iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 1h

I feel like this is a 3d print for @seananmcguire.bsky.social. makerworld.com/models/3383571

LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Turned the garlic soup into the base for a kitchen sink chowder, but which is mostly spiced to be corn and salmon chowder. I wanted some fibre and protein, and didn't think tofu or chickpeas would work in this case. (This is why I keep canned or frozen cooked salmon around.)

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The moment I hear the acorns pinging off my roof and the leaves on the oaks rustling:

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Aaaand done. If this doesn't chase off the rest of the cold, I will at least be warm and full of soup.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Waiting for the garlic to soften and mellow enough to puree it before adding the cream and cheese.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Mise-en-place and the peeled roasted garlic. Omnomnom.

A top down photo of the ingredients for garlic soup: cream, chicken stock, chopped onions, roasted garlic, finely grated Parmesan cheese, and peeled garlic.

A bowl of roasted garlic, soft and delicious looking.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I'm using mostly Chesnok Red with a bit of Persian Star for roasting, and using mostly Music for the cloves that get smashed into the soup. You can tell Music apart easily: big cloves, white papery skin; Chesnok Red is to the far left in the photo, and Persian Star in the middle.

A photo of three bulbs of garlic. The furthest to the left, Chesnok Red, is slightly purple tinged, with small to medium cloves. The one in the middle is Persian Star: similar, but with a bit more purple veining. The one on the right is Music garlic, with papery white skin, large cloves, and is visibly larger than the other two hardneck varieties.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Time for garlic soup, because this cold is hanging on far too long. @codenameminali.bsky.social suggested this recipe years ago and this is the first time I've made it as far as I can remember. To start: over 44 cloves of garlic, ~28 of which are being oven-roasted with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Tried to get up earlier, Nyalisaie caught me and refused to move. Tried to get up just now, Leo woke up with the tiniest, most pitiful mew, and crawled over to take over my pillow and purr. I would like this cold to be done with. Am definitely getting the rest required.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Caught a cold at the cat show, so everyone is taking their turn at keeping me in bed, resting, and hydrated. Reminder: mask up in crowded public spaces. I didn't have a spare with me and regretted it after I dropped mine in a puddle.

A seal Lynx Bicolour Ragdoll sits on the photographer's chest, staring judgmentally at the camera.

A faintly blurry photo of a tortie cat shaped lump on top of a person attempting to sleep.

A sunlit photo of a Papillon using a pillow as a pillow, with him staring moodily off to the right of frame. His big ear is the centre of the photo.

A blue Lynx Bicolour Ragdoll cat sprawls on the photographer's chest, looking off to the right of frame. He is slightly rumpled as though he had to fight his way to this spot.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

If anyone is curious about what goes into a longhaired cat's show bath, and why it's so expensive to have a professional groom your cat, here's a flowchart I made for my Maine Coon breeder of all the steps/products I used to bathe her red and white boy for show last weekend.

A flowchart of various steps to bathe a cat. There are five columns: pre-bath, degrease and assess, clarifying and whitening, rinsing and conditioning, and Product Notes and Dilutions.

There are three colours of boxes, teal, pink, and blue. Teal is for applying a product, pink is for prepping/mixing/diluting a product, and blue is for rinsing. There are anywhere from 2-5 steps in each column.

A photo of a red and white Maine coon teenager, flopped on a black grooming cloth with a blue backdrop. His coat is fairly short but smooth and fluffy. He is somewhat gangly, with long legs and ears that are slightly too big, as is the case with all teenagers.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

So Pedro (so called because the other red stud boy is Pascal) is EXTREMELY sweet but does not get how to be a cat. I bathed and groomed him for show and his coat held the entire weekend instead of his usual 12hr timelimit before becoming split and greasy again. Victory! He's still a dumbass himbo.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

A stinky, greasy teenager, but also stinking cute. (Not mine, though I may eventually put in a request for him if he retires from stud duties to Gaia's little sister).

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Fun thing for today: my Ragdoll breeder gets this litter from a friend who imports it that's pea husk/tofu and it's really good at odour control. I suspect that this other pea husk/tofu litter is the same litter at something like a 300% markup:

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Cleaned up and ready for Gaia's breeder to stay with me for the show this weekend. It'll be one of Gaia's brothers (Flashy, the silver boy) and her little sister's eventual boyfriend (Pedro, the red and white) visiting, so they'll be in separate rooms. They're not related, so don't quite get along.

A photo of a silver classic tabby Maine coon against a royal blue background. Flashy has his back to the camera and is looking over his shoulder with a bit of a smug (or brainless, depending on your point of view) smirk.

A photo of a red classic tabby Maine coon with white resting on a cream carpet. He is mostly red with a white bib that extends over half his muzzle, white socks in front, and white thigh-highs on back. He's not fully grown yet.

Photo of the OP's cat room, with a portable crate set up on the floor as a hide, a cat wall leading to a loft bed behind that, and a cat tree in front of a couch/bed. The floor looks a little damp from a fresh wash.

Photo of a guest room with lilac walls, brown flooring, and a cream/white rug. The sunlight is spilling over the bed, where a lilac quilt rests over a larger duvet.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

This is the context for the grumpiness:

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The grumpiest I've ever seen Leo look.

Leo, a blue bicolour Ragdoll cat, stares up at the camera with slightly narrowed blue eyes, making him look exceedingly grumpy. He is also exceedingly clean and fluffy. The expression and the state of his coat are likely related.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This is, again, why I have a king-sized bed. Leo and Alisaie don't share space well, Gaia will spread out and take up half the remaining space, and Pip somehow takes up most of my pillow once we're actually trying to sleep.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

This is more normal play for him.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

It's so rare for Leo to play like this. Full-on Dumbass Mode. I love him so much in all his moods but this one had me laughing for a good ten minutes.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I had Voy and Tuppy for two nights while my friend dealt with a medical issue. Pip came along when I returned them home today, and got bad-kitten-bapped by Voy for hogging Boy's human's attention and lap. (Pip was raised by Nyalisaie, he took the baps in the spirit they were meant and was fine.)

A slightly scrungly looking Lynx Point Ragdoll sits on a dark wooden floor with a green food dish behind him. His eyes are dilated in the way of old cats.

A seal pointed Ragdoll is flopped comfortably on white sheets, looking mostly like a mass of cool brown fur with two legs and a head sticking out.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

It might be rainy but the porch swing is still comfy and one of my and Pip's favourite spots.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Also look at this gorgeous Siberian Silver Classic Tabby with white from Birchpoint Siberians. He's one of their new imported studs who's getting his Champion titles to prove he's up to standard and to prove his temperament. He's so pretty.

An incredibly fluffy silver and white cat with black tabby markings is held in the arms of a lady with equally white hair. The cat is looking off to the top right of frame, very intent on something.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Gaia got the last title she can get for now: Supreme Grand Master Premier. It's so delightfully ridiculous. The only thing she can get is a three-year-long slog for her Grand of Distinction. Many thanks to judge Kim Monkhouse who put Gaia in her final and got that last Best Cat.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Have a windswept gremlin-child named Pipin. I hope your day improves, and the kind words in reply to this post turn the thread into a rope with people to pull you up.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

She knows she gets dinner with extra treats after a bath.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Always bathe your cat before dinnertime. It speeds up the forgiveness.

A very wet and sudsy tortoiseshell Maine coon in a sink, with her face held in a person's hand. Her expression is the epitome of the :/ emoji.

The same tortie Maine coon sitting on a table with a SureFeed microchip feeder, picking her lips. Her coat is nice and fluffy and her tail, while only partly visible, is thick. She's licking her lips and looks very intent on something off camera.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Also, remember food and either FC buffs or Squadron Battle Manuals. The Squadron Battle Manuals are equivalen to a Grade III FC buff, so better than the basic tier most FCs keep up.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Reminder with Beastmaster out, there are a number of EXP+ items you can use. These are the 'practical' ones; you'll drop a few as you level past 25, then 30, but this might be useful. (You could use some of the mogstation chest/leg glam sets, which give another bonus up to 20, but stats are bad.)

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Printed these treat mazes/activity boards (by makerworld.com/en/@printsch...) for Gaia since she likes to fish for her food, but she was napping while I was setting them up. Leo, meanwhile, is Struggling.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Hey friends! I need your ideas! Local cat show is coming up and there's a crate decorating contest and a cat costume contest with the theme of "Feline Farm Fall Frenzy". I have a double Sturdi in red that I'll be using, a 3d printer, and middling sewing skills. Gaia and Leo will be there. IDEAS?!

A tortie Maine Coon looking slightly vexed while sitting on a cutting board (yes, the cutting board got sterilized after her majesty's rear end was on it).

A blue bicolour Ragdoll sits in a cream velvet and brown wood chair, looking as serious as it is possible for him to manage (he still looks like an airhead).

A promo photo of a red Sturdi pop-up show crate with one half occupied by two cats, and the other by a maltese dog.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Pip would happily line up to see you, but he spent a lot of time in vet offices as a puppy, usually recovering from sedation on Front Desk's lap. That's a smart building manager though, that makes it a lot easier to interact with tenants and help if anything goes wrong/they have to enter a unit.

A tiny Papillon puppy looks at a pile of clover while sitting down, his ears far too large for his head. He still has his puppy coat and looks ungainly and somewhat like a mismarked longhaired Chihuahua.

The same Papillon on a beach, staring off to the left of frame, highlighted by sun. His coat is full and fluffy.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I did give his Tiny Human Bestie a backpack that looked like him.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

This is genuinely her favourite wand toy, but finding genuine versions of these outside of Japan for reasonable prices is difficult.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

... Mostly by demanding playtime after a quick run on her baby gay wheel. I think she's realizing it's not as nice as her big wheel upstairs.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Cat room is all steamed and cleaned and reset for my clowder! Gaia was the first to reclaim her space.

Photo of the reset cat room, with the litterbox and cat scratchers replaced, the freshly washed cushions back on the cat tree, and a tortie Maine coon peering out the opened window above the cat climbing wall.

Photo of the reset cat room, looking towards the cat wheel and loft bed and couch setup. The couch has been covered by a mattress protector and sheet set, and the movable backrests have been replaced.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

*amused* Happy to take photos of my Ragdolls' and Maine Coon's tails in varying states of floofiness/bath, because lemme tell you, it changes day to day. Show bath -> Regular day-to-day for Gaia: the tail loses its fullness and splits more, same with her coat.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

All the excitement of the boarders going home and the subsequent cleaning yesterday means we're sleepy potatoes today.

A tricolour papillon is asleep on a nest of white pillows. His head is at a sharp angle to his body and his tongue is sticking out in a blow. In the background, a person's fingers are makinf a 'why??' gesture because the person's arm is stuck under the dog.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I just called my pet insurance out of curiosity after seeing a post about pet insurance on tumblr. Pip and Gaia are covered, while Alisaie and Leo aren't due to the time I got them. Let's just say that I have saved more than triple my paid-in amounts for Pip, and six times as much for Gaia.😬😅

A maine coon doing her best to fit inside a regular cat-sized hoop bed attached to a grey cat tree. It looks like this was a favourite of a white cat before being taken over by a tortie, as all the dangling fur is white.

A tricolour papillon sits proudly in the sunlight, his ear-fringes highlit by the sun and his floofy chest jutting out. He looks mostly majestic, but the illusion is partly spoiled by the little blep visible if you look closely.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

So all the bedding/protectors and cat tree cushions are in a high heat wash with bleach, the pillows will be steamed with the backrests, and then it'll be open to my cats again. Gaia has been VERY put out that she hasn't had access to her baby rainbow wheel, even though she's outgrown it.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

The couch and mattress are always covered with a waterproof mattress cover while other animals are visiting, so I don't have to steam those fully, just the parts where the couch isn't covered (around the base), and I made a smart choice in the cat tree - all its pads are removable for washing.

A photo of the loft bed with its protective mattress cover, and Essie the seal bicolour Ragdoll lounging in the foreground, and the half-shorn Lottie in the background, against some pillows.

Another photo of Essie, this time alone on the loft, with bright sunshine and green leaves visible through the window to the left.

A photo from a Wyze camera showing the setup of the cat room while the cats were visiting, including the mattress protector on the couch beneath and blankets overtop that.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Going back to my pet rescue roots with sterilizing the cat room (out of an excess of caution rather than any actual fear. Bleached and drying: Floor: ✅ Baseboards: ✅ Horizontal wood surfaces: ✅ Gate: ✅ Cat wheel: ✅ Windowsills: ✅ To steam: * Base of couch * Backrests * Cat wall fabric * Cat Igloo

A photo of one part of the cat room. The walls are white, the floors are brown laminate, and there is a cupboard to the left of the photo, a closet behind a chest of drawers, and a cat wall setup with grey and black carpet ramps/runs up to something out of frame. There is also a glimpse of a ladder behind a cat tree currently missing its pads. The floor is wet.

Another view of the cat room, this time revealing that the metal ladder goes up to a white loft bed, a grey couch tucked in the space underneath, with movable backrests. There is also a cat wheel in a rainbow gradient against the far wall.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I removed a LOT of hair on each step, and the furnado in my bathroom (for the dryer) was epic. This is after I'd already swept up once, and doesn't encompass the fluff that blew into the vent fan or the laundry hamper I forgot to move out. Anyway, she should be much more comfy and less mat-prone.

A middling-sized grey-white pile of hair is faintly visible against grey and white subway style tiles, swept up by a red and black plastic broom.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

(also, her butt was stinky, so the bath was necessary) She was so good for the dryer, much better than her full sister tends to be. I wish I'd had more time in the bath to assess how her coat handled the shampoo; she could use more deep conditioning than the quick-dry conditioner I spritzed on her.

A mostly dry seal bicolour Ragdoll stares accusingly at the camera. She has been re-floofed for the most part, but behind her ears and her ankles looks slightly damp still. She looks betrayed.

The same cat, same state of mostly dryness, just with her head turned towards the door so you can see that there's much less clumping/grease in her coat.

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LeafStranger @leafstranger.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Beamer is going to be very happy to go back to her owner tomorrow. She got a bath and blow-dry to get rid of the grease build-up on her coat, and more importantly, the last of her shedding.

A damp seal bicolour Ragdoll is prevented from escaping the tub by a person holding her back. The cat's eyes are dilated so you can only see a ring of bright blue.

The same damp seal bicolour Ragdoll cat seen from above. She is a little bit chunky under all the floof but doesn't seem to be trying to escape this time.

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