Sail, link for your daughter: [link] It's a lay-person's primer on FLUTD, well-researched, and far more informative than anything I have gotten from talking with three vets and the Googling I could manage, with emphasis on the type of FLUTD with struvite crystals. One of the most important points is that if the vet offers a dry acidifying diet (to combat the struvite crystals), it's because s/he knows not whereof s/he speaks. Wet food plus lots of water is crucial. (I mix in a bunch of water with Harvey's canned food to make sure he is getting enough.)

Andi, thanks! I marked your post so I could print some of that stuff out for my daughter. It was interesting about the breathing connection because Tucker does something similar to what Harvey does, he can sound nearly asthmatic sometimes when he purrs. I haven't paid enough attention to figure out if there's any stress correlation, but I'll mention that to my daughter, too.

I know that in Harvey's case, the vast majority of the stress in his life, really is not his own. He really picks up on mine, and now Daniel's, stress.

Now, that is interesting. Makes me wonder how Tucker survived so long living with both me and Alexia!

Brenda, let me know what kind of booze your sister likes. I'll leave her a little prezzie for providing digs. Sorry to miss meeting her, though!

Makes me wonder how Tucker survived so long living with both me and Alexia!

He may well view it as his purpose in life, or as his gift to you, to relieve you of some of your burdon of stress. Harvey sure seems to.

I bought hair stuff today! Veganese from Lush (with a sample of Coolaulin, to see if I can get my hair re-moisturized because the water here is so hard it's turning my hair to straw), and Small Talk from Tigi at a shop in the Georges Street Arcade, as well as a hair conditioning mask for the same aforementioned straw issue. Also picked up some of the pink face soap from Lush, whose name I can't remember now. Almost fifty euro, yipes.

I sent the last car payment in last month.

Today, I receive the lien release.

Today, the car also decides--after five years of trouble-free service--that it's not going to start.

{{{{{{{{{Anne}}}}}}}}} Car~ma to you.

Oh, Anne! That SUCKS. I'm so sorry.

I'm sorry, Anne. Have you replaced the battery in those five years? 'Cause most car batteries last about 5 years, needing replacement is often heralded by the car not starting, and it's on the low-end (pricewise) of car repairs.