Archive through February 13, 2002

The ClubHouse: Archives: CATS!: Archive through February 13, 2002

Karuuna

Thursday, February 07, 2002 - 06:06 pm Click here to edit this post
HELP! I have a rather tacky cat problem...

My 1 year old kitty constantly gets into things. If I leave my glasses on the table, he knocks them on the floor and plays with them. He picks up everything he can carry, and takes it to different rooms. I've gotten used to these problems, EXCEPT...

Now he's developed an affinity to the push pins on our two bulletin boards. I've not caught him in action, but I have found previously posted papers and notes on the floor, and him batting push pins around.

I wouldn't mind so much except that it's terribly dangerous for him, and everyone else in the house with bare feet.

Anyone have any ideas on how to keep him away from the push pins?

Moondance

Thursday, February 07, 2002 - 06:21 pm Click here to edit this post
Hmmm... tacky kitty?

-Send him to charm school

-Push them in real hard so he can't get them out

-Use tape instead

-Put some lemon juice on the pins so they are sour ... also bitter apple that can be bought in any pet store... I just find lemon or pepper works great too. Might smell for a while but he definitely won't be interested in them anymore and you can stop using it after a while:)

Karuuna

Thursday, February 07, 2002 - 06:22 pm Click here to edit this post
Good ideas, Moon! I just caught him carrying a push pin around in his mouth!

Babyruth

Thursday, February 07, 2002 - 07:12 pm Click here to edit this post
How about using good old fashioned thumbtacks? I bet he won't be able to remove those.
You could also have extra "toys" laying around for him, like milk carton rings, wadded up paper or foil, etc.
I used to tie a catnip mouse onto a strong elastic string and tie the other end to a doorknob. My cat would amuse himself frequently by walking off with his prize in his mouth, only to have it "escape" and go running back. Over and over....

Karuuna

Thursday, February 07, 2002 - 07:17 pm Click here to edit this post
LOL, Ruth, neither can I!! Good idea, tho!

Karuuna

Thursday, February 07, 2002 - 07:19 pm Click here to edit this post
And he already has a ton of toys. Doesn't seem to make a difference. He does play with them. But also gets into stuff he shouldn't.

Babyruth

Thursday, February 07, 2002 - 07:20 pm Click here to edit this post
Get him another kitten to play and wrestle with!!!

Donut

Thursday, February 07, 2002 - 10:18 pm Click here to edit this post
neko, my hub and i love your little kitty gif- whered ya get it?
babyruth- dont i have an aforementioned puppy pic coming to melt us again?...
hello cat people, i would like some advice about a friend of mine who is a catperson(my kitty experience, although happy, is minimal, since we raised and showed dogs when i was a kid) I hate to bum this nice thread out, so please dont read more if you dont want your mellow harshed--
My friend had to put her cat to sleep after 13 years,(she has a 2 yr old that she rescued as well) She said she is fine with it, but her husband is going thru chemo following surgery for a brain tumor so i think at this point she has understandably just shut down her emotional response. Her birthday is Sat. and i just wanted to know if there is anything special i could do or get her to make her feel a little better and i thought it could be possible that as cat owners that you might have a better idea on this than i do. otherwise i will probably just do a goodie basket with relaxing stuff like tea, chocolate, bath oils etc.
thanks!

Babyruth

Friday, February 08, 2002 - 08:19 am Click here to edit this post
Donut, here's a kitty pic for you. I put a doggie pic in the DOGS thread for you.
momcat
MOMCAT

Donut

Friday, February 08, 2002 - 11:40 am Click here to edit this post
omg, you are killing us! that is the sweetest! Is that a little stuffed animal head i detect in the lower right??

Babyruth

Friday, February 08, 2002 - 11:44 am Click here to edit this post
It looks like a Garfield head, sorta. Aren't these puppy/kitty pics the greatest? Wish I was the photographer, but it wasn't me. These were emailed to me.

Jbean

Friday, February 08, 2002 - 09:11 pm Click here to edit this post
OMG babyruth! that picture is SO sweet. kitties are so cute when they're asleep. they look so happy!

Bookworm

Friday, February 08, 2002 - 09:49 pm Click here to edit this post
We have too many cats to count and live out in the country so they run rampant. Not all of them are named. There always seems to be something happening to our cats so I have some cat stories to share. I will just write one tonight.

Last week we went to a Superbowl Party at a friend's house about 10 minutes away. As we were packing up to go back home Nightcrawler found a kitten outside. We noticed it was tame and similar in color as some of our cats, but it looked bigger than our kittens. Anyway we ended up bringing it home with us since no one claimed it. A couple days later we realized that the mother cat had accepted it. And that it was actually her kitten!! So we don't know where it was tagging along on/under our car or how it made it all the way to the party (about 10 miles away) but it did. It has some scratches, a bald spot on its tail, and now holds its head a little crooked but other than that its fine. I guess it has eight (or maybe less) lives left.

Julieboo

Monday, February 11, 2002 - 11:06 am Click here to edit this post
Hi

Well Frosty is melting. Actually, he is coming out of his shell. He lets us pet him and will even sometimes rub against us. He is still in the guest room. Any suggestions on how to introduce him to our resident cat?

Jeep

Monday, February 11, 2002 - 12:15 pm Click here to edit this post
Here's a question for everyone: I have an older cat (15 years) who is one of four others. She is small and thin where all the others are big & fat (even up to 20 lbs!).

Over the past few months, she has been having trouble with the "poops" and has been pulling her hair out. After many vet visits and blood tests she has been deemed VERY healthy and suffering from food alergy.

Now, my question......other than the expensive food the vet has that I can buy, does anyone know of any regular commercial brand of food that would help with a food alergy? I've tried some of the "senior" and "special formula" Purina brands with no luck. I've also tried Science Diet for sensitive stomaches.

I hate to buy the vet food, since I would be feeding it to all 4 cats. I am looking for something I can feed all of them and help her, too. The food is left out all day for them. It wouldn't hurt if the others lost a few pounds either. Ha! Ha!

Julieboo

Monday, February 11, 2002 - 12:27 pm Click here to edit this post
While we are talking about pet food...

Frosty also has to eat a special limited ingredients cat food. I guess he is allergic to starch. If he eats starch, I guess he breaks out in bumps on his back. Other than IVD food, does anyone know of any cat food or treats that has no starch?

Jeep: can you feed your cats separately at specific times? Then you won't leave the food out all day. I think that is what I'll need to do once Frosty gets released into the rest of the house. (Cuz I have the other cat who is not allergic).

Mammyyokum

Monday, February 11, 2002 - 02:59 pm Click here to edit this post
Jeep, what is it in the cat food that your cat is allergic to?

Moondance

Monday, February 11, 2002 - 02:59 pm Click here to edit this post
The MOST imprtant part of picking any type of cat food is 'by-products'... you will be surprised how many have this... even the expensive kinds that claim to be healthy so you MUST read the labels... it extends their life and cuts down on health problems... Jeep, go to a pet store... they will have more of a selection without by-products.

MaxCat
Nutro
ADP

are just a few

Moondance

Monday, February 11, 2002 - 03:01 pm Click here to edit this post
BR... I love that pix... my friend sent the same one to me in e-mail last year... just the sweetest!

Julie.... so happy to hear about Frosty:)

Keep the door slightly open... he will check things out on his own time... I don't think it will hard when they meet... just keep things quiet and calm when they do finally check each other out:)

Jeep

Tuesday, February 12, 2002 - 05:44 am Click here to edit this post
Mammy - I don't know exactly what she is alergic to yet. Vet was not specific or just didn't know. However, over the past few weeks, I have been feeding her plain baked chicken or turkey twice a day. No spices or anything. Just protein and not a great amount. She's doing a bit better. It keeps her from eating a lot of the other cat food. By process of elimination, it seems to be other than protein, maybe starch like Julieboo's cat or something in the "byproducts" YUCK.

Thanks for the ideas Moon. I'm going to Pet Smart this weekend and I'll look for those foods.

Thanks everyone!

Mammyyokum

Tuesday, February 12, 2002 - 12:40 pm Click here to edit this post
Jeep, www.hillspet.com is the website for Science Diet and Prescription Diet
www.nutroproducts.com is the website for Nutro (which also makes Max Cat)
I would check out those sites and ask questions about their ingredients through emails. They'll be glad to answer your questions. They know that the labeling and terminology used in pet food is not easily understood. It doesn't fall under all the same rules as human food products.
Could even save you a trip to Pet Smart.

Myjohnhenry

Tuesday, February 12, 2002 - 04:51 pm Click here to edit this post
Rules for Cats

I. DOORS
Do not allow closed doors in any room. To get a door opened, stand on hind legs and scratch the frame. You may also reach under the door and pull clothing towards you; silks get the quickest reaction. Once door is opened, it is not necessary to use it. After you have ordered an "outside" door opened, stand halfway in and out and think about several things. This is particularly important during very cold weather, when it's raining or snowing, or during the height of the mosquito season. Swinging doors must be avoided at all costs.

II. CHAIRS AND RUGS
If you have to urp, get to an overstuffed chair quickly. If you cannot manage this in time, get to an Oriental rug. If there are no Oriental rugs, shag is a good substitute. When urping on shag, be sure you project; it is a must that it stretch for as long as a human's bare foot.

III. BATHROOMS
Always accompany guests to the bathroom. (See Rule I) It is not necessary to do anything - just sit and stare.

IV. HELPING
If one of your humans is engaged in some semi-closed activity and the other is idle, stay with the busy one. This is called "helping"; humans are known to refer to it as hampering". The following are the rules for "helping": a) When supervising cooking, sit just behind the left heel of the cook. You cannot be seen and thereby stand a better chance of being stepped on and then picked up and comforted. b) For book readers, get in close under the chin, between eyes and book, unless you can lie across the book itself. c) For knitting projects or paperwork, lie on the work in the most appropriate manner so as to obscure as much of the work or at least the most important part. Pretend to doze, but every so often reach out and slap the pencil or knitting needles. The worker may try to distract you; ignore it. Remember, the aim is to hamper work. Embroidery and needlepoint projects make great hammocks in spite of what the humans may tell you. d) For people paying bills (monthly activity) or working on income taxes or Christmas cards (annual activity), keep in mind the aim - to help! First, sit on the paper being worked on. When dislodged, watch sadly from the side of the table. When activity proceeds nicely, roll around on the papers, scattering them to the best of your ability. After being removed for the second time, push pens, pencils, and erasers off the table, one at a time. e) When a human is holding the newspaper in front of him/her, be sure to jump on the back of the paper. They love to jump.

V. WALKING
As often as possible, dart quickly and as close as possible in front of the human. Especially effective places to strike are: 1) On stairs, when they have something in their arms; 2) In the dark; and 3) When they first get up in the morning. This exercise helps with improving their coordination skills.

VI. BEDTIME
Always sleep on the human at night. If there are two (or more) of you, book end the human putting off the greatest heat. They will try and squirm but your sheer numbers and inert bodies will effectively keep them pinned.

VII. COMPUTERS
1: Only show interest in computers that are turned ON, the operator will need your help.
2: Monitors are bad for human eyes. It might ruin your owner's sight and cause them to buy less cat food. Always get in between the monitor and the person operating the computer. For best results, stands as close to the monitor as possible. If you are removed, go and sulk in a corner for a minute, then repeat. Look as innocent as possible.
3: Keyboards are great to lie down on. Make yourself as comfortable as possible. Marching over the keyboard several times is fun too. Practice aiming at alt-F4, N, and ctrl-alt-del.
4: Always chase the mouse. Your owner can't blame you for this, since it's your feline instinct to chase mice.
5: Floppy disk make great scratching posts. Nothing beats floppies when it's time to sharpen your nails.

Myjohnhenry

Tuesday, February 12, 2002 - 04:51 pm Click here to edit this post
The Cats Diary

DAY 752 - My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant.

DAY 761 - Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded, must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair...must try this on their bed.

DAY 762 - Slept all day so that I could annoy my captors with sleep depriving, incessant pleas for food at ungodly hours of the night.

DAY 765 - Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was...Hmmm. Not working according to plan ......

DAY 768 - I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason I was chosen for the water torture. This time however it included a burning foamy chemical called "shampoo." What sick minds could invent such a liquid. My only consolation is the piece of thumb still stuck between my teeth.

DAY 771 - There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the foul odor of the glass tubes they call "beer." More importantly I overheard that my confinement was due to MY power of "allergies." Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.

DAY 774 - I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The Bird on the other hand has got to be an informant. He has mastered their frightful tongue (something akin to mole speak) and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room his safety is assured. But I can wait. It is only a matter of time.

Lobster

Tuesday, February 12, 2002 - 05:51 pm Click here to edit this post
Have any of you heard anything about cats and eggplant? The reason I ask is because I was making eggplant parm one day, and as I was cutting the eggplant my brother's three cats started rolling around on the floor like they had just been given catnip. They kept jumping up on the counter where the uncooked eggplant was, which they don't normally do when someone's cooking. As the eggplant cooked, and the strong smell went away, the cats calmed down. It was strange, I tell ya, strange!

Admin

Wednesday, February 13, 2002 - 06:21 am Click here to edit this post
wetkitty