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Y’all realize Jack is a year old now. Does that look like a grownup tomcat face to you?

Y’know “picture is Jack in the bread oven” was almost heart-stopping; glad to know that the oven wasn’t (apparently) heated and functioning, with Jack slated to become loaves!

For the camera geeks out there that was taken at…. wait for it!… 12,800 ASA, handheld at 1/30th.

For those of us who come from the ASA 25 era, that is a bit like flying to the moon on a broomstick. Only a bit more improbable.

What camera? Yes, I am that camera geek.

The bread oven is a big, dome-shaped brick opening to the side of the fireplace. The way I understand it, Can’t Hark, they’d shovel hot coals into it and then put a door in place. After it had heated for a while, they’d open it, shovel the coals to the edges and put the risen bread dough in the center and seal it up again until the bread was done.

Right now, it’s full of brick dust, filth and cobwebs. And occasionally cats.

Doubting Rich – it’s a Nikon D5300. I’m still trying to get to grips with it, notably the focusing, which seems unreliable at its default setting. Sadly, manufacturers no longer believe a comprehensive operating manual is necessary, so far too much is left for the customer to work out for himself. However, switching the ‘silly setting’ off and sticking to a simple central focus, it seems fine.

The metering, on the other hand, is simply staggering, as is the ability to render sharp images under atrocious lighting at impossible settings.

I don’t throw cameras around like I once did, so one of the more ‘pro’ options would have been wasted and I prefer to spend my money on glass these days – so I bought the 18-140mm zoom instead of the standard option.

So far, so good!

Sweas: I sort of knew that, but it was still mildly alarming. And I’ll bet they baked more than bread in those ovens–I suspect, in New England, at least, they baked beans.

And, Uncle B: I try to resist rants about how youth is destroying civilization. And I know that in this case, civilization will not only survive but thrive. All the same–the tendency of youth today to subsist on what Ric Locke called Nintendo Learning–“poke stuff to see what happens, until what you want to happen happens”–is very irritating to those of us who savored instruction manuals.

Poking stuff to see what háppens is basically what monkeys do…I guess we really don’t need an education system anymore.

So the vet didn’t offer to catheterize Mad Jack …
Splendid photo, Uncle Badger. Beautiful detail—I could count his whiskers.

My cat got some sort of crystals in his pipes; it was caused bye the catfood.

Happened twice, almost lost him the second time. He couldn’t pee and it backs up to the kidneys.

Vet put a long pipe cleaner thing up his pipe to clear it.

Poor Jack! I hope that what ails him is easily fixable and he’s back to his ornery self soon.

Uncle B – Good news / Bad news:

The good news is that there’s now a book to teach you to use your DLSR

The bad news is that it’s not really a book, but an app to put on your iPad.

http://betterbook.inkling.com/book/master-your-dslr-camera/?ref=tb-1b-tablet

My, but he is a handsome cat!

Thanks, Deborah.

Can’t Hark – I fear you are right. In my naivety I’d assumed Nikon simply chose to save money by producing such a poor instruction manual but on reflection it probably is that they realise it would have been wasted effort.

In my ‘day job’ I have all the evidence anyone needs to despair at falling attention spans. I should have known…

I generally find after-market technical publications more useful than manufacturers’ instructions. Myself, I need Heath Kit instructions—which is to say, written for nine year old boys.

Instruction manuals. Hmph. My car is a Buick, but was built in Germany. The instruction manual is in flawless English . . . but it’s unclear on some things. I had the hardest time changing a tail bulb, until I realized I was meant to push the tail lamp assembly out from the body — that the assembly includes the red lens. To read the booklet, you’d think you were supposed to remove it from inside the trunk.

Did he pee on his balls?

Oh, he is a gorgeous boy. Hope he’s well quickly.

No he did not, Mrs C. I’m reminded that cats can hold it for a long, long time. We may have to lock him in there longer than overnight 🙁

Bladder stones are kinda deadly to boy kitties.

My cat loves to drink water running out of the faucet. And I let him because he wouldn’t drink much water if he had to get it out of a bowl.

He’s a beautiful cat, Stoaty & Uncle Badger. Lovely pic! As for him looking like an adult, well, no, actually. ‘Domestic’ cats do not reach full maturity until about 2 years of age; he’s still got a bit of skeletal setting and muscle filling out to do. 🙂

Sending healing energy to Jack!

Uncle Badger, nobody does paper manuals anymore. Go to Nikon’s website for the full D5300 Manual and Bob’s your uncle.

Your vet is Freydis Thorfinnsdottir?

Britain: land of Filipino nurses, Romanian bricklayers, and Icelandic veterinarians.

And they call the U.S. a melting pot…

Nice shot, Uncle B. I hope Jackie’s feeling better soon; he looks great. Eyes are nice and sharp.

Thanks, Mitchell – thought appreciated 🙂

Sadly, that is the same manual the camera came with and there’s a lot it doesn’t explain.

Looks like I’ll have to buy a book (gasp)

Your vet can’t do a cysto? Get a new vet. Urinary blockage is a real threat and WILL kill. He’s the right sex and the right age for issues to be cropping up. I can’t believe a vet would just send him home to pee!! Maybe it’s because I’ve teched in an area with hard, hard water and we saw blocked toms all the time that I’m super sensitive to it, but geez… I just could never imagine sending a cat home when it came in for not peeing. Basic blood work could also start to show blockage issues. Seriously. New vet. That person’s an idiot.

Slim pickings for vets in this area, Kat. She was confident he didn’t have a blockage because his bladder was empty when palpated.

But, yeah, I was kind of surprised to be sent home (though they did offer to keep him until he produced a sample, I can’t imagine what they’d charge for that). And still no luck getting a sample. He’s just holding it overnight.

Yeah, well, as a man, I can say that it would go like this:

“I’m fine.”

*dick falls off*

“I’m just fine, thanks.”

*arm falls off, hair catches fire*

“I’ll be fine.”

Can’t cysto the cat if the bladder is empty.
If he’s going more frequently and/or outside the litter box, but otherwise comfortable, it’s not an emergency YET. Untreated cystitis can, obviously, lead to obstruction.
If cat is constantly straining or licking, uncomfortable, acting “constipated”, walking funny*, etc. and not urinating-that’s an emergency.
We board cats overnight (no charge) just to get a sample, but clinic isn’t manned 24 hours. I always check males frequently. Cats can really concentrate urine, it can be challenging to collect a sample.
Having owner collect sample at least allows monitoring for obstruction signs.
Calling the vet an idiot is a little harsh, provided she explained the situation.
Just my 2 cents.
* An owner presented a cat and said, “He started walking funny today”. He was blocked.