HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: vandykt@kepler.ME.ORST.EDU ()
Subject: Re: Declawed cat growing new claws!!
Organization: Oregon State University
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 05:43:50 GMT

In article <49560004@hpcvnb.CV.HP.COM> julieu@hpcvnb.CV.HP.COM (Julie_Unruh) writes:
>I had the same thing happen to me, and this is what my vet told me:
>
>The claws are growing back because they were not declawed correctly.  A
>correct procedure involves cutting AT THE JOINT, not just across the
>claw itself.  You need to have the claws looked at ASAP, preferably by
>another vet, because it needs to be fixed right.  My cat was in a lot of
>pain, and the vet said it would feel like walking with rocks in your
>socks to the cat.  The second surgery took out lots of little slivers
>and deformed claws.  The only reason I took her in was because an abcess
>developed on her paw! So it was a surprise to me.
>
>Anyway, I'm still mad at the vet that didn't do a good job the first
>time.  When I called that vet, they offered to redo the surgery at no
>cost, but I had already moved to another state.  I wouldn't have let
>them have a second chance to botch it up anyway!  I suggest you have
>your vet diagram exactly what the declaw procedure was or will be.  If
>it is not cut at the joint, it is not correct.
>
>It sounds like you have the same situation.  An X-Ray might verify the
>problem?  Hope this helps.
>
>Julie

Or here's another idea you might want to try... don't have your cat
declawed. 

--Traig
Organization: Youngstown State University
Date: Tuesday, 14 Apr 1992 13:33:17 EDT
From: Vincent M. Tkac (SR) <SR190504@ysub.ysu.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Bird

Greetings,
   I was wondering what the chances of a kitten and a bird getting
along would be.  The kitten is 6 weeks old and the bird is several
years (at least) old.  Is there much of a chance that they wouldn't
harm each other?

Thanks in advance

Vincent M. Tkac
savince@macs.ysu.edu

Please respond privately I don't read this group often.
From: walrus@bessel.umd.edu (Grig Larson)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Parrots and Cats
Date: 12 Apr 92 16:56:59 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Punk Walrus Enterprises, Inc.


I am posting this for a friend. He just recently inherited a 30-yr old parrot
<large blue macaw> and he has two cats, Jonny and Ed. He has a split-level
townhome <or his cats do, and my friend pays the rent>.
 
He got this parrot his late uncle had through inheritance. It is worth 1000's
of dollars and speaks a LOT and learns quick. He remebered the parrot as a
kid, and refuses to sell his new roommate.
 
Now the question: How can he keep the cats away from the parrot? The parrot
has one of those large perches with the seed-catcher so the cats can't climb
it in theory, but we know how cats are. Jonny is VERY itnerested, and Ed
seems afriad of it.
 
One question we raised is that can the parrot hurt the cats? This winged
beast has claw like razors and a beak like a bear trap <it cracks walnuts>.
 
Anyone have any advice/warnings/etc I can pass along to him? I appreciate it.
 

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|\||/ A Punkie (tm) | 
|(o-) Qickie-.sig!  |
| /\                |
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
walrus@bessel.umd.edu
From: martin@mala.bc.ca
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Cat Thoughts
Date: 13 Apr 92 00:20:55 -0700
Distribution: usa
Organization: Malaspina College

> To all of those who love guessing how a cat thinks:
>  
> Read this, you'll find it in the Science Fiction section of most stores, but
> it is a great fantasy:
>  
> "Talichaser's Song" by Tad Williams <paperback>
> 
> It does for cats what "Watership Down" is for rabbits, a MUST READ!!!

those of you who have experienced that need cats have to always
be on the side of the door that they are not on, would also probably 
enjoy Heinlein's  "The Door into Summer", where at one point he attempts
to calculate just how many million hours various representative of the
human race have spent opening doors for cats since the beginning of time...
From: adr@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Tony Roberts)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Hill's Science Diet - good idea?
Date: 13 Apr 92 11:08:28 GMT

In <1992Apr10.160944.5332@zia.aoc.nrao.edu> rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner) writes:

>When I was a kid I used to eat Milk-Bones at our neighbour's house (they had
>a dog, we had no pets) from time to time. They actually were not at all bad.
>Haven't had one in a long time, though.


What?! - Have I missed something? - My original question was about
CATS eating this cat food (and I should say that all of the responses
mailed to me were very positive).

Resuming the thread, you can't beat the look on people's faces when
you pull a Bonio out of your lunchbox - has anybody tried them?

Tony
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: sparck@netcom.com (Deborah Sparck)
Subject: Re: Quaking cats
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 92 02:32:31 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 

In article <1992Apr14.200048.2989@rsg1.er.usgs.gov> ssnyder@sunai.er.usgs.gov (Steve Snyder) writes:
>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?
 
I didn't notice anything unusual, but then, I was not at home when it happened.
The rest of the evening, though, Loki would not come out from under the
comforter on the bed.


-- 
Deborah Sparck
sparck@netcom.com or
sparck@adobe.com
From: saavik@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Marla Belzowski (K-9's))
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: PEDIGREES
Date: 14 Apr 92 03:52:43 GMT
Article-I.D.: mentor.45273
Organization: Purdue University

In article <29E8BFB8.29955@ics.uci.edu> tittle@ics.uci.edu (Cindy Tittle Moore) writes:
>In <1992Apr12.195143.13971@pony.Ingres.COM> jpk@Ingres.COM (Jon Krueger) writes:
>
>>Marla Belzowski writes:
>>> look at local humane shelters to see what irresponsible breeding is.
>
>>True, you'll find plenty of purebreds there.
>
>Marla has never said that being purebred meant being ipso facto
>"responsibly bred."  There are just as many irresponsible breeders of
>purebred as randombred animals.  The solution must lie with penalizing
>irresponsible *breeders*.
>
>*ANY* breeder who gives no thought to what they're doing is irresponsible.
>
>An interesting possible by-product of only responsible breeding ever
>occuring is that every animal becomes purebred, depending on how you
>define purebred.
>
>Jon, I don't ordinarily flame, certainly not in this group, but I
>found your comment on the purebreds extraordinarily snide.  It implies
>that all purebred breeders are irresponsible, it implied that Marla
>said that purebreeds were never irresponsibly bred, and it really
>ticked me off.
>
>--Cindy
>--

Thank-you Cindy!  I was going to respond to this, but you post
was exactly what I'd say.  Thanks!  

I for one do breed my collies every once in a blue-moon.  You'll
find that responsiblely breed purebreds don't end up in pounds.  
The only ones in there are from irresponsible breeders in my opinion.

Also, I have no problems with people that responsibly breed their
mix breed animals.  Look at Dryfus.  Look at Benji.  Aren't those
a few dogs that have many good qualities although they are mixed breeds?
I have no problem with responsible owners/breeders breeding dogs like
this as long as they are also responsible about spay/neuter contracts
health care, proper socialization, and placing their puppies in caring
homes.  You don't just have to have purebreeds to be a RESPONSIBLE
breeder/pet owner.

Also, you will find that I was making a joke of the initial request,
but it also had a very serious tone.  
The message is:  Either do breeding right or don't do it at all.
It doesn't matter what breed (pure or mixed) that you have, it only
matters that you do it responsibly.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
Marla Belzowski    saavik@mentor.cc.purdue.edu
Mauii Nikki Belzowski CD CGC TDI CERF
Brittish Legend of Beowulf (1leg CD) CGC TDI CERF   tri-color collies
And the cat pack -- Simon and Mildred
and gone but not forgotten -- Cleo - 4/12/92 at 16 years old
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: aschi@silver.lcs.mit.edu (aschi)
Subject: Re: Parrots and Cats
Organization: MIT Lab for Computer Science
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 18:49:31 GMT

Macaws have VERY strong beaks, and depending on the individual cats and birds,
it's very possible that the macaw could do some damage (i.e. remove a cat's
toe)... I would suggest keeping them as separate as possible...

--aschi
From: pauls@tellabs.com (Paul Silver)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Loner Kitty
Date: 10 Apr 92 22:50:19 GMT
Organization: Tellabs, Inc., Lisle, IL

In article <1992Apr7.133434.1004@rsg1.er.usgs.gov> ssnyder@sunai.er.usgs.gov (Steve Snyder) writes:
>In article <1992Apr6.224602.25091@tellab5.tellabs.com> pauls@tellabs.com (Paul Silver) writes:
>>2. I accomplished this by making several attempts at keeping her off
>>   the top of the cabinets.  Friday morning I came up with the
>>   solution, and she hasn't been up there since.  She is also
>>   spending more time with me, and has been more affectionate lately.
>
>What was the solution?
>
>-Steve- Owned by the Calvin and Hobbes Crew.
>

*-------------*

I had several record album mailer boxes which I lined up along the top
of the cabinets.  They lean against the wall, forming a slope.   This
was effort #1.  Fugazi jumped up onto the quarter inch ledge at the
front of the cabinets, knocked down a few boxes, and lounged.

Next, I taped all the boxes together with packing tape.  She again
jumped onto small ledge and knocked down boxes.  Rather than falling
to the floor, a few of them hung there, being taped to the other ones.

Next, I put additional boxes onto the spot where I though she was
jumping onto the little ledge.  Instead, she jumped to another spot,
and pushed up underneath one of the boxes.

Finally, I covered all little ledge spots with additional cardboard,
and reinforced the taping.  Fugazi has not been up there in a week
now!

-- 
   "Life is inhuman when you are too old to be young." -Bill Nelson
   --------------------------------------------------------------------
  /       Paul Silver          /         Dischord Records            /
 /     pauls@tellabs.com      /    putting the D.C. in harDCore     /
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
   All opinions expressed are strictly my own, unless I stole them.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: sas3h@uvacs.cs.Virginia.EDU (Sheryl Anne Smoot)
Subject: cat not using litter box while owners on trips 
Keywords: litter box, vacations
Organization: University of Virginia Computer Science Department
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 22:23:59 GMT

I need some help.  When my cat is left alone when my family and
I go on vacactions, she will not use her litter box.  I believe
she is trying to tell us not to go away and this is the way
she has decided to communicate her unhappiness.  Our neighbor
checks on her every day and feeds her, but she doesn't like
cats so I'm sure that Kitty does not get much attention.  

My question is do you think that if we tried to get a person
to look after her (a cat sitter?) who would come over and
spend 1-2hours with her, that she would stop this behavior.
And, if so, how can cat sitters be found (I'm in the Falls Church,
Virginia area).  How expensive are they?  How trustworthy (we
don't want to let just anyone have access to our home)

Thanks in advance.

-- 
##################################################################
##                         #                                    ##
##  Sherry Smoot           #    University of Virginia          ##
##  sas3h@Virginia.EDU     #    Charlottesville, VA             ##
##                         #                                    ##
##################################################################
From: syearick@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Sid Yearick)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: cat bites the hand that feeds it
Date: 13 Apr 92 17:46:26 GMT
Reply-To: syearick@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Sid Yearick)
Organization: Carderock Division, NSWC, Bethesda, MD

In rec.pets.cats, joni@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (joni.dunlap) writes:
>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

 Out of the five cats that own us, one likes to bite.  Tigger is part persian
and part tabby and looks an awful lot like a Maine Coon cat.  With her it
is a form of affection, if you are not petting her, she will come up an bite
your fingers to get your attention.  I don't know if that is what your cat
is doing or not.  Muffin will bite when she is playing but if you yelp she
will stop and lick your hand to say she is sorry.  My youngest male would
bite when he was scared, I just tell him no, and tap him on his head.  It
seemed to do the trick.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
 DeVoney       /|              []   syearick@oasys.dt.navy.mil
            ` o.O '            []   Sid Yearick
            =(___)=            []   David Taylor Model Basin Carderock Division
               U               []   Naval Surface Warfare Center
          ACK!THPTPHH!         []   Bethesda, Maryland 20084-5000
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][]][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
From: vandykt@kepler.ME.ORST.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Declawing (need options)
Date: 12 Apr 92 04:00:27 GMT
Article-I.D.: talon.1992Apr12.040027.136
Organization: Oregon State University

In article <1992Apr11.150058.10338@news.cs.indiana.edu> "angela allen" <angie@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> writes:
>kdw@icd.ab.com (Kenneth D. Whitehead) writes:
>
>>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).
>
>DON'T use a nail clipper meant for humans. It squashes and splinters
>the claws, and makes it possible to clip skin and hurt the cat (making
>it even harder to convince the cat that clipping is a good idea the
>next time). Spend the dollar or two on cat claw clippers.
>
>--angie
>angie@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu

I'm deffinatately not an authority on clipping cats nails since I 
never do this to my cat, but my vet once told me to use human type
clippers.  Only hold the clippers vertically instead of
horizontally.

--Traig
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: bill@unixland.natick.ma.us (Bill Heiser)
Subject: Re: Spanking Cats? yes/no
Organization: Unixland Public Access Unix  (508) 655-3848
Distribution: na
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 20:55:49 GMT

jay@cmn8.Stanford.EDU (Jay Kadis) writes:
>not to be made between the action and the reaction.  Also, I'd really feel  
>bad if I hurt him...so I poured a little cold beer on him, as an  
>expression of my displeasure, rather than use force.  I think a spray of  
>cold water is more appropriate than spanking, but realistically, neither  
>approach is really going to change his behavior.  A good trick I recently  

I wouldn't use alcohol like that -- it undoubtedly will be very bad
for the cat when he licks it off!

I use a spray bottle of water.  If Smokie does bad things like climbing
on the kitchen counter :-(, all it takes is for me to pick up the bottle
and squeeze the trigger.  The squish squish sound is all it takes for 
Smokie to get the message :-)

The problem is that she's really just too smart for that.  Now she
waits until I'm either not home or am in the other room before she
does her Bad Things.  When I walk around the corner, she's back on
the floor looking at me with those "who, me?" eyes. :-)
-- 
bill@unixland.natick.ma.us   ...!uunet!{think,world}!unixland!bill
Public Access UNIX / USENET / E-MAIL Accounts are available! (508) 655-3848
5 lines  -  Located in Natick, MA   USA    Supporting V.32/PEP/V.42bis, etc.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner)
Subject: Re: Cat Thoughts
Reply-To: rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner)
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 92 19:27:30 GMT

In article <12510@umd5.umd.edu> walrus@bessel.umd.edu (Grig Larson) writes:
>Read this, you'll find it in the Science Fiction section of most stores, but
>it is a great fantasy:
> 
>"Talichaser's Song" by Tad Williams <paperback>
>
>It does for cats what "Watership Down" is for rabbits, a MUST READ!!!

I enjoyed this book, but on the whole I thought it was kind of pale in 
comparison to Watership Down.  Not actually bad, mind you, just not in the 
same league. Still worth reading, though.
-- 
Ruth Milner                          NRAO/VLA                  Socorro NM
Computing Division Head      rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu
From: zwicky@erg.sri.com (Elizabeth Zwicky)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Terrified Kitty
Date: 8 Apr 92 22:10:19 GMT
Article-I.D.: erg.1992Apr8.221019.27945
Organization: SRI International, Menlo Park, CA

In article <28744@brahms.udel.edu> thuyan@brahms.udel.edu (Thuy-An Hartman) writes:

>2. She is now about 2 and no one wants to adopt a cat vs. a kitten

>So, I am trying to figure out what to do.  I do not want to take
>her to the SPCA.  I figure miserable and alive is better than dead.

Having just found a home for 3 adult cats, I have some experience
here. First off, call your vet and ask for their advice on finding new
homes for cats; next call the local humane society. Not so that they
can possibly kill the cat, just so that you can get their advice.
They should know of all the ways to find homes for cats in your area,
and they *might* turn out to be a no-kill shelter in the first place.
(Some of the ones around here are, some aren't.) There are homes for
adult cats. You might have to wait a while - even several months - but
if you've waited a year already, you should be able to survive that.
Aside from advice specific to my local area, my vet recommended
bringing pictures of the cat and a sign in, and putting an ad in the
paper (asking for a little money, just to prove seriousness on the
part of the adopter). There are several cat adoption agencies around
here that list the cats and try to match them to people, and a healthy
adult cat that is not being given away for horrible behavior problems
shouldn't be too hard to place.

Ask around. Ask everybody. No need to restrict yourself to local
people; cats deal pretty well with being air freighted places, and you
may be happier shipping the cat to somebody you know who lives far
away than handing it over to nearby strangers. (In the end, that's
what I did; my cats now reside in Arizona, with family.)

	Elizabeth D. Zwicky
	zwicky@erg.sri.com
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: millar@skorpio.Usask.CA (Beth Millar)
Subject: Re: A CAT IS NOT AN "it"!!!!
Reply-To: millar@skorpio.Usask.CA (Beth Millar)
Organization: University of Saskatchewan
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 17:14:25 GMT


>>Actually, it is the correct pronoun to use for a neutered/spayed animal,
>>as they then have NO sex. (Not if the vet did his job correctly. :-) )

As my former landlady stated "I have had a hysterectomy, Am I an it?"

Beth
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Maine Coon Cat?
Date: 16 Apr 92 20:09:50 -0500
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

jhoskins@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (James M Hoskins) writes:
> Does the American Alley Cat (the generic 'cat') have a more formal breed
> designation?
My vets all use DSH for short-hairs and DLH for long-hairs.  Took me awhile,
but I finally figured out Domestic ShortHair and Domestic LongHair.

> Do Alley Cats come in longhaired varieties?
If they don't, then all I dunno what to call 50% of my crew! (well, no,
I've been trying to expunge such words from my vocabulary...) ;-)
> 
> Is is possible to make generalisations as to personality and character based on
> breed, such as Persian Cats are gentle, Siamese are loud and agressive
> troublemakers etc.?

Well, in my highly prejudiced and parochial opinion, Persians are generally
lumps, Siamese talk your ears off, and Havana Browns are sweeties.  That
said, I think we can all agree on the fact that all cats, no matter 
what their pedigrees might be, are one of the finer things in life. 8-)
Personally, I'm kinda partial to my crew of cats-no-one-else-in-their-
right-mind would have.

Kay Klier
From: ljkess@mdf.mitre.org (Laurie Kessler)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Bathing Cats (by accident)
Date: 31 Mar 92 19:08:18 GMT
Article-I.D.: linus.1992Mar31.190818.8416
Organization: The MITRE Corp.

In article <7118@dirac.physics.purdue.edu>, stnd@gibbs.physics.purdue.edu (Scott N. Dickson) writes:
> 
> Gotta tell this story.  Our cat Fang (RIP) used to sit on the sink and
> watch me shave/play with the water.  He would get up there by taking
> a running leap onto the top of the toilet and then onto the sink.
> One day we were working on the toilet and had the top open.  Well, Fang
> takes his customary leap and realizes in midair whats going to happen.
> He stretched his legs out as far as possible to try and grab onto something,
> but couldn't reach anything.  SPLASH!!  I laughed for about an hour!
> 
> Look before you leap!
> 
> 

This reminded me of one of my favorite kitty stories.  

When I moved out to my own apartment, I got my first pets.....fish.  I had a 55 gallon tank 
with fresh water fish.  About a year later I found the pair of kittens that took my heart...two
siamese,  one blue, one lilac.  (Indigo and Jasmine)

As time went on, they learned that the top of the hood to the tank was quite warm and
comfy.  So they would leap up there and snooze whenever possible. (I'm sure you can see where this
is going....).  One day when they were about 4 months old, I had the hood open and was feeding 
the fish.  The thunderous sound of kitten-paws occurred behind me and *plop!* Jasmine jumped
right into the fish tank!  I pulled her out, with the bottom half of her soaked with water and
covered with fish food.  The poor fish were backing off from the hood opening, looking just as
surprised as Jasmine.  (It actually took a couple of feedings to get the fish to come back to
that opening....)  In the meantime, Indi tried to clean off Jasmine, and discovered that the fish
food was not so tasty.  I cleaned her up, and sent her on her way....which was right back up
onto the (now closed) hood.  :-)

I still laugh when I think of all that fish food stuck to the kitty fur, and all that kitty fur floating
on top of the tank.

Laurie

_________________________________
ljkess@mdf.mitre.org
"I tot I taw a puddy tat!  I did!  I did see a puddy tat!" 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: jpainter@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Jeannette Painter)
Subject: Animal Prayer
Organization: The Ohio State University
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 18:32:31 GMT

Could someone please repost the animal prayer?  I stupidly went right
by it and lost it.  My roommate's three month old kitten is very ill
and will have to be euthanized soon.  Thanks.  Post or e-mail to me.
jpainter@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu