BS: Is this a feline record?

Subject: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Irene M
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 03:37 PM

I have been left with care, custody and control of Cha-Cha, the French neighbour's cat. (Both of them are French. Cha-Cha and I communicate in that international language "Fridge").
His mealticket has gone off to France for a couple of weeks.

She left at 8:20 AM Sunday.
By 8:30AM, Cha-Cha had got in a fight, lost his collar, lost his cat-flap magnet and was locked out.
TEN minutes!
Should I phone the Guinness Book of Records?

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: MMario
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 03:42 PM

I think the American Division has the record down to about 2 minutes....

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Skivee
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 03:48 PM

I think that "Cat Flap Magnet" is the name of my next band.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 03:56 PM

If Cha-Cha had also pulled an entire freshly cooked roast chicken off the kitchen counter or the dining room table in that space of time, dragged it across the floor, and hastily eaten various bits off it, then barfed on the rug when caught in the act, he would have secured that coveted place in the Guiness Book of World Records. He was close, but no cigar.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Becca72
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 04:33 PM

My Sheldon could do that and more in half the time...if he were allowed out, that is. :-)


LOL Little Hawk

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 04:53 PM

LOL, LH!

Question is, is Cha Cha back inside and okay?

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 05:39 PM

I think Little Hawk has his animals confused. Cats don't steal roasts from kitchen counters and then yerk up what they've eaten. That behavior is exclusive to dogs. (Particularly small dogs of German heritage.) Cats kill birds, drag them through the house while leaving a trail of blood and feathers on the carpet, eat half the bird, and then yerk up what they've eaten.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Becca72
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 05:44 PM

LOL, Bee-dub. Only cats with access to the outside world kill birds, etc. Those who are imprisioned by humans and never allowed out will follow Little Hawk's scenario.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 05:44 PM

I had a cat who dragged a lamb roast onto the floor in the kitchen when we were in the dining room eating the part I'd sliced off of said roast. The other cat was known to hop up on the counter and lick a sizable depression in the pan of cornbread (about the size of a regular silver dollar, not the Susan B. Anthony variety, and the depth of a thimble).

They both would get into a pan of lasagne if left unattended. Garfield comes to mind.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 05:49 PM

A proper French chat (of masculine persuasion) would at least have battled Pepe LePew for the affections of the French lady chat down at the end of the block in the time described.

You obviously have a slacker.

Still, the loss of collar and magnet might suggest he was down at the pub with the Irish (terrier?), or perhaps lost them in a hold-em poker game with the squirrel from the oak tree out in the corner of the yard. (Squirrels always deal from the bottom of the deck, although I've never figured out how they palm the aces with those tiny little paws.)

A pair of local "experts" recommend a technique that they call "corporal cuddling" as a means of disciplining cats.

Details Here.

(The section on discipline is about 4:28 into the 6 or 7 minute video, but there are other pointers to apply to your personal situation.)

John

John

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Bee
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 06:23 PM

If you had seen me trying to corner the GIANT BULLFROG Tommy brought into the house last week, which took him less than a minute if you don't count him catching the frog in the first place...

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: SINSULL
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 07:22 PM

LOL Just how long is this neighbor going to be gone? And where is the kitty, Cha Cha, now? It's the name you know. He is the laughingstock of the neighborhood.

You have my sympathy. When Seamus comes to stay, I have to be sure he gets his evening constitutional before dusk - when the skunk comes out,

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 08:03 PM

Wakana and I got a big laugh out of this thread. Our own cats seem to be a little unusual. They turn up their noses at any food that is not cat food. We've tried chicken and pork and beef. No go. Please note that when we met the Mama Cat she was starving in the jungle and was stealing the bread we threw out for the chickens. For a while Wakana fed her milk soaked bread and she gobbled that down like there was no tomorrow.

Now that we have the new house the cats spend their time outdoors hunting lizards and grasshoppers. Wakana leaves the door open so they can come and go as they please. We have toads and wild chickens in the yard but the cats mostly ignore them.

For some reason the cats like to bring the live lizards and grasshoppers into the house to murder at their leisure. They will eat the grasshoppers but not the lizards. Usually the lizards are only between 2 to 4 inches long. Many of them escape the cats and die and dry up under boxes and other safe havens.

Obviously the cats are not Buddhist but they are learning Japanese. Wakana speaks to them in that language and they respond.

She loves the cats and does whatever they want her to do. She was leaning over my shoulder watching me type this when Mama Kitty came in and demanded that she go outdoors with her. Wakana is now outdoors with the cat. Hmm, need to talk to that woman about priorities.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 09:02 PM

NEVER forget - All other animals hae owners - Cats have Staff !!

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 10:17 PM

Bee-Dub, I had a cat for awhile that would drag anything off the dining room table, the counters, the top of the fridge....including beef and pork roasts, cooked chickens and turkeys, pies, anything. She had been an alley cat in her youth and she was always desperate for food and willing to do anything to get it and wolf it down. She was the worst feline thief I have ever seen or ever wish to. You think dogs are bad? This was simply intolerable.

I would never have had the damn thing in the first place except that I had a girlfriend who insisted on rescuing "lost" animals she found...many of whom turned out not to be lost at all...but rather kidnapped by my obsessive partner. Their owners from down the block or across the street would arrive to pick them up after she put up the "found" posters.

The aforementioned cat I spoke of above, however, did NOT turn out to have any owner. Much worse luck for us! The accursed thing would steal any food it could get hold of if you took your eyes off it for one second...so when meals were served this cat had to be locked outside or put in the basement.

To stop the little wretch from stealing food off the top of the fridge, I eventually placed some cake tins up there full of water. The cat leaped up on the fridge 20 seconds after I left the room to see what was there, landed right in the middle of the booby trap I had laid for her, and water flew everywhere while the cat departed the scene like a cork shot out of a bottle. Ha! Got the depraved little monster. She never jumped up on the fridge again after that incident.

I eventually broke up with that girl...and she took the cat with her. It proceeded to drive her next boyfriend out of his mind. I used to visit them now and then, because we were all still friends...all on good terms, and as far as Samantha the cat went nothing had changed. She was still wreaking havoc in the kitchen, but it wasn't my kitchen, so I didn't particularly care. One Christmas, though, I was visiting them, and the cat managed to pull the Christmas turkey off the table while we were all at the door for 30 seconds meeting another visitor who had just arrived.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 03 Jul 08 - 12:56 AM

My first little hunter, Koh-i-noor, once dragged in a pork chop, complete with seasoning, ready for the oven...

I knew she was an accomplished shrew hunter, but a pork butcher too?

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 03 Jul 08 - 09:07 AM

One of my friends is owned by 2 cats - one is a hearty eater, the other eats very little, so she was pleased the day the skinny cat was watching her cut up meat, so she dropped a morsel.

When she looked down the morsel was gone & skinny cat was still watching, so she gave it another morsel, & the same happened.

After a few more morsels she looked too quickly & saw fat cat eating the meat.

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Becca72
Date: 03 Jul 08 - 10:08 AM

My (now deceased) cat Mara Jade LOVED totilla chips. She would literally slap them out of your hand if she thought you weren't going to share.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Irene M
Date: 03 Jul 08 - 03:35 PM

Update.
Cha-Cha (pronounced sha-sha) is downstairs sleeping off his tea.
Both houses have the same make of cat-flap. I realised what had happened when Cha-Cha head-butted the flap. So, I taped the catch down at my place and started to work out the nearest place I could get a collar on a Sunday.I did a search of his own back yard, but am sure the fight was in another garden, as I didn't find the collar or magnet.
I still have the late Gabriel's magnet (he never lost it, despite living riotously for nearly 12 years)so I just needed a collar.
I happened upon a spare flea collar next door and used that.
Next day, I got some spare magnets (I wanted Gabe's back)and a more robust collar. It took a whole tin of sardines to take his mind of it, but I got the collars changed without being bitten.
Lawrence is away for a fortnight. There will be a feline riot when she comes back and the supply of Whiskas pouches dries up. He has a permanent snack-bar in my kitchen, with the dried stuff and I hear him let himself in at all hours of the night.
He is a funny old squirt. He is 15 this month, and I think this is the first time he has had a garden. I believe he had always lived in flats. He is very grumpy, with a very sensitive tail. Stroke him anywhere behind his ears and he bites you.

John. I loved the video. The cat yodelling is a hoot.

My mother was once in service to a Siamese who could leap across your lap as you sat at the table, taking a rasher of bacon off your plate as she passed. Sort of high speed raid.

Well, I had better go and iron Cha-Cha's copy of The Times.
TTFN

Irene

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Becca72
Date: 03 Jul 08 - 05:13 PM

I was using my treadmill last night and up walks Mikey, my pride and joy. I have 2 CD cabinets in the livingroom, right in front of where the treadmill. He looked at me over his shoulder, flipped open the (albeit crude) latch that keeps the door of the cabinet closed, flung the door open and pulled out a CD from the bottom rack. And what does Mikey like to listen to you ask? Billy Joel's Greatest Hits.

It was really quite funny to watch. He was acting like it's a normal everyday cat activity.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 Jul 08 - 05:16 PM

THIS THREAD IS BANNED FROM ALL RESIDENT CATS!!!

This means Tejitu and Tilahun in particular.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Anne Lister
Date: 03 Jul 08 - 06:39 PM

Following Irene's tale of the Siamese ... Bonnie Shaljean and I once shared a house with a number of others, including two cats (Dunstable and Felicity). There are many tales to be told, including that of how we didn't know they were both female until we had two litters of kittens in the house, but the tale of sneaking bacon made me remember a couple of stories.

There was the time one of our housemates had made himself a fine Sunday brunch of the full English, and took it into our sitting room with the Sunday papers. As he sat there, Dunstable arrived followed by all the kittens. She gave a command in cat and the kits all sat obediently in a semi circle. Our friend took his eyes off his breakfast briefly to turn a page in the newpaper. Quick as a flash, Dunstable stole his bacon and shot off upstairs, followed by the kittens. It was obviously the practical session of their schooling.

And then there was the time another of our housemates had cooked up a fine casserole to serve to his visitors. They ate in another room, and he left the food in the pot on the cooker. When he offered second helpings to his visitors he was embarassed to find there was no longer any meat in his pot - one of the cats had clearly found a way to fish each piece of meat out by lying across the eye-level grill.

I was always going to write about our experiences in that house. The title of the book? "Tongue Marks in the Butter."

Our current employer, Cleo, is remarkably well behaved with food and never, ever steals anything. She is, however, very good at putting her whole heart and soul into her eyes and sitting quietly at my side when I'm eating, purring gently and licking her lips. A good technique.

Actually at the moment we're trying to feed her up, as she's lost such a lot of weight (thyroid problems and now probable liver damage - we're working on it). So these days she gets a lot of treats. Throws most of them up again, mind. Luckily we have a good carpet cleaner.

Anne

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 03 Jul 08 - 07:53 PM

Cat Flap Magnet IS a great band name -- and I've just been contemplating Brisket, Shank and Clod. (I have a feeling Tom will curmudge about that idea...)

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 Jul 08 - 09:56 PM

Oh drat! It's fledgling robin time again. The two baby robins that were nesting five feet off the ground in the lawn spruce tree have decided to test their wings. Tej was nice enough to bring one in through the cat door and gently deposit it on the kitchen floor; she believe in catch and release. Her sister doesn't but was evidently snoozing. I was watching the evening news and when my wife came home from work she heard bird like peeping where no peeping should be. By this time the baby robin had been transported to the laundry room/entry way and was complaining that it wasn't being feed its quota of worms on schedule (baby robins need two feet of worms per day to survive). Tej doesn't feed robins. Well, I corralled robin, determined that its nest looked a little askew but I straightened it out, placed baby robin in, and recaptured it after it fluttered out again. Then I tried transporting baby robin and nest to roof of porch, thinking that might be a safer place and parents might find it to feed it. Well it scrambled out of its nest, stared over the side of the gutter and then fluttered over to nearby pine tree. I was impressed. I didn't think it could flutter so far. No doubt its parents will find it there and feed it another foot of worms today. Tej is wondering where her little pal has gone to. Tilahun is wondering what all the commotion was about; she eats little birds.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Jul 08 - 12:15 AM

LOL...keep the stories coming folks...very entertaining!

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 04 Jul 08 - 12:47 AM

Be careful with the food left in the kitchen and on tables, guys. Animals don't understand hot food versus cold. A friend had a dog who must have eaten hot food in the kitchen. The dogs esophagus was seriously injured. Fortunately, a university vet school took her as a charity patient. However, she never could eat normally after that.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 04 Jul 08 - 01:34 AM

"Cat Flap Magnet IS a great band name "

My Friend Rachel and I are looking for another pair whose names start with and "R" & a "D" to form a band.

Robin.







The name....













Wait for it....

















R. D. R. R.

...

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Jul 08 - 02:31 AM

LOL...that's a good one!

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Bee
Date: 04 Jul 08 - 11:47 AM

I finally found something Snowball won't eat - prosciutto.

Neither of the cats are food stealers, though. Snowball only needed one removal from the counter to understand that was a no-go territory.

The two have such an odd relationship. Snowball still adores Tommy, wants to be with him, looks longingly up trees he can't climb while Tommy is stalking around in the branches. He never retaliates when Tommy bats his head around (with retracted claws, mind you), but will lie on top of Tommy with paws wrapped around Tommy's neck or belly. But then, I've seen Tommy walk over and literally give Snowball whatever he's killed - sometimes short a head, but it's the thought that counts, eh.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Becca72
Date: 04 Jul 08 - 12:23 PM

LOL, Bee. The theme from "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" was running through my head as I was reading your last post.


"People let me tell ya 'bout my beeeeest friend". :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Bee
Date: 04 Jul 08 - 12:41 PM

Darn, Becca - now I have earworm!

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Irene M
Date: 04 Jul 08 - 04:35 PM

And I thought it was only me who got the daft ones.

Nermal was about 4 weeks old when someone chucked her out of a car, and a friend's dog found her lodged in a stone wall, filthy and with her ears full of crap.
She was brought to me. Poor little sod was of course, traumatised for the rest of her short life. I brought home Nimrod from the RSPCA, as company and moral support for Nermal. Nimrod brought with her, Feline Leukemia, which is a whole other place that I won't go.
Nimrod was however, tremendously agile. She could walk the indoor sill of a sash window, turn round and walk back again. Nermal would try it and fall off. Nim would walk away smiling as Nermal fought her way out of a geranium.
I moved with them to a terraced house from a flat. They discovered that if they started in the bathroom at the back, they could get up enough speed to clear the top of the stairs into the front bedroom.
There was a regular thunder of 8 feet overhead. I couldn't make out, though, why the bedroom light was always on when I went up there.
I wasn't sleeping in there as I had paint to strip off the ceiling, and had leaned the bed bits and mattress against the wall.
Eventually the shredded mattress cover gave the game away. Nimrod was arriving in the bedroom, doing a handbrake turn, swarming up the mattress, grabbing the light pull and swinging on it a la Tarzan.
Well, I got the ceiling stripped (hey man, I can fly!) and moved on to putting up the shelves, which together with a rail and curtain rail were to be a wardrobe. I was under the lower shelf, screwing the hanging rail up when it went dark. Peer out. Nimrod, on the shelf above my head, hanging over to see just what I was doing in there. She had gone up the mattress and taken a very gentle flying leap.
She also liked to ride on your shoulders, and would swarm up your leg to get there. No warning, just "OUCH, Oh Hello". Nermal was far too clumsy to try it. A few days after Nimrod had had to be put down and Nermal was following me forlornly round the bedroom, I said "If you were Nimrod, I wouldn't be able to stand near the bed, otherwise she would be up my back." Nermal looked at me.....and swarmed (painfully on my part)up my back. She got to the top and "Oooohhhh. MUM! it's wobbly up here!" She never did it again, neither did she ever again respond directly to something I said.
The back climbing got to be a daily thing with Nimrod. I would go in the bathroom in the morning and soak my hair in the wash basin. As I did this, she would swarm up my legs and settle down, all relaxed in the small of my back. I then had to return to the bedroom bent double being ridden by a cat, and gently tip her off onto the bed.
So, who is daft. Them or me?

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 04 Jul 08 - 06:18 PM

Cats aren't daft, which sort of narrows it down somewhat. ;~)

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 05 Jul 08 - 05:14 AM

Crazy cat mends ways under house arrest

Court case dropped after owner keeps neighbor-terrorizing feline indoors

The Associated Press
updated 3:18 a.m. CT, Sat., July. 5, 2008

FAIRFIELD, Conn. - A combative cat named Lewis who frightened the neighbors and got his owner into legal trouble two years ago has done so well under house arrest that the case has now been scratched.

A judge dismissed a reckless endangerment charge against Lewis's owner, Ruth Cisero, on Thursday, concluding she had met terms of a special probation for first-time offenders. Lewis is now an indoor pet, allowed outside only in a cat carrier.

"Unlike most of us, Lewis has learned to live with his limitations," said Eugene Riccio, Cisero's attorney.

The scratch-happy black-and-white cat drew widespread attention in 2006 when Cisero opted for a trial on the criminal charge rather than euthanize or declaw him. Some pet lovers even sported "Save Lewis" shirts.

A lot has changed in two years, though. Neighbor Maureen Bachtig, whose February 2006 encounter with a nasty Lewis led to the criminal case, said Thursday she was satisfied with the outcome.

"She gets to keep her cat and the neighborhood is safe," Bachtig said.

Cisero's probation included community service as well as the restraining order to keep Lewis inside. Had he gotten out, she could have faced up to six months in prison and Lewis could have been euthanized.

©2008 The Associated Press

John

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Bee
Date: 05 Jul 08 - 09:14 AM

I'd wonder how a cat could terrorize an entire neighbourhood if I hadn't met a completely insane fluffy tabby a few years ago. The people who owned him had to shut him in a room before allowing guests in their house, because he was so territorial that he would attack, claw and bite anyone other than family members. The person I was with had some business with the owner, who had kitty out on a leash when we arrived. As soon as we stepped out of the car, kitty was throwing himself at the end of the leash, spitting, growling and snarling as the owner tried to corral him and haul him inside.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Jul 08 - 09:25 AM

Pet cats alert Perth man to a house fire
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/4763935/pet-cats-alert-perth-man-house

July 5, 2008, 2:02 pm

A man is lucky to be alive after a house fire in Mount Lawley this morning.

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority says the man's pet cats alerted him to the blaze in a back room of the house.

It is believed the blaze was sparked by a faulty battery-powered egg incubator.

The fire spread quickly and the house will have to be demolished.

The man has been taken to hospital for medical attention.

Two dogs were resuscitated at the scene.

~~~~~~~~~~`

Notice - both cats AND dogs involved... :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Becca72
Date: 05 Jul 08 - 09:36 AM

I awoke this morning to a new trick. I have 2 closets in my very small apartment. The one in the back I use as my everyday clothes closet and the one in the front is for storage of crap I don't use but can't bring myself to get rid of. I KNOW the front closet door was shut and latched (the water heater is in there) and I have never seen the cats open it before. Well, this morning I go into the livingroom to find the closet door wide open and a solitary tiny doll denim jacket in the middle of the floor. NO idea how they got in there or where they got the jacket (it must have been in a box of toys from my childhood). It was rather creepy. As referenced in the "dreams that stay with us" thread, a few months ago I had a dream of a little troll-like creature (think of the movie Cat's Eye) loose in the apartment trying to kill the cats. Gave me the shivers!

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Bee
Date: 05 Jul 08 - 10:03 AM

Becca, maybe the cats got in first licks, and the troll has been demolished. (And yes, that is kinda creepy!)

I find it interesting that cats vary so much in evident intelligence. The smartest cat I ever had was a huge, lazy, short-haired tuxedo, of exceedingly mild disposition. That cat thought about things. He learned how to open the bathroom door, and the cupboard doors. He was an observer of humans and other animals. He liked to play fetch with rolled up socks - but not for long, it was too much work. I always had the feeling he desperately wanted to be able to talk to me. He was the kind of cat who recognizes human moods and acts accordingly. He once led a raccoon home, apparently as a buddy, stopping frequently to let the raccoon overcome its fear and catch up with him. The two socialized for several days, sitting quietly a foot or two apart on the veranda, then the raccoon disappeared.

But his evil sister, who I also owned, was not bright at all, and specialized in being ornery. She was black, with a flat face and yellow eyes, and would sit on the fridge and glare at guests. She hated her own kittens and refused to feed them, looking in their box and growling at them as they mewed piteously - there was nothing physically wrong with her, she just rejected them. I ended up feeding them myself.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Becca72
Date: 05 Jul 08 - 10:25 AM

It's funny you mention the tuxedo cats. Both Mikey and Sheldon are at least part tuxedo (their mother) though they are almost entirely black. Each has a large patch of white on his pelvis and Mikey has a spot of white on his chest. I also think they are part Siamese because they love water and have that whiney baby-in-distress cry. And they are definitely two of the smartest cats I have ever shared my space with.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Jul 08 - 04:30 PM

Becca-

"that whiney baby-in-distress cry"

Rings true for one of ours. She does hug nicely and coddle but she also likes to boss everyone around. "Feed me this, no that! Open the door! No the other door! Oh, I think I'll go out the cat door instead."

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Bee
Date: 05 Jul 08 - 06:38 PM

Snowball is the noisiest cat I've ever had around. He comes in the door miaow-mraowing hoarsely, and keeps it up until I either pick him up or give him food - either suits him. When he wakes from a nap on the upstairs bed, he comes down the steps at a constant miaow, modulated by each bounce down another step, and miaows continually until he finds me. Tommy's content with a tiny 'mew!' when he's brought me a present, or when he really wants my attention and I've failed to notice him.

Becca, Bluepetal the Tuxedo was the only one I ever had, so I don't know if they're usually brighter. Siamese crosses: I've had several all black ones, and they had the siamese voice but weren't overly talkative.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Becca72
Date: 07 Jul 08 - 07:04 AM

My two are definitely vocal. 0430hrs every morning I get the wake up "Meow" which is Mikey wanting me to turn on the faucet in the bathroom so he can have a drink. Damned cat hates to drink out of a bowl.

If I holler "Sheldon?" and I get a loud "meow" back, I know he's getting into something he shouldn't be. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Irene M
Date: 09 Jul 08 - 01:52 PM

Well, he has struck again. He managed to go 10 days without getting into bother, though it isn't his fault.
He went out just before 5 this morning for a quiet crap, and was jumped by the neighbourhood ginger thug. I had to go out and separate the pair of them who were going at it, hammer and tongs. Cha-Cha was limping off his front left leg, which I could see, was bleeding.
He has spent the day behind the couch, where he doesn't have to climb up or down. The living room now boasts a tray with his food on it and a litter tray (pro tem). He has been out for some food, limping of course, but seems reasonably OK otherwise.
I think we need to get the thug trapped and his nuts cracked. He is a bloody menace.
Sigh.

Irene

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: GUEST,Volgadon
Date: 09 Jul 08 - 02:10 PM

"cat-flap magnet"

??????????

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Becca72
Date: 09 Jul 08 - 03:38 PM

Poor Cha Cha is having a rough go of it while his human is away, sounds like!

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Bee
Date: 09 Jul 08 - 04:45 PM

ChaCha needs backup. Suggest a hired Doberman to prance around behind him on his daily rounds.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: GUEST,Arnie at work
Date: 10 Jul 08 - 04:02 PM

I was gardening a few days ago and was pleased to see a little wren come out from the hedge and pick up grubs that I'd turned up whilst digging. As the wren seemed quite bold and didn't mind me being there, I popped inside for my camera to get a few close-ups. When I returned, I sat quietly by the hedge waiting for the wren to re-appear, but there was no sign of it. Suddenly, my tabby cat Millie shot out of a nearby shrub with the wren in her mouth!! I chased her and she dropped the poor little thing, but it was dead. My daughter said 'well, you can still photograph it' but it's not quite the same is it? I like my cat, but I also like to see robins & wrens etc. in the garden - bit of a dilemma really.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 10 Jul 08 - 05:02 PM

Do the garden hose trick on the ginger cat with one of those spray nozzles. It works like a charm.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Nerd
Date: 10 Jul 08 - 07:27 PM

I once lived in a group house with several other students and several cats. Two of the students were Japanese guys, Toshi and Shinichi. One day, Toshi made himself a "hoagie," (which is what we called a submarine sandwich in Philly), and left it on the kitchen counter while he answered the phone. When he returned, the sandwich was gone. The only other person in the house at the time was Shinichi, and during the next few days Toshi bitterly told everyone to watch out for Shinichi, as he was dishonest and might take your food.

A week later, our housemate Carlton got back from his holiday, and found the contents of the hoagie, minus the meat, strewn all over the floor in his room. Panther, his cat, had somehow nicked the hoagie and dragged it upstairs to the second floor before devouring the meat! Toshi was embarrassed, but did the right thing and apologized to Shinichi!

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Irene M
Date: 11 Jul 08 - 08:53 AM

I use a squeezy bottle of water on marauding cats. More portable than a hose, and more robust than a water pistol.

Cha-Cha had his food and water in the living room with him overnight. Add to that, the litter tray I set up on newspaper, so that he didn't have to go up and down stairs (my living room is upstairs in what was a bedroom).

He climbed in the tray, turned 90 degrees....and pissed over the edge and down the wall. Mop up, turn tray round. Go to bed. An hour later there is more scraping, and an splendidly aromatic crap in the tray. Out of bed, remove crap, cat is on landing with clothes peg on his nose.
Take bag of waste material down to the kitchen, accompanied by cat, who wants to know why his food is not in the kitchen. Short attention span, this one. Back upstairs again, still with furry sock, who is no longer limping.
His meal-ticket should be back tomorrow or Sunday. Phew.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a feline record?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 11 Jul 08 - 03:39 PM

Irene-

Are you busy this fall when our slaves are planning another trip overseas? We are two very well behaved kats that would greatly appreciate your attention and services.

Cheerily,
Tejitu and Tilahun

P.S.

Why wait until fall!