As many of us co-habitat with a feline, how about we lighten up with some cat stories.

We might share cat health tips here too.

I won't unload all at once, just to say I feed four. Two indoor Siamese brothers that coral me to one corner of the bed by morning, one black Persian that has had several homes in the neighborhood and feral in between. She is a sweetie and I call her in at night although she survived many coyote washouts, as they get older they do get harvested easier. Then there is the Orange cat. It was breaking into homes of pet owners for the food and no one knows where it came from. Totally, scardy-kitty it does not allow me to get within ten feet but, gets a big bowl of food at sun down.

Moi

Cats must be very important indeed as the only Leukemia and AIDS vaccines are for cats.

I'm a dog guy, generally; I like big, cuddly dogs that can defend if needed. Had a pit bull for several years, until I moved to Montreal. What a huggy, slobbery, dumb ol' buddy he was.

But, I have a thing for cats, too. They are the polar opposite of dogs, but I like them. Their combination of indifference to us, their sneaky ways, and their need for petting mixes all up into a truly non-understandable beast of mythic proportions.

That, and it's fun to spin them into a tizzy with a simple flashlight pointed at a wall.

However as for a real reason to have cats in the house; I am facinated by spiders, they are fun to watch in their webs, but by all that is holy, I cannot stand the the creepy little bastards if they are roaming around my house, crawling on my bed, or in my sink; I scream like a girl at the mere sight of a 'free range' spider (as opposed to the interesting, fun-to-watch web-based spiders).

Cats eat spiders. Ergo, cats are allowed in the house. It is the aloof little bastards ticket to ride in my warm, cat-food rich home.

Well... that, and how they streach so cutely when I rub their tummy.

As some who have read this site for years you know about Rupert. Rupert allows me to give him treats, feed him, pet him in my lap on his time, but then again if he is outside I can call him and he will come running. We take walks together around the park or in the woods behind me. Now when you take a cat for a walk they will be behind you or in front of you but never at your side unless your petting him.

The Cat is an animal that has chosen to live with man at his convenience, he is still a wild animal and can very well take care of himself in the wild, he allows us to take care of his needs, and we would not have it any other way.

River

StefanIsMe (imported) wrote: Mon Jun 07, 2010 6:56 pm Well... that, and how they streach so cutely when I rub their tummy.

Not with my cat - try to touch tummy and get full set of claws and teeth.

Oh, and move around the house barefoot and you are considered a hunting target.

PS. Have anyone seen a cat trying to catch a mouse cursor or sleeping on the computer monitor?

fhunter wrote: Tue Jun 08, 2010 8:57 am Not with my cat - try to touch tummy and get full set of claws and teeth.

Oh, and move around the house barefoot and you are considered a hunting target.

PS. Have anyone seen a cat trying to catch a mouse cursor or sleeping on the computer monitor?

The computer monitor is warm and cats will sleep on something warm. That's happened to people I know.

As for catching a mouse cursor, no, I haven't seen that.

My wife and I have always had one or two dogs that we got on purpose and as many cats as have adopted us and moved in (whether invited or not). Currently we have one dog and one-and-a-half cats. One cat has completely moved in (after first appearing in the bushes as a wet and bedraggled stray). Another cat has been dropping by twice a day for meals, but has never allowed either of us within ten feet of him. He’s been around for seven years, so we doubt he’ll ever become tame enough to touch (or to take to the vet).

Our peak was two dogs and 37 cats, all of the cats having adopted us as young adult strays. At the time we lived across the street from a park where college students frequently dumped their pets at the end of the school year. We could have had 50 or more dogs if we’d taken them in as well.

Chilliwilli used to walk his white pit bull across the street from our house and can attest to the number of stray critters there.

Our current resident full cat (as opposed to the half cat), cowered in the bushes around the house, gratefully eating the food that we left for him, but not allowing anyone near him for quite some time. As a young boy, he was regularly beaten up and mauled by the half cat (a VERY large tom). Finally, one nice warm spring day, the dog went into full guard position at the open sliding glass door. The cat walked in directly under her head, letting his tail curl up and around her nose. He announced that he now lives here and he slept in bed with me the first night in his new home.

He’s now a lap-kitty and enjoys walking on my keyboard when I’m trying to work. He only goes out of doors when the dog is along to protect him.

.

Jesus, I love what you wrote. Perfect adoption process, and facinating animal sociology thrown in for free.

I'd take my dog to Regina frequently to visit a friend there, and hated walking him on that residential street because of people and their loose dogs.

This one guy had a little rat-dog, barky, yappy thing; I was walking Kale on a leash, on the other side of the street from the yappy dogs house. The husband and wife were in the front yard; so was the dog. Little thing runs from them towards me and Kale, right across the street. Kale, a great dog who earned my trust over the years (and kept it; never once did he bite anyone or ever show intent), was still true to his breed; I could not trust him around other male dogs. Period.

So, here comes this little barking whirlwind of 15 pounds of canine, straight at me, and Kale just freezes, staring hungrily, champing his jaws. What choice do I have? I won't let him eat the little thing, that'd just be gross. So, I pick him up in my arms, all 80 pounds of muscle and head. And start calling at the guy to call his damned dog back.

Mr. Idiot proceeds to laugh at me, teasing to his wife about the silly man worried his big dog is going to get bit !! No shit.

I told him in a clear and volumous way that if he thought I was worried about MY dog getting hurt, he's even stupider than his obviously significantly retarted dog.

Even upon telling him I was trying to save his dog from being eaten, he still laughed, half-heartedly called his dog (who ignored him), and I, ready to pass out from wrestling Kale in my arms, dropped to the sidewalk and just kept my hands clamped around Kale's muzzle while the dog nipped at his butt. It was two, maybe three nips, before I had enough and punted the little fucker hard enough to send him skidding down the sidewalk, after which he finally ran off to Daddy.

Daddy proceeded, of course, to harass me until, (cue dramatic music) his own son, who watched the whole thing, came running out of the house (son was probably 20 years old), and starts just going NUTS on his dad, telling him Kale was a pit bull, and totally defending my actions .

After which I went back into my friends house, phoned the Animal Control Officer, told him the story, and the next week when I came back, there was the neighbor dog, on a yard-leash, for the first time ever.

Now, I have to admit some fault; if I had trained Kale perfectly, he wouldn't have felt the need to snack on poor RatDog. But, well, pitbulls are not exactly a brilliant breed, and I did my best. He was kind and obedient in all settings except when another male dog was present; I just could not train that out of him, sadly.

I love the memory of him anyway.

And yeah... cats are significantly less worry to own

I have two cats without names. My black and white kitty will come into den, jump up and rub her neck on my hand as I "try" to move the mouse.

The least friendly gray cat, scratches like hell when I force her into my bedroom at night. Once there, she's happy and will allow me to pet her.

I am happy to be the sole staff to two cats.

Dave (imported) wrote: Tue Jun 08, 2010 9:57 am The computer monitor is warm and cats will sleep on something warm. That's happened to people I know.

As for catching a mouse cursor, no, I haven't seen that.

My cats used to chase the mouse cursor. I had to put an end to that after they batted some dead pixels into my monitor.

Don't you just love that "wet nose" printing on your mouse hand.

Moi