Inflation - I guess the cats are going to have to go on a diet

[Rorey]

I went to Target today and thought I'd pick up some cat food while I was there. I was astonished at the jump in prices. Then I just read now that Walmart was going to hire a lot more truckers and pay them a lot more because there's a shortage of truckers. I think prices are going to continue to climb on just about everything.

I'm not an economist, but the sad thing is, neither is the person in the WH. The sadder thing is that he thinks he knows everything and doesn't hire experts to guide him. Mr. "I alone can fix it" needs to go.

It's a good thing the cats are good hunters.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. We old people won't even be able to afford to eat cat food any more.

The dry kibble is kind of greasy and tasteless anyhow.

[Rorey]

2. I've always referred to myself as a "pretty cheap date"

I'm vegetarian and frugal, so my own personal grocery bill has never been too high. I'm honestly afraid about what we're facing. Housing prices where I live have skyrocketed. We have some rentals and our tenants are likely thrilled with their comparatively low rent bill.

[Rorey]

3. I'll just add

Some of our renters are on Section 8 and some get different assistance. I just told my husband (he voted for -45, and we're in the process of divorcing) that if this shutdown affects those assistance payments it's going to hurt the tenants and us. Maybe he'll finally pull his head out of his ass when -45's antics hit his own wallet.

[MLAA]

7. I've been vegan about 5 years and vegetarian nearly 10

I expect food to really skyrocket as climate change escalates and food cannot be grown as predictably. I expect it to become dire.

[Rorey]

10. In theory I should be vegan

I grew up on a dairy farm and I haven't been able to make that leap. I've been a vegetarian for over 20 years now. I used to get all of the lectures (you know what I'm talking about ) about how I was going to get sick and die or something. I'm still here.

[MLAA]

11. Isn't it wonderful to see so many pro athletes going vegan?

Love, love, love seeing all the big strong men and women recognizing all the health benefits.


Two great books you might enjoy if you like to read. Off The Reservation by Glenn Merzer (get ready to laugh out loud about this politician) and Mad Cowboy by Howard F Lyman (he was a cattle farmer and was sued along with Oprah after her comments about not eating another hamburger)

[Rorey]

12. It is.

I'll soon be living alone, and it's going to be awesome to not have to see things that bother me every time I open the refrigerator.

Thanks for the reading suggestions. I'll check those books out.

[ginnyinWI]

4. chewy.com beats Target for prices. nt

[Rorey]

9. I do like chewy

Hopefully their prices won't also go up.

I better make an order tonight.

[Laffy Kat]

13. I keep thinking about Chewy but am afraid the deliveries will..

Get stolen off my front or side porch. I also like to support the local pet food shops in my little town. It is getting expensive, however.

[Rorey]

19. Supporting your local merchants is important

We only have big box stores here.

The porch pirate thing has gotten out of control. So far I haven't had a problem, but I live on a dead end, and we have cameras, so maybe that's a deterrent. For now.

[doc03]

5. One penny per mile is a lot more money? nt

[Rorey]

20. It didn't sound like much to me either, but

I'm not sure how it translates as far as their actual salary goes. I only know that I read that there's a shortage so Walmart is going to be paying more to entice drivers and those costs will get passed on to consumers.

We were all warned that prices would rise. All of this "winning" is going to break me, I'm afraid.

[TexasBushwhacker]

6. I noticed a big jump too

Cans that used to cost 49 cents are now 57. That's 16% increase! I'm guessing that so much pet food is made in China that tariffs have caused the price hike.

[Rorey]

8. I guess that might also be a factor

I just know that we're all screwed.

[Laffy Kat]

15. Yep. Vet care is expensive, too.

And I know they're not getting rich, it's just pricey to have a practice.

[Rorey]

18. That's going to be a big problem for us

Last edited Fri Jan 25, 2019, 10:14 PM - Edit history (1)

The matriarch of my little cat family showed up in the neighborhood last summer. She had a collar on, so I coaxed her to me and called the number on the collar. They guy wouldn't return my calls. Then I looked him up on Facebook where I actually saw a picture of the cat. He wouldn't reply to me there either when I messaged him. Before I knew it, she had three kittens on my back porch. As soon as she realized that I knew where they were she moved them. She started bringing them around to eat when they were two months old, but by then they were quite wild. I finally trapped them and locked them in my office until I could get them spayed and neutered. They were not happy. They were in for about a month, and as soon as they were healed from their procedures I let them go, but I continued to feed them inside. They can come and go as they like now, but I do lock them in at night. I still can't touch the kittens, who are now 10 months old, but they let me walk right by them and they walk right by me and sit and watch me with fascination when I'm getting their food. I feel like one of these days they'll take a cue from their mom and rub up against my leg. She's very tame. It's a slow process to gain their trust.

So at some point they're going to need some more shots and to get wormed because they hunt. It's not going to be easy.

[Laffy Kat]

21. It absolutely starts to add up.

It sounds like you're doing everything you can an much more than a lot of people would. I bet eventually the kits will warm up.

[keithbvadu2]

14. Have the cats do some yard sales, babysitting and even some pet sitting.

Have the cats do some yard sales, babysitting and even some pet sitting.

It's been recommended for our unpaid Coast Guard military members by the Trump administration.

[Laffy Kat]

16. My kitteh refuses to work!

She's all about being pampered.

[Rorey]

17. Great suggestions! Thanks!

I guess they could probably put out a table of some of their toys. They probably have too many. If they sold everything they didn't absolutely need, they might be able to buy food for a week.

I'm not sure how the pet sitting would work out. They've tried caring for some lizards, birds and mice, but it never ended well. I guess they play a bit too enthusiastically. With their teeth.

As far as babysitting an actual human child, I don't think they're cut out for that kind of work. As soon as my two-year-old grandson walks in the door, they make a dash out their cat door.