Damn, Hil. That totally sucks.

That sounds like a perfectly miserable weekend, Hil. May be week turn around quickly.

I'm sorry, Hil. That sounds miserable.

Thanks, everyone. I've dislocated that rib a bunch of times before -- it doesn't hurt too much, but just feels really weird.

I need to get out more. This summer, I'm just teaching online, and I've been mostly staying home, and it's not good for me. I should go out and do more stuff.

Mom's cat has crystals in his bladder and needs special food.

Andi do you have a recommendation for that?

I really don't like my brother sometimes. Mom went up to take my nephew his swim stuff he'll need tomorrow.

She wasn't gone long and she gets a text from my brother saying don't come over again without asking permission. He wasn't home so I guess his gf called or texted him about it.

It interrupts family time he said and that they want their home to be a place for their family.

Now. Mom picks up E , get a him to after school stuff, takes him home, makes sure he does his homework, eats dinner and gets to bed almost every night during the school year.

Many nights mom has no idea when my bro or his gf will be home because they will have something after work and not tell mom.

Or the night of or morning of need mom for something.

She hasn't said anything because she doesn't want to upset them.

I know mom is over involved with my nephew in some ways . But my brother is very...harsh at times and doesn't realize it.

Also..he won't give the courtesy he demands.

I want to text him but I won't. It's not my place and I don't want to make things worse but if E got upset or difficult when mom left then he should have said that or given a reason.

they want their home to be a place for their family.

Well, your mom is family, too. That's a shitty way to treat someone who takes care of your son, regardless of whether she's family or not, but it's especially shitty considering it's your mom.

She hasn't said anything because she doesn't want to upset them.

I guess that "Hey, that's really shitty" would be upsetting to hear.

Andi do you have a recommendation for that?

If it's struvite crystals, Iams Veterinary Formula Low pH canned is the highest quality of the three main pescription food brands (Hills, Iams, Purina). This is what I fed Harvey for several years. His condition improved, and it was higher quality food than the junk I'd been feeding him from the grocery store. If it is Calcium oxalate crystals, I have no experience with that, but looking at the ingredients of the foods for that, I'd go with the Iams again. One of the big things that helps either kind of uroliths, is water, water, water. Cut out the dry food, and when feeding canned food, you can add a few tablespoons of water to it. A pet fountain may or may not be enticing to any given cat, as I think you have seen yourself.

I want to text him but I won't. It's not my place and I don't want to make things worse but if E got upset or difficult when mom left then he should have said that or given a reason.

Yeah, I gotta say, unless your brother and his gf are paying your mom the market rate for that kind of childcare, they need to not treat her like a hired hand. And by market rate, I don't mean they pay but there's a family discount. But you cannot defend your mom's boundaries for her.

No they don't pay her. I don't know what the underlying issue is but I'm worried they are going to push mom out.

Ive encouraged mom t set boundaries and set and enforce boundaries on my own and model that behavior.

Andi the vet didn't say what kind of crystals . He drinks waer a lot and mom will turn on the faucet for him. I had a water fountain at one point I think Penny didn't like it as a kitten.

Yesterday I mixed water with the dry food we had and Lovey (mom's cat) drank the water and nibbled the food.

Not sure if I should switch Penny to wet food so we don't have an issue. Different wet food do Penny but wet food.