CAT!!!!!!

Bob's two years old now, it seems trite to use the KITTEN!!!!!!!! thread.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3441/3798311555_4778af90eb.jpg

You bottle your cat for freshness?

He has only three ingredients.

Ach sooooo, Der Bob is from Germany, ja?

Katzeheitsgebot

One of my cats has been missing since last Friday. I don't think she's coming back.

Cats being away for a couple of weeks = not abnormal.
She's probably in a box labeled "Imported from (where are you from?)"

yeah i wouldn't give up hope yet, cats have a long history of miraculously reappearing after ages and ages.

btw if i'd started this thread i would've put in exactly the same amount of exlamation marks... but that's just me.

I like to think she's out having adventures like the Littlest Hobo. It's our other cat I feel sorry for, he's obviously lonely without her.

I thought I had but I'm about five bottles of Beck's from sober. MODERATOR!!!!!

One of our cats when I was a kid vanished for 28 days. On the 25th day we went to Cat's Protection and got two new cats, and then three days later she was found (in an elderly neighbour's garage). So don't give up hope.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-cat-downloads-porn-bn080709,0,6415792.story

CAT!!!!!!!!!

downloads child porn

And I thought Bob sitting on the xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx key was bad.

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/enlarge/lion-brothers-australia.html

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2602/3834996518_5d40546aef.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3452/3834997356_bd1cd4fc3b.jpg

http://www.orangetabby.com/

Orange tabbies are pretty much the best cats, as a group.

I agree! My two knukleheads: http://i46.tinypic.com/20usns0.jpg

Heeeeere's Bartleby!

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/anytimebutnow/labassistbart.jpg

orange tabbies are great!

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr251/mookieproof/o_O.jpg

Obviously this is a big generalization, but basically orange tabbies are the best cats and white labs are the best dogs.

Love the way when the weather gets a little cold cats puff out their fur.

http://www.me.com/ro/mcutt/Galleries/100084/DSC00445/web.jpg?ver=12596356190001
http://www.me.com/ro/mcutt/Galleries/100084/DSC00452.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&protocol=roap&item=galleries&asset=media&ver=12596356250001

Can't see it.

argh

pirate cat?

does this link work?

http://gallery.me.com/mcutt#100084&bgcolor=black&view=grid

Yes. Very nice.

Oh my, I am getting all mournful over my first cat:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2244/2221158246_8403f12260.jpg

He was an awesome fellow.

Another superlative orange cat!

Yup. I've always thought I'd go for a black cat if I were to get one now, but all the orange tabby pics are really rekindling my love. Want a pretty orange kitty! Argh!

mookie is that girl or boi

boi

so my cat goes into hyperkitty mode every night for a little while -- chasing his tail, sprinting up and down the hall (he's gonna get a splinter), attacking anything that moves many things that don't.

that's cool and all, he's got some energy. but you can tell when it's coming because his pupils get *huge*.

is my cat possessed by the devil y/n

not the devil, just PCP

mookie is or is not getting that kitty the best thing that ever happened to y/n?

happened to *you* y/n?

i do <3 him

I think maybe you don't deserve him. Do you?

I mean it is a well-documented fact that cats prefer the 'Heels.

just for that i will rename him 'christian'

hahahaha

dude stfu everyone knows cats prefer the 'Heels and the Jews.

HOORAY A KITTY HAS BEEN NAMED AFTER MEEEEEE

http://www.slamonline.com/online/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/christian_laettner_1992.jpg

MY CAT IS A 6'10" SOPH-O-MORE FROM ANGOLA, NEW YORK

I SAW YOUR CAT DUNK ONCE WHEN HE PLAYED FOR THE WIZARDS

IT WAS PRETTY FUNNY

HOW MANY CATS HAVE WON TWO NCAA TITLES AND AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL I ASK U

---KEYBOARD CAT

It is true that cats prefer college basketball to any sort of football. That is as far as I am willing to go.

i think the steelers' 0-4 slide corresponds to the advent of said cat HMMMM

send it to harbl, it will be fine

!!!!

shit just got real

I have two new friends.

Patti:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f223/joegood/15742_226129948915_701943915_429039.jpg

Rudi:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f223/joegood/8729_189102143915_701943915_3920592.jpg

Mother and son, 9 and 8. Pictures taken by the previous owner. They're currently hiding under the bed.

yay!!

What's the deal with the prev owner? How could one give those two away?

<3

What's the deal with the prev owner? How could one give those two away?

She's moving to Brazil mid- to long-term. Her farewells today were pretty emotional.

And Patti just came in to the room, hissed at me and wandered out again. Sure I'll win em round eventually.

Uh-oh, she's just sitting staring at me with hostility now.

can you please keep liveblogging this

got any patti treats? did the owner give you a huge rundown of their likes and dislikes?

I have some gourmet shit that I gave them earlier - they usually live on boring science diet. They haven't touched their food much since the got here to be honest. I think they're just a bit freaked out.

It's funny, at first Rudi was pretty friendly, but now he's very skittish and runs away when I get near him. Patti had that role earlier, but now she's taken on a position of cool defiance.

Off to bed now, updates tomorrow.

you should keep them on the science diet for now

slowly phase in the new food but they seem stressed as it is

They've spent today staking out the spare room as their territory and haven't budged much from there. Rudi is still skittish, but will come out for short cuddles with some gentle coaxing. Patti continues to hiss at me when I touch her. Here she is in her spot:

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f223/joegood/Image0203.jpg

I went to give them a bit of my steak to try and get them to like me, but Rudi was hiding and Patti saw through my transparent ploy and turned her nose up.

Try prawns and tuna.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/njsouthall/4241807337/

Wow, congratulations on all those awards.

Hahahaha, people are so generous.

Only 21 pools? You're not even trying.

I'm a whore when it comes to Bob. I never comment or even look in any of these pools. His whiskers deserve to be looked at!

a ragdoll! xoxo

Rudi seems to have become my mate today. Hooray!

he knows what's good for him

He did get some chicken out of the deal.

get em some catnip, for serious:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXYsb4qIjMI

[maybe this will work betterer:]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/steviechickfoxyboxer/4244641146/

LOL

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO133130/

ha a cat named sal esposito

lols

that is so good of you, chap, to adopt both of your friend's cats! yaay :)

my new kitten (have not landed on quite the right name yet) has gone from serene and sleepy on thursday (day of arrival) to total crazy kitten mode. chasing my other cat around and everything. oh, so funny. and so cute.
but i should post on KITTEN!!!! thread prob

Patti and Rudi settling in fine now. Acting like they own the place. Rudi gets quite pissed off if you sit in his favourite chair, which is the best one for watching the telly, naturally.

Here he is in it:

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f223/joegood/Image0212.jpg

That sounds adorable, Rrrobyn. One of the disadvantages of getting adult cats is you don't get to see that stage.

So it's been two and a half weeks now, what do people think about letting them out of the house? I know it's supposed to be four weeks for new cats, but they're going pretty stir crazy, and I've caught both of them staring longingly into the garden. Also they keep fighting.

were they indoor/outdoor in their previous life?

Yeah, they spent quite a lot of time outdoors apparently.

mother and son cat fighting is funny

As far as I can tell they don't like each other at all!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2729/4175283560_b8c1e0abd6.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2738/4175284028_f8fc1a5935.jpg

These are my couple of muppets. Shell's the first pic, Chilli the second.

Shell attempted to kill me this morning by climbing the curtains behind the bed, scaling all the way to the ceiling and then diving six feet straight down onto my chest as I struggled to wake up. She weighs less than three kilos but it was surprisingly painful.

I suspect she may harbour desires to join the World Wrestling Federation.

CUET

chap, get em collar dangly things with your phone number & post-code on, so if they do wander they will get back to you... did this with my boy years ago, it was hilarious to get calls from little old ladies up the road saying "your cat is in my kitchen, he's intimidating my kittens and eating their food". are you waiting because they've had new jabs though? i'd err on the safe side re: that, tho again my boy snuck out a couple of weeks early and is still with us today, fifteen years later.

also, since we're sharing: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4243823463_a9d0442ca1.jpg

mister thoth, those pictures are awesome; are you on Flickr? How did you take them?

Here is Cosmo being so ILX it hurtz.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/4338096320_9e4a338314_b.jpg

Thanks!

Those pics were taken with a homemade ringlight (basically just a flashgun fired through an Ikea microwaveable bowl covered in tinfoil and a clear plastic bag as a diffuser - total cost about £2.50 all in) a couple of feet away from each cat using a Canon nifty fifty stopped down a wee bit to f/2.8.

I am on Flickr, aye. I've been meaning to drop in to the ILPhotography board to say hi, but I've never quite got around to it. I've got the same username there as I do here.

Here's another one of Shell - natural light this time, no funny business:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2666/3818232225_ff2cf24b9e_b.jpg

wkiw all the cats itt, btw...

what a cutie. my cat is always spending time near the ps3 too.

This is Yampy. She's such a poser.

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs072.snc3/13966_177926707756_726857756_3375613_2830046_n.jpg

Srsly I took one pic of her flaked out in the heat and she was like "oh a CAMERA, just one moment, let me get my bearings" and sat up like that. Cheeky furbag.

stunning cat! what a little smirk on her face!

Hahah yeah its a bit mona lisa isnt it? I never really noticed that.

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/9678/photo38j.jpg
Lilly's new hiding place. She somehow can squeeze into the smallest cubby holes.

I really love this cat thread!

Hee, its like the Wheres Wally of cats!

Great kitty shots!!

http://sites.google.com/site/pnauert/clara-TJ.jpg
Clara in a Trader Joe's bag

What is it with cats and bags, boxes, nocks and crannies. Lilly always seems so happy to be inside any inclosure.

Yeah I know right?

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs094.snc3/16134_167729137756_726857756_3279156_4558160_n.jpg

(thats a tshirt she's "wearing")

LOL!!!

Thats why its a shitty camera phone pic, I was dying with laughter and had to snap her asap before she moved - she was just sitting there, chillin out in R's postrock tee.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2791/4342427707_40b869af26.jpg

http://morethananelectrician.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/catfud.jpg

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/2554/18368280241035637610010.jpg

Scik those are beautiful colors your cats have.

The mouse is behind you! (xpost)

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr251/mookieproof/easterkitty.jpg

Awww did the easter bunny bring the kitty a basket?

"...but it's empty!"

Yeah no kidding. BAD BUNNY.

cat did in fact viciously attack the basket shortly after this photo was taken

awwww

of course he did, he was PISSED.

A family has been reunited with its long lost pet cat six years after she went missing.

Saffy vanished from the Skillen's home in Torrance, near Glasgow, in 2004.

After extensive searches Susan Skillen and her daughters, Nicolle, 21, and Kelsie, 12, had given up all hope of ever seeing the animal again.

They were shocked to receive a call from the Scottish SPCA telling them their cat had been found half-starved in the Drumchapel area of the city.

The SSPCA said Saffy's amazing reunion with her owners after so many years apart had only come about because the cat had been fitted with a identity microchip.

Ms Skillen, 44, who runs a cat and dog grooming business, said: "Saffy just wandered off one day and didn't come back.

"I gave up all hope of ever seeing her again years ago.

She remembered me straight away because as soon as I said her name she came running over to me

"I don't suppose I'll ever know whether she's been living rough or been taken in by someone else."

The plucky puss is now settling back into life with the Skillen family. The only physical sign of her wanderings is a chunk missing from her tail.

Ms Skillen added: "She only had half a tail so it's been broken or trapped in something at some point.

"She remembered me straight away because as soon as I said her name she came running over to me.

"I think she's really happy to be home because she hasn't made any attempt to leave the house and she's staying close to me all the time."

Moggy manicure

The family has been making up for lost time, spoiling Saffy with toys and presents.

The resilient cat has even had her nails done.

"I don't think she will be wanting to go anywhere again," said Ms Skillen.

"But I'll be keeping her indoors for a bit longer yet, just to make sure she knows this is home now."

Peter Fleming, manager at the SSPCA's Glasgow Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre at Cardonald, added: "We were absolutely delighted to be able to reunite Saffy with her owner.

"We have previously reunited a cat with its owner after it was missing for three and a half years but Saffy's story beats that record hands down.

"After all this time we are sure Saffy's owner is very glad that she got her pet microchipped and we hope that they can now catch up on all those lost years."

Cat is going "Pink! Bangs! Run away!"

...or maybe, "She's wearing my Uncle Stu!"

To promote their new record, Devo is streaming vid from a listening party.

For cats.

http://www.ustream.tv/devo

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/righteouskate/sinkitty.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/righteouskate/TONYISABADKITTY.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/righteouskate/bored.jpg

patty-cake kitties:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=158520350854942

i have two young orange cats who cannot, just CANNOT stop climbing a fucking christmas tree. i hear the crashing of glass and clanking of bulbs and there's a cat somewhere in the middle of that bitch.

rather than trying to extricate kitties, which is pretty much FAIL, i've taken to using the terrorizer of last resort, the industrial strength squirt bottle. this gets cats out of tree, but with collateral damage to tree. also sorta afraid this will cause a short/fire, so i turn off lights for a while afterwards.

love these guys but grrr. i think i need to stick boxes under tree to prevent access? or will they just climb on boxes right into tree?

Hang tree from ceiling next year.

Or wait til one of the cats bites a string of lights and gets a good shock, that'll put 'em off it for some time.

Failing both of those options:

1. Remove all fragile ornaments.
2. Remove all cat-dangerous items like plastic or metallic tinsel and replace with simple paper or food-safe items (ie cranberry strings, popcorn).
3. Run guy-wires from upper level of tree to nearest wooden wall fixture like door- or window-frame and wire from at least two directions.
4. Ignore whatever chaos ensues, secure in the knowledge that it can't be THAT bad.

?

Hang tree from ceiling next year.
lol.

good suggestions all, really. i hope they don't get a shock tho.

as an aside, ive not ever been around two critters that so thoroughly enjoy tearing around the house beating the crap out of each other. but its never really nasty, they are inseparable.

One of ours got a shock one year while we were sitting at dinner table. She made a noise like she had never made in her life, TORE into the kitchen so fast she was a cat-colored blur, and didn't come out from under the stove for like 2 hours. Also: never chewed on the lights again.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/30-photos-of-cats-saying-sup

http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/202-cats-in-boxes

Rudi, right now:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f223/joegood/IMG_0017.jpg

WANT

holy shit, my cat is #8 on the sup link! no idea how this happened! @__@

aw man #17

http://www.seriouseats.com/images/20110114-oranges-cats-video.jpg

The cats look happier and happier the more oranges appear!

So that's what's missing from the Sphinx in Egypt.

Rudi looks just like Bob!

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/182095_501798666595_681036595_6850302_4531316_n.jpg

Marmalade, who likes to come upstairs from the landlord & landlady's floor and visit.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/180181_490837426595_681036595_6692665_3982968_n.jpg

Eyeing my breakfast

:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3:3

we are both in squee heaven, basically

find me on FB for plenty more of these.

Someone also does not care for soup:

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/179395_495016261595_681036595_6751385_2993227_n.jpg

I don't do facebook, I'll have to reply on this thread.

*rely

http://i.imgur.com/P7JHZ.jpg

Reporting for duty!

What's a safe way to sedate a cat for a long car trip? Someone told me to use Benadryl, but to expect my cat to be a zombie for a day or two afterwards. tbh he might actually be okay with a car ride; I haven't tested him yet. But I know he gets really squirmy and wild sometimes if he wants to go outside, and in a car that could mean big trouble.

Why not put him in a cat carrier?

Yeah, I've ordered one from Amazon. I got a soft-sided one because I read horror stories about cats flipping out in hard ones and ripping out their own claws from scratching so furiously. Mostly I just don't want to get an hour into an eight-hour trip and have him go mental (which he may not...I'm probably gonna do a car test with him tonight or tomorrow).

I don't know - sounds unlikely to me that a cat would freak out in a cat carrier. I've heard that it's better to get one on the small side, because if they don't have a lot of room to move around it actually calms them.

my cats freak the fuck out in carriers

My cat freaks out when she knows I'm trying to put her in the carrier, but once she's in there, she basically whines for a while and then calms down. But I've never had to keep her in there for a long period of time.

I got a soft-sided one because I read horror stories about cats flipping out in hard ones and ripping out their own claws from scratching so furiously.

yah, that's horrible! but i've been putting cats in hard plastic box carriers and taking them on long car trips my whole life, and i've never had a problem. done with at least 20 cats over the past few decades. some are quiet, some are noisy, but they all settle down pretty quickly and do fine overall.

great, something new to worry about...

soz bro

When I had to drive from Denver to Vancouver (two days) I went to the vet and she gave me some kitty quaaludes. I took up their food and water at midnight, gave them a pill when I woke up, and went to breakfast. When I came back, they were looped and compliant. I stuffed them each into their own hard-sided carrier and drove. One was fine and slept the whole way and the other one fought it but eventually settled into a scream/sleep cycle.

How long is your trip?

Eight hours.

I took him in the car with no carrier tonight to run and drop off my rent check, and he handled it like a champ. A lot of my trepidation is already gone based on that test (but 10 minutes is a lot different than several hours).

when i moved an hour and a half across town with my lovely old cat, he'd projectile vomited within 5 minutes, and took a huge shit in his box about an hour in. drove the last half hour with him loose in the car and the windows cracked open enough to clear the stench. was very stressful for both of us.

we went for a long drive to a feline opthamologist when he was younger though and he seemed to love it.

dunno if I told the story here but the last time I drove w/ my cats, one of them busted thru the cardboard petco carrier thing like the fucking thing from that movie the thing. Like I was driving and they were crying so loud and I was on the phone with a friend telling them to talk me down because I felt like I was hurting my cats and all of a sudden this crazed cat head busts thru the top of the box and I start screaming and it is screaming and we are all screaming on the 405

How to do long car trips with cats:

1. No damn drugs.

2. Carrying case is a MUST. A cat wandering through your car WILL eventually put itself between your foot and the brake pedal. That's bad.

3. Get a kitten-sized litter box, stop every couple of hours and let your cat roam through your car and use the box. This is crucial and helps everybody stay mellow.

4. Stay calm yourself. I have driven cats who took to long car trips from the beginning with great mellowness and others who, at first, were convinced that I was taking them to Crazy Larry's Anesthesia-Free Cat Skinning. In all cases, being where they can see you and talking occasionally to them in a mellow voice has made a big difference.

5. If your cat is smart and not super shy, get a leash and hang out outside with him at a rest stop for a while. Try the leash out at home first -- you don't want him wiggling out of it miles from nowhere.

6. Cardboard carrying cases are designed for cat heads to pop comedically out of. Get a real case -- soft is better is you're ever going to fly with him, otherwise hard is fine. Should be big enough for little dude to stand up and lie down in easily.

You can get a sedative from your vet instead of Benydryl. I've done both. The cat just horked up the Benydryl and then spent the next ten minutes running around my empty apartment, freaking out and flinging pink spittle all over the walls. Then she rode in the car awake and alert and TELING ME ALL ABOUT HER FEELINGS all the way from Atlanta to Greensboro, NC.

When we moved from GSO to Chicago, we had three cats. We got vet-prescribed dope for them which made them a lot easier to put in their carriers and get situated in the car, but did nothing for their endless complaining. Then I left the pills in our vacant apartment so when we proceeded on our second leg of the trip, they were wide awake. It was like riding in the car with the Jingle Cats. I had to call and get the gas turned on and the lady at People's Gas was like, "What the hell is happening on your end of this phone call?"

Rather than stop and let the cats roam the car (never thought of that, pretty good idea), we actually stopped overnight to give them (and us) a rest.

Next time we move I'm fedexing the cats.

Let's just get new cats when we get there.

If you stop and occasionally let them roam about the car and use the travel-size litter box, is there an issue it getting them back into the carrying case?

nothing makes a better travel litter box than an old box top. Fill it with a little bit of litter, let the cat do its thang, and throw it away.

Lizzie has traveled miles with us and she throws a little fit at first. We make her a soft place to sleep in the back of the jeep and she settles in after time. We let her roam because she likes looking out the window, and I couldn't imagine keeping her in a cage for the whole trip. Sometimes she sleeps in one of our laps for awhile then goes back to her place in the back. We starting traveling with her when she was a kitten and I guess she's used to it now.

Yeah, I don't really know my cat's history. He had people before at some point because he'd already been neutered, but he came to the shelter as a stray. Even though I've got a carrier coming in the mail, I may start the trip with him just lying on the seat on a towel or blanket or something.

Lizzie only tried to get under my feet once, and it wasn't really a problem.

your cats for the most part sound p chill, my are lil shits when it comes to things like this

Just not comfortable with cats loose in the car on a long trip, and not just because they play among the pedals -- one emergency stop = one cat flying through your windshield. Uncool. I will usually try to attach the case to a seatbelt too.

Getting the cat back into the case after a break is usually exactly as obnoxious as getting him in there in the first place, but it's not a problem I've ever had a problem solving.

"Crazy Larry's Anesthesia-Free Cat Skinning" made me lol hardcore.

Meanwhile, over in Halifax, this cat is running for mayor:

http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/web04/2012/9/14/17/enhanced-buzz-10588-1347657958-5.jpg

http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/web04/2012/9/14/17/enhanced-buzz-10631-1347657982-6.jpg

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/333717_429423217094618_2058723532_o.jpg

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tuxedo-Party/391884324181841

Non-Profit Organization
The Tuxedo Party is a political movement aimed to improve the welfare of felines in HRM "because neglect isn't working". We are currently seeking a mayoral candidate for the 2012 municipal elections.

previous cat mayors: http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-07-17/news/32717871_1_honorary-mayor-alaska-town-mayoral-election

http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/web05/2012/9/14/17/enhanced-buzz-16518-1347658709-17.jpg

http://timenewsfeed.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/zeus-tallest-dog_0682.jpg

Oops wrong thread.

Would vote for Tuxedo Stan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_-RoKOAkro

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/10447_10151058916186596_1047182979_n.jpg

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/550553_10151070498316596_473750443_n.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHj0ANZ7MMA

IRL lols

Such beautiful simplicity.

Lamar and Leroy

http://i48.tinypic.com/awre2p.jpg

hai
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/1484956/tup%20window.png

hey kitty, which of the berlin trilogy is your favorite?
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/1484956/heroes%20kitty.png

oic o_0

I too lots of photos of cats in Sardinia.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/njsouthall/sets/72157633718279350/

Great pics!

What is it with cats and photography? When I looked through all of the pictures I took on a trip to Israel, 90% of them involved cats.

I kind of want a cat but know almost nothing about them.

What does cat owning involve, that is, on a day-to-day basis, longer-term, and in general.

Owning a cat involves these things: a messy 3-15 foot radius around the litter box, lost fur along every baseboard in your home and on all of your clothes, neediness followed by complete aloofness, and some occasional cuddling. In some cases, destroyed furniture and mystery piss locations.

But they're cats, so they can get away with it!

I... know almost nothing about them

Glad to be of service.

The first thing you must know about cats is that they will curl up on your face as you sleep and suffocate you. If you do not let them into your bedroom in order to kill you in this way, they will sit outside your bedroom door howling and scratching on the door, rendering sleep impossible.

They are very affectionate and like to display their affection by gripping your hand with their unsheathed claws and biting it with their needle-sharp teeth. If you give catnip to a cat, it will begin to reel about like a drunkard on a spree, which is very amusing until they cough up a hair ball on your best rug.

If you do not spay them, the chances are good that, within a short time your house will be overrun with cats, kittens, cat toys and cat hair. These will accumulate in every crevice of your house, as drifting tumbleweeds accumulate in fences in South Dakota, until you cannot think for all the hissing, spitting, meowing, purring and yowling.

They also are well-known for consorting with witches. Please see the posted pics in this thread for examples of how they employ mind-clouding cuteness to mask their evil habits and sinister intentions. Own a cat and you will be duped into thinking you have a harmless, adorable pet. It works. (shudders) Believe me, it works to perfection.

If you get a kitten I recommend getting a second one as well, unless you have someone at home most of the time. It's important for them to have a lot of social interaction when they're very young.

also kittens in luv and all that

Yeah, the difference in time, effort and cost between having one cat and two is negligible—unless they hate each other, but let's hope they don't.

really young kittens tend to at least call a truce. And if you go to a shelter they can usually tell you which cats get along.

Owning a cat involves these things: a messy 3-15 foot radius around the litter box, lost fur along every baseboard in your home and on all of your clothes, neediness followed by complete aloofness, and some occasional cuddling. In some cases, destroyed furniture and mystery piss locations.

yeah. although with this new one we haven't had any destroyed furniture or mystery piss yet. what little furniture we do have is from ikea or the weird discount warehouse in van nuys, so nbd really. as long as she doesn't mess with a.'s guitars, we're fine.

Spaying the cat and keeping the litter box clean will cut down on mystery piss. We could never figure out how to keep the our recently deceased cat from ruining furniture but her surviving housemate is only interested in clawing a sisal doormat I bought for $5 at Tuesday Morning so I'm thinking of replacing the slipcover on a chair and everything! You can also nail carpet up on corner of the wall and maybe the cat will use that instead of your precious belongings.

Cats are weird and hilarious.

If you only get one, look into an older cat. They are more mellow and have already developed personalities so you can pick one that suits you.

Yes, if anything I'd be adopting a non-kitten house-trained cat(s).

Given that I'm considering cats after realizing I'm not yet ready to own a dog, and given that I know a lot about dogs and nothing about cats, it's probably better I don't keep assuming cats are just dogs that don't need to be walked.

My main concerns are: 1) I'm often out of the house all day (but am always home in the morning/evening) and don't know if this means cats will go crazy and/or starve and or/destroy everything (I'm willing to get two to prevent this).

2) Can I expect to keep cats out of my bedroom (at least when I'm not in it), which is full of records and exposed cables and clothes and all sorts of other things I don't want scratched or soiled? (Similarly, I have a floor-waist level bookshelf. Would I have to cover this so as to keep my books from being destroyed.

3). I have an unused back room that's ideal for pets, but it gets cold in the winter. How do cats deal with temperature?

Otherwise I own a good vacuum, live near a vet, have a backyard, etc.

Also, how possible is it to change adopted cats' names? (How well do cats know/respond to their names anyways?)

There are two that stand out, but they're named Bebe and Baby which is just echhh (I've more or less decided that I'd name a pair of female cats Althea & Donna anyways).

my cat was named "baby kitty" at the shelter. i named her zipper but i always just call her cat or buddy or tiny.

Changing Your Cat's Name Once a Week: Classic Or Dud?

weird and hilarious is 99% of what cats do and are

1. Cats are fine in the house alone all day. They mostly sleep. Food and fresh water in the morning will hold them nicely until you get home in the evening. Make sure they have a solid scratching surface and some toys but mostly they will sleep.

2. Yeah you can probably just keep your door shut but IME cats hate when you are in a closed room without them. Francie has lived with us for over 10 years and she still sits outside the bathroom door and meows when Jeff showers. I just shower with the door open. So personally, I would do a little cat proofing until you get an idea of how ornery your cat will be and then let the rest work itself out. An older cat (5 or up) is less interested in crazy acrobatics and chewing and knocking shit over for grins than a kitten so it might be a non-issue.

3. Cats really really hate cold. I think it would be very not good to shut the cats into a cold room if that's what you're considering. Might be okay as a litter box location but I'd have a plan B in case they balk.

We changed Francie's name from Lily and Ed's name from "Bootleg" (wtf) when we got them but they were kittens. Sample was 4 and I had intended to change her name to something phonetically similar but less weird but turns out that name fit her perfectly in ways I cannot even explain so Sample she stayed. All three cats respond(ed) to their names as in even came when you called them.

(1) Morning/evening presence is plenty if you own a cat. It's best to have set feeding times for them, because if you just leave a bowl of food out all day, they'll be overweight in no time.

(2) If a cat knows what's in your room, it probably doesn't care if the door's closed while you aren't there. It's just the mystery that will forever annoy them. Show a cat every room of your place, take the cat in there. Then pick and choose where you want to allow your cat access.

(3) Cats are pretty adaptable to temperature, but if that room turns into an icebox or whatever, I wouldn't advise.

(4) You absolutely can change a cat's name.

Oh I missed the out of the bedroom when you're not in it. Yes. Give the cats better (warmer and softer and sun adjacent) places to sleep and they will probably be fine (note: cats are weird so who knows). We keep two rooms shut in our apartment and as long as we aren't in there the cats dgaf.

xp JF OTM about the closed room.

cats won't destroy books but what my cat loves to destroy is cords. headphones, cell phone chargers, speaker wires, etc.

zipper is a good name

my cat has started 2 lick books for some reason. i have to hide library books

Possible book-licking explanantion: books come into prolonged contact with people's hands and your cat likes the salty flavor of the residue.

Francie's a book licker and also a human licker. Last night she kicked my arm for a bit then sat back, looked at me, and licked her chops. It was a little alarming.

The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there's the name that the family use daily,
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey—
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter—
But all of them sensible everyday names.
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,
A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum-
Names that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there's still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover—
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.

zipper is a great name yeah.

If you get a kitten I recommend getting a second one as well, unless you have someone at home most of the time. It's important for them to have a lot of social interaction when they're very young.

― Matt Armstrong, Saturday, August 24, 2013 7:26 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

a million times THIS

Yeah, I think I'd probably get 2 if anything.

OH YOU GUYS! I'm just glad this little kitty is okay! I can't even imagine how frightening this must have been for the little fuzzball.

(from a fb friend): "So my friend just rented a Uhaul truck and drove 35+ miles on the highway doing 70+mph. While on the highway she rolled down the window and kept hearing what she thought were bird noises coming from underneath the truck. When she arrived she was mistaken and had a surprise hiding under the truck the whole time. A terrified tabby baby kitten with a injured tail. Poor lil' thing."

http://sphotos-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1238377_733375330012882_1974666229_n.jpg

wow

omg! Oh poor little kitty.

That's making me disproportionately emotional!

!!!

I know! I'm feeling some feelings right now.

http://sphotos-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1173890_733387113345037_692839378_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1185176_733388996678182_1191903509_n.jpg

I would adopt the hell out of that cat if I were her.

Talk about an amazing origin story.

For real. I imagine that person/cat bond would be stronger than most.

Update: The girl who found the kitty can't keep her and my friend is bringing her back to Atlanta with him. She's been temporarily named "Uhaul". Her tail is a little bit singed, but it doesn't seem too severe. I would take her in an instant if it weren't for my landlord's danged pet fee ($250). But anyway, she's in good health and in good hands until she finds a forever person.

!!! Oh man I wish I could take her. I got Sample in Atlanta so I think it's a very good place to get a cat.

Surely you can go without food for a while to pay the pet fee? YOU NEED A CAT, FEEVAH

My dudes posing Sears portrait style

http://i39.tinypic.com/eqv495.jpg

awwwwww!

are they brothers, GD?

Oh god, the scared little sooty baby kitten :(

the urge to clean off her nose with a wet tissue is overwhelming

Nope, not brothers. They fought shortly after that pic was taken.

I don't really feel safe on the couch anymore
https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1395314_789480707420_746003271_n.jpg

Nor should you!

https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/1794557_815125110830_630652767_n.jpg

Biscuit discovers coffee cake

Those whiskers are SO PERFECTLY styled, kudos kitty.

Licking her chops after a sneaky dive into an unguarded bowl of garlic and herb dip:

http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg622/bizarrogazzara/2014-02-13_zps9b11152b.jpg

lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2r6HcWT4rQ