I think the age of the cat also depends on how (and therefore you) would handle loving in a small space. I don't know my square footage, but I'm over a two car garage. My two cats are about 8 years old and this winter have been quite content to be house cats and sleep a lot. If they were the kittens they used to be, then I'd worry about losing sleep as they did suicide runs back and forth in the small space.

196 square foot apartment.

Your apartment was a whole 196 square feet?

Good morni--crap. Good evening, Buffistas. Except probably Shir and Nilly? Good morning to them? Round globes are hard.

Pretty good day. Roughest part was the Nightly Homework Buckin' Bronc Ride.

Em's doing math, multiplying decimals. Which, hey, I remember that as being a pain in the ass. And, really, what the homework is is correcting a quiz they already had in-class.

(Brief aside: I guess the current philosophy of teaching allows for "Take it home, correct it, and bring it back before it's graded". Real second-chance stuff. And that is awesome! But I am old enough to use the phrase "in my day" and, in my day, if you got it wrong the teacher's response was generally "That's wrong; guess who should look into HVAC certifications?" But, I digress.)

Naturally, some of Em's answers are wrong because, hey, fifth grade. That's not the problem. The problem is, when I as gently as possible point that out to her ("Hey, so...how'd you get that answer, 'cause, uh..." rather than the old-fashioned "Wrong! Try again!" followed by a whip-crack) I get "NO, IT ISN'T!! I DID IT RIGHT! HOW COULD IT BE WRONG, I DID IT RIGHT?! AAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!" and she stomps off to her room. Five minutes later, breathing hard and red-faced, she returns, flops down and, growling like a starved badger, attempts the problem again with my gentle guidance, correcting the problem. Right answer achieved, lesson learned...until the next problem. "AAARRRRRGGGGHHH!! I DID IT RIGHT, I DID!! HOW CAN IT BE WRONG?!" Stomp, stomp, pause, flop, growl like badger.

It's fucking EXHAUSTING, dudes.

That's why my mother stopped helping me with my homework.

Sounds a lot like what goes on in my brother's house with the newly minted 12 year old boy. Add in the new to him hormone tsuris and a 7 year old going on 15, it's just a dramafest. My SIL had not been enjoying this phase ("I'm the dramatic one in this family! One is enough!")

Allyson, I hope you have tea and a cupcake and are nestled in a pile of blankets.

my cats have never gone outside. Smallest apt was...

1 cat in a 450 sq ft apt

just hired a tutor for 2 days a week an hour a day.

Close. Backstory: I had a friend in the FAC who called me Teppy (this was pre-Buffistas).

How DID she get to using the second, third, and fourth letters of your name as the basis for a nic? Where there an abundance of Stephs?

I can't totally remember anymore, but I think it was because there was a kid in her family who couldn't say "Stephie" and it came out "Teppy."

I am Zen, but not often zen.

meara, flexeril never did anything for me, either. Pot might work, but you're right - if you've never had it before, the night before a presentation really isn't the time to experiment! I hope you feel better soon, it sounds like you have a pinched nerve.

Would a single cat be happy in a less-than-700 square foot apartment if it never went outside?

With a window view of birds and things to watch, they should be fine. Depending on individual temperament. Cats need a place to hide and a place to get up high and a place to scratch, which can all easily be the same cat tree.

Allyson, you have such pretty hair, and I hope you are curled up under the covers with tea and biscuits, or the appropriate equivalent.

Quick update on my neighbor (the one who was taken away by ambulance the other day). He is doing much better, and it appears that while he had a massive seizure, there was no sign of stroke or aneurysm. In fact, while he appears to be in good health, they can't figure out what caused the seizure. So the news is good if not exactly reassuring.

Also, he's not allowed to drive for six months, which is going to be problematic, as his job often requires him to commute from Missouri to Arkansas.

Anyhow, thank you all for the ~ma.