it's fine & of course every opinion in between. Just interested to see what opinions people on here might have.
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I feel that it's a largely unnecessary procedure, and general consensus (among both vet med and general pet-owning population) has been trending away from it for a while. When I was younger, it was common for declawing to be performed as part of a package deal with spays/neuters--two of my childhood cats (as well as 2 of my grandparents' cats who are still around) had this done. These were in the early to mid 2000s. As vet professionals have increasingly renounced the procedure and the public has become more aware of its effects, I don't see this happening today. In all my time shadowing my small local clinic, I only witnessed one declaw (requested by owner during spay).

Mostly, I just can't think of many cases where declawing would really be medically/behaviorally necessary. Like I said, the majority of people at that time got it only as a "bonus", because it was part of a package deal--the cats were young and had not shown problems, it was just a "preventative" measure to protect furniture/kids or whatever. If a cat truly has behavioral problems deep enough to necessitate "disarming" it, Id question whether it is even safe or proper to keep that cat in a household...declawing certainly wouldn't solve the root issue. And while the "cosmetic vs. necessary" ethicality issue can be applied to things like tail docking too, those procedures are of course way less invasive and don't result in certain chronic issues the way declawing does.

One of my current cats is adopted and she is declawed as well, by her previous owner. Why they felt the need to declaw a munchkin of all things, I have no idea...but she does get touchy at times with her little front paws.

Eta: I'd also like to add that all this being said, I don't feel it's right at all to label someone who -has- gotten a cat declawed as an ~omg terrible evil animal mutilator~, given the fact that there are still many people ignorant to what the procedure entails--I know I had no idea when I was young. And I'd certainly prefer a declaw over abandonment, though ideally we should educate before that point.
 
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I'm not "in favor" but I'm not against it either, especially if it means a cat is going to get a home that normally wouldn't adopt one. My two cats we adopted back in 2002, we declawed when they were about three months old. Our cat prior absolutely destroyed our couch and declawing was the only way my mom would agree to getting more cats when she died. They have never had any issues, but I know that isn't always the case. Who knows what life they would have gotten otherwise if we hadn't adopted them, instead they lived the most ridiculously spoiled life happy as could be, but declawing was a must. If it can be avoided, awesome, but if it means cats will get a long, happy life with lots of love. I also think there are certain methods that should be used if it is going to be done.
 
lhmhtd said:
What is everyone's opinions of cat declawing? I'm just curious. I have known ppl in vet med that are abhorrently against it as well as people who say so long as they're given proper pain meds and all other resources have been exhausted, it's fine & of course every opinion in between. Just interested to see what opinions people on here might have.
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I'm pretty darn against it. I have a kitty that I adopted declawed from a shelter. Her owner declawed her as an adult and then promptly dumped her at the shelter a year later due to apparent behavioral issues (I know this because the shelter gave me her vet records). Thankfully she now has a pretty good life with me.
 
I didn't feel a need to declaw my cat at her 6mo spay because at that point she was already used to and actively using scratching posts. So I have no issues with her scratching up furniture and curtains. BF and his family are on the other side. From a young age their cats did scratch furniture, carpet, and drapes, so their cats are all front declawed with no issues.
 
I personally don't like it, but I have worked at a place that I felt had one of the best policies on it.

They would do it, but only after the owners went through counseling on the risks and benefits. We offered alternatives if it was just a fear of furniture scratching (nail trims, nail caps, providing good scratch items...). We explained the common problems afterward: litter box aversion, increased biting risk, possible arthritis related problems...

Our main guy (doing declaws) was also our orthopedic surgeon and he did a lot of dewclaws repairs. He really talked people through exactly what the process was and worked hard to get people to allow him to take rads after so he could make sure there were no chips or anything that could cause extra problems down the line.

There are situations that make a declaw more necessary, so I can't take the line that all are bad who get them. I just know that I have seen enough problems, and my lifestyle wouldn't allow it anyway, so I could not do it on my cats. (Barring the unforseen.)
 
I saw a fb post from a group I'm in- it's for vet techs and veterinarians and it came up. Surprisingly everyone was very civil and respectful but there are so many differing viewpoints on declawing. I do agree that it should not be done as a preventative measure, included in their spay or neuter. But I know from personal experience that it's not quite so black and white. My husband is NOT a cat person whatsoever. Several years ago when we had 2 cats, they were destroying our house. We had provided plenty of scratching posts, soft paws, etc, and they would not stop. I mean literally shredding our furniture, the doors, the carpet, you name it. I worked at a vet clinic at the time and I talked extensively with the vets about our options. With their advice, and the fact that my husband and I were so fed up, we decided to declaw them both. Both were fine and have not had any issues since, but it was nice that it was still an option. And especially for people not nearly as patient as we were, those cats would probably have been dumped at the shelter or dropped off in the middle of nowhere and killed. They were extremely spoiled and loved and I have second guessed my decision numerous times, but ultimately it made for a much happier environment. I definitely see why it is so controversial though. And I'm a bleeding heart, vegetarian, animal rescuing person.
 
The shelter I got my first cat from did a tendonectomy as an alternative to declawing. I've only met one other cat who has had the same thing, and the owner was an older guy who was confused and thought he'd never have to trim toenails again and they grew out into the cat's pads.

I hate watching declaws. I have a pretty solid stomach for most things but I have to sit down during declaws, or I know I will feel faint and I don't trust myself not to actually pass out. I'm the same way with puppy cosmetic surgeries.
 
PrincessButterCup said:
The shelter I got my first cat from did a tendonectomy as an alternative to declawing. I've only met one other cat who has had the same thing, and the owner was an older guy who was confused and thought he'd never have to trim toenails again and they grew out into the cat's pads.
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I've never heard of that alternative before, and now I'm going to have to resist the urge to go researching because I need to go to bed...
 
Coquette22 said:
Actual conversation:
Housemate: My girlfriend* juat adopted an 11 year old Malti-Poo thing with Cushing's and horrible skin. I am 100% against this., despite not actually living with her.
Me: So, the girlfriend you don't live with can't have a Malti-Poo, but I, who you do live with, can have a Chihuahua?
Housemate: Yeah... But I -like- Chihuahuas....

*Also a vet, doesn't live with us.
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As a follow up to this:
Housemate: I'm so excited we're getting a Chihuahua this weekend!
Me: I think you might be happoier about this than I am.
Housemate: I told you, I really like Chihuahuas.
Me: Clearly I underestimated how much...
 
The big problem with the tendonectomy is that you now have a cat that cannot retract it's claws. They are less likely to scratch on purpose, but a lot of people still don't trim nails so you end up with the poor cat trying to walk across the carpet and getting stuck every other step. Or they are pretty good about trimming nails, but the one time they forget, cat catches on something and breaks or dislocated a toe.

It has it's own risks and rewards. The biggest difficulty is that people still need to remember to trim nails. Many of our clients researching the techniques wanted a way to basically have a cat with no ability to scratch and no upkeep. So there wasn't much interest in a cat with most of the same down sides as a declaw, but with the added hassle of nail trims.
 
LadyOtheFarm said:
The big problem with the tendonectomy is that you now have a cat that cannot retract it's claws. They are less likely to scratch on purpose, but a lot of people still don't trim nails so you end up with the poor cat trying to walk across the carpet and getting stuck every other step. Or they are pretty good about trimming nails, but the one time they forget, cat catches on something and breaks or dislocated a toe.

It has it's own risks and rewards. The biggest difficulty is that people still need to remember to trim nails. Many of our clients researching the techniques wanted a way to basically have a cat with no ability to scratch and no upkeep. So there wasn't much interest in a cat with most of the same down sides as a declaw, but with the added hassle of nail trims.
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Wait, do you mean it can't extend its claws? Otherwise I don't know how it would make sense as a declaw alternative.
 
WildZoo said:
Wait, do you mean it can't extend its claws? Otherwise I don't know how it would make sense as a declaw alternative.
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Well, yes, but in the end the cats I've seen with problems are either walking around with floppy toes, so basically stuck out since they flopped forward on each step, and/or had abnormal nail growth (very common side effect) causing very thick, long nails that hung out all the time based on length.

So they were tougher to cut, plus the people would just forget to do it, and you have the same slight increase in biting behavior from cats that still wanted to protect themselves with decreased swipe skills. So either way, the cats end up walking around with long toenails that grab the carpet and they cannot control toe tips to free them, but can still feel the pain of the broken nail or broken toe.

I will say, I mainly saw cats who had problems, not success stories because I worked with a guy that repaired stuff like this, so my population sample is definitely biased. He would not do them because he said he only saw problems. He preferred declaws and said either way, that's what was gonna happen anyway... but I don't know how biased his population was throughout his career before he formed that opinion.
And at the cat rescue, they took the policy of no declaws, no tendonectomies, no nothing.

Maybe someone else can answer this, but I thought tendonectomies were not recommended by the AVMA? I might be misremembering from the PAW Project stuff.
 
I adopted Cali 10 years ago and that's when her tendonectomy was done, so maybe it's not common anymore. I've never had any problems with her. Her nails are thicker than normal, but I trim them religiously and they've never been an issue.
 
PrincessButterCup said:
LoTF how did your interview go?? I might have missed you talking about it.
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kaydubs said:
+1 @LadyOtheFarm
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I'm in that waiting portion. He told me yesterday that theyare still interviewing but should be done and informing the candidates who are moving on to the next step the week of October 24.

I think it was going well, then they asked about why I had waited to start working in the industry and I explained that I had tried to enroll in the DVM/PhD program. They asked what my focus would have been. I had 2 ideas depending on which lab (department funding/advisor) I could get into. One of my plans was dealing with the genetics of dairy cattle repro rate and the other maternal-placental signaling with the abnormal fetus. Why those? Well, dairy cattle -> decreased preg rate blah blah blah. Abnormal fetal development relates to my daughter...

Anyway, their tone changed when they found out I had kids. I can't say it was a bad change, for one it was definitely good, but I don't know. :shrug: They are still talking to me and keeping me up to date on the process. And I have a classmate working there who is being a cheerleader for me to be hired... So hopefully all goes well.:nod:
 
LadyOtheFarm said:
Well, yes, but in the end the cats I've seen with problems are either walking around with floppy toes, so basically stuck out since they flopped forward on each step, and/or had abnormal nail growth (very common side effect) causing very thick, long nails that hung out all the time based on length.

So they were tougher to cut, plus the people would just forget to do it, and you have the same slight increase in biting behavior from cats that still wanted to protect themselves with decreased swipe skills. So either way, the cats end up walking around with long toenails that grab the carpet and they cannot control toe tips to free them, but can still feel the pain of the broken nail or broken toe.

I will say, I mainly saw cats who had problems, not success stories because I worked with a guy that repaired stuff like this, so my population sample is definitely biased. He would not do them because he said he only saw problems. He preferred declaws and said either way, that's what was gonna happen anyway... but I don't know how biased his population was throughout his career before he formed that opinion.
And at the cat rescue, they took the policy of no declaws, no tendonectomies, no nothing.

Maybe someone else can answer this, but I thought tendonectomies were not recommended by the AVMA? I might be misremembering from the PAW Project stuff.
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I think when I was looking into it I did see that that the procedure is not recommended by the AVMA. I wonder why cutting a tendon would cause abnormal nail growth, that is very interesting!

The argument about having to do nail trims from the client's perspective does seem a little odd to me. Unless you're doing a total declaw, which I didn't think was very common anymore, you're still going to have to trim the back nails. Not as often sure, but I still trim my old lady kitty's back nails at least once a month.
 
LadyOtheFarm said:
I don't know what that is?
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What PBC said. Basically you try to write 50,000 words in one month. Officially it's held in November but they also have camp Nanowrimo so you can do it whenever you want.
 
I'm a really slow writer and I reject word count goals. 😛 I give myself spacial goals when I write - get to x part of the story this month, write x number of scenes, etc.
 
I've heard of that! Kept meaning to write for it, even went to a writing event, but had a young baby at the time and did not get much done. That must have been 2011...

Yeah, some day I will actually manage to write out the damn story. I keep rewriting the beginning over and over and not getting much further. My problem is it keeps sounding too YA to me and I stop taking it seriously. Doesn't help that it started as a repetitive dream when I was in my early teens. Still a good story if I can figure out how to do it justice...
 
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