HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: edalton@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Elizabeth M Dalton)
Subject: Re: Cat bringing home unwanted rodents
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 02:03:59 GMT

My cats used to bring things home all the time... through the cat port
( a carpet-covered hole in the door). I'm a vegetarian myself, but cats
are carnivores- what can one do? So what I did was make a big fuss:
"Oh, Sage, what a *nice* mouse! What a brave huntress! Now take it outside.."
and I'd hold the door open. Sometimes at first I'd have to pick the cat up 
and put her out, mouse and all. Eventually, we worked out a deal where I made
plenty of fuss, and then she'd bring the critter out on her own (occasionally
reappearing with the same critter a few minutes later- "Look mommy, I caught
*another* one!"). Unfortunately, our older cat, Doctor, never did go for this
plan, but sometimes it was possible to get Sage to take out Doctor's offerings
as well!

I miss my kitties terribly-- had to give them away when my allergic husband and
I moved into a studio.

Elizabeth Dalton
Linguistics Dept., OSU
"Opinions are, of course, my own."
From: joni@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (joni.dunlap)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: cat bites the hand that feeds it
Date: 13 Apr 92 16:55:53 GMT
Organization: AT&T

I need some feedback on how to elimiate the bitting behavior of my cat Puddie.
At first I thought it was because he was a kitten but now that he is a year old
the behavior still exists. The only behavior modification that I have tried
is yelling at him everytime that he does it. So far no results.

Joni
From: jonb@Ingres.COM (Jon Berger)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Cat Thoughts
Date: 10 Apr 92 20:23:20 GMT
Reply-To: jonb@Ingres.COM (Jon Berger)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Ingres Division, ASK Computer Systems.

In article <1992Apr9.173609.10361@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>, jhoskins@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (James M Hoskins) writes:
>I get very inquisitive looks from my cat as I scramble around in the morning 
>getting ready to go to work.  What is the cat thinking?  After careful 
>consideration I have concluded that the kitty (always poised by the front door 
>when I open it in the evening) thinks I have been outside all day long hunting 
>food for it.

Some friends of mine have convinced their cats that they spend the day
hunting for cylinder beasts.  Every few days they bring home a whole sack
of them, and every night at dinnertime they skin a cylinder beast with the
special cylinder-beast-skinning tool, and eviscerate it and give the yummy
entrails to the cats.  I think the cats really believe it; these
particular folks live on a ranch, and out in the back 40 there's a big
piece of concrete culvert pipe; the cats spend a lot of time around it,
worshiping it.  They think it's the Great Cylinder Beast, mother of the
whole tribe.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jon Berger     jonb@ingres.com     {mtxinu,sun,amdahl,pyramid}!ingres!jonb
"If you push something hard enough, it will fall over." 
                                         -- Fudd's First Law of Opposition
From: jlevy@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (janet.s.levy)
Subject: Update on BigKitty's growth
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 19:50:25 GMT

I wrote about a week back that my BigKitty had a growth on
his paw that needed surgical removal for biopsy.  He went
through the surgery fine (he is 13-14) and even had his
teeth cleaned.  The hospital people said "He is so sweet."
I said, "I know."  Anyway, I found out today that the growth
is benign.  Big relief for me and him.  I am still going to
keep a close eye on him since I have lost three pets to cancer
and am very paranoid.  With the others, the cancer was advanced
when discovered.  Pets can be very secretive about their aches
and I have learned you must watch any changes very closely to
catch things early.  I think my vets think I am too paranoid
but I try to explain my feelings.  I asked them to take X-rays
while he was in there to compare to X-rays I had taken 2 years
ago, but they didn't take them which irks me a bit.  After all,
I was willing to pay.  They say his blood levels are normal
except a slightly elevated liver function.  I guess this worries
me more than them.  BigKitty has lost about a pound in the last
six months although he seems to eat the same as ever.  He also
sometimes seems to lie down gingerly.

Bottom line:  am I a paranoid nut or should I insist on more vet
work or get new vets?  Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel if only I can
catch things early enough ...

Thanks for listening.

Janet Levy
jsl@ihlpm.ATT.COM
From: rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Weighing a cat (was Re: Kitty toys from nature)
Date: 9 Apr 92 16:02:27 GMT
Article-I.D.: zia.1992Apr9.160227.3445
Reply-To: rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner)
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM

In article <1992Apr08.153711.13682@demon.co.uk> Philip Coombes <coombes@tcom.stc.co.uk> writes:
>
>ps. Everyone ( esp. in food thread ) seems to know how heavy their cats are, 
>my question is : How can you tell ??, [...] they are too big for the kitchen
>scales now, but don't register very clearly on the bathroom scales, so how do
>you weigh a cat???

Remember those wonderful chemistry experiments where you have to know the exact
weight of something? So you weigh the container first, then put the stuff in 
it, weigh them both, and the difference is the weight of the material.

Same thing to weigh a cat at home. First weigh yourself. Then pick up the cat
and weigh both of you together. The difference is the weight of the cat.

Of course, household scales aren't very accurate or precise, so it will only
be within a pound or so either way, but that's good enough for most purposes.
For really accurate weighings you'd probably need a sling attached to a spring
scale, or else something much more sensitive (how are newborn babies weighed?).
-- 
Ruth Milner                          NRAO/VLA                  Socorro NM
Computing Division Head      rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu
From: ssnyder@sunai.er.usgs.gov (Steve Snyder)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Quaking cats
Date: 14 Apr 92 20:00:48 GMT
Organization: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston VA

And now for something a little different:

A few of my co-workers and I were discussing if animals could detect
earthquakes before they occurred. This is actually directed towards
people in the San Francisco Bay area but others may respond:
Before the Loma Prieta earthquake in October 1989, did anybody notice any 
unusual behavior in their kitties? Or other animals?

-Curious in DC-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Steve Snyder            | This space NOT for rent, inquire within. 
  ssnyder@sunai.er.usgs.gov     |  
US Geological Survey Reston, VA | I only speak for myself. me.
From: IO20393@MAINE.MAINE.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Terrified Kitty
Date: 15 Apr 92 02:58:21 GMT
Organization: University of Maine System


 Actually, I am interested in adopting a cat that is used to being indoors.  As
I told you all earlier, I couldn't decide whether to move my cat to an aptmnt
or leave her with the folks.   I guess I'm going to leave her at home...she
loves the outside too much.   SO....I'd like to adopt an adult/young adult cat
beginning in September.  That's when I move.   If you need to part with one of
your cats for whatever reason and live in Maine, I'm a cat worshipper of the
worst kind and can guarantee a good home!   I'm sure that there are others like
me out there....have you tried posting college papers?  We just don't have the
time for a kitten, but generally can't wait to have a pet once we move off
campus!     Just  a thought!   And if anyone has a cat that must move in Sept,
give me an Email!     Thanks all!      amy rae
Organization: University of Maine System
Date: Wednesday, 8 Apr 1992 19:56:44 EDT
From: Ailsa N.T. Murphy <IO81409@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Ziggy breaks his hip
 <92098.102343LMWHITE@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU>

when i was in eighth grade or so, i had a cat named Archie.
he was an independant, ugly, battle-scarred, ill-tempered
tomcat, but i loved him anyway.  one cold night, Archie
decided to bed down in the neighbors' car, and got caught
in the fan belt. i was upset.  my mom said that he would have to
be put down, and sent my dad with the cat, but he and the
vet decided to have the leg amputated instead, and while they
were at it, alter him.  he had to wear an elizabethan collar
for a while to keep him away from the stitches, and i had
to feed him by hand while it was on, but he recovered fine.
he was around three years old by then, which shoudl mean that
his personality was set, but he turned into the most affectionate
cat.  my mom began to call him "Old Soft-Soap" and "Old Tripod."
he stuck close to home, mother henned any litters of kittens
that came along, and sunned himself on the big rocks in the
garden for probably about five years aftwerward, until he died
of somthing-or-other that was going around.  he was a good cat.

not entirely relevant to your question, but just to illustrate
that three-legged cats do OK...

                                      -ailsa
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: comforting cats in car?
Date: 16 Apr 92 10:41:22 -0500
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

sas3h@uvacs.cs.Virginia.EDU (Sheryl Anne Smoot) writes:
> I keep my cat in the carrier only on trips when we are NOT going to
> the vet.  I do not want her associating the carrier to the vet.  She
> used to hate the carrier, but now she'll get in without a fuss and
> will sleep most of the time.  
> 
> When we go to the vets, I try to go with more than one person.
> The passenger will hold Kitty wrapped in a blanket so that she
> can not use her claws to inflict bodily harm.  But, she cries and
> struggles a lot.
> 
> When I am alone and going to the vet, I do not have much choice
> except to let her free in the car.  Unfortunately, this causes
> many problems.  FIrst of all, she hides under the car seats.
> Unfortunately, she is not dumb enough to believe me that if she
> comes out from under the seat when we get to the vets, that she
> wont have to go.  THerefore, I have to drag her out.
> 
> ALso, one time we were in an RV and Kitty was aboard and loose.
> She ended up walking on the dashboard, across the drivers lap (just
> so she could look out of the window), and under the pedals.  Bad
> idea.

Before I got a cat carrier for Christmas, my crew were usually 
transported short distances in cardboard apple boxes (double wall
construction, precut ventilation holes.  This didn't work for long
distances, though, since they shredded their way through the box
in about 1/2 hour.

I never could get Carrie into a carrier (she offered to demonstrate
disembowlment on me), but I could get her to hide in a pillowcase
(I used a kingsize pillowcase) by playing hide-and-seek mousie 
in the bedclothes, one of her favorite games.  Then all I had to do
was tie the top tightly and get her to the car, where a pillowcase
could make some *very* interesting noises when placed on the floor in
back seat.  I always got strange looks when I showed up at the vets
with my cat-in-a-sack, but once people heard the kitty-swear words
emerging from the pillowcase, I got knowing nods...

Since Carrie was such a fighter and biter, once the vet even gave her
her rabies shot through the pillowcase... seemed MUCH easier than 
extracting a PO'd cat, giving her a shot, and stuffing her back in.

Kay Klier  Biology Dept  UNI
From: tittle@ics.uci.edu (Cindy Tittle Moore)
Subject: Re: <None>
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Reply-To: tittle@ics.uci.edu (Cindy Tittle Moore)
Organization: ICS Dept., UC Irvine
Date: 15 Apr 92 03:14:09 GMT

In <1992Apr14.213640.3844@iscsvax.uni.edu> klier@iscsvax.uni.edu writes:

>luck@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu (DeAnne Luck) writes:
>>    My question is this: does everyone keep their cats in a carrier Of
>> some sort while traveling in the car?  We have kept ours in carriers,
[but cats seem calmer out of them]

>Cats are MUCH safer in a cage, and you are too.  The little darlings have
>bad habits like wandering around the car, up onto the dash, walk through
>the steering wheel, sit under the brake pedal, nibble the driver's ear...

I used to let my cat loose in the car for the same reason: she was
quieter.

Then I got in a car accident with her in the car.

Since then she's gone in the carrier.

--Cindy
--
Cindy Tittle Moore -- Owned by Noisy Underfoot, bird watcher extraordinaire.

I post the rec.pets.cats FAQ (in two parts) at the beginning of every month.
To get the FAQ: use anonymous ftp to pit-manager.mit.edu and look under
/pub/usenet/news.answers/cats-faq/* (part1, part2), or send email to
mail-server@pit-manager.mit.edu with "send usenet/news.answers/cats-faq/part1"
in the subject line, and a second email message for part2.  Send contributions
and suggestions to me; send questions not covered in FAQ to the newsgroup.
From: jpk@Ingres.COM (Jon Krueger)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Weighing a cat (was Re: Kitty toys from nature)
Date: 12 Apr 92 06:39:53 GMT
Reply-To: jpk@Ingres.COM (Jon Krueger)
Organization: Ask Computer Systems Inc., Ingres Division, Alameda CA 94501

> [how to weigh a cat]
> First weigh yourself. Then pick up the cat and weigh both of you
> together. The difference is the weight of the cat ... it will only
> be within a pound or so either way, but that's good enough for
> most purposes.

Let's say you weigh 120 pounds.  Your bathroom scale can tell you when
you've gained or lost 10 pounds, or maybe only when you've gained or
lost 20 pounds.  Is that good enough?

That's exactly the accuracy that "within a pound or so either way"
gets for a 12 pound cat.

So what's acceptable accuracy?

Well, enough to detect a 10% weight change, and detecting a 5% change
is desirable.  

So for that 120 pound human, accurate to 12 pounds, and to 6 pounds is
highly desirable.  Most bathroom scales pass this test.

And for that 12 pound cat, accurate to a pound, and to half a pound
is highly desirable.  Most bathroom scales fail this test.

That's why I modified a kitchen scale by mounting a larger platform on
it.  The scale goes to 25 pounds.  I used ordinary plywood to construct
a "sandwich" with the original platform in the middle, the new larger
platform on top, and a smaller wooden piece on the bottom.  Ordinary
wood screws tightened the sandwich to make a stable platform that
mounts using the original platform pedestal.

I trained my cats to jump on this platform by placing a Pounce (brand
of cat treat) on it.  I have also taken care that the scale doesn't
fall over when the cat is on it.  This has worked very well.  These
days when I shout "weight time!" they come running.

Now I get weights to a quarter pound.  A quarter pound for a 12 pound
cat means the ability to detect 2% changes in weight.  This is more
than you need, but still useful.  For that 120 pound human, this is the
ability to detect a 2 or 3 pound change in weight.

I have found that my cats' weights seldom vary more than a quarter
pound over the day or more than a half pound over several days.  Over
the last year they have varied as much as two pounds, usually by
gradual drifting.  A sudden gain or loss of a pound would provide an
important early signal that something might wrong with their health.

Coming full circle, some bathroom scales can be coaxed into returning
weights accurate to a pound.  If you can get yours to do this while
holding your cat, that's accurate enough.  No margin of accuracy to
spare, but accurate enough.

But if your bathroom scale, like mine, can return 120 when you step on
it and 121 when you step on it a few seconds later, it's not accurate
to a pound.  Fine for humans, not so fine for cats.

Some weighty words on a really heavy subject :-)

-- Jon
--
Jon Krueger   jpk@ingres.com                    Oh we pulled the handle out,
and we pushed the handle in, and the steam went to the pistons just the same
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: tcs@ll.mit.edu (Tom Sefranek)
Subject: Re: Cat bringing home unwanted rodents
Reply-To: tcs@ll.mit.edu (Tom Sefranek)
Organization: "Group	47"
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 92 18:47:04 GMT

In article <1992Apr8.164900.11368@usenet.ins.cwru.edu>, esh2@po.CWRU.Edu (Evelyn S. Hlabse) writes:
|> Help.  My daughter's cat, Morgan, is a house cat with no front claws.
|> Unfortunately, now that the weather is improving she goes out the
|> pet door and has started hunting.  Last night she brought home what
|> looked like a baby squirrel and laid it at the feet of my corgi who
|> wanted no part of it.
|> 
|> This isn't the first time she has brought home a rodent but it is the
|> first squirrel (?).  I have a couple of questions.  How do I get her
|> to stop this revolting  habit?  She's well fed and doesn't eat her
|> victim.  Two, how does she do it.  She's brought home moles, shrews and
|> mice.  Often alive.  Is she is danger of getting a disease from them?
|> She sees her vet on a regular basis and there is no way I can keep her
|> from using the pet door short of caging her and I don't want to do
|> that.
|> 
|> Any help would be appreicated.
|> 
|> Thank you.
|> 
|> Evelyn Hlabse
|> -- 
|> 

Evelyn,
	Ever heard the expression...

	"You can't change the stripes on a tiger..."

According to "Black"... It's the owner's RIGHT to hunt, to stalk, to kill,
to display, to be rewarded for riding the domain of other furry folks.

Can you change YOUR nature?

Tom
-- 
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    /-----------------/||x \   /___ ___\   Thomas Christopher John Sefranek
    | [ ] [ ] ## [  ]| ||x  | ||  | |  ||  WA1RHP  112 Great Road  Shirley, Ma.
    |         ##     | ||x  | ||  | |  ||  Ham Nite Odd Mondays  425-6672 01464
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Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: kdw@icd.ab.com (Kenneth D. Whitehead)
Subject: Re: Declawing (need options)
Organization: Allen-Bradley Company, Inc.
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 17:27:49 GMT

>>My problem now is that I keep hearing varying opinions on 
>>the need/desire to declaw.  My major reason for doing it is as 
>>stated above.  He doesn't tear up the furniture or anything 

It's been my personal experience that this often comes from "rough 
play" with the cats when they are kittens  (not making judgements 
here,  I did it and that's how I know).  It's fun to play along with 
their little sparring matches when they are teeny tiny, but then 
they and their claws grow up, and it's a problem.  So if you're 
roughhousing with him, stop it, and don't let him sucker you into 
those kind of games with him.

On the other hand, he may be engaging in a dominance struggle with 
you, in which case you may have to do something to let him know 
that you are the Top Cat in the house.  (let's face it;  we cater 
to our cats and treat them like kids, so it's pretty natural for 
them to cop the attitude that they are in charge).  I had a friend 
that let this kind of situation go to the point where the cat would 
hide under the bed and attack her legs as she passed, actually biting 
onto her pant leg and sort of hanging there;  it was one thing when 
the cat thought she was on this earth to be his servant, but quite 
another when he started looking upon her as prey!  She finally had 
to go against her kitty-loving instincts and cuff the little 
terrorist a couple of times, but it stopped when he realized he 
couldn't attack her with impunity. He's been fine ever since.  
(Of course, I think the little guy was just having emotional problems 
from being the only cat in the house - he's mellowed out considerably 
since we brought in a little female to keep him company.)

But in the meantime, until you solve this riddle (good luck...), 
you might try clipping his nails with an ordinary nail clipper 
(just be careful not to cut into the quick;  look at the claw 
first, and you can easily see where the nerve starts, and be careful).


Ken
From: guy@accept.ec.bull.fr (Guy Collombat)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Persians
Keywords: Persians
Date: 14 Apr 92 06:43:49 GMT
Reply-To: guy@accept.frec.bull.fr (Guy Collombat)
Followup-To: rec.pets.cats
Organization: Bull S.A. Echirolles


My cat is a Persian Cream Silver Blotched Tabby Gold Eyes
His Name is Gipsy de la Guerinette
He is 9 months old.

I would like to have informations about Persans in USA because I read on his
pedigree he has American blood. 4 generations ago one of his ancestors was a
great champion of USA. The name of this Champion is Majololi Mateo of Paco Tico.
I though he was a Californian. But a few weeks ago a friend bring from Austin a
"Blue Bonnet", a typical Texan flower. And my Gipsy played with the flower all
the night : imagine the result :-) . Now I suspect my cat to have Texan blood .


-- 
Guy Collombat .
Bull Unix Center . Echirolles . France
EMAIL : guy@accept.frec.bull.fr 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: young@sasquatch.serum.kodak.com (Rich Young (x37176))
Subject: Re: Quaking cats
Organization: Clinical Products Division, Eastman Kodak Company
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 18:56:02 GMT

In article <7219@dirac.physics.purdue.edu> stnd@gibbs.physics.purdue.edu (Scott N. Dickson) writes:
>In article <1992Apr14.200048.2989@rsg1.er.usgs.gov> ssnyder@sunai.er.usgs.gov (Steve Snyder) writes:
>>Before the Loma Prieta earthquake in October 1989, did anybody notice any 
>>unusual behavior in their kitties? Or other animals?
>
>
>
>Well, a friend of mine from the area mentioned a few ducks flying
>overhead going "Earthquack! Earthquack!".....
>
>
>
>
>
>:^)


	This is a truly SICK man!   ;^D


-Rich (young@serum.kodak.com)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats