HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: diana@com (CatWoman )
Subject: Torties (was Two Siamese Cats Free to a Good Home
Organization: Castle WetWare MouseCatcher
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 16:21:45 GMT


] : Well, the funny thing is that after seeing over 5000 cats in my life (I worked
] : in a vet clinic for several years), I've never seen a two colour cat that had
] : orange and something other than white as it's secondary colour. Ie, I've never
] : seen an orange and black cat only, or an orange and grey, as mentioned here. I
] : do notice that many people misdescribe the colours of their cats. I recently
] : adopted a black tabby (tabby, with black being the predominant colour), but 
] : before I saw her, I was told that she was calico (a tri-coloured cat, mixing
] : white, orange and black or grey). And the person who told me she was calico
] : was another vet tech!
] 
] You've never seen a tortiseshell cat?  In some areas, calicos are called
] tortiseshell and white.  Torties don't have white, just the red and black
] (or the dilute versions thereof) and may be solid or tabby.  

You can take it from me - Orange and black torties
DO exist, and usually are female.  A former housemate
has one - as do I.  Mine resembles an iron pipe with
rust - VERY rusty looking on the rear end - more black
on the front, and very thoroughly mixed - no signs of
stripes, spots or whatever.  The only "white" on her
is on the base of the cream fur on her belly, she has
a patch about the size of a coffee cup there, and when
she was spayed, it looked white.  She also has a very
pale cream "diamond" at her throat - it could be white,
but I think it's got a cream cast - in the middle of an
all-black area.  The housemate's cat is similarly 
marked, with a couple of more orange patches.

There's a dilute, or blue-cream, tortie that lives near
me - looks like my Motley that has been dumped into
whitewash or bleach...gorgeous cat, going to have a
grumpy personality...

Diana
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: drogers@epcot.spdc.ti.com (Daty Rogers)
Subject: Re: Black fur, red tint, lt. grey at base
Organization: TI Semiconductor Process and Design Center
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 22:25:23 GMT

   My kitty, Inky, looks exactly like this,too. I thought
she was a Persian(because of the long hair) but all I really
know is she is a mutt from Operation Kindness.
                                                     Daty
From: dan@msen.com (Dan Sugalski)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Cat static!
Date: 5 Jan 1993 20:48:38 GMT
Organization: Msen, Inc. -- Ann Arbor, Michigan
NNTP-Posting-Host: garnet.msen.com
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]

Wilde Dame (sstover@sumax.seattleu.edu) wrote:

: Hemingway is short-haired but his fur is very dense and seems to be worse
: about picking up static than normal (Clio never seems to have any
: problems).  Jokingly, my friend suggested I rub him with a fabric softener
: sheet.  After receiving a rather fierce bite on the nose (since the 'kitty
: kiss' was such a shocking experience for him... :) ) from Hemingway, I
: decided I was desperate enough to try it.  Sure enough, it worked! 
: Re-application after a few days helps but usually there are days when it's
: really bad, and that's the only time I do it.  You might feel silly
: chasing your cat around with a sheet of Bounce (Hemingway thinks I'm
: subjecting him to some weird torture by doing this), but she'll be
: happier, I guarantee it. :)

Try mixing a little liquid fabric softener with water in a spray bottle
and misting your carpet.  

Karen
From: ac999257@umbc3.umbc.edu (ac999257)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: RE: cats and TV
Date: 12 Jan 1993 21:57:12 -0500
Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County Campus
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: umbc8.umbc.edu

My sister gave her husband (Neal) a super Nintendo for Christmas. She
now vaguely recalls having a husband! But I visit him once in a while
to play Nintendo (Julie abhors the game). Neal sits in their basement,
which has all the entertainment gear and the tropical fish tank, and
plays for hours and hours.

Julie also has a cat -- a 14 lb bundle of white named Booger. Booger
got his name because he is deaf and a discipline problem. He is really
a little booger sometimes. Anyhow, Booger does not sit on anyone's lap
and will not let anyone hold him. The only person he likes is Julie and
he will show her some affection -- he's just scared of everyone else.

But since Christmas, Booger has been sitting in the basement with Neal.
I've seen this strange phenomena on a few occasions -- Neal, glazed
eyes staring at the TV with the Nintendo controller in his hand, and
Booger in the meatloaf position on the couch next to Neal watching
little Mario die nasty deaths in Bowser's kingdom. Julie told me
Booger sits there right along with Neal for hours on end. I asked
Neal to explain this phenomena, and he said "Booger plays Nintendo 
too! He just lets me take his turn."

Mary
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: schlumpf@uimrl7.mrl.uiuc.edu ()
Subject: Re: Trimming claws
Reply-To: schlumpf@uimrl7.mrl.uiuc.edu ()
Organization: Materials Research Lab
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 17:15:52 GMT

In article <1993Jan5.215414.6550@inel.gov>, kkv@inel.gov (Jamie J
Ferguson) writes:

|>Our kitties hated getting their claws trimmed when they were younger --
|>we used to have to wrap each one on a towel with only its head and the
|>appropriate paws sticking out!  Now they endure it -- I won't say they
|>love it, but they don't squirm (much) and it hasn't taken two people
|>for years!  My youngest had his claws trimmed since he was very small,
|>and we didn't have anywhere near as much trouble with him.  I recommend
|>starting right away, even if you just pretend to clip, so that the
|>kitten can get used to it.
|>
|>Jamie
|

DEFINITELY start as early as possible with your kitten! We started a week after
we got Dante. I'd flip him over on his back and rub his belly (he likes
that) while
sitting in a big comfy chair with him wedged happily between me and the
chair
back and arm. I'd take the human nail clippers (he hates the cat/dog
clippers)
 and just take a little itty bit off a claw, give him a treat (Pounce),
do another
claw, give him a treat. After 2 sessions of a treat after each claw  (he
had to
be relatively good to get the treat), I was able to clip a whole paw and
then 
give him one treat. I still do this occasionally, but now it's 4 pieces
of Pounce
after we are all through. He PURRS and closes his eyes partially when I
trim
his claws now. In fact, when I flip him over into "the position" and
reach for
a paw he will put all his claws out so I can trim them by just holding
the right
paw. He loves it, 'cause he knows he's getting treats if he cooperates!
Pixel,
well, we didn't start right away, but after she saw that she got treats
like
Dante did, she sits still and is cooperative (some tail wagging, but
hey,
no growling, clawing or hissing!). So, start as early as you can and
just
take a little off at a time!!! (BTW, this also works with puppies!)

Kay & Crew
From: dan@msen.com (Dan Sugalski)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Indoor/Outdoor, another perspective
Date: 7 Jan 1993 18:57:22 GMT
Organization: Msen, Inc. -- Ann Arbor, Michigan
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: garnet.msen.com
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]

Lisa Loeffler (loeffll@xanth.CS.ORST.EDU) wrote:

: Anyhow, the subject I have never seen raised on this issue is this.  Most
: people would either agree or at least understand when we discuss keeping
: dogs under control and out of other peoples yards, etc.  What about cats?
: Max used to love to sit in my neighbors window and torment her indoor
: cat, particularly at three in the morning.  I am sure that would annoy
: me to no end.  Don't we have the same responsibility to control our cats
: as we do to control our dogs?

Yes we have the responsibility to control our cats.  I've experienced the
other end of your Max.  A neighbor's cat used to sit in my windows and
mark my door.  If I could have caught him, he would have been to animal
control within the hour.  His owners could not have cared less where their
cat was or what he was doing.  He turned into the neighborhood nuiscance,
bothering or beating other cats, teasing dogs and dumping garbage.  If you
can't be a responsible pet owner, you shouldn't have one-cat, dog or
otherwise.  

: I am raising this question (a) because no one else has (lately), and (b)
: because I have personal experience with it.  I understand this is a strong
: issue for many, and that some cats (Max was one) will not tolerate an
: indoor life and will make sure you are as miserable as they are.

: My personal opinion is, if this were a perfect world, whatever makes the 
: cats happy is fine.  However, I do not want to have to sit my two little
: girls down again and explain to tham why Kitty isn't coming home anymore.

Would you feel the same way about a neighbor's dog running free?  

BTW, this is not a personal flame, I'm just tired of the irresponsible pet
owners making my life, with my well behaved pets, hell.  

Karen
From: lynns@informix.com (Lynn Schneider)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Cat Poem on Star Trek Wanted
Date: 7 Jan 93 22:22:41 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.

Are there any cat lovers out there who watched a recent eposode of
Star Trek: The Next Generation, and heard Lt. Data's hysterical
poem about his cat?

If so (if you taped it), could you post or email the poem? I thought
it was classic!

-Lynn
lynns@informix.com
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: aki <aki@akidamme-233324.worldbank.org>
Subject: Re: Cat static!
X-Xxmessage-Id: <A77304F7B5042631@akidamme-233324.worldbank.org>
X-Xxdate: Fri, 8 Jan 93 15:16:23 GMT
Organization: The World Bank
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d16
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 15:19:19 GMT

In article <1ii6g8INNhd@solcat.solbourne.com> Jim McGuire, McGuire@solbourne.com
writes:
>Currently, I have the Bionaire CM-6 warm mist.  It has a very low
>output, since it can only boil so much water at a time.  It also
>is completely useless in the summer, since it adds so much heat
>to the house that you really only want to use it when it is cold.
>But during the winter the furnace dries the air out much faster
>than the little unit can humidify.  I plan on installing a central
>unit to my furnace, and maybe getting an evaporative unit for
>the summertime.


One of the things I've found that helps is exausting the dryer vent
into the room.  You can buy the attachment for less than $5 in most
hardware stores.  If you put a nylon sock over the vent, it prevents
dust from entering the room(s).  You get the added pleasure of
humidity in the winter AND you can increase the temperature of the
room by as much as 5-10 degrees!  The vent has a switch that reroutes
the hot out outside as normal during the summer.   Obviously this
only helps if (a) you have a dryer and (b) you are drying clothes, but
why waste the humidity and energy when you have the dryer running?

-aki 
:-)



*************************************************************
Aki Damme                    "How come the best ball
The World Bank                for me is ALWAYS the
Washington D.C.               one I didn't bring, or the
PBA #2294                     one I don't own?"
*************************************************************
All usual disclaimers about my employer and my wife apply 
*************************************************************
From: wd6cmu@netcom.com (Eric Williams)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: My kitty is afraid of fans!
Date: 12 Jan 93 20:00:14 GMT
Article-I.D.: netcom.1993Jan12.200014.12221
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)

If it's a real young kitten (<8 weeks), it probably can't see that far
clearly enough to tell what it is anyway and is just responding to the
movement.  My guess is that he will get used to it in time.
-- 
Eric Williams     wd6cmu@netcom.com  |  Never attribute to malice that which
WD6CMU@WD6CMU.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA       |  is adequately explained by stupidity.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: david@tms390.micro.ti.com (David Thomas)
Subject: Re: FIP?
Organization: Texas Instruments, Houston
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 13:19:22 GMT

davidl@flounder.ratsys.com (Dave Lane) writes:

>Hello.  One of my cats recently tested positive for FIP.
>Is there anyone else out there who has had experience with
>this virus?  As I understand it, this virus usually kills
>the cat within a month or two, but we've had our cat for
>almost four months and since she's never gone outside, she
>must have contracted the virus before we adopted her.

>She's doing pretty well overall, except for occasional diarrhea.
>Are there other viruses that might cause the same test (titer?) 
>to come back positive?
      
Absolutely.  Many Coronavirus strains will produce a positive titer for 
the FIP test.  FIP is a mutation of the coronavirus.  This positive 
may mean that your cat is now a carrier for FIP, or it may mean nothing 
at all.  It's very frustrating because you can never be certain what 
you're dealing with.  We learned this several years ago.  One vet 
(a cat specialist) finally told us, "You can't keep chasing ghosts."
-- 
David Thomas  Texas Instruments  (david@wotangate.sc.ti.com)  (713)-274-2347
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: lhuffman@stsci.edu
Subject: Re: dry food,distilled water
Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 20:50:42 GMT

In article <1993Jan12.193737.7356@inel.gov>, kkv@inel.gov (Jamie J Ferguson) writes:

>   (Stuff deleted)    

> We have taken this cat (Zak) to the vet many many times (he's very
                                                           _________ 
> expensive for a free cat!) and the Metamucil was our old vet's
  ________________________-
> 
> Jamie
> 

   Hah! Surely you've seen the sign:


         There's no such thing as free kittens...
From: am2x+@andrew.cmu.edu (Anna Matyas)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Trimming claws
Date: 6 Jan 93 07:59:16 GMT
Article-I.D.: andrew.IfGlroG00iV4Q2AWAN
Organization: H&SS Dean's Office, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA


>In article <C00KoB.1F3@news.iastate.edu>, bron@iastate.edu (bronwyn) writes:
>>
>> Yes!  The first time I tried to trim my kitten's claws, she screamed 
>> bloody murder!  I thought I was actually hurting her.  I felt like a beast.
>> Later, while she was asleep on my lap, I managed to get all her claws 
>> done without her waking up once.
>> 
>> Methinks she doth protest too much.

I'm a lucky one.  Gracie *loves* having her paws stroked.  She likes it
when I rub in between her toes and "pick" at her claws.  And she sits still
for claw trimming.  In fact, she's mesmermized when I cut my fingernails.
She sits and stares and watches the little pieces of nails fall to my lap,
purring the whole time.  She also loves having those little "ear flaps"
cleaned with a q-tip, and she goes happily crazy when I gently stroke
inside her ears with my index finger.

What does she hate?  BRUSHING!!  She won't sit still for more than 20 or
30 seconds.  She needs to be brushed badly.  Anyone have a suggestion on
making it a pleasurable experience?  I bought one of those rakes.  She LOVED
it the first time I used it but every time since it gets the same reaction
as the brush.

Anna
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: hirschon@ast.saic.com (Donna Hirschon)
Subject: Sick Kitty?
Reply-To: hirschon@ast.saic.com
Organization: SAIC
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 16:32:02 GMT

My cat has diarrhea - or at least her bottom seemed to indicate that
this morning.  I had to give her a sponge bath - anyway my question
is - should I take her to the vet instantly - or do I look for other
symptoms?  She is still eating her canned food, but hasn't touched
the dry food for two days. She seems to be acting fairly normal - not
overly active, but not just lying around, either.  I've never taken
a cat's temperature and don't even know what normal should be.  I
have a feeling she wouldn't let me take it.

Please respond to me by e-mail to the above address - thanks!
From: au500@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Linda Zinn)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Son of Shopping Bag Monsters
Date: 11 Jan 1993 16:56:30 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: au500@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Linda Zinn)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc10.ins.cwru.edu


My 16-pound cat Meis once managed to climb into a plastic shopping
bag and then back out through the handle with only his front legs free and
the handle tight around his chest. I heard the frantic rustle of plastic
in the other room and arrived just in time to see him struggling and then
running under the bed, potato-sack-race-style. It was all I could do to get
him to let me rescue him. His dignity....well, how much dignity would you 
have if stuck in a bag? Poor Meis. (And I'm sure my hysterical laughter
didn't raise his self-esteem one bit.)

-- 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats,rec.travel.air
From: jkl@fsl.noaa.gov (Jennifer Longstaff)
Subject: Re: Fill Him Out Diet
Organization: Forecast Systems Lab, NOAA - Boulder CO, USA
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 22:13:02 GMT

Buffy Hyler (hyler@ast.saic.com) wrote:
: 
: [description of cat getting ill and now too skinny deleted...]
:
: So, are there any ideas on what to feed him to give him a little extra
: heft and bulk? 

I've read that rice, mixed with food they like, will supplement a cat's 
diet, giving the cat some carbohydrates/cereal as well as the pure protein
of the wet food.  I got one of my cats from the pound and she was
'way too skinny, plus had a bit of a diarrhea problem.  I gave her baby
food(chicken), warmed and mixed with about twice as much just-cooked rice.  
She loved it, fattened up a bit, and the mild rice didn't seem to be too 
hard on her stomach (the diarrhea cleared up at the same time).  I was
also giving her cottage cheese, which was intended to help with the
diarrhea plus make her drink more water (since it's got salt in it).

Anyway - maybe your finicky cat would enjoy some variation on the above
foods.  Good luck!  (Their breath doesn't smell so bad when they're
eating rice and cottage cheese either!)

- Jennifer
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: das@emmapeel.ca.boeing.com (Deb Schwartz)
Subject: Re: Cat static!
Organization: Yet Another Graphics Project, Bellevue, WA
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 18:21:16 GMT

*Chuckle*.  Long-haired KC is my house's static gauge:  when she starts 
looking scraggly and unhappy and crackles when I pet her, 'tis time to turn
on the humidifier.  When she turns into a totally round puffball and sparks
fly when I pet her, 'tis wayyyyy past time to turn on the humidifier. (I have
one of the cheap ones that I bought for less than $10 and it works just 
fine.)
------
Debbie Schwartz // das@voodoo.ca.boeing.com  // ....uw-beaver!bcsaic!voodoo!das
From: ambar@cygnus.com (Jean Marie Diaz)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Obituary... Twice...
Date: 5 Jan 93 01:50:23 GMT
Organization: Redheads Anonymous
In-reply-to: R1156C@waccvm.corp.mot.com's message of 4 Jan 1993 11:06:10 MST

In article <1993Jan4.113810.4739@schbbs.mot.com> R1156C@waccvm.corp.mot.com (Michael Dow) writes:

   There is some bright side to all this... We found a show-quality Coon Kitten
   at the humane society.  If it isn't claimed by tomorrow morning, she's ours!
   Welcome, I hope, to Athena!

Um, misconception attack here.

Every cat at a humane society is by definition show-quality... as a
household pet, since they generally don't have papers.

Your kitten may be wonderful, but you won't be able to show him as a
Maine Coon, unless the people who left him there also left the papers
(hardly ever happens).

Good luck with him, in any event.

				AMBAR
From: assana@polkadot.Eng.Sun.COM (assana)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Cat freezing its little buns off in a 63F basement?
Date: 8 Jan 93 02:28:18 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc., Mountain View, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: polkadot

In article <1993Jan7.160915.12791@math.ucla.edu> ramirez@julia.math.ucla.edu (Alice Ramirez) 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?
>
>Given the fur growing all over their bodies, I suspect they get quite
>uncomfortable when it is too warm.  But I don't like the idea of banishing
>them to the basement.  If you must, I'd give them a pillow to sleep on, 
>some books to read and a blanket to crawl under in case your cats are more
>hothouse than mine.   

Although I agree with the theory that "cats must get how with that fur coat",
I have seen them act differently. I've never seen a cat that does NOT like
a warm spot (like the top of the fridge, or a running dryer)! As a matter 
of fact, kit kat, a semi long-hair, with a TON of fur, would sit soooooo 
close to the fireplace that the hear from the fire would move her fur all 
over the place. I don't know how close she would have got had it not been 
for the screen blocking her!
--
         ^-^
        /o o\
       ===^===   assana@polkadot.eng.sun.com
          -   
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: whitman@watson.bms.com (Debra Whitman)
Subject: littermates vs. non-littermates
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  
Organization: Bristol Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 13:18:00 GMT

I can only tell you about littermates.  I have two cats which are now almost 
three years old (now that I think about it).  They always clung to each other 
when they were really little, played often together, rarely fought and alway 
slept together.  Now older, they play much harder(almost to the point where I 
think they are fighting) and they are not so dependent upon us...In other 
words they don't like to be picked up and they only want attention when they 
want it...very independent.  They still sleep together(they are neutered!)
I love my two boys, but if you aren't ready for a lot of running around maybe 
females would be better.  My females were, but with this bunch I didn't have a 
choice.  Good luck!
Debbie
From: cczcole@mips.nott.ac.uk (Marlon Cole)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: teaching the beasts about cat doors
Date: 11 Jan 93 14:04:46 GMT
Reply-To: cczcole@mips.nott.ac.uk (Marlon Cole)
Organization: Nottingham University

In article <1993Jan10.201222.24308@telesciences.com>, srscnslt@telesciences.com (SRS Consultant) writes:
|> In article <ujel2ds@zola.esd.sgi.com> cj@sgi.com (C J Silverio) writes:
|> >---
|> >Does anyone have any helpful suggestions about teaching our
|> >Monsters about using their cat door?
|> >
|> 	Just a thought -
|> 
|> 	why not paint the doors with some water in which you've soaked some
|> 	catnip?  Take that basting brush you're not using, and just smear the
|> 	stuff liberally over both sides of the door.  Eventually, they'll
|> 	probably push the thing open enough (just by bumping up against it when
|> 	they start to get silly) to realize that they _can_ do it by themselves.

... and so will every cat in the neighbourhood!

Actually, I've made the unforgiveable error of not having read rec.pets.cats
for about 3 weeks now, so I've missed any useful suggestions anyone's come up
with so far (so if anyone would like to forward to me any suggestions they've
already made I'd be eternally grateful!).
In our case I put the cat 'flap' (as we call them over here) in yesterday and
then had a 1/2 hour session of stuffing the 2 monsters backwards (sometimes
literally :-) and forwards through the flap.
When I'd just cut the hole before installing the flap they were quite happy 
to jump backwards and forwards through the hole, but as soon as the flap was
fitted it was to be avoided at all costs - if I propped it open they would
come through and if I just got them a little way through they'd realise they
could get through, but they haven't sussed they can open it themselves from
the start yet - will this just come with time, or have I ruined my kitchen
door for nothing :-)

Thanks,
            Marlon
------------
Marlon Cole                  email:  cczcole@unicorn.nott.ac.uk or
Systems Programmer                   cczcole@uk.ac.nott.unicorn depending.....
Cripps Computing Centre
University of Nottingham
NOTTINGHAM. NG7 2RD
England
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats