HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: lianne@bcarh17e.BNR.CA (Lianne Barre)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Keeping kitten out of my plants
Date: 28 Jan 93 15:07:27 GMT
Reply-To: lianne@bcarh17e.BNR.CA (Lianne Barre)
Distribution: world
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.

I've been using the FAQ advice about this, but I'm now getting rather
frustrated.

Guinness, our 5-month old terror, decided about 2 months ago that my
plants were a great alternative to the litter box. I solved the problem
at the time by stuffing all the plants with newspaper (he found out how
to get around the tin foil I tried first). It worked great, but looked
terrible. 

This weekend I decided to try it again, and removed the paper from all 
but his two favourite plants (they've had enough fertilization :) ).
I found traces of dirt on the floor yesterday underneath one, and caught
him in the act this morning. He was plunked right in the middle of my
now-dying plant, merrily digging away. He gave himself away by his happy
little chirps while I was getting ready for work.

I yelled at him, dropped him on the floor, and proceeded to clean up. 
Of course, not realizing how close to death he was ;), he happily played
with the broom while I swept up his mess. 

The newspaper is back. In the spring, I'm going to re-pot all my plants
(since there's no dirt left in them) and decided to try putting gravel
on top, as suggested in the FAQ.

Now my question...what would work best? A fine gravel, like in aquariums,
or something heavier? What about cedar chips, like you sprinkle around 
outside gardens...or would he just consider that extra absorption? I'd
like it to look nice besides being functional. 

Any suggestions would help what's left of my sanity.

- Lianne -
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Can catnip be dangerous?
Date: 25 Jan 93 20:47:16 -0600
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <1993Jan25.020429.55707@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu>, arc2@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (AMY CHARLES) writes:
> Thought I'd give my kitties a treat, so I brought home a box of catnip/plastic
> catnip ball.  Now, we've had catnip toys before, but never the uncut stuff.
> My cats went BONKERS.  They seem OK now, but for a few minutes I was really
> worried about the older one, who's a strong and high-strung 13.  I took the
> 'nip away, scared by the manic reaction.  Don't know whether to give it back.
> Anybody know of danger in older cats of overstimulation thru catnip?

Been catnipping ancient cats for years.  They seem to enjoy it.  Vet
friends catnip their ancient cats (>18-20 yrs old).  No one seems to
come to any harm.

Kay Klier  Biology Dept  UNI

Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: ronnie@mailhub.scf.lmsc.lockheed.com (Ronnie Findley)
Subject: Re:  Snooky Wants a Girlfriend
Organization: Lockheed Santa Cruz, CA.
Distribution: NA
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 93 19:43:18 GMT

Be grateful Snooky is interested in Roxy; at least she's a female!  Many 
moons ago we had two neutered brothers, only Choo-Choo didn't know it.  The 
little pervert was *constantly* after his brother.  Poor Sylvester just 
never could comprehend what it was all about.  Sometimes hormones, 
testosterone, whatever, get out of whack.  Unfortunately, 30+ years ago we 
didn't know anything about that kind of stuff.  Contact your vet - 
medication should solve the problem.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: darmstro@acs.ucalgary.ca (Debby Armstrong)
Subject: Re: Horny Cat
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 93 17:19:52 GMT
Organization: The University of Calgary, Alberta

lambert_l@ab.wvnet.edu writes:
>Don't worry about the cat getting horny with the glove.   I have a cat whom
>was neutered at 6 months and he does the same thing with one of my stuffed
>animals all the time, and even with my female Cocker Spaniel he tries it 
>with but doesn't succeed.

I got my cat Max from the Humaine Society when he was a year old
(it was then that he got "fixed").  Max has since adopted one of
my son's teddy bears for his amour de coeur.  At first this 
concerned me because I have never had a male cat who did this so
I contacted the vet.  She told me that neutering a cat was no
guarantee he would stop spraying since this was a "learned"
behaviour and once a Tom starts spraying, he could in fact 
continue.  Luckly Max only goes through the motions with his
bear.  (My other cat Buster who is 9 months old -- he's getting
his operation next month -- just watches Max like he's nuts and
has shown no interest in the bear or any other object.)




Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: das@emmapeel.ca.boeing.com (Deb Schwartz)
Subject: Re: ATTIC DANGERS
Organization: Yet Another Graphics Project, Bellevue, WA
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 15:08:58 GMT

When I was a teenager (too many years ago!) for some reason I don't remember
Mom, my sister and I took our 2 Siamese cats, Waffle and Muffin, down to
my father's office, on the 16th floor of a big skyscraper.  While we were
off doing whatever, we let the cats run around in my father's office, with
the door closed and locked.  When we got back, only Muffin was visible.
We searched the office, no Waffle.  Although there didn't seem to be
anyway she could have gotten out, we started searching the hallways,
calling her.  On the other side of the building, we heard a muffled
'yeow' coming from within the wall in anwer to our calls.  We finally
figured out she had crawled into a heating vent with a loose cover in
Dad's office, and was lost in the heating ductwork.  By constantly
talking and calling to her, we managed to get her to follow our
voices to another vent, where we retrieved a very dusty and upset, 
but unharmed kitty.  
------
Debbie Schwartz // das@voodoo.ca.boeing.com  // ....uw-beaver!bcsaic!voodoo!das

"Are you telling me there are dead people in my living room watching videos?!"
				- Nina in 'Truly, Madly, Deeply'
From: barryf@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Barry Fowler)
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 23:36:32 GMT
Subject: Re: Cats need New Home
Organization: HP Colorado Computer Mfg. Operation
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats

Conversely, would your "friend" understand similarly, at a later date
if you were to get rid of her in the same manner that she has asked
you to get rid of your close feline companions?

I concur with the other posters.  This is not the last unreasonable 
demand she'll request of you and is a sign of things to come.

You obviously love your animals.  There are plenty of women out there who
would care about you more and the friends that you have become so close 
with over the years.
From: john-a.hayden@analog.com
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Twitching kitty?
Date: 26 Jan 93 21:08:25 GMT
Organization: Analog Devices, Inc.
Originator: john@atlas

In article <1993Jan26.193449.12819@viewlogic.com> greg@mobius.viewlogic.com (Gregory Larkin) writes:
>
>Hi there,
>
>I was wondering about something that our cat (Morsel) 
>does after he has been asleep for a while.  He will
>be laying in my lap sleeping for a bit, then he will
>begin to twitch.  His feet will start moving a little,
>then maybe his whiskers and ears.  Every now and
>then, he'll jerk his whole body violently enough to
>wake himself up!
>
>After he wakes up, he looks at me as if to say "Why
>did you do that??"!  Is this something to be concerned
>about?  Anyone else seen this behavior?
>
>Thanks!


Seems your cat is dreaming. Lots of cats (and dogs, to) 
do this; it can be hilarious to watch, as you try to figure out
what they're dreaming about.

-j


-- 
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| John Hayden,  SPD Div. CAD Manager       Internet: John-a.Hayden@Analog.Com |
| Analog Devices Inc, 3 Technology Way, Norwood, MA 02062 |   617-461-3862    |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: wd6cmu@netcom.com (Eric Williams)
Subject: Re: SPAYED CAT IN HEAT - HELP!!
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 21:47:38 GMT

<KMD129@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:
> I HAVE A ONE YEAR OLD CAT WHO WAS SPAYED AT SIX MONTHS.  SHE HAS GONE
> INTO HEAT THREE TIMES!!  HAS ANYONE EVER SEEN THIS HAPPEN IN A
> SPAYED ANIMAL?  ANY COMMENTS?  DO I NEED TO GET HER RE-SPAYED?
> I'D APPRECIATE ANY HELP!       KELLY

A person at work had the same thing happen.  Reason was the vet missed
some of the reproductive bits.  Call your vet, hers did the fix-up for
free.  (Parts and labor warrantee?)

-- 
Eric Williams     wd6cmu@netcom.com  |  Never attribute to malice that which
WD6CMU@WD6CMU.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA       |  is adequately explained by stupidity.
From: jpk@Ingres.COM (Jon Krueger)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Terrible incident with my mom...
Date: 26 Jan 93 22:28:58 GMT
Reply-To: jpk@Ingres.COM (Jon Krueger)
Organization: Ingres Corporation, a subsidiary of The ASK Group, Inc.

Judy Bettinger writes:
> [cat] returned a little while later proudly bearing a piece of 
> barbecued chicken.  I saw smoke wafting from my neighbor's patio
> and could only assume.......

Good cat!  Now, go get the drinks :-)

-- Jon
--
Jon Krueger  jpk@ingres.com  
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: linnco@microsoft.com (Linn Compton)
Subject: Re: early wake up calls
Date: 26 Jan 93 16:25:07 GMT
Organization: Microsoft Corp.
Distribution: usa

The strangest thing has been happening recently. For the past year,
my cat John Doe has been waking me up somewhere around 4am every
morning. My routine had been to feed the cats as late as possible at night,
(foolishly thinking that then they would all sleep late since they
wouldn't be hungry in the early morning). Then rountinely, JD would wake
me up at 4am and I would dutifully get up and feed him, then try to go
back to sleep while he did his morning Wild-Cat-Racing-Around-The-House 
routine. 

Well, I've been noticing that when I get up at 4am to feed them, none
of the three cats really seems to be very hungry and they don't eat much.
So last week, I decided to try feeding them only in the evening and cutting
out the 4am feeding. After a week of this, JD is now sleeping soundly 
beside me when I get up at my normal time of 5am. I can hardly believe it.
I wonder if my good luck will last...
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: krissie@alpha.la.locus.com (Krissie Griffiths)
Subject: Re: The Sacred Halogen Torchiere
Organization: Locus Computing Corporation, Los Angeles, California
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 93 23:05:57 GMT

In article <C16D4M.C2s@dale.cts.com> npm@dale.cts.com (Nancy Milligan) writes:
>
>It does give off some frequency of light that can sun burn you.  
>Sooooo... I dunno if cats can sun burn, I know that light colored
>dogs can (and can get skin cancer).  

unfortunately the answer is yes!  i am owned by a very beautiful pure white
long hair odd eyed cat.  i was told that even being an indoor cat she runs
a bit of a risk of things like skin cancer.

an outside white cat certainly does run that risk.  as well as sunburn.

i had to take gabrielle (said white cat) to the vet a couple weeks ago for
what i call "maintenance."  she has allergies manifesting in a scabby body,
runny eyes, from said allergies and a sort of yeast infection problem in 
her ears.

as the vet said "what do you expect, she is a white cat?"  *sigh*  yes, she
is sweet, beautiful and high maintenance.  she is now doing much better on 
all accounts.

now if we could just deal with meggie!

kg

ma

-- 
so what if i am a vegan?  so what if i try to live a cruelty free lifestyle?
i'll tell you what, i sleep better at night knowing that nothing suffers for
anything i eat or wear and i try to use products that have not involved 
animal testing.
From: mewilson@convex.cl.msu.edu (Margaret Wilson)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: prednisone
Date: 21 Jan 93 21:04:36 GMT
Organization: Michigan State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: convex.cl.msu.edu

varmette@scsuc.ctstateu.edu (SHIRLEY VARMETTE - SOCIOLOGY) writes:

>I know that when first used - vets were more "cautious" about it thn now -
>Aren't there some real problems with this stuff?????

Yes, there are *real problems* with this stuff, but cats don't live long 
enough for the more serious long-term side effects to develop.  My cat and
I both take Prednisone.  I have been taking it on a daily basis since 1975,
and I'm still doing OK.  Yes, I have had some side effects:
weight gain, water retention (even in my eyeballs, making me require a 
stronger prescription in glasses), acne, oily skin, dry skin, mood swings, 
etc.  Humans who are on the stuff know about mood swings and can take steps
to lessen their impact on others.  Cats, however, cannot.  Still, Sadie has
been on the stuff for almost a year, and she's doing fine.  Her colitis is
now under control.  I have a digestive disease known as Crohn's Disease, and
I would not be alive today were it not for Prednisone.  What you have to 
consider is this:  do the pros outweigh the cons?  Vets know Prednisone is
not candy, and for short periods of time, Prednisone isn't going to cause 
any harm.  For prolonged use, it's not a good idea.  But then again, there
are some conditions which require it.  My choice was to give the cat Prednisone
or put her down.  I made the obvious choice, and it's worked out fine so far.

If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

Margaret


--
Margaret Wilson, Systems Analyst  |  mewilson@convex.cl.msu.edu
Network Services, Computer Lab    |            mewilson@msu.edu
Michigan State University         |              (517) 353-9991
From: rde@ukc.ac.uk (R.D.Eager)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: FIV
Date: 23 Jan 93 01:39:23 GMT
Reply-To: rde@ukc.ac.uk (R.D.Eager)
Organization: Computing Lab, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK.

In article <2B5F1147.6814@ics.uci.edu> tittle@alexandre-dumas.ics.uci.edu (Cindy Tittle Moore) writes:
>What does FIV stand for?  I just realized I only have the acronym
>but not the full name in the faq and would like to correct this.

Since this is the feline equivalent of HIV, I guess it stands for:

    Feline Immunodeficiency Virus

Bob
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: petitc@vccnw03.its.rpi.edu (Christopher Jon Petit)
Subject: Re: Raccoons & pets :-(
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 00:39:04 GMT

scm@harvee.billerica.ma.us (S. Mudgett aka little gator) writes:

>they told us if someone unvaccinated gets bitten they will need a series of
>5 shots in the rear end, and that they are nasty and painful but not as 
>bad as the old stomach shots were.  a vaccinated person would only need one
>or two.  effectiveness was not discussed.

 Hmmm---I never heard of a preventative vaccination against it for humans.
-- 
"Protect endangered species!  Contribute to the Exxon Supporter's Fund!"
"Pay no attention to that little man behind the keyboard."
"If you want to look for fish, best not to look in desert."
"The greatest beauty in the world is beauty that is private."
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: npm@dale.cts.com (Nancy Milligan)
Subject: Re: Dog sensed earthquake, cats too.
Organization: Titan Linkabit Corporation
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 19:10:18 GMT

I can safely state that I've never owned a pet who could predict an
earthquake.  My cats have always slept through them, even though *I*
wake up and act like a total moron (or so the cats probably think). 
For all they know, I'm the one shaking the bed around.
--
Nancy P. Milligan 				npm@dale.cts.com
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: isc40041@nusunix1.nus.sg (LOO KOK HOE)
Subject: Looking for James Herriot [Followup #1]  8)
Organization: National University of Singapore
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 05:51:43 GMT


Hi People again!

My last message to locate James Herriot, the author of fantastic
animal books, such as "Vets might fly", "Its shouldn't happen
to a vet", "The Lord God made them all", ....  , has received
numerous replies from all the nice people over the world ...

My sincere thanks to Susan, Vicki, John, Liz, Roberta, DNC, Paul,
Bob, Alan, Marie, Steve, Mary and many others who never mention
their names in their mail ( except their email address ) ...

The information I received is:
1.  James Herriot's real name is James Alfred White
2.  Darrowby is actually in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, UK
    ( about 20 miles northnorthwest of York )
3.  Writing to his publisher may help to locate him
    ( I will try but worry that I may not get the reply by April, 
      when I leave for UK )
4.  He may not be friendly to autograph hunter 8(  (ie all his fans) 
5.  He may have retired from his practice and is living 
    somewhere else (Scotland?)  ;(  (worst info I received)

In his books, he works (owns) in a vet clinic in Darrowby.
If I cannot find him, I suppose I can at least take some photos
of the place.  So anyone know the actual name of the clinic
and the address ?  In addition, please email to me if anyone
have additional information not listed above!  Thanks you all!


George from Singapore  ( Thu Jan 28 05:00:00 GMT 1993 )

internet:  isc40041@nusunix1.nus.sg 
bitnet:    lookokho@nusdiscs
From: jshouman@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Joan-Marie Shouman)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Twitching kitty?
Date: 26 Jan 93 20:05:02 GMT
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX
NNTP-Posting-Host: dumbo.cc.utexas.edu


My older cat Ari does that sometimes. And quite violently at that. The first
time he did it, his legs and tail were just whipping about so horribly that
I thought he was having a spasm. So I woke him up to see if he was alright.
Boy was that a mistake. He was pissed. He was startled when I touched him,
then he gave me this look like "how dare you interrupt my beauty sleep," 
crawled about a foot from where he had been, flopped back down and went to
sleep.

My theory: he was dreaming. No one has confirmed this with me, but it seems
like a reasonable assumption. And, though I hate the methods used in scientific
research, there is evidence that cats do dream. Ari was probably dreaming about
being in a cat fight or chasing some small animal.

just a thought.
-- 
___________________________________________________    	      
Joan-Marie Shouman	      |non cogito ergo	   
(jshouman@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu) |non sum :)	   
___________________________________________________ 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: erc@unislc.uucp (Ed Carp)
Subject: Re: FREE young cats, had been abandoned
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Organization: Unisys Corporation SLC
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 15:08:35 GMT

Dana Dahl (dahl@tegra.com) wrote:

: My daughter living in a Lowell,MA apartment complex saw that a neighbor 
: when evicted left his two young cats to fend for themselves in the empty
: (except for clutter) apartment for 3 days. She found them, fed them and

Grrr...people who abandon pets really piss me off...gggrrrrrr.....

I will be moving soon back to the Bay Area, and I *refuse* to get rid of
*any* of my animals.  Screw the landlords - I'll just have to find a place to
live where I can have my buddies.
-- 
Ed Carp			erc@apple.com, erc@saturn.upl.com	801/538-0177

"It is your resistance to 'what is' that causes your suffering."   -- Buddha
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: malwen@granta.demon.co.uk (Sheila Thomas)
Subject: Re: Cat Show Info Request- Boston, MA 
Distribution: world
Organization: moderate-to-good
Reply-To: malwen@granta.demon.co.uk
X-Mailer: Simple NEWS 1.90 (ka9q DIS 1.19)
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 19:23:29 +0000

In article <C17vvo.CqE@dale.cts.com> npm@dale.cts.com writes:

>

>I highly recommend this toy!

 - about something where feathers are involved .
Anyone any idea if such a thing is available in the UK?
Or is it something I could try to improvise?
>--
_____________________________________
Malwen                             

..even snails get there in the end.
___________________________________________
From: darmstro@acs.ucalgary.ca (Debby Armstrong)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Better Than Catnip
Date: 27 Jan 93 22:00:33 GMT
Organization: The University of Calgary, Alberta

We have a store here in Calgary called The Cat House and
they sell pieces of honeysuckle branches (the branches/trunks of the
trees are sawed to the shape of thin disks).  My two cats go
absolutely crazy for it.  It has a completely different affect
than catnip -- they lick the branches and slobber all over (gets
the drool flowing) while rubbing the branches.  It makes them
very affectionate -- but they attack the honeysuckle with the
same zeal as when they go after catnip.  If your cats seem to
go psyco on catnip, try honeysuckle for a less violent cat-high.
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Cat begging
Date: 24 Jan 93 13:57:45 -0600
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <1993Jan23.163627.17835@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>, magarret@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (CAT LOVER) writes:
> My kitten, Zach, begs horribly for food everytime I try to sit down and eat!
> He'll meow constantly and try to jump up on the table, which he knows he's not 
> allowed to do.  I've sprayed him with water, but it doesn't much bother him, 
> and I've picked him up and set him down, but he's right back up in a flash.
> 
> It's partly my fault, cause sometimes I give them a piece of what I'm eating, 
> or let them lick the sauce that's left, but just as a treat on occasion.
> 
> I can't eat in peace anymore...I have to gulp down my food!  Help!

Load the spray bottle with dilute lemon juice, vinegar or tabasco (depending
on what your cat hates).  (Lemon and vinegar are less painful in the eyes.)
EVERYTIME Zach tries to jump on the table, spray him.  YOU MUST BE CONSISTENT.

Accompany every spraying with a hiss.  Eventually you'll be able to eat
in peace with the sprayer sitting on the table next to you, as a visual
reminder.  Finally, you should be able to eat without the sprayer, using
only a hiss as a reminder about bad behavior.

Kay Klier  Biology Dept  UNI
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: erc@unislc.uucp (Ed Carp)
Subject: Re: Strange wanted posting
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Organization: Unisys Corporation SLC
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 15:10:58 GMT

lhuffmanp@stsci.edu wrote:

: Not so strange. Kittens are used to train attack dogs, such a pit bulls to kill.
: Here is Baltimore, some wierdos on 41st street were using kittens for target 
: practice. 

I'd be tempted to use said wierdos for target practice.  And I'm *very* good
with a .45...  <evil grin>
-- 
Ed Carp			erc@apple.com, erc@saturn.upl.com	801/538-0177

"It is your resistance to 'what is' that causes your suffering."   -- Buddha
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats