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Ah well you see I have a semi photographic memory, it’s both a blessing and a curse, before my accident though my memory was a lot better. Back in 2013 I would’ve been able to tell you exact court case, including year, for many of the most important precedents we uphold in South Australian criminal and civil law. Came in handy when I was studying for exams I didn’t need to look over my notes more then twice.  The disadvantage is if I’ve seen a movie two or three times I can pretty much quote most of the major scenes word for word, it’s actually frustrating sometimes the number of movies that are ruined for me simply because I watched them a couple of times years ago and now I know exactly what’s going to happen through the whole film.

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Cats, man. We have two left and it looks like we might be saying goodbye to both of them really soon. Our younger, totally healthy-seeming cat just got stricken by some unknown ailment yesterday and now she appears to be dying. Stroke maybe? Can barely walk, doesn't want food or water, no balance, shallow breathing, curls up in a weird position with the top of her head pushed down onto the floor. Meanwhile our old, sick cat keeps getting older and sicker. The idea of putting them both to sleep is fucking heartbreaking. It might be the kindest thing. But I'm not ready.

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1 hour ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Cats, man. We have two left and it looks like we might be saying goodbye to both of them really soon. Our younger, totally healthy-seeming cat just got stricken by some unknown ailment yesterday and now she appears to be dying. Stroke maybe? Can barely walk, doesn't want food or water, no balance, shallow breathing, curls up in a weird position with the top of her head pushed down onto the floor. Meanwhile our old, sick cat keeps getting older and sicker. The idea of putting them both to sleep is fucking heartbreaking. It might be the kindest thing. But I'm not ready.

That blows man. We're never ready to say goodbye. So shitty watching them suffer. You want to do something for them but there's not much to be done. Condolences.

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1 hour ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Cats, man. We have two left and it looks like we might be saying goodbye to both of them really soon. Our younger, totally healthy-seeming cat just got stricken by some unknown ailment yesterday and now she appears to be dying. Stroke maybe? Can barely walk, doesn't want food or water, no balance, shallow breathing, curls up in a weird position with the top of her head pushed down onto the floor. Meanwhile our old, sick cat keeps getting older and sicker. The idea of putting them both to sleep is fucking heartbreaking. It might be the kindest thing. But I'm not ready.

Hey man...I'm really sorry to hear that. I know how much I care about my own cats and how hard it's been to lose the ones I have over the year. Truth is, no matter how long they live, it's never going to be enough time. Fingers crossed for some kind of turn around for the younger one, and a few more years of life for your older one

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3 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Cats, man. We have two left and it looks like we might be saying goodbye to both of them really soon. Our younger, totally healthy-seeming cat just got stricken by some unknown ailment yesterday and now she appears to be dying. Stroke maybe? Can barely walk, doesn't want food or water, no balance, shallow breathing, curls up in a weird position with the top of her head pushed down onto the floor. Meanwhile our old, sick cat keeps getting older and sicker. The idea of putting them both to sleep is fucking heartbreaking. It might be the kindest thing. But I'm not ready.

Top of head pushed down to the floor is what happened to mine before she sadly passed earlier this year.  I hate this, it is utterly heartbreaking and no words can make it any easier.  Time is not on anyone's side it just eats us all up in its jaws as it goes along.  I am just sorry this is happening man.

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4 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Cats, man. We have two left and it looks like we might be saying goodbye to both of them really soon. Our younger, totally healthy-seeming cat just got stricken by some unknown ailment yesterday and now she appears to be dying. Stroke maybe? Can barely walk, doesn't want food or water, no balance, shallow breathing, curls up in a weird position with the top of her head pushed down onto the floor. Meanwhile our old, sick cat keeps getting older and sicker. The idea of putting them both to sleep is fucking heartbreaking. It might be the kindest thing. But I'm not ready.

Sympathy and love for you man. Sounds like you are doing all you can. No doubt they understand your love and compassion. We do our best for them and that's all we can do.

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Thanks folks. I wish there was more we could do. Vet's closed today, and I doubt there's anything they could do... it feels like we're just watching her slip away. We joked about running a kitty hospice for the older one, but we thought we'd have a few more years with Annie. She used to climb me like a tree and walk all the way out to my elbow if I extended my arm for her. Ridiculous, unintelligent, clumsy, and such a good friend. I really appreciate you guys and your words of support.

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11 hours ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

 The disadvantage is if I’ve seen a movie two or three times I can pretty much quote most of the major scenes word for word, it’s actually frustrating sometimes the number of movies that are ruined for me simply because I watched them a couple of times years ago and now I know exactly what’s going to happen through the whole film.

I've only ever seen Star Wars once, I've seen Empire once and I saw Jedi once, all when they were released. The rest I totally ignored, including the idea that the first one is actually number 3 and the rest of the numbers don't really matter. So "in a galaxy, etc etc" is about the extent of my Star Wars knowledge.

 

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On 6/17/2022 at 12:59 AM, KillaKukumba said:

I'm thankful I don't get gastro that often. The last time we copped a dose was about 8 years ago, we were on a family holiday in Perth, 2 days before we were due to drive the 4000ks home we all copped it. It's terrible at any time but when you're faced with the prospect of still having it linger with you as you set out for a 4 day road trip you spend your day hoping like hell you'll get better before leaving. Even though no one can hear you scream in the outback it's not a place you want to be parked on the side of the road shitting through the eye of a needle.

One of the trainer's for a course said he had bad dysentry  from copping a mouthful from a waste water treatment site. He said he was in the bath for days with it coming out both ends. That image has stayed in my mind.

He recommended us carrying bottle of coke with us as another also took a mouthful but after having a load of pepsi he only had mild symptoms. I carry a backup bottle. It's better than double trouble shit sick🫣

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7 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Cats, man. We have two left and it looks like we might be saying goodbye to both of them really soon. Our younger, totally healthy-seeming cat just got stricken by some unknown ailment yesterday and now she appears to be dying. Stroke maybe? Can barely walk, doesn't want food or water, no balance, shallow breathing, curls up in a weird position with the top of her head pushed down onto the floor. Meanwhile our old, sick cat keeps getting older and sicker. The idea of putting them both to sleep is fucking heartbreaking. It might be the kindest thing. But I'm not ready.

It's rubbish father a re your cats. Losing both of them.  my mum's pony Rosie was fine one day and next day she could not stand. She was old.  It would have required surgery to unblock her digestive system but due to her advanced years the vet said kindest thing was the bullet and they were keen to do it. Rosie the pony was given lots of tranquilizers so she was very relaxed. My mum went for the huntsman who did what was necessary and took her  away.  All happened in a day. We were all shocked. 

When a pet dies it can be so sad. We get so close to them. I've certainly cried over putting pets to sleep. Certainly holding them down while they get the needle from the vet sucks. 

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Just overhearing a very loud Microsoft Teams meeting where everyone is trying to sound professional yet aren't saying anything of value or meaning.  

If you scrapped pointless meetings, meetings would be rare as hens teeth.  And if you got rid of all the useless dead weight employees in western economies you'd probably end up with a 40% unemployment rate.

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On 6/19/2022 at 11:49 PM, FatherAlabaster said:

Cats, man. We have two left and it looks like we might be saying goodbye to both of them really soon. Our younger, totally healthy-seeming cat just got stricken by some unknown ailment yesterday and now she appears to be dying. Stroke maybe? Can barely walk, doesn't want food or water, no balance, shallow breathing, curls up in a weird position with the top of her head pushed down onto the floor. Meanwhile our old, sick cat keeps getting older and sicker. The idea of putting them both to sleep is fucking heartbreaking. It might be the kindest thing. But I'm not ready.

Only just saw this - so sorry to hear abut your fur babies!  

On 6/19/2022 at 7:01 PM, RelentlessOblivion said:

The disadvantage is if I’ve seen a movie two or three times I can pretty much quote most of the major scenes word for word, it’s actually frustrating sometimes the number of movies that are ruined for me simply because I watched them a couple of times years ago and now I know exactly what’s going to happen through the whole film.

 

I actually am a bit similar.  I can watch movies only once ever 10 years as I tend to remember everything, though not word for word.

23 hours ago, blaaacdoommmmfan said:

It's rubbish father a re your cats. Losing both of them.  my mum's pony Rosie was fine one day and next day she could not stand. She was old.  It would have required surgery to unblock her digestive system but due to her advanced years the vet said kindest thing was the bullet and they were keen to do it. Rosie the pony was given lots of tranquilizers so she was very relaxed. My mum went for the huntsman who did what was necessary and took her  away.  All happened in a day. We were all shocked. 

When a pet dies it can be so sad. We get so close to them. I've certainly cried over putting pets to sleep. Certainly holding them down while they get the needle from the vet sucks. 

 

Also so sad.

 

Only every buried one pet - my Siberian husky who died last year on 29 December.  Still think about her every say even though I have a new pooch!

 

New pooch benefits from the memories though as I spend as much time as I can with her because I felt like I didn't enough with the old dog.

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On 6/19/2022 at 9:49 AM, FatherAlabaster said:

Cats, man. We have two left and it looks like we might be saying goodbye to both of them really soon. Our younger, totally healthy-seeming cat just got stricken by some unknown ailment yesterday and now she appears to be dying. Stroke maybe? Can barely walk, doesn't want food or water, no balance, shallow breathing, curls up in a weird position with the top of her head pushed down onto the floor. Meanwhile our old, sick cat keeps getting older and sicker. The idea of putting them both to sleep is fucking heartbreaking. It might be the kindest thing. But I'm not ready.

So sorry to read your post. We recently put down our Norwich Terrier, Finney, who was with us for over 17 years. He was blind, deaf and his body slowly failed him. It's such a hard decision when to end your pets' lives.

A few points we considered....I remember a vet telling us when the bad days outnumber the good, it might be time. Another consideration for my wife and I is if we felt we were keeping a pet alive for own emotional needs, that wouldn't be fair.

There's never a good time , but I do think there's something said to let "your best friend" pass in dignity and hopefully not in an emergency/crisis situation in extreme pain or trauma. None of us want to go that way. It's truly one of the most difficult painful things anyone can face. When to say it's time is a choice only you can make. it's a bitch. 

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4 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Thank you man. The younger one passed early this morning. It all happened so fast, we're still in shock.

So sorry man. If there is a better place then cats deserve their place at the head of the line. Such complex and wonderful friends. Sounds like you did your very best in an impossible situation. 

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17 hours ago, SurgicalBrute said:

Man, I'm really sorry for your loss. I was honestly hoping things would turn around for the little dude

Thanks man... me too. I guess I'm glad she didn't linger in pain, but damn, we hated to see her just fade like that.

17 hours ago, markm said:

So sorry to read your post. We recently put down our Norwich Terrier, Finney, who was with us for over 17 years. He was blind, deaf and his body slowly failed him. It's such a hard decision when to end your pets' lives.

A few points we considered....I remember a vet telling us when the bad days outnumber the good, it might be time. Another consideration for my wife and I is if we felt we were keeping a pet alive for own emotional needs, that wouldn't be fair.

There's never a good time , but I do think there's something said to let "your best friend" pass in dignity and hopefully not in an emergency/crisis situation in extreme pain or trauma. None of us want to go that way. It's truly one of the most difficult painful things anyone can face. When to say it's time is a choice only you can make. it's a bitch. 

Lots of wisdom in here, thank you. I'm sorry to hear about your dog, too. The situation with our one remaining cat is nearly identical. She keeps bouncing back, which is amazing, but her quality of life isn't great. When we moved up here from Brooklyn, we had four cats with us... I'm astonished that she's the last one left.

 

Thanks again to everyone for your kind and thoughtful words.

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9 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Thanks man... me too. I guess I'm glad she didn't linger in pain, but damn, we hated to see her just fade like that.

Lots of wisdom in here, thank you. I'm sorry to hear about your dog, too. The situation with our one remaining cat is nearly identical. She keeps bouncing back, which is amazing, but her quality of life isn't great. When we moved up here from Brooklyn, we had four cats with us... I'm astonished that she's the last one left.

 

Thanks again to everyone for your kind and thoughtful words.

Thank YOU. Finney was the dog love of my wife's life. She called him, "my little man" and they were inseparable. A couple of weeks before she "got there", she visited her brother while I stayed home taught kayaking and watched over Finney at night. I came home and had been unable to hold himself in a little pen we finally kept him in the house. He pooped all over it, he was covered in feces. The stains in the little pen were such that I threw it away and I was less than pleasant with her on the phone. I pleaded with her, "we both work, we can't care for him the way he needs". I didn't want to ever be put in that kind of situation again. He basically needed a homebound caregiver.  I mean, she told me to take a breath and calm down and then shortly after she returned she looked at me and started to cry and said, "Mark it's time.  I'm ready".  She made an appointment and we ended his life. Weird, when we drove to the vet he became unusually agitated and I started to think, maybe that 6th sense knew what we were going to do. Shit, I almost changed my mind. Like, could he possibly know??? But we followed through. It was the best thing in the end and neither of us have regrets now. 

 It took her a long time to get to the place where she came to her own conclusion, that it wasn't OK to keep him alive for her attachment. In the end we both realized we gave him a great life, he lived crazy long for a dog-17 years and some change-that's sick! And he enriched our lives for many years with the tenacity and enthusiasm that only terriers have! Norwich's, the smallest of the proper terriers, served in WWII and in the show ring it's stated that honorable scars shall not be considered a fault when evaluating a dog. They're fiercely independent and, while affectionate and comical, can never be truly "owned". They're little bad asses. 

Of course, it was sad, but it was a mercy as it had been a few years since he would play, run and play and simply be a dog. I remember shortly before George Burns died, he said something like, "well, it's about time for me to trade my body in for a new one".  I hope I have that clarity when I get there. Like my Unitarian Mom always tells me, "death is just part of life".

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23 minutes ago, markm said:

Thank YOU. Finney was the dog love of my wife's life. She called him, "my little man" and they were inseparable. A couple of weeks before she "got there", she visited her brother while I stayed home taught kayaking and watched over Finney at night. I came home and had been unable to hold himself in a little pen we finally kept him in the house over the last year when he couldn't hold himself all day while we were at work. We often had to bath him at night as he'd step in his own mess.

That Saturday after I returned from teaching,  he had pooped all over the pen. It was insane, like it was all over the freaking place and he was covered in feces. The stains in the little pen were such that I threw it away and I was less than pleasant with her on the phone. I pleaded with her, "we both work, we can't care for him the way he needs". I didn't want to ever be put in that kind of situation again. He basically needed a homebound caregiver. 

I mean, she told me to take a breath and calm down and then shortly after she returned she looked at me and started to cry and said, "Mark it's time.  I'm ready".  She made an appointment and we ended his life. Weird, when we drove to the vet he became unusually agitated and I started to think, maybe that 6th sense knew what we were going to do. Shit, I almost changed my mind. Like, could he possibly know??? But we followed through. It was the best thing in the end and neither of us have regrets now. 

 It took her a long time to get to the place where she came to her own conclusion, that it wasn't OK to keep him alive for her attachment. In the end we both realized we gave him a great life, he lived crazy long for a dog-17 years and some change-that's sick! And he enriched our lives for many years with the tenacity and enthusiasm that only terriers have! Norwich's, the smallest of the proper terriers, served in WWII and in the show ring it's stated that honorable scars shall not be considered a fault when evaluating a dog. They're fiercely independent and, while affectionate, generally well behaved, less cantankerous than most terriers, spirited  and comical, come to you on their own terms can never be truly "owned". They're little bad asses. 

Of course, it was sad, but it was a mercy as it had been a few years since he would play, run and simply be a carefree dog. I remember shortly before George Burns died, he said something like, "well, it's about time for me to trade my body in for a new one".  I hope I have that clarity when I get there. Like my Unitarian Mom always tells me, "death is just part of life".

 

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It never rains, but it bleeding pours. Just got a ticket to sold out Blood Incantation show at London Underworld this Friday. You can put yo'self on the waiting list through the app where you buy tickets and, though I'd forgotten about it, I got a notification.

It keeps the touts out of the loop which was a real problem in London and the UK generally. I remember trying to get a ticket to a Black Sabbath gig a few years ago and the main site showed sold out within a few minutes of going on sale and all the third party sites, including those owned by Ticketmaster, had them on sale immediately for double the price. It was a total scam.

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