Cat thread

[Bunk]

Godspeed, library cat.

She reminds me of one of my old kitties.

My condolences Sky. It would be very cool to have a cat around at work.

She reminds me of my current kitty actually - Harmony's a long hair silver tabby.

Speaking of her, she's started doing something really odd lately. Only happens if I'm sitting somewhere with an elbow sticking out over an edge of the chair or a table. She sneaks up behind me, leaps up, and grabs at my elbow with both paws - no claws at all - just paws. Scares the living shit out of me, and I'm pretty sure that's exactly why she does it.

[Sky]

Thanks, folks. The tough part about losing the work cat is all the places where she used to hang out are now empty...and we have to keep on working. Yesterday was pretty rough, I haven't seen anyone crying today, but it's early.

And Lizzie being as photogenic as ever:

Half of the pictures I have of Bart are him leaving the frame. He knows the camera and generally will avoid posing. I think he gets satisfaction from being cute and then avoiding any documentation thereof.

I especially like that second picture.

Rolling around on the back lawn. I had to artfully maneuver to avoid showing the garden hose she was rolling on. The first pic is the balcony of my old office, she used to love hanging out there all summer (and sometimes even tried to go out in the winter because I'd keep the window open).

She sneaks up behind me, leaps up, and grabs at my elbow with both paws

Bart's favorite trick. I can't sprawl out anymore or I become targeted for attack.

[01101010]

You could probably empty a lot of shelters if businesses would allow pets in the office - as office specific pets. That is if there wasn't that one person who is deathly allergic to anything with fur, dust, pollen, air.... but I'd gladly trade them for a cat anytime.

[apocrypha]

Big condolences Sky :( 

Last studio I worked at had a cat that had just started turning up, obviously stray - malnourished, flea-infested, dirty, etc. They kinda took him in but there were real problems. Who was going to pay vet bills? What happened to him at night - couldn't leave him in the studio, he'd set the alarms off. What happened over bank holidays? Who paid for food?

I think most workplaces would be improved by the addition of a pet but the logistics of it create serious issues unfortunately.

[Sky]

We locked her in the staff room at night and holidays. Food and vet bills came out of recycled cans and then staff donations.

[penfold]

Meet Conan, our new kitten. We got him from a shelter, they had dozens of kittens, must be kitten abandoning season or something :/



Our current cat is not impressed, and hissed at him when they met, now she legs it terrified upstairs when he pelts towards her, but she will get used to him

[Sky]

"Yes, humans. You will be acceptable servants."

Awesome kitty!

[Paelos]

That kitten has a great, OMG face.

[rattran]

Try a small drop of vanilla extract on the back of each cat's neck each morning. It's made integrating my gf's 3 in with my 5 much easier. It helps that I have a grey tiger tabby, she has 2 of them, and I think my 'not the sharpest crayons in the box' orange and cream cats can't tell the difference.

[Sand]

Congrats Penfold very cute kitten!

Rattran, eight cats! Wow.

[MuffinMan]

That kitty is a spitting image of Smeagol when he was a kitten.

Soon he will turn into this.

[01101010]

Try a small drop of vanilla extract on the back of each cat's neck each morning. It's made integrating my gf's 3 in with my 5 much easier. It helps that I have a grey tiger tabby, she has 2 of them, and I think my 'not the sharpest crayons in the box' orange and cream cats can't tell the difference.

FFS I wish I would have known that when I moved in my my X and her 3 cats + my 2 boys. Ahh well...

[rattran]

I figure all 8 will finally be settled in 2 weeks, right when it's time for the 3 go back to their mom. Until next summer, when they come back here for a month again.

[penfold]

Thanks for the comments :)

Sylvia, our silver grey tabby is now slightly more tolerant of him, as long as he stays a couple of feet away. Explain that to a kitten :)

Other than that, his extreme fluffiness is leading to issues, he keeps getting covered in his shit (and probably why Sylvia doesnt want El Stinko anywhere near her), any hints for cleaning? We've tried wipes, and had to sponge him down, which was like sponging down a small ball of rotating razorblades. I'm guessing he's not quite figured out which way to sit and then walk out of his litter tray.

[Bunk]

Wear thick gloves when wiping? Not a lot to do, Harmony has really long fur and she still leaves me the occacional present that got stuck and fell off some time later in a random location. At least dry food poop dries up quickly...

[Hawkbit]

I have a friend that  shaves her cat every summer to keep it cool.  During the winter she shaves the cat's nether regions to stop Klingons. 

Because she started doing it as a kitten, the cat is pretty used to it by now.  Uses an electric hair trimmer.

[01101010]

I have a friend that  shaves her cat every summer to keep it cool.  During the winter she shaves the cat's nether regions to stop Klingons. 

Because she started doing it as a kitten, the cat is pretty used to it by now.  Uses an electric hair trimmer.

Tried that with my cats. They were none to happy and Spi got down right violent after the third year I did it. I got the message and ceased. Luckily, they were shorthairs so other than the rare episode of liquid stink, I had no cling-ons.

[apocrypha]

We used to use a small hand flannel and warm water with Sputnik when she had similar problems as a kitten.

The trick to stopping the ball of razor blades effect is simple Pavlovian reward. Get some cat treats of some kind (we use Whiskas Dentabits which also claim they're good for their teeth) and reward the cat with *one* after the cleaning. At first you may need to give a couple during the cleaning process until they get used to it. Most importantly though, this must be the only time they get treats. They need to associate the nasty cleaning process with a nice treat and eventually they'll calm down and relax enough for it to stop being unpleasant.

We don't have to clean shit off her any more so we've switched to using the treats as a reward for a daily comb. They used to hate it but now as soon as I get the comb out the both come running and purr all the way through it until the reward at the end. The behavioral conditioning takes some time, but usually only a few weeks.

If you relent and give them treats in response to demands though you'll fuck it up completely.

[01101010]

We used to use a small hand flannel and warm water with Sputnik when she had similar problems as a kitten.

The trick to stopping the ball of razor blades effect is simple Pavlovian reward. Get some cat treats of some kind (we use Whiskas Dentabits which also claim they're good for their teeth) and reward the cat with *one* after the cleaning. At first you may need to give a couple during the cleaning process until they get used to it. Most importantly though, this must be the only time they get treats. They need to associate the nasty cleaning process with a nice treat and eventually they'll calm down and relax enough for it to stop being unpleasant.

We don't have to clean shit off her any more so we've switched to using the treats as a reward for a daily comb. They used to hate it but now as soon as I get the comb out the both come running and purr all the way through it until the reward at the end. The behavioral conditioning takes some time, but usually only a few weeks.

If you relent and give them treats in response to demands though you'll fuck it up completely.

I must have gotten extremely lucky with my two guys because they really only got pissy with me when I tried the electric clippers. Clipping the nails, baths, inspecting the ears/teeth, nothing really set them off - though I started very early with them, and did most of this stuff (aside from the bathing) weekly for the first 6 months or so. Though the nails weren't clipped every week, I did hold them in position and check their claws. The teeth were increasingly more difficult as they got older though...

[rattran]

It's all in the calm repetition of whatever it is, and not letting them thwart you. I got savaged the first time I tried to trim the insane needle claws one of the gf's cats had, but I didn't let go and finished. Now he tolerates it with crazy sounding growls and screams, but doesn't claw or bite (I bit him back the one time he bit me)

Checking/brushing teeth or bathing are the same way, once they know that resistance is useless, they accept the inevitable.

[Sjofn]

I trim Lizzie's butt with scissors sometimes 'cause she has the long haired cat poop problem occassionally. Not very often, at least! Jack steps in his own poop a disturbing amount of the time, though. Luckily (?) this has made him so used to us washing him he's usually 100% calm when we wash him off. Probably still couldn't give him a full bath, but washing his feet ain't no thang.

Also, I heart penfold's new kitten and I heart Smeagol.

[MuffinMan]

Has anyone else had a cat that lays like this? I've had cats that lie on their backs but stretched straight out in the sun but Smeagol is like this ALL the time. Maybe he wants me to draw him like one of my french girls?



Also, I bought a Furminator the other day. That thing is amazing. I think I brushed another cat's worth of hair from him. Not as much fur all over the carpet/furniture now, either.

[Ingmar]

Ours both do that, yeah. It looks really undignified when Jack does it.

[Sky]

No, never.



Actually, not really exactly that Smeagol pose, but B does that one all the time, too.

[Sjofn]

If Smeagol's paws were tucked neatly up against his body, that would pretty much be one of Lizzie's favorite ways to lie around. I call it the "seal pup." One of these days I'll manage to catch her on camera doing it. She ALWAYS notices me grab the camera and ALWAYS immediately jumps up to see what I'm doing though. Brat!

And YES, the Furminator is wonderous. Bonus that both cats actually like being brushed with it. It's always amazing to me HOW MUCH fur that thing brushes out. My sister told me about that sort of brush, it's the only one that's actually worth a damn for her collie.

[Mrbloodworth]

My cat does the "Dead bug" move. Laying on his back with all legs tucked close to his body.

[Lantyssa]

That is Dancer's rub-my-belly pose.  She'll sometimes sleep like that, though usually she curls up somewhere such as my lap or her bed.

[rattran]

Oscar used to sleep like that, but with one paw across his eyes. gf's cat LB sleeps on his back, tending to have his head off things with his eyes slitted and mouth agape. Kinda disturbing looking. He's doing it right now across the top of my desk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzCE83vHQt4

[Bunk]

I've never heard of such a thing...



I honestly think its just a case of cooling off the belly.

[Sand]

Louis does it when I get home at night and walk in the door. Its his "daddy's home rub my belly" pose.

[kildorn]

My cat is 5% chance of "rub my belly" and 95% chance of "I'm a furry bear trap that looks like she wants her belly rubbed"

But I have a rather violent cat when she wants to play.

[Sky]

Bart is definitely option 2.

[Lantyssa]

Most of my cats have been like that.  The former neighbor's cat left some wicked marks due to kitty-gasm.  Dancer is great, because she barely reacts.  I didn't think she even liked it at first, until she meowed at me for stopping once and I started watching her eyes closely.

[Ingmar]

Sjofn's family had a cat (he is still alive but is with someone else now, long story) who would roll over to lure you in like that. When my sister met him, I warned her like 3 times to not trust him when he does that - so of course, I go to another room, and hear a shriek of pain not minutes later. Moral: you cannot hope to resist the fuzzy belly.

Jack's belly is safe at least, Lizzie's is not, but she won't usually keep it exposed if you actually walk over to her when she's seal pupping anyway.

[Sjofn]

Yeah, Tyler would be all into being petted, banging his head against your hand, drooling (he couldn't purr, he'd drool instead), kneeding, then roll over on his back, all inviting-like. And then chew your hand off.

Lizzie will let me rub her tummy occassionally but most of the time she'd REALLY rather you didn't. Like Ingmar said, most of the time she rolls back onto her feet if you approach her while her stomach is exposed anyway. Jack is simply a whore that will take any sort of attention you will give him. He'll get overstimulated and bite EVENTUALLY, but it takes a while.