OT: For all cat lovers:
JPG
http://www.compfused.com/directlink/600/
--
"And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of
human destiny is beyond human beings. Man's reason
and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable
- and we believe they can do it again."
-- John F. Kennedy
Ben Goren
> See this new form a cat carrier:
>
> http://www.compfused.com/directlink/600/
If you're gonna troll, can you either be on-topic or show a bit of
imagination?
Or, better yet, FOAD.
Cheers,
b&
--
BAAWA Knight of Blasphemy
God can never prove that this sentence is true.
----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----
The...@storm.net
>See this new form a cat carrier:
>
>http://www.compfused.com/directlink/600/
I have a carrier for your body: a rope and trailer hitch.....:) Lemme
know when you need a ride to the doctor..... you seem sick already.
TheRain
JPG
wrote:
>JPG wrote:
>
> > See this new form a cat carrier:
> >
> > http://www.compfused.com/directlink/600/
>
>If you're gonna troll, can you either be on-topic or show a bit of
>imagination?
>
>Or, better yet, FOAD.
>
>Cheers,
>
>b&
Sense of humour bypass, evidently.
JPG
aa #1919
JPG
Another sense of humour bypass, or maybe you're a fundie.
JPG
aa #1919
JPG
>On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 15:36:45 -0700, Ben Goren <b...@trumpetpower.com>
>wrote:
>
>>JPG wrote:
>>
>> > See this new form a cat carrier:
>> >
>> > http://www.compfused.com/directlink/600/
>>
>>If you're gonna troll, can you either be on-topic or show a bit of
>>imagination?
>>
>>Or, better yet, FOAD.
>>
>>Cheers,
>>
>>b&
>
>Sense of humour bypass, evidently.
Can't read, either. Spot the OT in the subject header.
JPG
aa #1919
CortxVortx
news:9rdtb1pu8ki19c9ul...@4ax.com:
I'm a cat lover, and still found it funny. It would work wonderfully on poodles, chihuahuas,
dachsunds, and other small- to mid-sized dogs.
--
Evolution can be mean: There's no "dumb-ass" vaccine. -- Jimmy Buffett
Robibnikoff
"JPG" <m...@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:bejrb1hvvcj4hhrck...@4ax.com...
Sorry, wasn't funny the first time I saw it ;P
--
------
Robyn
Resident Witchypoo
#1557
Science doesn't burn people at the stake for disagreeing - Vic Sagerquist
Robibnikoff
> On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 15:36:45 -0700, Ben Goren <b...@trumpetpower.com>
> wrote:
>
>>JPG wrote:
>>
>> > See this new form a cat carrier:
>> >
>> > http://www.compfused.com/directlink/600/
>>
>>If you're gonna troll, can you either be on-topic or show a bit of
>>imagination?
>>
>>Or, better yet, FOAD.
>>
>>Cheers,
>>
>>b&
>
> Sense of humour bypass, evidently.
Not really. It's not funny.
Robibnikoff
> On Sun, 26 Jun 2005 01:00:12 -0400, The...@storm.net wrote:
>
>>On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 22:35:13 +0100, JPG <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
>>
>>>See this new form a cat carrier:
>>>
>>>http://www.compfused.com/directlink/600/
>>
>>
>>I have a carrier for your body: a rope and trailer hitch.....:) Lemme
>>know when you need a ride to the doctor..... you seem sick already.
>>
>>
>>TheRain
>
>
> Another sense of humour bypass, or maybe you're a fundie.
And maybe, especially to a cat owner, it's not fucking funny. Ever think of
that?
I doubt it.
JPG
wrote:
>
>"JPG" <m...@privacy.net> wrote in message
>news:bejrb1hvvcj4hhrck...@4ax.com...
>> See this new form a cat carrier:
>>
>> http://www.compfused.com/directlink/600/
>
>Sorry, wasn't funny the first time I saw it ;P
Sorry if I offended. It wasn't my intention. And you know I'm not a troll.
JPG - Suitably humbled.
aa #1919
Dubh Ghall
wrote:
>
>"JPG" <m...@privacy.net> wrote in message
>news:5qdtb1lm69h89q70f...@4ax.com...
>> On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 15:36:45 -0700, Ben Goren <b...@trumpetpower.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>JPG wrote:
>>>
>>> > See this new form a cat carrier:
>>> >
>>> > http://www.compfused.com/directlink/600/
>>>
>>>If you're gonna troll, can you either be on-topic or show a bit of
>>>imagination?
>>>
>>>Or, better yet, FOAD.
>>>
>>>Cheers,
>>>
>>>b&
>>
>> Sense of humour bypass, evidently.
>
>Not really. It's not funny.
Ohhh, I don't know, my Lady.
He can come and try his luck with my little queen, but I suggest that he brings
a spare skin with him, cos the first time he touches her head, or her tail, he
is gonna need it.
She aint quite got the hang of running away.
--
Puck Greenman
The spelling, Like any opinion stated here,
is purely my own
#162 BAAWA Knight.
Plonked by Rob Duncan
Na bister 500,000
Robibnikoff
"Dubh Ghall" <pu...@pooks.hill.fey> wrote in message
news:5070c1hiccbjmklci...@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 27 Jun 2005 05:02:19 -0400, "Robibnikoff"
<witc...@broomstick.com>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >"JPG" <m...@privacy.net> wrote in message
> >news:5qdtb1lm69h89q70f...@4ax.com...
> >> On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 15:36:45 -0700, Ben Goren <b...@trumpetpower.com>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>>JPG wrote:
> >>>
> >>> > See this new form a cat carrier:
> >>> >
> >>> > http://www.compfused.com/directlink/600/
> >>>
> >>>If you're gonna troll, can you either be on-topic or show a bit of
> >>>imagination?
> >>>
> >>>Or, better yet, FOAD.
> >>>
> >>>Cheers,
> >>>
> >>>b&
> >>
> >> Sense of humour bypass, evidently.
> >
> >Not really. It's not funny.
>
>
> Ohhh, I don't know, my Lady.
>
> He can come and try his luck with my little queen, but I suggest that he
brings
> a spare skin with him, cos the first time he touches her head, or her
tail, he
> is gonna need it.
>
> She aint quite got the hang of running away.
LOL, now that's funny ;)
Ben Goren
> Dubh Ghall wrote:
>> Robibnikoff wrote:
>>> JPG wrote:
>>>> Ben Goren wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> JPG wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> See this new form a cat carrier:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://www.compfused.com/directlink/600/
>>>>>
>>>>> If you're gonna troll, can you either be on-topic or show a
>>>>> bit of imagination?
>>>>>
>>>>> Or, better yet, FOAD.
>>>>
>>>> Sense of humour bypass, evidently.
>>>
>>> Not really. It's not funny.
>>
>> Ohhh, I don't know, my Lady.
>>
>> He can come and try his luck with my little queen, but I
>> suggest that he brings a spare skin with him, cos the first
>> time he touches her head, or her tail, he is gonna need it.
>>
>> She aint quite got the hang of running away.
>
> LOL, now that's funny ;)
Reminds me of a tale somebody recently told me. Friend-of-a-friend
and all that.
Anyway, this guy living in rural Arizona was driving along the
road when he spotted a kitten that seemed to be abandoned. Cute
cat, thought it might be part manx. Not being completley
heartless, he stopped, picked it up, and adopted it.
The kitten wasn't the most cuddly of cats, but he did like to
play. Hard. But that's okay, since this guy was pretty big and
nasty in his own way, too. Whenever the cat got out of hand, a bit
of application of Newton's third law kept the cat in line.
The more mature the cat got, the more ornery he got. Soon,
nobody could have anything to do with it but the guy. They
got along fairly well, with a sort of mutual non-agression
treaty punctuated by periods of calculated incursions into enemy
territory. Incidentally, some people also remarked on the cat's
size; he was about as big as any tomcat any could remember
seeing. But the guy was pretty big, too, so they seemed a decent
fit.
One day, for whatever reason, the guy had to take the cat to the
vet. Had a hell of a time getting him in the carrier, but he
managed it and made the trip without incident. The vet was quite
apprehensive, but managed to treat the cat. As the guy was
leaving, the vet remarked that the guy should be careful whom he
let know about the cat, as anybody from the government would want
to see the permit that let him keep a bobcat as a pet.
Oh--and I would just *love* to see JPG try his joke on, say,
Missy. She's a black cat, playful and affectionate. If it weren't
for the faintly-visible rings on her coat and her generous size,
you'd never know that she was a jaguar. Just a little ways from
where Missy lives, you'll find Camille. Tawny, lazy, laid-back
type. Of course, pumas have claws almost as long as some people's
thumbs; JPG might want to watch out for those as he tries to fit
Camille into his ``carrier.'' Then, there's Dutch. He gets a bit
restless at times and starts pacing, but he'll also lay on a
fallen branch and swat at the leaves the same way any cat
would. He likes to lay on his back in the sun, demonstrating
his...ah...manhood to any who should see. Oh--and, yes, like all
tigers, Dutch really can fly. I'm sure Dutch would love JPG to
death. No, really!
Robibnikoff
"Ben Goren" <b...@trumpetpower.com> wrote in message
news:42c05...@spool9-west.superfeed.net...
Hmmmm, lemme guess :)
> One day, for whatever reason, the guy had to take the cat to the
> vet. Had a hell of a time getting him in the carrier, but he
> managed it and made the trip without incident. The vet was quite
> apprehensive, but managed to treat the cat. As the guy was
> leaving, the vet remarked that the guy should be careful whom he
> let know about the cat, as anybody from the government would want
> to see the permit that let him keep a bobcat as a pet.
LOL - Didn't the guy notice that it didn't exactly look like your regular
kitty? I would have thought the size, ears and tail would have been a dead
giveaway. Or was it a domestic cat/bobcat crossbreed?
> Oh--and I would just *love* to see JPG try his joke on, say,
> Missy. She's a black cat, playful and affectionate. If it weren't
> for the faintly-visible rings on her coat and her generous size,
> you'd never know that she was a jaguar. Just a little ways from
> where Missy lives, you'll find Camille. Tawny, lazy, laid-back
> type. Of course, pumas have claws almost as long as some people's
> thumbs; JPG might want to watch out for those as he tries to fit
> Camille into his ``carrier.'' Then, there's Dutch. He gets a bit
> restless at times and starts pacing, but he'll also lay on a
> fallen branch and swat at the leaves the same way any cat
> would. He likes to lay on his back in the sun, demonstrating
> his...ah...manhood to any who should see. Oh--and, yes, like all
> tigers, Dutch really can fly. I'm sure Dutch would love JPG to
> death. No, really!
My daughter's cat, Alysha, would probably just look confused. However, the
older feline, Kenya, would rip his head off ;)
Ben Goren
> Ben Goren wrote:
>
>> One day, for whatever reason, the guy had to take the cat to
>> the vet. Had a hell of a time getting him in the carrier, but
>> he managed it and made the trip without incident. The vet was
>> quite apprehensive, but managed to treat the cat. As the guy
>> was leaving, the vet remarked that the guy should be careful
>> whom he let know about the cat, as anybody from the government
>> would want to see the permit that let him keep a bobcat as a
>> pet.
>
> LOL - Didn't the guy notice that it didn't exactly look like
> your regular kitty? I would have thought the size, ears and
> tail would have been a dead giveaway. Or was it a domestic
> cat/bobcat crossbreed?
Well, this all *is* FOAF. But an average bobcat isn't much bigger
than a large housecat, and an abandoned runt bobcat could merely
be considered ``large.'' And the ears and tail aren't completely
out of character with a manx; somebody who didn't know much about
cats and didn't care much about assigning labels *could* make such
a mistrake. He could certainly figure some way to plead ignorance.
> My daughter's cat, Alysha, would probably just look confused.
> However, the older feline, Kenya, would rip his head off ;)
Mine would certainly do her damnedest--assuming she didn't manage
to escape and hide in the first place. She's not big and strong
enough to be lethal, but I have no doubt that she'd put up the
fight of her life--and that JPG would have the scars to prove it
for the rest of his. Which, after I finished with him, might not
be that long.
What I'd *really* like to see would be for JPG to try his toy
on Pima. She's been lonely ever since her mate, Papago, died
of an inoperable tumor in his throat. Mercifully, he didn't
suffer much. It wasn't until the keepers noticed that his roar
wasn't quite as earth-shattering as normal that they checked him
out. Painkillers kept him happy--and roaring--for the next couple
weeks until he died.
Yup. Pima sure could use a squeaky toy to take her mind off Papago
for a bit. She might even be able to get more than one meal out of
JPG, too--though perhaps just one meal and a snack.
And, yes, though she's almost twenty, she's still drop-dead
gorgeous.
skyeyes
>Or was it a domestic cat/bobcat crossbreed?
I had one of those, when I was a teenybopper. Sweet, sweet kitty.
Tufted ears, short tail, big feet, but not particularly large
body-wise.
His name was Monkey. Gone Over the Rainbow Bridge, lo these many years
ago.
Brenda Nelson, A.A.#34
EAC Professor of Feline Thermometrics and Cat-Herding
Robibnikoff
"skyeyes" <sky...@dakotacom.net> wrote in message
news:1119911615.8...@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Robibnikoff wrote:
>
>>Or was it a domestic cat/bobcat crossbreed?
>
> I had one of those, when I was a teenybopper. Sweet, sweet kitty.
> Tufted ears, short tail, big feet, but not particularly large
> body-wise.
How was his temperament?
> His name was Monkey. Gone Over the Rainbow Bridge, lo these many years
> ago.
Aw, sorry to hear that. My MIL just lost her dog of 16 years and the poor
woman's crushed :(
skyeyes
>How was his temperament?
He was a total lover-doll. Mr. Snuggles. Mr. "I Would Crawl Inside
Your Skin If I Could" Kitty.
I find that mixed-breeds (cats, dogs, horses, whatever) tend, if they
receive even minimally good treatment, to be lovers. It's your
pure-breds you hafta watch sometimes. (Although I've known pure-breds
who are lovers, too.) I think it's a feature of the "hybrid vigor"
thing.
Robibnikoff
> Robibnikoff wrote:
>
>>How was his temperament?
>
> He was a total lover-doll. Mr. Snuggles. Mr. "I Would Crawl Inside
> Your Skin If I Could" Kitty.
Cute! The witchling's cat is like that. It's a bit intrusive at times, but
generally delightful.
> I find that mixed-breeds (cats, dogs, horses, whatever) tend, if they
> receive even minimally good treatment, to be lovers. It's your
> pure-breds you hafta watch sometimes. (Although I've known pure-breds
> who are lovers, too.) I think it's a feature of the "hybrid vigor"
> thing.
You're probably right. I've seen SO many pure breds that just weren't right
in the head one way or another. Mixed breeds seem to be a lot more "normal"
or at least, sane. I've had some pure bred Siamese that were "winners" and
not necessarily in a good way.
Ben Goren
> I find that mixed-breeds (cats, dogs, horses, whatever) tend, if
> they receive even minimally good treatment, to be lovers. It's
> your pure-breds you hafta watch sometimes. (Although I've known
> pure-breds who are lovers, too.) I think it's a feature of the
> "hybrid vigor" thing.
I can add a couple canine data points. The sweetest dog I've ever
known was Chica, the vineyard mutt with a good bit of pit bull in
her with whom I had the honor and pleasure of sharing most of my
adolescence.
And I think I've previously mentioned Shone, a 3/4 grey wolf / 1/4
German shepherd. Though skittish and wary of strangers, she's a
regular (full-grown--and I do mean *full*) puppy o' love.
My Joanie is a classic black-and-white American shorthair, but
that would just seem to be the feline equivalent of ``mutt''
'round these parts. And, despite the temperature, she still spends
part of every night draped across my chest. Usually finds her way
there about the same time Robyn's witchling's familiar gets up,
too. Were I to kick my feet under the desk right now, I'd be
kicking her.
Hmm...I think she's having the cricket speed demon dream, again....
skyeyes
>Cute! The witchling's cat is like that. It's a bit intrusive at times, but
>generally delightful.
The witchling is a lucky sprite. There's nothing like a lovey cat! Of
my 6, all will snuggle with me individually, and 4 of them will consent
to a Mongolian Cluster Snuggle. Last week my cooler was on the fritz,
and there it was, 110 degrees F and every time I sat down, I was
covered with purring little heat-machines.
Ben Goren
alt.atheism.satire.
Anybody know if any of the clergy of the First Virtual Temple of
the Invisible Pink Unicorn are still around? Email to the lot of
them bounced last time I tried....
Cheers,
b&
The Forty-Second Epistle
of
Ben the You Name It
to the
Netizens of Earth
So, the other morning--very early in the morning--I stumbled out
of bed and wandered into the kitchen to get a drink of water. I
didn't feel like standing, so I decided to sit. It was chilly, so
I sat on my hands.
``Ow!'' I exclaimed and stood up quickly. Something sharp had
poked me on the back of the middle joint of my left middle finger.
While inspecting the wound, it dawned on me that I was no longer
in the kitchen. As I looked around, I realized I was in a
lovely little valley beautifully lit by the reflection of the
not-yet-risen sun off some pretty pink puffy clouds. There were
stands of trees scattered here and there, a babbling brook running
between the hills, and lots of wildflowers in full bloom in the
meadow I stood in. Full bloom, of course, except for those who
had closed up for the night.
When I turned around, I was quite surprised to not see before me
the Invisible Pink Unicorn in all her splendid glory.
``Um. Hello?'' I asked her.
``Good morning,'' she replied.
``Ah...I'm sorry, but I didn't really expect to not see you
here...wherever here is...'' I fumbled.
``Right. I get that a lot. Well, I *would* get that a lot, you
understand.''
``If you say so. Er...not to be rude or anything, bu--'' I began.
``What are we doing here?'' she interrupted.
``Well, I suppose that'll do for starters,'' I offered.
``Of course it will. I brought you here to introduce you to my
daughter.''
``Your...um...dau--'' I again began.
``Yes, my daughter. Pick up the pace, will you? The sun will rise
any minute.''
``Sun or son?''
``Right. Like I'm gonna start laughing at your two-millennia-old
jokes,'' she chided.
``Sorry,'' I mumbled. This seemed to be my morning for incoherency.
``As I was saying, you're here to meet my daughter,'' she
continued. ``And don't ask, `Why me?' You won't get an answer.''
``Okay. So where is she?'' I asked instead.
``Have a seat,'' she insisted. Not being inclined to disappoint
She Who Created The Universe And Everything Else, I did. It being
chilly, I again sat on my hands.
``Ow!'' I once again exclaimed.
``Julie, meet Ben. Ben; Julie,'' she introduced.
``Julie?'' I asked as I rubbed my finger. ``Your daughter's name
is `Julie'? And where is she?'' I wondered aloud.
``Yes,'' she testily replied, ``and you just sat on her.''
``I wha...?''
I looked on the ground where I had just sat and, sure enough,
laying in the grass, there was a bright, shiny brass thumbtack.
Pointy-side up.
``Julie?'' I very puzzily inquired.
``Yes,'' replied Her Pinkness.
``A thumbtack?''
``You're really not all that swift, are you?'' she snorted.
``Hey, when was the last time you knew a trumpeter to
be...um...that's the horizon...so...ah--vertical! Before dawn?''
``Um...Easter?'' she acknowledged.
Triumphantly, I replied, ``I rest my case.''
``Whatever. Now, there are a few things I want you to note about
Julie,'' she continued.
``Like the fact that she doesn't say much?'' I was starting to
wake up. Enough to feel smart. Not enough to be smart enough to
realize that this might not be a polite way to behave towards The
Redeemer of the Purple Oyster (of DOOM) and Her Pointy Daughter,
Julie.
```Well, I suppose that'll do for starters,''' she
scolded. ``Point being, you could learn a thing or two from her.''
``Ouch...sor--''
``Didn't I already say that time's short? So. Julie, being a
thumbtack, doesn't talk much. Unlike you. She's also pretty
sharp, also unlike you--''
``Hey!'' I interjected.
``--before noon. She's good at holding things up, like concert
flyers and lunch menus. In certain circumstances, she can even
hold up an entire bureaucracy and bring it to its knees.'' Her
Invisibleness's love for her daughter was most inspiring.
``Put it that way and she's quite impressive.''
``Thank you,'' the Horny Mother replied on Julie's behalf. ``She
can't do everything, of course. She can't, for example, hold up a
Bible. Not much point in doing so, so that's no big loss.''
``Amen,'' I concurred.
Just then, the tip of one of the hillsides started to glow.
``See what you've done? Now we're almost out of time,'' she
admonished breathlessly. I would have asked her why we had to
finish before sunrise, but I fortunately had woken up enough to
realize that it might not be very prudent to do so. ``We'll just
have to cut things short. Which Julie can do, of course, but not
very well. She's not only sharp, but she's bright. She's good at
getting people's attention, especially when they least expect it
and...'' she trailed off.
``And?'' I prodded.
``And you'll have to figure out the rest for yourself. Time to go
home,'' she concluded.
``Um...okay...how...?'' I was apparently losing my coherency, just
when I was starting to find it.
``Have a seat,'' she commanded. It took me a moment to realize
what she meant...at which point the look on my face must have
given me away. Firmly, she demanded, ``Now.''
So, I took a deep breath, folded my hands underneath me, closed my
eyes, and sat down.
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the northern end
of a southern-facing cat. As usual, my left hand was on my
abdomen and Joanie was using it and her paw as a pillow. She was
deep in the middle of some sort of dream--chasing small shiny
things, no doubt. Anyway, she kept curling her toes, with a
result obvious to anybody familiar with feline anatomy. In a
moment, her spasms subsided and she, too, woke up.
``Morning, sweetheart. You know, I wouldn't mind a change
of view,'' I greeted her. She complied...by standing up and
stretching.
``Hey--Joanie! Not *that* view!'' I knew it was futile, but what
else to do? (Aside, of course, from turning my head--which I
instinctively did.)
She then lazily turned around, plopped down again, and demanded a
face massage. Fifteen minutes later, seemingly satisfied with my
ministrations, she got up to go stalk some kibble--leaving me to
finally get up.
This time when I got up, I went straight to the computer (while
rubbing my finger), sat down (not on my hands), and promptly
proceeded to procrastinate.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2005 Ben Goren <b...@trumpetpower.com>
Permission to redistribute this Epistle in any form for any
purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the
entire Epistle, including the above copyright notice and this
permission notice, remains intact and unaltered in all copies.
Robibnikoff
> Robibnikoff wrote:
>
>>Cute! The witchling's cat is like that. It's a bit intrusive at times,
>>but
>>generally delightful.
>
> The witchling is a lucky sprite. There's nothing like a lovey cat!
She IS without a doubt the most adorable, funny, affectionate little critter
I've ever had the pleasure to be owned by ;)
Of
> my 6,
6?!? Oh my :)
all will snuggle with me individually, and 4 of them will consent
> to a Mongolian Cluster Snuggle. Last week my cooler was on the fritz,
> and there it was, 110 degrees F and every time I sat down, I was
> covered with purring little heat-machines.
Goodness, I've mainly had to deal with the elder feline. She's turning into
a total lap cat in her old age. The problem is that I, of course, wear a
lot of black and she's a mackeral tabby with that tri-colored fur that
sticks to everything and is painfully obvious. My lint brush has become my
best friend :)
Ben Goren
> Goodness, I've mainly had to deal with the elder feline. She's
> turning into a total lap cat in her old age. The problem is
> that I, of course, wear a lot of black and she's a mackeral
> tabby with that tri-colored fur that sticks to everything and is
> painfully obvious. My lint brush has become my best friend :)
Well, I'm afraid I've got you beat. Joanie is, as I think I've
mentioned, black and white. Mostly black on the top, mostly white
on the bottom, with a white neck and the usual facial markings.
Of course, this means that, whether you're wearing white, black,
or something else, her fur /will/ be visible on your clothes.
Not that I worry about that. Indeed, I consider it a badge of
honor....
Robibnikoff
> Robibnikoff wrote:
>
> > Goodness, I've mainly had to deal with the elder feline. She's
> > turning into a total lap cat in her old age. The problem is
> > that I, of course, wear a lot of black and she's a mackeral
> > tabby with that tri-colored fur that sticks to everything and is
> > painfully obvious. My lint brush has become my best friend :)
>
> Well, I'm afraid I've got you beat. Joanie is, as I think I've
> mentioned, black and white. Mostly black on the top, mostly white
> on the bottom, with a white neck and the usual facial markings.
>
> Of course, this means that, whether you're wearing white, black,
> or something else, her fur /will/ be visible on your clothes.
Yep, that sure does sound familiar :)
When I lived with my parents as a teenager, we had a black cat (who
resembles my daughter's cat down to the little white splotch on her tummy -
weird!), a huge, mainly white calico and a Siamese. The black cat would
cover the light clothing, the calico would cover the dark and the Siamese
would get everything in between. I just couldn't win :)
> Not that I worry about that. Indeed, I consider it a badge of
> honor....
Good for you :)
Ben Goren
> Ben Goren wrote:
>> Robibnikoff wrote:
>>
>>> Goodness, I've mainly had to deal with the elder feline.
>>> She's turning into a total lap cat in her old age. The
>>> problem is that I, of course, wear a lot of black and she's a
>>> mackeral tabby with that tri-colored fur that sticks to
>>> everything and is painfully obvious. My lint brush has become
>>> my best friend :)
>>
>> Well, I'm afraid I've got you beat. Joanie is, as I think I've
>> mentioned, black and white. Mostly black on the top, mostly
>> white on the bottom, with a white neck and the usual facial
>> markings.
>>
>> Of course, this means that, whether you're wearing white,
>> black, or something else, her fur /will/ be visible on your
>> clothes.
>
> Yep, that sure does sound familiar :)
>
> When I lived with my parents as a teenager, we had a black cat
> (who resembles my daughter's cat down to the little white
> splotch on her tummy - weird!), a huge, mainly white calico and
> a Siamese. The black cat would cover the light clothing, the
> calico would cover the dark and the Siamese would get everything
> in between. I just couldn't win :)
Funny. With feline friends like that I'd think you couldn't
lose.
>> Not that I worry about that. Indeed, I consider it a badge of
>> honor....
>
> Good for you :)
It helps when you can honestly say that you don't give a damn what
people think of your sartorial accouterment, so long as /you/ like
it. After that, the rest is easy.
Robibnikoff
You're right, I shouldn't make it sound that way. They were all wonderful
and I still miss them. They all had distinct personalities and were a joy
to be around. I still sort of miss having a three-feline household, but it
would be best for us to stick with two. My husband's a tolerant man, but he
does have his limits.
>
> >> Not that I worry about that. Indeed, I consider it a badge of
> >> honor....
> >
> > Good for you :)
>
> It helps when you can honestly say that you don't give a damn what
> people think of your sartorial accouterment, so long as /you/ like
> it. After that, the rest is easy.
Agreed, but between the cats and the witchling (who has long blondish hair
and she sheds as badly as the cats), I can end up looking a bit unkempt if I
don't to a once-over with the lint brush ;)
Siobhan Burke
witc...@broomstick.com says...
Do they really do that? I met a cat in a desert rock shop
once that was supposed to be the result of such a cross, but I
thought the old coot that ran the place was taking the piss. I
was making come-here noises at the cat, and was told not to
bother, as he was half bobcat and didn't like people. Imagine
the surprised looks when the cat hopped up on the counter and
started head-butting me. :) We got along fine. He didn't purr
though, and I missed that.
> > Oh--and I would just *love* to see JPG try his joke on, say,
> > Missy. She's a black cat, playful and affectionate. If it weren't
> > for the faintly-visible rings on her coat and her generous size,
> > you'd never know that she was a jaguar. Just a little ways from
> > where Missy lives, you'll find Camille. Tawny, lazy, laid-back
> > type. Of course, pumas have claws almost as long as some people's
> > thumbs; JPG might want to watch out for those as he tries to fit
> > Camille into his ``carrier.'' Then, there's Dutch. He gets a bit
> > restless at times and starts pacing, but he'll also lay on a
> > fallen branch and swat at the leaves the same way any cat
> > would. He likes to lay on his back in the sun, demonstrating
> > his...ah...manhood to any who should see. Oh--and, yes, like all
> > tigers, Dutch really can fly. I'm sure Dutch would love JPG to
> > death. No, really!
>
> My daughter's cat, Alysha, would probably just look confused. However, the
> older feline, Kenya, would rip his head off ;)
My cat Jonas would have left some bare and bloody bones behind
as well.
--
Siobhan - a.a. #2201
siobha...@CARRIERatt.net
Drop CARRIER to email
"But as a general rule, when things look bad there's always some
dickhead who can make them worse." -- Terry Pratchett
skyeyes
>6?!? Oh my :)
I started out with "only" four. Then my Mom moved in with me, bringing
her two. Then Mom died. That leaves me with six.
I have to watch myself very closely - I never met a cat I didn't want
to schlep home with me. With very little encouragement, I could easily
become one of those "collector/hoarder" types. <Shudder>
>Goodness, I've mainly had to deal with the elder feline. She's turning into
>a total lap cat in her old age. The problem is that I, of course, wear a
>lot of black and she's a mackeral tabby with that tri-colored fur that
>sticks to everything and is painfully obvious. My lint brush has become my
>best friend :)
I've given up on the cat-hair thing. I have a pure white, a
black-and-white, a gray-and-white, a solid gray, a solid black, and one
calico. There is *no* solid color I can wear that doesn't show the fur
color of one of them. I just expect my friends to overlook the cat
hair, and they all seem to manage - even my best friend, who is *very*
allergic to cats.
Now, if I could just find a use for recycled cat hair, I'd be able to
quit my job and let the furballs support me. ;->
Robibnikoff
"Siobhan Burke" <siobha...@CARRIERatt.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.1d2b53db9...@netnews.worldnet.att.net...
snip
> > LOL - Didn't the guy notice that it didn't exactly look like your
regular
> > kitty? I would have thought the size, ears and tail would have been a
dead
> > giveaway. Or was it a domestic cat/bobcat crossbreed?
>
> Do they really do that?
I don't know if people are breeding them that way on purpose (though it
wouldn't surprise me), but I know it has happened accidently (as it were).
I met a cat in a desert rock shop
> once that was supposed to be the result of such a cross, but I
> thought the old coot that ran the place was taking the piss. I
> was making come-here noises at the cat, and was told not to
> bother, as he was half bobcat and didn't like people. Imagine
> the surprised looks when the cat hopped up on the counter and
> started head-butting me. :)
Cute! Was he larger than your average feline?
We got along fine. He didn't purr
> though, and I missed that.
> > > Oh--and I would just *love* to see JPG try his joke on, say,
> > > Missy. She's a black cat, playful and affectionate. If it weren't
> > > for the faintly-visible rings on her coat and her generous size,
> > > you'd never know that she was a jaguar. Just a little ways from
> > > where Missy lives, you'll find Camille. Tawny, lazy, laid-back
> > > type. Of course, pumas have claws almost as long as some people's
> > > thumbs; JPG might want to watch out for those as he tries to fit
> > > Camille into his ``carrier.'' Then, there's Dutch. He gets a bit
> > > restless at times and starts pacing, but he'll also lay on a
> > > fallen branch and swat at the leaves the same way any cat
> > > would. He likes to lay on his back in the sun, demonstrating
> > > his...ah...manhood to any who should see. Oh--and, yes, like all
> > > tigers, Dutch really can fly. I'm sure Dutch would love JPG to
> > > death. No, really!
> >
> > My daughter's cat, Alysha, would probably just look confused. However,
the
> > older feline, Kenya, would rip his head off ;)
>
> My cat Jonas would have left some bare and bloody bones behind
> as well.
Oh dear! :)
Robibnikoff
> Robibnikoff wrote:
>
> >6?!? Oh my :)
>
> I started out with "only" four. Then my Mom moved in with me, bringing
> her two. Then Mom died. That leaves me with six.
Wow, that must be a handful (or a lapful as the case may be). Not to
mention them getting underfoot. I'm almost tripped on a daily basis with
just the two.
> I have to watch myself very closely - I never met a cat I didn't want
> to schlep home with me. With very little encouragement, I could easily
> become one of those "collector/hoarder" types. <Shudder>
Oh my, I saw something on Animal Planet not too long ago about someone like
that. Think there were over 50 cats in the house.
> >Goodness, I've mainly had to deal with the elder feline. She's turning
into
> >a total lap cat in her old age. The problem is that I, of course, wear a
> >lot of black and she's a mackeral tabby with that tri-colored fur that
> >sticks to everything and is painfully obvious. My lint brush has become
my
> >best friend :)
>
> I've given up on the cat-hair thing. I have a pure white, a
> black-and-white, a gray-and-white, a solid gray, a solid black, and one
> calico. There is *no* solid color I can wear that doesn't show the fur
> color of one of them.
LOL! Yep, sounds like you have the entire color wheel well covered :)
I just expect my friends to overlook the cat
> hair, and they all seem to manage - even my best friend, who is *very*
> allergic to cats.
Mine have learned to ignore it as well.
> Now, if I could just find a use for recycled cat hair, I'd be able to
> quit my job and let the furballs support me. ;->
Hmm, my level of cat hair wouldn't support me, but it would definitely buy a
night out at the movies every once in a while :)
magilla
When you want to put the "OW" back in "meow".
Chris
aa2186
magilla
I thought it was kinda funny. Wouldn't be funny if I thought there was
any chance it was real, mind you. But I've known a few kitties that
could benefit from the treatment:
http://www.killsometime.com/Video/video.asp?video=Pinky-The-Cat
Chris
aa2186
Siobhan Burke
witc...@broomstick.com says...
>
> "Siobhan Burke" <siobha...@CARRIERatt.net> wrote in message
> news:MPG.1d2b53db9...@netnews.worldnet.att.net...
> > In article <3ib3lkF...@individual.net>,
> > witc...@broomstick.com says...
>
> snip
> > > LOL - Didn't the guy notice that it didn't exactly look like your
> regular
> > > kitty? I would have thought the size, ears and tail would have been a
> dead
> > > giveaway. Or was it a domestic cat/bobcat crossbreed?
> >
> > Do they really do that?
>
> I don't know if people are breeding them that way on purpose (though it
> wouldn't surprise me), but I know it has happened accidently (as it were).
Yow! I hadn't even thought about people breeding them on
purpose.
> I met a cat in a desert rock shop
> > once that was supposed to be the result of such a cross, but I
> > thought the old coot that ran the place was taking the piss. I
> > was making come-here noises at the cat, and was told not to
> > bother, as he was half bobcat and didn't like people. Imagine
> > the surprised looks when the cat hopped up on the counter and
> > started head-butting me. :)
>
> Cute! Was he larger than your average feline?
Oh, yeah. About 25 pounds. If I knew then what I know now,
I'd've suggested renaming him Greebo.
> We got along fine. He didn't purr
> > though, and I missed that.
>
> > > > Oh--and I would just *love* to see JPG try his joke on, say,
> > > > Missy. She's a black cat, playful and affectionate. If it weren't
> > > > for the faintly-visible rings on her coat and her generous size,
> > > > you'd never know that she was a jaguar. Just a little ways from
> > > > where Missy lives, you'll find Camille. Tawny, lazy, laid-back
> > > > type. Of course, pumas have claws almost as long as some people's
> > > > thumbs; JPG might want to watch out for those as he tries to fit
> > > > Camille into his ``carrier.'' Then, there's Dutch. He gets a bit
> > > > restless at times and starts pacing, but he'll also lay on a
> > > > fallen branch and swat at the leaves the same way any cat
> > > > would. He likes to lay on his back in the sun, demonstrating
> > > > his...ah...manhood to any who should see. Oh--and, yes, like all
> > > > tigers, Dutch really can fly. I'm sure Dutch would love JPG to
> > > > death. No, really!
> > >
> > > My daughter's cat, Alysha, would probably just look confused. However,
> the
> > > older feline, Kenya, would rip his head off ;)
> >
> > My cat Jonas would have left some bare and bloody bones behind
> > as well.
>
> Oh dear! :)
When I met my future brother-in-law for the first time, he
wanted to make a good impression, so reached out to pet Jonas.
"Richard!" I yelled. "Never pat a cat--" Swipe! Rake! Much
yelling and bleeding from Richard. "--on the head," I finished.
The back of his hand was slashed deep enough to see a couple of
the bones. Straight to the doctor for four stitches. He was
good-natured about it, but he did always avoid cats after that.
:)
Ben Goren
> When I met my future brother-in-law for the first time, he
> wanted to make a good impression, so reached out to pet Jonas.
> "Richard!" I yelled. "Never pat a cat--" Swipe! Rake! Much
> yelling and bleeding from Richard. "--on the head," I finished.
> The back of his hand was slashed deep enough to see a couple of
> the bones. Straight to the doctor for four stitches. He was
> good-natured about it, but he did always avoid cats after that.
> :)
It's amazing, really. Lots of people say that animals don't have
language, but I just don't see how they could be so blind.
I mean, ``cat'' is /such/ an eloquent language. It's not much good
for engineering, but oh! how passionate the poetry.
And, if you should lack a cat's thick fur and skin, just remember
what it's like picking blackberries.
Robibnikoff
"Siobhan Burke" <siobha...@CARRIERatt.net> wrote in message
> In article <3idln3F...@individual.net>,
> witc...@broomstick.com says...
>>
>> "Siobhan Burke" <siobha...@CARRIERatt.net> wrote in message
>> news:MPG.1d2b53db9...@netnews.worldnet.att.net...
snip
>> I met a cat in a desert rock shop
>> > once that was supposed to be the result of such a cross, but I
>> > thought the old coot that ran the place was taking the piss. I
>> > was making come-here noises at the cat, and was told not to
>> > bother, as he was half bobcat and didn't like people. Imagine
>> > the surprised looks when the cat hopped up on the counter and
>> > started head-butting me. :)
>>
>> Cute! Was he larger than your average feline?
>
> Oh, yeah. About 25 pounds. If I knew then what I know now,
> I'd've suggested renaming him Greebo.
Excellent! Was he also sporting an eye patch by any chance?
Remember the story where Greebo was turned into a man? Think it was
"Witches Abroad". Hoooo, I'd like to see that ;)
Yikes! Stitches! Wow! I've been scratched many times, but not to that
degree
My cats are of the declawed kind (no lectures, please!!!), so that's not an
issue. And since the elder feline has lost a great deal of teeth in her
dotage, that's not much of a problem either. She still snaps at the
witchling when she "has a mood on", but my daughter no longer gets
frightened because she knows she'll only get gumbed ;)
Robibnikoff
> Siobhan Burke wrote:
>
> > When I met my future brother-in-law for the first time, he
> > wanted to make a good impression, so reached out to pet Jonas.
> > "Richard!" I yelled. "Never pat a cat--" Swipe! Rake! Much
> > yelling and bleeding from Richard. "--on the head," I finished.
> > The back of his hand was slashed deep enough to see a couple of
> > the bones. Straight to the doctor for four stitches. He was
> > good-natured about it, but he did always avoid cats after that.
> > :)
>
> It's amazing, really. Lots of people say that animals don't have
> language, but I just don't see how they could be so blind.
>
> I mean, ``cat'' is /such/ an eloquent language. It's not much good
> for engineering, but oh! how passionate the poetry.
I taught my daughter early on to be able to discern the elder feline's
moods. This cat absolutely loathed my daughter the first couple of years of
her life. She didn't like her position of spoiled baby being usurped. My
daughter's second words were "kitty cat", but spoken in a whisper, because I
taught her to be very gentle with Kenya.
> And, if you should lack a cat's thick fur and skin, just remember
> what it's like picking blackberries.
Oh my. I recall doing that. Think there's a scar or two on my legs from
that ;)
Ben Goren
> Ben Goren wrote:
>
>> Siobhan Burke wrote:
>>
>>> When I met my future brother-in-law for the first time, he
>>> wanted to make a good impression, so reached out to pet Jonas.
>>> "Richard!" I yelled. "Never pat a cat--" Swipe! Rake! Much
>>> yelling and bleeding from Richard. "--on the head," I
>>> finished. The back of his hand was slashed deep enough to see
>>> a couple of the bones. Straight to the doctor for four
>>> stitches. He was good-natured about it, but he did always
>>> avoid cats after that. :)
>>
>> It's amazing, really. Lots of people say that animals don't
>> have language, but I just don't see how they could be so blind.
>>
>> I mean, ``cat'' is /such/ an eloquent language. It's not much
>> good for engineering, but oh! how passionate the poetry.
>
> I taught my daughter early on to be able to discern the elder
> feline's moods.
Wonderful! Multilingualism is best introduced early.
> This cat absolutely loathed my daughter the first couple of
> years of her life. She didn't like her position of spoiled baby
> being usurped.
Considering the ``poor me'' act my Joanie puts on every time I
leave the apartment, I'm sure she'd be much the same way.
Hell, if she wakes up from a long nap and I'm not in the same
room, she starts wailing like it's the end of the world. Quite
disconcerting when it happens at two in the morning....
> My daughter's second words were "kitty cat", but spoken in a
> whisper, because I taught her to be very gentle with Kenya.
Again, wonderful!
You might teach her that, just like people give each other
high-fives or slap each other on the back or butt, cats sometimes
get a little physical in their expressions. And that, if we had
fur and a thick skin, too, it wouldn't hurt us when they did.
Then point out that even a cat in full attack mode isn't going to
do much worse to her than if she fell off her bike, so there's no
need to be especially afraid of them. Let 'em scratch and bite a
bit and just honestly tell them, full of honest emotion, when they
start hurting. They'll understand and learn.
Once you get to that point, and if you don't mind an occasional
scratch, you can have fun playing patty-cake with a cat. If she's
in a playful mood, lightly and quickly tough the top of her
paw. She'll draw it back. Try to touch it again. If she's in
the mood to play, she'll feint and try to touch the top of
your hand. If not, she'll look most annoyed and probably go
away. The rules are much like that of thumb war. Keep your fingers
together. Never go after anything other than the paw, and don't
get too upset if the claws are out--you started it, after
all. Start with a short game and /always/ be prepared to switch to
some other game.
>> And, if you should lack a cat's thick fur and skin, just
>> remember what it's like picking blackberries.
>
> Oh my. I recall doing that. Think there's a scar or two on my
> legs from that ;)
It was always my arms. Still quite worth it, though. Of course, I
haven't been blackberrying since I was shorter....
Robibnikoff
> Robibnikoff wrote:
snip
> >
> > I taught my daughter early on to be able to discern the elder
> > feline's moods.
>
> Wonderful! Multilingualism is best introduced early.
Well, I didn't want the little tyke to get mutilated ;)
>
> > This cat absolutely loathed my daughter the first couple of
> > years of her life. She didn't like her position of spoiled baby
> > being usurped.
>
> Considering the ``poor me'' act my Joanie puts on every time I
> leave the apartment, I'm sure she'd be much the same way.
Poor Kenya. You should have seen the look on her face when I bought my
infant daughter home. It was pretty much "What IS that and is it staying?"
> Hell, if she wakes up from a long nap and I'm not in the same
> room, she starts wailing like it's the end of the world. Quite
> disconcerting when it happens at two in the morning....
Oh dear. My cats are a bit needy, but not THAT bad. However, two of my
parents' cats were like that - and it got worse as they aged.
> > My daughter's second words were "kitty cat", but spoken in a
> > whisper, because I taught her to be very gentle with Kenya.
>
> Again, wonderful!
It was awfully cute. "Dad" was way down on the verbal list, much too my
husband's dismay :)
> You might teach her that, just like people give each other
> high-fives or slap each other on the back or butt, cats sometimes
> get a little physical in their expressions. And that, if we had
> fur and a thick skin, too, it wouldn't hurt us when they did.
> Then point out that even a cat in full attack mode isn't going to
> do much worse to her than if she fell off her bike, so there's no
> need to be especially afraid of them. Let 'em scratch and bite a
> bit and just honestly tell them, full of honest emotion, when they
> start hurting. They'll understand and learn.
True. And she does know the power of claws. The scar is almost gone, but
she got a terrific scratch when her cat ran across our bed when my daughter
was lying in it and ran across her arm.
> Once you get to that point, and if you don't mind an occasional
> scratch, you can have fun playing patty-cake with a cat. If she's
> in a playful mood, lightly and quickly tough the top of her
> paw. She'll draw it back. Try to touch it again. If she's in
> the mood to play, she'll feint and try to touch the top of
> your hand. If not, she'll look most annoyed and probably go
> away. The rules are much like that of thumb war. Keep your fingers
> together. Never go after anything other than the paw, and don't
> get too upset if the claws are out--you started it, after
> all. Start with a short game and /always/ be prepared to switch to
> some other game.
I could see playing that with my daughter's cat. My elder feline would just
look disgusted, smack you on the head and walk away flicking her tail in
disgust ;)
> >> And, if you should lack a cat's thick fur and skin, just
> >> remember what it's like picking blackberries.
> >
> > Oh my. I recall doing that. Think there's a scar or two on my
> > legs from that ;)
>
> It was always my arms. Still quite worth it, though. Of course, I
> haven't been blackberrying since I was shorter....
LOL, I haven't done it since high school :)
Siobhan Burke
b...@trumpetpower.com says...
My cat Jonas always liked my husband Michael, even when
Michael tried playing "Caractacus Being Led Through the Streets
of Rome" with him, taking Jonas's forepaws and walking him along
on his back legs. When Jonas got tired of it he merely lodged a
claw into the side of Michael's thumbnail, as if to say "I could
rip this right off of you, but I won't, old chap, if you let me
down now." Michael did. Jonas would always try to sit in
Michael's lap whenever possible, after that. I wonder if he
knew that Michael was allergic to cats...
> >> And, if you should lack a cat's thick fur and skin, just
> >> remember what it's like picking blackberries.
> >
> > Oh my. I recall doing that. Think there's a scar or two on my
> > legs from that ;)
>
> It was always my arms. Still quite worth it, though. Of course, I
> haven't been blackberrying since I was shorter....
The last time I was blackberrying was in Washington state. I
found a whole nest full of big black hornets. Run away!
Siobhan Burke
b...@trumpetpower.com says...
> Siobhan Burke wrote:
>
> > When I met my future brother-in-law for the first time, he
> > wanted to make a good impression, so reached out to pet Jonas.
> > "Richard!" I yelled. "Never pat a cat--" Swipe! Rake! Much
> > yelling and bleeding from Richard. "--on the head," I finished.
> > The back of his hand was slashed deep enough to see a couple of
> > the bones. Straight to the doctor for four stitches. He was
> > good-natured about it, but he did always avoid cats after that.
> > :)
>
> It's amazing, really. Lots of people say that animals don't have
> language, but I just don't see how they could be so blind.
>
> I mean, ``cat'' is /such/ an eloquent language. It's not much good
> for engineering, but oh! how passionate the poetry.
>
How about when the cat rolls over, grabs your wrist in both
forepaws and scratches bloody hell out of your forearm with both
back feet? Try telling the inexperienced that that is a sign of
affection. Er, it *is* a sign of affection, isn't it?
> And, if you should lack a cat's thick fur and skin, just remember
> what it's like picking blackberries.
Ah, blackberry dumplings! Maine seems to be too far north for
wild blackberries, alas. Blueberries, now...
Siobhan Burke
>
> "Siobhan Burke" <siobha...@CARRIERatt.net> wrote in message
> news:MPG.1d2c73ac...@netnews.worldnet.att.net...
> > In article <3idln3F...@individual.net>,
> > witc...@broomstick.com says...
> >>
> >> "Siobhan Burke" <siobha...@CARRIERatt.net> wrote in message
> >> news:MPG.1d2b53db9...@netnews.worldnet.att.net...
>
> snip
> >> I met a cat in a desert rock shop
> >> > once that was supposed to be the result of such a cross, but I
> >> > thought the old coot that ran the place was taking the piss. I
> >> > was making come-here noises at the cat, and was told not to
> >> > bother, as he was half bobcat and didn't like people. Imagine
> >> > the surprised looks when the cat hopped up on the counter and
> >> > started head-butting me. :)
> >>
> >> Cute! Was he larger than your average feline?
> >
> > Oh, yeah. About 25 pounds. If I knew then what I know now,
> > I'd've suggested renaming him Greebo.
>
> Excellent! Was he also sporting an eye patch by any chance?
>
> Remember the story where Greebo was turned into a man? Think it was
> "Witches Abroad". Hoooo, I'd like to see that ;)
"Don't look, Magrat!" Yeah, *what* a mental image that was.
"Coo! No wonder all the lady cats scream in the night!"
It probably wouldn't have been so bad if Richard hadn't jerked
away, but Jonas *was* a fighter. He was supposed to have had
the operation, but he always acted more like a tom than a tim.
And there were an awful lot of black kittens born around the
neighborhood while he was in his prime.
> My cats are of the declawed kind (no lectures, please!!!), so that's not an
> issue. And since the elder feline has lost a great deal of teeth in her
> dotage, that's not much of a problem either. She still snaps at the
> witchling when she "has a mood on", but my daughter no longer gets
> frightened because she knows she'll only get gumbed ;)
Now, there's another mental image. :) Hey, I can understand
declawing for indoor cats, no lectures from me.
Robibnikoff
"Siobhan Burke" <siobha...@CARRIERatt.net> wrote in message
snip
> >
> > Excellent! Was he also sporting an eye patch by any chance?
> >
> > Remember the story where Greebo was turned into a man? Think it was
> > "Witches Abroad". Hoooo, I'd like to see that ;)
>
> "Don't look, Magrat!" Yeah, *what* a mental image that was.
> "Coo! No wonder all the lady cats scream in the night!"
Yowsa! ;)
Oh my. Reminds me of this huge gray persian in my neighborhood where I grew
up. His name was Solomon and he lived up to his regal title. Every kitten
born in the neighborhood for several years had long fur. Sadly, his
wandering ways caused him to wander into the path of an oncoming car. At
least he left quite a few legacies behind.
>
> > My cats are of the declawed kind (no lectures, please!!!), so that's
not an
> > issue. And since the elder feline has lost a great deal of teeth in her
> > dotage, that's not much of a problem either. She still snaps at the
> > witchling when she "has a mood on", but my daughter no longer gets
> > frightened because she knows she'll only get gumbed ;)
>
> Now, there's another mental image. :) Hey, I can understand
> declawing for indoor cats, no lectures from me.
I wanted to avoid doing it, but I was getting accidentally mauled and I
didn't want the same to happen to my daughter.
Ben Goren
> Ben Goren wrote:
>
>> Hell, if she wakes up from a long nap and I'm not in the same
>> room, she starts wailing like it's the end of the world. Quite
>> disconcerting when it happens at two in the morning....
>
> Oh dear. My cats are a bit needy, but not THAT bad. However,
> two of my parents' cats were like that - and it got worse as
> they aged.
Now you're scarin' me....
>>> My daughter's second words were "kitty cat", but spoken in a
>>> whisper, because I taught her to be very gentle with Kenya.
>>
>> Again, wonderful!
>
> It was awfully cute. "Dad" was way down on the verbal list,
> much too my husband's dismay :)
Aw, heck. I long ago decided that I in no way will ever take
offense at how quickly my future offspring learn my name in their
infancy...so long as they don't take offense at how quickly I
forget theirs in my senility.
>> You might teach her that, just like people give each other
>> high-fives or slap each other on the back or butt, cats
>> sometimes get a little physical in their expressions. And that,
>> if we had fur and a thick skin, too, it wouldn't hurt us when
>> they did. Then point out that even a cat in full attack mode
>> isn't going to do much worse to her than if she fell off her
>> bike, so there's no need to be especially afraid of them. Let
>> 'em scratch and bite a bit and just honestly tell them, full of
>> honest emotion, when they start hurting. They'll understand and
>> learn.
>
> True. And she does know the power of claws. The scar is almost
> gone, but she got a terrific scratch when her cat ran across our
> bed when my daughter was lying in it and ran across her arm.
Ouch! The poor dears really don't understand what those claws do
to our non-feline covering, no?
I mean, it's bad enough when Joanie is laying on my chest, and I'm
rubbing her ear, and I hit that spot /just/ right...and she starts
curling her toes....
>> Once you get to that point, and if you don't mind an occasional
>> scratch, you can have fun playing patty-cake with a cat. If
>> she's in a playful mood, lightly and quickly tough the top of
>> her paw. She'll draw it back. Try to touch it again. If she's
>> in the mood to play, she'll feint and try to touch the top of
>> your hand. If not, she'll look most annoyed and probably go
>> away. The rules are much like that of thumb war. Keep your
>> fingers together. Never go after anything other than the paw,
>> and don't get too upset if the claws are out--you started it,
>> after all. Start with a short game and /always/ be prepared to
>> switch to some other game.
>
> I could see playing that with my daughter's cat. My elder
> feline would just look disgusted, smack you on the head and walk
> away flicking her tail in disgust ;)
Yes, well. Nobody ever accused cats of a lack of personality.
I'm fond of the game because it's the only one I can think of that
doesn't require toys--just me and cat. Joanie mostly humors me, I
think. She prefers stalking and chasing. Even better if the thing
being stalked is /just/ out of sight....
>>>> And, if you should lack a cat's thick fur and skin, just
>>>> remember what it's like picking blackberries.
>>>
>>> Oh my. I recall doing that. Think there's a scar or two on
>>> my legs from that ;)
>>
>> It was always my arms. Still quite worth it, though. Of course,
>> I haven't been blackberrying since I was shorter....
>
> LOL, I haven't done it since high school :)
My grandma lived on the south side of Albany Hill, just up the
road from UC Berkeley. On the north side of the hill was a
stream. Except...you couldn't see the stream for the blackberry
bushes.
At least the terminal end of the stream has been replaced with a
high-rise apartment complex.
Never can go back, can you?
Ben Goren
> Ben Goren wrote:
>
>> Once you get to that point, and if you don't mind an occasional
>> scratch, you can have fun playing patty-cake with a cat. If
>> she's in a playful mood, lightly and quickly tough the top of
>> her paw. She'll draw it back. Try to touch it again. If she's
>> in the mood to play, she'll feint and try to touch the top of
>> your hand. If not, she'll look most annoyed and probably go
>> away. The rules are much like that of thumb war. Keep your
>> fingers together. Never go after anything other than the paw,
>> and don't get too upset if the claws are out--you started it,
>> after all. Start with a short game and /always/ be prepared to
>> switch to some other game.
>
> My cat Jonas always liked my husband Michael, even when Michael
> tried playing "Caractacus Being Led Through the Streets of Rome"
> with him, taking Jonas's forepaws and walking him along on his
> back legs. When Jonas got tired of it he merely lodged a claw
> into the side of Michael's thumbnail, as if to say "I could rip
> this right off of you, but I won't, old chap, if you let me down
> now."
Like I said. Most eloquent language. Quite economical, too--it's
really an accomplishment.
As I mentioned in my reply to Robyn, it sounds like Jonas was
humoring Michael the same way I think Joanie humors me. Cats
really can be most sympathetic and tolerant when they want, so
long as you return the courtesy.
> Michael did.
See? /Anybody/ can learn to speak cat.
> Jonas would always try to sit in Michael's lap whenever
> possible, after that. I wonder if he knew that Michael was
> allergic to cats...
Oh, without a doubt. Cats have a fully-developed sense of
mischief, to be sure.
>>>> And, if you should lack a cat's thick fur and skin, just
>>>> remember what it's like picking blackberries.
>>>
>>> Oh my. I recall doing that. Think there's a scar or two on
>>> my legs from that ;)
>>
>> It was always my arms. Still quite worth it, though. Of course,
>> I haven't been blackberrying since I was shorter....
>
> The last time I was blackberrying was in Washington state. I
> found a whole nest full of big black hornets. Run away!
Um, yes. Hornets seem to be on quite a hair-trigger. If you get
bees upset, you can (almost-but-not-quite always) apologize and
back away from them without further incident, and most of the time
they're quite happy to share their airspace with you and maybe
even do a dance for you. I've never gotten that sense from
hornets...but, then again, I've never come across that many.
Ben Goren
> Ben Goren wrote:
>
>> Siobhan Burke wrote:
>>
>>> When I met my future brother-in-law for the first time, he
>>> wanted to make a good impression, so reached out to pet Jonas.
>>> "Richard!" I yelled. "Never pat a cat--" Swipe! Rake! Much
>>> yelling and bleeding from Richard. "--on the head," I
>>> finished. The back of his hand was slashed deep enough to see
>>> a couple of the bones. Straight to the doctor for four
>>> stitches. He was good-natured about it, but he did always
>>> avoid cats after that. :)
>>
>> It's amazing, really. Lots of people say that animals don't
>> have language, but I just don't see how they could be so blind.
>>
>> I mean, ``cat'' is /such/ an eloquent language. It's not much
>> good for engineering, but oh! how passionate the poetry.
>
> How about when the cat rolls over, grabs your wrist in both
> forepaws and scratches bloody hell out of your forearm with both
> back feet? Try telling the inexperienced that that is a sign of
> affection. Er, it *is* a sign of affection, isn't it?
It /can/ be. It can also mean that the cat thinks you're prey or a
foe. And cats can sometimes get confused to the point that it's
all three at once.
I've found that complete nonresistance coupled with a /most/
injured (/and/ sincere) cry of ``Hey! Ow! That /hurts/!'' is the
best method of disentanglement--and it's the best way to mitigate
such ``attacks'' in the future. The cat still might grab you, but
the claws won't come out, and the kicking will be token and
playful. Still might break the skin, but certainly no worse than
careless blackberrying. Oh--and it might take a few iterations for
her to get the point.
Never, ever retaliate by hitting. Don't even think about it.
Of course, there's nothing stopping /you/ from biting /her/,
however....
>> And, if you should lack a cat's thick fur and skin, just
>> remember what it's like picking blackberries.
>
>
> Ah, blackberry dumplings! Maine seems to be too far north for
> wild blackberries, alas. Blueberries, now...
Aside from the berries themselves--when I was young, I probably
picked almost as many berries as the adults but still just barely
managed to fill my single small bucket--my favorite would have to
have been the pies. But it was all wonderful, to be sure.
I've never had a chance to pick wild blueberries. I don't see how
they could be /quite/ as good as blackberries, but I'm willing to
concede that may be a matter of regional preference.
Robibnikoff
> Robibnikoff wrote:
>
> > Ben Goren wrote:
> >
> >> Hell, if she wakes up from a long nap and I'm not in the same
> >> room, she starts wailing like it's the end of the world. Quite
> >> disconcerting when it happens at two in the morning....
> >
> > Oh dear. My cats are a bit needy, but not THAT bad. However,
> > two of my parents' cats were like that - and it got worse as
> > they aged.
>
> Now you're scarin' me....
>
> >>> My daughter's second words were "kitty cat", but spoken in a
> >>> whisper, because I taught her to be very gentle with Kenya.
> >>
> >> Again, wonderful!
> >
> > It was awfully cute. "Dad" was way down on the verbal list,
> > much too my husband's dismay :)
>
> Aw, heck. I long ago decided that I in no way will ever take
> offense at how quickly my future offspring learn my name in their
> infancy...so long as they don't take offense at how quickly I
> forget theirs in my senility.
He actually didn't take it too hard. We were both so pleased that she was
doing well verbally (started talking at 6 months old) that it didn't really
matter what she said.
> >> You might teach her that, just like people give each other
> >> high-fives or slap each other on the back or butt, cats
> >> sometimes get a little physical in their expressions. And that,
> >> if we had fur and a thick skin, too, it wouldn't hurt us when
> >> they did. Then point out that even a cat in full attack mode
> >> isn't going to do much worse to her than if she fell off her
> >> bike, so there's no need to be especially afraid of them. Let
> >> 'em scratch and bite a bit and just honestly tell them, full of
> >> honest emotion, when they start hurting. They'll understand and
> >> learn.
> >
> > True. And she does know the power of claws. The scar is almost
> > gone, but she got a terrific scratch when her cat ran across our
> > bed when my daughter was lying in it and ran across her arm.
>
> Ouch! The poor dears really don't understand what those claws do
> to our non-feline covering, no?
>
> I mean, it's bad enough when Joanie is laying on my chest, and I'm
> rubbing her ear, and I hit that spot /just/ right...and she starts
> curling her toes....
Ouch! Been there. I also really hate when they decide to jump off you and
dig in those hind claws. Of course, one of the most painful experiences I
had was last week when my daughter's cat came tearing into the family room
and instead of jumping up onto the back of the couch ran smack into my face.
It was like getting punched in the head!
> >> Once you get to that point, and if you don't mind an occasional
> >> scratch, you can have fun playing patty-cake with a cat. If
> >> she's in a playful mood, lightly and quickly tough the top of
> >> her paw. She'll draw it back. Try to touch it again. If she's
> >> in the mood to play, she'll feint and try to touch the top of
> >> your hand. If not, she'll look most annoyed and probably go
> >> away. The rules are much like that of thumb war. Keep your
> >> fingers together. Never go after anything other than the paw,
> >> and don't get too upset if the claws are out--you started it,
> >> after all. Start with a short game and /always/ be prepared to
> >> switch to some other game.
> >
> > I could see playing that with my daughter's cat. My elder
> > feline would just look disgusted, smack you on the head and walk
> > away flicking her tail in disgust ;)
>
> Yes, well. Nobody ever accused cats of a lack of personality.
>
> I'm fond of the game because it's the only one I can think of that
> doesn't require toys--just me and cat. Joanie mostly humors me, I
> think. She prefers stalking and chasing. Even better if the thing
> being stalked is /just/ out of sight....
My daughter's cat LOVES to play fetch.......................for hours :P
> >>>> And, if you should lack a cat's thick fur and skin, just
> >>>> remember what it's like picking blackberries.
> >>>
> >>> Oh my. I recall doing that. Think there's a scar or two on
> >>> my legs from that ;)
> >>
> >> It was always my arms. Still quite worth it, though. Of course,
> >> I haven't been blackberrying since I was shorter....
> >
> > LOL, I haven't done it since high school :)
>
> My grandma lived on the south side of Albany Hill, just up the
> road from UC Berkeley. On the north side of the hill was a
> stream. Except...you couldn't see the stream for the blackberry
> bushes.
Wow, sounds nice (if not a bit painful)
> At least the terminal end of the stream has been replaced with a
> high-rise apartment complex.
Hmmm, that's like the apple orchard we used to walk through when we were
kids - now it's full of corporate complexes.
>
> Never can go back, can you?
Sadly, no :(
Ben Goren
> Ben Goren wrote:
>
>>>>> My daughter's second words were "kitty cat", but spoken in a
>>>>> whisper, because I taught her to be very gentle with Kenya.
>>>>
>>>> Again, wonderful!
>>>
>>> It was awfully cute. "Dad" was way down on the verbal list,
>>> much too my husband's dismay :)
>>
>>Aw, heck. I long ago decided that I in no way will ever take
>>offense at how quickly my future offspring learn my name in
>>their infancy...so long as they don't take offense at how
>>quickly I forget theirs in my senility.
>
> He actually didn't take it too hard. We were both so pleased
> that she was doing well verbally (started talking at 6 months
> old) that it didn't really matter what she said.
Six months! Not bad at all. So, when'd she start reading? Eight
months?
Oh, man that would hurt. Joanie has launched off me once or twice,
but not for a long time. And never for real. When she wants to,
she practically teleports. Scale her up to tiger-size, and you
quickly realize that, no, really, tigers truly do /fly/.
>>>> Once you get to that point, and if you don't mind an
>>>> occasional scratch, you can have fun playing patty-cake with
>>>> a cat. If she's in a playful mood, lightly and quickly tough
>>>> the top of her paw. She'll draw it back. Try to touch it
>>>> again. If she's in the mood to play, she'll feint and try to
>>>> touch the top of your hand. If not, she'll look most annoyed
>>>> and probably go away. The rules are much like that of thumb
>>>> war. Keep your fingers together. Never go after anything
>>>> other than the paw, and don't get too upset if the claws are
>>>> out--you started it, after all. Start with a short game and
>>>> /always/ be prepared to switch to some other game.
>>>
>>> I could see playing that with my daughter's cat. My elder
>>> feline would just look disgusted, smack you on the head and
>>> walk away flicking her tail in disgust ;)
>>
>> Yes, well. Nobody ever accused cats of a lack of personality.
>>
>> I'm fond of the game because it's the only one I can think of
>> that doesn't require toys--just me and cat. Joanie mostly
>> humors me, I think. She prefers stalking and chasing. Even
>> better if the thing being stalked is /just/ out of sight....
>
> My daughter's cat LOVES to play fetch...............for hours :P
So does Joanie, but thankfully not for hours.. Except...her idea
of ``fetch'' is me tossing a ball, her chasing and pouncing on
it...and then me retreiving the ball. Works much better if I've
got a supply of balls.
Joanie /is/ an excellent soccer player. I'm not sure who gets more
fun out of that one--her playing or me watching.
>>>>>> And, if you should lack a cat's thick fur and skin, just
>>>>>> remember what it's like picking blackberries.
>>>>>
>>>>> Oh my. I recall doing that. Think there's a scar or two on
>>>>> my legs from that ;)
>>>>
>>>> It was always my arms. Still quite worth it, though. Of
>>>> course, I haven't been blackberrying since I was shorter....
>>>
>>> LOL, I haven't done it since high school :)
>>
>> My grandma lived on the south side of Albany Hill, just up the
>> road from UC Berkeley. On the north side of the hill was a
>> stream. Except...you couldn't see the stream for the blackberry
>> bushes.
>
> Wow, sounds nice (if not a bit painful)
Actually, the berries and the excitement meant that the pain
usually didn't come until later. Even then, it never was all that
bad.
>> At least the terminal end of the stream has been replaced with
>> a high-rise apartment complex.
>
> Hmmm, that's like the apple orchard we used to walk through when
> we were kids - now it's full of corporate complexes.
>
>> Never can go back, can you?
>
> Sadly, no :(
<sigh>
skyeyes
>True. And she does know the power of claws. The scar is almost gone, but
>she got a terrific scratch when her cat ran across our bed when my daughter
>was lying in it and ran across her arm.
Two words: "Soft Claws" http://www.safepetproducts.com
I have 'em on my nasty-ass big black cat who picks on the calico. In
fact, she's getting a new set this weekend.
skyeyes
>If you get bees upset, you can (almost-but-not-quite
>always) apologize and back away from them without
>further incident, and most of the time they're quite happy
>to share their airspace with you and maybe
>even do a dance for you.
Down here in Baja Arizona, 98% of the bees were Africanized as of 6
years ago. I expect it's 100% today. Africanized bees do not wait for
apologies. And I don't have enough of a death wish to want to hang
around to see if they dance. Yikes!
Ben Goren
> Two words: "Soft Claws" http://www.safepetproducts.com
Now, if ever there was a deserving recipient of a lifetime ``Now
why didn't /I/ think of that!'' award with compassionate clusters,
this is it!
skyeyes
>> Two words: "Soft Claws" http://www.safepetproducts.com
>Now, if ever there was a deserving recipient of a lifetime ``Now
>why didn't /I/ think of that!'' award with compassionate clusters,
>this is it!
*Seriously*. They're not that big of a deal to put on a cat (if the
cat is even half-way cooperative), and the Soft Claws don't seem to
bother them. I was afraid my cat (P'polo P'poki) would fret and pull
them off, but she never did. A set lasts 6 to 8 weeks, and they come
in colors. Poki's new set will be hot pink. ;->
And when they scratch you, it feels like you're being toed by a tree
frog. <Grin>
Ben Goren
> Ben Goren wrote:
>
>> If you get bees upset, you can (almost-but-not-quite always)
>> apologize and back away from them without further incident, and
>> most of the time they're quite happy to share their airspace
>> with you and maybe even do a dance for you.
>
> Down here in Baja Arizona, 98% of the bees were Africanized as
> of 6 years ago. I expect it's 100% today. Africanized bees do
> not wait for apologies. And I don't have enough of a death wish
> to want to hang around to see if they dance. Yikes!
Up here in Maricopa County, too, best I know, they're all
Africanized. And I've yet to meet an aggressive bee that wasn't
defending her hive or herself. When she's buzzing around flowers
doing her business, a honey bee, Africanized or not, will be quite
happy to let you sniff the flowers, too--so long as you don't try
to sniff the same flower she's harvesting!
If they're swarming, treat 'em just like you would a
rattler--don't approach but don't worry. Move, but don't run, out
of their way.
If a swarm decided to make a hive in my yard--not that I currently
have much of an excuse for a yard--I'd give them a day or two to
get settled and then have a chat with them. I'd tell them that
they'd be welcome to stay, so long as they mind their manners and
do their part by keeping the flowers pollenated. To be sure, I'd
be wearing long sleeves and a hat while doing so, and probably
gloves.
After that, it's up to them whether or not I call an apiary
relocation service. From what I've heard of others with similar
experiences, we should be able to get along just fine.
Bees aren't the brightest critters out there, but the're
not all that dumb, either. They've got a healthy sense of
self-preservation. To be sure, that sense leads to aggressive
defenses, but it also means that they don't pick fights when they
don't have to.
skyeyes
>If a swarm decided to make a hive in my yard--not that I currently
>have much of an excuse for a yard--I'd give them a day or two to
>get settled and then have a chat with them. I'd tell them that
>they'd be welcome to stay, so long as they mind their manners and
>do their part by keeping the flowers pollenated. To be sure, I'd
>be wearing long sleeves and a hat while doing so, and probably
>gloves.
I don't know how the laws are up there in ScumDevil-land, but down here
in The Old Pueblo, you're legally liable for the behavior of any
Africanized bees on your property. If someone gets stung by one of
"your" bees, you can be sued, and if they are mobbed by the little
psychopaths, it could get expensive.
Ben, Sugar, you're very cosmic and all - and I *like* that (heck, I
don't kill spiders, I set them gently outside the back door) - but you
can't afford to be cosmic with Africanized bees. They set up hives at
my Mom's old house *twice* in 6 years, and it wasn't pretty. Cost me
$400 the first time to have them exterminated, and over $700 the second
time, due to the fact that they had excavated a hive in the ground that
was a bitch to get rid of.
>After that, it's up to them whether or not I call an apiary
>relocation service. From what I've heard of others with similar
>experiences, we should be able to get along just fine.
Down here, you can't relocate them. The apiaries don't want 'em. We
have family friends in the honey business, and they won't touch a
Tucson colony of bees, nor will any of their fellow honey-producers.
If they need bees, they get 'em from elsewhere.
I tried to get *someone* to relocate the first swarm that showed up on
Mom's property, and was told repeatedly that swarms were no longer
relocated in Tucson, only eradicated.
>Bees aren't the brightest critters out there, but the're
>not all that dumb, either. They've got a healthy sense of
>self-preservation. To be sure, that sense leads to aggressive
>defenses, but it also means that they don't pick fights when they
>don't have to.
Sorry to disabuse your notion, Ben, but Africanized bees actually *do*
pick fights when they don't have to. That's the whole point of why
they're dangerous.
Ben Goren
> Ben Goren wrote:
>
>>> Two words: "Soft Claws" http://www.safepetproducts.com
>>
>> Now, if ever there was a deserving recipient of a lifetime
>> ``Now why didn't /I/ think of that!'' award with compassionate
>> clusters, this is it!
>
> *Seriously*. They're not that big of a deal to put on a cat (if
> the cat is even half-way cooperative), and the Soft Claws don't
> seem to bother them. I was afraid my cat (P'polo P'poki) would
> fret and pull them off, but she never did. A set lasts 6 to 8
> weeks, and they come in colors. Poki's new set will be hot
> pink. ;->
>
> And when they scratch you, it feels like you're being toed by a
> tree frog. <Grin>
I don't think there'd be any need for Joanie to get them; she
doesn't damage the furniture and what she does to the carpet is
only very slightly worse than what I do by walking on it. And
she's long since figured out how much abuse my skin can take; when
the claws /do/ come out, it rarely takes more than a couple days
for me to heal.
But, I gotta ask: does P'polo P'poki still stretch her digits by
pulling on things? Does she still try to sharpen her claws, such
as with her teeth?
Hmmm...does make me wonder what color would be most appropriate
for a black-and-white cat. Almost anything would work, no?
skyeyes
>But, I gotta ask: does P'polo P'poki still stretch her digits by
>pulling on things?
Yup. She still "claws" the cat-tree, and my leg. Dang, I love those
Soft Claws. <G>
>Does she still try to sharpen her claws, such as with her teeth?
No, she doesn't use her teeth on them - that was what I was initially
afraid of, that I'd sink a bunch of money into the Soft Claws and then
she'd pull them off. Actually, they don't seem to affect her one
little bit. The Soft Claws are so...organic...that when she retracts
her claws, they go entirely into the sheath, just as her claws did
un-covered.
>Hmmm...does make me wonder what color would be most appropriate
>for a black-and-white cat. Almost anything would work, no?
Red, for a B&W, I think. I *always* accessorize my Tuxedo kitty with
red stuff, and it makes her look *so* sharp! The pure white kitty
(blue-eyed and therefore deaf) and the Russian Blue are both getting
the light-blue Soft Claws. The other three of my puddy-tats aren't
problem clawers, so they don't have to get Soft Claws.
Ben Goren
> Sorry to disabuse your notion, Ben, but Africanized bees
> actually *do* pick fights when they don't have to. That's the
> whole point of why they're dangerous.
Then I must not have actually met any of them, yet. I see bees
'round here all the time, and never once has any of them been
threatening in the slightest way.
Maybe they're ``just a little bit'' Africanized up here? Or maybe
I've just never been especially close to a hive.
Ben Goren
> Ben Goren wrote:
>
>> But, I gotta ask: does P'polo P'poki still stretch her digits
>> by pulling on things?
>
> Yup. She still "claws" the cat-tree, and my leg. Dang, I love
> those Soft Claws. <G>
Hmmm. Almost makes one wonder what they'd be like on a bigger
cat....
>>Does she still try to sharpen her claws, such as with her teeth?
>
> No, she doesn't use her teeth on them - that was what I was
> initially afraid of, that I'd sink a bunch of money into the
> Soft Claws and then she'd pull them off. Actually, they
> don't seem to affect her one little bit. The Soft Claws
> are so...organic...that when she retracts her claws, they go
> entirely into the sheath, just as her claws did un-covered.
Wow--that's impressive. If I needed them, I'd be sold.
>> Hmmm...does make me wonder what color would be most appropriate
>> for a black-and-white cat. Almost anything would work, no?
>
> Red, for a B&W, I think. I *always* accessorize my Tuxedo kitty
> with red stuff, and it makes her look *so* sharp!
Well, Joanie /always/ looks sharp. Especially when teeth and claws
are out...but a bright fire-engine red would probably look good on
her, too. Make it look like she just made the kill....
> The pure white kitty (blue-eyed and therefore deaf) and the
> Russian Blue are both getting the light-blue Soft Claws.
Being male and thus completely color-coordination-challenged, I
wouldn't have the foggiest idea whether it would be better to
match or contrast. That's the great thing about black and
white--can't go worng.
> The other three of my puddy-tats aren't problem clawers, so they
> don't have to get Soft Claws.
And some people still have the nerve to suggest that cats have no
personality....
skyeyes
>Then I must not have actually met any of them, yet. I see bees
>'round here all the time, and never once has any of them been
>threatening in the slightest way.
They attacked the 6-year-old child of my Mom's neighbor, because he was
blowing on a plastic toy whistle. He was sitting down in his own back
yard on a lawn chair, approximately 150 feet from the hive. Seems the
Africanized bees don't like loud noises. Last year a different swarm
attacked a man who was using a noisy lawn-mower 3 houses away from
where their hive was.
They also don't like the colors black or red (the exterminator guy told
me this).
>Maybe they're ``just a little bit'' Africanized up here?
Dunno. Could be. But if I were you, I wouldn't count on it. Better
safe than sorry, and all that.
>Or maybe I've just never been especially close to a hive.
That might be your answer, kiddo.
Robibnikoff
"skyeyes" <sky...@dakotacom.net> wrote in message
news:1120164959....@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Ben Goren wrote:
>
>>If a swarm decided to make a hive in my yard--not that I currently
>>have much of an excuse for a yard--I'd give them a day or two to
>>get settled and then have a chat with them. I'd tell them that
>>they'd be welcome to stay, so long as they mind their manners and
>>do their part by keeping the flowers pollenated. To be sure, I'd
>>be wearing long sleeves and a hat while doing so, and probably
>>gloves.
>
> I don't know how the laws are up there in ScumDevil-land, but down here
> in The Old Pueblo, you're legally liable for the behavior of any
> Africanized bees on your property. If someone gets stung by one of
> "your" bees, you can be sued, and if they are mobbed by the little
> psychopaths, it could get expensive.
>
> Ben, Sugar, you're very cosmic and all - and I *like* that (heck, I
> don't kill spiders, I set them gently outside the back door) -
You too? Bless you! Urm....whatever :)
Robibnikoff
> Robibnikoff wrote:
>
>>True. And she does know the power of claws. The scar is almost gone, but
>>she got a terrific scratch when her cat ran across our bed when my
>>daughter
>>was lying in it and ran across her arm.
>
> Two words: "Soft Claws" http://www.safepetproducts.com
>
> I have 'em on my nasty-ass big black cat who picks on the calico. In
> fact, she's getting a new set this weekend.
Ah, thanks. However, we have only the occaisonal back claws issue here, but
it's something to think about.
Robibnikoff
> skyeyes wrote:
>
> > Ben Goren wrote:
> >
> >>> Two words: "Soft Claws" http://www.safepetproducts.com
> >>
> >> Now, if ever there was a deserving recipient of a lifetime
> >> ``Now why didn't /I/ think of that!'' award with compassionate
> >> clusters, this is it!
> >
> > *Seriously*. They're not that big of a deal to put on a cat (if
> > the cat is even half-way cooperative), and the Soft Claws don't
> > seem to bother them. I was afraid my cat (P'polo P'poki) would
> > fret and pull them off, but she never did. A set lasts 6 to 8
> > weeks, and they come in colors. Poki's new set will be hot
> > pink. ;->
> >
> > And when they scratch you, it feels like you're being toed by a
> > tree frog. <Grin>
>
> I don't think there'd be any need for Joanie to get them; she
> doesn't damage the furniture and what she does to the carpet is
> only very slightly worse than what I do by walking on it. And
> she's long since figured out how much abuse my skin can take; when
> the claws /do/ come out, it rarely takes more than a couple days
> for me to heal.
>
> But, I gotta ask: does P'polo P'poki still stretch her digits by
> pulling on things? Does she still try to sharpen her claws, such
> as with her teeth?
My daughter's cat loves to "sharpen her claws" on me, on any part of my
body. In her case, I think it's more of an affection, "wanna be close to
mommy", instinctive thing. For instance, I'll be bending over the kitchen
table helping my daughter with her home work, next thing I know, there's a
small black cat "sharpening" her "claws" in my right thigh :)
Tim McGaughy
> Maybe they're ``just a little bit'' Africanized up here?
There's no such thing. Africanized don't interbreed with European.
They'll move into the same hive, and interact with them, but they'll
kill the queen.
Mike Painter
> "skyeyes" <sky...@dakotacom.net> wrote in message
> news:1120164959....@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>> Ben Goren wrote:
>>
>>> If a swarm decided to make a hive in my yard--not that I currently
>>> have much of an excuse for a yard--I'd give them a day or two to
>>> get settled and then have a chat with them. I'd tell them that
>>> they'd be welcome to stay, so long as they mind their manners and
>>> do their part by keeping the flowers pollenated. To be sure, I'd
>>> be wearing long sleeves and a hat while doing so, and probably
>>> gloves.
>>
>> I don't know how the laws are up there in ScumDevil-land, but down
>> here in The Old Pueblo, you're legally liable for the behavior of any
>> Africanized bees on your property. If someone gets stung by one of
>> "your" bees, you can be sued, and if they are mobbed by the little
>> psychopaths, it could get expensive.
>>
>> Ben, Sugar, you're very cosmic and all - and I *like* that (heck, I
>> don't kill spiders, I set them gently outside the back door) -
>
> You too? Bless you! Urm....whatever :)
I pretty much leave them alone but will put them out when others discover
them.
I was paying more attention to a big wolf spider in my EMT class when the
instructor noticed it and odd Mike would not let them kill it. Once you get
one in yours hands people give you a wide berth.
Ben Goren
> Robibnikoff wrote:
>> skyeyes wrote:
>>
>>> Ben, Sugar, you're very cosmic and all - and I *like* that
>>> (heck, I don't kill spiders, I set them gently outside the
>>> back door) -
>>
>> You too? Bless you! Urm....whatever :)
>
> I pretty much leave them alone but will put them out when others
> discover them.
>
> I was paying more attention to a big wolf spider in my EMT
> class when the instructor noticed it and odd Mike would not let
> them kill it. Once you get one in yours hands people give you a
> wide berth.
I've made a deal with the spiders that make cobwebs in the corners
of the ceiling. If I notice the web, I'll check to see if it's
still occupied. If not, it's gone. Otherwise, they can stay...so
long as they keep out of my hair.
I gotta admit--I'm one of those who really doesn't care much for
spiders, although many of them are quite beautiful, including
their orbs.
But, I /do/ like snakes. Never had one as a pet, but I'm quite
comfortable around them.
Which brings me to the point of this note, if I have one. Somebody
pointed out to me once that most people who like snakes don't like
spiders, and most who like spiders don't like snakes. (Of course,
many don't like either.) Has anybody else noticed this phenomenon?
Mike Painter
As a child I was petrified of both. So I went to the library and got a book
on snakes.
Bingo. The fear was gone.
So I went to the library and got a book on insects, spiders, etc and
bingo - I was still afraid.
In collage I roomed for a while with a biologist, who, when I pointed out my
fears were essentially without merit told me of some "bugs" that can inflict
nasty bites.
Years later, living in Baja, I got stung a few times by scorpions and that
cured me of my fear...
Good thing us humans are rational.
Robibnikoff
Hmm, I dunno. I DO like snakes, but am not that fond of spiders - though I
still won't kill them.
Ben Goren
> Ben Goren wrote:
>
>> Which brings me to the point of this note, if I have
>> one. Somebody pointed out to me once that most people who like
>> snakes don't like spiders, and most who like spiders don't like
>> snakes. (Of course, many don't like either.) Has anybody else
>> noticed this phenomenon?
>
> Hmm, I dunno. I DO like snakes, but am not that fond of spiders
> - though I still won't kill them.
Describes me to a ``t.'' Another data point....
Siobhan Burke
b...@trumpetpower.com says...
As well as impatient and demanding, she says fondly,
remembering some of Jonas's stunts. Once I was sitting reading
a newspaper when he thought I ought to be paying attention to
him. Swipe! A large hole appeared in the center of the paper and
his head poked through. I got the message. <grin>
> > Michael did.
>
> See? /Anybody/ can learn to speak cat.
>
> > Jonas would always try to sit in Michael's lap whenever
> > possible, after that. I wonder if he knew that Michael was
> > allergic to cats...
>
> Oh, without a doubt. Cats have a fully-developed sense of
> mischief, to be sure.
Jonas once spent several hours crying from the top of a tree,
reducing my mother to frantic tears. When I got home from work
she told me that we'd better call the fire department to get him
down. I shook my head, put the electric close to the window
nearest the tree, and ran it. He was down in 15 seconds.
If you can find a copy, one of the funniest books I've read is
Cats in the Belfry, by Doreen Tovey. It relates her experiences
with a pair of Siamese.
> >>>> And, if you should lack a cat's thick fur and skin, just
> >>>> remember what it's like picking blackberries.
> >>>
> >>> Oh my. I recall doing that. Think there's a scar or two on
> >>> my legs from that ;)
> >>
> >> It was always my arms. Still quite worth it, though. Of course,
> >> I haven't been blackberrying since I was shorter....
> >
> > The last time I was blackberrying was in Washington state. I
> > found a whole nest full of big black hornets. Run away!
>
> Um, yes. Hornets seem to be on quite a hair-trigger. If you get
> bees upset, you can (almost-but-not-quite always) apologize and
> back away from them without further incident, and most of the time
> they're quite happy to share their airspace with you and maybe
> even do a dance for you. I've never gotten that sense from
> hornets...but, then again, I've never come across that many.
I love honeybees and bumblebees. I once pulled a honeybee out
of my hair without getting stung. We have more bumblebees than
honeybees around here, but the honeybees are making a comeback.
We haven't had any reports of African bees here that I'm aware
of. I'm hoping that the winters are too harsh for them here!
--
Siobhan - a.a. #2201
siobha...@CARRIERatt.net
Drop CARRIER to email
"But as a general rule, when things look bad there's always some
dickhead who can make them worse." -- Terry Pratchett
Siobhan Burke
b...@trumpetpower.com says...
I hadn't thought about it, but I like snakes (and lizards, and
toads, and frogs, and so on), but I'm phobic about spiders and
bugs in general. It was a large positive step for me to
actually pick up a butterfly with my bare hands and take it
outside. I never kill spiders outdoors, though if they come
into the house I consider that they've gone on the offensive,
and have to take the consequences. <grin>
Siobhan Burke
b...@trumpetpower.com says...
> Siobhan Burke wrote:
>
> > Ben Goren wrote:
> >
> >> Siobhan Burke wrote:
> >>
> >>> When I met my future brother-in-law for the first time, he
> >>> wanted to make a good impression, so reached out to pet Jonas.
> >>> "Richard!" I yelled. "Never pat a cat--" Swipe! Rake! Much
> >>> yelling and bleeding from Richard. "--on the head," I
> >>> finished. The back of his hand was slashed deep enough to see
> >>> a couple of the bones. Straight to the doctor for four
> >>> stitches. He was good-natured about it, but he did always
> >>> avoid cats after that. :)
> >>
> >> It's amazing, really. Lots of people say that animals don't
> >> have language, but I just don't see how they could be so blind.
> >>
> >> I mean, ``cat'' is /such/ an eloquent language. It's not much
> >> good for engineering, but oh! how passionate the poetry.
> >
> > How about when the cat rolls over, grabs your wrist in both
> > forepaws and scratches bloody hell out of your forearm with both
> > back feet? Try telling the inexperienced that that is a sign of
> > affection. Er, it *is* a sign of affection, isn't it?
>
> It /can/ be. It can also mean that the cat thinks you're prey or a
> foe. And cats can sometimes get confused to the point that it's
> all three at once.
Now, *that* sounds like Jonas.
> I've found that complete nonresistance coupled with a /most/
> injured (/and/ sincere) cry of ``Hey! Ow! That /hurts/!'' is the
> best method of disentanglement--and it's the best way to mitigate
> such ``attacks'' in the future. The cat still might grab you, but
> the claws won't come out, and the kicking will be token and
> playful. Still might break the skin, but certainly no worse than
> careless blackberrying. Oh--and it might take a few iterations for
> her to get the point.
Pretty much the approach I took.
> Never, ever retaliate by hitting. Don't even think about it.
Nope. The only time I ever slapped Jonas was when he was
investigating a blob of mixed epoxy, and even then it was more
of a forceful removal. He would have thanked me, if he'd only
known. <grin> As it was, he stayed miffed for about a week.
> Of course, there's nothing stopping /you/ from biting /her/,
> however....
Other than a mouthful of cat-hair. I used to have a Gordo
comic strip up on the fridge that said something along the lines
of "A cat 144,488 hairs, which are attached at neither end."
> >> And, if you should lack a cat's thick fur and skin, just
> >> remember what it's like picking blackberries.
> >
> >
> > Ah, blackberry dumplings! Maine seems to be too far north for
> > wild blackberries, alas. Blueberries, now...
>
> Aside from the berries themselves--when I was young, I probably
> picked almost as many berries as the adults but still just barely
> managed to fill my single small bucket--my favorite would have to
> have been the pies. But it was all wonderful, to be sure.
Pies, too. And a handful of blackberries will do wonders for
an apple pie as well.
> I've never had a chance to pick wild blueberries. I don't see how
> they could be /quite/ as good as blackberries, but I'm willing to
> concede that may be a matter of regional preference.
The little wild blueberries are fantastic. The huge
commercial ones are nasty bags of blue mush that bear little or
no resemblance to the real thing. Trust me. But I'd rather
have blackberries, too. <looking around to be sure no real
Mainers heard that>
Siobhan Burke
witc...@broomstick.com says...
Jonas used to knead things. One of his favorite things was to
flop on my bed and knead vigorously while sucking on the knots
of my quilt. Eventually he sucked all the knots off all around
the edge. This continued after he was grown, mind you. Twenty
pounds of black cat playing at being a little kitten was a
strange and somewhat scary sight.
Siobhan Burke
@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, sky...@dakotacom.net says...
> Ben Goren wrote:
>
> >If you get bees upset, you can (almost-but-not-quite
> >always) apologize and back away from them without
> >further incident, and most of the time they're quite happy
> >to share their airspace with you and maybe
> >even do a dance for you.
>
> Down here in Baja Arizona, 98% of the bees were Africanized as of 6
> years ago. I expect it's 100% today. Africanized bees do not wait for
> apologies. And I don't have enough of a death wish to want to hang
> around to see if they dance. Yikes!
Do you know if the African bees survive below zero
temperatures? I know we're safe from fire ants, because of
that, and I'm hoping that it works on those bees, too.
Siobhan Burke
witc...@broomstick.com says...
>
> "Siobhan Burke" <siobha...@CARRIERatt.net> wrote in message
> news:MPG.1d2dbec5b...@netnews.worldnet.att.net...
> > In article <3ih5a8F...@individual.net>,
> > witc...@broomstick.com says...
>
> snip
> > >
> > > Excellent! Was he also sporting an eye patch by any chance?
> > >
> > > Remember the story where Greebo was turned into a man? Think it was
> > > "Witches Abroad". Hoooo, I'd like to see that ;)
> >
> > "Don't look, Magrat!" Yeah, *what* a mental image that was.
> > "Coo! No wonder all the lady cats scream in the night!"
>
> Yowsa! ;)
>
> > > >> We got along fine. He didn't purr
> > > >> > though, and I missed that.
> > > >>
> > > >> > > > Oh--and I would just *love* to see JPG try his joke on,
> say,
> > > >> > > > Missy. She's a black cat, playful and affectionate. If it
> weren't
> > > >> > > > for the faintly-visible rings on her coat and her generous
> size,
> > > >> > > > you'd never know that she was a jaguar. Just a little ways
> from
> > > >> > > > where Missy lives, you'll find Camille. Tawny, lazy,
> laid-back
> > > >> > > > type. Of course, pumas have claws almost as long as some
> people's
> > > >> > > > thumbs; JPG might want to watch out for those as he tries to
> fit
> > > >> > > > Camille into his ``carrier.'' Then, there's Dutch. He gets a
> bit
> > > >> > > > restless at times and starts pacing, but he'll also lay on
> a
> > > >> > > > fallen branch and swat at the leaves the same way any
> cat
> > > >> > > > would. He likes to lay on his back in the sun,
> demonstrating
> > > >> > > > his...ah...manhood to any who should see. Oh--and, yes, like
> all
> > > >> > > > tigers, Dutch really can fly. I'm sure Dutch would love JPG
> to
> > > >> > > > death. No, really!
> > > >> > >
> > > >> > > My daughter's cat, Alysha, would probably just look confused.
> > > >> > > However,
> > > >> the
> > > >> > > older feline, Kenya, would rip his head off ;)
> > > >> >
> > > >> > My cat Jonas would have left some bare and bloody bones behind
> > > >> > as well.
> > > >>
> > > >> Oh dear! :)
> > > >
> > > > When I met my future brother-in-law for the first time, he
> > > > wanted to make a good impression, so reached out to pet Jonas.
> > > > "Richard!" I yelled. "Never pat a cat--" Swipe! Rake! Much
> > > > yelling and bleeding from Richard. "--on the head," I finished.
> > > > The back of his hand was slashed deep enough to see a couple of
> > > > the bones. Straight to the doctor for four stitches. He was
> > > > good-natured about it, but he did always avoid cats after that.
> > > > :)
> > >
> > > degree
> >
> > It probably wouldn't have been so bad if Richard hadn't jerked
> > away, but Jonas *was* a fighter. He was supposed to have had
> > the operation, but he always acted more like a tom than a tim.
> > And there were an awful lot of black kittens born around the
> > neighborhood while he was in his prime.
>
> Oh my. Reminds me of this huge gray persian in my neighborhood where I grew
> up. His name was Solomon and he lived up to his regal title. Every kitten
> born in the neighborhood for several years had long fur. Sadly, his
> wandering ways caused him to wander into the path of an oncoming car. At
> least he left quite a few legacies behind.
Oh, yeah!
> > > My cats are of the declawed kind (no lectures, please!!!), so that's
> not an
> > > issue. And since the elder feline has lost a great deal of teeth in her
> > > dotage, that's not much of a problem either. She still snaps at the
> > > witchling when she "has a mood on", but my daughter no longer gets
> > > frightened because she knows she'll only get gumbed ;)
> >
> > Now, there's another mental image. :) Hey, I can understand
> > declawing for indoor cats, no lectures from me.
>
> I wanted to avoid doing it, but I was getting accidentally mauled and I
> didn't want the same to happen to my daughter.
Good thinking. My little sister was mauled once playing with
a neighbor's Siamese. The cat didn't mean to, it jumped and hit
her face instead of the toy she was holding, then launched to
run away. She had several bad scratches, but he missed her eye.
Do you ever put two open paper grocery bags down on the floor
facing each other, for the cats to play in? Jonas loved that.
He'd go zooming from one to the other. It was hilarious.
Robibnikoff
"Siobhan Burke" <siobha...@CARRIERatt.net> wrote in message
snip
>> Oh my. Reminds me of this huge gray persian in my neighborhood where I
>> grew
>> up. His name was Solomon and he lived up to his regal title. Every
>> kitten
>> born in the neighborhood for several years had long fur. Sadly, his
>> wandering ways caused him to wander into the path of an oncoming car. At
>> least he left quite a few legacies behind.
>
> Oh, yeah!
>
>> > > My cats are of the declawed kind (no lectures, please!!!), so that's
>> not an
>> > > issue. And since the elder feline has lost a great deal of teeth in
>> > > her
>> > > dotage, that's not much of a problem either. She still snaps at the
>> > > witchling when she "has a mood on", but my daughter no longer gets
>> > > frightened because she knows she'll only get gumbed ;)
>> >
>> > Now, there's another mental image. :) Hey, I can understand
>> > declawing for indoor cats, no lectures from me.
>>
>> I wanted to avoid doing it, but I was getting accidentally mauled and I
>> didn't want the same to happen to my daughter.
>
> Good thinking. My little sister was mauled once playing with
> a neighbor's Siamese. The cat didn't mean to, it jumped and hit
> her face instead of the toy she was holding, then launched to
> run away. She had several bad scratches, but he missed her eye.
Whew! Thank goodness! I knew I was going to have to get Kenya declawed when
I had to pull one of her claws out of my temple where it had gotten stuck
while we were playing. Since I was planning on having kids, I figured that
her claws would have to go. Good thing I did too as she's swatted my
daughter MANY times. Sometimes for no reason at all other than being alive
;)
> Do you ever put two open paper grocery bags down on the floor
> facing each other, for the cats to play in? Jonas loved that.
> He'd go zooming from one to the other. It was hilarious.
LOL! I should set up two bags and see what happens :)
TWICE my daughter's moronic cat has gotten into a grocery/shopping bag with
a handle on it. Unfortunately, while on her way out, she somehow got
tangled in the handle and then totally freaked. She then tore through the
house dragging this huge bag with her in a total panic. My husband said he
couldn't believe the noise it made. He'd been downstairs at his workbench
and couldn't imagine what the heck was going on upstairs. And the cat was
running around so fast that he couldn't catch her. Finally the bag ripped
enough for her to break free. My husband said he was laughing so hard, he
thought he ruptured something. And to think that the stupid cat did this
AGAIN a couple of months later :)
Ben Goren
> Ben Goren wrote:
>
>> Which brings me to the point of this note, if I have
>> one. Somebody pointed out to me once that most people who like
>> snakes don't like spiders, and most who like spiders don't like
>> snakes. (Of course, many don't like either.) Has anybody else
>> noticed this phenomenon?
>
> I hadn't thought about it, but I like snakes (and lizards, and
> toads, and frogs, and so on), but I'm phobic about spiders and
> bugs in general. It was a large positive step for me to
> actually pick up a butterfly with my bare hands and take it
> outside. I never kill spiders outdoors, though if they come
> into the house I consider that they've gone on the offensive,
> and have to take the consequences. <grin>
Well, if you can take it upon youself to scoop 'em up with a piece
of paper and return them to the outdoors, it'd be a step in the
right direction.
But another thought occured to me. It'd be interesting to see the
correlation between what somebody thinks of snakes v spiders and
religious belief (or lack thereof).
Ben Goren
> sky...@dakotacom.net wrote:
>> Ben Goren wrote:
>>
>>> If you get bees upset, you can (almost-but-not-quite always)
>>> apologize and back away from them without further incident,
>>> and most of the time they're quite happy to share their
>>> airspace with you and maybe even do a dance for you.
>>
>> Down here in Baja Arizona, 98% of the bees were Africanized as
>> of 6 years ago. I expect it's 100% today. Africanized bees do
>> not wait for apologies. And I don't have enough of a death
>> wish to want to hang around to see if they dance. Yikes!
>
> Do you know if the African bees survive below zero
> temperatures? I know we're safe from fire ants, because of
> that, and I'm hoping that it works on those bees, too.
As best I know, all honeybees are well suited to surviving long,
hard, cold winters. Bees always make much more honey than they
actually need. When the flowers go away, they live off the stored
honey. When the temperature drops, the bees shiver to keep
warm--and the hive itself provides pretty good insulation.
If we ever have a nuclear winter, the bees are perhaps amongst the
best suited to surviving.
Ben Goren
> Do you ever put two open paper grocery bags down on the floor
> facing each other, for the cats to play in? Jonas loved that.
> He'd go zooming from one to the other. It was hilarious.
You know, I've never thought of that? I'll ``hide'' toys in bags
for Joanie, and she has a blast ``trying'' to get them out. That
is, she'll see the toy through the opening in the bag, and then
decide that it'd be /much/ more fun to go /through/ the bag to get
to it. (And, yes, she's also demonstrated that she's fully capable
of fishing it out of the bag, as well.)
I'll have to try the two-bag trick. Thanks!
Siobhan Burke
b...@trumpetpower.com says...
> Siobhan Burke wrote:
>
> > Do you ever put two open paper grocery bags down on the floor
> > facing each other, for the cats to play in? Jonas loved that.
> > He'd go zooming from one to the other. It was hilarious.
>
> You know, I've never thought of that? I'll ``hide'' toys in bags
> for Joanie, and she has a blast ``trying'' to get them out. That
> is, she'll see the toy through the opening in the bag, and then
> decide that it'd be /much/ more fun to go /through/ the bag to get
> to it. (And, yes, she's also demonstrated that she's fully capable
> of fishing it out of the bag, as well.)
We used to hide catnip mice in various objects--it was amazing
how soon the cats would figure a way to get them out. Sometimes
by teamwork.
> I'll have to try the two-bag trick. Thanks!
How did it go? Another, only slightly cruel, practical joke
to play on a cat is to put a large mirror down flat on the floor
and place them on the middle of it. They'll look down and go
straight up. My sister tried the paper boots trick on her cat,
and he just gave her a dirty look, crackled his way to the water
bowl and soaked them off.
Siobhan Burke
witc...@broomstick.com says...
My cat used to go out dog-hunting for much the same reason.
And one of the reasons that he got to keep his claws. He was a
working cat. He used to lay out the tails of the mice he caught
during the night on the garage. (Apparently he figured out that
if he left the whole mouse the stupid humans would just *waste*
them.) One morning he had eleven tails all lined up there.
> > Do you ever put two open paper grocery bags down on the floor
> > facing each other, for the cats to play in? Jonas loved that.
> > He'd go zooming from one to the other. It was hilarious.
>
> LOL! I should set up two bags and see what happens :)
>
> TWICE my daughter's moronic cat has gotten into a grocery/shopping bag with
> a handle on it. Unfortunately, while on her way out, she somehow got
> tangled in the handle and then totally freaked. She then tore through the
> house dragging this huge bag with her in a total panic. My husband said he
> couldn't believe the noise it made. He'd been downstairs at his workbench
> and couldn't imagine what the heck was going on upstairs. And the cat was
> running around so fast that he couldn't catch her. Finally the bag ripped
> enough for her to break free. My husband said he was laughing so hard, he
> thought he ruptured something. And to think that the stupid cat did this
> AGAIN a couple of months later :)
Oh, my I can just picture it! <wiping eyes>
Did I ever tell you the story of what happened when my
sister's cat ate the yarn? ;)
Siobhan Burke
b...@trumpetpower.com says...
> Siobhan Burke wrote:
>
> > Ben Goren wrote:
> >
> >> Which brings me to the point of this note, if I have
> >> one. Somebody pointed out to me once that most people who like
> >> snakes don't like spiders, and most who like spiders don't like
> >> snakes. (Of course, many don't like either.) Has anybody else
> >> noticed this phenomenon?
> >
> > I hadn't thought about it, but I like snakes (and lizards, and
> > toads, and frogs, and so on), but I'm phobic about spiders and
> > bugs in general. It was a large positive step for me to
> > actually pick up a butterfly with my bare hands and take it
> > outside. I never kill spiders outdoors, though if they come
> > into the house I consider that they've gone on the offensive,
> > and have to take the consequences. <grin>
>
> Well, if you can take it upon youself to scoop 'em up with a piece
> of paper and return them to the outdoors, it'd be a step in the
> right direction.
Well, I clap a glass over them and slide a bit of paper
underneath, if I can, but some of them (the ones clinging in the
corners of the ceiling) are bound for an E-ticket ride in the
old vacuum cleaner.
> But another thought occured to me. It'd be interesting to see the
> correlation between what somebody thinks of snakes v spiders and
> religious belief (or lack thereof).
My fear of spiders, as I've mentioned before, comes from a
particularly stupid aunt who had stuff stored in our basement.
Instead of saying to toddler me, "That's my stuff, leave it
alone!", which would have worked, she told me there were spiders
in the basement and "They'll get ON YOU!" Gave me a nightmare so
vivid that I remember it to this day. Snakes never bothered me,
and I learned early on just to make certain they didn't rattle.
Siobhan Burke
b...@trumpetpower.com says...
> Siobhan Burke wrote:
>
> > sky...@dakotacom.net wrote:
> >> Ben Goren wrote:
> >>
> >>> If you get bees upset, you can (almost-but-not-quite always)
> >>> apologize and back away from them without further incident,
> >>> and most of the time they're quite happy to share their
> >>> airspace with you and maybe even do a dance for you.
> >>
> >> Down here in Baja Arizona, 98% of the bees were Africanized as
> >> of 6 years ago. I expect it's 100% today. Africanized bees do
> >> not wait for apologies. And I don't have enough of a death
> >> wish to want to hang around to see if they dance. Yikes!
> >
> > Do you know if the African bees survive below zero
> > temperatures? I know we're safe from fire ants, because of
> > that, and I'm hoping that it works on those bees, too.
>
> As best I know, all honeybees are well suited to surviving long,
> hard, cold winters. Bees always make much more honey than they
> actually need. When the flowers go away, they live off the stored
> honey. When the temperature drops, the bees shiver to keep
> warm--and the hive itself provides pretty good insulation.
Dammit! I wonder how soon we can expect them in Maine.
> If we ever have a nuclear winter, the bees are perhaps amongst the
> best suited to surviving.
Er, except, what would they eat, if the flowers aren't
blooming?
Robibnikoff
"Siobhan Burke" <siobha...@CARRIERatt.net> wrote in message
snip
>
> How did it go? Another, only slightly cruel, practical joke
> to play on a cat is to put a large mirror down flat on the floor
> and place them on the middle of it. They'll look down and go
> straight up.
LOL! Oh my, I'll have to try that on my daughter's cat. She's such a nut.
I can't believe she's still falling for the "flashlight beam on the wall"
thing. I always thought she'd figure that out when she got out of
kittenhood - which apparently isn't going to happen anytime soon.
Robibnikoff
"Siobhan Burke" <siobha...@CARRIERatt.net> wrote in message
snip
> >
> > Whew! Thank goodness! I knew I was going to have to get Kenya declawed
when
> > I had to pull one of her claws out of my temple where it had gotten
stuck
> > while we were playing. Since I was planning on having kids, I figured
that
> > her claws would have to go. Good thing I did too as she's swatted my
> > daughter MANY times. Sometimes for no reason at all other than being
alive
> > ;)
>
> My cat used to go out dog-hunting for much the same reason.
> And one of the reasons that he got to keep his claws. He was a
> working cat. He used to lay out the tails of the mice he caught
> during the night on the garage. (Apparently he figured out that
> if he left the whole mouse the stupid humans would just *waste*
> them.) One morning he had eleven tails all lined up there.
Oh my. Thank goodness for indoor cats :P
> > > Do you ever put two open paper grocery bags down on the floor
> > > facing each other, for the cats to play in? Jonas loved that.
> > > He'd go zooming from one to the other. It was hilarious.
> >
> > LOL! I should set up two bags and see what happens :)
> >
> > TWICE my daughter's moronic cat has gotten into a grocery/shopping bag
with
> > a handle on it. Unfortunately, while on her way out, she somehow got
> > tangled in the handle and then totally freaked. She then tore through
the
> > house dragging this huge bag with her in a total panic. My husband said
he
> > couldn't believe the noise it made. He'd been downstairs at his
workbench
> > and couldn't imagine what the heck was going on upstairs. And the cat
was
> > running around so fast that he couldn't catch her. Finally the bag
ripped
> > enough for her to break free. My husband said he was laughing so hard,
he
> > thought he ruptured something. And to think that the stupid cat did
this
> > AGAIN a couple of months later :)
>
> Oh, my I can just picture it! <wiping eyes>
I didn't get to see the first incident because I was in bed, but I did get
up and go downstairs to see what the hell had just happened. My husband
couldn't even talk, he had just a bad case of the giggles. Took him several
minutes to calm down so I could find out what was going on ;)
> Did I ever tell you the story of what happened when my
> sister's cat ate the yarn? ;)
Eeeeewwwwww! Somehow I think this a story similar to the time one of my
cats ate tinsel. But, please do! :)
Mike Painter
> My fear of spiders, as I've mentioned before, comes from a
> particularly stupid aunt who had stuff stored in our basement.
> Instead of saying to toddler me, "That's my stuff, leave it
> alone!", which would have worked, she told me there were spiders
> in the basement and "They'll get ON YOU!" Gave me a nightmare so
> vivid that I remember it to this day. Snakes never bothered me,
> and I learned early on just to make certain they didn't rattle.
Stay in the Northern part of the USA. As poison snake bites go a rattle
snake bite is not bad and none of the really nasty poison snakes rattle.
Robibnikoff
"Mike Painter" <mddotp...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:sIYye.39957$J12....@newssvr14.news.prodigy.com...
Ah yes. While opening up the family pool at the end of May, my brother came
across and picked up a baby copperhead. Whoopsie!
No, he wasn't bitten ;)
Siobhan Burke
witc...@broomstick.com says...
Probably quite like the tinsel. :) This story needs a little
set up. Junior was my sister's Siamese had been taken away from
his mother at four weeks, though Siamese are supposed to stay
for eight weeks. Consequently he'd never learned some things
that all cats are supposed to learn from mum, like covering up
poop in the catbox. My cat, Jonas, seven months his senior,
used to cover up for him. This went on for about two years,
until one day my sister missed some angora yarn she had to wrap
a ring with, and since I do various crafts she accused me of
taking it. I said that I hadn't seen it, though I don't think
that she believed me. Well, a day or so later we heard this
incredible "YEEE-YOWWWWW!" from the direction of the catbox,
located at one end of the house. We both jumped up, but before
we could move it came again. "YEEE-YOWWWWW!" Here came Junior,
ears flattened to his head, eyes crossed, fighting ridge raised
on his back and tail fuzzed out as big as he was. He looked
behind him, and horrors of horrors, a turd was following him!
"YEEE-YOWWWWW!" and he jumped another six feet, stopped, looked
behind him, it was STILL THERE! "YEEE-YOWWWWW!" It was six-
foot jumps and "YEEE-YOWWWWW!" all the way to the back of the
house and under my sister's bed. She was yelling at me to come
and help her, but I was useless. I was literally rolling on the
floor laughing, tears streaming from my eyes , and I couldn't
get a breath. I could just tell that he was thinking "Mama said
this would happen if I didn't cover it up!!!" Later I did help
her clean the spots on the rug where the terrible turd had
landed on its progress, but it didn't really make amends for
losing it like that, and not helping coax the little guy out
from under the bed. Oh, and he still never covered up in the
catbox, although after that he'd scratch around on the floor a
bit after he jumped out. :)
Robibnikoff
"Siobhan Burke" <siobha...@CARRIERatt.net> wrote in message
> In article <3j295tF...@individual.net>,
> witc...@broomstick.com says...
> >
> > "Siobhan Burke" <siobha...@CARRIERatt.net> wrote in message
> > news:MPG.1d359a518...@netnews.worldnet.att.net...
snip
> > > Did I ever tell you the story of what happened when my
> > > sister's cat ate the yarn? ;)
> >
> > Eeeeewwwwww! Somehow I think this a story similar to the time one of my
> > cats ate tinsel. But, please do! :)
>
>
> Probably quite like the tinsel. :) This story needs a little
> set up. Junior was my sister's Siamese had been taken away from
> his mother at four weeks, though Siamese are supposed to stay
> for eight weeks. Consequently he'd never learned some things
> that all cats are supposed to learn from mum, like covering up
> poop in the catbox.
Shoot, apparently my cats must have been taken away from their moms too
early as well because they NEVER cover it. Eeeeeww.
My cat, Jonas, seven months his senior,
> used to cover up for him. This went on for about two years,
> until one day my sister missed some angora yarn she had to wrap
> a ring with, and since I do various crafts she accused me of
> taking it. I said that I hadn't seen it, though I don't think
> that she believed me. Well, a day or so later we heard this
> incredible "YEEE-YOWWWWW!" from the direction of the catbox,
> located at one end of the house. We both jumped up, but before
> we could move it came again. "YEEE-YOWWWWW!" Here came Junior,
> ears flattened to his head, eyes crossed, fighting ridge raised
> on his back and tail fuzzed out as big as he was. He looked
> behind him, and horrors of horrors, a turd was following him!
Bwahahahahaha!!! NO!
> "YEEE-YOWWWWW!" and he jumped another six feet, stopped, looked
> behind him, it was STILL THERE! "YEEE-YOWWWWW!" It was six-
> foot jumps and "YEEE-YOWWWWW!" all the way to the back of the
> house and under my sister's bed. She was yelling at me to come
> and help her, but I was useless. I was literally rolling on the
> floor laughing, tears streaming from my eyes , and I couldn't
> get a breath.
LOL!! Sounds like my husband part deux! :)
I could just tell that he was thinking "Mama said
> this would happen if I didn't cover it up!!!" Later I did help
> her clean the spots on the rug where the terrible turd had
> landed on its progress, but it didn't really make amends for
> losing it like that, and not helping coax the little guy out
> from under the bed. Oh, and he still never covered up in the
> catbox, although after that he'd scratch around on the floor a
> bit after he jumped out. :)
LOL!! Oh well, I guess that's better than nothing.
Oh my, that story is hilarious! <wipes eyes> Afraid my tinsel story isn't
quite that amusing. Just happened to notice shortly after Xmas that the cat
had something shiny hanging out of her butt. Guess what it was. Urk ;)
Siobhan Burke
Interior decorating? ;)
Siamese, as we learned later, are infamous wool-eaters.
Junior chewed holes in one of my sister's new Shetland wool
sweaters once, and almost got himself unadopted.
Robibnikoff
"Siobhan Burke" <siobha...@CARRIERatt.net> wrote in message
snip
> > Oh my, that story is hilarious! <wipes eyes> Afraid my tinsel story
isn't
> > quite that amusing. Just happened to notice shortly after Xmas that the
cat
> > had something shiny hanging out of her butt. Guess what it was. Urk ;)
>
> Interior decorating? ;)
Yeah, as in the interior of the cat's colon. Nothing like having to pull
tinsel out of your can't butt. Blech :P
> Siamese, as we learned later, are infamous wool-eaters.
> Junior chewed holes in one of my sister's new Shetland wool
> sweaters once, and almost got himself unadopted.
Oh dear. I've heard that Siamese do that, but none of ours ever did.
However, the last Siamese cat we had used to like to "nurse" on one of my
fingers. Was really strange ;)
Siobhan Burke
witc...@broomstick.com says...
>
> "Siobhan Burke" <siobha...@CARRIERatt.net> wrote in message
> news:MPG.1d3c113e2...@netnews.worldnet.att.net...
> > In article <3j7of3F...@individual.net>,
> > witc...@broomstick.com says...
>
> snip
> > > Oh my, that story is hilarious! <wipes eyes> Afraid my tinsel story
> isn't
> > > quite that amusing. Just happened to notice shortly after Xmas that the
> cat
> > > had something shiny hanging out of her butt. Guess what it was. Urk ;)
> >
> > Interior decorating? ;)
>
> Yeah, as in the interior of the cat's colon.
That's what I had in mind. :)
> Nothing like having to pull
> tinsel out of your can't butt. Blech :P
The vet told us that we should have cut the yarn rather than
tug on it, although my sister knew exactly how much was still in
the cat. We were lucky in that neither cat ate tinsel, but both
would climb the Christmas tree. We had to tie it to the wall
with two guy wires. We also learned not to hang any breakable
ornaments within slapping distance of floor.
> > Siamese, as we learned later, are infamous wool-eaters.
> > Junior chewed holes in one of my sister's new Shetland wool
> > sweaters once, and almost got himself unadopted.
>
> Oh dear. I've heard that Siamese do that, but none of ours ever did.
> However, the last Siamese cat we had used to like to "nurse" on one of my
> fingers. Was really strange ;)
My half-Siamese "nursed" all the knots off of one of my
quilts. He would lie there totally blissed, sucking on the yarn
ends, kneading the quilt, and drooling a soggy spot as big as my
hand. His favorite place to nap, though, was on my thrift-store
black fur coat. You couldn't tell where the cat ended and the
coat began. Neither could he--once while washing himself he
went on to wash about a square foot of the coat. :) I have to
say that the fur he washed was really soft and glossy. Now, if
only it hadn't smelled of cat food...