Or as a token of affection. I was raised by…er WITH purebred Siamese, as can be seen in the top photo. The other humans are my pet parents and pet brother; I’m the meatloaf in the blanket. (Note the same chair, lamp, and table in each photo. I still use the tables. These photos were taken in our old house in Detroit. Thank goodness the photo developers put the month and date on them!)
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I’ll post some pictures of my furry four-footed kids soon, but for now …
I’ve been lucky enough to share my life with many wonderful cats, dogs, and other assorted animals. I’ve long ago realized that every time I let a new one in, they are going to break my heart one day, and I will be crying over them. (I actually had this thought for the first time as a tiny runt of a kitten exerted much effort to climb way up into my lap, just to be with me.)
The excellent artist Robot Hugs expresses it amazingly well. Warning: I’ve read this comic many times and I still can’t get through it without crying. I did have to read the text of it to our newest cat a few days after she joined our household.
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The two cats in the photo I posted, Bonnie on the front of the chair arm and her daughter Tina behind her, were descendants of a Michigan state champion male Seal Point Siamese tom and a queen named Hilda (Bonnie’s mom and dad). Bonnie was born in September 1957. while my mom was pregnant with my brother, and she used to, um, well, SIT on him. Well, when Mom came back from the hospital in November 1957 without her, um, cushion, Mom told me that the poor kitten slid down her stomach with the most surprised look on her face! She had to be euthanized due to a stroke at age 17. Tina made it to almost 20; she had to be euthanized in May 1978, three months before her birth date.
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Oooh, please forgive me, not trying to overtake the thread, but found these, of bebeh Luke and Phantom:
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Sorry for the loss 
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I’d just like to mention that my more cynical remarks shouldn’t be taken seriously (except where Trump is concerned). But I think you realise that.
I have a migraine - this is kind of a distraction for me, typing stuff - but soon I’ll have to mow the lawn with a loud corded electric mower. Ugh. Short version: I’m a bit obtuse right now.
BTW, if any you folks really like and/or respect me, you will come over posthaste and KILL ME NOW! Thank you.
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No. These things will pass.
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They go on for three days, rarely four, but once in a great while.
Luke followed me into the garage before I started mowing the lawn, but wanted to go in the back door when he saw the mower. Just to stay on topic, LOL.
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Our cocker spaniel never quite adapted to our Robomow, but he was quite elderly when we got it. Our TT treats it as he would a small dog - ignores it till it heads in his direction but stays watchful. But that’s his job (he is a combo watchdog/sheepdog) and he’s well described by Kipling: “Wary and watchful all their days that their brethren’s days may be long in the land.”
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Try butterbur. I take it for allergies but it’s supposed to help with migraines as well. You can find it on Amazon or we just got some from VitaCoast
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When someone tells me about “natural” remedies I tend to think of poison ivy, digitalis, lily of the valley and the sago palm. Plants don’t produce these things to help us, as Christian fundamentalists think. They produce them to discourage animals from eating them.
There are also things like St. John’s Wort which can be useful and harmless but can have severe interactions with other medicine.
Butterbur may be of assistance, but consult your GP first.
Edit - I’m reminded of a cartoon, can’t remember whether it was Punch or the New Yorker, with a load of dead people in furs and another man in furs going round with a clipboard - “Amanita muscaria - not edible.”
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I appreciate the help but I’m a) broke, and b) that stuff couldn’t get here fast enough.
My migraines used to be stress-triggered, until I quit working for HOUR Detroit magazine. Now, they appear to be induced by weather changes. I monitor the barometric pressure of my location; that doesn’t help the pain, but it does distract me from it.
THC helps to take the sharpness off of the pain. Nothing really gets rid of it, though. Eventually, it just goes away, or I get so nauseated by it I puke, and then it goes away.
And Luke helps…for some reason, his purr is particularly theraputic, and of course his just being next to me is.
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Thanks for the link. I did know about the issues with butterbur and the kind I have been buying has the PAs taken out of it. My personal experience is that it works for me, but just like @Enkita said, consult your GP first.
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Kitty purrs are always good!
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Has anyone recorded a cat’s purr, put it on a chip, and put it into a pillow?
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Oh Kickstarter idea!!
But you would want to have the vibration as well. Hmm
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Look, what people do with it after they buy it is their business.
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I am never going to be able to work a regular office job again. They would have to provide some really specific perks.
I’m not looking for a different way to make a living, just stating that lap kitties are a necessity for me.
Manny has been my coworker for most of his life, actually. He doesn’t carry his own weight, or pay his own bills, but he does kill his own mice.
And he is a top notch Chief Morale Officer, except when he wants to sleep on the printer.
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