HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: janet@kean.ucs.mun.ca
Subject: Kitty's 1st christmas!
Organization: Memorial University. St.John's Nfld, Canada
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 14:48:34 GMT

Hi cat lovers!

our cat (9 months in December) will be experiencing his first
Christmas this year. Any suggestions how we can keep our Christmas
tree and our sanity in tact?

janet o'keefe
Coputing & communications
Memorial University
St. John's, Newfoundland 
Canada
JANET@KEAN.UCS.MUN.CA
From: brad@cmptrc.lonestar.org (Brad Barton)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Kitty's 1st christmas!
Date: 12 Nov 92 17:15:26 GMT
Organization: CompuTrac Inc., Richardson TX

In article <1drjk1INNmc0@uwm.edu> hcrain@convex.csd.uwm.edu writes:
>
> In article <BxK38n.MyD@cmptrc.lonestar.org>, by brad@cmptrc.lonestar.org (Brad Barton):
>> We tried this.. we'd find the tree and playpen both upended in the middle
>> of the floor... thankfully, we had the foresight not to put any ornaments
>> on it until we saw how this idea would work... the ceiling hook tied to
>> the top of the tree worked great for us...
>>
>I've used a ceiling hook too, but me old mither's rule was
>to use nonbreakable ornaments on the bottom third of the
>tree.  It works for pets who play with dangling goodies, and
>is also a great way to let little klutzy humans help
>decorate the tree.   

You mean like my two year old son? You bet... also this year, I have one
more dog (30 pounds) than last.. and another dog that was only a puppy
last Christmas (was less than 15 pounds, now is in excess of 35 and about
three foot tall at the shoulder...)  They should be fun to keep out.. can't
wait 'til the cats try to climb the tree to avoid the dogs.. /sigh


-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                    Brad Barton -- brad@cmptrc.lonestar.org                  |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| "No matter how hard you throw a dead fish into the water, it still won't    | 
|  swim."                                                  -- Marian Stevens  |
| "I never lie when I have sand in my shoes, Commodore."   -- Geordi LaForge  |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: diana@wetware.com (CatWoman )
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Help!  How to get car oil off my kitty
Date: 5 Nov 92 14:40:00 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Castle WetWare MouseCatcher

Since most automotive products are toxic
to cats (including the automobiles themselves),
washing is really the best bet.   You do NOT
want to let her wash it off herself.  Get a
good "deep cleaning" shampoo, which helps get
rid of oil and other buildups, and when the
oil is gone use a vinegar rinse to get rid
of any soap left.

For small spots, or as a "Pre-treatment",
you can use cooking oil to get the motor oil
off - paper towel saturated with cooking oil,
and soak the spot, then wipe thoroughly.

I do agree with the other person, especially
if you are having to wash the cat often - it
would be best if you could keep her inside if
she's going to get into places where cars are.

Diana
From: ccspjs@gdr.bath.ac.uk (Pete J Suters)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Welcome to the First Cat (Socks)
Date: 13 Nov 92 10:51:35 GMT
Organization: Bath University Computing Services, UK


  I've just seen a picture of the First Cat in the newspaper.
What a cute cat!  Mr. Clinton certainly has taste when it comes
to feline company.  Socks is very like our Roo, with the same
mischevous look, and the same colouring -- which makes me think
yep, this guy's going to be an OK president.

pete j suters ---- bath university ---- email: p.j.suters@uk.ac.swurcc 
 ___  ___    /-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|___)   |   /   A Huge Ever Growing Brain That Rules The Centre 
|       |  /                  Of The Ultraworld 
     (_/  /=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: martha@gvlf7-o.gvl.unisys.com (Martha Sherman)
Subject: Re: othe monsters .... music
Organization: Paramax Systems, Great Valley Labs, Paoli, Pa
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 13:37:24 GMT


My faithful ole girl Frieda always joins me at the piano when I sit down
to play.  She jumps up on the bench, faces the keys, and sits there like
a little angel.  Between songs, she meows loudly, stands up, and rubs
against my arm.  I, of course, interpret this as the standing ovation
from the appreciative crowd.  :-)

But, actually, she's saying, "Thank God you have finished that piece!
Now that your hands are free, PET ME!"



Martha H. Sherman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I speak only for myself, and sometimes I even wonder about that...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: lianne@bcarh17e.BNR.CA (Lianne Raley)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: other monsters....
Date: 6 Nov 92 13:58:03 GMT
Reply-To: lianne@bcarh17e.BNR.CA (Lianne Raley)
Distribution: rec
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.

In article <1cpaehINN53i@FUNCTOR.SYSTEMSZ.CS.YALE.EDU>  
loosemore-sandra@cs.yale.edu (Sandra Loosemore) writes:
> My cats have been turned into panic-stricken, quivering lumps of fur
> after being attacked by a horrid paper bag monster, and they've had
> many encounters with ferocious blanket monsters.  Now we've heard
> about the dreaded toilet paper monster.  So what other kinds of
> monsters do your cats do battle with?  :-)
> 
> -Sandra

The dreaded squash-racket-monster. It makes a horrible noise when
it leaps off the chair to attack the kitten underneath it.

He was still circling it with his back up when I left this morning.
I hope he doesn't kill it too badly; my husband won't be pleased :).

- Lianne -
From: tittle@ics.uci.edu (Cindy Tittle Moore)
Subject: Re: Multiple fathers?
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Reply-To: tittle@ics.uci.edu (Cindy Tittle Moore)
Organization: ICS Dept., UC Irvine
Date: 10 Nov 92 19:41:22 GMT

In <tam.721421016@stat.tamu.edu> tam@stat.tamu.edu (Tamara Martin) writes:

>My question is this, during the converstation, my mom said that
>cats would have two different fathers to one litter. What she was
>unsure of, is wether the litter itself can have two fathers, or if
>an actual kitten can have two fathers. Does anyone know anything
>about this? I thought it was really bizarre, but it really makes
>sense with Seagrams.

A single kitten can only have one father/mother.  Within a litter,
they'll all have the same mother but can have different fathers if the
mother mates with more than one tom.

--Cindy


--
   Cindy Tittle Moore & Noisy Underfoot (bird watcher extraordinaire)

I post the rec.pets.cats FAQ (in three parts) every 25 days.  To get the FAQ:
ftp to pit-manager.mit.edu and look under /pub/usenet/news.answers/cats-faq/*
(part1, part2, part3), or send email to mail-server@pit-manager.mit.edu with
send usenet/news.answers/cats-faq/part1
send usenet/news.answers/cats-faq/part2
send usenet/news.answers/cats-faq/part3
in the body (leave subject line empty).  Send contributions and comments
to me; send questions not covered in the FAQ to the newsgroup.
From: sjs@naucse.cse.nau.edu (Susan Starr)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: My shoes have fallen victim!
Keywords: shoelaces
Date: 8 Nov 92 21:44:39 GMT
Organization: Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff AZ

In article <berthiau.720978619@iros1> berthiau@IRO.UMontreal.CA (Andre Berthiaume) writes:
>Help!!! Kinski has developed a nasty habit of chewing off the ends
>of some of my shoelaces!  I now can't wear one pair of shoes 
>because she chewed the leather laces all the way down to the eye/hole
>of the shoe.  She's also chewed the tips off the laces on my boots!
>AGH!!!!  Can I kill her now? 8)  AND....  My SO bought a new coat
>that had drawstrings on the removeable hood, and guess what Kinski
>DID!  You got it!  SO got mildy pissed at that.  Now we have to make 
>any possible shoelace victims are put away else they fall prey to 
>Kinski.
>
>Does anyone have any suggestions in preventing her from doing this
>anymore?
>
My cat, Kitty developed a nasty habit of sharpening his claws on 
my shoes.  Before I started an internship last year I bought a pair
of $70 Easy Spirit pumps for my new job.  I left them out over night
and Kitty basically ruined them.  I wasn't happy, to say the least.

I have tried everything to make him stop and nothing worked. 
So now I keep everything in the closet and he can't get at my
shoes.  If only I could keep him from scratching the furniture.

Sue
sjs@naucse.cse.nau.edu
From: amys@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Amy Schlotthauer)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: What to name a male BLACK kitten...
Date: 11 Nov 1992 15:53:07 -0600
Organization: Kansas State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: matt.ksu.ksu.edu

dragel@sqhilton.pc.cs.cmu.edu (Cheryl Dragel) writes:

>In article <1992Nov10.053636.4250@fcom.cc.utah.edu> holmbeck@cs.weber.edu  
>(Holmbeck) writes:
>> Well, I've loved reading what you've all thought about male
>>  white kittens, how about male Black kittens. :)
>> 
>> -- Laura

>How about "Tux" (as in Tuxedo)?

My guess is that this name would not be the first choice for folks unlucky
enough to have suffered an episiotomy.  (I know the name is "Tux", not
"Tucks", but the ear can't tell the difference.) =) 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: jon@zeus.med.utah.edu (Jonathan Byrd)
Subject: Recipe
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 18:42:16 GMT
Summary: entertain the kitties
Organization: University of Utah

Ingredients:

*	Two (2) kitties (or however many you have)
*	All of the spices in your kitchen

Preparation:

*	Place kitties on a table, or other suitable flat surface.
*	One at a time, open each spice bottle and allow the kitties to
	sniff, paying particular attention to the faces they make.

Serves two.

--
jonathan byrd
jon@apollo.med.utah.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: berthiau@IRO.UMontreal.CA (Andre Berthiaume)
Subject: More questions on kitties' Xmas
Organization: Universite de Montreal
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 21:59:20 GMT

Ok, this will be Finster's second and Kinski's first Xmas in this household.
Finster was a little monster as far as dealing with a tree and ornaments.
But then he was a terror of a little kitten last year and now he is a giant
12 pound furrball.  I guess I am more concerned with Kinski she still has
her front claws intact (she's already making work of the couch in the
livingroom). 

So questions:

1.  When some of you mention tinsel, do you mean the long "icicle" ones,
or the garlands or both?

2.  Any suggestions about how to cushion the area around the tree since 
the apartment has wood floors.  Or should we just get non-breakable
ornaments? (This will also be the first Xmas in this apartment.)

3.  What about cats chewing on the artificial needles of the tree?  Just
how bad would that be for them or would it be more like when they eat rubber
bands (which Finster has done from time to time :-/ )?

4.  Someone had suggested the use of the chirping thingies in Xmas trees
and how they would probably scare off the kitties.  Of course, some of 
us would like to not keep them on overnight! :D  Another suggestions for 
preventing overnight mischief? =)

5.  (More of a suggestion than a question)  How about anchoring the tree to 
the wall?  The idea of anchoring it to the ceiling sounds fine, but what 
if the tree just isnt that tall.  Clear fishline might do the trick, but if
the tree is an artificial one, what's to say that it wont keep the cats
from knocking the bottom off and leaving the top dangling? ;D  You just 
gotta try and keep one step ahead of these guys! :D


Well, that's all I can think of right now.  Oh! an idea for decorating. 
Why not use a decorative/festive ribbon (approx 3" in width) the hang around
the tree instead of using the shiny garlands?  And they come in designs
other than the usual silver and gold =)


Thanks!

- Eva

= Eva Chan 		| Never lose my youth, I hope it never ends. =
= bunny@gnu.ai.mit.edu	| Hope I never lose my wallet!               =
= on IRC: bunny 	|	- Bosstones			     =
=			| 					     =









--
	Andre Berthiaume 	 |  "Sometimes you're the windshield,
				 |   Sometimes you're the bug"
    berthiau@iro.umontreal.ca    |			
				 |	       Dire Straits, The Bug
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: isako@mtl.mit.edu (Isako Hoshino)
Subject: my cat throws up too much...
Organization: MIT Microsystems Technology Laboratories
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 16:15:22 GMT

Hello fellow cat lovers!

Recently, my cat started to vomit at a frequency never encountered
before.  WHen I check the stuff she throws up, I see no hairballs or
anything else other than the cat food she ate.
She seems to eat normally (well, may be a tiny bit less than usual)
and other than being *maybe* a little less-active, not too different.
I feed her Petromalt once a week or so, and it's been rather cold in
the past couple of months here in Boston, so I really doubt that it's
hairballs..  (she ain't shedding that much anymore.. and
hairball-vomits are pretty easy to figure out!)
Her diet's the same as it has been in the past 3 years, and the litter
sand isn't anything out of the ordinary..  Except that it seems like
she eats to throw up sometime...  (eat, throw up a while later...
rest, and then eat more, drink more water, and then throw up..)

I called the vets yesterday, and they told me to make an appointment
for next day (today).  They said that I can cancel it if I feel that
it was unnecessary..  I thought it was unnecessary, until my cat threw 
up five times in the morning yesterday...  :-(  She hasn't thrown up
yet today (I might find otherwise when I get home later, but...)

I'll be taking her to the vets later this afternoon.  Has anyone any
idea what might be wrong?  Anything else I should observe to tell the
vet when I see him today?  I usually don't worry too much about cat
trowing up (since that's what kitties are supposed to do on
occasions), but *five* times in one day is a bit much...  May be I'm
being paranoid, but I guess I'd rather pay $$ and be sure it's ok than
taking any chances...

Any suggestions?   Am I just being over-sensitive?

				Isako
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: morin@noao.edu (Marg Morin)
Subject: Re: Kitten HATES Iams!!
Organization: National Optical Astronomy Observatories, Tucson AZ
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 18:18:56 GMT

In article <1992Nov5.142820.18083@wetware.com> diana@wetware.com (CatWoman ) writes:
>ren@Turing.ORG (Karen Prestemon) writes:
>
>] Is there any way to fool her into eating this stuff?  Or should
>] I just give up?
>
Diana suggests:

>Suggestion is that you get some baby food,
>beef or chicken, and mix that in with the
>IAMS.  There's usually no additives in the
>baby food.  Use water if you can - or just
>mix it in until the dry food has a coating.

It sounds like a good idea (covering yucky food with yummy), but
my Peeper won't fall for it. She'll lick off the yummy and leave
the yucky behind. Also, when I buy canned food that has chunks
of food (particularly the 'diet' foods), Peeper licks the gravy
off the chunks and leaves the chunks!

Luckily, her 'big sis' Chessie (The Feline Garbage Disposal) will
eat anything (she'll steal cantalope from your plate!), so she
usually finishes what Peeper doesn't.
-- 
 MARG MORIN  "Call me M"		(morin@noao.edu)  
	aka: The Seeker   		 AURA/NOAO Tucson, AZ
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 "I'm just a person trapped inside a woman's body" - Elaine Boosler 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: dmillard@encore.com (Debbie Millard)
Subject: Re: Ok to feed tuna daily ??
Organization: Encore Computer Corporation, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 20:55:35 GMT

In article <1dhhj7INNi3t@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> bt630@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Rich Michaels) writes:
>
>I have a ~3 year old (indoor-outdoor/castrated) male cat who loves
>tuna.  I feed him mostly dry food (DAD'S Special Mix).  I also
>treat him, almost daily, to approximately 1-2 ounces of tuna canned
>in spring water.  Is this a bad idea??  In the long-term -- will
>this diet harm him or shorten his life expectancy?
>
I've read that tuna has something in it that, over the long term,
may contribute to kidney problems.  As a matter of fact, isn't
this true of all fish products?

Debbie
From: at881@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (N. French)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Re: Cats that fetch
Date: 12 Nov 1992 20:19:01 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: at881@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (N. French)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, axpmw@acad2.alaska.edu () says:
>I didn't think he'd go for these mice but he's so in love with them.
>He will come drop them at our feet to play fetch... he likes it that
>much.. plus he stores his toys at his food dish so when he wants to play
>again he can find them... (a cat who puts away his toys!)
>
My first cat kept all his toys in a shoebox. Spanky's apparent
toybox is my bed. *sigh*

>Plus he can jump 7 ft in the air if you dangle the fetch toys ... 
>How high do your cats jump! Just curious.. (this can be a dangerous
>cat skill for the owner...)
>
Spanky is a climber rather than a jumper (this along with his huge
fluffy tail gets him the nickname "hey squirrel butt"). I had a small
(6 and a half lb) tortie female who could jump to the top of the fridge
from a sitting position on the floor - about six feet I guess.
From: at881@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (N. Nelson)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: help! how do I keep this cat out of my closet
Date: 7 Nov 1992 19:31:09 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: at881@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (N. Nelson)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


   Recently Spanky has gotten to the stage of "isn't it fun to
get into the closet and dangle from mommy's velvet/silk/anything
expensive dress?" The closet is a typical double sliding door
type. I can't find a way to keep him from opening it! There
isn't anywhere else in this matchbox (apartment) to keep those
important items, either. 

   At six and a half months he is entering the most playful
adolescent stage, so this isn't going to stop anytime soon,
either. And I absolutely refuse to declaw him. Any ideas
about how to keep the closet inaccessible? 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: r1156c@waccvm.corp.mot.com (Michael R. Dow)
Subject: Feline Urinary problem... HELP!
Followup-To: rec.pets.cats 
Reply-To: r1156c@waccvm.corp.mot.com (Michael R. Dow)
Organization: David Mitchell & Associates - Austin
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 20:36:51 GMT

    Vincent, my Maine Coon cat, has developed a problem.  Over the past 
several days he has begun drinking huge quantities of water and urinating 
very shortly after drinking.

    After a trip to the vet and several blood tests, we still don't know 
what's wrong with the loveable little fellow.  The vet says that he is 
underweight, that there is no sign of infection, and that he is *over* 
hydrated.  But he still drinks and urinates like *CRAZY*.  The specific 
gravity of his urine was the lowest this vet had ever seen and had no odor or 
coloration.  The vet has *never* seen a problem like this.  (BTW... It is not 
diabetes.. The vet tested for that)


    Help a sick little kitty!

--	
Michael R. Dow
R1156C@waccvm.corp.mot.com

--
Michael R. Dow
-N1JCX-
(...insert disclaimer...)
From: nlp@pacvax.pacersoft.com (Nancy Pilsch)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: That new clumping litter ...
Date: 10 Nov 92 23:23:59 GMT
Followup-To: rec.pets.cats
Organization: Pacer Software, Inc.

I tried Everclean or whatever the stuff is called.  I have 2 cats that
share one box, so I scoop every day.  The clumping stuff clogged up my
toilet!!  The clay litter never does this, so I went back to that.
From: barlow@prodigal.psych.rochester.edu (Rebel)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Spaying cat? HELP!
Date: 8 Nov 92 03:21:13 GMT
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York

Hi! I am new to this group and a relatively new cat owner :-) Zeb is 
approximately 8 months old and we got her from a shelter at 2 months old.
I really love her a lot and have been having some trouble reconciling
myself to the idea of having her spayed. It seems to me as though everyone
just expects that you will have this done to your cat and I am really not
sure.  Zeb is an inddor cat, very "outspoken" as the vet says and very
playful. (yes my cat fetches too!!) I am very afraid that this operation
will take away her energetic manner and make her docile....which is NOT
what I want...I like her fiesty and mean :-) Books and vets always talk
about how this will make your cat more friendly and cuddly...my reaction
is "so will a lobotomy". I also feel as though this is unnecessary surgery
and will be traumatic for Zeb and I feel as though I am taking away a part of
her for no reason and that I am betraying her when she can't give her consent.
My fiance says that if we keep her as a house cat its not fair to burden her
with the sexual frustration and that spayed cats live longer and are healthier.
I really need some advice from cat lovers...did your cats' personaliity
change following spaying? was it really traumatic for you and the cat?
Am I being silly?  Are spayed cats healthier/live longer? Has anyone
else felt this way? HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jen (mommy to Zebulon, 8months)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: martha@gvlf7-o.gvl.unisys.com (Martha Sherman)
Subject: Re: Welcome to the First Cat (Socks)
Organization: Unisys Defense Systems, Great Valley Labs, Paoli, Pa
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 13:46:55 GMT

In article <H.ea.4I0twwcVa_M@harvee.billerica.ma.us> scm@harvee.billerica.ma.us writes:
>>> 
>>>A 21 can salute to the soon-to-be-resident cat in the White House,
>>>Socks!  When (if ever) was the last time there was a cat in the
>>>White House?

>lincoln had cats, and i think the carters and/or the fords had a siamese.
>-- 
>-- little gator aka s. mudgett     email: scm@harvee.billerica.ma.us
>-- friend of a gator is a friend of mine

Yes, but both the Carters and the Fords also had dogs.  For those of you
old enough, remember Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford and his dog "Liberty" on SNL?

:-)


Martha H. Sherman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I speak only for myself, and sometimes I even wonder about that...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: mk4j@curry.edschool.Virginia.EDU (Mable B. Kinzie)
Subject: Re: Any Good "natural" food for cat beside canned one??
Organization: University of Virginia
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 14:25:52 GMT

Let me recommend two books that have recipes for natural cat
foods:
   The New Natural Cat, by Anitra Frazier with Norma Eckroate.
1990.  New York: Plume.  ISBN 0-452-26517-7
   Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and
Cats, by Richard Pitcairn & Susan Hubble Pitcairn.  Emmaus,
PA: Rodale.  ISBN 0-87857-395-X

Both have information on natural foods as well as natural pet
care.  I use a combination of recipes from both books, and
Mickey and Spike are both very healthy and love the food
(though it took them a few days to make the transition from
whatever they'd been fed at the shelter and before).  I usually
make up a batch of food and then freeze it in small plastic
bags, thawing it in the fridge as needed, since I don't have
time to make food for them every day.  

Mable
--