HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 08:13:20 -0400 
From: "Susan R. Wagner" <sw39+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Catsitting

>Well folks! We'll be catsitting for a friend of ours this weekend.
>She's a 3 yr old spayed and declawed tabby (i think).  
 
>Basically I need suggestions on how to make her stay here pleasant
>with Finster and Kinski around (not sure how these two kids will
>react to Pistache).  Any advice or past experiences with catsitting
>will be appreciated.
 
>We'll more than likely have a separate litter box set up for her
>and if we have to will have her confined to our bedroom for the 
>duration of the weekend if Finster and Kinski become too hostile
>towards her.
 
>Thanks again!

Well I have two experiences of catsitting.  I was the person who left my
cat once and the other I catsat for my friend (same friend who watched
ours).  

The first time was over x-mas and Jester (my cat) was only a kitten (4
months).  We introducted the two cats.  She has a male, neutered,
declawed approx 2 year can be mean kitty, Malcolm.  After a few seconds
of sniffing noses (respective owners holding kitties) they hissed.  We
locked up Malcom and let Jester (my kitty) roam about their apartment
for about 5 minutes.  We then let Malcolm out.  The two eventually met
and had a stare down. A few hisses and Jester arched his back once. 
Within an hour they were chasing (well Jester was chasing Malcolm) each
other around and swatting, Jesters claws in.  By the end of vacation
they were buddies, we have pictures to prove it!

The second time, Malcom came to stay at our house.  This did not work
out so well.  We took the same steps, introduction, locked up Jester and
let Malcolm roam around a while.  The two started chasing like before,
but Malcolm never adjusted.  He ended up hiding and crying under our bed
all night. He would not eat.  The next day, we took Malcolm home and
visited him. He seemed MUCH happier.  

My feelings, if their cat does ok from home, it will work out.  But if
their cat does not deal well with new situations then there may be a
problem.  Jester was young and probable to dumg to realize that he was
invading another cats territory.  Malcolm new he was not at home and
that this was Jesters territory.  Make sure you have the option to
return your friends cat home if all kitties involved are unhappy.  It
may take a few days to see if it will work out.  Good Luck.

Susan Wagner (and Jester)
From: mccurdy@bestsd.sdsu.edu (McCurdy M.)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: New houses (Was Re: cat toys ideas)
Date: 28 Jul 92 15:41:00 GMT
Organization: San Diego State University - Dept. of Redundancy Dept.
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1

In article <1992Jul27.172407.9038@gtephx.UUCP>, machanicm@gtephx.UUCP (Mindy Machani writes...
>In article <1992Jul22.121912.4160@cs.nott.ac.uk>, cczcole@unicorn.nott.ac.uk (Marlon Cole) writes:
>> 
>>     PS. We're supposed to be moving to a new (as in just been built) house at
>> the end of next week - anyone care to pass on any general house-and-cat moving
>> hints?
>>     The cats are predominently indoor cats who get let out a few times a week
>> but never seem to stray far and more often than not come in again after not
> 
>Cats LOVE a brand-new house -- it's virgin territory to make all theirs.
>If you have a covered patio and can do it, put in a cat door (we got the kind

This is ultimately true, but it's been my experience that my two cats 
pretty much "FREAK OUT" (tm) when being moved and put into totally new 
surroundings. There they are one moment with their territory all staked 
out, scanned and programmed, and then BOOM! - whisked away and put in a 
totally unfamiliar place. They don't know where they are. It's not like they 
went for a casual stroll and gradually went from here to there - they are 
BOOM!, driven to their new area. You've seen how curious they are when you 
bring anything new into their area? They are trying to maintain their 
knowledge of their surroundings.

Anyway, I cage them before I start the move, and transport them to the 
bathroom of the new place and put them in there with the door closed, 
leaving them in the cages as a security blanket. When I'm all done with 
the move and ready to plop down in the midst of the new chaos, I'll bring 
them out into the living room area and let them sit there for another 30 
minutes or so. Then, I'll let them out. They'll go hide for a period of 
time ...

Then, I'll request that they help unpack. They will quietly refuse.

Mike



Mike McCurdy			Disclaimer:
VAX Systems Management		     
San Diego State University		"Everything I say may be wrong."
mccurdy@bestsd.sdsu.edu  	
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: janet@indetech.com ()
Subject: Rescued kittens need homes
Organization: Independence Technologies, Inc. Fremont, CA
Distribution: ba
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 19:13:04 GMT


It all began when my husband (Eric) and I started feeding the obviously-nursing
stray cat who kept coming into our backyard. When her kittens were about 6
weeks old, she started bringing them with her. We did not want them to remain
strays, and we have 8 of our own (mostly recovered strays), so we knew we
couldn't keep them. We decided to try to find them homes. We have spent the
last 2 weeks feeding them outside and getting them used to being around 
people. This weekend, we caught all 5 of them and now have them in a 
spare bedroom. They are "taming down" quickly and are going to make
wonderful pets. In fact, they are already using a litter box on their own!

There are three black ones and two grey ones with white paws. One black
one has a small white stripe up her forhead. At first we thought it was a scar.
One grey one has a white chin with a grey spot like a gotee (sp?). The other
grey one has a black tail and two black racing stripes down her back.      

There is a nice mix of male and female among the black and grey ones.

Please, consider giving one (or two) of these adorable kittens a nice home.
We will keep them for a week, but then must take them to the shelter. They
are all healthy and playful, and about 8-9 weeks old at this point.

Contact me at janet@indetech.com or call (510) 490-3996 (nights) or (510) 438-2054 (day).
Contact Eric at emarsh@sun.com or call him at (415) 336-4856 (day).

We live in Fremont.

Janet
-- 
   Janet Christian             jchristian@indetech.com

My boss agrees with everything I say - well, actually, he thinks I'm working.  
"Never argue with a Scorpio - it's frustrating and you'll lose, anyway..."
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: dbriggs@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Daniel Briggs)
Subject: Feigned cat fatality
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 92 22:02:14 GMT

Grrrr.  Sometimes ya just want to murderize the little critters for scaring
you so bad.  This was only a little incident, and in hind sight pretty
funny.  I have a particular window sill that is *the* cat spot in the
house.  There's close to a foot of sill, and an open window (with screen).
It's got kitty TV written all over it.  This morning I wander out of of the
bedroom, and find my fluzz sprawled out 3/4 on his back directly beneath
his normal spot.  There's nothing *too* sharp there, but he's kind of
wedged in behind the stereo and half draped over the answering machine.
Paws and tail are every which way.  It did not look comfortable, and was
certainly didn't look like a position this animal would select voluntarily.
I've seen plenty of lounging cats in my life, and this just plain looked
*odd*.  For a few moments, all I could think of was that he had fallen
asleep in his perch, rolled off, and hit his head on the stereo.  Of
course, when I approached him, he woke up, yawned, and asked me what was
for breakfast.

I think he did it just to scare me.

-- 
| Daniel Briggs  (dbriggs@nrao.edu)                      |        USPA B-14993
| New Mexico Tech / National Radio Astronomy Observatory |            DoD #387
| P.O. Box O / Socorro, NM 87801   (505) 835-7391        |
Support the League for Programming Freedom  (info from league@prep.ai.mit.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: young@serum.kodak.com [Rich Young (x37176)]
Subject: Re: Cleveland Amory
Originator: young@sasquatch
Reply-To: young@serum.kodak.com
Organization: Clinical Products Division, Eastman Kodak Company
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 12:31:42 GMT

In article <anne.712450567@menaik> anne@cs.UAlberta.CA (Anne J.R. Nield) writes:

>Cleveland Amory is the head of the "Fund for Animals" (not
>something called "Friends for Animals").  In his books I have
>never seen any mention of PETA (he talks a lot about Paul
>Watson and the Sea Shepherd Society) and certainly he is an active
>and happy pet-owner as are, it would appear, many of his
>friends.

[...]

>For those who are wondering, this came up in a discussion of
>his books, "The Cat Who Came for Christmas" and "The Cat and
>the Curmudgeon".

	In one of the two books mentioned above, he specifically refers to
	his friendship with Alex Pacheco, who is important in PETA.  My
	recollection is fuzzy, so I could be wrong, but I think Alex Pacheco
	got his start in Cleveland Amory's organization.  The relationship
	is, as I said, explained in one of the two books.

	As I said in my original post, however: your mileage may vary.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Rich Young                             | Phone: (716) 253-7176
Eastman Kodak Company                  | FAX: (716) 253-7254
Clinical Products Division             | Internet: young@serum.kodak.com
100 Carlson Road                       |
Rochester, New York, USA   14653-9122  | These are MY opinions, not Kodak's!!!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Don't get angry, get accurate information.
From: antoniou@buitc.bu.edu (George Antoniou)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Cat eating Trash...
Date: 29 Jul 92 20:27:54 GMT
Organization: Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
Originator: antoniou@buitc.bu.edu

Last night I decided to grill a steak... as it turned out the steak in
my freezer was bad... it had brown spots in it...  
So I threw it in the trash...

This morning when I woke up... My cats trashed the can and ate half of the 
steak...

Well... what could I do...  I just yelled at them and clean the place up...
Do cats get sick from eating semi-bad food...  the meat did not look that bad
even though it had spots...

My cats are both 4 months old...

giorgios [antoniou@buitc.bu.edu]
From: maxfield@athena.cs.uga.edu (Joan C. Maxfield)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Followup on "landlord won't let me keep a pet" posting
Date: 22 Jul 92 02:30:38 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Georgia, Athens


>In article <1992Jul20.212927.10467@athena.mit.edu>, isako@mtl.mit.edu (Isako Hoshino) writes:
>> I guess I got lucky.  I was frantically looking for a place.
>> Fortunately, Most landlords are prtty open minded about cats.
>> 
>> THe apartment I live now, (I just moved in) was listed as "no
>> pets".  I looked at it without knowing that, and met the
>> landlord.  I was talking to him about putting holes in the wall
>> for curtain rods, etc, and he was pretty agreeable.  Then I gave
>> my killer line.. "uh..  I have a cat.  Would it be ok if I move
>> in with the cat?"  The response was "sure.  Just be aware that
>> any damage the cat will you, you will have to fix it or pay for
>> 
>> 			Isako
>                              
	I also had an experience like this one.  My dad looked at
apartments for me before I moved and didn't even look to see if it had
a pet policy.  He was just about to sign the lease when he added "oh,
it says no cats.  Hmm, well, sorry, Joan could never move without her
baby, but thank you anyway".  The resident manager said "no problem"
and wrote "and 1 cat" into the lease.  I am still suprized, that
building always has a waiting list and can afford to be choosy.  I
guess the resident manager didn't really care and the owners, a big
corporation, didn't check.  

Joan
-- 
J. C. Maxfield				maxfield@athena.cs.uga.edu
DISCLAIMER:  I don't speak for the University, but they often speak for me!
From: CMF0@bunny.gte.com (Cristina Ferla)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: urine odor in concrete
Date: 31 Jul 92 18:12:42 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: GTEL

I had a similar problem with a house we bought, but it was cat urine!

Our only option after washing, scrubbing, applying liberal amounts
of vinegar (always touted as THE solution to the problem), clorox,
and ground coffee (we heard that it worked for heating oil, so we
were willing to try anything...) was to aply a thin layer of concrete
over the concrete.

I suppose you can seal it with a concrete sealer, but it did not occur
to us at the time.  However, our drastic solution was the final one.

Good luck,

Cristina
From: rm55+@pitt.edu (Rudolph T Maceyko)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: cat toys ideas
Date: 24 Jul 92 17:19:53 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

Last night I just found another perfect toy for The Destroyer!

She has always liked to rummage through the garbage and play with small
paper wads and cotton swabs.

Well, last night, I made a few of those triangular paper footballs, and
she likes those about 1000 times as much as she likes paper wads!

She really likes it when I flick them with a high arc.

Of course, the best thing about this toy is that it's very cheap, and I don't
mind the fact that each one lasts only a few hours before being chewed to
oblivion!

Rudy

-- 
Rudy Maceyko
<rm55+@pitt.edu> or <rtm+@cmu.edu>
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA
From: hannah@pomponio.ai.sri.com (Marsha Jo Hannah)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: kitty fences
Date: 22 Jul 92 16:36:04 GMT
Organization: SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
In-reply-to: adwright@iastate.edu's message of 21 Jul 92 20:11:01 GMT

In article <adwright.711749461@vincent1.iastate.edu> adwright@iastate.edu writes:

   I want to fence a portion of my yard so the cats can not wander off.
   I thought about chain link with about 6 feet of chicken wire attached
   to the top and going straight back (horizontally) might do the job
   I doubt that they can climb upside down for six feet.

	__top____z
	| X<- upside down cat   
	|
	|<-chain link
	|

   Allen

My main question would be how high is point z (added, above) off the
ground?  We once had a cat that, from a standing start, leaped
straight up and plucked a bird out of a free-hanging bird-feeder,
which was OVER 6 FEET off the ground!  I could imagine one of your
cats sitting under point z, making a leap, grabbing the edge of the
chicken wire, and chinning himself up onto it.  Also, how are you
going to support 6' of horizontal chicken wire---it's pretty floppy
stuff, and if you put in support poles down to the ground, the cats
will just climb them, instead of the fence.  Maybe you want to
completely fence a small part of the yard, and *completely* roof the
area over in chicken wire?  Sort of a cat kennel....

Marsha Jo Hannah
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: bicker@cbnewsi.cb.att.com (The Resource, Poet-Magician of Quality)
Subject: Re: Commuter Cat
Reply-To: Brian.C.Kohn@att.com (The Resource, Poet-Magician of Quality)
Organization: The Internet
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 14:01:44 GMT
Followup-To: rec.pets.cats

In article <1992Jul30.132659.1380@athena.mit.edu> amd@space.mit.edu (Ann M. Davis) writes:
>>, bicker@cbnewsi.cb.att.com (The Resource, Poet-Magician of Quality) writes:
>> I'd appreciate any advice on making [a kitty car] trip more enjoyable.

>My sisters cat meows LOUDLY when in the kitty carrier.  For longer trips
>this is somewhat unbearable.  Now, she just puts a harness on the cat

Yes...I must pick up a harness!

>I was taking the cat over to my place because my sister was going on vacation.
[The cat decided that the perfect time to look out the driver's side
window was upon approaching a traffic circle.]

!bicker decided that the best time to take a walk through the middle of
the steering wheel was just when I was speeding into a curve...good
thing there was no one behind me because I had to stop dead until he
was clear or I would have either hit the curb or decapitated him!

Definitely have to get a harness...

-- 
Brian Charles Kohn               using !bicker's account
Poet-Magician of "Quality"       E-MAIL: att!hoqax!bicker  (bicker@hoqax.ATT.COM)
    'Hope, not fear, is the most positive advocate of action.' - S.R. Lawhead
                   Stamp Out "SO": "RP" = "Romantic Partner"
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: pandit@ssd.intel.com (Milind Pandit,,,)
Subject: Re: Help-Kitten chews wire
Reply-To: pandit@ssd.intel.com
Organization: SSD Intel Corp.
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 18:53:28 GMT

In article 31480011@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com, mhampsch@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com (Mark Hampsch) writes:
>Yes, he will out grow this.  One good traing aid is hot sauce.  It might sound
>cruel but it is harmless and works if you keep it up.  

When you said this, I thought you meant to put it ON the wire.  That makes sense, and 
is not cruel, as the smell itself will turn the cat away.  My cat used to gnaw on a 
spot in the carpet.  I put some cayenne pepper there, and as soon as he smelled it, he 
left it alone.  Didn't even sneeze.

>Each time your little Taz chews on a cord or wire put a drop of tabasco sauce
>in his mouth.  He will  foam at the mouth and run wild for a short period of 
>time and then drink his water.

Jeez, this seems *HARSH*!  A squirt gun will do the trick as well or better.

>My mom told me about this when my cat wouldn't
>quit using the carpet insted of the catbox and in about 3 days or so he learnd
>not to use the carpet.
>
>Try this for about a week and see if it works, it should.

Please don't do this to your cat.  Put the hot sauce ON the wire to prevent him from 
chewing it.  Reward good behavior with praise.  Punish infrequently using a squirt gun.
---
|  Milind S. Pandit                           |  Standard disclaimers apply.  |
|  pandit@iwarp.intel.com                     |-------------------------------|
|  Operating Systems Engineer, iWarp Program  |   Who knows what evil lurks   |
|  Intel Corp., Beaverton, OR                 |     in the hearts of men?     |

Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: jonathan@chpc.utexas.edu (Jonathan Thornburg)
Subject: talking to cats over the phone (was: Re: Help with Breakfast)
Summary: Mortina II purrs when I talk to her on the phone
Keywords: little beggars... cats telephone talk purr meow long distance bill
Organization: U of Texas at Austin / Physics Dept / Center for Relativity
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 92 01:45:08 GMT

In article <19506@optima.cs.arizona.edu> margaret@cs.arizona.edu
(Margaret Newman) writes:
>Do you ever talk to your pets over the phone?  My neice had me saying
>"hello Mia, meow meow" over the phone today.  Mia is the first pet
>that I've done this to that has responded.  She's a fun cat!

Yes, on several occasions I have said "Hello, Mortina, do you
remember me?  It's your kitten calling.  I hear you're being a
{good,sweet,cute,very_nice} kitty, and bringing Phil lots of
tasty mice for him to eat." to Mortina II over the phone.
(She is ~3000 km away, I haven't seen her since January, and
won't for another month.)  My father reports that she responds
by purring.

However, my long distance bill also responds, so I don't do this
often...


- Jonathan Thornburg and Mortina II (living on Thetis Island BC Canada)
  <jonathan@einstein.ph.utexas.edu> or <jonathan@hermes.chpc.utexas.edu>
  University of Texas at Austin / Physics Dept / Center for Relativity
  and (for a few more months) U of British Columbia / {Astronomy,Physics}
From: gbelli@opal.tufts.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: cat toys ideas
Date: 21 Jul 92 17:46:15 GMT
Organization: Tufts University - Medford, MA
Originator: news@jade.tufts.edu

In article <1992Jul19.234719.575@mala.bc.ca>, martin@mala.bc.ca writes:
>> the neighbors can't see in the windows) for many minutes while she sits
>> and looks at me with that "You've got to be kidding me" look on her face.
>> I don't mind playing with her, but I would love it if she had something 
>> to do on her own while we're at work all day.
> 
> ever tried a practice golf ball?
> 
> they are the size of a golf ball, but are hollow plastic, with little holes
> in them.. like a wiffle baseball..
> 
> golfers use 'em to practise driving in their back yards with no 
> danger of breaking the neighbour's windows; no matter how hard you hit
> them they only go about 25 ft..  however, my cats have all loved 'em..
> they're light, and they can get their claws in the little holes and toss 
> 'em around in the air..
> 
> Helen
How about the plasic rings from the top of a gallon milk jug? (provided,
of course, you don't have plasic-eating cat)  It's the favorite of my cat
(who hates ready-made cat toys)
Gretchen
From: jonathan@chpc.utexas.edu (Jonathan Thornburg)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Sleepmates
Summary: alas, cats are *hot*
Keywords: cats and dogs
Date: 31 Jul 92 02:46:13 GMT
Organization: The University of Texas System - CHPC

In article <19800@optima.cs.arizona.edu> margaret@cs.arizona.edu
(Margaret Newman) writes:
>My black cat, Mouser, that has gone on to his great reward always slept
>with me.  He had his pillow, and I had mine.  He always had to have
>some part of his body touching mine while we slept -paw, tail, back or
>head.  When he was younger, he liked sleeping on me -my chest or my
>back.  
> [ ... ]

Both Mortina I (d. Jan 1989) and II (1990 - present) *love* to sleep
on the bed with me, though neither every wanted to get under the
blankets.  But both did (and "Mark II" still does) want to push up
against me.  This is cute and very nice, but *HOT*.  If you're a
physics type, having a black cat do this gives lots of bad  puns
about "black body radiation".  I found I was always gently picking
Mortina (I or II) up and moving her away from me because I'd cook
otherwise...

(Of course, said felines both love to sleep about 15cm (6 in) under
a 60 watt incandescent light bulb, they *love* heat.  Meanwhile, I
prefer a very cold room for sleeping, ideally around 13C (55F).  I'm
so mean, I actually *turn* *the* *lamp* *off* when I want to sleep!
Thus far neither cat has reported me to the SPCA for cruelty...)

- Jonathan Thornburg and Mortina II (alas 4000km away on an island in Canada)
  <jonathan@einstein.ph.utexas.edu> or <jonathan@hermes.chpc.utexas.edu>
  University of Texas at Austin / Physics Dept / Center for Relativity
  and (for a few more months) U of British Columbia / {Astronomy,Physics}
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: vicki@steam.atd.ucar.edu (Vicki Holzhauer)
Subject: Re: More Cat Toys
Organization: Atmospheric Technology Division/NCAR Boulder, CO
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 19:08:37 GMT

In article <GIBSON.92Jul27074258@dl5000.bc.edu> gibson@dl5000.bc.edu (Rene Gibson) writes:
>
>If the cat has a small toy she likes that will fit in a shoe, try giving
>her an old shoe and putting the toy in it.

Ah, the old toy-in-the-shoe routine!  In all the 16 years I've had
Abigail, I can't count the number of times I have gone to put on shoes
and found a cat toy shoved down in there.  She seems to forget about
them if they're not easily removed from the shoe, and she just leaves
them there.  I have often gotten to work and gone into my backpack to
get something and found a cat toy in there too.  It's a sweet reminder
of a sweet cat during a busy day at work ... :-)



--
Vicki Holzhauer, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Boulder, Colorado / / / /  vicki@ncar.ucar.edu