HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: phz@cadence.com (Pete Zakel)
Subject: Re: Kitty has a eye problem - help
Organization: Cadence Design Systems
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 04:53:31 GMT

In article <1992Nov26.154706.25593@tms390.micro.ti.com> david@tms390.micro.ti.com (David Thomas) writes:
>If you take care of it, the eye with poor drainage should not cause
>the cat any problems.  Corrective surgery would only be considered
>in extreme cases; for example, if the cat suffered from repeated 
>eye infections due to inadequate drainage.

Ghost's left eye has always had poor drainage (either no duct or too small a
duct), and I just clean accumulations (carefully) with a tissue or clean
finger (when I can trick him into letting me -- he doesn't like it much).

Oolong occasionally gets buildup for various reasons (often related to all
the catfights he gets into), and he is real good about letting me clean his
eyes when necessary.

It definitely should be cleaned out, carefully, to prevent establishment of
a bacteria culture.  I've had Ghost for about 8 of his almost 9 years, and
he hasn't had any problem with the eye yet, even though it looks pretty
gucky at times.

-Pete Zakel
 (phz@cadence.com or ..!uunet!cadence!phz)

Do not go with a large basket for overpraised strawberries.

	-aged Bulgarian proverb
Organization: University Libraries - Technical Service, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 08:52:57 -0500 
From: "Denise D. Novak" <dn22+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Ghost Kitty Story

When my black kitty, Orpheus died, Spooky and I had a very hard time
adjusting and I was crying myself to sleep every night.  I felt very
guilty because I hadn't caught his renal problems until I took him to
the vet for his annual checkup and found out his kidneys had shut down.
Anyway, one night while Spooky was curled in my arms in bed, we felt a
thump on the bed and something laid across my ankles and started
purring.  This was Orpheus' spot to sleep at night.  
I'd like to think he came to visit to let us know he was still around. 
It made me feel alot better and Spooky didn't cry around the house as
much after that visit.  I still miss him and Spooky and I haven't gotten
a new kitty yet. But I think after the New Year my husband and I will
start visiting animal shelters,
looking for that little someone to be our companion and Spooky's new buddy.

Happy Holidays, everyone.
Denise Novak
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats,alt.drugs
From: guido@island.COM (Guido Marx)
Subject: Re: Choice (was Cats and LSD)
Organization: Island Graphics Corp.  San Rafael, Ca.
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 19:03:07 GMT

In article <1992Dec29.162019.3011@cnsvax.uwec.edu> drumm@cnsvax.uwec.edu (Danny) writes:
>I have heard of a few dogs (apologies to rec.cats if this is crossposted, 
>I forgot to check) that will beg to get smoke blown in their face when
>their owners are getting high.  other owners will pour a bowl of beer for 
>their dog. (I met one dog who is a regular partier -- with his owner)
>
>is this wrong?  should/shouldn't the pet's have the choice?
>(: and at what age? :)

Yep, I had a friend in high-school (pun intended) who had a black
Lab who just LOVED to get stoned.  That dog would practically mug
you if you were smoking a bong until he got a hit or two.  Quite
clearly, the dog liked getting high.

This dog was five or six years old - that's about forty for you 
and me.  He had reached the age of majority.

Guido


Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: levine@symcom.math.uiuc.edu (Lenore Levine)
Subject: Re: favorite cat
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 16:59:00 GMT

lydia@tarsal.dsg.ti.com (lydia middendorf ) writes:


>my favorite type (breed) of cat is Birman mix (from the humane shelter of
>course!!! )

>I would like to here stories of how you folks met your kittys.

I was living in an apartment building in Oakland, California. One
day I heard a kitten squeaking in the hall. I opened the door, she
walked in, looked around, said to herself, "I see the cats here
get LOTS to eat!" ...

...and Neek has stayed with me, now, for almost a dozen years!

Lenore Levine
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: thiessen@emr1.emr.ca (Tracy Thiessen)
Subject: Re: Defense
Organization: Energy, Mines, and Resources, Ottawa
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 13:44:45 GMT

In article <nlp-291292172524@192.156.173.150> nlp@pacvax.pacersoft.com (Nancy Pilsch) writes:
>Apparently I have offended a few people with a recent response to the
>question of having a cat with claws and a cat without in the same
>household.  My response was that one of my cats had been declawed by a
>previous (bad) owner.  Some people felt that they needed to point out that
>just because she had him declawed didn't mean she a was bad owner.  In my
>defense I would just like to say that I didn't mean for that statement to
>read like that.  She mistreated my sweet little Calvin in other ways as
>well.  How anyone could have been mean to such a sweet little guy I'll
>never know, but it is obvious that she was incredibly cruel to him.  
>I must point out however, that IMHO declawing is cruel.  As my vet put it,
>"it is a barbaric operation".  I am getting truly sick and tired of people
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>putting their not-alive furninture before their LIVE cats!  There are so
>many people on this topic looking for validation because they have declawed
>their cats or are planning to do so.  Jeez, if you felt so confident about
>your decision, why are you all being so defensive??  It makes me want to
>cry to see all ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^of these people voluntarily putting there companions thru
>pain for what?  A pristine sofa??  Better not have children.  They'll ruin
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>your whole house, not just a piece of furniture.  
>I know that I am probably going to get charcol broiled, not just flamed for
>this.  Go right ahead.
>
>Just my .02
>
>Nancy
>Owned by Calvin and Hobbes  

And she wonders why we defend our decisions to declaw our cats.
I, for one, think both sides of this debate have presented some
very good points.  But goodgollygodamn hasn't the bottom line
emerged time and time again that we're all looking out for
the best interests of our cats? Isn't the provision of a 
loving and permanent home the most important thing here? [fade
in: melodramatic music]

Furthermore, I think comparing cats and kids is a little
silly.  People cannot take kids to a regulated agency to
be murdered, as they can with cats (which they do, in
big nasty numbers). 

And finally, while I've heard that some veterinarians
consider declawing "barbaric", I wonder how these same
vets feel about putting down a perfectly healthy, good
natured animal because it has destroyed thousands of 
dollars worth of furniture? (And, yes, this is a REAL
concern for some people and why shouldn't it be?) Doug's
vet advocates declawing for this sole reason.

It would be a great thing if it were implicit to being
a pet owner that animals must be treated with care and
respect. But, as we are all painfully aware, this is
absolutely not the case. In this light, shouldn't
declawing (an operation performed on cats who, in the
vast majority, are kept and nurtured) be the least of
our worries?

Tracy
From: ah881@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Joyce Brabner)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Kitty Valium
Date: 28 Dec 1992 19:54:25 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc10.ins.cwru.edu


Who has been giving this to their cats?  Why?  Any problems or
successes noted?  The drug was suggested as way to help deal wi/
some behavior problems ( not *MY* cats!  they are perfect! ;-) 
RUTH has three little monsters, and it's been suggested that she
ask her vet about this drug)

**j**
--
From: lyndap@Novell.COM (Lynda Peterson)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Kitty toys for the poor of pocket
Date: 21 Dec 92 21:30:17 GMT
Organization: Novell, Inc.

I have heard and seen this saying before, "Anything not nailed down is a  
cat toy." I recently discovered this with my new kitty, Haides. (Yes, that  
is the name she has earned and until she tells me different, that is what  
I am calling her. She will play with anything and for a couple of days, I  
thought she didn't sleep at all. She finally crawled in my lap while I was  
sewing and slept for a long time. 

She has declared herself my husband's kitty much to his delight and dismay  
(he was trying to set up his new train set). When he is home, she crawls  
all over him. You should have seen how cute they were sleeping together.  
Haides was curled up in the crook of his arm sleeping. Ain't that cute?

Lynda, Boo, and Haides
From: ah881@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Joyce Brabner)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Still looking for cat seat
Date: 22 Dec 1992 01:58:25 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc4.ins.cwru.edu


Try USAIR gift catalog or Sharper Image--- one of those
Yuppie toy stores sells them.  I saw one in an in flight
magazine.

***j***
-- 




Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: cc4507@u.cc.utah.edu (Chucki Carpinello)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: top ten Kitty Christmas Carols
Date: 27 Dec 92 21:04:04 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Utah Computer Center Student Mail Machine

In article <BzuAJE.y2@n7kbt.rain.com> phoenix@n7kbt.rain.com (Deborah Ruppert) writes:
>Thanks to the person that posted the titles of the top 10 Kitty Christmas
>Carols; I used the titles as inspiration to come up with some lyrics for
>some of them. Enjoy!
I posted them
THe lyricks are real cute! :)))
-- 
Chucki Carpinello
__
\/	Chucki.Carpinello@M.CC.Utah.EDU
Xref: sparky rec.pets.cats:15561 news.answers:4775
From: cs431109@umbc8.umbc.edu (cs431109)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Cat show
Date: 3 Jan 1993 06:21:43 GMT
Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County Campus
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: umbc8.umbc.edu

I just went to a cat show today and wanted to make a few comments. First,
if you love cats and have never been to a cat show, GO! You will see some
of the most beautiful cats in the world. And some of the "show" breeds,
like the siamese, look much better in person than in picture. 

One thing I don't understand is how the owners get the cats to be 
so well behaved and friendly. The judges pick them up and turn them 
around, and even blow on their fur -- yet the cats behave themselves. 
One Somali I saw was even flexing its paws in delight as it was being 
judged! How do breeders get their cats to tolerate strangers and being 
around so many other cats? 

There is one drawback though -- the owners don't want you petting or
touching their cats since you could spread disease from cat to cat. It
was pretty tough being around all those gorgeous friendly cats and
not being able to pet them.

A few messages ago, someone asked about cats that were like the wild
cats. I forgot to mention to them the Ocicat, which looks like an
Ocilot. The Ocicat is a beautiful spotted cat that looks very wild.
I've also fallen in love with yet another breed -- the Somali. They
are a long haired Abyssinian, and look like wild foxes.

One of the best reasons to go to a cat show is for all the good
vendor supplies. Along with cat jewelry and knicknacks, you can buy
kitty condos, toys, carriers, litterboxes, litter, special food, etc.
There is one toy that I highly recommend, and I have an address to
send for it -- the Feline Feather Flyer! No cat can resist this one
and it's great excercise. I've seen similar toys in stores, but
my cats really go for these feathers more than any others. It's a
long stick with a string, and on the end of the string is a twirling
collection of feathers. The cats will chase it for hours and tear
it apart if you let them catch it (fortunately, you can get replacement
feathers, or buy your own feathers in a craft store). I store mine
in a closet and the cats go nuts when I go anywhere near the closet.
The Feline Feather Flyer is $6.00, and replacement 'birds' are
$3.50 or 3/$10. The address is Kitty Kouture, 29 Harvest Lane,
West Harford, CT 06117  (203) 236-0342. (shipping is 3.50).

I also picked up a copy of the January CATS Magazine, the one with
Socks on the cover! There is a good article about presidential cats
throughout history, and an brief piece about Socks. I'll put
some clips in another post when I have more time to type.

Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats,alt.drugs
From: ledlow@triton.unm.edu (Michael Ledlow PHYS)
Subject: Re: Cats and LSD
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 92 16:44:16 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

In article <1992Dec28.211752.26463@Cadence.COM> phz@cadence.com (Pete Zakel) writes:
>In article <1992Dec17.200748.16776@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com> billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:
>>mary@zmax.com (Mary Papp) writes:
>>: 
>I remember visiting someone's house one time and the person living there
>warned me to be careful of the cat.
>
>Seems the cat made off with some LSD (blotter) that someone had left lying
>on the coffee table and has never been the same since.  It made the cat
>somewhat unpredictable in behavior (not that cats are necessarily predictable)
>and he would as soon slash your hand as let you pet him.
>
>In this case the cat definitely had taken the LSD of his own accord.
>
The cat didn't consciencely choose to take LSD, his careless owners provided
him the opportunity to do so.  Cats being curious creatures will play 
with about anything.  To say that the cat did this of his own accord is
ridiculous.  If you leave poison out on the table, and the cat ingests it
do you say the cat committed suicide??  

--Michael
From: ah881@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Joyce Brabner)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Vet Says "Confine Them!"
Date: 22 Dec 1992 01:43:16 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc4.ins.cwru.edu


This request is from my good friend Ruth...
 
"I have three cats: two females who love each other, and "hate"
the third cat-- a male.  The two females were raised as kittens
and the male came a year later, as a kitten.  They are now 8-9 years
old.  All cats were neutered at usual time... 6 months.
 
From the beginning, one of the females appeared to have
difficulty distinguishing the litter box from squares of a quilt
and small love seats.  With three cats, it became difficult to tell
who was urinating where...  I work long hours and the cats have little
supervision.  When I moved to a condominium without a yard the male
cat became out of control, urinating in guests' purses, spraying
my clothes... any clothes that were not hung up, and my bed...
I was afraid to have people visit and sit down, because of unexpected
puddles of urine.  Many times I have thrown myself bone-tired into
bed and felt uneasily for damp bed clothes.
 
I took all three cats to the vet.  He found a urinary tract infection
in the male cat but felt that beyond an irritable bladder, there was a
problem "between the ears".  He recommended confining my cats to a
small area: the little bedroom, kitchen area and pantry, for at least
two months.  He said that I would "lose them as pets" for that time, but
this might correct the problem.
 
I wasn't able to do this, and have now been compared to a "battered
wife" ;-)  (Joyce says "Ruth is a cat sucker!")
 
I'm unable to entertain at home.  I've spent a lot of money on
things like air filters, and new furniture, but I have no joy in
buying bed clothes."
*****
OK!  There you have it.  Should Ruth lock her three cats up for
at least 2 months?  Please e-mail us!
 
--
From: pandit@ssd.intel.com (Milind Pandit)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: gunky eyes
Date: 29 Dec 92 17:33:12 GMT
Organization: Supercomputer Systems Division (SSD), Intel

In article <1hotu5INN7fk@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> at881@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (N. French) writes:
>
>My three month old kitten, Darla, has had some gunk in
>her eyes the last couple of days. Her mother was a Persian,
>and I thought I had heard that they had this problem more
>than most cats. However, I had a cat die of FIP and gunk
>in the eyes was his first visible symptom. Anyone have
>some input on this before I go off the top of the panic
>scale?

Hmmm...my Penny is very Persian and never gets that in her eyes.  On
the other hand, Manu, who is very Siamese used to need his eyes
cleaned daily.

If this is unusual for your cat, then take her to the vet.  It's
probably just a cold.

-- 
Milind S. Pandit			| pandit@ssd.intel.com
Operating Systems Engineer		|
Intel Supercomputer Systems Division	| Standard Disclaimers Apply
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Shelter cats
Date: 23 Dec 92 09:34:53 -0600
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

Lenore Levine writes
> Klier writes:
>>I still don't quite understand how I got out of there without offering 
>>to adopt everyone.  Maybe the extra check I left helped assuage my 
>>guilt _slightly_. (But don't be surprised to hear I've got a couple 
>>more cats soon...)
> 
> Cats are like peanuts, you can't have just one.

Tell me about it.  I went to pick up Nameless at the vet, and while
I was waiting for Dr. Broshar to try to get her lab coat around her
(due in 3 weeks!), I was playing with a truly sweet orange fluffball
that I judged to be about 6 weeks old.  "Oh, no!  He's 8.5 weeks!  He's
part of a litter that some fools brought here at 3 weeks and tried to 
tell us they were 5 weeks!  Those poor kittens were so infested with
Coccidia we kept them anyhow rather than send them home.  We lost two
of the seven the first day, and there's still one little female who hasn't
quite recovered.   She's partially deaf, and we're hunting for a really
good home for her.  Here she is...."

Yup.  That orange fluffball had Catkin's sweet face (Catkin died last
summer of liver problems), and an incredibly playful nature.  Yes,
Besseya* (aka Bessie) came home with me that day.  She immediately
started playing with Charlotte's kittens (twice her size!) and Hoover,
my housemate's cocker spaniel, and has charmed the socks off everyone who's
seen her.

Just to make Christmas even more complicated, we now have a 9 week
Sheltie puppy bouncing around the house and making spots on the floor.
Kittens and puppy are playing well together, but Hoover and the senior
cats want nothing to do with these kids till they calm down...  ;-)

Besseya is named for an endangered species of plants in the snapdragon
family -- common name is "kitten tails".  They grow in the area, and
it seemed an appropriate name for her, and for me, since I've spent
a good portion of my life in Bessey Hall, the botany building  at Iowa
State.

Besseya is an incredibly stubby cat-- practically spherical.  Quite a
change from Charlotte's long and leggy kittens!

Kay
 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: linley@netcom.com (Bruce James Robrert Linley)
Subject: Cleaning stained fur: how?
Organization: Computer Science & Engineering, UCLA
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 21:20:33 GMT

I have a white cat whose fur has become discolored (brownish) on its legs. I
think the stains are from the food he eats. He eats the food, then licks his
paws. Bathing (with regular soap/dawn) does not seem to remove these stains.
The faq does not seem to cover this problem. Any help on how to remove these
stains is appreciated. Thanks.

-- 
Bruce James Robert Linley | "Well, I tried shoving a weiner in the warp drive,
Comp Sci & Engr, UCLA     |  but it didn't do a bit o' good."
<linley@netcom.com>       | - Star Dreck, c/o Dr. Demento
<linley@seas.ucla.edu>    |
From: floyd@starsend.chbrk.pa.us (Floyd Miller)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Catproof couches?
Date: 22 Dec 92 23:54:42 GMT
Reply-To: floyd@starsend.chbrk.pa.us (Floyd Miller)
Organization: Just Me

In a previous article judy@evolving.com (Judy Bettinger) write:
> I've heard that if you get fabrics which have a smooth finish rather
> than something rough and nubby, cats aren't excited about scratching it.
> ................
> .....  Anybody else found that smooth fabrics are
> less appealing?

I have a leather sofa and chair.  My two cats like to sit or sleep
on it but they've never purposely scrathed or attacked them in any way.

****************************************       ****
 ** Floyd Miller ***************************     ***
  *********************************************    **
   *** floyd@starsend.chbrk.pa.us ****************  **
    ************************************************  *
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: guru@camelot.bradley.edu (Jerry Whelan)
Subject: Cat licks plastic and likes it
Organization: The Smelly Ditch
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 92 00:32:56 GMT

	My year and a half old, neutered generic black short hair has
started licking plastic.  He seems to specialize in licking those
plastic bags that you get from the grocery store in lieu of paper
bags.  But, he does lick other types of crinkly plastic as well.
He doesn't seem to actually chew or ingest the plastic and will
happily lick away at the same spot on a bag for five or ten minutes
if I let him.
	So, what I want to know is why is he doing this?  He's got
plenty of food and water and other toys and I don't think the plastic
has anything on it (as he seems to go for most any crinkly plastic)
that might taste good.  Is he getting some cool tongue stimulus or
something?  What is the deal here?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
``written by a drunken insane pathological liar''        guru@stasi.bradley.edu
From: tim.burton@cutting.hou.tx.us (Tim Burton) 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Leakage from alt.drugs
Date: 22 Dec 92 17:38:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: The Cutting Edge - Houston, TX - 713-466-1525
Reply-To: tim.burton@cutting.hou.tx.us (Tim Burton) 

>     Maybe I have missed something.   What does this have to do with
>cats?  You should stop cross posting messages that has nothing to do with
>cats.

DT.Well, considering the source of these messages (alt.drugs), it's no wonder
  .that the original posting was cross-posted to an inappropriate newsgroup,
  .and that all the people who replied are unaware that they are doing the
  .same on every follow-up.

DT.But, Tim, they can't hear you complain about it unless you cross-post to the
  .newsgroup that they're actually reading.
 
  Yeah, once I looked back at it I realized his mistake.  Just too 
late to stop the message from going out. :(  Oh well, the past is the 
past.  ttyl.

 - Tim
   Internet: Tim.Burton@Cutting.hou.tx.us
---
 . 1st 1.01 #1199s . It's SHO time!
                                                                                                                    
----
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Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: npm@dale.cts.com (Nancy Milligan)
Subject: Drinking from the pot
Organization: Titan Linkabit Corporation
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 17:09:16 GMT

My cat, Taboo, drinks from the toilet in a way I never saw a cat do before.
Every other cat I've ever owned has perched precariously on top of the
toilet seat and stuck his face down to the water.  

Taboo however is far too dignified to take such a position.  He just puts 
his front paws on the toilet seat, back paws on the floor, and swoops
his paw through the water, like he is trying to scoop it up in the 
palm of his hand (if he had one).  Then, of course, he licks his paw and
dips it in for another round.

Silly thing!

--
Nancy P. Milligan 				npm@dale.cts.com
Titan Linkabit					cts!dale!npm
		  Gravity is no laughing matter.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats