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Coffee House => Coffee House Boards => CH / Entertainment => Topic started by: bjjones37 on December 14, 2004, 04:03:28 PM
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One of my children recently came home from Walmart with a very small orange and white kitten. It has subsequently been dubbed Pharoah. They just found it abandoned in a parking lot. Common occurrence here. It was a lost cause as far as not keeping it went, but I had already given some thought to getting a cat to help keep mice out of the yard. So it worked out rather nicely. Of course wifey had other ideas. She feels that the kitten is lonely and must have a playmate. So we organized an expedition. Between the Zoo and the Japanese Sunken Gardens is an undeveloped plot of land with a trail and about three colonies of cats. These are cats that have been dumped off or offspring raised feral. So I decided to go and try to adopt one of them, if I found one I thought suitable. So I got our pet carrier and a sheet and some milk and cat food and took off with my family down the trail. Once the milk and food was out, the cats started coming around. About a dozen or so altogether. Mixture of feral kittens and friendly but nervous full grown cats. As we were watching them two women came up on the verge of being Very angry. They saw the pet carrier and assumed the obvious - that we were abandoning a cat. Once we explained that we were trying to adopt a cat, they completely turned around. Unfortunately none of the cats were really suitable, but it was an interesting experience feeding them and being around semi-wild cats. The two women were part of a volunteer organization which feeds the cat colonies. So their feelings were understandable. The kittens were black and my neighbor is allergic to black cats so that was out. And we an adult might drive away our current kitten. I was tempted by one however, it was quite attractively brown and grey striped with a golden background tinge about the head and neck. We were unsuccessful in acquiring though.
If I ever do buy a cat, it will probably be a Bengal cat. I consider it to be the most beautiful strain of domestic cat there is. It looks sort of like an ocelot.
@ Cymric
I have often wondered about your screen name and avatar. Do you have a Cymric cat?
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bjjones37 wrote:
If I ever do buy a cat, it will probably be a Bengal cat. I consider it to be the most beautiful strain of domestic cat there is. It looks sort of like an ocelot.
My favourite breeds are the Holy Birman, the Maine Coon, and the Somali. The Birman just looks awfully cute with those white socks on its paws; the Coon is a huge but very friendly and playful beast (my mother and my sister each own one); and I've heard great stories of the incredible intelligence of the Somali. They are reputed to be able to open doors, including the fridge.
@ Cymric
I have often wondered about your screen name and avatar. Do you have a Cymric cat?
No, I do not, although the name was taken from the breed. When I first assumed the handle many years ago I did not realize the cat is a 'stumpy'. The condition is natural, but I still consider a cat without a tail to be ... well, less than perfect. I'm sure they are just as catty as any other cat, but I wouldn't want to own one. Nevertheless, the handle stuck, and I've been using it ever since.
(Years ago I did run into a spot of trouble once when I wanted to play a MUD under the name of 'Cymric'. I was rudely informed I was not allowed to use character names from fantasy novels. Upon my surprised explaining it was simply a cat breed, I got a sneering reply that everyone had an excuse. Turns out the name occurs only a few times in an obscure series noone has ever heard of. I politely gave the admins the proverbial (yet textual) middle finger and deleted the character.)
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That's a very brave thing to do, take a semi-feral cat and trying to turn it into a nice family pet. My parents live on (in?) the countryside and over the years there have been several cats that just walked up to the house and they've become a part of the family :-).
@bj:
Is anyone sterilizing the cats in the colonies? Or are those cats just left to their devices apart from the people from the organisation you mentioned feeding them? Here when cats come into the local animal shelters it's standard procedure to sterilize them to prevent further breeding and spreading of feral cats.
Cats rule! :kitty:
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I adore cats and they seem to like me. Don't know what it is, but I always seem to know what's on their mind and they seem to read me. If I'm grumpy they'll give me a wide berth or will sit somewhere where I can't fail to take notice of them and give one a fuss.
I miss my own cat who was sadly killed in the road earlier on this year. I felt like I'd lost a best friend when I heard the news.
I won't be getting any more cats in the near future as g/f is allergic. She's actually said "It's a cat or me"...
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PMC wrote:
I won't be getting any more cats in the near future as g/f is allergic. She's actually said "It's a cat or me"...
If I said that to Siouxsie, I'd be homeless and the cat would have my room all to itself :-P
And she's got a slight allergy to cats, but that's never stopped here speaking to/looking after/owning them. Well, the cat owns us really ;-)
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odin wrote:
That's a very brave thing to do, take a semi-feral cat and trying to turn it into a nice family pet. My parents live on (in?) the countryside and over the years there have been several cats that just walked up to the house and they've become a part of the family :-).
@bj:
Is anyone sterilizing the cats in the colonies? Or are those cats just left to their devices apart from the people from the organisation you mentioned feeding them? Here when cats come into the local animal shelters it's standard procedure to sterilize them to prevent further breeding and spreading of feral cats.
Cats rule! :kitty:
The cats were abandoned so I imagine most of them were probably not fixed. They do not recieve any care other than what those volunteers provide. One of them did provide boxes stuffed with hay for them to nest in when it was cold. That same volunteer adopted EIGHTEEN of the cats herself! I like cats, but not THAT much. :-D
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Vincent wrote:
Well, the cat owns us really ;-)
And that is the secret to understanding a cat. I didn't chose Leonard from the cat rescue place, he liked the look of me.
If they don't like you, they move on and find another home.
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odin wrote:
That's a very brave thing to do, take a semi-feral cat and trying to turn it into a nice family pet. My parents live on (in?) the countryside and over the years there have been several cats that just walked up to the house and they've become a part of the family :-).
Ot, but if I may ask, wich village? :-)
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odin wrote:
Cats rule! :kitty:
I too adore cats, I used to have both of mine in my avatar if anybody remembers, so i would like to second that...
Cats rule! :kitty:
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adz wrote:
odin wrote:
Cats rule! :kitty:
I too adore cats, I used to have both of mine in my avatar if anybody remembers, so i would like to second that...
Cats rule! :kitty:
I love pussies too! ;-)
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mdma wrote:
I love pussies too! ;-)
You dirty little so and so ;-)
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Cymric wrote:
My favourite breeds are the Holy Birman, the Maine Coon, and the Somali. The Birman just looks awfully cute with those white socks on its paws; the Coon is a huge but very friendly and playful beast (my mother and my sister each own one); and I've heard great stories of the incredible intelligence of the Somali. They are reputed to be able to open doors, including the fridge.
I'd love a Maine Coon, so named because local legend speaks of feral cats mating with raccoons to produce a very unique cat. They're supposed to be very large, friendly and love playing in water. I got this scraggy black moggy from a rescue home once. She quickly got her paws under the table and started to grow... And grow... And grow some more. Before I knew it, she was huge. She was also extremely tame and I wondered if she had any Maine Coon in her.
As for intelligence, my cat Leonard used to confuse me by opening doors around the house. He'd be shut in the kitchen at night, but in the morning I'd awake to find him on my bed or sometimes in my bed.
I used to let him out the kitchen window, and one day caught him pawing the latch that held the window shut!
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Cats like to live alone and have the run of their territory - that's what kind of animals they are. Another cat doesn't keep a cat company, it often stresses it out. Eventually you may even find that one wanders away and finds some other owner. Territorial predators are like that. You wouldn't be doing it any favours getting it a friend - it just doesn't need or want one.
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@speel:
The wonderful completely-utterly-positively boring and nothing-to-be-done-there town of Veendam.
@pmc:
Maine Coons are yet even bigger when compared to Norwegian forestcats innit? (My parents have one, though she's sort of a mini-version).
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@KennyR
Absolutely right. Cats are generally solitary creatures, but they seek companionship in people for more reasons than just because we give food and shelter.
You can keep two cats together, but they don't generally socialise together unless they have to. Even then there's a strict hierarchy.
@Odin
I've heard of Norwegien Forest Cats but don't know much about them, tell me more?
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They can become very massive, are very friendly, a tad ehm....'goofy' or perhaps 'simpletons' (at least the few my mother imported from Norway).
The first one my mother took home (by plane :-)) got run over by a car quite soon (IIRC he didn't live to become one year of age). The second my mother imported had more success (she still lives) and had a litter here, among those kittens a few have grown to gigantic sizes. My parents' neighbours have the most colossal one. My brother emigrated to Norway some 2 years ago and he took one of the offspring of the cat my mother took from Norway back to Norway :crazy:.
Here's (http://www.odin1.dds.nl/junk/Poezen2.jpg) a pic of the 2nd one my mum imported, quite large when compared to the cute little black one :-). Though this cat (Sylvi) isn't that big when compared to 'proper' forestcats. I think it's a halfbreed.
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odin wrote:
They can become very massive, are very friendly, a tad ehm....'goofy' or perhaps 'simpletons' (at least the few my mother imported from Norway).
Sounds exactly like Jasmine (my expanding black rescue cat). She was vast, incredibly friendly and thick as a prize yoghurt.
Leonard was the one who figured all the difficult stuff out, she just sat there watching as if to say "feed me, I'm cute!".
Here's (http://www.odin1.dds.nl/junk/Poezen2.jpg) a pic of the 2nd one my mum imported, quite large when compared to the cute little black one :-).
Geez! That thing's massive! Good job it's friendly or it would have your leg off without too much difficulty.
Actually, it kind of resembles Jasmine...
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KennyR wrote:
Cats like to live alone and have the run of their territory - that's what kind of animals they are. Another cat doesn't keep a cat company, it often stresses it out. Eventually you may even find that one wanders away and finds some other owner. Territorial predators are like that. You wouldn't be doing it any favours getting it a friend - it just doesn't need or want one.
Thanks for the information. :-) Now if I can just convince my wife... :-D
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And she's small compared to the one the neighbours have :-). But when you remove the hair you don't have much left. The one my brother has had to have her hair removed at the vet some time ago. She looked pathetic! :-).
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odin wrote:
Here's (http://www.odin1.dds.nl/junk/Poezen2.jpg) a pic of the 2nd one
Right, I see one cat and a big bundle of fluff, so where's the cat? :-P
They are cuddling like ours cats used to do, although they were both the same size, one white with black spots and one tortoise shell (with a white belly - that's him in my avatar). We've got a couple of photos of them lying like that on a chair. Sometimes they looked like a yin-yang :-)
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manic cat (http://img44.exs.cx/img44/5599/f2sscratchcat.gif)
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bjjones37 wrote:
Thanks for the information. :-) Now if I can just convince my wife... :-D
What? That two predatory carnivores need their personal space?
:-)
@Cecilia,
Haha! Loved the scratch-mixing moggy! Now that's what I call a clever cat.
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PMC wrote:
bjjones37 wrote:
Thanks for the information. :-) Now if I can just convince my wife... :-D
What? That to predatory carnivores need their personal space?
:-)
This may require a little explaining. To my wife they are little warm fuzzy creatures, more along the lines of a tribble than a carnivore. Check this out. We have a box with a blanket in a cabinet outside under a covered patio against the house. And what is under that box plugged into an extension cord? A heating pad! :-D
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bjjones37 wrote:
Check this out. We have a box with a blanket in a cabinet outside under a covered patio against the house. And what is under that box plugged into an extension cord? A heating pad! :-D
Right, I'm banning Siouxsie from reading this thread incase it gives her ideas :lol:
She thinks they're warm, fuzzy, movable dusters :-D
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bjjones37 wrote:
This may require a little explaining. To my wife they are little warm fuzzy creatures, more along the lines of a tribble than a carnivore. Check this out. We have a box with a blanket in a cabinet outside under a covered patio against the house. And what is under that box plugged into an extension cord? A heating pad! :-D
My ex used to collect animals. I've posted the full list elsewhere, but suffice it is to say that our house was full to the brim with varying mammal / reptilian (and I include my ex in the latter) lifeforms all needing care, cleaning, feeding and affection at once.
Can't believe your wife puts a heat pad outside for the cats... It's why the almighty designed them with a shaggy warm overcoat!
My ex struggled with logic sometimes. Faced with the observation that rabbits live outside and not indoors, she replied "well these ones don't!". I think you can probably guess the scenario.
Oh and a long haired cat makes a superb duster, draught excluder, lap warmer, bed warmer, pillow, armrest etc. A true multi-purpose household gagdet.
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odin wrote:
@speel:
The wonderful completely-utterly-positively boring and nothing-to-be-done-there town of Veendam.
:roflmao:
under the smoke of Groningen, tad suburb, nothing to do, not really countryside and not really city. Really flesh nor fish :lol:
Well, my parents live in Houwerzijl (somewhere near Leens, Ulrum and chavtown Zoutkamp :-/)
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Zoutkamp....they have chavs there? :inquisitive: I thought only 2,5 fishing boat and a dog lived there :-). Actually...I was on the annual (I guess it was annual) fair with stands selling lots of crap in Leens in september. I almost bought a T-shirt of the local radio :crazy:.
@pmc&vincent:
Here's a (http://www.odin1.dds.nl/junk/plumo.jpg) pic of the first Norsk skogkatt (not an 'official' pedigree one though) my parents had, Plumeau. He was particular big and stupid, really really really stupid, but so friendly and sweet :-). Shame he got run over.
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Awww :-)
That looks a lot like Sioux's ex's mum's old cat Lucifurr. Very evil wee thing she was. She only had half a brain and she attacked everything. She gave Sioux a black eye years ago and later on she almost got one ripped out :-o
There was a funny moment that I wish I saw though. They had other cats, some of which had collars and bells on, who could catch almost anything (how they could catch things without their bell going off I don't know, but that's beside the point). Luci couldn't catch a cold if she was sneezed on, she just bounded towards everything thinking she was being quiet and stealthful. About quiet as a chav in a burberry shop.
The other cats had come home fairly regularly with pigeons, crows and other birds. Luci never managed that. Although one day she came bounding into the house all happy with something in her mouth. She dropped it by someone's feet.
It was a used burst old teabag! :lol:
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If a cat brings a souvenier home, it's an offering to you and is a very high compliment indeed. The fact that it's either dead, barely alive or partially dissected is immaterial, but it's a cat's way of telling you they are returning the favour and that you look hungry. They do the same for their kittens.
Leonard was a very chilled creature, who just used to sit and watch stuff all day long. The only things he'd bother to catch were frogs, who were always physically unharmed by their ordeal, but would often pass out through fear.
First thing I'd know about it would be the strained, pleading "Meeeeeoooooowwwwwww!" which meant "Help! I've got something in my mouth that I don't know what to do with!" so I'd have to go outside to him where he'd present me with a very bewildered amphibian.
Jasmine (Wookie sized cat) was a killer. She'd stalk stuff and bring home the remains frequently, although if you told her she was beautiful, she'd roll on her back and demand you tickle her belly. A real Jekyll and Hyde character...
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Jasmine sounds just like Sylvi. That cat has a tendency to clear my parents' garden of anything mouse-like and deposit it on the living room floor :-).
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I remember comming home once from the inlaws and hearing a pitiful meowing comming from the grass next to the path I was walking on. Upon investigation I found a kitten, taking it home we realised that this was a full on ferel kitten. Absolutely beautifull little thing. After a week or two, it had gotten used to us and developed quite a charactor (Including a list of party tricks including, but not limited to pouncing with all claws extended onto my face whilst I was asleep and being fast enough not to get swatted by me... mostly.) a few weeks later a man came to the door, we knew he lived in the area and stated he's lost his cat. So he gave us a similar description to Kapu Kapu (as we called him). We reluctantly handed him over. So that was what we thought was the end of it all. About a month later we saw the man on the bus and my wife asked him how the cat was getting on.. He stated that the cat hadn't been his afterall as kapu kapu caused his allergies to flair up, and he'd given the cat away to a friend living further up the country. When I heard of this, well, I'm just glad it was Vicky relaying the message and not him telling me himself, because I suspect I would have beaten him liberally about the head.
We have another cat now, Minstrel (because she's black and white). And whilst I love her to bits, there are times that I think back to kapu kapu and have to hold back the tears.
Minstrels party trick is to suckle from our dog (yes you read that correctly). And the Dog, Jasmin (who looks like a midget sheep dog) just lets her.
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It happened. We now have a second kitten to keep the first one company. They appear to be about the same age. And I am pleased to say that they are playing together nicely. Pharaoh (the first one) is even more inclined to remain within the back yard now, a definite plus. Hopefully they will remain friends as they get older.