HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ambar@cygnus.com (Jean Marie Diaz)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Litterbox tip
Date: 5 Jan 93 01:48:14 GMT
Organization: Redheads Anonymous
In-reply-to: shari@modcomp.uucp's message of 4 Jan 93 18:12:56 GMT

In article <shari.726171176@rlxdev> shari@modcomp.uucp (Shari Bernhard) writes:

   I thought of something like this myself although I've never done it, but
   instead of having a second litter box with the screen and dumping the used
   litter into it, why not just leave the screen in the litter pan?  The
   cat(s) shouldn't mind it if the litter is deep enough.  Then each evening,
   just lift up the screen with all the clumps, and dump them.

....and then how do you get the screen back under the litter?

A second litter pan is easier, though I suppose a paper bag would work
fine as a temporary container.

				AMBAR
From: tim.burton@cutting.hou.tx.us (Tim Burton) 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: DECLAWING?
Date: 11 Jan 93 03:02:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: The Cutting Edge - Houston, TX - 713-466-1525
Reply-To: tim.burton@cutting.hou.tx.us (Tim Burton) 

> Are you kidding?  Many shelters make you sign an oath in blood, that not only
> will you not get this cat declawed, you will never declaw a cat in the future,
> have never declawed on in the past (or are really really really sorry if you
> did) ...
>
KC.What?  I've never heard of this.  In Illinois the shelters only ask that you
  .get them spayed and will even pay for part of it along with a vet visit to
  .ensure the animal is healthy or you can return him/her.  In my opinion if they
  .are more worried about declawing than finding a loving home for the animal then
  .their priorities are a little confused.

KC.gayle



   Bravo! Bravo!  Well said...I too have never heard such a thing.  
Only about getting them fixed do the shelters get upset at you for not 
doing.  Most shelters here already have them fixed for you...and all 
you do is give them a loving home.  (claws or no claws)  

 - Tim
   Internet: tim.burton@cutting.hou.tx.us
---
 . 1st 1.01 #1199s . Let's get the SHO on the road!
                 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: jlw44726@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (angeles)
Subject: Re: How many cats do *you* have?
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 00:45:23 GMT

In article <1993Jan8.224255.4223@tms390.micro.ti.com> david@tms390.micro.ti.com (David Thomas) writes:
>I've heard people ask what the "ideal" number of cats might be,
>but who in this group has the largest number of cats in the house?

I remember, as a small child, me dah's habit of adopting any stray kitty
who came along and looked remotely hungry.  Out in the country, where people
weren't particularly conscious of their ole barn cats, we often ended
up with several toms and several potential mothers.. which, of course,
brings results.

One day, when the numbers had gotten a little out of hand, my mother called
the pound (sigh), and requested that the cats be removed.. they came out
to our place, picked up seventeen cats, left us twelve..  :)

Of course, they weren't all indoor cats (only 3 or 4 were).. more accurately,
they were mostly outdoor cats who came indoors in "shifts".  :)


-- 
        "There is a kind of happiness and wonder  |    Jenney Wilson
         that makes you serious.  It is too good  |     
         to waste on jokes."   -C.S. Lewis        |   kaleid@uiuc.edu
From: ac999257@umbc3.umbc.edu (ac999257)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Timing
Date: 9 Jan 1993 01:42:47 -0500
Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County Campus
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: umbc8.umbc.edu

In article <2000.110.uupcb@hal9k.ann-arbor.mi.us> laurel.schippers@hal9k.ann-arbor.mi.us (Laurel Schippers)  writes:
>
>It's not very healthy for a cat to go into heat, over and over
>again, unbred. At best, it's not comfortable (how would YOU
>like to be continuously horny with no hope of relief?), and
>at worst they can form cysts.

I mentioned experience with two cats that had remained unspayed for
a period of time. Both were very beautiful Siamese cats with friendly
temperaments. The first cat was Kitty, my family's pet. We tried
*several* times, unsuccessfully, to breed her with another Siamese.
We intended to keep the kittens. This was a number of years ago and
we had no idea about the affects of not having her fixed. You can't
blame me, because I was under 18! We really did want her to have
kittens, but were unlucky. I don't recall how old she was when we
did have her fixed, but it was a lot longer than we should have.
She died at the age of 13 of cancer, I don't know what kind. It
was a very emotional and sad experience because we all loved her
so much, and I would give anything for another cat like her.

The second is my current Siamese, Carmen. When I bought her, I
intended to breed her, once again hoping for kittens. Carmen
is very small. I did not want to breed her until full grown,
but she only weighed 5.5 lbs at 18 months. I also was hoping
to buy a house before breeding her. I was afraid of breeding
her with a male that would produce too many, or too large kittens
for her small size. Since she never grew like I expected (her
parents were both reasonbly sized cats), and since I realized
that I really didn't know very much about breeding and was
afraid of doing more harm to her than good, I had her spayed
at age two. She now weighs 6 lbs.

Many people, one of whom is me, believe that cats should
not be irresponsibly bred. There are far to many beautiful
kittens and cats in shelters to breed non-purebred cats.
We have enough of those. But Siamese cats are not commonly
available in shelters. I was confident I could find good
homes for Carmen's kittens, or I would keep them myself.
She may not be a registered Siamese, but she is a pure
Siamese -- all the correct markings and temperament. There
are many people, one of whom is me, who want Siamese cats.
I will always have at least one Siamese cat in my life.

I am a responsible pet owner and I ***ALWAYS*** consider the 
welfare of my cats first and foremost in every thing I do
in my life. I love my cats very very very much, as though they
were my own children. I take serious offense at your comment
asking me how I would like to be continuously horny with
no hope of relief. I did not and never will have an unspayed
female that I never intend to breed.

Mary
From: bob.hines@travel.com (Bob Hines) 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Calico cat?
Date: 6 Jan 93 11:22:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: Travel Online / St. Louis Online - St. Louis, MO
Reply-To: bob.hines@travel.com (Bob Hines) 

When I was a kid back in the thirties the family always had a couple of
cats around for pets and to keep down the mice population. They were
light orange with random splotches of bright orange markings over the
body. The cats weighted about eight or nine pounds when fully grown with
a pleasant disposition.

Is there a breed of cat that fits this description.

Thanks, Bob

 * OLX 2.2 * St. Louis, Missouri
                                                                                                        
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: kilroy@netcom.com (Jeffrey S. Shulman)
Subject: Re: A love of running water?
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 00:43:18 GMT

lrj@cs.cornell.edu (Lew Jansen) writes:

>	  She loves to lap water from the bathroom faucet.  If I turn the
>	water on to a trickle, she'll stick a front paw under the flow,
>	redirecting it to her tongue.  She will, on occasion, drink from her
>	water bowl, but seems to prefer to wait 'til I'm in the bathroom.

Our 2 year old #1 cat, Fizzie, *loves* "drips"! He will jump up onto
the kitchen sink and wait for one of us to turn on the water. Our
facet holds a bit of water so he can lick some out even when it is
off. All we have to do is say "Fizzie want drips" and he jumps up onto
the sink. He will also call us over to turn the water on and/or lead
us to the sink Fizzie is the most charming, intelligent, cuteist,
loveable, curious, cat I've ever seen.

It is not just the kitchen faucet. Fizzie *knows* that water comes from
faucets. Period. He will use any faucet in the house (though the kitchen is
his favorite) and recognizes faucets when he is at the vet as well.

>	  I'd prefer to break her of this habit, mostly because I sometimes
>	am away for a couple of days.  I change the water in her bowl once
>	or twice a day, and have tried moving it well away from her food.
>	I've even filled the bowl from the faucet in the bathroom (while she
>	watched), and kept it near the bathroom sink.

We've tried to break Fizzie of this habit too to no avail. Even if he
*watches* the water go into a bowl he prefers it fresh from the tap. I
found putting an ice cube in the water bowl will sometimes work. In a
pinch Fizzie will use the water bowl, but only if he has too. It is
very important he also uses the bowl because he is on diuretics since
he has cardio-myopathy [ aside: his latest set of X-Rays shows a dramatic
decrease in heart size after only 3 months on medication. We believe, and
hope, he has a full life ahead of him. ] and we don't want him to dehydrate
(which he did slightly just a couple weeks back, he's OK now).

I suppose if your cat gets thirsty enough she will drink from the bowl.

Jeff, Laura, Fizzie, Goldie, & Tigger
-- 
Jeff Shulman
kilroy@netcom.com
From: npm@dale.cts.com (Nancy Milligan)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Welcome New Arrival!!!!  also: Fox freaks out cat story
Date: 6 Jan 93 19:32:20 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Titan Linkabit Corporation
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]

I gave Taboo a stuffed, fluffy puppy for Xmas.  He likes to bite it
and tear at it with his teeth.  One time I was holding the puppy and
making puppy sounds and trying to get the cat to believe it really
was a real puppy, and Taboo hissed at it.  By the way, Taboo is
a 20 pound bruiser and will probably have this puppy in tatters
before too long.
 :)
--
Nancy P. Milligan 				npm@dale.cts.com
Titan Linkabit					cts!dale!npm
		  Gravity is no laughing matter.
From: barryf@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Barry Fowler)
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 17:24:21 GMT
Subject: Re: Travelling kitty
Organization: HP Colorado Computer Mfg. Operation
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats

I also traveled by air with my four cats (from Calif. to Colorado).  

Here's how it went:

I borrowed a large plastic "dog kennel" from a friend.  I figured out that
it would be easier to use one cage vs. several for space savings and to
avoid duplicating the cat box and water supply.  I constructed a "second floor"
for the box which consisted of a sheet of plywood on 2 x 2 legs to elevate
it from the floor.  I placed a small cat box on the bottom rear, with a 
no spill water dish on the same floor.

On the "second floor", I placed a scrap of carpet and a pair of my pants
that weren't washed (to give them something familiar so they wouldn't freak).

I left this cage in my bedroom for about a week prior to the move so they
could check it out.  On the day of the move, I opened the door (I kept it
closed for a couple of days prior to foster curiosity) and two of the four
walked into the cage.  I placed the other two in by hand.

I flew in a Cessna 210 (non-pressurized cabin).  It was 5 1/2 hours flight time
with one stop in Salt Lake City for refuel.  We flew at 15,000 ft.

I was surprised that **NONE** of the cats made a peep.  'No tranquilizers 
whatsoever (I read from the American Humane Association that they 
add to the variables and can actually make the cats worse during travel).
They simply backed up in the cage and huddled against each other, two
on top and two on bottom.  One actually laid down in the cat box.  None
of the cats used the box and I suspect that none used the water either.

I believe that the experience was so alien to them that they just kept
quiet and tried to figure out what was going on.  They didn't appear 
frightened, just disoriented due to their new temporary environment.

I highly recommend this method of transporting multiple pets is the
resources permit.  Ironically, the pilot doing the flying was a cat person
and didn't think I was nuts for doing what I did.  It worked perfect.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: whitman@watson.bms.com (Debra Whitman)
Subject: Re: Cat likes dipping things in water
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  
Organization: Bristol Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 19:47:00 GMT

In article <CURT.93Jan7110700@vtucs.cc.vt.edu>, curt@vtucs.cc.vt.edu (Curt Tilmes) writes...
>My friend has a cat (male, neutered, white 'Oliver') that just loves
>water.  He will put his paws in it, then walk all over you.  He takes
>all his toys, and bits of yarn, or anything, takes them to the
>kitchen, soaks them in the water dish, then drags them all over the
>house.  At first this behavior was cute, but it is getting annoying.
> 
>Does anyone else have a cat that acts like this?  What do you 
>suggest we try?
> 
>Curt
I have two cats and only one does it...I assumed he was cleaning them.  I 
cannot break him of this habit. It must be something good because he only puts 
his favorite things in the water bowl, uses his paws and mouth to dunk it and 
turn it over then plays with it.  My cats are also male and neutered.
I gave up trying to stop him because he waits till I'm asleep or not home and 
does it anyway and I can't discipline him.  I have, however, limited him to 
small play things so that when he "cleans" his toys they don't hold much water 
and it doesn't make a mess....oh, and be careful with toys with catnip, it 
acts like a tea bag.  Sorry I don't have a better solution, but you're not 
alone.

Debbie
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: gck@hector.cc.bellcore.com (kemmerling,gayle c)
Subject: Re: calico
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 93 19:18:57 GMT

In article <6JAN199315233878@lims01.lerc.nasa.gov>, mpmarie@lims01.lerc.nasa.gov (MARIE HUCOVSKY) writes:
> Is it true that calico cats are always female and never male?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Marie, Spike and Harry 

yes.

gayle
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: lhuffman@stsci.edu
Subject: Re: is it too cold?
Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 02:01:27 GMT

In article <1ifmunINNqch@matt.ksu.ksu.edu>, amys@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Amy Schlotthauer) writes:
> We have an ongoing debate at our house about where my cats should spend
> the night. (Actually, the debate is about how long it will take for my
> husband to realize that my cats, not us, run this home. (= ) Right now they
> have been relegated to the basement, which I am just sure the cats think
> is a meat locker. My husband says, "For God's sake, they are CATS, animals
> that have fur all over their bodies, they can not possibly be cold." Well, I
> measured the temp at 63 degrees (F), which really is pretty far off the
> 50 degrees I estimated but still seems kinda cool. "Since you will never
> believe me in regard to a cat issue", my husband in all his wisdom says, 
> "ask that cat group of yours." 
> 
> SO, don't you all agree that it is cruel and unusual punishment for my
> cats to have to spend the night in 63 degrees? 

How could he be SO CRUEL... As I sit here at the keyboard my Mr. and Mrs. 
'Meezer are nestled together on a blanket in front of the space heater 
soaking it up as though they were on an island vacation. 

Sweet Pea is sitting under a lamp squeezing her eyes - acting like she's 
tanning in the Florida sun. 

The room temperature, incidentally, is 70F.
 
Coalshot  (RIP) used to lay in front of our wood stove - when I touched him
his black fur was almost too hot for me to touch. My son would say that the 
hotter he got the longer he got.

So I'd say that anything under 70F was definite torture.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: wd6cmu@netcom.com (Eric Williams)
Subject: Re: We've got our Maine Coon!
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 19:05:00 GMT

nmurray@cssc-melb.tansu.com.au (Nick Murray) writes:
> To all those who responded to my request for information about the Maine
> Coon breed, a heartfelt "thank-you"! They are truly beautiful cats, even
> if they:
> 
>   1) Sleep on the pillow and suffocate you with *those tails* 

You're lucky it's only the tail.  Mine likes to show he cares almost
every morning by climbing on my head and purring.  (At least he climbs
on from the back so I can breathe.)
-- 
Eric Williams     wd6cmu@netcom.com  |  Never attribute to malice that which
WD6CMU@WD6CMU.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA       |  is adequately explained by stupidity.
From: christie@porgy.dfci.harvard.edu (Linda A. Christie)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Cat likes dipping things in water
Date: 7 Jan 1993 22:40:40 GMT
Organization: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
NNTP-Posting-Host: porgy.dfci.harvard.edu

Mine do this too.  The neutered male (Ernie) likes to put his toys
(and anything else he can find - disposable razors, watches,
ponytail elastics) in the water dish.  The other (neutered female)
just likes to put her paws in the water.  Then, like you say,
she will walk around leaving wet tracks or, if I'm in bed,
walk on me.  But together they will chase each other and
slam into the water dish, spilling it all over the kitchen
floor.  I guess you just have to keep thinking it's cute.
Sometimes I catch Daisy actually tipping the water dish over
on purpose.  This I do not think is cute.  That's when I
get back at her by whistling old macdonald had a farm. 
All the crazy things they do I attribute to their being indoor cats.

I never had any such problems with indoor/outdoor cats.
Sounds like some kind of low maintenance synthetic imitation.
But they are not declawed.  Nor are they my favorites (but I
would never tell them that).  My favorite cat of all time was
a half siamese/half tabby who died of kidney failure at the
age of 13.  

Linda

P.S. I believe Daisy is 2% Maine Coon!!
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: kkv@inel.gov (Jamie J Ferguson)
Subject: Re: Indoor/Outdoor, another perspective
Keywords: indoors, cats
Organization: Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 93 16:35:19 GMT


Our cats were indoor cats in our old house (which did not have a fenced
yard), but we let them outside on leashes if we were going to have time
to keep an eye on them.  We now own our first home and made sure to
buy one with a large fenced backyard.  The cats are allowed outside in
the backyard while we're home, but get put in when we're not.  Right
now its kind of academic because they don't particularly like snow
very much, especially when its deeper than they are tall!  We only
had a few months of weather warm enough for the kitties since we
moved in September, but for that small amount of time this worked out
great.  We might have had more problems if our cats had been allowed
out with more freedom when they were younger, but so far none of the
three has shown any inclination to try out their fence-climbing
skills.

Even if all people were good I'd still be careful about letting my
cats out of the yard because they have been bred to be pets and 
would probably have trouble fending for themselves (at least my
cats would!).


Jamie

the pack:  Kenzie   -- 1 yr old black Lab X
           Meggin   -- 8 month old Australian Shepherd X
           Harrison -- 4 month old Border Collie X

the herd:  Kieri -- 5 1/2 yr old lilac point Siamese
           Zak   -- 5 1/2 yr old blue point Siamese
           Duke  -- 1 yr old seal point Siamese

========== long legal disclaimer follows, press n to skip ===========

Neither the United States Government or the Idaho National Engineering
Laboratory or any of their employees, makes any warranty, whatsoever,
implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility regarding any
information, disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe
privately owned rights.  No specific reference constitutes or implies
endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States
Government or the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory.  The views and
opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the
United States Government or the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory,
and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: wd6cmu@netcom.com (Eric Williams)
Subject: Re: is it too cold?
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 00:54:14 GMT

amys@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Amy Schlotthauer) writes:
> SO, don't you all agree that it is cruel and unusual punishment for my
> cats to have to spend the night in 63 degrees? 

The digital thermometer next to my bed read 48 degrees this morning.
(That's indoor temperature.)  Makes it hard for me to get out from under
the down comforter, but Murphy and Vincent were doing their usual:
wrestling on the bed, biting my toes, and chasing the wire twisty-tie.
I wish *I* could be as enthusiastic in the morning.
-- 
Eric Williams     wd6cmu@netcom.com  |  Never attribute to malice that which
WD6CMU@WD6CMU.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA       |  is adequately explained by stupidity.
From: at881@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (N. French)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: is it too cold?
Date: 8 Jan 1993 03:03:42 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: at881@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (N. French)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, amys@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Amy Schlotthauer) says:
>SO, don't you all agree that it is cruel and unusual punishment for my
>cats to have to spend the night in 63 degrees? 
>
63 degrees doesn't sound too bad, it's usually colder than
that during the night in our house.

Of course, both Spanky and Darla consider anything short of
being *in* the bed, electric blanket on, and their heads on
the pillow with me, to be cruel and unusual punishment ;)

Nicole
(Spanky and Darla's Excellent Adventure, the Move To Dallas,
begins in a week!)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: demetri@cgrg.ohio-state.edu 
Subject: toxoplasmosis and pregnancy
Organization: OSU Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1993 04:00:32 GMT

Just thought I'd post this since I saw this risk mentioned earlier.  As I
understand it, you can get toxoplasmosis from handling raw meat and not
washing your hands afterward or from the feces of a cat that has been
eating raw meat.  At an informational session at a local hospital, a nurse
told me that cats that live entirely indoors and never eat any raw meat
(e.g mice) do not pose a threat, and I therefore have no excuse to get out
of "the dirty deed".  My OB/GYN says I shouldn't change the litter, and
that's not the sort of prohibition I am going to argue with.  But I do
recall one book that says you should give your cat away "unless you love
your cat more than your unborn baby".  Ooooh, hitting below the belt.
Anyway, there does not seem to be any reason why pregnant women cannot have
cats as long as the litter is changed frequently by someone else.

Yes, Socrates, Moxie and John Black will have a little human brother or
sister this year.
                                      Renee