I can only speak to my own experience. Most of their communities I’ve seen are not a place where nuanced views are appreciated. I saw a particularly 4Chanesque take where a guy was trashing a girl he dated for her interest in astrology. He was more than fine supporting it and humoring it while they were together. Once dumped, though, he had to use it as an example of everything he had to be tortured with in the relationship.

I had a couple of things to say about that kind of attitude, but the whole of my response centered around learning to pick partners who are aligned with our own values and goals. They banned me because of my username. I have no idea why, other than making assumptions about my views and values in a negative way. A peep into my post history should suggest otherwise, but anyway.

I don’t have a lot of respect for people with strong views that are sensitive about having them challenged. It isn’t a good faith argument.

We’ve been enjoying momma Madeline and her little cookies on the cams at work for weeks. They’re so big now, though, so we are trying to mentally prepare for not seeing them again.

It’s a slippery slope. I heard if you listen to too many sea shanties you will start aggressively lactating.

Facing the day can look like whatever you need it to to get to Tuesday. Getting up, taking care of your body by feeding it, drinking water, and practicing good hygiene can be enough. Caring for your mental health with compassion and understanding is also very important.

Doing what you need to do to keep yourself safe and comfortable is the top priority right now. Having a medical condition is not your fault, and it’s nothing you should feel any shame about. You’re not feeling well, and that means you need to give yourself the space and grace to heal and feel better. However you need to achieve this, as long as you aren’t harming yourself or others, is perfectly valid.

Please try to be kind to yourself and focus on healthy coping mechanisms. You have an appointment coming soon, and help is just a few days away. If you need emergency care in the meantime, that’s okay, too. You’ve got this. It takes strength to get this far, and you can do this, too. Please take care.

It’s a Gentle Leader. It doesn’t function like a muzzle, because it doesn’t inhibit a dog from biting. It’s basically a harness that attaches at the head. You can read more about them here: How to use the gentle leader

God, do I miss living alone sometimes.

He’s gorgeous! It’s always hard to guess breed mixes based on appearance alone, as physical appearance is determined by such a small percentage of DNA. It’s always fun to guess, though! I’ve worked in various animal industries for years, and we always start a poll when someone submits their dog for DNA testing. My guess for the predominant breeds is either Belgian Malinois or German Shepherd, then Staffordshire terrier.

Congratulations on finding such a fantastic dog, and I hope you update us once his results are in!

And all lives matter, right? How else can we commandeer this conversation?

They make freeze dried raw salmon treats for dogs and cats. Mine go crazy for them!

I had the privilege of watching Tootoo ravage someone live and in person a few times, haha. I was just talking about him the other day as an example of small but serious. I miss the Tootoo whistles.

It’s so great to find another Preds fan on Lemmy! So glad we broke the streak last night against the Blues, and I’m becoming cautiously excited about the playoffs. I went down to Nashville when we lost in the finals in 2017 and am still recovering from the feels.

I am a huge hockey fan. Let’s go, Predators!

Yes, the fights are fun for fans, but they happen for a reason. Hockey is fast-paced and dangerous. Highly skilled players are targeted, and it’s not difficult to cheap shot a hit and put a valuable player on the injured reserve list. Enforcers are players whose main job is to bring a physical presence and protect their teammates. Fights most often happen as a response to a questionable hit. If you are the type of person who wants to rough up another player, you may think twice about it if that team has a big dude who will punch your face in for being dirty.

It’s also a morale thing. Sometimes when a team is getting pounded and underperforming, a fight will ignite and inspire the rest of the team to continue that energy. Sometimes teams simply hate each other due to rivalry or history, and their players are more likely to take offense to something.

Love it or hate it, it is a cultural norm in the game. The NHL made moves years ago to try to phase it out, but it seems lately to have come back with a vengeance. I’d personally rather see fighting than cheap-shotting, as injuries very rarely result from a fight.

Plus, if you really hate a player, it’s so satisfying seeing them get punched in the face.

I saw the South Park Bigger, Longer, and Uncut movie in theaters as a kid. I lived in a small town adjacent to a small city, and there weren’t many other people in the theater. During the scene where the boys are watching the Terrace and Phillip movie and the theater-goers walk out, so did everyone else in our real life theater. It was surreal. We had a great time watching the rest of the movie by ourselves.

Also, natural variations in ingredients are a thing.

This is the correct response. I don’t know a single vet who hasn’t done a spay-abort, and I’ve worked in animal welfare for decades.

I am a very casual gamer, but my partner is much more invested and skilled when it comes to gaming. I ended up really enjoying watching him play Returnal, to the point that I’d be annoyed if he played without me. It was visually beautiful, the story was movie-like, and I was even helpful in watching where the monsters were so they didn’t sneak up on him.

I hope he wants to replay it, because I’d love to watch it again. Highly recommend!

Just lovely. It appears to be a Bengal. They are beautiful and entertaining cats!

The Jacobson’s response! I love it when they do that.

That makes a lot of sense to me given my personal experiences. Reading this thread is interesting. I’ve never heard the idea that you can’t read in dreams. The last couple of months I’ve been having dreams where I’m doomscrolling headlines on an app, and I’m actively reading the headlines to myself. But since I’m doomscrolling , I notice them and move on. I’m aware of when I’m dreaming, so sometimes I’ll laugh to myself and my partner about the stuff my sleep- psyche comes up with. I don’t know if this is a recent development, but I can’t remember ever trying to read something in a dream and being frustrated that I can’t.

I have a number of problems that result in unusual and unhealthy sleep patterns, so that probably contributes to odd dream experiences.

“And the behaviour of the cat was somewhat peculiar. It was soon noticed that when there was work to be done the cat could never be found. She would vanish for hours on end, and then reappear at meal-times, or in the evening after work was over, as though nothing had happened. But she always made such excellent excuses , and purred so affectionately , that it was impossible not to believe in her good intentions.”

I start when they’re kittens. They’re easier to manage if they tantrum at that size, and options for gently restraining them are more varied. Once they get used to the feeling it’s routine for them, even if it’s not their favorite thing. My oldest cat took the longest to get comfortable with it. I had to wrap her in a towel, pulling out one foot at a time for almost two years. Now she’ll sit in my lap like a baby and let me trim her nails. That’s my preferred way of doing it, but it requires training that can take a lot of patience.

Nail trimming is not something I have to do very often, because the most important thing in cat claw maintenance is providing them with plentiful and diverse scratching options. Different cats like different surfaces. Giving them a variety of choices keeps them away from things you don’t want them scratching on. It also helps them manage their own nails, which most cats are very good at. Two of my cats are so meticulous about their claw condition that they’ll pluck their own nail sheaths off when they’re too long for their liking. Cats are generally hygienic and good with grooming, so if you provide your cat with the opportunity to maintain their nails through grooming and scratching opportunities, you may find you rarely have to trim your cat’s nails at all.

I have three cats. They have carpet, sisal rope, and corrugated cardboard options in various forms. Some scratching spots are vertical, some horizontal, some perchable, and some loungable. The most important thing is to figure out what your cat likes and follow their lead. If you have a multiple cat household this can get expensive and crowded. It’s too important for the cats not to do it, though.

Trimming an adult cat’s nails when they’re not used to it can be difficult. The towel method still works, but if your cat gets especially fractious they could seriously hurt you. If that’s the case, visit your veterinarian for a nail trim, and if they’re a quality establishment they’d be happy to try to show you how to cut your cat’s nails yourself.

Every animal is different, so we have to deal with these things to the best of our ability in managing them. Nail trimming is important, and there is nothing wrong with asking for help from your vet if you find you can’t manage your pet’s nails yourself. Getting nail trims done at the vet isn’t cheap, but if that’s your only option then use it.

Side note to this novel I just wrote, OP asked a question about cats, but referenced having a dog. There’s a growing trend of people making scratching boards for their dogs out of lumber and sandpaper. They encourage their dogs to dig and scratch at the board. As easy as I have it with trimming my cats’ nails, I admittedly suck at trimming my German Shepherd and mastiff’s nails. I take them to work and I let the professionals handle it. I haven’t tried the board method yet, but I intend to.