<3 animal addict <3

He's crying for food, but I don't have anything he can eat and there's no way for me to get kitten formula.....I have to keep him safe until tomorrow so I can get him to the vet/animal shelter.....

I have a dropper so I was thinking I should at least give him some water because he seems to be very dehydrated....but I wanted some other ideas..

Also, he's having trouble breathing through one or maybe even both of his nostrils (one was clogged with "gunk", but I cleared it up.....he's making the sounds that we'd make if we had a stuffed nose..)

He has a shut eye that I tried cleaning a little, too (I got the "crusties" off of it), but it's still shut - I'm assuming that's just from his age, though...

I've helped my cat raise kittens before, but this is different...he has no mom to feed him!

I can't let my cat feed him because we've dealt with Feline Leukemia before from the cats outside (there's a lot of strays out there, but no one will come out to help them.....) :(

What can I do???

I always knew I was abused to an extent, but for some reason it never clicked in my mind as "physical abuse"...I just thought my dad was "mean" because I was so young I didn't know any better...

Yesterday, my brother started talking to me about it and now everything is making more sense..When I was a little kid, (my brother told me) my dad picked me up by my hair, he used to hit us, and I remember him yanking my hair when he'd get mad..He even picked me up by my shirt one time instead of just saying "excuse me" ...The last time my dad hit me was a couple of years ago, but he still continues to verbally abuse me, my mom, and my brother..

Just yesterday, he said I was a fat, lazy, b*tch, that never lifts a finger to help (that, by the way, is NOT true)..today he said I was worthless [like my brother]...He always knows just what to say to make me feel like I should just kill myself :'( - I won't, but sometimes, I REALLY want too...

My mom says she wishes he'd just leave, but HE WON'T! I tell her to just divorce him, but she WON'T! I'm afraid to call the police because the last time a friend call the cops for me, they just told me to spend the night at my uncle's (my dad got to just go home even though they found out he had been doing drugs [when he was suppose to be WATCHING ME!]) and nothing was accomplished (except I got punished even more when I got home the next day)..They did say, though, that if not for my mom, we'd have been taken away by child services....

Is verbal abuse as serious as physical abuse..?

I really hate my dad! I tried talking to my mom [tears rolling down my cheeks], but she didn't do anything to help me! :'(

I can't take it anymore....I spend my life in my room, and when I come out to eat, I get yelled at! In fact, I'm STARVING right now...but if I go out there, I'll get yelled at!

I don't have any relatives I could possibly live with at this time, either....and I'm so tired of just "toughing it out till I'm 18".....I can't take it anymore...

I can't talk to a school counselor because I don't go to "regular" school (I go to school online and I wouldn't feel comfortable discussing this in depth with a complete stranger) - except for the Y!A community...oddly enough...

Is there ANYWAY of getting rid of my dad!!?? (without killing, of course...I'd LOVE too, but it's not worth spending life in prison..):

Please Help me! I'm only 15!

I love having lucid dreams, but lately I've been plagued by nightmares......For some reason this nightmare took place in a house that I'm in quite often in my dreams (its a three level house/mansion..it has a fourth level, but in my dream, I'm the only one that knows about it - in reality, I live in a cruddy trailer):

I had my friends over (which I also don't do in reality because I live in a trailer and because my mom smokes): and I remember looking out the door and seeing Jason Voorhees (seriously..my neighbor came over yesterday talking about his movie collection...guess I just couldn't stop thinking about it..) I think I had sort of tried holding him off while my friends ran up the stairs (to my secret level!) then my nightmare shifted to me being in my (cruddy) trailer with Jason Voorhees - this is where it turned lucid..

We were in the living room when I realized I was dreaming, but I couldn't gain control (now that I think about it, I somehow got a sword). I remember trying to face my "fear" so I tried killing him by stabbing him, but he kept coming towards me so I decided to attempt cutting him up because I figured he'd have a pretty hard time chasing me without his head (whether it killed him or not). For some reason, that didn't stop him! His head just came back somehow! I remember seeing the blade slice into his neck and everything! ..it was pretty gory.. :/

[I'm not a violent person either and I don't like the thought of hurting other people (especially physically !) so it wasn't very fun having to stick a sword into another person/thing/demon/whatever the heck you'd classify him as..]

Then I decided to just try chopping him up (arms, legs..), but that didn't work, either ! ! so I started backing away (still terrified!) So I decided to plunge the knife/sword into my abdomen because I couldn't stop him from coming after me.. (and because I knew I was dreaming)

Come to think of..I don't know why I didn't just do that in the first place...I didn't feel any pain..I just remember waking up for a second, seeing my ceiling, than drifting back to sleep...

I guess I don't have much of a question here, but I'd like to hear some interpretations..(I tried looking it up myself, but it's too long and complex to search solely on keywords):

Anyone else have any similar experiences?

O.O X_X

There's a lot of stray cats where I live and one decided to mark his territory on our (unlaminated) wood deck...Now when we open the door, we smell cat piss! Yuck! I tried vinegar, but that failed miserably....

We can't have this cat around our house because many of the outside cats have Feline Leukemia and we don't want our cats to get it. We have a dog that likes to chase outside cats, but this one wasn't afraid (they usually run for the hills) - this one poofed up and came closer so I brought my (*big*) dog back in the house....

I don't know what to do! We don't have a squirt bottle, and shoeing the cat isn't working - the cat just comes closer (one time he tried dashing into the house when I went out to shoe him away... he always puts his paws up on the outside door and peers in, too)

Catching him and bringing him to the humane society isn't an option either... :(

Most cats around here are feral and run away as fast as they can when they see a person, so I was wondering if this cat might have rabies..? I don't really know what the signs are, but it's very peculiar that he didn't run away when my dog ran after him... (trying her best to look vicious)

Please help!

It should be at least 500 words, but I came up a little short...overall, I think I did well, I just need a little more information to incorporate into it...It's an essay against smoking/tobacco..Can you think of any relevant information I could place into it?....This is what I have so far:

Why would anyone ever want to smoke? Some may see it as a way to escape from the stress of everyday life. The media says you can be beautiful, youthful, independent, and confident. And of course, "Everybody does it." That all sounds pretty nice and convincing so why would anybody not want to smoke?

The reality is, smoking can lead to severe, and even fatal, diseases later on in life.

Just a few of which are; emphysema, strokes, heart diseases, cancers of the throat, mouth, and lungs, and peripheral artery disease. Children of smokers have a greater chance of developing asthma and other respiratory illnesses, than children of nonsmokers. Many non smokers are still at risk of developing diseases/medical problems due to second hand smoke.

Because of the risks to non-smokers, statewide bans prohibit smoking in many

public places. There are exceptions, though, for casinos, private clubs, cigar bars, and

even some small workplaces. Some states have hotels/motels that compromised by

designating some of the rooms to smokers.

Sadly, many smokers really, truly want to quit, but can't because of the addiction

to nicotine. There are treatment centers for smokers, but 33.3% of smokers are living

below poverty level - they can barely afford their cigarettes, much less treatment for

quitting.

What's more sad than the simple fact that people smoke, is the emotional and

physical struggle these people go through, and the heart ach they put their families

through. But worst of all, is when a person can't give up smoking until they give up their

life.

Now, why would anyone ever want to smoke?

(my actual essay is tabbed at the beginning of paragraphs and the sentences are double spaced....It's just not coming up how I want it to on here..)

...Feel free to point out any typos...

Thanks :)

We live in a terrible trailer park! Nobody is screened before they move in (there has been pedophiles and there's still drug dealers out here), they don't keep up ALL of the park, or anything! What I mean is, there is a long road, that leads to a dead end, about 3/4 of the way down the road, there's mail boxes - supposedly, the road after the mail boxes is 'private' so everybody here has less rights than the people that live before the mail boxes. One of those lesser rights is the fact that the landlords won't pay for a snow plow to remove the snow past the mail boxes (they plow up to the mail boxes, then stop - literally!!) Now because of that, when cars drive on that, the snow got packed - making the road VERY slippery...yesterday, my mom went to check the mail and slipped, fell backwards, and broke her wrist... (she has severe rheumatoid arthritis, too, so she's in an awful lot of pain)..My mom had a brain aneurysm last may so we can't really afford this bill (she went to the hospital, though)

Another one of the lesser rights is, (my neighbors have a dog that is forced to live in a very small kennel 24/7, with no stimulation what so ever - sometimes he's not fed for days, etc.) one day, last summer, he got out of his kennel, (my dog was outside with me and my family - on her cable tie out) and he ATTACKED my dog! If my brother (who is very strong) wasn't there, my dog could be dead...The owners saw what happened, but all they could say was, "If you kill my dog, I'll kill you" and they tried getting by with saying, "He was just playing..." I called the police immediately and all they could tell me was that because the road past the mail boxes (where I live) is private road, so they couldn't do squat about it! They wouldn't even do anything about the dog being abused/neglected in the first place! The landlords are 'friends'/related to my neighbors so there's nothing they would have done about it.....for the longest time, we couldn't even blink when letting our {elderly} dog out to go to the bathroom - I couldn't even walk her for goodness sake...because the neighbors dog would get out so many times a day! (Now the neighbors boarded off the kennel completely so there's no getting in or out of the kennel...except for a gate they have some locks attached too...)

As if it couldn't get worse; the landlords son patrols the park (with illegal lights flashing on his car - there was a time he was pretending to be a cop, too..) and all he does is look for trouble (there's a lot of retarded people out here - he picks fights with them, the cops favor the landlords son, the retarded people wind up in jail over night..). AND every single summer (particularly when we have tornado warnings) he'll come and lock the gate that lets us into the storm shelter (our only form of protection from a tornado..it's so old, though, I don't know if it'd even save us..)

What I'd like to know is if there's ANYTHING, anything at all we can do to have SOME rights, or to be treated fairly, or SOMETHING!! It's RIDICULOUS out here....This trailer park has some fairly new trailers in it that are being rented out...that is until you get to the freakin mail boxes...all the trailers after that SHOULD be condemned (rotting holes in the floor... ceilings leak in more than 5 different places throughout the trailer) and there's well over 30 stray cats roaming outside (but that's due to another neighbor - he brings cats in until they reach maturity; then they'll either start spraying or going into heat - then the tosses them back outside or keeps them and lets them get pregnant over and over and over - then he tosses the kittens outside (after weaning..)!!!

What can we do about all of this (neglected dog, mom breaking her wrist due to lazy landlords, strays, our lesser rights, etc.)???

By the way thanks so much for reading through everything!

I'm 15 now and seriously considering emancipation when I turn 16, but I live in Minnesota (I know MN does not have the grounds or statutes for emancipation so if that's all you have to say, please don't answer). I've read that if I had parental consent I could still get emancipated - would I sill have to have a 'legit' reason or is parental consent enough? I already know where I want to live, work, etc. (lucky me, where I want to work is only a 7 min. walking distance from where I want to live...) I've even guesstimated my monthly income to see if I'd have enough for rent (the landlord pays for heat/electric/hot water/sewage/refuse/everything..) groceries, and food for my animals (not cheap crap either)

So do I need a legit reason for emancipation even with parental consent? Or will parental consent be enough?

I have a lovely mutt, Pepper. Her dominant breed is a blue heeler... their average lifespan is 12-15 years and my precious Pepper is turning 11 this year. I've had this girl since I was 3 so I can't imagine what life is like without her - I know that's a bit melodramatic, but it's true :(

She doesn't seem to be in any pain and she is doing quite well for her age (considering she was never on a very good diet, never taken to the vet unless necessary, and she doesn't get very much exercise)..the only thing I have noticed is she's gets up a little more slowly than she used too, but again, she doesn't seem to be in any pain...

Anyway...I was just wondering what to expect when her 'time comes'? (I know that's vague...I guess I just want you to interpret that yourself and lend me some of your experiences...)

Any and all *helpful* answers are very much appreciated..

I have never heard her make this noise before! I've had guinea pigs for quite some time and have never heard this before! Should I be worried? I know she's not hurt...why is she making a chirping sound? I know guinea pigs pretty darn well so I know this isn't one of their usual vocalizations...

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance :)

My mom is unwilling to switch to canned cat food...so my poor babies have to eat dry kibble..Right now their eating Purina Naturals (full of all those awful fillers)..if I can at least supplement their diet with canned cat food, will that help? I'm only 15 so I'm on a major budget, but I found Authority canned cat food (I know it's not great, but for the price, it's much better than that Purina crap...right??)

Are there any other budget friendly canned cat foods that are good quality?

I know of all sorts of brands that are really good, but I can't afford them right now :(

The next one I 'may' be able to afford would be Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul - not perfect, but definitely better...

Well, my major question is; if their diet is supplemented with canned cat food, will that be better than just Purina Naturals alone?

Is there a kind of dry kibble that is decent quality? I heard they all contain fillers, but there must be something better than what they have now, right?

Thanks in advance!! :)

I'm trying to learn more about fish and their habitats before I even think of getting them.....anyway..would these *Freshwater* fish be okay in a 30 gallon aquarium together (please don't be harsh, I'm a novice and I don't plan on getting these poor critters for a while, anyway - plenty of time to learn from my mistakes before I make them)

5 blue platy

5 topsail platy

5 blue cobra guppies

5 red fire guppies

5 zebra danios

1 male betta

maybe a freshwater clam or two and maybe an olive nerita snail...and some freshwater plants....

Please correct any terrible mistakes I may have made when matching up fish.....I was trying to find peaceful fish that thrive in approximately the same temperatures, and KH/pH levels....

Thanks in advance! :)

I had originally planned on letting them go in pairs, so that they can turn to each other for comfort.....I let a little male go by himself because the person said their room mate had a cat (already fixed and what not), but now his brother seems so lonely - he still has two sisters, but he was close to his brother......I feel really bad....I didn't even ask for a rehoming fee for any of the kittens because they don't have shots or anything, so I didn't think it would be right, but now I don't know......I know I can't change what I did, but I'd like to know if you think I made a mistake letting him go alone.....? I'm sure he'll be loved, I just can't help but wish I had asked them to take his brother, too.... :(

Sometime in the future (definitely not the near future..), I'd like to get a reef aquarium set up, but I know absolutely nothing about the topic.....My number one question, though, is, if you had..say, pairs of different kinds of fish (that could actually get along and what not) and the pairs bred.....what would happen? Would the aquarium eventually become severely overcrowded, or would nature take it's course and the other fish would continually eat the eggs/fry/young? Would that be really stressful on the fish, becoming pregnant all the time?

Sorry if my question is kind of confusing....if it makes you feel any better, I'm confused, too...If you need me to attempt explaining further what I'm trying to ask...just let me know...

I would really appreciate any information you can give me, links would be a plus, too :)

I ran out of hay yesterday...I have money for more, but the roads are icy, and my parents don't have gas money..so my poor guinea pigs will be out until next Monday!! The ground is covered by about a foot of snow so I can't use grass or anything....it wouldn't be SO bad, but one of my pigs seriously misbehaves when she doesn't have hay to munch on..and they don't have any wooden hidey houses..or anything made out wood in their cage..Is there something that would be laying around the 'average bears' house my piggies could chew on to wear their teeth down for the time being?

Thanks :)

Despite what you might think by reading the title, I already have two female guinea pigs...I'm thinking about getting a third..but I don't know if I should get another female or get a (neutered) male..? My two girls aren't really close or anything so I was thinking that maybe if I could find a guinea pig that wasn't dominant, my dominant pig would be okay...and my submissive guinea pig would have a snuggle buddy (she tries to cuddle up to my other guinea pig, but she chases her off...)

Do you think I should add another guinea pig? (Pros and cons, please)

By the way, I already have a C&C cage - it's a 3x4 on the bottom with a 1x4 upper deck....

Thanks in advance!! :)

I have two guinea pigs and I recently went to the Pet store to get them some more hay... I really like the Oxbow brand for them..It's very nutritional and what not, but I noticed they have a bit of a variety. I feed my guinea pigs the Oxbow Western Timothy hay, but I saw an Oxbow Orchard Grass and an Oxbow Botanical Hay... Which one in all honesty is best and what could I give them in moderation or mixed..etc..? I know not to feed them Alfalfa Hay because they are older than a year...I'm not a beginner or anything, I really do know my stuff on guinea pigs, but I can't really find useful information on Botanical Hay...

Thanks so much in advance!! :)

I have never been to any type of acting class, but I've wanted to become an actress for the last five years...

All I really have are 'Skills', such as; playing the flute, I can speak a tiny bit of french, I'm good at drawing/sketching, etc..etc...

I was in a play, once, a long time ago...It was Pinocchio - I was one of the weasles, but I can't remember who the directer/producer was because I was in sixth grade then (I'm in ninth grade now)...Should I still put down I was in the play and what not, but just leave out who the director/producer was??

What are more examples of 'talents' I could write down?

I was curious, would being really good with all types of animals count as a 'skill' or am I just getting desperate with that one?

Thanks so much in advance!

Some say yay, others say nay.....If the dog food was home made, is there any possible way to have a healthy vegetarian dog? I'm just curious, by no means would I deprive my dog....

I have seen recipe books dedicated to vegetarian dogs...

I would really appreciate some insight from people who have experienced this with their dogs...Please don't tell me it's wrong if you have nothing to back it up with...

If it makes anyone feel any better..I have to call my vet in about a week (somethings wrong with my little kitty...vet wants to know the progress...) so then I may bring this up with her....but for now, what can you tell me..?

Thanks..!

First off..I know that Factory-wise chickens are treated very poorly (in fact, that would be a major understatement..) I also know that, when hatched, male chicks are seen as "useless" and killed the same day they are hatched...but...My last piece of gathered information doesn't fit anywhere....Hens lay eggs..basically like a menstrual cycle..it just happens even if they have never been in contact with a rooster...so if they don't need their eggs to be fertilized in order for them to be "good" for us..why are chicks brought into the equation in the first place?

Is it because the people doing this to the hens make them lay fertilized eggs so they can get more hens...and just "throw away" the "useless" ones?

Can you clear this up for me?

Thanks in advance! :)

I keep looking into it, but every source says Minnesota statutes do not provide the grounds or procedure for emancipation...what exactly does that mean? I can still get emancipated if I can convince my parents it's for the best, and if I can prove I can support myself, right?