Proposed "cat code"
Eric Williams
Here's a modest proposal for a "cat code" similar to "geek code", etc.
Breed:
AB Abisynian
AC American Curl
AS American Shorthair
AW American Wirehair
BB Bombay
BG Bengal
BM Birman
BN Balinese
BR Burmese
BS British Shorthair
CR Cornish Rex
CT Chartreux
DL Domestic longhair
DM Domestic mediumhair
DS Domestic shorthair
EM Egyptian Mau
ES Exotic Shorthair
HB Havana Brown
HM Himalayan
JB Japanese Bobtail
KO Korat
MC Maine Coon
MX Manx
NF Norwegian Forest
OC Occicat
OS Oriental Shorthair
PR Persian
RB Russian Blue
RD Ragdoll
SF Scottish Fold
SI Siamese
SN Singapura
SO Somali
SP Sphynx
SR Selkirk Rex
SS Snowshoe
TA Turkish Angora
TN Tonkinese
TV Turkish Van
Mixed breeds, if known, can be combined in descending order of
contribution (eg: MC+SI).
If a cat "looks like" a particular breed but parentage is unknown,
breed can be enclosed in quotation marks.
Color:
R Red (Orange)
W White
S Silver
B Black
O Brown
C Chocolate
L Lilac
Modifiers:
d Diluted (Red->Cream, Black->Blue(Grey), etc.)
t Tabby
r Tortiseshell
p Pointed
s Smoke
c Chinchilla
Colors can be combined in descending order of area (eg: B+W)
Modifiers can be concatenated with individual colors, or groups of
colors (eg: (W+B+R)d = dilute calico, W+Bd = grey and white patched,
(R+W)t+W = red tabby w/white.)
Sex:
X+++ I am a kitten factory
X++ Female, intact, but not particularly excitable
X+ Female, spayed
X- Male, neutered
X-- Male, intact, but not particularly excitable
X--- I would go through a burning building to get at a female in heat.
Claws:
C Some sicko had my claws removed.
C+ I have claws, but they're covered with "Soft Paws" (tm).
C++ I have claws, but they're clipped regularly.
C+++ I have ten razor-sharp implements of death.
Tempermant:
T+++ I am a furry ball of affection and love everybody.
T++ I like meeting new people and am affectionate with most.
T+ I'm shy about meeting new people, but am affectionate
with those that I know well.
T I have a few special humans I really like, the rest I avoid.
T- People are OK for feeding and playing, but not much else
T-- I'm annoyed by human contact and will avoid it if possible.
T--- DON'T TOUCH ME OR I'LL SHRED YOU!!
I/O:
I+++ You mean there's a world *outside* of the house?
I++ I live indoors most of the time, but will sneak out sometimes.
I+ I prefer to live indoors, but go outside when I feel like it.
I I drift between indoors and outdoors at will.
I- I come indoors to sleep and eat, but not much else.
I-- I'm allowed inside once in a while, but I eat and sleep outdoors.
I--- Why would anyone want to live inside those big ugly boxes?
Hunting:
H Food comes in a box, right?
H+ I like to hunt flies and spiders.
H++ I kill an occasional small rodent, bird or lizard, but
(almost) never eat one.
H+++ Canned food is for weenies.
Activity level:
A+++ All the photos of me are blurred.
A++ I am always getting into, under or on top of things and am
hardly ever still.
A+ If you don't play with me, I'll find a way to play by myself.
A It's easy to get me to play, but I like to sleep, too.
A- I work very hard at sleeping, but like to chase the occasional toy.
A-- I may show signs of life in the presence of an excellent toy.
A--- They thought I was dead, until they started the can opener.
Smurgling:
S I wouldn't be caught dead doing it!
S+ I sneak an occasional smurgle.
S++ When I'm in the mood, I can smurgle with the best of them.
S+++ Everybody leaves my house moistened with kitty-drool.
****************************************************
Comments:
The color coding probably needs lots of review. Some formal cat
organization, like CFA or TICA, probably already has deveoped codes for
this as well as for breed. If so, someone clue me in so I won't have to
re-invent the wheel.
Anybody see a need for age or weight? Other fields?
As a practical example:
Vincent: MC (B+S)t X- C++ T+ I+++ H+ A S+
Murphy: DS W+B+R+(B+R)t X- C++ T- I+++ H+ A+ S
--
Eric Williams | Muscled, black with steel-green eye
| Swishing through the rye grass
wd6...@netcom.com | with thoughts of mouse-and-apple pie
| Tail balancing at half-mast.
WD6CMU@WD6CMU.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA | ...and the Mouse Police never sleeps
charlotte mcavoy
>Here's a modest proposal for a "cat code" similar to "geek code", etc.
This was hysterical! My co-workers walked by my office thinking I'd
forgotten to take today's medication. Some of the explanations were
great.
Off the top of my head I can see a few additions
that might need to be made - but see them only because Clyde doesn't
quite fit into some of the current classifications. You did a good job
coming up with (humorous!) subdivisions.
>Claws:
> C Some sicko had my claws removed.
> C+ I have claws, but they're covered with "Soft Paws" (tm).
> C++ I have claws, but they're clipped regularly.
> C+++ I have ten razor-sharp implements of death.
Since there's an ongoing debate concerning declawing, "sicko" should
probably be removed from the description. Perhaps something like the
following could be incorporated -
C- No claws
Cf I have front claws only
Cb I have back claws only
C I have claws, but they're regularly clipped
C+ I have claws, but they're covered with "Soft Paws" (tm)
C++ I have ten razor-sharp implements of death.
>I/O:
> I+++ You mean there's a world *outside* of the house?
> I++ I live indoors most of the time, but will sneak out sometimes.
> I+ I prefer to live indoors, but go outside when I feel like it.
> I I drift between indoors and outdoors at will.
> I- I come indoors to sleep and eat, but not much else.
> I-- I'm allowed inside once in a while, but I eat and sleep outdoors.
> I--- Why would anyone want to live inside those big ugly boxes?
Perhaps:
I++ You mean there's a world *outside* of the house?
I+ I live indoors most of the time, but will sneak out sometimes.
I I prefer to live indoors, but go outside when I feel like it.
IO I drift between indoors and outdoors at will
O I come indoors to sleep and eat, but not much else.
O+ I'm allowed inside once in a while, but I eat and sleep
outdoors.
O++ Why would anyone want to live inside those big ugly boxes?
>Hunting:
> H Food comes in a box, right?
> H+ I like to hunt flies and spiders.
> H++ I kill an occasional small rodent, bird or lizard, but
> (almost) never eat one.
> H+++ Canned food is for weenies.
Clyde needs another category between H++ and H+++. He will kill the
neighborhood rodents but eats them in toto. Then he comes in and
insists on his full measure of commercial food. I think he considers
that our payment to him for keeping the area mice-free - kinda like
paying protection money!
>Comments:
> Anybody see a need for age or weight? Other fields?
Age, We could go with:
K Kitten
YA Young Adult (ready to be neutered)
Ax Adult, where "x" represents age in years.
Clyde would be A6.
Perhaps the kitten designation could also have an "x" identifier
specifying age in weeks or months.
Weight. We'd have to figure out a way to differentiate between fatties
and simply big-boned, solid cats (aren't they all?).
Do we want to identify what diets they are fed?
SDL Science Diet Light
IA Iams
etc.?
Charlotte
Univ of Nebr-Lincoln
cmc...@unlinfo.unl.edu
Joan Maxfield UCNS
have this right:
Amos (DS B X- C+++ T+++(T---) I H+++ A+++ S++)
^^^^^^^^^^dual personality kitty
Angelica (DS(SI) B X+ C+++ T+ I+ H+++ A- S)
^^^^^has siamese voice and attitude but not looks.
does that look right?
Very cute idea, I'll have to add this to my sig!
Joan
--
Joan C. Maxfield * "Je Crois que je vais cracher une
maxf...@athena.cs.uga.edu * boule de poils" -Henri de la Barbe
jo...@moe.coe.uga.edu *
Meg Alison Veily
for use in regular postings? Personally, when reading about someone else
cat, I would rather they use the bandwidth to describe their cat in
English, than me having to keep a "magic decoder book" by my computer.
It would be useful for records keeping, however.
-Meg
Nikolai Nefedow
In a previous article, wd6...@netcom.com (Eric Williams) says:
>
>Here's a modest proposal for a "cat code" similar to "geek code", etc.
>
>Breed:
>
> AB Abisynian
That should be Abyssinian ..
>
>Color:
> R Red (Orange)
> W White
> S Silver
> B Black
> O Brown
> C Chocolate
> L Lilac
>
You should also amend your colour scheme before I get my two RUDDY Aby's
to drool all over you ... ;-)
I have a friend who insists that their cats are Mackeral and Marmalade
tabbies and not silver and orange ...
--
Nikolai Nefedow At Play: ad...@freenet.carleton.ca
Ottawa, Ontario At Work: nef...@cognos.com
CANADA 407...@mcimail.com
Eric Williams
: Since there's an ongoing debate concerning declawing, "sicko" should
Yes, that was probably too extreme. I'll work on that part.
charlotte mcavoy (cmc...@unl.edu) wrote:
: Clyde needs another category between H++ and H+++. He will kill the
: neighborhood rodents but eats them in toto. Then he comes in and
: insists on his full measure of commercial food.
and Joan Maxfield UCNS (jo...@moe.coe.uga.edu) wrote:
: Amos (DS B X- C+++ T+++(T---) I H+++ A+++ S++)
: ^^^^^^^^^^dual personality kitty
What I've seen sometimes is to use a "/" for alternatives, so Clyde might
be H++/+++ and Amos is T+++/---.
: Age, We could go with:
: K Kitten
: YA Young Adult (ready to be neutered)
: Ax Adult, where "x" represents age in years.
: Clyde would be A6.
What I've seen at shows is YY.MM for age, so Vincent would be 0.10
(10 months). I'll work on a code for size.
Ann Adamcik
Maggie: DS("AS") W+(B+O+R)t X+ C+++ T++ I H+++ A+ S+
(Domestic Shorthair with Abyssinian shape, coat, and personality; white
with black/brown/orange tabby patches: spayed; self-maintained claws;
friendly; indoor/outdoor; huntress; moderately playful; more of a kneader
than a smurgler)
Mango: DS B+W X+ C+++ T++ I H+ A++ S++
(Domestic Shorthair; black with white whiskers, throat & toes; spayed;
self-maintained claws; friendly; indoor/outdoor; hunts bugs; very playful;
has finally outgrown the drooling)
So how about a code for eye color? Maggie's are yellow-gold and Mango's are
orange-gold with dark olive green flecks around the pupils (try coding that!).
-Ann, Maggie, & Mango
Chris Palma
Well, here's one more for the new code:
Chloe: DS B+(R+W)t X+ C++ T+++ I+++ H+ A- S++
(Mostly black calico with some orange and white peeking out; spayed;
frequently clipped claws; will purr and snuggle with a burglar;
too scared to even take a step outside; eats the occasional fly;
getting a bit too _furry_ (read: fat) to play much; smurgles only
when really tired)
Chris, *it's been a long day and I want to hear some purring* Palma, and Chloe
---
++--======================================================================--++
| Chris Palma | The preceding was a work of fiction, |
| cpa...@astro.psu.edu | any similarities to persons living or |
| Dept. of Astronomy & | dead, places, or events is purely |
| Astrophysics | coincidental... |
| Penn State University | |
++--======================================================================--++
Leslianne Heimbeck
>
>Here's a modest proposal for a "cat code" similar to "geek code", etc.
>
>
> d Diluted (Red->Cream, Black->Blue(Grey), etc.)
> t Tabby
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I'll jump on the bandwagon here...
Portia = TA (R+B+W)t(if that's calico) X+ C+++ T I++ H++ A-- S+
Mocha = BN (C)p X+ C+++ T+ I++ H A+ S
What a good idea, Eric. I had fun with this...
Lesli H.
David Thomas
I'll start with the least controversial things first:
AGE
---
For an age code, there is a well established convention of writing ages
in the form
where <yy> is the number of whole years and <mm> is the additional number
of months. People who frequent cat shows, regardless of the association,
know that '1.5' means "one year, five months", not "one and a half years".
An age code in this form would suffice for kittens, also (unless you want
to count weeks or days).
SEX (X)
---
The codes "M", "F", "N", "S", for "male", "female", "neuter", and "spay"
are well-established and understood across all associations. Using these
to establish gender, you would then be free to modify each to indicate
the degree of randiness/prolificity! For example, some neuters will not
pass up a female in season, others haven't a clue. The downside is that
this would not be consistent with syntax of the 'X' field in other codes
on the net.
BREED
-----
Interesting that you have chosen a two character abbreviation for breed.
The International Cat Association (TICA) has a standardized set of
two-character abbreviations. CFA abbreviations seem to be two, three,
or four characters. I don't know what the other associations use.
The standard TICA abbreviations are:
AB - Abyssinian JB - Japanese Bobtail
BB - American Bobtail
AC - American Curl KT - Korat
AL - American Curl Longhair
AS - American Shorthair MC - Maine Coon
AW - American Wirehair MX - Manx
BA - Balinese NB - Nebelung
BG - Bengal NF - Norwegian Forest
BI - Birman
BO - Bombay OC - Ocicat
BR - Bristol OL - Oriental Longhair
BS - British Shorthair OS - Oriental Shorthair
BU - Burmese
PS - Persian
SP - California Spangled
CX - Chartreux RD - Ragdoll
CH - Chinese Harlequin RB - Russian Blue
CO - Copper
CR - Cornish Rex SA - Safari
CY - Cymric SF - Scottish Fold
SS - Scottish Fold Longhair
DR - Devon Rex SI - Siamese
SG - Singapura
EM - Egyptian Mau SN - Snowshoe
ES - Exotic Shorthair SO - Somali
SX - Sphynx
HB - Havana
HI - Himalayan TF - Tiffany
HH - Household Pet TO - Tonkinese
TA - Turkish Angora
TV - Turkish Van
source: Clerking Manual, The International Cat Association, 01 May 1990.
I prefer your codes of DS and DL for Domestic Shorthair and Domestic Longhair,
rather than grouping them under 'HH'. I don't know if DM is necessary.
When classifying HHPs, entry clerks will ask "does he have a bushy tail?"
If the answer is "yes" then it's a longhair, otherwise it's a shorthair.
Also, I noticed that you have Selkirk Rex (SR) in your list. I think my
clerking manual is out of date... I don't have a code for Japanese Bobtail
Longhair, either.
I don't want to get into political issues, but eventually someone will
point out that there is no "Colorpoint Shorthair" or "Colorpoint Longhair"
in either your list or mine. TICA considers them "Siamese" and "Balinese",
respectively. CFA considers the "Himalayan" to be a pointed Persian, but
TICA classifies it as a separate breed.
EYE COLOR (E)
---------
How about a field for eye color? This would require abbreviations for
the basic colors:
Copper
Orange
Gold
Hazel
Green
Blue-Green
Blue
Modifiers (++ and --) could be applied to describe depth of color, and,
of course, a slash between two codes could be used to describe the
odd-eyed individuals.
FOOD (F)
----
What do you think about this field?
F++ I'm always hungry. What are you having?
F+ I would rather eat than play with a toy.
F I'll wait until the others have eaten.
F- I would rather play with a toy than eat.
F-- I eat just enough to get by.
COAT PATTERN AND COLOR
----------------------
You're going to have lots of fun with this part!!
I think you will find that you have to separate pattern from color.
Patterns (solid, tortie, tabby, pointed, shaded, and particolor) are
well understood, and recognized fairly consistently across associations.
You can go further without getting too complicated. In the tabbies, it
would be good to distinguish the Abyssinian, ticked, mackerel, spotted,
classic, and torbie patterns. I think most people have fun learning how
to tell a classic tabby from a mackerel tabby (which one is Vincent, by
the way?). In the particolors, you may want to distinguish the mitted
and Van patterns. Chinchilla, shaded, and smoke could all be considered
degrees of shaded.
Codes for the colors are another matter. None of the cat associations
have come up with a system of names for colors that makes sense, IMHO.
I'm sure that colors will be suggested that haven't been covered by your
scheme. The Aby people have already pointed out a few. Tonkinese people
will have a few things to suggest also. There are intermediates, double
dilutes and dilute intermediate colors, like sables, minks, sepias, fawns,
platinums, and champagnes... Finally, you have to consider that this is
not strictly an American newsgroup. I believe that there are 12 different
colors of Abys in the UK. This is going to be great fun!
TICA is in the process of developing a system of pattern/color codes for
its internal use. I think your scheme will be much more readable, though.
For starters, they seem to be hung up on fixed-length (8 character) codes.
They are simply encoding the color names that are already in use. Since
those names also contain a pattern description, they will have a huge
number of codes. For example, RDOMXIWX is "Red Silver Mackerel Tabby and
White". They have defined 275 color codes so far, and I can see
that there are still some missing. I'll e-mail you (or anyone else) a copy
if you're interested, but there's no point in posting it.
Anyway, here's our crew, using your proposed code plus an age value:
Kactus: MC B 11.1 X- I++ C+++ T++/T--- A- H S /* split personality */
Flipper: BO B 3.9 X- I+++ C++ T A H S
Kala: BO B 3.6 X- I+++ C++ T+ A+ H+ S+
Olivette: BU+BO O 3.0 X+++ I++ C++ T++ A+++ H+ S+
Gina: BO B 1.8 X+ I+++ C++ T++ A+ H+ S
Ricky: BO B 1.8 X- I+++ C++ T+++ A+ H+ S+++ /* the smurgler */
Eleanor: BU O 1.2 X+++ I+++ C++ T++ A++ H+ S+
T.J.: BO B 0.10 X-- I+++ C++ T+++ A++ H+ S+
--
David Thomas Texas Instruments (da...@wotangate.sc.ti.com) (713)-274-2347
Sheila Thomas
^^^^^
The vet has her as DSH=domestic short hair
Since she (and I) are British, I gave her DS and BS, but what is the
difference?
--
___________________________________________________________________________
Malwen A laptop? Make mine small and feline!
____________________________________________________________________________
Eric Williams
Does such a thing as an X+ exist?
I'm still working on the color codes, but here it is so far:
*****************************************************
Name:
Common or formal name followed by ':'.
Breed:
AB Abyssinian KT Korat
AC American Curl MC Maine Coon
AL Americal Longhair MX Manx
AS American Shorthair NB Nebelung
AW American Wirehair NF Norwegian Forest
BA Balinese OC Occicat
BB American Bobtail OS Oriental Shorthair
BG Bengal OL Oriental Longhair
BI Birman PS Persian
BO Bombay RB Russian Blue
BR Bristol RD Ragdoll
BS British Shorthair SA Safari
BU Burmese SF Scottish Fold
CR Cornish Rex SG Singapura
CX Chartreux SI Siamese
DL Domestic longhair SN Snowshoe
DM Domestic mediumhair SO Somali
DR Devon Rex SP California Spangled
DS Domestic shorthair SR Selkirk Rex
EM Egyptian Mau SS Scottish Fold Longhair
ES Exotic Shorthair SX Sphynx
EU European Shorthair TA Turkish Angora
HB Havana Brown TF Tiffany
HI Himalayan TO Tonkinese
JB Japanese Bobtail TV Turkish Van
Mixed breeds, if known, can be combined in descending order of
contribution (eg: MC+SI).
If a cat "looks like" a particular breed but parentage is unknown,
breed can be enclosed in quotation marks.
Color:
R Red (Orange)
W White
S Silver
B Black
O Brown
C Chocolate
L Lilac
Modifiers:
d Diluted (Red->Cream, Black->Blue(Grey), etc.)
t Tabby
r Tortiseshell
p Pointed
s Smoke
c Chinchilla
Colors can be combined in descending order of area (eg: B+W)
Modifiers can be concatenated with individual colors, or groups of
colors (eg: (W+B+R)d = dilute calico, W+Bd = grey and white patched,
(R+W)t+W = red tabby w/white.)
Sex:
X Female, spayed, no interest.
X+ Female, spayed, but still interested.
X++ Female, intact, but not particularly excitable.
X+++ I am a kitten factory.
Y Male, neutered, no interest.
Y+ Male, neutered, but still interested.
Y++ Male, intact, but not particularly excitable.
Y+++ I would go through a burning building to get at a female in heat.
Age:
yy or yy.mm
Eg: 5 = five years old, 1.5 = 17 months, .2 = two months.
Size ("largeness"):
L--- I fit easily into your shirt pocket.
L-- I can curl up in two cupped hands.
L- I'm somewhere between kitten-sized and average.
L I'm average cat size, just right for your lap.
L+ I'm starting to slip off the side of your lap.
L++ I'm a big cat, but it's all muscle.
L+++ I need to go on a diet.
Note: "+++" implies a big cat, but can be used on other sizes.
eg: L/+++ = average sized but fat
Claws:
C--- I've been declawed front and back
C-- I've been declawed in front
C- I have claws, but they're covered with "Soft Paws" (tm).
C+ I have claws, but they're clipped regularly.
C++ My claws are unclipped, but they're kindof dull.
C+++ I have ten razor-sharp implements of death.
Tempermant:
T+++ I am a furry ball of affection and love everybody.
T++ I like meeting new people and am affectionate with most.
T+ I'm shy about meeting new people, but am affectionate
with those that I know well.
T I have a few special humans I really like, the rest I tolerate.
T- People are OK for feeding and playing, but not much else
T-- I'm annoyed by human contact and will avoid it if possible.
T--- DON'T TOUCH ME OR I'LL SHRED YOU!!
I/O:
I+++ You mean there's a world *outside* of the house?!
I++ I live indoors most of the time, but will sneak out sometimes.
I+ I prefer to live indoors, but go outside when I feel like it.
I I drift between indoors and outdoors at will.
I- I come indoors to sleep and eat, but not much else.
I-- I'm allowed inside once in a while, but I eat and sleep outdoors.
I--- Why would anyone want to live inside those big ugly boxes?
Food:
F++ I'm always hungry. What are you having?
F+ I would rather eat than play with a toy.
F I'll wait until the others have eaten.
F- I would rather play with a toy than eat.
F-- I eat just enough to get by.
Hunting:
H Food comes in a box, right?
H+ I like to hunt flies and spiders.
H++ I kill an occasional small rodent, bird or lizard, but
would never eat one. (Well, *hardly* ever.)
H+++ Canned food is for weenies.
Activity level:
A+++ All the photos of me are blurred.
A++ I am always getting into, under or on top of things and am
hardly ever still.
A+ If you don't play with me, I'll find a way to play by myself.
A It's easy to get me to play, but I like to sleep, too.
A- I work very hard at sleeping, but like to chase the occasional toy.
A-- I may show signs of life in the presence of an excellent toy.
A--- They thought I was dead, until they started the can opener.
Smurgling:
S I wouldn't be caught dead doing it!
S+ I sneak an occasional smurgle.
S++ When I'm in the mood, I can smurgle with the best of them.
S+++ Everybody leaves my house moistened with kitty-drool.
Examples:
Vincent: MC (B+S)t Y .10 L++ C+ T+ I+++ F+ H+ A S++
Murphy: DS W+B+R+(B+R)t Y .11 L C+ T- I+++ F+ H+ A+ S
**************************************************************
Changes from last posting:
o Breed codes adapted from TICA standard.
o Sex codes modified to use Y for male.
o Claw codes modified to handle degrees of declawing.
o Added fields for age, size and food.
|S| Tobias Koehler
> C+++ I have ten razor-sharp implements of death.
What about
C++++ I have eighteen razor-sharp implements of death.
> Tempermant:
> T+++ I am a furry ball of affection and love everybody.
> T++ I like meeting new people and am affectionate with most.
> T+ I'm shy about meeting new people, but am affectionate
> with those that I know well.
> T I have a few special humans I really like, the rest I avoid.
> T- People are OK for feeding and playing, but not much else
> T-- I'm annoyed by human contact and will avoid it if possible.
> T--- DON'T TOUCH ME OR I'LL SHRED YOU!!
I think that this should be divided into behaviour to humans and to other
cats. There are cats who fight every other cat coming into their territory
while loving the humans, and there are very social cats as well.
-- tobi
Ruth Milner
> R Red (Orange) W White
> S Silver B Black
> O Brown C Chocolate L Lilac
> Modifiers:
> d Diluted (Red->Cream, Black->Blue(Grey), etc.)
> t Tabby
> r Tortiseshell
> p Pointed
> s Smoke
> c Chinchilla
Hmmmm ...
Abby (SI+DS) is pale cream in front gradually shading to beige towards the
back, with brown (black on her tail) tabby points. Typical Siamese coloring,
but it really doesn't match any of these body colors. How would I describe
this using the codes?
Perhaps ((O)d)pt ? I dunno, is pale cream diluted brown? There's no red in it
at all, it isn't the diluted red gene. And how do I indicate it's the points
which are tabby rather than the rest of her?
Also, the beige-appearing fur is actually ticked when you look at it, it's
all pale at the roots. What does this make it?
> X+ Female, spayed, but still interested.
This would certainly be the case if she'd only had her tubes tied rather than
a full spay. But I don't think this is done very often, if at all, since it
has all of the surgical trauma and none of the health or temperament benefits
(except sterilization, of course).
> Note: "+++" implies a big cat, but can be used on other sizes.
> eg: L/+++ = average sized but fat
Heh. Boots would have to be L-/+ . She's a smaller-than-average cat, but
tending to porkiness. :-)
>Hunting:
> H Food comes in a box, right?
> H+ I like to hunt flies and spiders.
> H++ I kill an occasional small rodent, bird or lizard, but
> would never eat one. (Well, *hardly* ever.)
> H+++ Canned food is for weenies.
I definitely think we still need a category between H++ and H+++ indicating
cats which usually eat their kill but happily eat canned/dry food as well.
How about:
H- Food comes in a box, right? (H- because it implies no hunting)
H I like to hunt flies and spiders.
H+ I kill an occasional small rodent, bird or lizard, but
would never eat one. (Well, *hardly* ever.)
H++ I regularly kill whatever I can catch and generally find it
quite tasty.
H+++ Canned food is for dogs.
^^^^ ( :-) )
And what about cats which *try* to kill the occasional small rodent etc.
but just aren't very good at it? Boots chatters like crazy at birds, but
she couldn't catch one to save her life. Nor mice either. Lizard tails
are about the limit of her hunting abilities. :-)
It's looking pretty good. I think part of the problem is the fact that cats
have so many variations on the same theme, and the same cat can exhibit
totally different behavior at different times. E.g. Abby is sometimes
T+ (affectionate with people she knows well, i.e. us), and sometimes T--
(annoyed by human contact and will avoid it).
--
Ruth Milner NRAO/VLA Socorro NM
Computing Division Head rmi...@zia.aoc.nrao.edu
Frank Potter
some cats are jubd if "bi-." Which is to say that we have one pure white one
(go by name "Ladybug") who has one green and one blue eye.
Keeps life interesting.
Leonore A. Findsen, Univ. of Toledo
How about a field for voice:
V--- : If you are killing me, I might squeek alittle.
V-- : Well, talking is a learned experience, I'm trying...
V- : ????
V : Knows how to say "Dinner Time", but must be in the
same room to hear it.
V+ : Large vocabulary of important words, like "Food", "Play",
"Clean the box".
V++ : Has long conversations with their people.
V+++ : I like to talk and everyone in the neighborhood knows it!
Example: A full blooded Siamouth would be V+++ (or more :-)
Leonore (owned by Smoky who is V+++ even though she is a DM, Pico who
lets Smokey do all of the talking)
Steve Snyder
> C--- I've been declawed front and back
> C-- I've been declawed in front
> C- I have claws, but they're covered with "Soft Paws" (tm).
> C+ I have claws, but they're clipped regularly.
> C++ My claws are unclipped, but they're kindof dull.
> C+++ I have ten razor-sharp implements of death.
>
implements of death (front and back). Purrhaps C+++x ?
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Snyder | This space for rent, inquire within.
ssn...@sunai.er.usgs.gov |
US Geological Survey Reston, VA | I only speak for myself. Nobody else will.
Eric Williams
added eye color, but I probably missed some -- I'm sure I can count
on getting more suggestions on the subject. ;-)
Here's the latest version:
======================================================================
= Physical Attributes =
= =
= These describe the physical appearance of the cat and must be =
= listed in the order shown here. =
======================================================================
Breed:
D Ruddy
Modifiers:
d Diluted (i.e.: Red->Cream, Black->Blue(Grey), etc.)
t Tabby
r Tortoiseshell
p Pointed
s Smoke
c Chinchilla
k Ticked
m Mink
o Spotted
Colors can be combined in descending order of area (eg: B+W)
Modifiers can be concatenated with individual colors, or groups of
colors (eg: (W+B+R)d = dilute calico, W+Bd = grey and white patched,
(R+W)t+W = red tabby w/white.)
Eye Color:
B Blue
A Aqua
G Green
H Hazel
C Copper
Y Gold (yellow)
Odd-eyed colors can be separated by '/', eg: B/G.
Colors can also be concatenated for mixed colors, eg: G+Y = green-gold.
Age:
yy or yy.mm
Eg: 5 = five years old, 1.5 = 17 months, .10 = ten months.
Sex:
X Female, spayed, no interest.
X+ Female, spayed, but still interested.
X++ Female, intact, but not particularly excitable.
X+++ I am a kitten factory.
Y Male, neutered, no interest.
Y+ Male, neutered, but still interested.
Y++ Male, intact, but not particularly excitable.
Y+++ I would go through a burning building to get at a female in heat.
Size ("largeness"):
L--- I fit easily into your shirt pocket.
L-- I can curl up in two cupped hands.
L- I'm somewhere between kitten-sized and average.
L I'm average cat size, just right for your lap.
L+ I'm starting to slip off the side of your lap.
L++ I'm a big cat, but it's all muscle.
L+++ I need to go on a diet.
Note: "+++" implies a big cat, but can be used on other sizes.
eg: L/+++ = average sized but fat
Claws:
C--- I've been declawed front and back
C-- I've been declawed in front
C- I have claws, but they're covered with "Soft Paws" (tm).
C+ I have claws, but they're clipped regularly.
C++ My claws are unclipped, but they're kindof dull.
C+++ I have ten razor-sharp implements of death.
Note: "C*" can be used instead of "C" for a polydactyl.
======================================================================
= Behavioral Traits =
= =
= These are optional fields that describe behavioral, as opposed =
= to physical, traits. Consider omitting the corresponding code if =
= your cat is "normal" (whatever that means for a cat!) or near- =
= normal in order to keep the size of the code manageable. =
======================================================================
I/O:
I+++ You mean there's a world *outside* of the house?!
I++ I live indoors most of the time, but will sneak out sometimes.
I+ I prefer to live indoors, but go outside when I feel like it.
I I drift between indoors and outdoors at will.
I- I come indoors to sleep and eat, but not much else.
I-- I'm allowed inside once in a while, but I eat and sleep outdoors.
I--- Why would anyone want to live inside those big ugly boxes?
Tempermant:
T+++ I am a furry ball of affection and love everybody.
T++ I like meeting new people and am affectionate with most.
T+ I'm shy about meeting new people, but am affectionate
with those that I know well.
T I have a few special humans I really like, the rest I tolerate.
T- People are OK for feeding and playing, but not much else
T-- I'm annoyed by human contact and will avoid it if possible.
T--- DON'T TOUCH ME OR I'LL SHRED YOU!!
Note: Many cats appear to be split-personalities, eg: T++/---
Activity level:
A+++ All the photos of me are blurred.
A++ I am always getting into, under or on top of things and am
hardly ever still.
A+ If you don't play with me, I'll find a way to play by myself.
A It's easy to get me to play, but I like to sleep, too.
A- I work very hard at sleeping, but like to chase the occasional toy.
A-- I may show signs of life in the presence of an excellent toy.
A--- They thought I was dead, until they started the can opener.
Eating:
E+++ Nothing even remotely edible is safe when I'm around.
E++ I'm always hungry. What are you having?
E+ I would rather eat than play with a toy.
E I enjoy good food, but sometimes the stuff I get is fit only
for my litter box.
E- I'll wait until the others have eaten.
E-- I would rather play with a toy than eat.
E--- I eat just enough to get by.
Hunting:
H Food comes in a box, right?
H+ I chase anything that moves, but am not quite sure what to
do with it if I catch it.
H++ I kill an occasional small rodent, bird or lizard, but
would never eat one. (Well, *hardly* ever.)
H+++ I regularly kill and eat small prey but expect to be fed, too.
H++++ If I didn't kill it then I don't want to eat it.
Smurgling:
S I wo?ldn'? be caug?t dead doi?g it?
S+ ? I?sne?k an occasional smurgle.
S+? When I'm in the mood, I can smurgle with the best of them.
S+++ Everybody leaves my house moistened with kitty-drool.
Vocalization:
V+++ Everyone in the neighborhood deserves the benefit of hearing
? my magnificent voice.
V++ I have long, m?aningful conversations with people.
V+ I ?ave a small but useful vocabulary of important words, like:
"Food!", "Play!", and: "Clean the box!"
V I'll let you know when it's dinner time, don't expect to
hear from me until then.
V- I know how to say "Feed me!", but must be very hungry to do so.
V-- Well, talking is a learned experience, I'm trying...
V--- If you are killing me, I might squeek a little.
Fetching:
F Why did you throw that thing?
F+ I can be coaxed into fetching a favorite object when I'm in the mood.
F++ I like to fetch and will often ask my human to throw things for me.
F+++ I will fetch anything, anywhere, anytime. (Are you sure you don't
have a dog?)
Vincent: MC (B+S)t G+Y .10 Y L++ C+ T+ I+++ H+ S++ V+ F++
Murphy: DS W+(B+R)t+R G+Y .11 Y L C+ T- I+++ H+ A+ F+
**************************************************************
Changes from last posting:
o Ruddy, ticked, spotted and mink color codes added.
o Hunting codes expanded.
o Food -> Eating (so I could use 'F' for fetching).
o Vocalization, fetching, and eye color codes added.
o Behavioral traits made optional.
o Polydactyl option added.
Eric Williams
: Smurgling:
: S I wo?ldn'? be caug?t dead doi?g it?
: S+ ? I?sne?k an occasional smurgle.
[...and other random garbling.]
Sorry about that. If anybody needs it letter-perfect, it's available
via anonymous FTP from netcom.com in /pub/wd6cmu/cats/catcode.
Lenore Levine
>This thing is getting long, so I made a lot of the fields optional. I
>added eye color, but I probably missed some -- I'm sure I can count
>on getting more suggestions on the subject. ;-)
>Here's the latest version:
(many fields deleted)
>Eating:
> E+++ Nothing even remotely edible is safe when I'm around.
> E++ I'm always hungry. What are you having?
> E+ I would rather eat than play with a toy.
> E I enjoy good food, but sometimes the stuff I get is fit only
> for my litter box.
> E- I'll wait until the others have eaten.
> E-- I would rather play with a toy than eat.
> E--- I eat just enough to get by.
But have you ever known a cat who was less than E++ ?
It seems to me they go from E++ to E++++++++.
Lenore Levine
Ellen Crawford
How about... for our extra toed cats:
C+++++ *More* than 18 razor-sharp implements of death....
Ellen and Zoomi, with *26* toes...
Eric Williams
: How about... for our extra toed cats:
: C+++++ *More* than 18 razor-sharp implements of death....
: Ellen and Zoomi, with *26* toes...
That's covered by C*+++.
Judy Labovitz
> wd6...@netcom.com (Eric Williams) writes:
>
> >Eating:
> > E+++ Nothing even remotely edible is safe when I'm around.
> > E++ I'm always hungry. What are you having?
> > E+ I would rather eat than play with a toy.
> > E I enjoy good food, but sometimes the stuff I get is fit only
> > for my litter box.
> > E- I'll wait until the others have eaten.
> > E-- I would rather play with a toy than eat.
> > E--- I eat just enough to get by.
>
> But have you ever known a cat who was less than E++ ?
> It seems to me they go from E++ to E++++++++.
Those low E cats do exists. My old one (17+ years) is an E++ whereas the
young one (nearly 4) is an E--. Luckily we have them trained to not eat
out of each others' dishes; well actually, we have the old one trained to
not eat out of the young one's never-empty dish. She'd much rather be
scratched or play with a wad of paper than eat. Her philosophy is: Eating
is something you do every so often, and then only 6 pieces at a time
because something interesting might be happening behind your back and you
have to go check out all the rooms with people in them.
Judy
Judith A Labovitz ju...@valinor.mythical.com
uunet!valinor!judy
I neigh, therefore I am (not). ---- Rene Descarte's horse