HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jonb@Ingres.COM (Jon Berger)
Subject: Re: Catnip question
Reply-To: jonb@ingres.com
Organization: Ingres, an ASK Company
Date: 1 Sep 92 17:14:50 GMT

In article <ERICJ.92Sep1101745@calcutta.cfsat.Honeywell.COM>, ericj@hwcae.Honeywell.COM (Eric Jacobsen) writes:
>My sister grows catnip for friend's and neighbors (she doesn't have a cat),
>and we occassionally bring it home for our cat. Somebody told us that a cat
>will ignore a catnip plant if it grows up new around them. Apparently they
>get conditioned to it as a normal part of their environment.

Our cats have apparently not heard about this.  After several attempts,
the only way we've found to grow catnip is to surround the plants with
wire-cloth fortifications, with little barbed-wire-type spikes at the
top so they can't climb in.  The plants are kept extremely well pruned;
I've never seen so much as the tip of a leaf sticking through, or over,
the wire cloth. 

Incidentally, catnip plants will, if left in peace, eventually produce
large buds that bear an uncanny resemblance to Humboldt County's largest
cash crop.  My mother-in-law gave us a bag of these at one point, and
I brought a few in to work to give to my cat-owning co-workers.  Boy,
you should have seen the looks on some of their faces before I explained
what that thing in the Baggie actually was...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
   -__ __ /_   Jon Berger              "If you push something hard enough,
  //_// //_/   jonb@ingres.com          it will fall over."
_/ ---------                              - Fudd's First Law of Opposition
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: gck@hector.uucp (24641-kemmerling)
Subject: Re: Flushable Litter Isn't
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 92 18:24:55 GMT


I missed the beginning of the litter letters, but I will add anyway,
that it can't be flushed thru a septic system, which is what we
new New Jerseyians (?) have.


Gayle 'wish I was back in Illinois' Kemmerling
E-mail address: gck@hector.cc.bellcore.com 
Morristown, N.J.
(201) 829-3950
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats,news.answers
From: crystal@glia.biostr.washington.edu (Crystal)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Mystery allergy - help!
Keywords: itchy itchy
Date: 31 Aug 92 00:31:24 GMT
Article-I.D.: glia.crystal.715221084
Organization: University of Washington

In <1992Aug30.215608.15542@ozrout.uucp> grenade@ozrout.uucp (Kate McDonnell) writes:

>Perhaps others have dealt with a similar problem to this one.

>My 16-year-old cat began washing and scratching much more than
>usual this summer. She goes outside, but I saw no signs of
>parasites, so I didn't take her to the vet until last week. The
>vet confirmed this: she has neither fleas nor ear mites.

>The vet said everything pointed to an allergy. Most of the
>suggested possibilities didn't apply. I haven't just moved,
>acquired another pet, or begun washing the floors with harsh
>chemicals. I try to use non-toxic substances like vinegar and
>soda for housecleaning, in fact.

>Nor had I changed Ebony's diet. She's flourished for years on
>Purina cat chow, so I've gone on buying it. But it occurred to me
>later that _they_ changed the formula recently. Does anyone know
>if they made other changes when they started omitting the food
>dyes?

>I should perhaps mention that I live in downtown Montreal, and
>that Ebony's always been healthy, and no other changes have been
>made in our living arrangements recently.

>I'd be grateful for any suggestions.


>Kate

>-- 
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>Kate McDonnell, infographiste                      grenade@ozrout.uucp
>----------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd keep her indoors.  If it clears up within a week or two then the problem
is something she got into outside.  When you let a cat outside unattended,
just about anything can happen and mysteries aren't easily solved.

Crystal
  :>
From: gbrach@galaxy.gov.bc.ca
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Terrified of Ceiling Fan!
Date: 25 Aug 92 15:36:44 -0700
Organization: BC Systems Corporation

In article <1992Aug21.210328.1609@zia.aoc.nrao.edu>, rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner) writes:
> In article <1992Aug19.172951.26514@cbnews.cb.att.com> sandyb@cbnews.cb.att.com (sandra.e.braun) writes:
>>Hi.  I just moved to a house with a ceiling fan.  My cat Coco is absolutely 
>>terrified of it.  She will run out of the room and hide downstairs under the
>>ironing board until it's turned off.  Then she sneaks back in the living
>>room and stares at it for ~1 hour, just to make sure it's not going to turn
>>on again.
> 
> Gee, our two cats don't mind it at all. In fact Boots thinks it's terrific.
> She'll sit on the dining room table staring at it with her head moving in
> circles. And if you hold her up to it, she'll bat at it. The chain is even
> better, that's great fun!
> -- 
> Ruth Milner                          NRAO/VLA                  Socorro NM
> Computing Division Head      rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu

Well, I don't have a ceiling fan, but in my house I had a slight problem once
I put up my dart board.  The cats would sit in the room watching us throw
darts, yowling and just generally looking predatory.  I though it was
hilarious, but some of my friends were a bit nervous with the boys in the room:
darts do get jumpy, at times!  When one would rebound and hit the floor, the
boys would be up at a shot to sniff it.  They were always disappointed (I
thought) that the dart would not try to run away when they approached!

Mrrrrow?
Gabor.

-- 
    g  b    gbrach@galaxy.gov.bc.ca	"We come in Peace, shoot to kill,
gggg   b    Victoria, B. C.	 	 We come in Peace, shoot to kill, men"
g  g t b    (God's waiting room)		_Star Trekking_, The Firm
ggggtttbbbb  
   g t b  b 		"If I had a rocket launcher
g  g t bbbb		 If I had a rocket launcher,
gggg  tt        	 some son of a bitch would die"  B. Cockburn
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: katbea@auto-trol.com (Kathy Beatty)
Subject: Re: Catnip question
Organization: Auto-trol Technology Corporation -- Denver, Colorado
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 01:27:10 GMT

jonb@Ingres.COM (Jon Berger) writes:
: 
: Incidentally, catnip plants will, if left in peace, eventually produce
: large buds that bear an uncanny resemblance to Humboldt County's largest
: cash crop.  My mother-in-law gave us a bag of these at one point, and
: I brought a few in to work to give to my cat-owning co-workers.  Boy,
: you should have seen the looks on some of their faces before I explained
: what that thing in the Baggie actually was...
: 
Around my house, I seem to have accumulated baggies of catnip in various
places. I hope I never have my house searched by the police, because 
they'd no doubt arrest me until the stuff got tested! I always tell
housesitters about it so they don't think I have marijuana stashed 
all over the place  8^).


Kathy
From: ailsa%ailanth.uucp@wang.com (Ailsa N.T. Murphy)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Naming cat behaviors
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 92 22:58:28 EST
Organization: Ailanthus Project

ericj@hwcae.Honeywell.COM (Eric Jacobsen) writes:

> In article <1992Aug20.211625.24420@super.org> judith@super.org (Judith D. Sch
>
>    Great list, Marie, but you left out "sitting like a bug".  This is
>    when they scrunch down, almost in sphinx position, but their front
>    pays just kind of collapse underneath them.  My mom named that nearly
>    a million years ago and I still think it's appropriate for that
>    position.
>
> I call that the "quadriplegic cat" when it looks like a body sitting there wi
> no legs. My wife says "legless kitty" or "poor kitty has no legs"...
>

i always called that "sitting all tucked up" or "the cat pillow".  marion and
silver have an interesting take on this one - they sometimes sleep with their
face and forehead against the flor as well as being all tucked up.  it's the
funniest thing.  you can't see their faces, just their ears pressed against the
floor.  you'd think they couldnb't breathe lying liek that...

                                          -ailsa

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
     wang!ailanth!ails@ulowell.ulowell.edu         ________
      No visible means of support          Silence \      / Action
      and you have not seen nothing yet.      =     \    /    =
      Everything's come together.           Death    \  /    Life
                                                      \/
From: ceci@lysator.liu.se (Ceci Henningsson)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Problem with Feline
Date: 25 Aug 92 19:04:40 GMT
Organization: Lysator Academic Computer Society, Linkoping University, Sweden

myhre@plains.NoDak.edu (Robert Myhre) writes:

>week though).  Anyway, she has this tendancy to sit on your lap
>or next to you acting all really lovey, butting heads, etc.  However,
>some times when a person is petting her she will turn around and
>bite for no apparent reason.  She doesn't even give a customary
>growl or flick of the tail warning.  Has anyone else experienced
>this or may know what is causing it?  My wife is getting a little
>tired of being bitten from petting her.  Thanks

This is something that some cats will simply do, however much you try
to train away the behaviour. The theory about it, which I have heard,
is that the cat loves to be stroken and loves it, and loves it, and
GETS TOO MUCH! When the cat can't deal with all the wonderful emotions
coming up, it wants you to stop, in its exultant state it shows this
by getting aggressive. If your cat is one of those who get too much,
all you can do is watch for the SUBTLE signs, like the intensity of
the purring, kneading etc, and stop before she scratches you. I
honestly don't know if the above theory about the cause of it holds,
but I do know some cats which have to be watched very carefully when
stroken, so you know when to stop. Sometimes it works to stroke the
cat in intervals, allowing her some minutes to calm down between the
wonderful headbutting games. :)

Before you give up, try to avoid the area just above the root of the
tail. Some female cats simply hate being stroken there.

                   / tail
                   |  Avoid area under the star.
                  *|
        head ------|

--Ceci
--
=====ceci@lysator.liu.se===========================================
water-colour n. artists' paint mixed with water (not oil); 
			From The Oxford Guide to the English Language
===================================================================
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: oakes@rtsg.mot.com (Ronald Oakes)
Subject: Re: The latest addition to our household
Reply-To: oakes@rtsg.mot.com
Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Group
Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1992 14:32:03 GMT

In article <1992Aug28.213034.27132@evolving.com>, judy@evolving.com (Judy Bettinger) writes:
|> From the mail I've received, it sounds like Denver is a flea-free
|> zone!  I'd suspected as much, because of the altitude and the
|> dry air, and other people have now backed it up.  Poor poose just has
|> to let his skin heal.  Kind of like having mosquito bites all over
|> your body.  But the consensus is, as someone put it, the little
|> suckers bail out at the Colorado state line.  *whew*  I was worried that
|> he'd brought hitchikers, but if he did, they should be dead soon.

I would not be so sure about Colorado being flea-free.  If altitude and dry air
were enough to prevent fleas, then Northern New Mexico would not have the
serious problems caused by fleas that it does.  -- For thoes who are not aware,
Nothern New Mexico has an ongoing and consistant problem with Plague. --
However, Denver is enough farther north that it is significantly cooler all year.
This may have an effect.  But cold weather is not enough.  I have had flea
problems in the Chicago area, and I don't think it realy gets any colder anywhere
on earth (the temputure keeps dropping, but it does not get any colder :-)

Good luck with fighting thoes fleas (and don't send any to my brother's)

Ronald B. Oakes
From: bicker@cbnewsi.cb.att.com (The Resource, Poet-Magician of Quality)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Update: !bicker
Date: 3 Sep 92 15:21:35 GMT
Article-I.D.: cbnewsi.1992Sep3.152135.8873
Reply-To: Brian.C.Kohn@att.com (The Resource, Poet-Magician of Quality)
Followup-To: alt.romance
Organization: The Internet

!bicker is my 6ish year old cat that was hyper-thyroid and lost 70% of
his weight in 6 months.  After beginning treatment on the thyroid, I
still had problems getting him to eat.  Many people here had great
suggestions for how to get him to eat.

Well he's still about 6ish pounds, but he hasn't lost any weight in a
month or two.  He's started eating more voraciously this week, though
he's still not drinking on his own.  While he's not out of the woods
yet, he's come a long way from where he was last week when we though
we'd have to put him to sleep due to kidney failure.  (Kidney's are
working just fine thank you.)

Thanks for all the support!



-- 
Brian Charles Kohn               using !bicker's account
Poet-Magician of "Quality"       E-MAIL: bicker@hoqax.ATT.COM
    'Hope, not fear, is the most positive advocate of action.' - S.R. Lawhead
                   Stamp Out "SO": "RP" = "Romantic Partner"
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: Michael.Gunderson@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Michael Gunderson)
Subject: When are kittens too young?
Organization: Extended Bulletin Board Service
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 04:35:56 GMT

  My brother was recently subjected to emotional blackmail in order to get
him to accept some kittens (i.e. either YOU take them or krrrrrrrk!). Anyway,
these kittens are approximately 4 weeks old.  Not that he had much choice,
but is this too soon for the kittens to be removed from their mother?  If so,
what can be done to aleviate the problems they may have?


--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  bbs.oit.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner)
Subject: Re: Playing with kitties face: was "naming behaviors"
Reply-To: rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner)
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 92 23:25:16 GMT

In article <1343@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM> emolinar@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Elizabeth Molinaro) writes:
>
>        OK, have any of you out of there played with your kitty's
>        face?

I loved all your descriptions of what you can do with your kitty's face :-).

Abby loves to have her face rubbed. I put my whole hand over her face (my 
right palm on the right side of her face and thumb behind her ears as a kind
of brace), cup my fingers and rub them up and down, particularly on her nose. 
She just purrs like mad. Eventually she gets tired of it, but for a few 
minutes she's just in ecstasy.

Boots likes it from time to time, she's just not as addicted as Abby :-).
-- 
Ruth Milner                          NRAO/VLA                  Socorro NM
Computing Division Head      rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: judy@evolving.com (Judy Bettinger)
Subject: Re: "Killing" Socks
Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1992 15:22:09 GMT
Organization: Evolving Systems, Inc.

peggys@orca.wv.tek.com writes:
>My boyfriends cat, Smokey, has this thing about dragging his socks, clean or
>dirty, out of his bedroom and into the living room.  

...

Our cat Bast also loves socks, so when I saw the suggestion someone
made about filling a sock with catnip for a toy, I thought "perfect!".
Well, Bast doesn't want socks that she's _meant_ to play with, but our
new resident, Felix the Huge, thought this was the best thing he'd ever seen.
The other night -- actually it was 4:30 am --, we were awakened by 
what sounded like a herd of lions galumphing all over the bedroom.
When it got light, we saw that the  bedroom floor was absolutely COVERED 
with catnip and shreds of cotton sock material.  Felix was lying in the 
middle of the debris with a smirk on his face.

I think he's adjusting to his new home just fine.

-- 
Judy Bettinger (judy@evolving.com)            < |/
Evolving Systems, Inc.                         :o<)
Denver, Colorado                              < |\
From: feldman@flash.crd.ge.com (Sandra F Feldman)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: what to do with cats while on vacation
Date: 4 Sep 92 16:57:18 GMT
Organization: GE Corporate R&D Center

I have hired high school students to cat sit several times.  I usually pay
about 6-8 dollars a day, depending on how much I ask them to do.  (We also
have fish, and during the summer guinea pigs.)  We tell them that we expect
at least two visits each day, and that they should pet the cats and play with
them.  Our best sitter was a girl who wants to be a vetinarian and whose family
never goes away on school breaks.  The poor kid was so bored, that she'd come
over and play with the cats for entertainment.

Sandy

BTW, I count half days.  If I leave in the evening and return in an evening,
that counts as an extra day, since they have to come the first evening and the
last morning.  I wouldn't try to save a few dollars.
From: hannah@pomponio.ai.sri.com (Marsha Jo Hannah)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Problem with Feline
Date: 26 Aug 92 19:16:58 GMT
Organization: SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
In-reply-to: myhre@plains.NoDak.edu's message of 25 Aug 92 17:07:49 GMT

In article <19873@plains.NoDak.edu> myhre@plains.NoDak.edu (Robert Myhre) writes:

   The female ...  has this tendancy to sit on your lap
   or next to you acting all really lovey, butting heads, etc.  However,
   some times when a person is petting her she will turn around and
   bite for no apparent reason.  She doesn't even give a customary
   growl or flick of the tail warning.  Has anyone else experienced
   this or may know what is causing it?

   Robert Myhre

Our (neutered) male cat, Fats, does this sometimes, except he swats us
with his claws.  My theory is as follows.  Under certain weather
conditions (low humidity), when I pet one of our cats, it puts static
electricity into the cat's fur.  (In fact, this used to be a standard
high school science demonstration---stroking a glass rod with a cat
fur skin, to generate static electricity.)  If I stroke the cat
repeatedly, say from head to tail, I can create enough static to
actually get a shock on the beginning of the next stroke, often as I
approach his ears.  My guess is that this happens to some degree in
any weather, and that cats have very sensitive skins, hence get
annoyed at the repeated little shocks (which may be too small for
humans to feel most of the time) from petting.

Try petting your cat, not in long strokes, but in little circles,
maybe an inch in diameter, ending the stroke where you started.  When
I started doing this to Fats, his swatting decreased markedly!

Marsha Jo Hannah
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: krissie@locus.com (Krissie Griffiths)
Subject: Re: Kittens!
Organization: Locus Computing Corporation, Los Angeles, California
Date: Thu, 03 Sep 1992 22:47:53 GMT

In article <1992Sep1.172838.6427@iscsvax.uni.edu> klier@iscsvax.uni.edu writes:
>Charlotte the Rotund is now Charlotte the Slender, new mother of 6...
>everyone seems to be doing fine.
>
kay:

please, tell us all about them.  i am so excited.  oh kittens!  how wonderful.

kg


-- 
so what if i am a vegan?  so what if i try to live a cruelty free lifestyle?
i'll tell you what, i sleep better at night knowing that nothing suffers for
anything i eat or wear and i try to use products that have not involved 
animal testing.
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Kittens!
Date: 1 Sep 92 17:28:38 -0500
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

Charlotte the Rotund is now Charlotte the Slender, new mother of 6...
everyone seems to be doing fine.

Please consider yourself the recipient of a virtual Godiva chocolate...

Kay Klier  Biology Dept  UNI
From: jlecher@pbs.org
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Naming cat behaviors
Date: 27 Aug 92 18:08:12 EDT
Organization: PBS:Public Broadcasting Service, Alexandria, VA

In article <1992Aug25.084158.11970@stsci.edu>, jpotter@stsci.edu (Jeffrey J. Potter) writes:
> In article <17533@autodesk.COM>, dansmith@Autodesk.COM (Daniel Smith) >> 
> 
> How about "WIRED!" or "Zinging!"

We always called it 'the rips', but then someone told me that they
call it 'kittylympics', and I've converted.

> 
> "morning wakeup call"  -- when the cat presses it's paw against your face
>                           in the morning trying to get your attention
>
Ah yes, that morning cat breath. I remember that.  To wake up slowly with
the feeling of whiskers tickling your cheeks, and to hear a soft
snuffling as she sniffs around your face, then that big burst of cat
breath as she 'MEOWS' up your nose!

Sherlock's not allowed on the bed (a waterbed), but he DOES sit on the
edge and purr really loudly to wake us up. 

Jane
From: jim@n5ial.chi.il.us (Jim Graham)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Bill signature 
Distribution: world
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 92 15:52:27 GMT
Organization: Me? Organized? Hah! :-)

In article <ardie.56.714830178@UIUC> ardie@UIUC writes:

>         A few weeks ago, I noticed someone, in their signature, had a nice 
> facimile of Bill the Cat made from keyboard characters.  Would that person 
> mind terribly if I copied it?  It seems a most appropriate way of ending 
> much of my consulting correspondance!  Thanks.

you mean this one:

   ____/ |           % or something like that --- my copy is at work, and
   \ `o.O'           % I took the day off...so I just drew that from a
   =(____)= ACK!     % printed version....no doubt mistakes in there
       U    THPPPT!  % but you get the idea, right?

that pic is pretty much in general distribution all over the net....I've
got no idea who originally did it, but as far as I know, it's basically
public domain.

in short, use it --- everyone else on the net does, including me.  :-)
   --jim

--
Standard disclaimer....Ever since my cat learned to type, there's no telling
whose thoughts these really are....         73 DE N5IAL (/9)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNET:  jim@n5ial.chi.il.us  |  grahj@gagme.chi.il.us  |  j.graham@ieee.org
ICBM:  41.70N 87.63W            UUCP:  gagme!n5ial!jim@clout.chi.il.us
AMATEUR RADIO: n5ial@n9hsi (Chicago.IL.US.Earth)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: dgates@cornerstone.com (D. Gates)
Subject: Abyssinian (Blue) 
Keywords: market price 
Reply-To: dgates@cornerstone.com (D. Gates)
Organization: Cornerstone Research
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 20:49:46 GMT



What can I expect to pay for a female blue Abyssinian of
pet quality?  Show quality?  I'm looking for a kitten.


Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: jill@cray.com (Jill McAllister)
Subject: Re: What do you think?
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Distribution: na
Date: 28 Aug 92 01:01:46 CDT

In article <thurlow.714792938@convex.convex.com> thurlow@convex.com (Robert Thurlow) writes:
>
>You know, I think the reasons cats collect names is that they don't
>really respond to any of them.  Am I right? :-)
>

Our four cats have a lot (LOT) of nicknames, too, but each one comes when
you call her name (except that Dinah will usually come when you call ANY
of their names, because she thinks she might miss out on some attention),
so they definitely respond.  In fact, Dinah's so responsive, she will
sit whenever you say "sit!"  And I mean 100% of the time, too!  Pretty
good, eh?  (I like to show that off in front of my future mother-in-law,
because she always says in this awed voice, "Boy, I have a DOG at home
that won't do that!")

Jill McAllister
(jill@cray.com)