Cat thread

[Reg]

I was whining at a pet shop about how scruffy my cat had become in the last few years.  He used to have a perfect, smooth coat of fur. So the pet shop lady talked me into buying a little bottle of salmon oil and told me to sprinkle a couple of drops in his food every day and his coat would improve. What she didn't tell me is that poor Stuart would get horrible fish breath that had to be shared with everyone in the house. That was the end of that little experiment.

[Samwise]

Most omega-3 supplements have the same problem -- I bought a bottle of fish oil gelcaps to try to help my creaking joints, but they gave me horrible fishy burps so I stopped taking them.  I've heard there are "de-scented" versions that don't have the fish problem, though; would probably work just as well for cats.

[Trippy]

Most omega-3 supplements have the same problem -- I bought a bottle of fish oil gelcaps to try to help my creaking joints, but they gave me horrible fishy burps so I stopped taking them.  I've heard there are "de-scented" versions that don't have the fish problem, though; would probably work just as well for cats.

Get enteric-coated soft gels.

[Signe]

My kitties still have beautiful coats, but they were at their most beautiful when I was feeding them nothing but raw meat.  But those days are over.  Now they just lie around and eat junk.  

Oh.  I forgot my picture!


Tell me they don't look like the softest kitties in the world!

[MrHat]

Most omega-3 supplements have the same problem -- I bought a bottle of fish oil gelcaps to try to help my creaking joints, but they gave me horrible fishy burps so I stopped taking them.  I've heard there are "de-scented" versions that don't have the fish problem, though; would probably work just as well for cats.

Get enteric-coated soft gels.

These things.

[CmdrSlack]

Our youngest cat (9 yrs) has started peeing in the bathroom sink and on the side of the tub. He still uses the litter, and I've been paying attention -- it looks like he is still producing the same amount of urine.

I have no idea why he started doing this. Our older cat (13 yrs) has slightly increased his pin and hump attacks, but not appreciably so. (Ziggy hates it when Curtis plays fetch, apparently) I am probably going to have to take him to the vet to rule out some kind of urinary tract issue.

Has anyone else had this happen?  The major bright side is that he isn't pissing on the carpet, just sinks and tubs.

[apocrypha]

One of our cats, Sputnik, started peeing in odd places and turned out to be diabetic. However if that was the case for your guy he'd be weeing a lot more than normal, so it's likely something different.

Could just be behavioral, could be a sign of something else physiological. See what a vet says tbh, although it might not be something easy to diagnose.

[Miasma]

Maybe he's really smart and wants to use the toilet while doing a crossword puzzle but you keep the lid down.

[rk47]

The Cat Cafes of Tokyo


Japan’s capital city can be a tough place for a cat lovers to live. Small apartments, long work hours and restrictive housing codes make it difficult for Tokyoians (Tokyoites? Tokyoids?) to keep cats at home. No wonder then that the city is seeing an increasing number of cat cafes—lounges where the felineless can drink coffee and find some catisfaction. Tokyo has seven different cat cafes that we know of (and there are probably many more than that). Here’s a look at our three favorite:



Calico Cat Cafe


Two dozen or so cats purr, scratch and pounce upon plastic mice within the confines of the comfy, lounge-like Calico Cat Cafe. Customers pay ¥800 yen (~US$9) an hour, or ¥2,000 yen for three hours, for the right to be there. Once inside, they can play with the cats, order food or drinks (a cat-puccino perhaps?) or simply hang out in a comfy chair.

When the Calico opened in early-2007 it was little more than an oddity and a refuge for crazy-cat-ladies-in-waiting. Since then the concept has gone mainstream. It is now so popular that the Calico Cat Cafe has opened a second branch and is considering a third. On weekends it is so packed—families, old women, and couples on first dates are especially previlent—that the poor cats seem rather overwhelmed with all the attention.


If you are wondering: The entire cafe (as well as the cats themselves) are kept meticulously clean the cafe’s six air filters and by the Calico’s small army of “feline staff” that have themselves become something of an attraction. There’s even a bestselling coffee table picture book dedicated to the workings of the Calico’s cat minders.

If you go: Be aware that you can touch, but not pick up, the cats wearing the handkerchiefs. Also, both Calico Cat branches are packed on weekends—for Saturday and Sunday afternoon visits reservations are virtually required.

Tokyo locations: Kichijoji, Shinjuku



Neko JaLaLa


This establishment has “only” eight cats but it might be our favorite of the cafes on this list. From the outside the Neko JaLaLa’s Akihabara branch looks more like a fancy private residence or an architect’s office. Only the cat claw doorknob betrays this place’s feline predilections. Inside, the Neko JaLaLa resembles a combination of a children’s bookstore and the set of Barney—there are bookshelves and padded cat playground equipment all around.

If you go: Ask for an English copy of the (unintentionally) hilarious bios on each of the cats here.

Tokyo locations: Takadanobaba, Akihabara



Nekorobi


As well as being a cafe home for felines, Nekorobi is haven for wicker and burlap furnishings; there’s almost certainly no other cafe on the planet with as many scratching posts per square meter. Nekorobi distinguishes itself from Tokyo’s cat cafes in other ways too: Most of the cats here are rescue animals. Nekorobi has more of a singles and pick-up scene than Tokyo’s other cat cafes. Some customers seem to come here not so much to play with the cats but to play with the cafe’s Nintendo Wii. And Nekorobi is a relative bargain by Japan cat cafe standards—the ¥1,000 (~US$11) fee won’t only get you in for an hour but also give you access to complimentary cookies and unlimited drinks from the vending machine.

If you go: Check out the detailed cafe rules (in English as well as Japanese) posted at the entrance.

Tokyo location: Ikebukuro






The Super Station Master Cat
There’s another way to attract people to transit — put a cat in charge of the local train station.

A calico cat wearing a train hat at a jaunty angle, sits by the entrance of Kishi Station in western Japan to greet the passengers.

Meet Tama, the Super Station Master of Kishi.

It all started when Tama’s owner lost her house and asked Mitsunobu Kojima, the CEO of Wakayama Railway, to please let the cat live in the train station.

Tama was on the verge of losing her home and Mr. Mitsunobu  gave her a job and a home at the station.



Her primary duty is to greet the passengers. And in 2007 she’s promoted to be the ‘super-station-master.’

‘She never complains, even though passengers touch her all over the place. She is an amazing cat. She has patience and charisma,’ Wakayama Electric Railway Co. spokeswoman Yoshiko Yamaki said.

‘She is the perfect station master.’



Years ago, the rail line was struggling and had to lay off nearly all of its workers to cut costs.

But with Tama’s hiring, more people come to visit and the station was saved. Mitsunobu credits her with reviving the Wakayama railroad.

Appointing a cat to turn around fortunes makes cultural sense in Japan, where cats are considered good luck and are believed to bring in business.

She “single-pawedly” brought as much as 1.1 billion yen (10.44 million dollars) into the local economy in 2007 alone.

The Kishi Station have been remodeled, people now are employed and tourist come over to visit and meet the super cute station master



These days’ visitors can still find the 14-year-old Tama enjoying her work while she is napping and laying about during her 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job only taking Sundays off.



Tama on the fifth anniversary of her appointment at the train station. She is featured together with her successor “Ni Tama (ニタマ)”  (on the right).

Tama still greets tourists that travel all the way to see her. She is considerably older now, and when she is napping Ni Tama will take over her responsibilities.



“Great things can come in really small packages“. Who would’ve known that this adorable kitten would save the Kishi train station and the people who work there.

[Miasma]

Jesus Christ your sig.

[Signe]

Cats are the best thing ever invented. 

And I love his sig.  I think it's sweet.   

[Sjofn]

Jesus Christ your sig.

[Margalis]

I would totally go to a coffee bar / cat cafe. Interaction with friendly animals is fun and relaxing.

[rk47]

Yeah it lets you have the fun interaction time with these fluffy guys without worrying about their poo poo, food, or long term health concerns.
I'd visit them every week to de-stress if there's one near home.

[Samwise]

Alternatively, trick family members (or close friends you can drop in on) into getting cats you like.   

[JWIV]

From the looks of it,  I'm going to have to be careful with wine glasses. Just caught Finn with his head shoved into one lapping up the dregs of a glass of cabernet savignon.

[Signe]

Don't be mean.  It's just the dregs!

[Sky]

Days when it's too cool for AC and too warm for closed windows = overpowering urine smell from my crazy shut-in neighbor's house.

[Trippy]

Call the police.

[Sky]

They're both retired deputy sheriffs. On disability. Not the good kind of deputies. And one is not physically disabled.

I live next door to mentally unstable bad cops. Not the worst neighbors I've had, though I lost my lawn care guy last year to the crazy.

[HaemishM]

I live next door to mentally unstable bad cops. Not the worst neighbors I've had, though I lost my lawn care guy last year to the crazy.

That sounds like a story worth a wee bit more detail.

[Mrbloodworth]

wee




 

[Ghambit]

This is how cats drink water.

[Samwise]

Every time I've seen a cat drinking it looks to me like they're barely getting any water.  Now I know their secret!

[Polysorbate80]

Found one of cats unconscious in the driveway, panting for breath and sounding like it was choking.  The vet believes it was yellowjacket stings that sent her into shock.  I didn't realize they could react that severely; I've seen them swell up a bit when stung but never anything this bad.

Kitty's on the mend though, she'll be fine.

[Nightblade]

[Miasma]

Those hippies will die in their sleep.

[Nebu]

Monopoly finally admits that they know greatness when they see it...

A new token in game.

[Signe]

Found one of cats unconscious in the driveway, panting for breath and sounding like it was choking.  The vet believes it was yellowjacket stings that sent her into shock.  I didn't realize they could react that severely; I've seen them swell up a bit when stung but never anything this bad.

Kitty's on the mend though, she'll be fine.

Too scary!  Glad she's okay!   

[Belasco]

We recently adopted cat #6, so we are moving towards crazy cat lady territory. She was relinquished to my wife's clinic with a bum leg, and we didn't have a calico in our collection, so now she's with us.

[Signe]

She's beautiful.

[IainC]

My girlfriend has four cats. Most of them are fine although all of them are fussy about being touched. The youngest one though is a nightmare and is driving her spare. He pees everywhere, attacks and tries to fuck the mellow oldest cat, and doesn't look after himself. He has matted fur on his flanks and he won't let anyone near him, he runs away and hides if he even thinks you're going to try and touch him. My girlfriend is getting really fed up of the constant cleaning up after him - he uses the litter box to shit and he's been fixed so it's not as though he doesn't like to use the box or that he's marking everywhere.

Any ideas on how to tame a problem cat like that?

[rattran]

I had a friend with a cat much like that, except would just shit anywhere. Vet finally diagnosed him with a developmental brain disorder and recommended the cat be put down. So rather than behavioral, it may be a deeper problem.

[01101010]

I had a friend with a cat much like that, except would just shit anywhere. Vet finally diagnosed him with a developmental brain disorder and recommended the cat be put down. So rather than behavioral, it may be a deeper problem.

Been down that road. Sucks ass man. My cat was 6 before he started displaying odd things. Then he degraded into what was basically a feral form. He'd be ok with me, but he'd shred other people. Turns out he had a huge shadow on the left side of his brain. Damn near killed me to watch him be put down...

[ghost]

Okay.  So someone tell me about hairless cats and allergies.