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BS: cats
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Subject: BS: cats From: ballpienhammer Date: 17 Nov 02 - 11:25 PM my cat ate a mallard yesterday...now I have a duck filled fatty puss! |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Little Hawk Date: 17 Nov 02 - 11:42 PM Cats. Gotta love 'em. They're cool, self-contained, and above it all. They got style. They got class. They rule. Love 'em or miss out on one of life's greatest experiences...being owned by a cat. - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: NicoleC Date: 18 Nov 02 - 12:31 AM "Duck-filled fatty puss" LOL! As I type, my cat is staring at me with her paws tucked under her and an expression of distaste because I spent most of the weekend away, again. I think I've had that same expression on my face when I've had a dog that insisted on jumping the fence and running around the neighborhood rolling in smelly treats. Later, she'll sit on my chest at 4am, stare at me, smell my breath to see if I snuck any treats in the middle of the night, and wait for me to wake up and feed her. I feel so owned :) |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Liz the Squeak Date: 18 Nov 02 - 02:47 AM It's my two newbies first birthday here today... They're both 12 & 13 years old, but today is the anniversary of the day Max and Amber arrived in my house. I picked them up from Leeds after a Mudcat gathering in Manchester last year after responding to an Email at work in London! Their owner emigrated to Australia and cats that age don't do long haul very well. Birthday party with pilchards and kitty treats awaits them later. LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Hrothgar Date: 18 Nov 02 - 03:27 AM Use the right herbs and spices, and the best cooking methods, and they're tolerable if you can't get chicken. |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Genie Date: 18 Nov 02 - 04:30 AM My new feline owner, Grisabella RaggMopp (aka "Greasy Rag") is curled up beside me on the bed as I type. She obviously used to own some other humans, since she has been spayed and is very affectionate, but when she adopted me (after the untimely death of my young Melanie LaMew this summer), she had obviously been fending for herself for quite a while. Mangy coat, massive flea infestation, and severe scabs from the "flea-bitis," not to mention undernourished, and collarless. When she started hanging around and seeking to be petted, as well as fed, I began treating the flea problem and combing her. Once I got her into the house, she didn't want to leave, and she stays right on my porch when she is outside. After vet trips, she's healthy and quite pretty, despite having a deformed upper lip (which may partly account for her having been left on the street so long). This has been an amazing transformation from a street fighter cat, who used to have run ins with Melanie and other neighborhood cats, to a cuddly, playful companion who comes up and taps me on the nose with her paw when I'm lying in bed and then nuzzles me with her nose. Her main fault (which I discovered today): She sometimes farts.* Genie *I'm not saying my friends and I don't. I'm just not used to cats doing it. ;-) |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Catherine Jayne Date: 18 Nov 02 - 06:37 AM We are definately owned by Merlyn the Mogificent!!! At this precise moment in time she is sprawlled accross the top of the monitor dangling her tale accross the screen!!! She has Micca wrapped around her tiny....and I mean tiny little paw.....what the mog wants...the mog gets!!!!! She's knows when either of us feels ill and comes to give us a cuddle. She keeps my lap warm when I am watching TV and she takes over the bed!!! She will jump up on the sofa...fart in the face of whoever is sat on the sofa, wave her tail, purr then leave looking very pleased with herself!!!! Joy Cat |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Fingerbuster Date: 18 Nov 02 - 10:02 AM Interesting? |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: mack/misophist Date: 18 Nov 02 - 10:49 AM It looks like it's time for another quotation, Melvin! As Oscar Wilde said: "God ceated the cat so that man might have the pleasure of caressing the tiger." Right, Melvin? |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: NicoleC Date: 18 Nov 02 - 10:52 AM Not really. Another dork who thinks the cure to what annoys him (cats in his garden) is to make it illegal to have cats on the island of Britain. Silly boy, really. He thinks the garden is HIS! My fatty spend time on the street and has no interest in going outside, let alone raiding a garden :) |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Hollowfox Date: 18 Nov 02 - 11:51 AM Hmm, cats...now here's something we haven't discussed before... I got three nrew kittens this fall, and they all fart when they relax. I hope they grow out of it. The ringleader is a gray and white tuxedo tom named Mouse. He was abandoned very young, had to be bottle fed, nearly died a coupla times, and someone remarked he looked more like a mouse than a kitten. Well, now he looks like he's part water buffalo. If he gets any bigger we can hitch him to a plow. He thinks I'm the best piece of furniture there ever was. when I go to bed, he rushes up just to lounge on my neck, purr and knead his paws. I'm starting to check my neck for leaks. When he finally stops, he curls up on the top of my head, I drift off to sleep...and he relaxes. |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Little Hawk Date: 18 Nov 02 - 12:35 PM Yeah, Nicole, people have got this ridiculous idea that they can divide up the Earth into little squares and rectangles and OWN pieces of it! Unbelievable. It's led to a lot of trouble. Millions of Native Americans died at the hands of people with such an obsession, and entire species of animals and plants were obliterated...or driven far afield into the more remote wilderness areas which have yet escaped the voracious attention of those people. Cats are smart. They know better than to give credence to the notion that this 4 x 6' plot is a "garden" and therefore not to be used by anyone except the dork who drew the boundaries around it. Birds are also smart enough to know that. So are insects. Matter of fact, only people are dumb enough to buy into such an arbitrary system of thought. The fact is, the whole Earth is meant to be a Garden, and animals know that! People have created a totally unnatural situation by banding together in such numbers and density (through their fear of other people and their greed for money and goods) as to create a dangerous and almost unworkable environment around themselves...called a "modern city" or a "subdivision". Another name for it could be: Hell on Earth. If I may paraphrase the statement about cats on the cat-haters' website: "PEOPLE (not Cats) are allowed to roam around freely, killing wildlife, spreading diseases, fouling the garden of the Earth with their excrement and garbage, damaging nature and breeding even more of their kind" Dangerous vermin, indeed! One of them is worried about his garden! Oh, my... LOL! - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: MMario Date: 18 Nov 02 - 12:41 PM Their Highnesses deigned to come into the household yesterday evening - and after a few moments (and the spreading of their favorite afghan) be persueded to relax on the sofa. Two hours later one demanded to be let out. Half an hour after that the other decided I needed to play hide and seek before he also demanded to be let out. |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: KingBrilliant Date: 18 Nov 02 - 12:43 PM Hull on earth?? |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Little Hawk Date: 18 Nov 02 - 01:01 PM You're a lucky man, Mario! :-) - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: MMario Date: 18 Nov 02 - 01:06 PM yes I know; TRH's don't like my chair - they drove my sister off the sofa (using the old "I'm so happy to be here I will puncture your leg in a dozen places while contentedly kneading" ploy) - and since they usually consider me to be below notice (unless they are hungry, thirsty, need furniture moved or doors opened) I didn't have to pet them continously. (They prefer to have me pet them only when outdoors - They have a different indoor servant) |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: katlaughing Date: 18 Nov 02 - 02:22 PM Somewhere we did have a discussion about cats in gardens and how to keep them out, safely. It is fair to allow others their right to not want to dig up buried cat treasures when weeding gardens, folks. It is ridiculous, though, to try to eliminate cats! If they do not like it, they can speak to the cat's servants; put up any good repellent fence available through many good companies including Drs. Foster and Smith's, online catalogue; and/or, lighten up. I don't particularly like someone else's dog crapping all over my front yard, but I don't want to get rid of all dogs becaue of it! ballpienhammer, loved it! My fatty pusses have no excuses/explanations for their tubby udders! |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Just Amy Date: 18 Nov 02 - 03:49 PM My husband decided that the cat shouldn't be in the house because both of us are allergic. When I got up to go to the toilet last night, he was sitting on the couch and the cat was laying on his feet. I asked why the cat was in the house. My husband looked at the cat and said, "I told you not to come in the house." |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Little Hawk Date: 18 Nov 02 - 04:20 PM Actually, the reason that cats use gardens as toilets is this: A cat wants to conceal its droppings, if at all possible. In Nature, that is easy. The cat can find literally hundreds of places where he can hide his donation under some leaves, twigs, and other handy material. A cinch! But what the hell is he supposed to do in a suburban subdivision, or worse than that, in a town or city??? Everything in sight is either paved over or it's a lawn with short grass on it. Like a carpet. The only thing generally available for reasonable digging purposes is then either a garden...or an area underneath a deck or crawl space... And THAT is why they bury their shit in gardens! The garden is often the only damned place left that is remotely feasible for the purpose. The cats probably don't even like it too much themselves after a while, because they have to all go in a very limited area...and that gets messy fast. Cats dislike such messes. That people can't see this is typical...and, boy, is it stupid. Once again, it is people who are responsible for the very situation that they bitch and moan about. By reducing the natural environment to tiny little pockets of rigidly controlled yardage, they have created another dumb situation that doesn't work, either for them or for animals. People are idiots. - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: NicoleC Date: 18 Nov 02 - 05:08 PM If it's any consolation, our complex had a leak in one of the underground water pipes. It sat, and sat, until we had a nice big mud puddle for all the neighborhood dogs to find and roll in and bring dripping home. Then the repair guys finally came out, fixed the pipe, and filled in the former big mud puddle with sand, leaving it all piled up, lumpy and looking very much like a massive litterbox quietly nestled between the garbage cans and the bushes. We have many locals who let their cats out to play in the evening. I can't WAIT until one of the neighborhood kids decides it's a sandbox. |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Liz the Squeak Date: 18 Nov 02 - 08:53 PM Oh dear.... I'm sorry to have to do this to you, but CATS FART! Get used to it, it's a fact of nature. And when they do it's like biological warfare. Then the silly sods either look round as if to say 'surely you don't think that was me?' or 'Where did that smell come from?' LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Little Hawk Date: 18 Nov 02 - 11:04 PM It's their all-protein diet that makes them so deadly. The best protection is...well...actually almost nothing really works. - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Liz the Squeak Date: 19 Nov 02 - 03:15 AM Cork and a croquet mallet, but that just turns them into a potentially lethal projectile weapon..... LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Hrothgar Date: 19 Nov 02 - 05:02 AM Onya, Fingerbuster! |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Grab Date: 19 Nov 02 - 09:21 AM Fingerbuster, a man after my own heart! LH and others, if cats were wild animals in the same way as birds, rats, mice or squirrels, then fair enough. If the animal breeds and lives in the wild, then OK. But this is simply not the case. Cats are bought by humans, and are released by humans in the certain knowledge that they will foul neighbouring gardens. The cats probably don't even like it too much themselves after a while, because they have to all go in a very limited area...and that gets messy fast. In other words, you've just told us that A CAT IS NOT SUITED TO LIVING IN A TOWN! So it is therefore not acceptable for anyone living in a town to buy a cat and release it to run around the town. If you want to own a cat (or any kind of pet), keep it confined to your property and exercise it under your control. There is no difference between letting a cat run free and you yourself literally throwing the shit over the fence into your neighbour's garden. In both cases, you are actively making a decision to foul your neighbour's garden with cat shit. Graham. |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: NicoleC Date: 19 Nov 02 - 10:26 AM I love cats, but I agree. Cats are healthier and happier when they aren't coming home bleeding from fights or not coming home at all because they are lying mashed in a roadway. But the argument that cats should be *illegal* because they make turds? Oh, please. If you are afraid of a little manure, you aren't much of a "gardener." Bugs make turds. Birds make turds. Humans make turds. A garden which is devoid of bugs and birds and they're inveitable turds is not a garden, it's a patch of lifelessness no matter how many flowers are there. I personally think screaming kids who run up and down my walkway, tear up my plants and terrorize any birds, squirrel or bug they manage to catch are annoying pests. Can we make THEM illegal? |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Genie Date: 19 Nov 02 - 11:05 AM LH, "PEOPLE ...are allowed to roam around freely, killing wildlife, spreading diseases, fouling the garden of the Earth with their excrement and garbage, damaging nature and breeding even more of their kind" Amen, brother! :-) Amy My husband looked at the cat and said, "I told you not to come in the house." LOL! NIcole, I'm with you. Yes, my cats probably have dropped a few turds in the neighbors' yards (though they mostly go potty in MY garden or in the indoor litterbox), As for cats farting, I actually never noticed it until a day or two ago. (DOGS farting, now that's a different matter entirely!) Maybe sometimes when I had roommates I just assumed they did it, when it was really one of the cats. Genie |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Little Hawk Date: 19 Nov 02 - 11:27 AM I've known dogs who could burn off wallpaper and kill canaries with their farts! Well, okay, not quite, but you know what I mean... Grab - Well, yes, I see your point, but let's face it the world will never be perfect. I think passing more restrictive laws is not usually the way to go. I liked it in Cuba where there were less restrictions on common stuff like this rather than more. The local dogs there often wander around amongst the people, not restricted in their movements in any way. You'd never see that here, in the land of the anal-retentive who must have a flippin' law for everything in order to feel "safe". In Cuba the dogs, like the people, sometimes escape the hot noonday sun by retiring under the awning of the local cafe. The people sit around drinking and chatting, while the dogs nap or watch the traffic, and everyone has a good time. The dog requires no license or I.D. Now cats...there were relatively few of them in Cuba, but the ones I saw were always somebody's pet, and had a home. How they manage that, I don't know... My point is...fewer laws make for a more relaxed and tolerant lifestyle, more variety, more richness to life. Now it's quite easy to keep your cat from fouling other people's gardens...simply provide him or her with a nearby area of soft earth, sand, or a litter box, etc...on YOUR property. He will almost always use the nearer and more convenient place, and therefore will not foul your neighbour's garden in all probability. Dogs on the other hand...well, they often seem to prefer defecating on the next yard over, while they prefer to pee on their own territory (thus marking it). But like I said...life is not perfect. Why get bent out of shape over the fact that there are a few things happening out there that aren't under your control? Say, folks, I sent 2 or 3 emails to the guy with the Cate Hate UK website, and I got a couple of replies from him. Turns out his name is Felix! LOL! It also turns out that one of the main purposes of his campaign is to protect cats from being hurt by people who hate them (presumeably through legislation restricting their movements in the outdoors...the cats, I mean...). Felix seems rather likeable, actually. This bears further investigation, I think. :-) - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: NicoleC Date: 19 Nov 02 - 12:58 PM There was a certain... not quite tongue in cheek attitude on his web site. He's clearly not an I-hate-all-cats kinda guy, but to declare that you are "campaigning for a cat free Britain" kinda messes up his credibility with his should-be target audience, i.e. cat slaves who behave less well than their owners. You know? |
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Subject: BS: cats From: lamarca Date: 19 Nov 02 - 05:49 PM Hi, I'm Mary and I'm a cat-o-holic (and an ex-Catholic, but that's another story). We lost our 21-year-old Siamese, Val, last spring. I'd had her since she was 10 weeks old, and deciding it was time to have her euthanized was the roughest choice I've ever had to make. Fortunately, a couple of my fellow folkies who are also owned by Siamese put me in touch with Siamese Rescue. In June, we adopted two fine, healthy 1 or 2 year old Siamese mix kitties who had been picked up as strays. Raffi and Nadia have quickly learned that being catered to by two adoring humans sure beats life on the streets, and we're learning what life with non-geriatric cats is like all over again. As a result, I've mostly abandoned the Mudcat for the Siamese Internet Cat Club, http://www.meezer.net, a discussion forum that is well organized, moderated by volunteers and full of other people just as nuts about their cats as I am. There are separate subforums for General Chat, Health Questions, Adoptions, Geezers (care of geriatric cats), Games (the equivalent of Mudcat Tavern threads), etc., so the recurring arguments about "That's not appropriate on this forum" never come up. There is also a whole lot less flaming. One of the stipulations in the shelter adoption contract was that the cats MUST be kept inside. Both my husband and I felt kind of ambivalent about this, but realized that there are very good reasons to do this, if the cats will tolerate it (which these two do...) Some of those reasons are for the protection of the cat, some are for your protection, and some are for the protection of others: 1. Cars and trucks will always win. (see "He's Nobody's Moggy Now") 2. Feline Leukemia Virus and Feline Infectious Peritonitis are incurable, deadly, and highly transmissable cat to cat. 3. Dogs, raccoons and coyotes frequently are bigger and/or more vicious, and can kill a cat. 4. Vet bills for bite wounds, abcesses, broken limbs, etc. are EXPENSIVE. 5. Cats bring things inside - mice, birds, fleas, dead squirrels, etc. 6. Cats are one of the biggest threats to migratory songbirds, killing millions annually (see reason 5). Domestic cats are not native to the natural environment. Therefore, migratory birds have not developed a defense strategy against cats. So, Raffi and Nadia curl up happily in their heated home, with all the food they need, and the wonderful exercize of chasing each other over their sleeping humans at all hours... Oh, and there is now a dry cat food formulated specifically for Indoor Cats, "Royal Canin Indoor 27", that has a lower fat content for sedentary beasts, and includes chicory as an additive to reduce farting - and it works! |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Little Hawk Date: 19 Nov 02 - 06:14 PM Sounds good, lamarca. Nadia is a great name for a Siamese. Do you read the comic "Get Fuzzy"? If not, check it out. I think the question of whether or not a cat should go outdoors can have a good deal to do with where you live. If you're in the country, it seems a shame to keep the cat cooped up inside...specially when they can easily be trained (when young) to do their business outdoors. When you're in a busy town with a ton of traffic, it's probably better to keep the cat indoors. Either way, they can usually find ways to enjoy themselves, specially if they have a feline companion or two whom they like. - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: NicoleC Date: 19 Nov 02 - 06:31 PM My fatty goes outside on a leash and harness occassionally. Yes, you can leash a cat! I use a light-weight mini-climbing rope. Holds like 400 pounds; can handle even my big beast. But I can let it out long if she's out there by herself, or keep it short if too many folks are around. |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Raedwulf Date: 19 Nov 02 - 07:29 PM You can actually take a cat for a walk (assuming the cat will tolerate such restrictions). However a cat needs a different harness. The feline neck is not as strong as the canine, so a simple collar does not suffice. I believe the usual arrangement is along the lines of joined straps around the front legs, & across the chest & back before & behind the front legs. The connection to the lead is effected on the line of the spine. Myself, I wouldn't trouble. Cats are generally very territorial & in an urban environment are unlikely to range wmore than half a dozen gardens either way (assuming they're not Greebo's, anyway!). Gimmee a cat over a dog *any* day of the week! Raedwulf |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: katlaughing Date: 19 Nov 02 - 07:45 PM I used to leash my cats whenever they went out back East. They have all lived inside since we first moved back there in 1983. Mine live inside for all of the reasons Lamarca noted and then some! LH, there are just as many hazards in the country as in cities: eagles, hawks, snakes, coyotes, poisons etc. plus sometimes farm machinery, old buildings wtc. Before when we lived on a mini-ranch, we had a cat get shut up in a neighbour's shed and no one could find him for weeks; it was a good mile away from us. When he finally got out and made it home he was so far gone he didn't make it. In town they can also wander far from home, esp. if they happen to get chased by a dog. Lamarca, thanks for the link! I've had several Siamese over the years, since my first on around 1970. They are incredible, aren't they?! My oldest, Sasheen, was 17 when I had to have her put down. Sorry about your old one. Good for you and Bill for taking in two new ones. My youngest daughter just got her first Siamese, Emily, a couple of months ago. In Rome, there are cats everywhere and no one seems to mind according to what my sister and her family experienced, when her daughter lived over there. Everyone feeds them and they wander in and out of cafes. In fact, my other neice impressed the owners of one place when their resident cat decided to sit on her lap at dinner. Italians seem to really love cats and tolerate them well in most settings. kat |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: NicoleC Date: 19 Nov 02 - 07:48 PM Walk?! Hahahaha! We go outside so she can lay in the grass :) Supervised, of course, the poor thing has no claws. I found the "cat" harnesses weren't very good because cats can get out of them too easily, but the "dog" harnesses work well because they have stiffer connections at the chest and back (and you need it attached in both places, or you kitty houdini will be out of it in a flash.) Her former owner (my Mom) insisted that she wouldn't tolerate a harness, but I left it on the floor in her toy basket for a month and she didn't fuss much the first time I put it on. However, all attempts to clicker-train her have proved fruitless. She knows exactly what I want, but won't do it out of sheer spite. Unlike dogs, there's no possibility of controlling the cat's direction or speed, and it will only annoy the cat if you try. |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Little Hawk Date: 19 Nov 02 - 10:53 PM Kat - Yeah, I know there are numerous dangers for a cat in the country...but I always just accepted the fact that life involves a certain amount of danger. If I couldn't accept that, I probably wouldn't drive a car. It's when the danger passes what I consider a reasonable level that I take extra precautions. We all have different ideas of how to define "reasonable", though. I always figured quality of life was more important than duration of life when it came right down to it. If I was a cat, I'd want to get outside and take my chances, knowing that I had a nice home to come back to afterward. - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Wincing Devil Date: 20 Nov 02 - 12:20 AM I've only read a few posts, and I did visit the Cat Haters Site, but Oddly, found myself agreeing with them. The proble is not with cats, but with ignoramus cat owners (Yea, I know "Cats don't have owners, they have staff"). My precious babies NEVER go outside. They are quite content maddly dashing about inside and attempting to escape. I fully expect if Splotch ever gets out, he'll stop, sniff, then run right back in. (but I ain't chancin' it!)
I don't know where y'all stand on the "pet owner" vs. "pet guardian" argument, but we have to be reponsible for our pets/animal companions/whatever (pesky damn cat, sometimes!) Of course, no post from me wouldn't be complete without a link to pix of my babies so... Clickez vous ici! (I'm doing the courtesy of opening it in another window) WD |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats (indoor and outdoor) From: Genie Date: 20 Nov 02 - 01:17 AM Little Hawk I'm with you in that I think most cats would rather have some time outside to explore than always be safe inside. And the neighborhood can benefit from mouse and rat control. Yes, having totally indoor cats can work really well for some folks. But there are folks like me who travel a lot and a totally indoor cat would get terribly lonely and bored in my absence, even if someone comes by to feet him/her and change the litterbox. But Grissy, an apparently abandoned housecat who had been on the streets for a few years, quickly became a homebody when I offered her a home. Better to have as many cats as possible have homes, even if they're allowed out sometimes, than to have a lot of truly homeless cats. Genie (Beautiful sphinxes, WD!) |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Hollowfox Date: 20 Nov 02 - 12:42 PM The last time I put a cat on a leash, she climbed a tree. It didn't take her long to train me. |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Liz the Squeak Date: 20 Nov 02 - 03:01 PM If you want your cat to be bearable, don't let them hear their names read out on national radio. Two of mine did this morning and have been doing the 'star' act all day, draped over the bed, next to the radio just in case they read it again. LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Little Hawk Date: 20 Nov 02 - 04:02 PM An excellent reason never to name your cat "George W. Bush"! - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Genie Date: 20 Nov 02 - 08:52 PM That's a good name for a pet weasel, though, LH! |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Little Hawk Date: 20 Nov 02 - 09:03 PM (Heh! Heh!) |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Genie Date: 20 Nov 02 - 09:40 PM Just learned that Amos is a feline. Click here (I had called jokingly called him a "bardot," referring to his poetic proclivities.) Genie |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Little Hawk Date: 20 Nov 02 - 10:04 PM Hey, people, the "Cat Hate UK" website is actually quite amusing and interesting. Lots of great info about cats, along with some really good humour. Check out the history of cats section. Some good photos of cats too. I recommend it. He has many good suggestions for how to protect cats and other animals from coming to unnecessary harm. I think Felix is onto something... http://www.cathate.co.uk/welcome.htm |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Chip2447 Date: 21 Nov 02 - 01:26 AM One thing puzzles me Baldric? How did you get so much custard out of one small cat? Chip2447(who can count on 1 hand the number of cats he has gotten along with) |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Grab Date: 21 Nov 02 - 08:55 AM Genie, that attitude to owning a cat is the exact reason why I don't like cats (or rather, why I don't like some cat owners). Ppl buy cats bcos they're perceived as a "low-maintenance" pet - when you go to work or go travelling or whatever, you can just throw them out of the house and leave them to their own devices. If you live in the country, then fine - there's no-one else around to bother. But if you live in a town, this simply isn't acceptable. This is precisely the attitude which that site talks about, and which gets me angry about some cat owners. If you don't have the time to look after your animal, don't f***ing expect me to look after it for you! The issue is not that "indoor cats can work well for some ppl". The issue is that if you're living in a town and you don't have the time or space to keep your cats indoors, you shouldn't own a cat!!! Full stop, no arguments, no extenuating circumstances. The various animal shelters accept that fact, which is why they were "snooty" with you. Your neighbours will also understand that fact, since they will be spending some time each week clearing shit out of their gardens which your cat has deposited there. This is particularly bad if your neighbours have children, since cat faeces spread toxicara which causes blindness and death if untreated, and small children who don't understand to avoid cat shit are especially at risk. It's *not* better to have cats running semi-wild bcos their "owners" can't care for them. If there's more cats than there are homes for them, they need to be culled in the same way as any other animal. Cats get off lightly by having an injection - most other animals are culled with rifles or shotguns. Grab. |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Hollowfox Date: 21 Nov 02 - 09:44 AM Actually, Grab, I've gotten most of the cats in my life because some fool drops off their unwanted cat here in the country, thinking it can take care of itself. If somebody can't take the responsibility for a living creature's care, then they shouldn't have them. |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Liz the Squeak Date: 21 Nov 02 - 03:49 PM Cats get off lightly by having an injection - most other animals are culled with rifles or shotguns. You've not been following the news in the UK then, where they are wanting to revamp the gun laws to include air pistols and air rifles now, after some high up person got their cat shot by an air rifle pellet. Apparently, according to the RSPCA, dozens of cats a year are killed and even more injured seriously by people taking pot shots with air rifles... and it's not confined to the young and foolish either! LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Little Hawk Date: 21 Nov 02 - 10:32 PM I was in Toronto earlier today, and I will say this. I don't know about cats, but there are way too many people and motorized vehicles in Toronto, and something should be done about it! What I do about it is, I go there as seldom as I can manage, thus reducing the count by one of each. After we get this problem of way too many people and vehicles settled, we can move on to more petty and minor natters, like cats. I also agree heartily that people who don't have the time to take proper care of pets shouldn't have 'em. This is why I avoid having pets, although I am providing temporary refuge to someone else's hamster at the moment, and there are a couple of dogs here, but they are not mine. I just happen to like cats, regardless, which is what drew me into this discussion in the first place. - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Genie Date: 22 Nov 02 - 12:16 AM Grab - Genie, that attitude to owning a cat is the exact reason why I don't like cats (or rather, why I don't like some cat owners). So you're saying I should just have left Grissy as a stray with no shots, no flea treatment and grooming, no license, no regular feeding, no place to call home? Give me (and the stray cats) a break! (BTW, few of the stray cats that are in our neighborhood are "culled" by the city. They just don't lead really happy lives.) I don't know where you got the idea that I, or most owners of indoor-outdoor cats, treat their cats that way. In the categories listed and described in the Cat Hate website, I'm a lot more "cat lover" than "cat owner." And, oh, the animals shelters in general are not "snooty" with folks who want to adopt. It's just a few of the privately owned organizations. The Humane Society, for instance, does not tell cat adopters that they must never let their cats outside. What's that old saying? Oh, yeah -- "The perfect is the enemy of the good." Genie |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: lamarca Date: 22 Nov 02 - 12:30 PM We had our Old Lady as an "Only Cat" for 13 years, and travel arrangements for us were always difficult. We had good friends who were willing to come and house sit while we were gone, so the cat wouldn't be lonely (did I mention that she was a bit spoiled?) After Val died this spring, we decided to adopt two cats rather than one so they would be company for each other when we were at work or travelling. Now we can just ask a friend or pet-sitter to go over and give them food and water and do the litterbox chores, without worrying about their mental health, too! I've never understood people who look at pets (be they cats, dogs, gerbils, etc) as easily replacable items, rather than another living, feeling soul, who is entitled to a lifelong committment of care. A living creature is NOT a toy - if you can't handle the responsibility, you shouldn't "own" one.. |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: NicoleC Date: 22 Nov 02 - 03:41 PM Joe, can you please delete the above link? It's a web page that contains malicious code, and, of course, has nothing to do with cats. |
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Subject: RE: BS: cats From: Genie Date: 22 Nov 02 - 04:38 PM I totally agree with this: "I've never understood people who look at pets (be they cats, dogs, gerbils, etc) as easily replacable items, rather than another living, feeling soul, who is entitled to a lifelong committment of care. A living creature is NOT a toy - if you can't handle the responsibility, you shouldn't "own" one." Where some of us here disagree is on whether a cat should ever be allowed outdoors. I think there are arguments to be made on both sides (and it depends partly on the individual cat's proclivity to roam). But it's unfair to label all people who sometimes let their cats out as uncaring, insensitive creatures who think of pets as replaceable objects. Genie |