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Feel free to vent as much as you need. Having lost a cat about a year and a half ago, I know how bad the guilt and second-guessing can be, but it honestly doesn't sound like there's anything you could have done or that you harmed Kirby in any way. It sounds like he loved and trusted you, you did your best to keep him happy and healthy, and there weren't any signs of illness that you could have noticed beforehand. Sometimes terrible things happen for no good reason, and I'm sorry this one happened to you and Kirby.
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Feb 12, 2017 08:33
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| # ? May 16, 2024 19:04 |
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Sorry to hear about your loss ): it's never easy when a pet dies no matter how long they're with you. Why does my cat have to watch us poop? If you close the doors to the bathroom he blindly claws through the gap between it and the floor so we tend to leave them open and he'll just sit there out of reach of pets and watch you poo. If you bath he sits on top of the toilet and watches the entire time. Possibly out of awe how nothing bad comes from water.
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Feb 12, 2017 16:22
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I had to lock Cinnamon in cat jail(the bathroom) for a urine sample to see how her crystal issue is going and she held out for twenty hours of near-constant complaining before finally using the drat box and then getting pee-pawprints all over the bathroom because the test kit litter is of course non-absorbent. We ran the sample to the vet imediately because they told us fresher is better, and I sighed a sigh of relief because that was twenty hours of feeling like the biggest rear end in a top hat in the world. We tried to get the sample last week before we had to go out for the weekend but she is incredibly stubborn and refused to use the box in the time, so we had to wait til now to try again. Today, the vet assistant calls me to say 'Whoops, we forgot to test the sample yesterday so we'll probably need a new one, sorry!'  She's offered to test it anyway, but when the vet comes in tomorrow it's his call on whether they need a fresh sample or not. I feel like I'm going to be spending a month of weekends begging my cat to just pee for the love of God.
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Feb 12, 2017 17:34
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floofyscorp posted:I had to lock Cinnamon in cat jail(the bathroom) for a urine sample to see how her crystal issue is going and she held out for twenty hours of near-constant complaining before finally using the drat box and then getting pee-pawprints all over the bathroom because the test kit litter is of course non-absorbent. We ran the sample to the vet imediately because they told us fresher is better, and I sighed a sigh of relief because that was twenty hours of feeling like the biggest rear end in a top hat in the world. We tried to get the sample last week before we had to go out for the weekend but she is incredibly stubborn and refused to use the box in the time, so we had to wait til now to try again. Get yourself a syringe and load her up with pedialyte(consult with vet on safe amount of max dosage), believe me she'll pee pretty fast.
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Feb 12, 2017 20:30
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ThisIsACoolGuy posted:I need to be told I'm a awful person. I have no idea what happened and I'm beating myself up over it super hard. My new cat Kirby was just found dead under my bed and my family can't figure out what the cause of death was. You're a wonderful person. You adopted a kitty and you gave him a place he felt warm and comfortable, where Kirby had no worries about where to get food or water, and where pet was within immediate reach. From the sounds of it, it was something like an undetected heart condition or sudden stroke. It wasn't something that you could work with or plan around. You took him to the vet and he was checked out and given a clean bill of health, too. So, yes, it's wise to double-check all the things he might have got into and ensure they're all secure, but it sounds to me like what you did was good and kind, and whether it was for two weeks or twenty years, the life of comfort and love was appreciated.
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Feb 12, 2017 20:53
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Mister Adequate posted:You're a wonderful person. You adopted a kitty and you gave him a place he felt warm and comfortable, where Kirby had no worries about where to get food or water, and where pet was within immediate reach. From the sounds of it, it was something like an undetected heart condition or sudden stroke. It wasn't something that you could work with or plan around. You took him to the vet and he was checked out and given a clean bill of health, too. So, yes, it's wise to double-check all the things he might have got into and ensure they're all secure, but it sounds to me like what you did was good and kind, and whether it was for two weeks or twenty years, the life of comfort and love was appreciated. ^ this. Guilt is pretty a common part of grief. You did all you could, and you did nothing wrong, and feeling guilty anyway is normal. I'm really sorry for your loss 
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Feb 13, 2017 04:30
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There was a little bit of a scare with my cat Sassy the other day when I woke up and the side of her head was just soaked in blood from her ear, but she seems to be doing much better now. We cleaned her up, cleaned the cut and did what we could to keep her from messing with it. She hasn't bled or worked the scabs off in two days now so I think she'll be fine. Although I still want to take her to the vet in a few days when we get money to make sure there's no infection or whatever. She's even more or less back to her normal "I'm better than all of you" attitude, so I'm pretty hopeful.
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Feb 13, 2017 06:10
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Perdy is still quite nervous about the kids and spends most of her day under the couch, but I've caught her slinking around when the kids are quiet or napping.  Her and Princess get along very well; we almost swear Perdy thinks Princess is her mother, the way they act and play together. Even Todd is warming up to both of them. He still hisses, but it's halfhearted, with his ears up, and seems to be only when he's startled by them. On another Toddy note, I think he's depressed about Quiggs...I started brushing him the other day and he just laid down on his side and shoved his head into my arm and put a paw on my leg. I think he misses the grooming.
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Feb 13, 2017 15:45
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I came home from work today and Pepper started giving me her usual very loud lecture except this time Peridot replied to her from outside and we both went "Wait what??" Turns out she was hanging out on the wall of our little back courtyard. Didn't manage to get her back inside but she hung out there all evening and she eventually ate her food out the front like she has done for the past three nights, and the rangers should be able to get a trap to me tomorrow so I'm feeling pretty good about my chances of getting her back inside tomorrow. It also seems like Pepper does know who she is because she was a little perturbed but not as freaked out as she is with total stranger cats.
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Feb 13, 2017 15:58
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Organza Quiz posted:I came home from work today and Pepper started giving me her usual very loud lecture except this time Peridot replied to her from outside and we both went "Wait what??" Turns out she was hanging out on the wall of our little back courtyard. Didn't manage to get her back inside but she hung out there all evening and she eventually ate her food out the front like she has done for the past three nights, and the rangers should be able to get a trap to me tomorrow so I'm feeling pretty good about my chances of getting her back inside tomorrow. Good news! Sounds like she knows where she wants to be, but just can't bring herself to come in on her own. I'm glad she's safe, anyway.
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Feb 13, 2017 16:04
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Deteriorata posted:Good news! Sounds like she knows where she wants to be, but just can't bring herself to come in on her own. I'm glad she's safe, anyway. Yeah, glad to hear she's hanging around nearby! Hopefully the catte trappe will yield a Peridot very soon!
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Feb 13, 2017 17:49
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Is it weird that if I am able I will remove animal carcasses from the road and bury them? I hate seeing dogs and cats run over, I hate it even more that they're just to lie there, I know their little soul is gone but still, it just isn't fair to leave it there. 
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Feb 13, 2017 21:56
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Alteisen posted:Is it weird that if I am able I will remove animal carcasses from the road and bury them? Organza Quiz posted:I came home from work today and Pepper started giving me her usual very loud lecture except this time Peridot replied to her from outside and we both went "Wait what??" Turns out she was hanging out on the wall of our little back courtyard. Didn't manage to get her back inside but she hung out there all evening and she eventually ate her food out the front like she has done for the past three nights, and the rangers should be able to get a trap to me tomorrow so I'm feeling pretty good about my chances of getting her back inside tomorrow. Woo! 
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Feb 13, 2017 23:19
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Dammit Peridot stop being a dumbass
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Feb 13, 2017 23:35
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Synthbuttrange posted:Dammit Peridot stop being a dumbass I'm afraid this is asking the impossible. After a month of watching Pepper deftly retrieving food from the food maze her only strategy has been to bite the plastic in the hopes that her mouth will eventually find food.
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Feb 14, 2017 03:18
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Organza Quiz posted:I'm afraid this is asking the impossible. After a month of watching Pepper deftly retrieving food from the food maze her only strategy has been to bite the plastic in the hopes that her mouth will eventually find food. 
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Feb 14, 2017 05:03
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Organza Quiz posted:I'm afraid this is asking the impossible. After a month of watching Pepper deftly retrieving food from the food maze her only strategy has been to bite the plastic in the hopes that her mouth will eventually find food. I'm glad you will soon have your busted rear end cat back though, even a broken cat is a good cat in my opinion.
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Feb 14, 2017 07:39
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trap her by just leaving the food maze out!
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Feb 14, 2017 07:46
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Well, it's been a few weeks and Caspian is pretty much the ruler of our house now. He's vocal as all hell and likes to sing to us constantly. He meows when he's doing pretty much anything, but he'll be quiet sometimes. The only issue we have is that while he is getting pet and completely content, he'll sometimes flip over, bite your hand lightly, and do the bunny kick on your arm. He'll stop if you pull away, and doesn't try to latch on or anything. I feel like he's not necessarily being aggressive, but it's still a little scary only because I know he could eviscerate the hell out of my arm if he felt like it. We immediately stop giving him attention if he bites/nibbles/scratches at all, but he still keeps doing the bunny kick.
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Feb 14, 2017 08:52
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It might help if you give him a toy to bunnykick while you pet him. If you ever see cats interacting it's pretty normal for grooming to turn into playfighting and that's what he's doing with you. Ignoring it and stopping attention should also work in the long run but it can be kind of funny to watch a cat go to town on a toy while also enjoying pets.
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Feb 14, 2017 11:10
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My cat's a wonderful boy, but in his old age he's started trying to eat plastic- plastic bags, specifically. I'm not sure what's causing it, but whatever it is, I'm worried that he'll somehow get at a plastic bag when I'm not around to catch him and choke or something. What can I do to fix my dumb boy?
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Feb 14, 2017 11:53
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Coating a few bags with bitter spray and leave them out when you're home to watch?
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Feb 14, 2017 12:03
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He likes bitter spray. I've tried tape too, but I think he likes it as much as the plastic. Can cats taste spicy things? and if so, is there a cat-safe pepper I can use to get him to stop?
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Feb 14, 2017 12:09
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How do you train a young cat to use a litterbox with a door? The new cat is 7-8 months old and has no trouble using the litterboxes when the top is off, but she's just laid a massive poo poo on the carpet because we put the top back on after she showed signs of getting in there during a trial run yesterday. She poked her head against the door, tried pushing it open and then turned away cause the other cat was in there. We were obviously mistaken to think she'd learned how to use it, is there a way to actually train her to do it?
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Feb 14, 2017 12:10
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nimby posted:How do you train a young cat to use a litterbox with a door? The new cat is 7-8 months old and has no trouble using the litterboxes when the top is off, but she's just laid a massive poo poo on the carpet because we put the top back on after she showed signs of getting in there during a trial run yesterday. She poked her head against the door, tried pushing it open and then turned away cause the other cat was in there. We were obviously mistaken to think she'd learned how to use it, is there a way to actually train her to do it? Sounds like she had the right idea but was just put off by the other cat being there. You should have more than one box with two cats anyway. Otherwise just start with the hood on but with the door removed until they're using it without problem then reintroduce the door on one then the other.
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Feb 14, 2017 12:19
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Sociopastry posted:He likes bitter spray. I've tried tape too, but I think he likes it as much as the plastic. Have you tried more than one brand of bitter spray? Cats are supposed to dislike citrus, maybe rubbing a lemon over a bag?
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Feb 14, 2017 12:23
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I do have some lemon juice... I'll give that a shot. I was trying this "bitter apple" spray that I got at the pet store earlier, but he's really into it. like, the gently caress.
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Feb 14, 2017 12:24
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Synthbuttrange posted:Sounds like she had the right idea but was just put off by the other cat being there. You should have more than one box with two cats anyway. Otherwise just start with the hood on but with the door removed until they're using it without problem then reintroduce the door on one then the other. We've got a second box on the second floor, but they haven't used it since we removed the top of the other one. Guess it's just easier to poo poo in the open.
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Feb 14, 2017 13:07
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OniKun posted:Well, it's been a few weeks and Caspian is pretty much the ruler of our house now. He's vocal as all hell and likes to sing to us constantly. He meows when he's doing pretty much anything, but he'll be quiet sometimes. That's just how they show love. Our cat only purrs when he's tearing my arms open. The girlfriend won't let him do that and coincidentally he and I have a better relationship than she has. It's my fault because I encouraged it when he was a tiny kitten. Now he's an adult and it's less adorable and more painful
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Feb 14, 2017 13:13
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Quote is not edit.
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Feb 14, 2017 13:14
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I'm really happy momo doesn't get scratch-happy. He's such a good old boy. the biggest problem he has is the bag chewing thing and a propensity to murder the gently caress out of smaller living things. I can't have plants or plastic but I got the best cat so it evens out.
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Feb 14, 2017 13:15
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I want to get a plant but I assume Shithead will murder it. Dad was growing a pineapple and it was actually sprouting and green until we brought him in and he ate it.
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Feb 14, 2017 13:19
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Cacti work pretty good. Momo wants to eat my cactus real bad but it's spiky and he can't bite it
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Feb 14, 2017 13:21
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nimby posted:How do you train a young cat to use a litterbox with a door? The new cat is 7-8 months old and has no trouble using the litterboxes when the top is off, but she's just laid a massive poo poo on the carpet because we put the top back on after she showed signs of getting in there during a trial run yesterday. She poked her head against the door, tried pushing it open and then turned away cause the other cat was in there. We were obviously mistaken to think she'd learned how to use it, is there a way to actually train her to do it? Well, in not sure if this helps, but I got my two at 2 years. I switched to a covered box, and the one cat just didn't know what to do. Poor guy peed on some clothes I'd left on the floor, instead. I ended up showing him me pushing the flap open with my hand, and for a while I had the covered box there with the flap taken off. Once they were using the box I put the flap back and things worked.
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Feb 14, 2017 13:30
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OniKun posted:The only issue we have is that while he is getting pet and completely content, he'll sometimes flip over, bite your hand lightly, and do the bunny kick on your arm. He'll stop if you pull away, and doesn't try to latch on or anything. I feel like he's not necessarily being aggressive, but it's still a little scary only because I know he could eviscerate the hell out of my arm if he felt like it. We immediately stop giving him attention if he bites/nibbles/scratches at all, but he still keeps doing the bunny kick. This is just normal behavior, honestly. When they get overstimulated they want to wrassel. If you watch the tail you can usually see when this is gonna happen. Basically just do what you're doing and back off when he gets too excited, and you'll be fine. Otherwise yeah, a stuffed toy or a cloth rag (NEVER YOUR HANDS) is a good distraction for kitty to tear into. In my experience this is something younger cats do a lot more often. Older cats will still do it but it takes a lot longer to get them over the threshold, or they only have certain spots (like trying for a tummy rub) that will trigger it. It's not aggression so don't be worried about it. I have a specific phrase "Be nice!!" whenever my cats get too bitey/scratchy and they learned that meant to chill out, over time. He could eviscerate your arm but he won't, because he wuvs you. Just play it how you're playing it and everything will be fine.
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Feb 14, 2017 13:42
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So the good news is Peridot is perfectly happy to walk into the trap to eat the food, the bad news is she's too light to trigger the trap. I tried it myself and it takes quite a bit of force to push it down. I'm going to try putting heavier things on it so that the combined weight of her and the things is enough to trigger it. ETA: Put a couple of shoes in there, oiled the bit that has to slide together to make it go off and angled the food so she'd have to go all the way onto the plate and lean right over to get any food out. It still feels like it takes a lot of force to make it shut though so I'm going to phone the ranger tomorrow again and see if she has any advice or if I'm setting it wrong or something. I don't think I'm setting it wrong because when I triggered it to test it after she'd set it it took just as much force and I'm pretty sure this is the only way to do it so that the door stays up and can fall down when the pressure plate is pressed. Organza Quiz fucked around with this message at 15:23 on Feb 14, 2017 |
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Feb 14, 2017 14:39
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From PYF.Chef Bourgeoisie posted:Wait for it...
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Feb 14, 2017 15:38
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Sociopastry posted:I do have some lemon juice... I'll give that a shot. Good luck, Sociopastry! My cat won this war with me and now all plastic bags live in a cupboard she's not able to open. Hopefully she is too loving dumb to learn. I know everyone says their cats are dumb, but I genuinely think my cat is...a little slow. You know how that pop IQ test for cats is throwing a blanket over them and seeing how long it takes to get out? Mulder lies down and waits for death, crying. Anyway, lemon juice works on my mom's cats, I haven't had any luck with pet store sprays either. The kitten I fostered for a while thought bitter spray was delicious and only chewed things sprayed with it more, purring gratefully for how thoughtful we were to provide so many great flavored cord treats to gnaw.
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Feb 14, 2017 17:11
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Tiny Deer posted:You know how that pop IQ test for cats is throwing a blanket over them and seeing how long it takes to get out? Loki just quietly sits there when you drop a blanket on him. Doesn't squirm out of it, doesn't make a peep. I'm not sure if he's stupid or just so laid-back he doesn't care. I always end up removing the blanket in the end because I worry he'll overheat or suffocate or something.
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Feb 14, 2017 17:15
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| # ? May 16, 2024 19:04 |
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We've had Princess for a month and I've already lost count of how many times I've found her either under my 4-year-old's blankets or my 2-year-old's blankets (on a bunk bed, so she'll hop onto the toy box and up to the top bunk to snuggle in), or under our blankets. She always looks so pissed off when I find her too.
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Feb 14, 2017 18:49
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