Author |
Message |
Seamonkey
Member
09-07-2000
| Wednesday, December 08, 2004 - 11:04 am
Owl, she heard you, there is NO doubt of that. and also sympathetic purrs from Miss Critter 
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Abby7
Member
07-17-2002
| Wednesday, December 08, 2004 - 8:50 pm
I'm so sorry to all of you in pain over losing your loving kitty cats. Thank you to all for sharing the cute, loving stories. I'm so thankful for all the love I feel from having my kitty cat. I share the stories you share here with dh. He loves hearing all the stories too. He came home from work yesterday with a cute story a co-worker told him. She recently put in a cat door...the type with the magnet for the cat, so only her cat can get in. The cat comes home with something new attached to it all the time. Heiniken beer caps, paper clips, etc. My cat has the habit of pulling all the towels down from the towel rack when we aren't looking. She hates wash cloths 'cause they are too high for her to reach...so she just meows at it.
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Urgrace
Member
08-19-2000
| Wednesday, December 08, 2004 - 8:59 pm
Owl, my heart is broken for you. I gave Jujukitty and Buddy some extra cuddling tonight. I still miss Kallicat, and hope she was there to meet Kitty and Ebony.
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Calamity
Member
10-18-2001
| Thursday, December 09, 2004 - 10:50 am
Theowl: My condolences to you again. I now how difficult it must have been for you to say goodbye to Ebony. Cat crosses Siberia to get home Link A Russian family has been reunited with their pet cat after it made a 1,300 mile trek across Siberia to get home. The two-year-old male cat called Kuzya ran away from the Efremov family when they took him with them from Olenyok to Yakutsk in eastern Russia for the summer. After weeks of searching they finally decided the cat was dead and set off back to Olenyok at the end of the summer. But the Regnum news agency reported that three months later the cat turned up on the doorstep, tired and thin but otherwise healthy. One of the Efremov family said: "There were bite marks on the cat's tail and his claws had been worn away to nothing. He is also nervous now about going outside - and always seems to be looking for a safe hiding place. "It's unbelievable that he made it across Siberian woods and hills and crossed rivers and lakes to get home."
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Nickovtyme
Member
07-29-2004
| Friday, December 10, 2004 - 2:00 pm
My Stupid cats knocked over the Christmas tree today. I didn't know it till I got home from work. We will probably be less three cats tonight. They broke a couple of my wifes christmas ornaments that her Grandmother gave her when she was a kid. She has kept them all these years and they are no more. We have tried to Spray the cats with water when we catch them in the tree but they aren't learning their lesson. I'm gonna miss Sammie, Willow and Jack.
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Friday, December 10, 2004 - 2:15 pm
Oh dear! Hope someone has some ideas to help the kitties stay out of the tree. My condolences to your wife, Nick, on the loss of her special ornaments.
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Jimmer
Member
08-30-2000
| Friday, December 10, 2004 - 2:22 pm
Hey Nick, You and the cats are just going to have to put the tree back up and glue the ornaments together really quick! Seriously, that's frustrating when they do those sort of things - that's a shame about the ornaments.
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Froggiegirl621
Member
02-14-2003
| Friday, December 10, 2004 - 2:40 pm
I'm going through the same frustration with my cat and the tree. The spray bottle method does NOT work! At this point I'm wondering if Max is going to make it in this house until Christmas...
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Eeyoreslament
Member
07-20-2003
| Friday, December 10, 2004 - 2:45 pm
Make a ball out of a sock, and when they do bad things, you throw the ball at them. It shocks the crap out of them. Cats get used to the water bottle. It's just like rain. But something hitting them (that is SOFT and doesn't hurt), may do the trick. Good luck!!! Hide the evidence and see if your wife even notices. 
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Karen
Member
09-07-2004
| Friday, December 10, 2004 - 7:04 pm
Oh Nick, that's really too bad. Shame that the water gun won't work, either. We have a Jr. sized pumping SuperSoaker, and we don't even need to spray the cats anymore. Just pick up the gun, pump it once, and the sound of the pumping action is enough to send them skittering under the bed. Maybe this will help: MANHATTAN -- If you own a cat, and see Christmas tree decorations flying around the room, you may realize Morris has terrorized the tannenbaum yet again. And if you're tired of Morris' reign of terror on your Christmas tree, a Kansas State University veterinarian has several suggestions. A cat's classic curiosity is the main cause of his mischief, according Dr. Kathy Gaughan. "Most cats get into the tree because it's new and interesting," Gaughan said. "Introducing a new toy or game at the same time might help keep the cat occupied with something else." If this idea doesn't work, Gaughan suggests taking a more active - and noisy - approach. "Try booby trapping the tree a few days before you decorate it," she said. "Stack a bunch of empty soda cans and either wait for the cat to go up the tree and rig them to have them fall, or set them up in the tree so if the cat jiggles the tree they'll fall. You can even put coins in the cans to make more noise." A motion detector with an alarm that will sound when the cat is near the tree is another option to steer the cat away. Gaughan also offers a less noisy suggestion. "Citrus or citronella sprays can be applied around the bottom of the tree. It can be fairly effective without an objectionable odor," she said. Merging pets and holidays doesn't have to be a holiday nightmare, it just takes some patience and common sense. Gaughan offers tips for keeping your pets safe during the holiday season. Decorations: Tinsel not only has sharp edges that can cause intestinal problems, it's also harder for the animal to digest and pass. "Place glass and valuable ornaments high on the tree (thanks.) and make sure you pick up after decorating, especially making sure no hooks remain on the ground," Gaughan said. Some wrapping paper may contain lead, so pets shouldn't eat it. Electric cords and pets are not a good combination. Protect them both by covering up the cords or taping them to the floor as well as providing appropriate supervision. "Never leave a lit candle unattended, especially when there are rambunctious pets around," Gaughan said. "Be aware that animals with asthma or other respiratory problems may be particularly sensitive to burning incense or smelly candles." Plants: In general, it's wise to keep holiday plants out of pet's chewing reach. However, when mischief and curiosity prevail, it helps to know harmless from harmful. While pine needles have no significant toxic effects, they can become lodged in a pet's throat, Gaughan said. Mistletoe, holly and holly berries, Christmas cactus and the Christmas rose have various toxic effects. Source: Dr. Kathy Gaughan, 785-532-4130, or e-mail kgaughan@k-state.edu December 2001 LINK
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Seamonkey
Member
09-07-2000
| Friday, December 10, 2004 - 10:33 pm
I hope you aren't serious, Nick. Since I've had the cat I just usually don't have a tree, or I put up the tree in a room with a door so she isn't left alone with the tree. Of course having three just makes it all the more fun. A friend of mine said his friend with three cats just hung the tree from the ceiling in a place where the cats couldn't jump up to it. To me it is like having a child, you have to adapt your environment to them, they are living beings and more important that pretty much anything. So.. I went from 50 indoor plants to zero and I just don't have vases with flowers around, not worth the stress. I don't take a chance with flame/candles, not worth the chance of the cat starting a fire or harming herself. And my keepsake items are behind glass doors. I don't use ribbon much, because it can be ingested and cause harm. Rubber bands are banned.
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Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Friday, December 10, 2004 - 11:33 pm
We haven't had a tree since we've had cats. Some days I miss it this time of year but mostly I don't. I'd much rather have the cats.
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Nickovtyme
Member
07-29-2004
| Friday, December 10, 2004 - 11:59 pm
No Seamonkey...I'm not serious. I mean, our cats did knock over the tree and break the ornaments...but my wife didn't kill them. I do think she thought about it though. We're gonna see if we can fix the ornaments. Its a sentimental thing to her...but if they do it again...I'm not sure I'll be joking. ;D Thanks, Karen for the super soaker idea...I think I'll go out and buy one tomorrow!
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Katoncoast
Member
07-31-2004
| Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 9:25 am
I love my cats and refuse to do with out a christmas tree. my main two cats have always just left it alone for the most part. we reciently adopted a kitten about 5 to 6 months old. "Ash".(attackus-anythingus!) who has taken great delight in the tree untill receintly. several times I simply took the can of "Dust off" compressed air you would use for your pc and spray a few quick quirts in the air(away from the cat) if i see him messing with the tree. instant cat-be-gone. now for the most part we just have to verbally make the same noise.:-)
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Seamonkey
Member
09-07-2000
| Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 1:05 pm
Whew!! I like the idea of a motion detector and I just bet that dust off caught that feline attention too. Nick, three cats is a real gang, huh?
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Monday, December 13, 2004 - 9:09 pm
A couple of tricks if you have cats that are into trees. They hate tinfoil (hate it!). So instead of a tree skirt, layer some foil around the base of the tree. They also don't like sticky stuff. So buy green placemats and stick double-sided tape on 'em. Place 'em, sticky side up, under the tree. Water guns and throwing things don't work. You need to use positive reinforcement. So if you see a kitty wander over by a tree, and then keep on going, REWARD said kitty with a treat. If you see kitty heading over towards the tree, and you see the tail twitch thing (as in, kitty is thinking about getting into trouble), go grab a feather-on-a-string toy and distract kitty. And then reward kitty when the distraction works. Seriously. Positive reinforcement. And oh yeah, don't hang ornaments near the bottom of the tree, and don't use tinsel! 
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Seamonkey
Member
09-07-2000
| Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - 12:26 pm
LOL.. The tail twitch thing!! They do telegraph what they are thinking, don't they?
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Wednesday, December 15, 2004 - 9:56 pm
Oh yeah... definitely. Loud and clear! Kassie puts her ears back, twitches her tail madly, gets big eyes, and then does this insane dash around the house, across the back of the house, and thru the air to the top of the cat tree. Then she sits there and looks at me as if it was MY fault! I tell her she's gotta quit listening to the darned cat faeries, cause they'll get her into trouble every time.
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Wednesday, December 15, 2004 - 10:09 pm
I had a cat that I did a tail twitch game with. She'd be on my lap, curl her tail up in the air, and switch it down hard. So, I started making a "whipping" sound every time she twitched it. She started messing with me, looking me straight in the eye as she curled up her tail. Then she'd psyche me out and start to twitch it down and stop mid twitch...trying to make me do the whip sound before she did the twitch. It was so hilarious.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Thursday, December 16, 2004 - 6:56 pm
LOL Who! Isn't it funny, the games they play? I swear Costa used to sit around while I was at work, thinking up things he could do to taunt me!
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Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - 10:00 am
Hey! Where has everyone gone???
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - 2:24 pm
Cats Help In Tree Decorating
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - 2:52 pm
Too cute Who!
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Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - 5:04 pm
The 'Before and After' pix are priceless, and too true for words.
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - 5:07 pm
Yea, those before/after pics are my favorite! So is the "tree diving." 
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