How many Mudcats have cats!?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 19 Mar 19 - 06:01 AM

our cat is named Brexit

He meows to go out but when we open the door he just sits there undecided.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Mar 19 - 06:41 PM

parody from the Prairie Home Companion:

To all the cats I've known before
Who wanted to come in my door
And then they turned about
And wanted to go out
So they could come back in some more ...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 Apr 19 - 12:24 PM

I miss hearing about your cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 03 Apr 19 - 12:23 AM

We have a 19 year old Tuxedo Manx, Evie. She is sweet and affectionate, and as typical of her breed, bonds with her owners, and, as dogs will, she comes over when you call her name.
-Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Apr 19 - 10:14 AM

It's spring in Stratford (Ontario, that is), and the squirrels and birds are brisking about the life. Our two house-bound cats spend hours at the windows, taking in the show and making comments that probably amount to "Possibly tasty" or "Looks too much like work".

When the door is open, however, one cat never approaches it (despite her avian threats), and the other may stick his nose out but rarely tries to do more.

I think they prefer fantasizing about the havoc they might wreak, and manipulating their human staff.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 04 Apr 19 - 01:46 PM

here, kitty kitty kitty . . .

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 06 Apr 19 - 10:05 AM

What's the story with the Manx tail?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 28 Apr 19 - 06:16 PM

come out, pussycats, come out …

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 May 19 - 12:48 PM

Permission has been granted me, through a PM from
Senoufou / Eliza, to pass on the news.

Murphy has been put out of his misery. He was just too poorly, so they said their goodbyes to him.
Everybody is grieving the loss of Murphy,
especially the last of the three Siamese cats, Smokey,
who is being extremely vocal about his distress.

In the meanwhile, every morning at 6 am,
"Spirit" aka "Sam, the Skull" waits outside at The Bench
at Senoufou / Eliza's home. His skinny days are long over and he looks quite plump.

Senoufou does not use the word "vulnerable" to describe
her feelings, that word is my interpretation.
"not in a good place" is how she put it.
You may rest assured that she lurks at the Mudcat
but still doesn't feel like posting.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 01 May 19 - 04:05 PM

Sorry to read that, k . I know Sen has known this point has been approaching for a fair while but it’s still difficult and I’d imagine the loss of Murphy leaves a bit hole. Glad Spirit is doing well though.

–
We are still “catless” here (and there has been no further sighting of PussPuss). Mum sometimes talks about getting on older rescue cat but I’m not sure that will ever happen.

The closest to a pet we have at the moment is a cheeky and sometimes noisy (European) robin who I’m sure would have something to say about cats. It will often approach the porch door when it opened and sometimes try to sneak inside. More commonly it perches close by, expecting to be given some morsel and is quite fond of a tiny scrap of cheddar cheese.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 03 May 19 - 11:22 PM

We have a tuxedo Manx named Evie. She is 19 years old, sweet and affectionate. With age, she has switched from being and outdoor/indoor cat to indoors almost exclusively. She has a lot of "executive time" sleeping and resting during the day, and has become more nocturnal, roaming the house at night. We will miss her greatly when her time runs out, but she is in good health.
-Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jos
Date: 05 May 19 - 06:28 AM

>^. .^<

I don't usually do 'smileys', but this is a special one for Eliza.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 May 19 - 05:04 PM

Nineteen years old is one venerable pussy-cat.
Senoufou / Eliza only has got Smokey left,
not in the best health,
and if I remember right,
even he is not nineteen years old.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 May 19 - 03:03 PM

Senoufou's Smokey, although still vocal with distress about
losing his fellow cat-mates in the house,
has completed a course of veterinary antibiotics,
Senoufou reports,
and is physically much more stable for having done so.
Which is reassuring after the recent loss of Murphy.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 13 May 19 - 05:55 PM

"When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
[his / her] mind is engaged in the rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of [his / her] name:
[his / her] ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name."
-- T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats


killercat (I'm a girl)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 14 May 19 - 05:59 AM

What cures cat constipation ??? Vet bills are soaring over $400

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 16 May 19 - 03:08 PM

Just as with humans, treatments for feline constipation depend on the cause of the condition and the condition of the cat. Again like humans, those most vulnerable are the elderly and those who have trouble eating, and they also have to be treated carefully for fear of causing worse trouble.

Because cats are "pure" carnivores, their digestive tract is very short, as it is not designed to process vegetable fibre. Also, cats have a strong vomit instinct (as I'm sure you've noticed), so when they eat something inappropriate, they usually cough it up promptly. So constipation is a sign that several aspects of the patient's digestive system are not up to par, and therefore worthy of a vet's attention.

Sorry it's so expensive.

Let me tell you about Cecil, a delightful little black tomcat cat who developed pancreatic disease and stomach ulcers, thus lightening my wallet of a couple of thousand bucks before popping his clogs and breaking my heart. The diagnosis was made on necropsy. And then there was Alexander the Great, a large biscuit-coloured individual who died of kidney failure caused by crystaluria after several hideously expensive treatments that did absolutely no good at all.

Cats. One way or another, we pay for the privilege of their company.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 16 May 19 - 03:19 PM

In a cascade globe, I have 2 otos/dwarf sucking catfish!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 19 May 19 - 01:41 PM

keep the pussycats from dropping off the page …

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 May 19 - 06:31 PM

The Grumpy Cat has died (aged seven years, I have read).

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 21 May 19 - 09:17 AM

Poor thing. She was no grumpier than any other cat, until she developed an untreatable urinary tract infection.

Her proper name was Tardar Sauce (sic) and she was born with a form of dwarfism that affected her face. Her humans seem to have treated her lovingly, and I doubt she was aware of (or cared about) their exploitation of her unusual appearance in captioned photographs.

As I type this post, I am hindered by the entirely normal Watson, who is climbing up my left arm in order to perch on my shoulders. This behaviour was unbearably cute when he was a four-month-old kitten, but now that he is nearly six years old and a tomcat of substantial size, it's perilously close to just unbearable.

Unlike Tardar Sauce, Watson always looks satisfied with life and is, therefore, unlikely to become an entertaining meme from which we can make our fortune. Pity, as his last dental bill put quite a crease in our bank balance.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 May 19 - 02:26 PM

Charmion,
Watson is the one who leaps at you and ruins your clothes?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jos
Date: 21 May 19 - 02:34 PM

I used to have a version of Watson who would drape himself around my neck like the 1930s-style fox stoles I remember old ladies wearing in church when I was a child. He was quite heavy. He would arrive around my neck when I was working, and very pointedly if I answered the telephone, as if he was jealous because I was talking to the machine instead of giving all my attention to him.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 21 May 19 - 09:42 PM

Yep, that’s our Watson. He used to launch himself straight up in the air like a small, black, furry jump jet, but his centre of gravity is a bit low for such larks these days.

Jos, I imagine your cat would purr pointedly when you talked on the phone? That’s a well-known hinting technique. It’s part of the distraction repertoire that also includes sprawling on the computer keyboard and sitting in front of the telly screen.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 23 May 19 - 06:35 AM

Natasha would fill my empty shoes with spare change overnight

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 May 19 - 10:50 AM

Latest report from Senoufou / Eliza:

On sunny afternoons, she is to be found sitting on The Bench.
For company she has SmokeyPokey and Spirit aka Sam-the-Skull.

Spirit / Sam is the one in her lap, she says.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 Jun 19 - 12:41 PM

What's doing with all of you and your pussycats?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Aug 19 - 03:39 PM

Here's the latest from Senoufou/Eliza
(the Mad Swans update goes on a different Mudcat BS thread).

Once a year, Senoufou's beloved husband
joins his blood relatives in West Africa for an extended visit;
he is there now. His widowed mother alone is a strong draw for him.
Sad to report, he is miserable!
(not the company, but the lousy weather and primitive lifestyle)
Husband and Wife commiserate long-distance over the telephone.

The last remaining Siamese tomcat, Smokey,
desperately misses his "Daddie" and
is given to inconsolable howling.

All is well for white 'Spirit' aka 'Sam the Skull,'
but one of his housemates ... is another matter.
Last week, a smaller cat who lives at that neighboring house
got run over by a car,
and Senoufou grieved along with the other humans.

She didn't say, however, what the weather is like there.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 14 Sep 19 - 05:46 PM

A good day to all the Mudcatters' cats,
newly arrived,
long installed,
and everyone in between.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 15 Sep 19 - 01:00 PM

A moment away from the pussycats
to report on Eliza/Senoufou
regarding the upset victory in which
the Norwich Canaries defeated Man City.

Senoufou's husband, by this time, had returned from visiting his family in Ivory Coast.
He had an unpleasant visit, she reports:
the compound was flooded in sewage, and consequently
the rats were even worse than normal.
He fell ill upon arrival, which did nothing to help matters.
Then his return flights were cancelled,
and he had to fly home on Brussels Airways by way of Ghana.
He made it home alive, but in a state of exhaustion.

The husband rallied for the Norwich - Man City game,
wearing his best Norwich City top.
Both husband and wife broke out dancing
(she mentions The Floss)
with the whole village making collective joyful noises -- "ecstatic," Senoufou says.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Sep 19 - 02:14 PM

LilyFestre’s family is the greater today by one small ginger kitten, now named Leonard, who was spotted at the side of the road by her husband Pete (good eye, Pete!), and whisked to safety.

The refugee has been vetted and fed, used the litter box, and started to purr.

A good thing is happening in Pennsylvania.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 Sep 19 - 07:27 PM

Come out pussy cats come out to play

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 23 Sep 19 - 02:07 PM

Welcome, Leonard, and don't lose the cattitude.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 Sep 19 - 06:51 PM

Don't know how many Mudcatters are familiar with
Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books series of historical fantasy,
if that's the term for it.

The television adaptation of these books is being filmed and broadcast on cable network,
and the show has met with some success;
the books are hugely successful in themselves.

The series of books isn't yet finished,
and there is one more book at least to come, if not more.

The television show is behind the book series, several books behind.
But the show has now caught up with the books sufficiently
to introduce THAT CAT.

Yes, there is a cat, as well as a dog,
who play supporting roles (memorable character acting) in Outlander.

The dog turns up earlier in the books (and the adaptation).
Now the cat has arrived, as a stray kitten.

One of the human characters, a cradle Catholic,
recalls a cat from childhood, in which the character's mother
named the pet cat "Adso"
for Saint Adso of Melk, whoever that is.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 31 Oct 19 - 04:39 PM

It's autumn heading for winter,
and high time for more news
about the permanent fur coats
with pussycats inside of them.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 Nov 19 - 05:04 PM

... I see,
the pussycats aren't going to come out because

Senoufou's beloved Ibrahima is not here
singing
"Chicken!
Chicken!"

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 02 Nov 19 - 05:36 PM

He has just been cutting up some 'cheeeecken' for SmokeyPokey and Sam The Skull, who still haunts us. AND there's another cat hanging around - a little black and white fellow, quite young and absolutely starving.
I think he lives in a house behind our back garden, and is eating huge plates of Purina best-quality cat food, tins of tuna and cheeeeecken.
I call him Binky (the name of my first ever cat when I was four years old!) I worry that Binky isn't being fed often enough, but he's putting on weight now (hardly surprising!)
Husband says "Thees 'ouse eez un restaurant for poooossies" and imagines all the cats in the neighbourhood ringing us up to make a booking!
Just bought a huge box of 60 sachets (£24!!) for all these felines.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 Nov 19 - 05:51 PM

Eliza/Senoufou is here,
feeding all the stray cats,

and all is right with the world.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Nov 19 - 12:18 PM

Hey, Keberoxu: The real Adso

The cat known as Adso of Melk is a rare example of Gabaldon failing to check her sources. His literary predecessor is the novice who accompanies William of Baskerville, the detective monk protagonist of Umberto Eco's novel "The Name of the Rose".

The name "Adso" refers to the Latin phrase "Adsum Domine" (I am here Lord). The saint took his name from Isaiah 6:8, in which the prophet receives his marching orders from God. "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”

But every cat I have ever lived with would walk up to me at some point in every day to announce, "I am here!"

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Nov 19 - 12:20 PM

I failed to greet Senoufou! So glad to see (read) you! And it's good to know that Sam the Skull rates a share of the chicken, and Binky has found his way to your door.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 03 Nov 19 - 03:32 PM

And here are some pictures of the Outlander kitten
with the character of Jamie Fraser,
that is, actor Sam Heughan in costume.

I favor the photo where the kitten shows its teeth,
crying at the camera.

Caitriona Balfe, who plays Claire,
has admitted that
the kitten has gotten its claws into costumes
with ruinous results.
It doesn't much like being on camera.

Outlander's Newest Furry Cast Member, ADSO

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 03 Nov 19 - 05:21 PM

With reference to another thread about the clocks going back an hour, SmokeyPokey can't understand why we're not getting up at exactly the same time as before. He's howling and yowling as he's still apparently on British Summer Time. Funnily enough, Sam the Skull is doing the same thing outside our bedroom window. They don't realise that the clocks have changed!
Also, some fireworks were let off yesterday evening, but poor old SmokeyPokey is very deaf now and I don't think he heard them.

(I'm hiding safely on this Cats thread where there isn't any sniping hee hee)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 03 Nov 19 - 05:22 PM

By the way, why has a huge gap appeared in my last post? I didn't do it, honest! Is it so that an advert can be put there?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Nov 19 - 09:03 AM

Those gaps appear in many posts, Senoufou, and they seem to be random.

I thought I might be hitting the Enter key in my sleep.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Nov 19 - 02:40 PM

Hope Donuel and his cats are well.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 05 Nov 19 - 03:24 PM

Ah, thanks Charmion. I see that the gap has magically closed now.
It's a bit like my memory. Gaps appear at random, then I later call to mind what I was trying to think of.

I'm rather worried about the little black-and-white young cat Binky (I actually think it's a female). It's spending the entire day sitting on our damp lawn gazing wistfully at the kitchen window. The poor little thing was soaked to the skin, so I invited it into our study through the conservatory door. It was thrilled and spent about fifteen minutes rubbing its little head on every vertical surface (including Ibrahima's legs!) But this was silly of me, as now it thinks it lives here I expect.
It's eating vast quantities of food (worms?)
Any suggestions what I should do? I'd hate the owners to think I'm stealing their cat, but it's obviously starving hungry and lonely.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 05 Nov 19 - 03:25 PM

Gaaaaah! Another huge gap! Whatever's going on? The Gap Monster?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Nov 19 - 12:11 PM

Have a thought for Mudcat Member Mrrzy,
whose posts to the thread "Empty Nest Syndrome"
(begun years ago by a different Mudcat member)
chronicle the latest challenges ...
on top of which,
Mrrzy's pet cat was taken away
against Mrrzy's wishes -- infamous.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 10 Nov 19 - 10:28 AM

My cats are objecting to daylight savings time since it effects their feeding times.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Nov 19 - 01:58 PM

We are now two weeks into Standard Time, and our cats are still insisting that four o‘clock is treat time. This is not promising.