HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: gck@hector.uucp (24641-kemmerling)
Subject: Re: Hairballs
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 19:53:31 GMT

In article <1992Aug12.183559.25973@gateway.novell.com>, lyndap@Novell.COM (Lynda Peterson) writes:
> In article <1992Aug12.165434.18060@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>  
> gck@hector.uucp (24641-kemmerling) writes:
> > 
> > I have to admit I'm not real good about grooming my Boo regularly.
> > I have found that if you put a teaspoon or so of oil in their food
> > it helps their coats and helps them with hairballs.
> > 
> > 
> > Gayle 'trying to think of a clever .sig' Kemmerling
> > Bellcore
> > Morristown, N.J.
> > (201) 829-3950
> 
> _________
> 
> I have to respond to this one because I have a "Boo" too. I bought her  
> around Halloween and she is all black (Maine Coon). My Boo throws up  
> hairballs regularly. She hates being brushed. Talk about growling! I have  
> given her some sticky stuff from the pet store that is supposed to help.  
> Has anyone tried or heard anything about this stuff?

My Boo Boo Kitty is an all black mutt cat and large.  When I try to 
brush him he chases the brush.  

Is the stuff you're talking about kinda like brown vaseline?  I got
some of that from the vet one time and had to put it on their front
paws and they licked it off (I say they because I had 2 cats) or it
could have been put in their food (they would eat around it tho).  The 
veg oil works tho.   He doesn't throw up regularly, but when he does
it's definitely a BIG hairball.

Tell me more about Maine Coon's.  Ive heard several people talk about
them.  Are they big, are they friendly, smart, etc., etc.??

BTW, I am still laughing about the previous post I read where they
called the cat a snuffle-pig.  It put me in hysterics!!


Gayle 'trying to think of a clever .sig' Kemmerling
Bellcore
Morristown, N.J.
(201) 829-3950
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: adwright@iastate.edu ()
Subject: Re: Leaving cats alone.
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 20:06:45 GMT

In <1992Aug21.165705.28967@tamsun.tamu.edu> joses@cs.tamu.edu (Batman the Destroyer) writes:


>Hello cataholics,

>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).


>--
>	Jose Salinas		|	"Religion is the opiate of the
>	joses@cs.tamu.edu	|	 masses"  - Karl Marx
>	Texas A&M University	|

We have left our cats home alone for as long as a week. Be sure to have 
 available about five times as much kitty litter as you think you will need.
You probably want to distribute this in several litter boxes (or use good
cardboard boxes). You will have peace of mind if you have backup water and 
food supplies.
From: kaz@vineland.pubs.stratus.com (Karen Fegley)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Cataholics
Date: 14 Aug 92 17:52:49 GMT

In article <1992Aug13.113239.8226@sserve.cc.adfa.oz.au>  
ccd@ccadfa.cc.adfa.oz.au (Carol C Denehy) writes:
> I saw a book in a NYC bookstore that was written as one of those
> self-help books for addictive personalities, and the addiction in
> question was CATS. All tongue-in-cheek (I think!) about letting
> go of this need for cat hair in everything etc.
> 
> And how do they get the hair on the clothes inside the dry cleaners bag?
> 
> Carol Denehy

Osmosis?

Karen
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Cat food, dry
From: bob.hines%travel@wugate.wustl.edu (Bob Hines) 
Date: 20 Aug 92 08:59:00 GMT
Reply-To: bob.hines%travel@wugate.wustl.edu (Bob Hines) 
Distribution: world
Organization: Travel Online, St. Louis, MO

I'm getting a kitten and want to feed it dry cat food. Is dry food only
a adequate diet?

Thanks, Bob


 * OLX 2.2 * St. Louis, Missouri
                                                                                                                       
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: ehp@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU ("Didi Pancake")
Subject: Re: COUGH! COUGH! Scoopable catlitter dust
Organization: University of Virginia
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 21:15:05 GMT


I recently decided to try scoopable again. This time I tried something
called Fresh Step...mostly because I really liked their "traditional"
litter. Anyway, it was a disaster. Not only did I have to scoop about
three times as often as with traditional litter, but Correy, bless his
habit-ridden soul, always pees in the same end of the same box (3 boxes,
no waiting). This means that he puts a huge puddle on top of the previous
huge puddle (unless I've managed to scoop in between). The liquid then
doesn't sink in and makes a very muddy morass which he then steps in and
smears all over the house!       ^^^^^

This weekend, it's back to traditional Fresh Step (which has the best
odor control of any I've tried).

--
|  Didi Pancake         |     "How do you kill mud?"                     |
|  ehp@virginia.edu     |           --Dean Jagger in "X the Unknown"     |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  All the usual disclaimers about the origins of these opinions apply.  |
From: gbrach@galaxy.gov.bc.ca
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: cat places
Date: 14 Aug 92 23:44:13 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: BC Systems Corporation

In article <1992Aug14.173906.25862@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>, cheri@decoy.uucp (24473-stead) writes:
> GH>The only time I really 'lost' my older cat (Moustache) was just after I moved
> GH>into my new place.  I had searched everywhere, and was starting to really
> GH>*worry* when I happened to casually look up - straight into his eyes - as he
> GH>lay on top of my bookshelves!
> 
> This reminds me of the time we found one of my mother's cats curled up in a
> kitchen cabinet -- it was rather startling to open the door and find the cat
> staring at me!!!  We're still not completely sure how (or why) he opened the
> door, climbed in, and closed the door after himself!
> 
> And since I'm writing anyway, I'll tell you about one of my cats, Bentley,
> who likes to lay on the seat of the exercise bike (at least, he did when I
> had it in the living room so he was still in the middle of things).  His 
> rear end was on the large part of the seat, with his chin resting on the
> small end and his front paws dangling down either side (perhaps I should 
> mention that Bentley is a fairly large cat, about 20 lbs).  This is a very
> silly looking pose, to begin with, but then it got better when he'd
> notice his tail twitching behind him, and try to catch it -- but it
> wasn't there any more.  After a few pounces, he'd end up running around
> chasing his tail -- still balancing on the seat!  Of course, he fell off
> after a few turns, but not before I was in hysterics!
> 
> Life would be so boring without my cats!
> 
> -- Cheri

Well, I caught the boys in another priceless pose this week, too:

It's been a rather hot week on the island, and I was just flaked out on the
couch, when I noticed that Moustache and Pippin had both repaired to
*Moustaches'* favourite chair.  I guess the heat must have got to them, 
because they were both sprawled with their chins resting on the edge of the
chai and their front legs stretched out and down before them.  I can't 
remember if their tongues were hanging out, but I can check the pictures when
they're ready B-{)!!

They may have air-for-brains, but they are terminally cute!

Gabor.
       t     Gabor Brach.	"Like the rat said:  'Keep the cheese,
    gttttt   Victoria, B. C.	 I just want out of the trap'"
gggg b t     (God's waiting			Chief Engineer Geordi LaForge
g  g b t      room)				"Where Silence has Lease"
gggg b  tt
   g bbbb
 ggg b  b	"...with a boulder on my shoulder, feelin kinda older,
 g g b  b        I tripped the merry-go-round..."
 ggg bbbb                                       B. Springsteen
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: HF.CLN@forsythe.stanford.edu (Cynthia Ng)
Subject: Re: Rescue cat
Organization: Stanford University, California, USA
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 17:43:10 GMT

My indoor only cat lived 14 years and never had a bath.  She never
had fleas and never needed a bath.  She was very fastidious about
bathing herself.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: bill@dcs.warwick.ac.uk (Bill Ferreira)
Subject: Cat Growth
Organization: Department of Computer Science, Warwick University, England
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 14:16:25 GMT

	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.
	We got her at 5 weeks, which I understand is very
young to take a kitten, but apparently she had been
abandonded by the mother. Despite her stunted appearence
she is a voracious killer of birds, rodents etc.
and she terrorises my other cat constantly, so I have
no other cause for concern about her size. 

Any suggestions, comments etc. will be gratefully received.

Bill.

-- 
Bill Ferreira (bill@uk.ac.warwick.dcs)
Dept. of Computer Science,
University of Warwick,
Coventry CV4 7AL, ENGLAND.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: phz@cadence.com (Pete Zakel)
Subject: Re: Sleeping with Cats
Organization: Cadence Design Systems
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 20:25:26 GMT

In article <1992Aug13.222007.14335@umbc3.umbc.edu> cs106b16@umbc5.umbc.edu (cs106b16) writes:
>Sure...My cat likes to sleep in my bed. Someone told me cats like that are
>wanna be dogs, but I just ignore comments like that. A dog will smother you
>too much with affection, but when a cat gives it to you, you know it counts.

Actually, I think my cat Ghost was a dog in his previous life.  Not that he
wants to be a dog, you see, just that he hasn't rid himself of all the dog
habits.  The way he drools, it's possible he was previously a Saint Bernard.

Ghost loves to sleep with me (and my wife) but not all the time.  The colder
the weather, the more likely he'll sleep with us (usually on top of me or
half on top of me, but sometimes curled up against me or my wife).  For the
last week or two, I think he stopped sleeping with us because he was sulking
about the new kitten, Frosty -- but he seems to be over the sulking and is
happy to have a cat in the house that actually wants to play!

Ghost frequently tries to play with Oolong (our black, mostly outdoor cat),
but Oolong, for the most part, doesn't play.  Frosty, on the other hand, is
about 4.5 months old and wants to play almost constantly.  Unfortunately,
Oolong is spending more time outside as he won't put up with it, and Ghost
sometimes decides to go out becuase *he's* had enough -- but everyone seems
to be integrating well.

Frosty, by the way, seems to be a Birman mix.  And he's *gorgeous*!  Also
polydactyl -- the first I've had.  And as well-behaved as you can expect a
four month old kitten to be.  We're hoping to be able to keep him an indoor
cat, with outdoor excursions on leash only.  My wife has been putting him in
the harness to get him used to it, and he doesn't even seem to notice he's
wearing it most of the time.  We're also hoping that he'll learn to like our
two dogs (one a Siberian Husky and the other a Border Collie mix) who are both
cat-lovers and have been very sad about the fact that our two cats (before
Frosty) are dog-haters (the dogs were my wifes' and the cats were mine).  They
are both (especially Wolf, the husky) really excited about the new kitten!

-Pete Zakel
 (phz@cadence.com or ..!uunet!cadence!phz)

... The Anarchists' [national] anthem is an international anthem that
consists of 365 raspberries blown in very quick succession to the tune
of "Camptown Races".  Nobody has to stand up for it, nobody has to
listen to it, and, even better, nobody has to play it.

		-- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac"
From: techsy005@spacm1.spac.spc.com (Fred Franceschi)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Fresh catnip?
Date: 13 Aug 92 23:19:01 GMT
Organization: Security Pacific Automation Co., LA, CA

We have celery growing wild in our yard; our cats love to sniff it,
lie in it, and rub their faces in it.

Maybe an alternate (or addition to) catnip.
-- 

Fred Franceschi
techsy105@spacm1.spac.spc.com
    
My statements may not be my companys.
Brilliant, witty saying goes here.
From: arkoff@techbook.com (Gary Arkoff)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Getting a playmate for Spooky
Date: 14 Aug 92 09:02:42 GMT
Article-I.D.: techbook.1992Aug14.090242.17684
Reply-To: arkoff@techbook.com (Gary Arkoff,,,,)
Organization: TECHbooks --- Public Access UNIX --- (503) 644-8135

From lclark.edu!larryw Fri Aug 14 01:55:03 1992
Return-Path: <larryw@lclark.edu>
Received: by techbook.techbook.com (/\==/\ Smail3.1.25.1 #25.5)
 	id <m0mIxQq-0006cDC@techbook.techbook.com>; Fri, 14 Aug 92 01:54 PDT
Received: by lclark.edu (4.1/SMI-4.1)
	id AA19825; Fri, 14 Aug 92 01:52:35 PDT
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 01:52:35 PDT
From: larryw@lclark.edu (Larry Westdahl)
Message-Id: <9208140852.AA19825@lclark.edu>
To: arkoff@techbook.com
Status: O

I realize that this question has been asked before, but I would like to 
throw my own version of this question into the mix, along with my own 
variables/subquestions.  I apologize if I am wasting band-width.  (Enough
disclamer).

I apopted Spooky from the local Humane Society about three months ago.  She is
(best guess) a year and a half old. When she came to live with me, my roommate
and I were working opposite shifts so one of us was home almost all of the time
and her time alone was always brief.  Times have changed.  I changed jobs.  She
now spends a good deal of time alone.  She doesn't play with toys and so, in
our absense, she has nothing to do.  (I can not let her out because we live
in a security apartment and she is not tall enought to reach the phone to 
have me buzz her in.  :)

On the other hand, when Larry or I *are* at home, she does not play with us
much either.  She spends most of her time sitting/sleeping in the whichever 
room one of us is in.  She does not seem to want to play or be pet, because 
when we do try to show affection, she meows a protest until we stop.  :(  The
only exception to this is that she *demands* our undivided attention *first*
thing when either of us get home from being gone for any length.  This demand
usually lasts about five minutes.

So, with all of this in mind, should I get another cat?  I do not want her
to be bored/lonely all day, but I am not conviced that she would appreciate
a playmate (being the recluse that she is).

Any suggestions?  Mind, I can go either way on the new cat issue, I am mostly
worried about Spooky and her time spent alone.

Oh, if it makes any difference, she is spayed (sp?) and declawed (no flames,
please.  She came that way from the Humane Society and never goes outside.)

thanks in advance,
Gary

-- 
arkoff@techbook.COM  Public Access User --- Not affiliated with TECHbooks
Public Access UNIX and Internet at (503) 644-8135 (1200/2400, N81)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: ssnyder@sunai.er.usgs.gov (Steve Snyder)
Subject: Indoor Hazards (was re: How long cats live was: Indoor cat wants out)
Organization: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston VA
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 13:17:42 GMT

In article <1992Aug12.164607.847@galaxy.gov.bc.ca> gbrach@galaxy.gov.bc.ca writes:
>In article <l8ghh6INNa80@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM>, aspasia@usability.Eng.Sun.COM (Lisa Louise Davis) writes:
>> BTW, there are indoor hazards, too.  I came home from work once to
>> discover her "breakaway" collar dangling about two feet from the floor
>> from the end of a venetian blind cord.  And she got trapped in a heating
>> duct once while a furnace was being repaired--we had to remove the furnace
>> again to get her out.
>> 
>More on indoor hazards:
>
>[cat getting stuck between headboard and wall, in closet and hiding
 on top of bookcase]
>
>
Saw the following  in misc.consumers.house, thought it was very
appropriate for the discussion on indoor hazards. It gave me a
good laugh.
+
+
+
+I actually saw a friend of mine seal her cat in the shower surround
+wall...she used a saber saw to cut a hole in the wall to get the cat
+out, and then repaired the damage.
+
+We both got a good laugh out of that.
+
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Steve Snyder            | This space for rent, inquire within. 
  ssnyder@sunai.er.usgs.gov     |  
US Geological Survey Reston, VA | I only speak for myself. me.
From: good@iris.genetics.uga.edu (daniel good)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: It's Raining Out! (was RE: baths)
Date: 13 Aug 92 04:13:13 GMT
	<1992Aug13.004550.27095@chpc.utexas.edu>
Organization: Biological Sequence/Structure Computation Facility

In article <1992Aug13.004550.27095@chpc.utexas.edu> jonathan@chpc.utexas.edu (Jonathan Thornburg) writes:

	   (kitty goes out); (it starts raining); (several hours pass,
	   rain continues); (piteous meow heard at door); (open door)
	   (kitty comes in like a shot, makes a bee-line for
	   her food dish, and starts gobbling frantically)
	   (human closes door, then walks over to pet kitty,
	   saying "ohh, you poor kitty, so thin and frail,
	   all wet, battered by the cold, cruel winds, etc
	   etc")

-->   (kitty turns out to be hardly damp, probably due
-->   to having spent the last several hours under an
-->   overturned boat or another building with open
-->   cement block footings)
Let me tell you about the time Angelica got out.  She is totally
indoor but I sometimes let the gang out onto the patio to get some
fresh air where, I think, is where she got this bright escape idea.
Anyway, she takes off and I look for her.  She's nowhere.  I decide to
let her realize that there is no food dish outside and wait for her to
come back on her own.  Time passes.  I get nervous.  More time passes.
I start calling.  Rain starts.  I go inside to wait for rain to stop.
Light rain turns into torrential downpour.  I grab a dry towel and
head outside, certain that she is flat on the road or cold, wet, and
hungry in a ditch.  I get DRENCHED.  Angelica is found, warm and DRY
(bitch) although a bit scared in the crawlspace under the apartment
building.  [elapsed time for total incedent: 1 hour.  ok so I'm soft]

The only problem with this is, while she was more than eager to come
home that time, she knows that I will NOT crawl in there and get her
out (I am phobic about creepie crawlies and the crawlspace is creepy
crawling with them) so now she likes to bolt out of the house and run
under there.  I think it's a big victory in her little mind.

Joan
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: schumach@convex.com (Richard A. Schumacher)
Subject: Re: My litter box keeps getting tipped over, even when clean.
Organization: CONVEX Computer Corporation, Richardson, Tx., USA
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 00:38:21 GMT
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by a user at CONVEX Computer
              Corp. The opinions expressed are those of the user and
              not necessarily those of CONVEX.

??
Shirley's Law: If your cat can tip over the litter box, then there's not
enough litter in it.
From: jlecher@pbs.org
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Cat likes cantelope???
Date: 18 Aug 92 18:09:28 EDT
Organization: PBS:Public Broadcasting Service, Alexandria, VA


Sherlock loves melon, too. In fact, he loves most fresh fruits, as long as
they're easy to lick. We discovered this when we accidently left some 
pieces of mango out on the table, and they were gone 1/2 hour later when
we came home! So we experimented a bit. He loves mango, BANANA(one of his
favorites!), applesauce, grapes(as long as we peel them first - aren't we
the indulgent parents!), peaches....well, any fruit that's lickable.
I've never seen this before in a cat, and I grew up surrounded by them!
However, Tribble(now long-gone) used to love raw potatoes. If we were
peeling potatoes, we had to throw him some peelings, or risk getting
that *look*.(meow)

An update on The New Kitten Scarlet:
Sherlock and Scarlet are getting along, beyond our wildest dreams. Scarlet
is getting downright tubby, so I've cut down on the fatty foods. We've 
also placed a piece of foil on the floor inside the computer room door,
and it seems to work well at keeping her out of there.(She had decided
that the computer room was her personal kitty box!) Otherwise, she's 
having a blast driving Sherlock crazy.

Jane
From: exuptr@exu.ericsson.se (Patrick Taylor)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Chimneys (was Cries...)
Date: 20 Aug 92 21:56:32 GMT
Organization: Ericsson Network Systems, Inc.

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?
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    "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
From: myers@cs.ucsd.edu (Margaret Myers)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Naming cat behaviors
Date: 20 Aug 92 16:39:26 GMT
Distribution: usa

john@n7kbt.rain.com (John Opalko) writes:

>In article <HANNAH.92Aug19132640@pomponio.ai.sri.com> hannah@pomponio.ai.sri.com (Marsha Jo Hannah) writes:
>>
>>As long as we're naming cat behaviors, how about alternate names for
>>the insane running around that has been called "the crazies"?

>I always called it "the rips."  Sometimes Louie vocalizes while he's tearing
>up and down the stairs.  He utters this weird, guttural, growl/yowl.  The first
>time my SO heard it, she turned to me and said, "Let's get out of here before
>he kills us."  I think she was kidding...

I call it "the zooms", or "an attack of thundercats" (my boyfriend's
nephew used to watch the Thundercats cartoon all the time).

--Margaret
  & Oliver
  & Tinker
From: good@iris.genetics.uga.edu (daniel good)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: My litter box keeps getting tipped over, even when clean.
Date: 13 Aug 92 03:43:14 GMT
	<7Tb-Mq-@engin.umich.edu>
Organization: Biological Sequence/Structure Computation Facility

In article <7Tb-Mq-@engin.umich.edu>ault@engin.umich.edu (Matthew Ault) writes:

   It's probably just because he likes to make a mess. My little darlings don't
   tip over the litter box, but they do love to tip over every available trash
   basket they can find.  Lots of wonderful play toys contained within!  And it
   isn't as if we don't provide them with enough regular toys...

Amos does this too!  And here I thought he was odd!  The only
difference its that he likes to tip over cups.  Any cup left on or
near the floor (this includes the table) is likely to meet with a
certain death when Amos is in snoop mode.  I used to think he wanted
to see/drink/cover whatever was in it but he will sit for hours and
keep tipping over the same glass if I keep putting it back up
straight.  I think he knows that most of the time I get up and run at
him to get him to stop, maybe he's trying to play?  I personally don't
see the excitment in standing on mommys lap and dumping a glass of
RED fruit punch off the end table and onto her lap!

Joan (who is getting another Inet account SOON!)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats