u/loumyloumy

Hi everyone

I have been dealing with a thrips infestation for over half a year and I'm at a loss. I have tried neem oil, predatory mites, lacewing larvae but the thrips keeeep coming back.

Also I have like 80 plants, so showering them every 4 days for an extended period of time is just not doable.

I have found several reddit posts discussing the use uf systemics in semi-hydro. Specifically adding Careo Celaflor to the reservoir. Unfortunately none of the posts really contain any updates and before I try it, I want to be sure I am not killing all my plants with the systemic.

Has any of you tried it? If yes, did it work and how exactly did you use it? I am worried that it might damage the roots in the reservoir or block mineral uptake.

Also, is it enough to just use the systemic in the reservoir without spraying the foliage?

With over 80 plants spraying is just a lot of work, plus my bathroom is tiny, has no windows and I have two indoor cats. Just seems risky.

Appreciate any advice!

Hi everyone,

My cat Mara is half-siamese, about 11 years old and throws up a yellow liquid if she has an empty stomach. The vet advised me to feed her a meal just before bed time, which I've already been doing.

I feed her small portions of canned wet food about 4 to 5 times a day, last one before I go to sleep. It doesn't help. I've noticed the maximum time she can go without food is about 5 to 6 hours. So I bought a bowl with a timer. When I go to bed, I put the cooling element in the bowl, add the wet food, close the lid and set the countdown so it opens 4 to 5 hours later. Sounds great in theory, but sometimes the bowl opens and she doesn't hear it. The food then starts to dry up as time goes on and then she doesn't eat it anymore. And throws up.

The best solution would be to put dry food in the timer bowl, because it can easily sit in there for hours without going bad.

The problem is: Mara doesn't tolerate dry food. Like not at all. I can give her a single kibble and she'll throw it up 2 mins later. So it's not from over eating or eating too fast. (btw she has no more teeth, but my vet said that technically shouldn't be a problem for dry food.)

And yes, I know, dry food isn't good for cats, but neither is throwing up every single night. And if she doesn't eat the wet food from the timer bowl I need another solution.

So what do I do?

Is there dry food out there that even the most sensitive cats can tolerate? Would it help if I crush it into smaller pieces? Add some water? Or does she have some condition that I don't know of?

What's wrong with her eyes?

I am also worried about Mara's eyes. Her third eyelid is almost constantly showing, she frequently has a brown crust and her eyes are never fully open. But then again: Could it just be her eye shape? The third eyelid doesn't seem particularly irritated either? The vet wasn't sure what it was. She ruled out entropium and gave me Ofloxacin eye drops. That was in January and it's been absolutely impossible to give her the drops, since I am living by myself and can't restrain her by myself. Strangely enough the eye issue hasn't gotten worse, which is why I am wondering if that's just the way her eyes are?

And yes, I know the burrito method, but she won't even be picked up and she is freaking out if I am trying to restrain her with a towel. I've been trying to take the cooperative route and with lots of clicker training I got her to be comfortable with me opening her eyelid and hovering above it with the eyedrops in my other hand. But because she is not restrained that way, she frequently wiggles away before the drop hits her eye. I get a drop in like once a day (instead of three times a day).

What are your thoughts on her eyes? Is there anything else I can or should do? Any tricks?

Here a link to photos of her eyes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yJ-NONchzj8JaO-2WVa42UBLy_Whz-t0?usp=drive_link

She is btw a happy cat, plays a lot with her toys and loves to cuddle.