RAVE HERE thread

[vampyrica]

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🩷 new sleep token song dropped again 🩷

i am so excited for all the music coming out these next 2 months !!!

 

[ESD_2029]

🩷 new sleep token song dropped again 🩷

i am so excited for all the music coming out these next 2 months !!!

Swifties waiting for Rep TV like ....

 

[couldhavebeenme]

Does anybody have tips for cross-country roadtripping with a cat? She does fine in her carrier/in the car, but I'm mostly worried about the litterbox situation. This trip will probably take about 5 days.

 

[beanybaby]

Does anybody have tips for cross-country roadtripping with a cat? She does fine in her carrier/in the car, but I'm mostly worried about the litterbox situation. This trip will probably take about 5 days.

I put my cat in my dog's crate! a small litter box fit in one half of the crate and he had a bed in the other half. he was also high on gaba which definitely helped lol

 

[couldhavebeenme]

I put my cat in my dog's crate! a small litter box fit in one half of the crate and he had a bed in the other half. he was also high on gaba which definitely helped lol

Did he use the litterbox while yall were moving?

 

[pp9]

Does anybody have tips for cross-country roadtripping with a cat? She does fine in her carrier/in the car, but I'm mostly worried about the litterbox situation. This trip will probably take about 5 days.

Did he use the litterbox while yall were moving?

Gabapentin and Cerenia. And personally I go about 2x as high as most people do with their gaba, but my goal is to zonk them into oblivion for as long as possible (I am not going to open the crates to redose under any circumstances, too risky for me) . If you have a particularly crazy cat, trazodone is a consideration. I don't think we can openly share doses on here so you're welcome to PM me. I've both flown and driven with many animals cross country and have my cocktail down, although my longest trip thus far has been a straight 24 hour drive with no stops. My best advice overall is to do a few trial runs of your dosing and see if it gets you the level of sedation you need.

3/5 of my cats did use their litterboxes while in the car. 2/5 wouldn't have used it in the car regardless of sedation or how long the trip was.

ETA: Also I bought something nearly identical to this and it was perfect: Magical cat crate

I had 4 of those, and had another cat in a dog crate. My car was packed full, lol.

 

[couldhavebeenme]

Maybe I'm being naïve but I think I won't have to drug her. She did just fine 6-7 hours in my move last year! She's really a pretty chill cat. Mostly I feel bad about her having to hold it if she needs to pee but can't or won't! I'll check out the cat carrier you linked! I'm torn between something like that vs a larger hard sided carrier vs getting a sleepypod in case of an accident.

 

[pp9]

Maybe I'm being naïve but I think I won't have to drug her. She did just fine 6-7 hours in my move last year! She's really a pretty chill cat. Mostly I feel bad about her having to hold it if she needs to pee but can't or won't! I'll check out the cat carrier you linked! I'm torn between something like that vs a larger hard sided carrier vs getting a sleepypod in case of an accident.

Yeah...I hear ya. I think the only pet carriers on the market that supposedly are crash tested are going to run you several hundred but there are options. For one cat I could totally see springing for that, but it wasn't an option for me The ones I bought could be tied down so they were a little more secure.

 

[couldhavebeenme]

Yeah...I hear ya. I think the only pet carriers on the market that supposedly are crash tested are going to run you several hundred but there are options. For one cat I could totally see springing for that, but it wasn't an option for me The ones I bought could be tied down so they were a little more secure.

My other option is buying a plane ticket for a family member to fly her to me in-cabin so I figure (via girlvet math) that I'd be saving money by buying an expensive carrier and driving her? Flying isn't ideal either because there are no direct flights from where my family is + 90 min drive from where I'm going to live and the airport. Either way girliecat is gonna have to hold her pee a little.

 

[JaynaAli]

I travel solo with dogs extensively for dog shows, so I’ll share some of my tips and tricks. Most are more related to dogs but maybe it’ll help someone else.

What I will say specific to cats is that I’ve had friends who both drove and flew with their cats and both have their stressors. An airport is busy and you have to take them out of the carrier and hold them as you go though security. It’s potentially quicker, but I think the environment can be scarier…it’s a balancing act which is worse. Cars take longer but they’re a little more consistent/not totally new, and you shouldn’t have to take them out unless secured in a room. Even if the cat is pretty chill I’d still consider talking to your vet about meds…they just make things less stressful for everyone. And if you dose in the morning, it should be wearing off by evening when you stop and the cat is getting out to do its business.

For general driving with pets tips, plan your route ahead of time. Some people stop frequently, but my dogs rarely do much on walks when traveling, so I will go 10 hours between “get out” stops. We usually only travel 5 hours max though. I do offer water but they rarely take any until we stop. I’d prefer to get to our destination and let them decompress and pee and eat/drink there.

Get gas well before you need it in case it’s far to the next station. I don’t like to get below 1/4 tank. I try to stay in well traveled areas on well maintained roads. One of my dogs gets nervous in traffic and with constant accelerations/decelerations so I try to take straight highways rather than windy routes with lots of turns, even if it’s a little farther.

Spend the money to book a nicer, safe hotel and check out the areas on google maps before booking. Be smart and safe when taking dogs out at hotels, especially late at night and early morning. I’ve never had anyone bother us, but I know people who have.

La Quinta hotels are pretty widely known for being pet friendly, but quality is wildly variable in my experience. I like Hilton hotels and often stay at their Hampton, Tru, and Home2 chains. What I like about Hilton is their app; you can check in via the app and choose your room. I like to be on the second floor near the stairs…2nd floor for safety and near the stairs for ease of going outside. They charge a pet fee and I always mark ‘traveling with a pet’ at booking, but when I check in via the app, mind my business, keep the dogs quiet, and leave the room clean, I am almost never charged the pet fee. I stay in hotels like 30-40 nights a year and I’ve only been charged a pet fee one weekend in three years. If you show up at the desk with animals they’ll add the fee, but if I just mind my business it saves $75. But ymmv especially if you have heavy shedders, barkers, or leave it dirty. I recommend you take an extra bedsheet or two to cover the furniture if your animals shed and are going to be allowed to roam the room. DoorDash or curbside pickup is your friend for dinners…I don’t like to leave animals alone in hotels even if the hotel does allow that.

My dogs always travel in crash tested kennels, but like was mentioned above, if this is a one time move I can understand that someone might not want to make that investment. But in general, secure your pets! It’s safer for you AND them. I have a video baby monitor I bought off of Amazon that sits on my dash so I can see what they’re up to in the kennels. The kennels are strapped down securely and have emergency contact info and medical info on them in case of emergency.

 

[_rae_]

Gabapentin and Cerenia. And personally I go about 2x as high as most people do with their gaba, but my goal is to zonk them into oblivion for as long as possible.

This. Even if you have a chill cat. We did 10 hrs the first day (which was more like 12 with stops), 9 hours the next day (11 hrs total), and 5 hours the last day. Babies were getting 100 mg in the morning and 50 mg at night, and that still wasn't enough. I remember having a breakdown in the first hotel room at like 3 AM when Green Bean wouldn't let us sleep and looking at the spouse through tears going "how are we supposed to handle kids if we can't even handle a CAT". So moral of the story, if I had to do it again, I'd do 150 mg in the morning and 100 mg at night.

We did not offer them a litter box in the car because we didn't have one that would fit in the carrier. We put pee pads down, but they had no trouble holding it. Don't put both cats in unless you know they won't fight. We used I think the large size of this or something very similar and had both cats in the same carrier. Except for the first 30 minutes of day three, not a peep, no fighting, and very comfortable the whole ride.

We have hard sided individual carriers for them and we kept them on standby in case we needed them.

 

[couldhavebeenme]

Thanks all for the tips. Fortunately I bought an entire bottle of gaba and traz and 2 packs of cerenia from MWI last month to have on hand for the trip. I think my cat might actually do better than my dog, who sometimes hates the car and sometimes does not care. I want to get a Ruffland for her (standard poodle) for the trip to put my mind at ease. Keeping my eyes peeled on FB marketplace for an intermediate for the next couple weeks before I buy something new.

 

[Dovetailequine]

Does anybody have tips for cross-country roadtripping with a cat? She does fine in her carrier/in the car, but I'm mostly worried about the litterbox situation. This trip will probably take about 5 days.

Put her in a dog crate that is big enough for a bed and a litterbox! My sister has done this for her cat and it worked great.

 

[deleted626763]

I am no vet, but I have also given them blankets or towels in the crate that I have slept with for the week leading up to the trip and they seem to appreciate the smell, @couldhavebeenme. I too have put my cats in a dog crate in the back of the car. They cried the first ~30 minutes but were happy once they got settled.

 

[_rae_]

I love my PCP which is something I thought I'd never say. I usually refuse to see male doctors for a variety of reasons, but this guy listens, is quick to make referrals if we can't figure it out in a visit or two, and he spends 3-5 minutes at the end of each visit asking about my spouse and vet school. We recently bonded over our hatred for physics in urinary and cardiac systems. And the office is less than a five minute walk from my apartment!

 

[pp9]

Am I the last person on earth to discover lofi music? Such a good vibe for trudging through tedious desk work

 

[katiemcat]

w

Am I the last person on earth to discover lofi music? Such a good vibe for trudging through tedious desk work

lowfi girl on YouTube >>>

 

[ESD_2029]

Am I the last person on earth to discover lofi music? Such a good vibe for trudging through tedious desk work

Lofi music with a grounds walk from Hogwarts Legacy is where it's at. Youtube has it all.

 

[couldhavebeenme]

Lofi girl earned a DVM with me, that's all I have to say.

 

[battie]

Star Wars Lofi, Fam.

 

[SkiOtter]

Star Wars Lofi, Fam.

Disney lofi

 

[deleted626763]

I really like Tycho. It's electronic, but it's meant to do the same thing as LoFi and has the same sort of vibe.

 

[MixedAnimals77]

DONE with the student loans 🥳 Was going to be done by the end of this summer regardless, but we decided to take a small savings hit and be done with them before baby comes in a few weeks just so we don't have to worry about them any more.

 

[JaynaAli]

DONE with the student loans 🥳 Was going to be done by the end of this summer regardless, but we decided to take a small savings hit and be done with them before baby comes in a few weeks just so we don't have to worry about them any more.

Congrats! It’s such a great feeling, and I imagine doubly so with all the uncertainty and changes happening lately. Good work!

 

[battie]

DONE with the student loans 🥳 Was going to be done by the end of this summer regardless, but we decided to take a small savings hit and be done with them before baby comes in a few weeks just so we don't have to worry about them any more.

Yay!!! Proud of y'all getting it done!!!

 

[_rae_]

The spouse is officially an Irish citizen! They got dual citizenship via a program where if a grandparent was born in Ireland, they were eligible. I am not eligible even though we’re married, but any kids we have will be!

 

[SkiOtter]

The spouse is officially an Irish citizen! They got dual citizenship via a program where if a grandparent was born in Ireland, they were eligible. I am not eligible even though we’re married, but any kids we have will be!

Hey! So am I!!
My dad went through the process for all us kids when we were teens so that we could be citizens. He’s one because both his parents were born there and we are the grandparent route.

 

[ESD_2029]

The spouse is officially an Irish citizen! They got dual citizenship via a program where if a grandparent was born in Ireland, they were eligible. I am not eligible even though we’re married, but any kids we have will be!

Hey! So am I!!
My dad went through the process for all us kids when we were teens so that we could be citizens. He’s one because both his parents were born there and we are the grandparent route.

Want to adopt a married couple that is willing to be self sufficient? kidding but not in this political climate

 

[ali9280]

The spouse is officially an Irish citizen! They got dual citizenship via a program where if a grandparent was born in Ireland, they were eligible. I am not eligible even though we’re married, but any kids we have will be!

Congrats to them! Irish citizenship is a great one, especially when traveling in Europe 🙂 I was born and raised in Dublin, I miss it every day

 

[pp9]

The spouse is officially an Irish citizen! They got dual citizenship via a program where if a grandparent was born in Ireland, they were eligible. I am not eligible even though we’re married, but any kids we have will be!

Ooooh that's awesome! How long did it take you? I've been considering dual citizenship with Italy (through my maternal grandparents) but it takes like...5+ years supposedly and is $$$$$

 

[_rae_]

Ooooh that's awesome! How long did it take you? I've been considering dual citizenship with Italy (through my maternal grandparents) but it takes like...5+ years supposedly and is $$$$$

I think a little over 12 months? It was definitely right before I got accepted to vet school. There was a slight delay because we had to track down the original marriage certificate because we only had the church one. It was like $300? I’m also technically eligible for Italy through my great-grandma but I’m just too lazy for that.

ETA: there’s a separate process for getting an Irish visa so that will be more time and money!

 

[katiemcat]

The spouse is officially an Irish citizen! They got dual citizenship via a program where if a grandparent was born in Ireland, they were eligible. I am not eligible even though we’re married, but any kids we have will be!

I am Irish and god I wish I could more there. Beautiful country. V jelly. I need to visit again soon.

 

[SkiOtter]

ETA: there’s a separate process for getting an Irish visa so that will be more time and money!

Do you mean passport, not visa? Because once you are a citizen you shouldn’t need a visa. Unless you’re talking about for you vs him?

 

[_rae_]

Do you mean passport, not visa? Because once you are a citizen you shouldn’t need a visa. Unless you’re talking about for you vs him?

lol yes, Irish passport. Between exams, my cat pooping blood still, and the hot water heater fiasco my brain is mashed potatoes.

 

[allygator13]

Ooooh that's awesome! How long did it take you? I've been considering dual citizenship with Italy (through my maternal grandparents) but it takes like...5+ years supposedly and is $$$$$

I think a little over 12 months? It was definitely right before I got accepted to vet school. There was a slight delay because we had to track down the original marriage certificate because we only had the church one. It was like $300? I’m also technically eligible for Italy through my great-grandma but I’m just too lazy for that.

ETA: there’s a separate process for getting an Irish visa so that will be more time and money!

Italy is actually in the middle of new rulings on eligibility for dual citizenship via jure sanguinis, so you may not be eligible anymore 🙁 They are trying to make it more strict now for people to become citizens, but it is going through a court process so it's all up in the air right now.

 

[pp9]

Italy is actually in the middle of new rulings on eligibility for dual citizenship via jure sanguinis, so you may not be eligible anymore 🙁 They are trying to make it more strict now for people to become citizens, but it is going through a court process so it's all up in the air right now.

Yep, I’ve been reading up on it. So far I’m still eligible

 

[allygator13]

Yep, I’ve been reading up on it. So far I’m still eligible

Oh that's awesome news! I technically already am an Italian citizen, my dad was Italian and I was born there, and he registered my birth with the comune at the time, but I don't have a passport or anything. I'm currently trying to navigate the bureaucracy to get recognized and get a passport, but even still it's a lot of work 🙄

 

[supershorty]

Sometimes I wonder if students know how much kind feedback forms from them can mean to house officers.

I try to make a point to be the intern I would have wanted to work with as a student. A big part of that is giving positive feedback because some of those comments stayed with me for a long time when I was in their position. And I have a document now where I save the positive feedback I get from faculty or student forms (creatively saved as You Don’t Suck, lol).

Today I got 2 student reviews that went into that document, and one of them actually made me tear up. I love teaching, y’all. I can’t imagine ever not doing it. 🥹

 

[katiemcat]

Sometimes I wonder if students know how much kind feedback forms from them can mean to house officers.

I try to make a point to be the intern I would have wanted to work with as a student. A big part of that is giving positive feedback because some of those comments stayed with me for a long time when I was in their position. And I have a document now where I save the positive feedback I get from faculty or student forms (creatively saved as You Don’t Suck, lol).

Today I got 2 student reviews that went into that document, and one of them actually made me tear up. I love teaching, y’all. I can’t imagine ever not doing it. 🥹

House officers that are constructive, kind and value teaching literally make entire rotations. I was inspired to pursue a speciality because of a resident! Keep doing what you’re doing!

 

[vampyrica]

put my deposit down for an apartment, signed my lease, made appointments with the DMV to change my license from PA to CO, requested a change of address. hoooolyyyyy crappppp. this is getting so real.

 

[_rae_]

After failing my first ever anatomy and physiology exam in undergrad, by quite a large margin, I was so scared it would affect my ability to get into and do well in vet school.

Finished large animal anatomy with an A- today and physiology II with a B+. Shout out to anyone who struggled or is going through it, you got this.

 

[vampyrica]

After failing my first ever anatomy and physiology exam in undergrad, by quite a large margin, I was so scared it would affect my ability to get into and do well in vet school.

Finished large animal anatomy with an A- today and physiology II with a B+. Shout out to anyone who struggled or is going through it, you got this.

HECK YES!!!

 

[pp9]

I blinked and 6 years of DVM life have gone by. Weird.

 

[JaynaAli]

I blinked and 6 years of DVM life have gone by. Weird.

Ten for me! It’s wild. I’m getting old.

 

[Shiloh47]

Just secured a nice apartment in Oregon for school!!! It's nice to have that hurdle out of the way for sure

 

[vampyrica]

put in my one month notice at work today woohoo!

 

[_rae_]

My summer research project is on another campus, and parking is ~$13 per day~. So, since I was planning to get a bike anyway, I figured I’ll just start biking. Good for me and the environment! It’s somewhat flat and only 5 miles.

Well, turns out I haven’t been on a bike in three years and I’m more out of shape than I thought. Was going up a hill and decided I should probably just hop of and walk it, didn’t slow down enough, and ate it as soon as my feet hit the ground. Only like three drivers saw me but it was enough to be embarassing, but I pushed on. Red as a tomato and sweaty as all get out, I made it! On time even!

Now just for that pesky “getting home” bit…

 

[battie]

My summer research project is on another campus, and parking is ~$13 per day~. So, since I was planning to get a bike anyway, I figured I’ll just start biking. Good for me and the environment! It’s somewhat flat and only 5 miles.

Well, turns out I haven’t been on a bike in three years and I’m more out of shape than I thought. Was going up a hill and decided I should probably just hop of and walk it, didn’t slow down enough, and ate it as soon as my feet hit the ground. Only like three drivers saw me but it was enough to be embarassing, but I pushed on. Red as a tomato and sweaty as all get out, I made it! On time even!

Now just for that pesky “getting home” bit…

You're going to be ripped by the end of summer, though! 🤩

 

[JaynaAli]

My summer research project is on another campus, and parking is ~$13 per day~. So, since I was planning to get a bike anyway, I figured I’ll just start biking. Good for me and the environment! It’s somewhat flat and only 5 miles.

Well, turns out I haven’t been on a bike in three years and I’m more out of shape than I thought. Was going up a hill and decided I should probably just hop of and walk it, didn’t slow down enough, and ate it as soon as my feet hit the ground. Only like three drivers saw me but it was enough to be embarassing, but I pushed on. Red as a tomato and sweaty as all get out, I made it! On time even!

Now just for that pesky “getting home” bit…

Glad you’re okay!

But I understand that feeling completely…this Monday I decided to go walk my property line to check on a section of fence the neighbor texted me they were replacing and then swing around to fix a trail camera that had fallen. It is a 2 mile trip around the perimeter. But I failed to remember how out of shape I am, how difficult it is to walk in knee high pasture grass without any trail, and that it was 90 degrees for the first day this year. I had to take breaks to sit in the grass and rest twice. I made it, but next time I’m taking the fourwheeler instead, haha.

 

[battie]

Glad you’re okay!

But I understand that feeling completely…this Monday I decided to go walk my property line to check on a section of fence the neighbor texted me they were replacing and then swing around to fix a trail camera that had fallen. It is a 2 mile trip around the perimeter. But I failed to remember how out of shape I am, how difficult it is to walk in knee high pasture grass without any trail, and that it was 90 degrees for the first day this year. I had to take breaks to sit in the grass and rest twice. I made it, but next time I’m taking the fourwheeler instead, haha.

Now I'm just picturing your dogs running through this grass like the velociraptors in Jurassic Park