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Happy Caturday folks or as people who aren’t cat dorks like us call it, Sunday. Welcome to the first expanded edition of Pull Up Your Cat.
I got to thinking earlier in the week, (actually right after a wrestling match with Kuroneko in which I bled copiously), about the darker nature of the friends we share our lives with. They aren’t just cute, endearing little balls of purring fur. They are, in fact, some of the most well adapted land predators that evolution has accomplished. If you’ve ever seen a clowder of cats without humans around at night, you’d know the side I’m talking about. Totally unlike the same animals who stretch themselves out in front of fireplaces and present themselves for scritches.
The late and lamented SouthernDragon used to call them “Tigers” and it turns out there is some truth to that. Cats share a common ancestor that is chronologically and genetically closer to them than the last ancestor we shared with Chimpanzees or Bonobos. The two extant subfamilies of cat share a common ancestor from only ten to fifteen million years ago. Because of this, they are considered to be “rapidly evolving" creatures.
Cats, like the ones we adore and worship are from the subfamily Felinae, along with Wildcats, Bobcats, Cougars, Ocelots and Cheetahs. Larger cats like Lions and Tigers and Leopards, (oh my!), belong to the subfamily of Pantherinae, while a third subfamily, classified as Machairodontinae, is extinct and included the sabertooth cats like Smilodon. Regardless of the classification taxon, cats are all much more closely related to one another than members of the Hominidae family, which includes humans, are.
All cats are almost purely carnivorous by nature and are very well adapted for it. My own Kuroneko can go from a lap kitteh to a ruthless bird killer at less than the drop of a hat. I have deprived her of her mouse prey before because I couldn’t bear to see the poor thing tormented so. The cats that are so sweet to us are in reality able hunters, capable of bringing down prey many times their own size if the need is there. Cats are in fact, not adapted well to eating vegetable matter as their intestines are too short to adequately digest it.
So the next time you’re playing with your cat with a string or wrestling around with her and she draws blood, just remember that people are discouraged from keeping large cats for good reason. It’s in their natures to play with their prey or surrogates for their prey and it’s in their natures to play to win!
Kuroneko picture of the week: Plenty of toys but she’d
rather play with a scrap of paper from my W-2.
Ever wonder what a cat looks like going into warp speed while wearing a bow tie? Wonder no more! This comes to us from boingboing
Obligatory cute kitten picture of the week. This time from Cute Overload.
Here’s a funny, if rather silent video of a cat experiencing snow for the first time.
That’s it for this week. Please share your cat or other pet stories with us. I hope everybody has a great week ahead but please remember to set aside some time to spend with whatever animals share their lives with you and if one of those animals is a cat, set aside some bandages and antiseptic too!
Update: Speaking of the nature of cats, I woke up to this little present in my bedroom this very morning. Glad I turned the light on! (warning: wee bit graphic)
132 Comments
Good morning caturfolk. Whatever you do, finish breakfast before clicking the last link! (in the update)
GM, Margaret, I don’t have any mice at my house.
Great pictures…so glad you explained what is so fascinating in the first one! Could not guess.
Good Morning All folks….
I don’t either….anymore. Mice come in from the large field next door and housekeeping abilities have nothing to do with their presence or absence. We all get mice when it turns cold. Kuroneko keeps my population from becoming a problem.
Hey, Peg.
Just one question. Where’s the other half? Neko’s making sushi this morning? If she brings you something rolled in rice, just pretend to eat it, k?
LMAO! I’m assuming the other half is why she wasn’t demanding breakfast this morning.
We get more drained lizard prizes, since Picky is an inside/outside kitty.
I used to live in a rural area with numerous cats. They were fond of little bunnies, the remains of which were usually the ears.
When I first moved to my house, the cats would bring gifts to the front door. That has not happened in a very long time. But I would pitch the gifts under the bush by the porch, and I used to call it “cat voodoo.” That was after a trip to Cuba, when I saw the various
“charms” of Santeria. I came across some photos of those the other day. Interesting.
OT, but my human child just explained that he doesn’t need a bath today because tomorrow is MLK Jr. Day. LMAO!! The things kids say!
Ok, now to finish reading expanded PUYC…
Eeeww! I mean, good morning, Peg and other caturfolk.
Interesting biological history.
I’m sure there are mice around here…it’s an old neighborhood, but I haven’t seen any in a looong time. when Itsa was young, I remember seeing her trotting down the alley with something rodentish in her jaws.She was feral, after all.
Interesting reasoning.
Good morning, ysd.
My little tigers have just finished breakfast. One is entertaining himself with a catnip toy right now.
I decided a few months ago that they were too sedentary, and started luring them to play some more. It took some effort, but now they have regular play periods, usually on their own. Although they often invite me to participate.
I think it helps reduce the desire to go outside, so I try to accept those invitations.
Did I mention that Smokey finally got to the vet (and cost about twice as much as I expected to pay), and has only peed on the floor once since getting tapeworm medicine and skin allergy medicine while there? Multi variables, of course…I’ve been home a lot and can keep the boxes clean, play with him, etc. But still, it’s a good thing. ; )
Everybody knows that MLK preached freedom from bathing!
Hi Tejana. Good news about Smokey!
Thanks….and so glad the news is good. I was concerned about the early reports. Cheers to you all; glad there is so much fun;)
Yeah, the place still smells of his old behavior, and I worry that it’s not cleanable. Trying different things. I think the sofa will simply have to go…it was the target before the floor. It’s in bad shape other ways, so I’ll be happy to get rid of it, but can’t afford its replacement just yet.
In other news, I finally discovered the key to getting the kittehs to play with this toy, which has been around awhile. Got it a couple of trips ago, hoping they’d amuse themselves while I was gone. They weren’t interested. It turns out the ball lights up when you pull off a little strip of plastic I hadn’t noticed til the other day. Now they’re interested. That’s Squeaky a couple of days ago. Pushy was just playing with it now.
Just saying good morning, nearly used up my allotment of words already today over @ talking heads. First thing I saw in the snow cat video was the outside soil stack and drain. Would be frozen and cracked around here. Must be a normally temperate climate region. Cute kittehs.
Thank you Margaret.
Heh. I just noticed Pushy in the frame at the right, watching Squeaky play with the lighted ball.
When ready to replace the sofa, ask about fire retardants in the foam, bad for health of floor cavorting critters and infant children, especially. Polyesters are OK, polyurethanes more likely not. Got rid of my sofa and, like formal dining rooms being out of fashion, don’t miss it. Much easier to vacuum the LR also, as domestic help is above my pay grade.
Oh, I know, I’ve been reading about the fire retardants, unforeseen consequences, etc.
I have thought of hauling out the existing sofa before acquiring a new one, but then there would only be one seat in the room, besides the wheeled office chair at the desk. I really like having something long enough to stretch out on. ; )
Tho’ at the moment it’s serving as a place to dump files, magazines, giant pocketbook, and other stuff with no permanent place.
Housekeeping is not my strong suit.As you can see in the picture.
Should probably edit it, but that would have taken time.
Great pic…don’t know if I had known the color…very like my very 1st cat before grade school and into college. A very loved and familiar look. Thanks for sharing a happy cat…..
Actually you are a fount of knowledge and I always appreciate your comments.
Is it mandatory to talk of cats at Caturday?
My five cats have been enjoying watching the 100s of birds that we are feeding on my two story back deck.( my nine year old peanut has been making original feeders for them)
And yes, I have received an abundance of birds, mice, and rabbits on my front door.
have you guys seen this story? And this time nobody can assert that it’s just a similar-looking cat, because she’s chipped.
I don’t miss having a formal DR at all, as we hardly ever used it even before we switched the dining room table out for the organ. But, I do love having a sofa in the LR. We have an L shaped one that sometimes has all three adults, plus the cat and the dog lounging on it. It’s great for tv watching. Fireplace watching. Napping, reading, general laziness.
I’m curious as to some of the answers you received from your question to the young men. Anything outstanding?
I remember several years ago, when the mister and I led a group of elementary kids in song and art after church. On MLKjr’s b-day weekend, I read some portions from a few of his speeches and Chris taught them We Shall Overcome. And, then he asked them what kinds of ideas or behaviors should we try to overcome. A young girl, 4th grade maybe, said “Genocide.” Wow.
As I vacuum more in my garage than in the house, I’ve considered moving the whole tool kit thing into the living room. The ceiling mounted dust filter/room air cleaner, though slighter louder that the refrigerator kicking on, might be a bonus in here. ;-)
My favorite line in the Holly-the-cat story is the comment, which all of us know very well, that
Heh. I must say the writer doesn’t know much about cats herself; she describes Holly as a tortoiseshell, when she’s clearly a calico. And she throws in a lot of smart-alect stuff.
And yes, JClausen, Pull Up Your Cat, like its ancestor Caturday, is our safe place to talk about cats. Tales of other animals are allowed, but its origin is as a place we “cat dorks” could indulge our love of telling kitteh stories without driving non-cat lovers crazee.
Of course, it has evolved to sharing more personal news, but it is defintely also a place free of say, political controversy.
You have five kittehs? You should have plenty of tales to share!
This maybe the dumbest question I’ve ever asked. Why not just move the filter into the garage?
Wow, is right. I used the speech yesterday at the hospital; sang “We Shall Overcome.” I was really impressed at how thoughtful the kids were on the topic of racism and treating everyone equally etc. They mostly “got” the song and a focus on the work of his life. I was impressed…and several of them knew parts of the story. (One had the King story mixed up with Rosa Parks, but that’s a start.)
No political controversy you say? What? Are you saying this is merely a chat room. A chat chat?
I’m just being silly here, and you make me smile, tejanarusa.
The company should rename their product Tidy Humans as the cats don’t seem to have learned to read.
It’s a great start. We have to start somewhere.
When this girl gave her answer, I realized that her family must have some very interesting and important conversations happening at home. Isn’t that great?
Hey, Rev Bev! Thanks. Yup, Squeaky’s a pretty happy kitteh. And solid orange, just like her late sister (from the previous litter), whose name, because I had run out of names, was “Miss Orange.” They looked very alike, except Miss Orange was bigger.
Here’s another recently uploaded pic of Squeaky and Pushy, on a chilly day that they spent in the warmer bedroom.
It’s so hard to photograph a solid black cat like Pushy without something contrastng around him. ; )
And Im rebel enough to think a little controversy/dust up may sneak in; just not to over do it, has been my belief since it’s mostly wide open seems to me.
Hey, you! Your night stand looks a lot like my nightstand. We’re like twins or something. :)
And don’t be afraid to give me a little digital nudge if ever I appear to be exhibiting early stage symptoms of cabin fever.
Off to the kitchen.
Ours was Sunshine who went on to have about a million babies in her very long life….;)
I remember the time that Dragon was just beside himself that nonquixote vacumns Milly. Or, the whole disagreement about whether cats should be allowed outdoors. Wet food. Dry food. So many issues. Ha.
Isn’t it amazing we get along as well as we do….Im reading some work by a women/dead named Peace Pilgrim. I am so impressed by her thoughts and life. The material notes that there are still some Pilgrim Peace groups in a number of cities….Im going to start checking. The Book Salon yesterday was really very depressing. (‘nuf said)
He had a dream…
BTW, that is one gruesome picture.
Heh. I have no doubt that if they thought it was worth the effort, they could learn to read. At least, to read the labels on cans. Cat food-not-cat food, e.g.
I didn’t know that it had been shown that they can distinguish some colors. Have you all seen this piece on a contest for feral shelters in NYC? The winners used color to emphasize the entrance.(scroll down to see the winner.)
This site also has some of the other shelter entries.
I like the cat food can one, with insulation inside each can,too.
That’s pretty making about Smokey and the vet!
I think the folks who get along so well here do so because they really want to and recognize and acknowledge when others put in the effort as well. And, it’s important to realize that it’s not wrong to ask for clarification if something seems awkward or confusing or out of character for an individual.
Yeah. When I see pix of, or in real life, nightstands with nothing but a lamp and clock, I always ask myself, “how the heck do they DO that?” I just can’t help stacking up books. I clear ‘em off every now and then, but it doesn’t last. ; )
RevBev, Sunshine! That’s a good name for an orange cat.
You were warned. It’s just a half of a rodent.
C’mon, mom, you’re raising boys. :O)
Um, DYAC? I think I sorta get the gist, but…LOL.
Thanks….must have been a blessing. She lived to be almost 20 when a stroke set her back and the vet gave us no hope. Quite enduring….
*amazing. DYAC.
Oh, and there’s quite a tale about “Smokey and the vet”. He was not peaceful and docile. they had to put him a cat bag, and even then he gave them a lot of grief. He was not a happy camper. All the way there he fought against the grated door of his carrier, astonishing me. He struggled so hard that he left a pile of pieces of claw (not just sheaths) in the carrier, and his claws were bloody and broken. So he was pretty agitated when we arrived. Poor little guy.
Maybe he’s been good ’cause he was so happy to come home. He’s even been happy to let me pick him up and carry him around; purrs up a storm. Been sitting on the chair arm, and sometimes on my lap.
He hadn’t done that for awhile. Poor guy, I’m thinking itching was making him nuts. So we’ll have to make sure he gets treatment for the skin allergy on a regular basis.
Twenty? wow. My oldest so far has made it to 17. You must have really missed her after so long together.
Autocorrect. Gotta love it.
LOL.
That’s just such good news about Smokey and the urinating, though. I know from experience with my own how frustrating it is, and I have lost a couch to cat pee myself. It changes one’s feelings about the cat. Gracie is the Masked Urinator.
Looks like folks are doing their chores or socializing; starting to talk to myself.
Maybe I can make some cranberry bread. Big Boy went out after breakfast. I can’t bake or do dishes while he’s around, without his wanting urgently to go out, even banging on the door to get out and away from the frightening noises. Pretty much anything, let alone rooting around in the cupboard for a muffin pan, and running a mixer or, god help the poor guy, using the Cuisinart. I think he’s getting sorta used to the sound of the microwave.
The Masked Urinator
http://www.flickr.com/photos/73310045@N07/8398423867/
Oh, really? Didn’t know that about Gracie. Yeah, my late kitteh Charlie came to me because I had (with my heart breaking) left him with my ex when I moved out, and he was peeing “everywhere.” Ex was talking about putting him outside unless I took him.
He did some damage here, but much less. If I didn’t think it requires too much knowledge and reasoning, I’d think he was doing it on purpose to get to come live with me.
He was mad at me for leaving: when I visited, he’d sit in the doorway across the room awhile, staring at me, before deigning to come sit next to me (he was born feral; not til the last years of his life did he ever sit on my lap.)
It was as if he was asking me, “why did you leave me?”
Has Gracie stopped her behavior? Or did Nagi’s arrival re-start it?
Oh, so pretty. I’d completely forgotten she was black and white.
Hence the warning. I nearly stepped in that this morning with my bare feet! It’s like two feet away from my bed. Kuroneko is very self satisfied and sleeping the day away now, woken up by me out of revenge every now and then.
You’re as funny as Kuroneko!
Did she ever eat any breakfast, or too full with that half-a-mouse?
She ate some chicken kitty food. Then she passed out. Right on the comforter I’d like to be using right now.
If y’all indulge me one more pic of my own little furry guy, here’s Pushy, complete with tongue out,on my bed, while I was pretty sick with the cough, still. I can tell because of the bottle of cough medicine on the table and the wastebasket full of tissue.
(the table, by the way, is one made by my father in his woodworking youth)
Aaaand….left off the link again. Here.
Sigh. Prolly time to go do something non-computer, non-sedentary. BBL! Have a good day, all.
Is it dangerous to move her, or are you just being an indulgent cat staffer, like so many of us? (not moving the cat-on-lap even though our legs have gone numb, f’rinstance?)
Gracie has only stopped because she is let out when she asks–at any hour. Abner is known to mark near doors and windows when ballsy neighbor Tom is around. There isn’t anything I can do about that. Abner upped his marking when Nagi came home, but it was short lived, fortunately.
That link is borked…
Yup. That’s the biggest reason Smokey has spent so much time outdoors, too.
Ooh, I was afraid of that.
Whew! Thank goodness. So, are Nagi and Abner making nice with each other?
Borked? I like it…or is it Autocorrect for “forked?”
Trying again…
Okay, I can’t resist this, from a site called Cats and Dogs Together, posted by my otherwise very weird cousin-in-law (but a person who loves dogs can’t be all bad, right?)
http://www.cats-and-dogs-together.com/post/37789385487/please-can-we-keep-him-he-can-sleep-in-my-bed
I learned at FDL some time ago on Caturday that “borked” is a computer term for “all messed up”. Heehee. No DYAC this time!
Awwwwww. Lil pink tongue.
Not so dangerous. I have a robe I can cover my legs with so no big.
Love the tongue. Neko does that sometimes, when you can just see her tongue peeking out.
Learn something new all the time here.
Peg, yeah, love the tongue, too. Usually doesn’t last long, so I was pleased to catch it in a pic.
Ya know what’s wrong with my cats? They’re layabouts! Three of them in a gnome size house, and I found evidence of mouse. They’re all fired! *grumble*
I’ll bet they’re incredibly worried…
Margaret, great post.
I clocked Ms. Cat running around the condo complex at ~35 mph. I thought I must be wrong, but apparently domestic cats can run at that speed.
Most of the “gifts” (lizards, chipmunks, birds, frogs) have managed to escape, because Ms. Cat proudly announced their capture, and so I had time to intervene.
However, a few months ago, when cleaning, I found a desiccated frog.
Good evening to all. Thanks for the thread, Margaret. I can’t stay for now, but I did see this, and thought it might be good.
LMAO! That was great. Thanks. :)
Welcome Valley Girl.
Thanks Margaret. I am one of the supporters of Om Ali’s SD cat fund. So, you know me, but you don’t. ;)
Hey VG! Good to see your fonts.
Margaret, my previous companion was a hunter who woke me up a couple of times over the years with living ‘presents’ that would then take me anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to corral and get away from her.
A few years ago, I was visiting in Florida (before I moved here) and my friend’s ex was working at a big cat place (since shut down with the cats going to Big Cat Rescue). I was somewhat amazed to see the big cats showing the same behavior writ large that I was used to seeing from my then little one.
Hi!
Oh, dear. Presents at night are not good.
Ms. Cat stays inside at night, except on the few occasions when she has slipped by me. So, I am usually awake, and it is during the day, when I get these presents. One occasion was the exception, when I got brought a present in bed. I’ll have to think back as to what it was.
Interesting about the big cats. Do you mean the predator thing? The crouching and waiting? Tell me more!
Mcat has been sitting/sleeping watching me in the kitchen today as I decided on a corn bread baked in the cast iron skillet, along with the aroma of a very fine kettle of fish (whitefish chowder) that we’ve gotten ourselves into already tonight. I saved a few pieces of fish for the kitteh. She’s shadowing my every move since just after noon.
Yep. Appearances aside, all cats are incredibly closely related, hence the ease with which so many of their species interbreed.
Yeah, the first time she woke me up it was about 1AM and I could hear her pacing next to the bed and making a “rhmph rhmph” sound. I reached over and turned on the light as she jumped on the bed, dropped the mouse and all three of us went in different directions.
With the big cats, it was pretty much all the behavior – crouching, grooming themselves, lying around swatting things, just the total set of mannerisms
Oh, I’m sure they’re worrying as they sleep right now. Nagi is so worried he went for a snack.
Cat speed- I was poking around. This link puts domestic cats high speed at 30 mph, which is different from the 35 mph that I found elsewhere.
But what’s intriguing is that cheetah is clocked at 70 mph (versus domestic cat 30 mph). Without further research, I’d guess that a cheetah is at least four times as long/ large as a domestic cat. But the speed 70 vs 30 is only a bit over twice as much. I am puzzled!
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0004737.html
That’s really interesting about the grooming. It’s not something I knew. You mean they do the lounging around licking their fur thing? Cleaning their whiskers and such?
So glad you have Nagi!
tejanarusa, if you’re still around; on Friday I checked out Mistress of the Art of Death. I didn’t connect the name right away, but something rattled around in my mind until I thought of you. I haven’t started reading it yet because I’m reading The Silmarillion right now. I’ll probably start Mistress before I finish Silmarillion because I usually have two or three going at the same time.
yep
Somehow I didn’t picture the big cats doing that! I’ll have to explore this! I mean acting like little kitties!
A Cheetah also has much more mass to move around, as much as twenty times the mass of a medium sized house cat and it’s that mass that has to overcome both inertia and gravity, rather than the length or volume that limits it’s speed.
I think you’ll find there are a lot of similar actions between the big cats and the domesticated. Of course, some of the playing that the little fellows do can cause serious damage to a human if done by the big cat. The place had tigers, leopards, snow leopards, FL panthers, wild cats, ocelots, and a couple of others so not all would show the same behavior but there was enough commonality that you could see the house cat behavior in the larger animals
Margaret,
Okay, that makes total sense. But, interesting question to explore from an evolutionary perspective. Speed vs. mass, and the predators and prey faced by big cats vs. domestics.
btw, I sent you an email using the Om Ali SD fund conversation.
Hey, activity back at PUYC! Bear Country; that video is amazing. Not that the cat can do it, but that he would want to bother doing it. I am just astonished. Loved the way he whacked or pushed metal cup to designate the right one.
Also, I’m sure you’ll like MoAoD. Some of that series are positively nightmare-inducing. I’m sorry there will be no more.
ysd-do you suppose your cats don’t know how to kill, so they play with the mousies when you aren’t looking, then let them go? They have to learn the skill of killing from their mothers, although the pouncing, stalking, etc. behavior is instinctual. I watched a feral mom teaching her kittens with a desiccated squirrel skin in my old backyard once. Fascinating (in a spooky-ish way).
Hi, VG! Good to see you. If you want to see big cats behaving small cattishly, look for the Big Cat Rescue pumpkin-playing videos. SD posted some of those here. They are sooo like little housecats…just huge. And where Kuroneko, say, leaves her person a big bloody in the fingers, the tiger would take your head off. *g*
You always go to the heart of the scientific explanation. Wish I could do that.
dakine01–I believe I owe you a beverage. Something hot? Oh, wait, you’re back in Florida. A cold beer, or perhaps an iced tea?
That question has been very thoroughly explored and it is mass and oxygen content that limits the size and speed of animals on Earth. Bugs don’t get much over ten centimeters because there is only so much molecular oxygen available and their exoskeletons would have to be too thick for the limited oxygen supply to flow to their extremities and yet support their mass. Bears don’t grow as large as Tyrannosaurus because their warm blooded metabolism would require too much energy to move around that kind of bulk. Cats have much less mass to move than Cheetahs and consequently require exponentially less energy to move their mass. There comes a mathematical point where mass starts being a disadvantage and is therefore not helpful and such mutations are not passed on to the next generations.
Interesting. One thing that is different is that domestic cats co-opted humans, and got them to do their bidding! ;) Ms. Cat has trained me very well. Oh, and the “I’ve got a gift” cry from Ms. Cat is distinctive. When she brings me presents in the daytime I’m usually sitting at my computer– and when I hear that cry, I immediately leap into action.
Hi, and thanks for the tip on the vids.
Got the email, thanks. :)
Thanks so much for that info. I am a scientist, but I missed some training, evidently. I will go poke around on the subject.
So, now you can respond! It would be great to “talk” to you.
May I go OT to share my excitement about “how I spent the afternoon?” Instead of cleaning (surprise), I decided it was time to get some apps for my new smartphone, and suddenly remembered when this was released last year (and I couldn’t get it, no device).
So, then I had to go through most of it, page by page. Fan-tab-you-lus. Unbelievably beautiful. Well, I have always loved illuminated manuscripts. ymmv.
Of course, I got some other apps, too, including an Austin events/places guide (there was a food truck app for Austin, but it got really bad reviews), the Met Opera app, some language apps, and of course, the famous Angry Birds, so I can see what all the fuss is about. (I am sure there are some kittehs in some of the illuminations, to bring this back on topic).
It is interesting how cats act. My mother no longer has cats, but when she did she would often play with them. They(I say they because over time it was several cats)would take her fingers or hand in their mouth and hold it, but never break the skin. I think I related the story of how I tried to catch a stray that was in our house. She wanted to be part of the family, but she didn’t want to get shots or be spayed. When I did grab her, she took the fat part of the base of my thumb in her mouth but didn’t bite. She was warning me that she would bite if I continued. I felt that I had to try, so I pulled her toward me and she sunk her teeth in deeply; totally my fault. There was no bleeding or pain nor any bad result at a later time.
Not restricted to trying to capture strays. Ms. Cat does not like to be put in the carrier to go to the vet. Oh, a bit different. She doesn’t bite, but she uses her claws. I usually go to the vet with blood on my hands!
I think most cats and dogs know about going to vets and don’t like it. It’s like trying to get a kid to go to the dentist.
Nice!
But, it’s really odd. After the struggle, first visit to the vet after I adopted Ms. Cat, she was perfectly well behaved with the vet. I was amazed. He said, well, she knows who’s boss! I think Ms. Cat just doesn’t like being shoved into a box, and there’s nothing I can do to persuade her otherwise.
Yup. Nobody likes being shoved into a box.
I’d love to get one of those soft ones that opens from the top, but naturally they’re more expensive than the hard-shelled ones.
LS used to fight like crazy to avoid going into the carrier whether for a trip to the vet or as part of moving.
With Dan’l, I just have to open the carrier door, and give him a little push and he goes right in.
The cat we have now has no such problems. He just likes lots of hugs and snuggling or lying in front of the fireplace on these cold nights. If I pick him up to go into the carrier, he just goes with it.
Isn’t it? Just gorgeous pictures,and the resolution on this Galaxy SIII is very sharp. I’m so glad I remembered about that app. And it was cheap…$2.35.
I bet OmAli would like it, too. I miss her. Have the feeling she isn’t going to return to PUYC. Wonder how her kittens are doing?
Well, unfortunately for me, I have to say good night to all, thanks for coming out to play. I have to go do other things.
Kuroneko used to spend a lot of time in her box because she enjoyed it but I think I ruined her when I shoved her in once when I thought we were going to have to get out of the way of a tornado. I wasn’t as gentle as maybe she thought I should have been but there was some urgency involved.
Thanks BC!
Why do you say that? Was there some strife that I missed?
How expensive are they? Do you have a link? I’m getting tired of the bloody hands.
I just saw this as I was hanging up so I’ll delay for a minute. Why do you think Om won’t be back here? She adds a lot to the conversation.
Wow! I am envious. So interesting how cats can be the same, but so different.
As you are still about, I’ll say as I did to dakine01- amazing the cat goes into the carrier so willingly.
Ms. Cat has never liked boxes of any sort. I tried to get her used to boxes. I put one on the bed, both ends open. I enticed her in, gradually, by placing treats farther and farther away from where she was (“her side”) So, she ventured partially into the box to get the treat. A bit more each time. But! When I placed the treat over halfway in, she ran around to the other open end of the box, and got it from there! Smart kitty. Dumb human.
Oh, I didn’t mean to alarm anyone; no, no strife I know of. I just think she connects the Sunday cat gathering with Richard so strongly it makes her too sad to come by. I haven’t seen her in ages.
Well, I think she made a brief appearance the day Chicago Dyke announced Ruth’s mother’s death, to offer condolences.
I could be all wet; haven’t been visiting most other threads, so maybe she’s posting busily and I’ve just missed her. I ought to know better than to attribute thoughts to others without any basis but guesswork. I was just thinking how much I missed her voice, andhow long it has been since I’ve seen her fonts.
Sorry, my bad, entirely in my head, so am probably completely mistaken. Who knows, maybe they’re traveling or have family occasions keeping them busy.
I’ll shut up now before I say something even more stupid.
VG, here’s the first link that came up in a “soft-sided pet carrier” search.
I’ve actually seen several variants while flying over the holidays and before; never saw so many animals at airports as over a month or so from November to early January.
No link, but I’ll use your search terms.
While I’m waiting I’m still reading and following the NE-Balt game. There are many animal “experts” that will tell you that animals can’t think and reason out solutions to problems. Every time that scientists do some kind of animal reasoning problem and get a perfectly logical response by the animal in question, the scientists are surprised and have to publish this astonishing result in a scholarly journal. Then they will go back to telling you not to anthropomorphize an animals actions. If you don’t anthropomorphize the actions, you can’t possibly understand what they do and why. Of course your kitty will do what she should logically do if she doesn’t want to go all the way into the box, but she wants the treat.
OK, now I’m gone.
Dang it, did I do that again?
hmmmm
No, no need to shut up and what you said wasn’t stupid. I just thought I might have missed something. I haven’t seen her about much either.
Ah,well, I sure don’t want to put words in her mouth. I really have no idea why she isn’t around.
And now, I see I have let an amazing amount of time get past me,, and I’d better say good night.
Thanks, Peg, this has been an extra good PUYC, methinks.
A good week to everybody!
Thanks for visiting and I’m glad you enjoyed it. :)
I think that will about wrap up another pull up your cat. Thanks to all who stopped by to share or to just lurk. I hope everybody has a good week ahead and that all of you will find time to spend with the animals in your like. Goodnight!
Okay, I know it’s wrapped, but I have one more aminal story. Ever since we varnished over the paint in the LR, when Brindle chases Picky, or some phantom aggressor from his mind, he ends up skooching the area rug sideways, sometimes toppling things off of the two little acylic tables that are there. Guess I’d better figure something out.
Thanks for all that you are and all that you do, Peg. Have a productive and happy week.