HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ann@plx.com (Ann Lindstrom)
Subject: Re: Bobcats
Keywords: n
Organization: PLEXUS Software, Inc.
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1992 00:40:06 GMT

For antone out there that thinks a wild animal makes a good pet - forget it. I
volunteer at a zoo where we have two bobcats, and while they are beautiful and
fascinating, they are also mean, and just a bit sneaky.  In addition, many 
states have strict regulations about keeping wild animals as pets.

If you have the overwhelming urge (like I do) to be around wild critters,
consider volunteering at your local zoo.  I have been an educational volunteer
(docent) at two zoos, Como Zoo in St. Paul, MN and currently Happy Hollow Zoo
in San Jose, CA.  We take animals out to schools, nursing homes and community
festivals, give informal talks about the different animals in the zoo, and conduct zoo tours.  I really enjoy the time with the different critters, and I feel
that by educating the public I'm doing my part for endangered species and the
environment.  Anyone in Silicon Valley interested in getting involved with 
Happy Hollow Zoo can give me a call at (408) 743-4303 - we have a docent 
training class starting in mid September.  In other areas, call your local 
zoo - most have a docent program.
From: kevin@ucrmath.ucr.edu (peter kevin lund)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Funny walks
Date: 20 Aug 92 04:20:46 GMT
Organization: University of California, Riverside

Can cats walk sideways?  I don't mean physically, but has anybody ever
actually caught one in the act?  Thanks...

     Kevin Lund (kevin@ucrmath.ucr.edu)
From: moss@cs.umass.edu (Eliot Moss)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Naming cat behaviors
Date: 20 Aug 92 14:06:37 GMT
	<1992Aug18.231004.20889@gtephx.UUCP>
	<HANNAH.92Aug19132640@pomponio.ai.sri.com>
Reply-To: moss@cs.umass.edu
Distribution: usa
Organization: Dept of Comp and Info Sci, Univ of Mass (Amherst)
In-reply-to: hannah@pomponio.ai.sri.com's message of 19 Aug 92 20:26:40 GMT

Well, we do not have a special name for the jumping in the air using all four
feet, other than something like "the four footed jump". The chasing each other
around we call "kitty road races". Also, one of our cats gets kind of crazy in
her desire for affection, being very active and persistent in rubbing,
rolling, etc. We call her "cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs" when she's in that mood.
--

		J. Eliot B. Moss, Associate Professor
		Department of Computer Science
		Lederle Graduate Research Center
		University of Massachusetts
		Amherst, MA  01003
		(413) 545-4206, 545-1249 (fax); Moss@cs.umass.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: jeff@cns.nyu.edu (Jeff Fookson)
Subject: Anne Raver's column on cat declawing
Reply-To: jeff@cns.nyu.edu
Organization: New York University, Center for Neural Science
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 13:32:25 GMT

Anne Raver's column "Growing" (mostly a gardening column) in today's (Aug 13)
New York Times is a touching story of the effects of having her cat declawed.
  Jeff Fookson
  jeff@cns.nyu.edu



Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: lyndap@Novell.COM (Lynda Peterson)
Subject: Re: Chimneys (was Cries...)
Organization: Novell, Inc.
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 16:37:37 GMT

In article <exuptr.362.714347792@exu.ericsson.se> exuptr@exu.ericsson.se  
(Patrick Taylor) writes:
> In article <cosulliv.714253964@sfu.ca> cosulliv@fraser.sfu.ca (Christina  
Marie O'Sullivan) writes:
> >Then again, she may never grow out of it.  My Sable Burmese is eight  
years
> >old now, and he howls very much like a baby, and needs to be picked up  
and
> >cuddled like a baby.  He needs his canned food mushed and has all these
> >needs... I wonder if I can list him as a dependant on my income tax?
> 
> Kinda sounds like Jonathan.  But he's wierd in other ways. 
> 
> Anyone out there have a cat that falls into chimneys?  Johnny will  
cruise 
> the neighborhood and "drop in" on some poor unsuspecting cat-free family 
> after which they will have to coax him out of the firebox and shoo him  
out 
> the door.  We can always tell, his white paws are nearly black with soot 
> after one of these adventures.  I suspect he's trying to get at birds  
when 
> he does this. 
> 
> Any other chimney sweeps out there?
>  
I don't own a "chimney sweep," but my cat has been staring at the  
fireplace lately. She even tried to go in there. It is not even a real  
fireplace, it is gas. There is nothing in there and it doesn't even have a  
chimney, so why has Boo gone crazy?
From: wendy@hpfcmgw.FC.HP.COM (Wendy Milner)
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 16:17:55 GMT
Subject: Re: Rodent Ulcers
Organization: HP Fort Collins, CO
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats

In rec.pets.cats, rene@navi.up.ac.za (Rene van Zyl) writes:

    In article <1992Aug5.124504.1@cubldr.colorado.edu> matthews_k@cubldr.colorado.edu writes:

    >Hi, I'm new to the group, and this may have been covered, but I
    >have a 4-year old male cat who has problems with recurring
    >rodent (erodent?) ulcers in his mouth.  The vet treats it with
    >steroid injections, but it keeps coming back.  Does anyone have
    >a better, or just different, treatment idea?  I heard that
    >plastic bowls can cause it, so I bought a metal one, which has
    >made no difference at all, as far as I can tell.  Advice?

    >Kellie Matthews-Simmons
    >internet::matthews_k@cubldr.colorado.edu

   My vet calls them eroding ulcers. According to him it has something to do 
   with a hormone imbalance. Got some Ovarid for pussy. Apparantly, the cat 
   builds up a resistance to its own tissue (something like a cancer, but NOT 
   cancer) which causes the ulcers. Hormone pills should do the trick. The only 
   side effect is that the hormone pills make pussy HUNGRY and FAT. And mine 

I had my cat on these pills for many years.  One long term side effect,
is a possibility of liver damage.  I say possibility because it was not
confirmed what caused her liver to deteriorate.  But it did kill her.
She had the rodent ulcers bad.  The only thing that worked was the hormone
pills.  So, I did extend her life by many years.  Just watch out for
other side effects.

Wendy

Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: judith@super.org (Judith D. Schlesinger)
Subject: Re: Cat Growth
Organization: Supercomputing Research Center (Bowie, MD)
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 17:43:09 GMT

She could just be a small cat.  Sarah weighs less than 8 pounds while
Charlie weighs almost 12.  They eat the same free-flow diet so it's
not the quantity they eat.  

On the other hand, she might just be a slow grower.  When I got Sarah
at age 9 months, she was even tinier yet.  She was close to a year and
a half before she finally reached her "full" size.

I wouldn't worry about your baby as long as she seems happy and
healthy.

Judith and Charlie and Sarah
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: gck@hector.uucp (24641-kemmerling)
Subject: Re: Leaving cats alone.
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 92 17:25:34 GMT

> I have a question regarding how long you can leave cats in an apartment.
> We are going on vacation next week and do not have anybody to look after
> our two cats.  Does anybody know how long you can leave cats in an
> apartment by themselves?  (Assuming we leave them plenty of water and food).

The longest I ever left my guys was 2 1/2 days.  I wouldn't leave them 
a week.  Many times there is someone at the vet who would 'kitty sit'
for people.  Please check out that option.  I would be afraid the
water would get tipped over or any number of other freak things.
Another option is to just board them.

Just my opinion. 


Gayle 'wish I was back in Illinois' Kemmerling
E-mail address: gck@hector.cc.bellcore.com 
Morristown, N.J.
(201) 829-3950
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: levine@symcom.math.uiuc.edu (Lenore Levine)
Subject: Re: It's Raining Out! (was RE: baths)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 18:51:38 GMT
Keywords: wet raining cat fur damp sodden

gck@hector.uucp (24641-kemmerling) writes:

>This is a question I  have always wanted to ask.

>People keep talking about the pet doors.  If your pet can get in and
>out, what keeps other various creatures from coming in and out 
>as well??

>Gayle 'wish I was back in Illinois' Kemmerling
>Bellcore
>Morristown, N.J.
>(201) 829-3950

I had a friend who was a hippie poetess and lived in the country
north of Mendocino, in the 70's. She had a cat; tried letting it
come in and out through a cat door, but had to abandon the plan.
It wasn't so much that she minded the strange cats entering her
house in the middle of the night, but the strange skunks...

Lenore 'wish I was not in Illinois' Levine
levine@symcom.math.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: nancy@jpl-devvax.jpl.nasa.gov (Nancy Feagans)
Subject: Re: Kitten won't use scratching post
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA)
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 22:09:42 GMT

In article <66147@hydra.gatech.EDU> gt1167b@prism.gatech.EDU (Christie Shackelford) writes:
>I'd like some ideas, please.
>
>Since Dixie is going to be an indoor kitty, I got her a scratching post
>to use, but haven't been able to convince her to use it (she seems to
>prefer the couch).  I've tried imitating a cat scratching on it, which
>amuses her, and I've held her paws up to it and moved them like she
>is scratching, but all that does is make her climb up.  The post is
>the kind that hangs on a door, and is carpet-covered with some rope
>wrapped around part of it.  I've also tried laying on the floor.
>Still doesn't work.
>
>How do I get her to use it?
>
>(Fermi, my other cat, won't use it either, but is indoor/outdoor and
>uses trees most of the time)
>
I just purchased the *best* scratching post:  it's made up of 3 carpeted,
curved shelves and 1 carpeted tube, all supported on a carpeted base by
actual trees!  There are three on each side to support the shelves,
and two shorter tree sections which support the tube.  It's approx.
3' square, and VERY solid and heavy.  My three kitties have always been
quite good about using the normal carpeted cat posts, but the two we had
were beginning to show quite a bit of wear.
 
I found this great "cat tree" at the cat show yesterday in Burbank; there
must have been over 100 trees, in varying sizes and configurations.  When
we got the tree home, the "kids" were fascinated - climbed up, over, and
around the thing all afternoon.  Sadie (the tiny Aby), was the first to
experiment scratching on the bark; Spirit (the *BIG* Aby!) was next, and
really gave one of the trees a workout.  Alex (the Aby/Lynx-pt. Siamese/
cat/cat mix) seems to prefer the carpeted sections so far.  The unit is
almost 6' high, with the tree diameter being about 10-12" each.  I was
initially impressed with these trees because of the sturdiness, and the
fact that scratching on tree bark is part of a cat's nature.  An added
bonus is the entertainment value of watching the kids play on it - quite
a three-ring circus!  The only negative I've noticed is that crumbs of
bark accumulate around the base which means a bit of extra clean up, but
all of the other advantages outweigh this minor point. 
 
The place that makes these trees is based in Maryland; I have no idea if
they have a catalog but you could find out by sending a query or calling.
 
The place is called CAT HOUSE ORIGINALS, INC. Their mailing address is
Colora, MD 21917-0061.  Phone 410-658-2287/fax 410-658-4545.
 
No affiliation here, just one *very* satisfied customer.


-- 

Nancy J. Feagans     (818) 306-6423
Jet Propulsion Lab   nancy@jpl-devvax.Jpl.Nasa.Gov
"Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious."
From: exuptr@exu.ericsson.se (Patrick Taylor)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: help! piggy kitty
Date: 20 Aug 92 21:49:07 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Ericsson Network Systems, Inc.

In article <1992Aug16.224915.2807@cs.yale.edu> loosemore-sandra@CS.YALE.EDU (Sandra Loosemore) writes:
>Nerfball, the 5-month-old kitten who adopted me last month, is still
>having food-related problem behaviors.  He obviously needed feeding up
>when he first arrived but after he started eating himself sick I put
>him on a diet where he gets 1/2 cup of kitten chow twice a day.  This
>seems to be the right amount of food for him from a nutritional point
>of view, but I'm getting really concerned about his continuing
>attitude problems.  He devours his chow so fast that I'm afraid he's
>going to choke on it, meows pitifully for more, begs for handouts
>every time I go into the kitchen, is so eager to get his food that he
>sometimes knocks the dish right out of my hand, and the like.

Is he fat?  Have you had him checked for worms?
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    "This must be Thursday.  I never could get the hang of Thursdays"
                                                       - D Adams
  - Patrick Taylor
    Ericsson Network Systems
    exuptr@exu.ericsson.se                       "Don't let the .se fool you"
    alternately, exuptr@ZGNews.Lonestar.Org
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: tertium@milton.u.washington.edu (l boyd)
Subject: Re: New cat--help will not sleep at night
Organization: University of Washington
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 18:02:22 GMT

LHAAS@kentvm.kent.edu (Leslie M. Haas) writes:

>My friend is a brand new owner of a baby kitten, approximately 6
>weeks old and it is named Malcolm.  She wants advice on how to
>train it not to jump on her while she is sleeping!  We have
>all given her advice at work (everyone owns at least one cat)
>but to no avail.  It is time to seek advice from the experts.
>Thanks in advance......
> 
>Leslie (Maynard, Puddin and Patches)
> 


Teee, heee.  Haa, Haa Haaa.  Oh that's a good one!  Lemme know what you
find out.

Snicker  Snicker...

Lauren
Mother of a 3-month old gyrlcat...
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Smelly kitten poo-poo
From: esaia@vax.sonoma.edu (MICHELLE ESAIA)
Date: 19 Aug 1992 14:00 PST  
Distribution: world
Organization: Sonoma State University
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    


I have an 8 week old female kitten (Sophie) who has the strongest smelling
poops I have ever encountered...We've de-wormed her; she gets purina
kitten-chow, mixed with water.  
I do have an older cat, and because of his FUS, he gets wet food, but his is up
on the counter where she can't get it....

any other suggestions?

Michelle

Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: anne@cs.UAlberta.CA (Anne J.R. Nield)
Subject: Re: Naming cat behaviors
Organization: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 15:30:46 GMT

klier@iscsvax.uni.edu writes:


>The Miraculous Melting Cat:  (usually seen at the vet's): Cat attempts
>  to become infinitely thin layer and ooze off table edge.

Known at my place as "Velcro Cat":  becomes a layer of fur (nothing inside)
attached to shiny vet's table; has to be peeled off like a large bandaid!!


Anne

Organization: H&SS Academic Advisory Center, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 11:31:22 -0400 
From: "Carol A. Buckner" <cb30+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Cat Growth

On 17-Aug-92 in Cat Growth                   
user Bill Ferreira@dcs.warwic writes:
>	How long does it take a female domestic cat to grow to
>full size? My (almost one year old) cat is still only
>3/4 the size of my 3 yr. old, although she eats at least as 
>much as the bigger cat

I wouldn't worry too much.  My brandy (1/2 Siamese and 1/2 Himalayan) is
a runt.  I got her when she was 6 months old.  However, I thought she
was 6-8 weeks because of her size.  But after examination, our vet
determined that she was 6 months and she hasn't grown very much since. 
She's now 7 years and is very healthy and active.  
 
Carol Buckner
Carnegie Mellon University 
            
Trivia is so unimportant, but if we had none what would we talk about?
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: ssnyder@sunai.er.usgs.gov (Steve Snyder)
Subject: Re: cat places
Summary: Why there of all places.
Organization: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston VA
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 13:01:58 GMT

Does anyone have a cat who likes to sleep in the litter box? When ever 
I change the litter, Cal will climb in, circle a couple of times and
lay down. Of course, guess what he smells like?

Steve
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: draper@gnd1.wtp.contel.com (PAM DRAPER)
Subject: x
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4   
Reply-To: draper@gnd1.wtp.contel.com
Organization: GTE Government Systems, Federal Systems Division, Chantilly, VA
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 18:36:03 GMT

Organization: University Libraries - Technical Service, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 08:08:03 -0400 
From: "Susan R. Wagner" <sw39+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Early, early morning wake up calls

Hello everyone,

I have a problem. It is not a serious problem but something I thought my
cat had grown out of.  Recently (the last 2-3 days) my cat, Jester, has
decided that I should be up at 3am.  He has become rather pesky.  Heres
the situation, last weekend my husband and I went out of town for 2 days
(only out of the house for one full day).  We had a friend feed Jester
on Saturday.  Ever since then this early morning behavior has begun.  He
used to begin to wake me up a 5:45 (15 minutes before the alarm).  This
was fine, kinda like have a snooze butten that purrs.  He now goes
through the same antics to get me out of bed at 3am!!!!  Anybody have
this same problem... relapse into kittenhood?  Is he pissed that I went
away.  We have left him for longer without this kind of reaction. 
Worse, I am going on a longer vacation later this week.  What will he do
when I come home from this one?  I mean he is playing on our bed and
doing kitty apartment laps.  Never has he done this since kittenhood! 
Any suggestions or stories welcomed.

Susan and Jester
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: HELP!!  Cat licking self raw!
Date: 21 Aug 92 12:26:17 -0500
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <lis.714358386@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu>, lis@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Elisabeth Riba) writes:
> All summer, I've noticed bloody spots on Boopsie's heel.  I've assumed
> she kept injuring herself somewhere.  ...

Sounds like a flea dermatitis that is persisting, or a lick dermatitis,
offhand.  My experience with both is that the cat will probably need
a shot of prednisone.  Could be a lot of other things, though, so 
do get it looked at.

Mom's cat Baby had a real dermatitis problem this winter that turned out
to be due to a linoleic acid deficiency.  To keep her comfortable while
the change in diet took effect, I found some "herbal pet rub" in a local
store-- came in a (12 oz?) white plastic bottle with spout top (generic
shampoo type), with a shocking pink print.  Don't remember the brand,
but I think it said "Scratching Itching Biting" in big black letters.
There was a pleasant-smelling clear liquid inside -- I remember pennyroyal
as being one of the herbs, and the directions said to rub it in as
often as needed.  The first night we kept applying it every hour or
so, the next day, about every four hours, then about every 12 after
that.  Seemed to work well.  

Anybody got a name for this potion?

Kay Klier  Biology Dept  UNI
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: cookson@mbunix.mitre.org (Cookson)
Subject: Re: cat places
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford, MA
Distribution: rec
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 18:18:01 GMT

I have a cat that used to live with my suitemates and me at college.
His favorite place to sleep was on top of one of my suitemate's
running mac plus (warmth).  I'll never forget watching that cat jump
from the top of that mac to my friend's loft, using my friends head as
a stepping stone. :-)  One minute my friend is typing along merrily,
the next his chin is on his chest and there's a cloud of fur around
his head.  Funniest cat thing I ever saw...

-- 
| Dean Cookson / dcookson@mitre.org / 617 271-2714    | DoD #207  AMA #573534 |
| The MITRE Corp. Burlington Rd., Bedford, Ma. 01730  | KotNML  /  KotB       |
| "If I was worried about who saw me, I'd never get   | '81 CB750C            |
| nekkid at all." -Ed Green, DoD #0111                | '88 Bianchi Limited   |
From: ktruett@gems.vcu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: RE: Our New Kitten
Date: 10 Aug 92 13:16:35 -0400
Organization: Medical College of Virginia

Ok, here's another cat-kitten introduction story.

Karamazov is a solid black 4 year old neutered male.  Mom was pure
Russian blue, Dad is unknown (but definitely Siamese).  He is huge, 14 lbs
and long (tall?) enough to check out our dinner plates by going up on his 
hind legs.  He alternates between being pretty nasty and being very 
affectionate.  We decided that maybe he was nasty (like suddenly growling
and jumping us from the bed or window sill with teeth barred and claws 
extended) because he was lonely for feline company, so we decided to get 
a playmate for him this year.  (My husband works at home, so the cat is 
never actually alone).  Most people said that to get another male and 
a kitten that was small, so that Karamazov would not feel the least bit 
threatened.

The SPCA had a barely 6 weeks old, peanut-butter/white colored, male who
looked healthy, was adventureous when we took him out of the cage and weighed
1 lb 10 oz.  I would have never seperated him from his mother this early, but
he was with his sister at the SPCA.  We brought him home and put him in the 
bathroom by himself with a litter box, and water.  Subsequently, we named 
him Pan-tef-i-lous. 

Our apartment is small, so we couldn't afford the separation time
that many suggest, so we put Karamazov on his leash and brought him into
the bathroom after about 1 hour.  Karamazov hissed at Pantefilous and 
the little kitten hissed right back. Then they both relaxed!  That was 
the extent of the confrontation.  

Within days there were sleeping curled around each other and cleaning 
each other--best friends.  Karamazov lets Pantefilous do things that he 
won't let us do, (like playing with his tail).  He also lets the kitten 
eat his (K's) food (except when we cooked some fresh flounder!)  Initially we 
seperated them when we were leaving the house (we were afrad that Karamazov 
might accidentally hurt the kitten), but soon this seemed silly.  Since we 
have had the new kitten, Karamazov's mean streak has completely disappeared
and he has become much more tolerant of everything.  Neither my husband 
nor I have been attacked since we brought the new kitten in.

I am sure that partially we were lucky, but I would extend the same advice.
When you have a choice, keep the new addition the same sex and small.
	KIM
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats