HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: lcornell@stein.u.washington.edu (Linda D. Cornell)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Brushing Teeth
Date: 19 Dec 92 02:43:52 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Dec19.024352.511
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

Another note on this subject...my big guy Merlyn (RIP) had infected
"fangs".  They looked fine, his breath wasn't too bad....but he kept
getting more and more irritable.  I thought he was getting older and just
didn't appreciate the new kitten.

After his fangs were pulled (the vet noticed they were really wiggly), he
became an absolute kitten again instantly - at 4 years old.  Another
reason to check with your vet anytime your pet's behavior changes...you
never know.

The cat I got at the pound after Merlyn passes away ended up having *all*
her teeth pulled (massive infections :( ) - she was about 5 years old at
the time.  The vet said the ones that get bad teeth early in life, tend
to get them quickly and extensively.  The majority of cats run into problems
slowly over a long period of time.  

Either way...as owners, they're our responsibility...teeth and all if we
want to keep our fur-balls around 4-ever ;)!

Linda 
lcornell@u.washington.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: vicki@steam.atd.ucar.edu (Vicki Holzhauer)
Subject: Re: Help me name my cat
Organization: Atmospheric Technology Division/NCAR Boulder, CO
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 23:58:45 GMT

In article <nlp-161292171625@192.156.173.150> nlp@pacvax.pacersoft.com (Nancy Pilsch) writes:
>I once saw a cat that weighed 31 lbs!  I'm not kidding!

When I was visiting Albuquerque last summer, I discovered the Old Town
Cat House, which is owned by a 28-pound orange tabby named Two Ton
Terrible Toes.  The lady he owns adopted him from the pound at age 10
(bless her) and 43 pounds.  She dieted him down to 28.  He sure does
bring a lot of business into the shop; he sits in the shop window
surveying his domain and allowing people to fondle him ... :-)


--
Vicki Holzhauer, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Boulder, Colorado / / / /  vicki@ncar.ucar.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: hirschon@ast.saic.com (Donna Hirschon (x5177))
Subject: Re: Just out of curiosity..
Reply-To: hirschon@ast.saic.com
Organization: SAIC
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 22:26:12 GMT

I can't tell if my cat loves it or hates it when I sing, but she goes crazy - she gets right up in my face and has been known to bite me on the nose.  She also comes and gets in my lap when I whistle, but if I keep whistling, she reacts the same way as when I sing. I guess it doesn't say much for my singing! (or whistling!)

Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: Jack_Webb@mindlink.bc.ca (Jack Webb)
Subject: Re: hurling cat
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 00:41:29 GMT

> demetri@cgrg.ohio-state.edu writes:
>
> Msg-ID: <1992Dec13.030919.4736@cgrg.ohio-state.edu>
> Posted: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 03:09:1
>
> Org.  : OSU Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design
>
> Hi Donna,
>
> My first response to your question "Why does my cat hurl?" was going to be
> "Because he is a cat." or "Hairballs"... except, Socrates (Socko-Kitty) was
> hurling for a long time and we got several professional opinions that it
> was just hairballs until we insisted that further tests be done.  We found
> out that he has an abdominal tumor which is likely to be malignant.  ... I
> don't want to scare you but depending on how long and/or how often your cat
> has been "talking about his kibble" you may want to have it looked into.  I
> have also heard about cats being allergic to colors (particularly reds)
> used in foods.  Does he ralph hair, food, foam, or some wonderfully dinner
> conversation worthy combination thereof... ?
>
> -Demetri...
>

yes, there are a lot of reasons for "hurling" other than hairballs... things
like megacolon cause vomiting, and they don't go away.  When in doubt, talk
to the vet... at least you're relatively sure then.

*j*
--
WE SAIL TONIGHT FOR SINGAPORE - WE'RE ALL AS MAD AS HATTERS HERE!!

*******************Jack_Webb@mindlink.bc.ca***********************
****VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA...HOME OF THE NEUROTIC****
From: avi@rix.Corp.Sun.COM (Ann Adamcik)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Question of Age...
Date: 16 Dec 1992 20:28:58 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Distribution: world
Reply-To: avi@rix.Corp.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: rix.corp.sun.com

In article 16DEC199202365120@nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov, rusty@nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov (Kenneth Hall) writes:
>This is a question of curiosity for me at this moment.  At what age 
>does a female cat stop coming in heat in general.  The reason I as is 
>that my cat "Doc" has shown no signs of having come in heat.  Granted 
>that she was a stray that I took in several years ago, but looking at 
>her belly, there are no signs o a scar from the spaying procedure and 

She's probably been spayed.  The scar is very tiny - you probably wouldn't
be able to find it unless you shaved her belly.
From: cwaite@opal.tufts.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: A Beginner Asks...
Date: 10 Dec 92 16:43:14 GMT
Organization: Tufts University - Medford, MA

In article <1fvkucINNoap@life.ai.mit.edu>, marilyn@ai.mit.edu (Marilyn Melithoniotes) writes:
> We are considering getting a cat for the first time, and I have 
> four specific questions: there are probably a dozen things that 
> haven't yet come to mind...
> 
> 1. Is it possible, if we start with a kitten, that it can be taught to 
> co-exist with our 2 parakeets?  Or will it always be open warfare
> until the birds are done for?
>    It really depends on the cat, I have been told.  My sister had a cat that
used to sleep next to the cockatiel's cage and there were no problems;  I also
know someone with two cats who raises finches, and she never mentioned
difficulties with the cats.  Starting with a kitten would probably be your best
bet.
> 2. Is there a particular breed that is less destructive to furniture
> and carpet?  Or is it completely random?  Can this be ``trained'' for?
> My husband and I are against declawing (ouch).
>    I don't know that any one breed is more or less likely to scratch; again,
it depends on the individual cat.  Yes, they can be trained, with lots of
patience (although some never seem to get it--no way to predict, though).  You
must start their training early and be both persistent and consistent about it.
> 3. Smells?  A problem, or not necesarily?  We have already been counseled 
> to get a female.
>    Odor should not be a problem it the cat is properly cared for and the
litter box kept tidy.  Tomcat urine is very strong smelling but this goes away
when the cat is neutered.  That's the only reason I know of that a male would
cause more odor than a female.  I, myself, prefer male kitties;  they seem to
be nicer pets after neutering than females (I know many will disagree, but this
has been my experience and that of a number of my friends).
> 4. I like the looks of Siamese, but hope for something smart/affectionate.
> Any thoughts?
>    Siamese are in fact one of the most intelligent breeds and are very lively
and affectionate.  Oriental shorthairs, having been bred from Siamese are the
same.  Other breeds may be less active and more apt to be "lap cats";  check
out a few of the breed books or talk to some different breeders at a cat show
for more information on the breeds and their characteristics (Cat Fancy
magazine highlights a different breed each month;  see if it's available at a
local library).  Good luck!
--Carolyn (and kitties)
> Please respond to this newsgroup, or to marilyn@ai.mit.edu.
> 
> Many thanks...
> 
> --marilyn
From: nvonstein@memstvx1.memst.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: jellicle?
Date: 17 Dec 92 15:21:21 -0600
Organization: Memphis State University

In article <1gqke4INN3po@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu>, at881@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (N. French) writes:
> 
> excuse me if this is a stupid question, but what the heck
> is a jellicle cat?
> 
> Nicole


It is from the play "Cats". I haven't seen the play yet, but have the
soundtrack and from what I understand, Jellicle is the neighborhood in which
the characters reside; therefore they are the Jellicle cats.

I may be wrong--hopefully next Spring when the play comes back to Memphis, I
will get to find out. Because I will be sure to see "Cats".

Nancy
From: cousins@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Kathy Cousins)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Do your cats know their names?
Date: 18 Dec 92 16:38:23 GMT
Reply-To: cousins@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Kathy Cousins)
Organization: Carderock Division, NSWC, Bethesda, MD

In rec.pets.cats, kkv@inel.gov (Jamie J Ferguson) writes:
>All 3 of my cats know their names and will come (or at least look to
>see if I have kitty treats) when I call.  Most people find this hard
>to believe, and I was wondering how many other peoples' cats know
>their names.  Its funny because the right cat will look up and meow
>at me!!!

Both Fluffy and Squeaky know their names.  Fluffy is just not generally
willing to respond "like a dog" any old time he is called.  However,
we got him at about 9 months of age as a stray and perhaps he is still
(9.5 years later) waiting for us to call him by his "real" (original)
name.  Squeaky has no cat pride; he comes just like a dog would when
you call him.  Squeaky also reacts jealously when you call Fluffy.

Squeaky also knows my daughter Christine's name.  If you ask Squeaky
"where is Christine?" he will look around and listen and often but not
always head in her direction.  Christine got a dog, Oreo, a year ago.
Oreo lives at Christine's dad's house but has stayed with us for weekends
sometimes and once, last summer for two weeks.  Squeaky hates Oreo,
has hated him from the very moment he laid eyes on him, and familiarity
has only increased his hatred.  Squeaky, not surprisingly, knows Oreo's
name and if Squeaky (for wwhatever reason) thinks that Oreo may be coming
will get prepared to defend his house against the dog at the mention
of Oreo's name.  I think his hatred is part fear of the unknown, alien
creature (Squeaky came from the animal shelter to us at age 8 weeks
and has been exclusively an indoor cat) and part jealously of Christine's
attention to the dog.  (It is always an interesting logistical problem
to keep Squeaky from attacking Oreo while Oreo is trying to investigate
and make friends and Fluffy is trying to go outside to roll in the street--
Fluffy is supposed to be an indoor cat also.)
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Adding a cat to our menagerie
Date: 14 Dec 92 17:57:23 -0600
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <1992Dec7.204611.27576@walter.bellcore.com>, mjm@thumper.bellcore.com (Marian Macchi) writes:
> Keywords:cats dogs
> 
> Because of requests from our children, my husband and I are
> considering adding a cat to our "menagerie".  We already
> have two 12-year old dogs (a male and a female Welsh terrier),
> a parakeet, a hamster, and numerous fish.  We have plenty of
> house space, plenty of yard space, and we have someone in the
> house most of the day.  The dogs can go outside if someone
> lets them out, and I'd hope that eventually the cat would go
> out, too.
> 
> Here are our goals and concerns:
> 
> (1) A cat that can co-exist with the dogs. 
I'd suggest you call the local shelters and ask if they have cats that
have been raised with dogs.  I'd also suggest you ask for help in 
picking out a fairly spunky cat (one that isn't going to put up
with dog nonsense) _particularly_ since you've got terriers.  In
my experience, terriers are pretty stubborn dogs, and they'll need
a pretty stubborn cat to "train them".  Provide lots of escape
routes for the cat, and make it clear to the dogs that they must
accept the cat.  99% of the time, this works (though there will be
occasional spats).  In my experience, the cat will probably scratch 
the dog's nose a couple of times, but if there is an escape route,
the damage isn't likely to be worse than that.
> 
> (2) A cat that will not spray in the house.
> This is our second biggest concern. I've heard that a neutered
> male will not spray, but other people have told me that that's not true.
Spayed females and neutered males _tend_ not to spray, but a small percentage
(5%???) will spray, and will need medication and/or behavioral therapy
to quit spraying.

> (3) A cat that will not destroy our furniture.
> This is tied for second.  Do we need a scratching post?
Yes, absolutely.  And a number of squirt bottles for instant 
long-distance discipline.

> (4) A cat that will not kill the hamster, bird or fish.
> Is it possible to have all of these animals coexist happily?
My cats have always gotten along with my other critters.  I'm
not sure I'd leave an uncaged parakeet with clipped wings around
my current cats, though...  And my kittens are convinced that the
fish-flavored water from the betta bowl is superior to the stuff
in their dish.  They aren't interested in the fish, though -- just
the water. (?!?!)

> (5) A cat that is affectionate with people.
> 
> Our vet has recommended that we get an adult, neutered
> male cat.  Another local vet has available for adoption
> a 20-month old male cat who was abandoned and has been
> living at the vet's for almost a year. This cat still has claws,
> was neutered a week or so ago, seems extremely friendly
> and affectionate.

Sounds like an excellent possibility to me!

Kay Klier  Biology Dept  UNI
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: ssw5356@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
Subject: Re: Asorbine for Flea dermatitis?
Reply-To: ssw5356@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 17:21:33 GMT

In article <1992Dec10.230103.13691@europa.asd.contel.com>, draper@gnd1.wtp.gtefsd.com (PAM DRAPER) writes:
>

>My mother's cat gets flea dermatitis.  A friend of mine recommended using
>Asorbine, a linoment that is usually used on animals such as a horse.  Has
>anyone heard of this?  Anybody have any other recommendations?
  I have used it (Asorbine U
Jr. on sore muscles (my own) it stinks and burns the skin...I can't imagine how
it would feel on a dermatitis!  Yowch!!  How about Ivory bath soap or Dawn dish
detergent instead?  Silvia, caretaker of Pepe, Stretch, Hair Bear and Paws.
From: HF.CLN@forsythe.stanford.edu (Cynthia Ng)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: declawing?
Date: 18 Dec 1992 11:34:13 -0800
Organization: Stanford University
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: morrow.stanford.edu

How do you know he experienced no pain?
Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Thursday, 17 Dec 1992 15:19:37 CST
From: <U15289@uicvm.uic.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Diet and size of stray cats

I've lately been leaving generic dry cat food for some stray kittens (and,
apparently, their mother) who've been visiting my back yard regularly.  I've
been adding those portions of my own cat's meals (Science Diet dry, several
premium brands of canned) that he doesn't finish.  The cats in the yard seem
small for their probable age (I don't know exactly what it is).  Is their
diet likely to be retarding their growth?  Could the kind of food I put out
for them make a difference one way or the other?

                                                 Mitch Pravatiner
                                                 U15289@uicvm.uic.edu
From: jlc5f@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (Jean L. Cooper)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: new cat in town
Date: 15 Dec 92 17:33:58 GMT
Organization: University of Virginia

You remember around Thanksgiving when I posted a notice to the
Charlottesville people that a friend had found a cat, and we
were looking for the owners?  Well, we couldn't find the owners.
We thought that we'd found him a home, but then there were problems,
and the people gave him back.  So now I have a large, long-haired,
white cat of the neutered male persuasion in my house, which has
heretofore only had spayed females.  He's about 3 or 4 years old.
He's very affectionate, and is a very nice cat.  (I call him
'Mr. Buddy'.)  Anyway, my only problem is that he is trying
to dominate my two other cats.  He will not let them eat.
I end up standing guard while I'm there, and I try not to 
think about what goes on when I'm not there.  Does anyone
have any suggestions about how to get Mr. Buddy to understand
that the other cats are supposed to eat and use the facilities
too?  Thanks.
--
Jean L. Cooper    (BITNET: JLC5F@virginia.edu   CIS: 70253,1114)
"The true University of these days is a Collection of Books." 
                                           --Carlyle                        
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: erhart@athena.mit.edu (Julia Erhart)
Subject: older cats and respiratory illness
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 22:13:31 GMT

Hi there.  I have a cat, 18 yrs. old, who has had an increasingly severe
respiratory condition for almost a year now.  While she responded well to 
antibiotics at first, they have no lasting effect on her; what happens is 
that all of the original symptoms return once the antibiotics are finished.
What is worse is that her condition seems to deteriorate after each "cycle" 
of antibiotics: by now the light sneezing that she was doing last January 
sounds like a painful hacking  wheeze, and her breathing has become 
increasingly difficult and labored, particularly when she sleeps.

In spite of all this, she continues to eat fine and behave more or less 
normally, suggesting to me that her pain is less than I imagine -- if she
has much at all.  Yet I'm worried it could become very painful in the next
couple of weeks if her condition continues to deteriorate.  I imagine her 
experiencing something like slow suffocation.

While there is a fairly drastic diagnostic procedure I will eventually ask 
the vet to undertake (it involves anaesthetizing the cat, and therefore some 
risk), tests so far have been inconclusive.  Noone seems to know what is
wrong with her, yet still she gets worse and worse.  

The two questions I am asking this newsgroup are a) whether anyone out there 
has ever had a cat experience the same thing; what was it diagnosed as; and
what you decided to do about it; and b) if it turns out there is no cure per 
se, how does one make the heartwrenching decision as to when--or whether--to 
put an otherwise healthy cat to sleep?  How does one assess the amount of pain
an animal is in?

Thank-you all in advance for reading this post.  Please respond to me
personally (it's easier for me to access personal e-mail than the newsgroup),
unless you think the answer would be of general interest.

Sincerely yours,

Julia Erhart (erhart@athena.mit.edu)





From: peggyv@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Peggy Vincent)
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1992 19:31:15 GMT
Subject: Re: declawing?
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Santa Rosa, CA
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats

With a little patience and a water bottle or water pistol you can 
train a cat not to claw your furniture.  Declawing is really
amputation of the first section of your animals "fingers".  I would
feel bad about doing that to someone I loved.  The water pistol
training usually lasts for only a couple months.  My cats got to
the point that they recognized the water pistol and would run.  They
are very smart and eventually learn the desired behavior.
From: m1dib00@fed.frb.gov (Douglas I. Battenberg)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Do You Have Three Cats?
Date: 15 Dec 92 15:10:34 GMT
Organization: Federal Reserve Board
In-reply-to: dave.yuhas@ggcs.org's message of 10 Dec 92 12:28:00 GMT

I have three male Burmese that I got as kittens, two brothers and a
first cousin. They are now almost four years old and, although they 
have regular sometimes very noisy wrestling matches, they get along
just fine. They love to sleep in a heap.
From: dan@msen.com (Dan Sugalski)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Help me name my cat
Date: 16 Dec 1992 07:37:13 GMT
Organization: Msen, Inc. -- Ann Arbor, Michigan
NNTP-Posting-Host: garnet.msen.com
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]

Eric Williams (wd6cmu@netcom.com) wrote:
: And the winner is: Vincent.  Thanks to all who gave suggestions.  Vincent
: is 14 weeks old and is already 5 pounds.  I hope that means he's going to
: be a big cat.
: -- 
 Big?  More likely *hugh*!  He outweighs some of the adults I have(had).
Vincent outweighs Spike, who's 23 weeks old, by at least a pound :)

Karen
From: dan@msen.com (Dan Sugalski)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Cats riding on shoulders
Date: 14 Dec 92 06:01:59 GMT
Organization: Msen, Inc. -- Ann Arbor, Michigan
NNTP-Posting-Host: garnet.msen.com
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]

: Two of our four cats are Abyssinians, and they have always loved to climb on (or
: jump on) our shoulders. They are now full-grown and still fit ok, although they
: don't ride around on our shoulders as much as they used to. We enjoy it - as long
: as we remember to trim their claws (front and back) often enough! In our old house,
: whenever I stood at the front door talking to a door-to-door salesperson, they
: would both jump onto my shoulders and sit there looking out at the (by-now-quite-
: surprised) salesperson. They also would sometimes conspire to try to keep us from
: leaving for work - one would jump onto each of us, and then we'd have to try to
: get them both off of us at the same time! It was a sure-fire way to start the
: day laughing. By the way, they can jump up to our shoulders from the ground, if
: they have to, but prefer to start at a higher level (the top of a chair or large
: stereo speaker, for example).

Abyssinians are vertically oriented cats.  All of our cats are Aby in some
part, and people who aren't used to it find them amazing.  One cat used to
sleep on top of the bathroom door.  I found this by closing the door and
almost knocking her down.   A cat we no longer have was an indoor/outdoor cat
and one day she did not think we let her in fast enough, so she climbed
the screen.  When I opened the door, she went sideways across the screen,
and around the door and the climbed back down on the inside of the door.

Why did you climb it? Because I could.

Karen (and Daryl, Durin, Wills, Tabitha and Spike)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: Jack_Webb@mindlink.bc.ca (Jack Webb)
Subject: Re: Psycho Kitty? :-)
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 02:56:55 GMT

re: pester the psycho cat...

some cats just have a higher tolerance than others to touch.  I knew a cat
named pearl who would come lay on anyone, but as soon as they touched her,
she attacked!  She wanted to be liked, but on her own terms (which were
pretty strict indeed!)  Maybe pester is one of those... wants to be near you
and loved without being actually touched. :)

*jules*
--
WE SAIL TONIGHT FOR SINGAPORE - WE'RE ALL AS MAD AS HATTERS HERE!!

*******************Jack_Webb@mindlink.bc.ca***********************
****VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA...HOME OF THE NEUROTIC****
From: dan@msen.com (Dan Sugalski)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Mischievous Black Cat   (Shannon Lilley)
Date: 15 Dec 1992 04:46:12 GMT
Organization: Msen, Inc. -- Ann Arbor, Michigan
NNTP-Posting-Host: garnet.msen.com
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]

: This may be a tall tale, but I've been told that solid black cats have a
: high likelihood of being half-Siamese, which accounts for their cleverness
: and agression.  Can anyone verify or discount this?

: Lesli (mommy to Princess M'lady Portia (TA) and Mocha (rescued Bali))

It is possible that black cats are the descendants of a siamese.
The color point gene is a recessive.  If the cat only gets one, it will
not express the color points (Siamese coloring).  This means that if one
parent is not Siamese, and the other is, none of the kittens will be
colorpoints.  If these cats then breed, there is still only a 25% chance
of color point.  Seal point, the most common Siamese coloring is actually
black.  This is why most Siamese cross kittens are black.  Siamese should
not be agressive.  If there are Siamese running in the area, that scrawny
black kitten may just be part Siamese.  Especially if it talks a lot.

Karen


Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats