[BigMackCam]

Well, it has been a stressful day... but with a happy outcome.

My cat - given name, "Pluto", answers to "Boo-boo" - who is also the best companion I could wish for, spent all day at the vets for surgery. He's a rescue cat that I've had since late 2014, and he lost some teeth recently. After checks by the vet, they noticed he had "feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions" on a few teeth, so he was booked in for the dental work to remove three or four of them. The poor little guy was under general anaesthetic for over two-and-a-half hours, and he's had 15 teeth removed. The good news is that he's back home, and - considering what he's gone through - he's surprisingly happy. He's not impressed that he can't have his normal food for a few days, but he just polished off a bowl of turkey mince and a little bit of white fish, so he won't go hungry. He has antibiotics, painkillers and check-ups for the next couple of weeks, but so far all looks good.

As an aside, I took out pet insurance for him at the start of January and it became active 14 days later. The insurance company has pre-approved the claim, which means that the rather-reasonable £600 / US$740 bill has only cost me £100 (the excess liability). I've had cats all my life, but never taken out pet insurance on the basis that I was happy to pay whatever costs occurred when they happened. But, a friend's cat had some serious problems last year, which would have cost her nearly £3000 were it not for her insurance. That's what prompted me to take it out for Boo-boo, and I'm glad I did...

Please spare a thought for my little furry friend tonight, and send positive thoughts for his recovery?

---

Last edited by BigMackCam; 03-01-2017 at 02:18 PM.

[eddie1960]

I've been mostly lucky avoiding huge vet bills , glad you had the insurance hope your little buddy heals quickly

[Parallax]

Glad to hear he's okay, Mike.
Ole, my Maine Coon, had to have some teeth removed some time ago for what sounds like the same reason.
I too have had cats all my life, but none has occupied quite the same spot in my heart that he does.

[Parallax]

I like it, though generally I'm a good knife guy

Me too. I have three Shun damascus that my wife won't use. I keep them shaving sharp and she's a bit spooked by them.
I have tried to explain why a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one but she still uses other knives instead.

[eddie1960]

Me too. I have three Shun damascus that my wife won't use. I keep them shaving sharp and she's a bit spooked by them.

I have tried to explain why a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one but she still uses other knives instead.

Shuns and wustoffs my wife manages at WILLIAMS Sonoma so nice knives keep appearing. A good sharp knife is far safer than a dull one , and I have scars to prove it . I love my shun knives I have a fillet knife that is just amazing

[Parallax]

My favorite, and most used is my Ultimate Utility Knife.

https://www.amazon.com/Shun-Classic-Ultimate-Utility-Knife/dp/B01FE3FL9W/ref...+utility+knife

[BigMackCam]

Me too. I have three Shun damascus that my wife won't use. I keep them shaving sharp and she's a bit spooked by them.

I've never owned, but have long lusted after, a good damascus steel knife.

I always carry a Victorinox Spartan in my back pocket, and can't count the number of times it has (and continues to) come in useful... opening parcels, trimming a split or broken finger nail, getting jars and tins open, and all sorts of other stuff (I used it to punch a hole in my leather belt, as it was getting loose from my weight loss ). I abuse it - actually, I've been through several of them over the years as I treat them badly. I've had this last one for about six years now, and it's holding up well. I've never sharpened it properly - I only pass it through a little Victorinox pocket sharpener once a month, if that, and it keeps the edge on both large and small blades... sharp enough to shave hairs off the back of my hand. I rarely clean it... only the two knife blades, with an oily rag...

I've always had a bit of a thing for pocket-knives. I have a bunch of them, some bought new and some old ones bought on eBay before eBay UK banned the sale of knives...

But... I've never owned a damascus-bladed knife. I would love a really a good one

[Rupert]

Please spare a thought for my little furry friend tonight, and send positive thoughts for his recovery?

I'll say a little prayer for him. I recently prayed for a guy on the forum that was having eye surgery...he asked me to...I guess he thinks I have "connections"? I did, and maybe I do...his eye surgery went superbly! In all honesty, I asked Otis to put him on the squirrel prayer list too...so it could have been Otis with the connections?

We had old Mr Kitty 18 years....I'm not a cat person, but he was a damn fine cat!


Regards!

My Hooter Dog.....Spent over $10K on her in her short 8 year life. She was worth every penny of it. I've known more "good ol' dogs" than I have "good ol' people".

[robtcorl]

I've carried the Victorinox mechanic for more years than I can remember.

[BigMackCam]

I've been mostly lucky avoiding huge vet bills , glad you had the insurance hope your little buddy heals quickly

Glad to hear he's okay, Mike.
Ole, my Maine Coon, had to have some teeth removed some time ago for what sounds like the same reason.
I too have had cats all my life, but none has occupied quite the same spot in my heart that he does.

I'll say a little prayer for him. I recently prayed for a guy on the forum that was having eye surgery...he asked me to...I guess he thinks I have "connections"? I did, and maybe I do...his eye surgery went superbly! In all honesty, I asked Otis to put him on the squirrel prayer list too...so it could have been Otis with the connections?

We had old Mr Kitty 18 years....I'm not a cat person, but he was a damn fine cat!

Thank you, fellas - you're very kind

My Boo-boo is a closer friend and companion than I can describe; more so, I can honestly say, than any other animal that has owned me This boy has character in spades...

[Parallax]

I love pocket knives. I honestly couldn't estimate how many I have.
30 or so of Victorinox alone.

[ccc_]

I've never owned, but have long lusted after, a good damascus steel knife.

I always carry a Victorinox Spartan in my back pocket, and can't count the number of times it has (and continues to) come in useful... opening parcels, trimming a split or broken finger nail, getting jars and tins open, and all sorts of other stuff (I used it to punch a hole in my leather belt, as it was getting loose from my weight loss ). I abuse it - actually, I've been through several of them over the years as I treat them badly. I've had this last one for about six years now, and it's holding up well. I've never sharpened it properly - I only pass it through a little Victorinox pocket sharpener once a month, if that, and it keeps the edge on both large and small blades... sharp enough to shave hairs off the back of my hand. I rarely clean it... only the two knife blades, with an oily rag...

I've always had a bit of a thing for pocket-knives. I have a bunch of them, some bought new and some old ones bought on eBay before eBay UK banned the sale of knives...

But... I've never owned a damascus-bladed knife. I would love a really a good one

victorinox's steel does indeed take a razor's edge

to minimize wear from sharpening try honing (stropping) the blade

a good writing paper or index card on a rigid flat surface will do it
when you hear and feel the blade slide across the paper's surface (not drag) you will know it's sharp
newspaper as well...some argument about the ink versus tooth of the newsprint

I have an antique leather razor strop that I load up with jeweler's rouge from time to time

unless the blade is damaged sharpening is unnecessary
though I have some inexpensive kitchen knives that take a butcher's steel very well

I have hundreds of pocket knives
they are all users, even the expensive ones
I change them like my wife changes her shoes

for utility the victorinox line is about as good as it gets

[Racer X 69]

And don't forget that bacon can be ground to make a burger, top it with bacon for a bacon bacon burger.

You forgot the most important part.

The CHEESE.

Specifically, Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese.

[BigMackCam]

I love pocket knives. I honestly couldn't estimate how many I have.
30 or so of Victorinox alone.

victorinox's steel does indeed take a razor's edge

to minimize wear from sharpening try honing (stropping) the blade

a good writing paper or index card on a rigid flat surface will do it
when you hear and feel the blade slide across the paper's surface (not drag) you will know it's sharp
newspaper as well...some argument about the ink versus tooth of the newsprint

I have an antique leather razor strop that I load up with jeweler's rouge from time to time

unless the blade is damaged sharpening is unnecessary
though I have some inexpensive kitchen knives that take a butcher's steel very well

I have hundreds of pocket knives
they are all users, even the expensive ones
I change them like my wife changes her shoes

for utility the victorinox line is about as good as it gets

I don't think I have quite as many as you fellas, but I'm guessing I have maybe 30 - 40 knives in total. Some of them were bought just as items of beauty, though I've used them too. Most have seen some sort of use by me, or in a few cases their previous owners.

One of my favourites is the CRKT Edgie "self-sharpening" knife. Of course, it isn't truly self-sharpening, depending on what you use it for and how often, but it's a great little knife and the in-built sharpening stones do make a difference. The steel is pretty soft, but if you're aware of that up-front, you use it accordingly. I've used mine a lot, and liked it so much I bought one for my Dad (who will probably give his to me at some stage, as I don't think he's used it at all! )...

[Racer X 69]

I've known more "good ol' dogs" than I have "good ol' people".

The more people I meet, the more I like my dog.

And she died years ago.