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HamburgerTownUSA posted:Yeah just ask them. If you're under warranty they'll send you one. I did this recently for my LR4, and they also sent me the taller fence for free because it didn't actually exist yet when I bought my LR4. Taller fence? Maybe we need a LitterRobot Owners thread.
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Dec 5, 2023 19:47
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Squashy Nipples posted:Taller fence? LR4 used to ship with this fence: https://www.litter-robot.com/litter-robot/accessories/litter-robot-4-mini-fence.html As of I think start of May? they started shipping with this fence, which was a redesign to address issues the previous fence had (the lip on the old fence faced inwards, which could cause urine to funnel into the internals is one of the main issues addressed): https://www.litter-robot.com/litter-robot/accessories/litter-robot-4-fence.html
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Dec 5, 2023 21:01
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Squashy Nipples posted:I did not know this, thank you! Yeah you just send them a picture and they'll ship you a new one for free. You should do what I did and ask for 2 replacements so you always have one ready. If they don't want to give it to you just lie, it's not like they check Thanks for the taller fence tip, getting one
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Dec 6, 2023 00:22
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juggalo baby coffin posted:this is my buddy peep: I love Peep and Peep’s story a lot—thank you for sharing the beautiful white kitty and his new tower in his loving home where you can visit him and give him pets!
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Dec 6, 2023 09:34
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peeps got cheeks
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Dec 6, 2023 16:43
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juggalo baby coffin posted:this is my buddy peep: I love peep, thank you for taking care of him and finding him a nice warm indoor home.
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Dec 6, 2023 19:21
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thanks everyone, i was really shocked by how quickly he turned from a bedraggled sad boy into a luxurious guy who could be on pet food packaging. i think he did it mostly himself, he's extremely cleanly even for a cat. I am really surprised nobody had taken him in earlier because he is extremely sweet natured and seemed to just magically know how to use a litter box, and frankly was very hard to keep out of the house. I felt like such a monster keeping him out and would try to tell him to just stick around a little longer so he could go to his nice new home anyway now he lives probably a better life than I do, his mums buy him some kind of extremely fancy cat food you have to keep in the freezer thats made of human grade meat. he deserves some spoiling after his rough, scary early life. its been great to see him start to play and use his voice more, he has come out of his shell a lot. edit: bonus peep snow handprint 
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Dec 7, 2023 14:13
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an iksar marauder posted:Yeah you just send them a picture and they'll ship you a new one for free. You should do what I did and ask for 2 replacements so you always have one ready. If they don't want to give it to you just lie, it's not like they check Yeah, I just ordered one, too. I feel a little screwed by the timing on this one, they should have sent me the improved one for free, or just for shipping, or SOMETHING. My current fence is just about the only mediocre part of an otherwise almost perfect design.
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Dec 7, 2023 15:24
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two questions: 1) i ordered a baby gate soon after the kittens were adopted, which of course was not as advertised and was too small, so i can't install it in the stairs leading out of my apartment. tandy in particular will often get this "oh boy! where are we going?" attitude when i try to leave and follow me outside which i am obviously not even a little bit cool with since they will be sealed inside my apartment until they are 21*. he feigns a fascination with my doormat every time i come back in and i am just worried one of these days he is going to dart out of the house and join a gang or whatever. do you think adding bitter apple or something to my door frame, or some other citrus scent would help? i just don't want anything strong enough to waft over near the couch, since that's their main hangout area. i just want to reduce the appeal of the door. 2) i've heard from several sources that free-feeding is suggested until they're about one years old, and carol feels slim but tandy sort of feels like holding a really small christmas ham. he was quite frail when i got him and had some stomach issues (which we've treated) but should i be concerned that he's so dense and she's not? they eat more or less the same amount, except i see him eat slightly more dry food (dry food is always available, and they eat a small amount of wet food a few times a day as well). *: i told them that when they turn 21 in human years they can have a beer, gamble and join the military if they want to.
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Dec 7, 2023 16:39
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I wouldn't spray bitter apple to your doorframe since I genuinely doubt it'll reduce the appeal to an inquisitive kitten. One of mine is like Tandy and he wouldn't give a gently caress You're just going to have to get a cat airlock or get a better baby gate, what I did for a while was toss a pellet of food or toy away from me so they'd chase it, then quickly slip out
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Dec 7, 2023 17:00
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My cat is absolutely terrified of being outside. She loves looking out the window but last time I tried taking her out years ago she was literally shaking.
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Dec 7, 2023 17:48
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i don't he wants to "go outside" as much as he just wants to know where i am going and to come with me. maybe the saving grace here is he seems to know either his name or my voice well enough that he'll always come over whenever i say his name so if he does get out, it won't be too hard to catch him. the only problem with the airlock is the stairs that lead out are a concrete set of walls with railings, hence why the baby gate didn't work.
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Dec 7, 2023 18:08
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I'm REALLY lost on what to do for cat food. Every single 'good' brand I read about as like 'This is the best nutrition content blah blah blah' is followed up by recent reviews saying the formula changed and the cats won't eat it or it's trash now or whatever. It's like a new brand of 'Best food ever' shows up every month and another turns to poo poo every month. Not to mention the whole 'grain free vs not grain free' that every single person has an opinion on. It feels like it's all just designed marketed to drive loving engagement on youtube cat review channels rather than actually be decent food. Get the reviewers to promote it for a few months, then after a year start adding in the sawdust filler and once it tanks change brand names, all out of the same factory. Lacking anything else I guess I'm just going to get Hills Indoor from Chewy since it most likely won't be actively bad for them I guess. I'd like to introduce some wet food for her (since she doesn't drink very much on her own) but it's basically the same problems.
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Dec 8, 2023 01:50
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Rescue Toaster posted:I'm REALLY lost on what to do for cat food. Every single 'good' brand I read about as like 'This is the best nutrition content blah blah blah' is followed up by recent reviews saying the formula changed and the cats won't eat it or it's trash now or whatever. It's like a new brand of 'Best food ever' shows up every month and another turns to poo poo every month. Not to mention the whole 'grain free vs not grain free' that every single person has an opinion on. It feels like it's all just designed marketed to drive loving engagement on youtube cat review channels rather than actually be decent food. Get the reviewers to promote it for a few months, then after a year start adding in the sawdust filler and once it tanks change brand names, all out of the same factory. All cat foods are regulated by the FDA to have proper nutritional levels. There is no "better" nutrition. They're all the same, no matter the price. Most of what you're dealing with is marketing bullshit. What matters is what your cat likes and what, if any, ingredients it's sensitive to.
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Dec 8, 2023 02:03
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Deteriorata posted:All cat foods are regulated by the FDA to have proper nutritional levels. There is no "better" nutrition. They're all the same, no matter the price. Most of what you're dealing with is marketing bullshit. I don't think I'd go so far as to say they're all the same. Big difference between say, Royale Canine and Friskies. I think getting the highest protein content with the most amount of actual meat in the first few ingredients is good enough. And if you can afford it, get them on a wet food diet. Applaws is my go to for wet food. Also I wouldn't free feed kittens as it'll be hard to control their portions and know if they're eating enough.
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Dec 8, 2023 03:29
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No my girl is like 4 y/o now and she regulates her weight pretty well free feeding dry. But she was mostly eating prescription C/D because the older cat was on it and the vet said it was fine for her to eat it too. Now the older cat passed away and it's time to sort out her diet. I'm a little worried since C/D is I think partially just using salt to drive thirst and make them drink more, but even with that she doesn't seem to drink much water. So we'd like to do something like give her a scoop of dry in the morning for her to eat at her leisure, and then a fixed amount of wet food at dinner time. So that means I have to find TWO new foods... Though like I said I'm tempted to just do Hills Indoor since she's been perfectly happy on the Science Diet c/d she's been eating.
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Dec 8, 2023 03:42
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Get a sample of whatever fits your budget. If kitty doesn't eat it, try something else. Though if she's anything like our current cats, she'll devour the first two cans and once you buy a 12 pack will decide it's inedible sludge.
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Dec 8, 2023 03:45
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Lanky Coconut Tree posted:I don't think I'd go so far as to say they're all the same. Big difference between say, Royale Canine and Friskies. The nutritional content is the same. Cheap food uses a fair amount of cellulose filler, which is just indigestible fiber so your cat eats more and poops more. So they're less nutritionally dense, but it's all there in the right proportions - and the lower cost is somewhat offset by the fact that cats have to consume more of it. So it goes back to buy whatever you want. It doesn't really matter.
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Dec 8, 2023 04:13
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Deteriorata posted:The nutritional content is the same. Cheap food uses a fair amount of cellulose filler, which is just indigestible fiber so your cat eats more and poops more. So they're less nutritionally dense, but it's all there in the right proportions - and the lower cost is somewhat offset by the fact that cats have to consume more of it. Uhhh. The caloric density of most cat food is about the same, but the percentage of protein varies. So for the same amount of food, could go from 25-38% of protein, depending on the brand. If that's not a good indicator of varying quality for your cat, I dunno what is. I'd really wanna see the studies saying that there's no difference in a cheap bag of cat food vs a mid range one. Mind you, not shilling for the grain free stuff, but I think it might be a bit irresponsible to say just buy whatever, it doesn't matter.
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Dec 8, 2023 05:41
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Any tips on how to turn an outdoor cat into an indoor one? We've adopted a young (1-2) year old feral cat that was hanging out in the yard. I don't like to cramp her style, but I'm on a busy street and the neighborhood has lots of dogs and raccoons so I'm worried about her safety, as well as her impact on birds, etc. If I just keep her in she meows at the door. She hasn't gotten to the point where she bolts for it if I step outside, but I think if we went 100% cold turkey she'd get there. Right now we let her out during the day 2-3 days during the week, and on the weekends, and we keep her inside after dinner. I'm figuring the thing to do is just start tapering it down, but I don't really know. Here she is looking majestic. 
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Dec 8, 2023 05:59
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You can build a catio, an enclosed space where the cat can see and smell the outside world without being fully outside, so to speak. Alternately you get her a bunch of enrichment toys and go cold turkey. Cats really learn to use the space they have and deal with it when you keep them inside, there's no magic trick to it. Basically just do it and then watch to make sure she doesn't dash out, but more often than not cats will simply accede to the change, especially if you provide a stimulating environment indoors.
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Dec 8, 2023 06:44
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Lanky Coconut Tree posted:Also I wouldn't free feed kittens as it'll be hard to control their portions and know if they're eating enough. Kittens, like babies, are best a little chubby and can eat as much as they want. If you think one isn't eating enough then try feeding without others around in case of cats being jerks. I've never come across a kitten who underfeeds itself and I did a few years of rescue when my health was better.
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Dec 8, 2023 09:05
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I've never seen or heard of a healthy kitten underfeeding itself unless it was so prematurely weaned or so sickly that it physically was unable to move towards, or put the food into, its mouth
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Dec 8, 2023 09:09
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Deteriorata posted:All cat foods are regulated by the FDA to have proper nutritional levels. I don't think this is true. Where did you read it?
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Dec 8, 2023 09:17
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mawarannahr posted:I don't think this is true. Where did you read it? https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/complete-and-balanced-pet-food The cat food has to say it's meant to be used as your cat's only food
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Dec 8, 2023 11:25
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I feel like every time I find a food my fussy allergy-prone cat will deign to eat it gets reformulated or discontinued two months later. I finally know what he's actually allergic to though(beef and lamb) so that does help.
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Dec 8, 2023 11:54
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Rescue Toaster posted:I'm REALLY lost on what to do for cat food. Every single 'good' brand I read about as like 'This is the best nutrition content blah blah blah' is followed up by recent reviews saying the formula changed and the cats won't eat it or it's trash now or whatever. It's like a new brand of 'Best food ever' shows up every month and another turns to poo poo every month. Not to mention the whole 'grain free vs not grain free' that every single person has an opinion on. It feels like it's all just designed marketed to drive loving engagement on youtube cat review channels rather than actually be decent food. Get the reviewers to promote it for a few months, then after a year start adding in the sawdust filler and once it tanks change brand names, all out of the same factory. I looked around a fair bit when Quill was coming out of kittenhood and my research (cats.com does independent lab analysis of food) led me to tiki cat wet food. Unfortunately she decided she mostly likes the 'after dark' line of wet food which is fairly expensive, but I honestly don't mind spending a fair bit on this, I make okay money and she brings me incredible happiness.
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Dec 8, 2023 12:18
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Lord Zedd-Repulsa posted:Kittens, like babies, are best a little chubby and can eat as much as they want. If you think one isn't eating enough then try feeding without others around in case of cats being jerks. I've never come across a kitten who underfeeds itself and I did a few years of rescue when my health was better. mine aren't underfeeding themselves but they also definitely don't gorge themselves, either. i feed them a small teaspoon of wet food about three times a day; any more than that and they don't finish it, and it gets a crust on top and they won't touch it after that. they also get dry food but they only take a few bites at a time while they're playing, never at the same time. i'm personally just curious as to why tandy is built like a JBL speaker and carol is not. they're getting weighed today at the vet, so i'll see how much he's packed on since i got them. with her height they might actually be even by now.
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Dec 8, 2023 16:33
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an iksar marauder posted:https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/complete-and-balanced-pet-food It looks like the process for substantiating the marketing claims of complete and balanced are extremely weak, though. It also doesn't take into account things like digestion. I've noticed it gets worse for my cat if the dry food has pea or other legume proteins in it. Besides nutrition, it sounds like inspections and enforcement of the manufacturing processes are also pretty lax.
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Dec 8, 2023 17:39
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mawarannahr posted:I see, I didn't understand the labeling requirements that well from the fda's page (which doesn't really say anything about nutrition). Thank you. To be fair, that's also true of every other food inspection process for the FDA iirc 
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Dec 8, 2023 18:36
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cash crab posted:i'm personally just curious as to why tandy is built like a JBL speaker and carol is not. Genetics. Each kitten in a litter can have a different father.
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Dec 8, 2023 23:54
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that would explain why she's developing long hair and he is not
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Dec 9, 2023 10:02
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Yeah, almost certainly just variation between littermates, as long as they're both eating, growing, and active. I wouldn't be worried unless the small one actively seems to be lethargic or really not growing.
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Dec 9, 2023 13:00
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Lord Zedd-Repulsa posted:Genetics. Each kitten in a litter can have a different father. And even with the same parents you can have a lot of variation.
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Dec 9, 2023 13:08
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Re: cat food, buy special food if your cat needs special food otherwise just get the normal stuff at least. You don't need grain-free if your cat doesn't have a problem with grain in their foods.
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Dec 13, 2023 10:20
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I'm going to be bringing home a new young cat/kitten next week (either a 4 month or 7 month old one) and am wondering how best to handle cat quarantine since I already own one older cat. I know they should be kept separate for around 10 days but I do have a few questions: 1) For the actual quarantine location I have two options - the best (for me) would be a 6' x 6' storage closet I could easily empty out, and the other option is my bedroom. Would the closet be large enough for a cat for over a week? I assume so given they've spent the last month or two in a much smaller shelter cage but I basically just want someone to agree with me that it wouldn't be inhumane to keep a cat in a closet for a while (with some stuff to sleep and hide in of course). The bedroom isn't off the table but I'd probably spend the next week or so sleeping on the couch since I really don't want to deprive my current cat of having access to me in an already-stressful time. 2) How should integrating the cats go after a proper quarantine period? Are there any big signs to look out for, especially between a younger and older cat? I'm adopting in large part to give my current cat a friend so I want to make sure they bond well. 3) My current cat has an auto-feeder (he also gets some wet food each day) and I would like to do the same for the new cat once they're acclimated. Any tips on making sure they each keep to their own feeders and don't have any food aggression?
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Dec 14, 2023 01:00
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Why are you quarantining if they've been in a shelter? Is there a concern that they have a disease? You can try introduce slowly but there is no guarantee that they will like each other even if you do everything "perfectly". Does you current cat have a history of getting on well with other cats?
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Dec 14, 2023 01:26
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I was told by both the shelter and other cat owners that you should keep new cats separate (the shelter specifically said 9 days) to give the older one time to get used to their scent and general presence. As for past behavior, at my old apartment complex one of my neighbor's cats would regularly came to my window and my cat adored him, to the point where I eventually let my neighbor's cat into my apartment a few times and my cat was thrilled. That said, there was also a time two years ago where I tried to introduce another cat and it went much worse (my current cat was very standoffish and aggressive with the new one). I didn't really know how to handle introducing a second cat then and once the new one got out of my room I pretty much gave up, which is why I'm trying to be so diligent about this one. That cat was also much closer in age to my cat compared to this new kitten, which I'm told tend to be easier for older cats to acclimate to, or at least be less aggressive with.
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Dec 14, 2023 01:36
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The secret for us was shared feeding and making that a ritual every day once they could see each other through the barrier and still eat We took it way slower than probably needed though
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Dec 14, 2023 02:14
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Ah yeah that makes more sense, "quarantine" made it sound like a super strict disease-related thing. It is good to have a separate room for the kitten at first, but you can do things like swap their bedding, and let them explore each others' spaces, and have them glimpse each other. Depends on how quickly your original cat stops freaking out about there being a New Cat. Expect hissing, hissing and growling is actually fine and how cats set boundaries with each other. I can't really answer about the closet since I don't have a good sense of space without seeing it but remember kittens are going to want to jump around and play. I've never really heard of cats having food aggression so much as more food motivated cats just pushing the other cat away to get at the feeder. The solution to that is to create an elaborate system so it's not possible for the eating cat to really be pushed away.
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Dec 14, 2023 02:14
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