HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: kkv@inel.gov (Jamie J Ferguson)
Subject: Re: Catproof couches?
Organization: Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 92 20:11:33 GMT


Our 3 cats are not declawed and never will be, but we do clip their
claws regularly.  If you don't want to declaw your cats then this
will help (unless you already do and still have problems!).  If
you haven't done this it will probably be hard at first -- cats
don't seem to like this too much at first.  We combine it with alot
of petting and treats -- the treats come at the end or you get a
cat with one thing on its mind!  Clipping is (for me -- not for 
everyone) a relatively easy alternative to declawing, but it doesn't
guarantee that the cats won't claw at all, just that they can do
less damage.  Mine solved this problem by learning to eat the 
furniture.    


Jamie

the pack:  Kenzie   -- 1 yr old black Lab X
           Meggin   -- 8 month old Australian Shepherd X
           Harrison -- 4 month old Border Collie X

the herd:  Kieri -- 5 1/2 yr old lilac point Siamese
           Zak   -- 5 1/2 yr old blue point Siamese
           Duke  -- 1 yr old seal point Siamese



========== long legal disclaimer follows, press n to skip ===========

Neither the United States Government or the Idaho National Engineering
Laboratory or any of their employees, makes any warranty, whatsoever,
implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility regarding any
information, disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe
privately owned rights.  No specific reference constitutes or implies
endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States
Government or the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory.  The views and
opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the
United States Government or the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory,
and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: dschlow@epas.utoronto.ca (Deborah Schlow)
Subject: Re: favorite cat
Organization: University of Toronto - EPAS
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1993 06:56:13 GMT
Followup-To: Re: Favorite Cats
Summary: how I got my cats
Keywords: cats, receiving

I got my 15 year old tuxedo cat Vera in the same way as other
tuxedo-owned people, evidently. In the shelter was a huge cage of
kittens. All the other kittens were merrily playing and being cute,
but Vera was clinging to the mesh wire, half-way up, swiping at people
as they walked by. She wasn't actually my favorite kitten of the
bunch, but I reasoned that any cat that wanted to get out of a cage so
badly deserved to get out.

My ten year old Sting was a pregnant stray brought home by my neice
after a friend's mother threw the cat out. My neice was playing
emotion games with her father, who doesn't much care for cats, and her
new step-mother, who adores them. At this point, my brother and
sister-in-law took off for Australia. I was mid-wife and my heart was
gone. Upon return, my brother was actually going to have Sting put to
sleep, as they had found homes for all the kittens, so I took her.

Both of them came from Boston, all the way to Toronto with me.

Deborah





Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: diana@wetware.com (CatWoman )
Subject: Re: Kd food
Organization: Castle WetWare MouseCatcher
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 03:08:14 GMT

First off - a caveat.  I've so far been able
to avoid needing KD (cross paws).

HOWEVER - I've had to use CD often enough to 
wish that I could buy it wholesale.  I found
that apparently the "regular" hills Science
Diet (herein referred to as "SD") tastes enough
like the other compounds that if I maintain the
cats on SD all the time, the switch to CD is
taken in stride.

Diana
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Plant question
Date: 31 Dec 92 10:47:30 -0600
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <1992Dec30.180206.16054@crd.ge.com>, feldman@flash.crd.ge.com (Sandra F Feldman) writes:
> Everyone has had the opinion that spider plants are OK for cats.  How come the
> one time Tom got into the spider plant he had the kitty runs for the rest of
> the day?  Was it coincidence?  I'd love to get a new plant, but I've always
> been afraid.

Just about any drastic change in diet can result in diarrhea -- not just
for cats, but any critter.  And an increased amount of vegetable matter
in the diet is a good way to "loosen up the stool".

This link between plant foods and loose stools is well known to many
midwesterners-- during sweetcorn season, some of us eat 6-8 ears a day,
and do not stray far from the plumbing for a week or so...

Kay Klier  Biology Dept  UNI
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: islandia@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (alan.b.karpe)
Subject: House plants
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1992 16:03:48 GMT
Keywords: plants poison

I am the new owner of a Snowshoe  kitten.  Are there any house 
plants that can make my kitten sick or are poisonous.


-- 
   __  ______  _  ______ | Alan B. Karpe         | A.T.&T. Bell Labs
  /  )   /    ( )   /    | !{att.com!alux2!karpe | 1247 S. Cedar Crest Blvd.
 /--/   /     /\,  /     | .. 1-215-770-2264     | Allentown, Pa. 18103
/  (   /     (_/\ /      | fax 1-215-770-2820    | Room alc 2a131b
From: diana@wetware.com (CatWoman )
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: House plants
Date: 27 Dec 92 14:55:52 GMT
Article-I.D.: wetware.1992Dec27.145552.17058
Organization: Castle WetWare MouseCatcher

Jack_Webb@mindlink.bc.ca (Jack Webb) writes:

] > alan.b.karpe writes:
] >
] > I am the new owner of a Snowshoe  kitten.  Are there any house
] > plants that can make my kitten sick or are poisonous.
] 
] Cat Fancy magazine of May 1988 has a good article on cats and houseplants...
] here is a list of some of the more poisonous plants.

{deleted - the list of plants}

I don't have a copy of the FAQ to check off hand,
but thought I'd ask for general interest purposes:

Are any TREE types listed as poisenous?  I know this
is a bit late - and I'm assuming that since Euell
Gibbons and my old Camp Fire Girls training told me
that new tree growth was good as food that trees are
NOT a problem - but I don't remember whether Cypress
or Cedar trees are included in the food category.  

I got a post-Xmas sale Cypress (it's adorable - like
getting a new kitten - it's only about 5" tall!), and
since it is fairly new I'm going to re-pot it and keep
it inside through next winter, then hope to plant it
outside with my pine tree...

So far nobody's looked like they'll bother it - but
I expect curiosity and/or familiarity to take over at
some point (especially if I DO get a new kitten next
year...)

Diana
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: shan@niwot.scd.ucar.edu (Val Shanahan)
Subject: Re: cat in heat?
Organization: Scientific Computing Divison/NCAR Boulder, CO
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 22:15:51 GMT


Sometimes a cat will stay in heat until it gets spayed or laid.  This is not
usually the case.  Most cats will go thru regular heats like any other warm
blooded animal.  If your cat turns out to be one that stays in heat, get her
to the vet and have her spayed.  Not doing so COULD result in uterin/ovarian
cancer, among some less threatening but still unpleasant ailments.

Val


Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: ramirez@julia.math.ucla.edu (Alice Ramirez)
Subject: finicky cats
Organization: UCLA Mathematics Department
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 93 03:30:43 GMT

The most finicky cat I ever had was Biscuit, an orange Maine Coon Cat
I took care of for 9 months while his person went to England.
About the only thing Biscuit would eat were steamed smelt.  He loved these,
and to see him standing over his bowl, gnawing on one of these 4-6"
fishes, was a real joy.  He would also eat liver cooked in butter and cut
up into cat-bite sized pieces and that was about it.

In the 9 months I had him, I managed to partly wean him onto commercial
cat food but he never cared for it, eating only certain flavors and then
not with any particularly heart-warming relish.

I suppose other people have had to deal with finicky cats.  Might be fun to
hear your stories.  At least those whose cats eat anything and everything
will be able to read the postings, smile smugly, and realize how lucky they
are.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: cs431109@umbc8.umbc.edu (cs431109)
Subject: Re: declawing?
Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County Campus
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 03:49:00 GMT

In article <1992Dec26.221408.5685@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> istuart@nyx.cs.du.edu (Ian Stuart) writes:
>
>I don't want to start a flame war or anything, but I feel that cats are
>outdoor creatures who condesend to allow humans to suppliment their diet
>with inferior tinned food (from their perspective!).

Not a good way to avoid a flame war. I've heard this argument before
from people who believe cats and dogs belong outside and not in human
houses. These are the same kind of people who in generations past said
"If man were meant to fly, God would have given him wings" or "If God
meant for women to wear pants, he would have made them men", etc...
What pure rot! People used to be outdoor creatures too, why aren't we
still living in caves?

>A cat is a carnivore, that needs to be able to hunt within it's guarded
>terratory. To restrict a cat to any indoor only environment is
>psycologically damaging for the cat (in my opinion), and causes them to be
>more aggressive than normal. 

My two cats are indoor only cats and are passive loving animals. They
do not have psycological problems (unless you consider the weird attributes
of the siamese to be psycological). My parents outdoor cat, who only comes
inside when the temperature isn't fit for beasts, is aggressive. Go figure?
Also, my siamese indoor only cat will eat nothing but dry cat food -- no
fresh meat of any kind will pass her jaws. Humans are carnivores too, how
come we're not all out there hunting for our dinner? Your cats-are-
carnivores-so-they-need-to-hunt theory is garbage.


Yes, my cats like being outside and escape every chance they can. But
if they understood the perils of contageous diseases such as feline
leukemia, etc., and the wonderful toys we've made for ourselves (called
cars), I don't think they'd mind not going out very often. Besides,
when one does escape and I can't find her, she always returns a few
hours later. Now why does she come back if its so much better for her
outside? 

You can treat your cat however you want to. But I remember too many
painful episodes as a child of losing my favorite pet to a car
or some horrible outdoor-cat disease. Agnes and Carmen will not end
their lives as roadkill.

Mary
From: tittle@ics.uci.edu (Cindy Tittle Moore)
Subject: Re: Flea FAQ location?
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Reply-To: tittle@ics.uci.edu (Cindy Tittle Moore)
Organization: ICS Dept., UC Irvine
Date: 23 Dec 92 21:40:35 GMT

In <1992Dec23.004037.5920@ncsu.edu> odkahn@eos.ncsu.edu (OPHER DANIEL KAHN) writes:

>Can anyone tell me the real location of the FAQ on fleas? The normal
>FAQ claims there is such a faq in pit-manager.mit.edu under
>pub/usenet/news.answers/fleas- ticks.  However, I can't find such a
>thing there.  Any ideas?  -- Opher D. Kahn

Evidently pit-manager's manager has rearranged things slightly.
The files are now compressed.  You need to ask for
fleas-ticks.Z (the path is still correct).  Sigh.

(If you're running unix, you'd uncompress it by typeing
uncompress fleas-ticks.Z after transferring it to your account.
Don't forget to set the file type to binary before snagging
a copy.)

--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.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats,alt.drugs
From: thiessen@emr1.emr.ca (Tracy Thiessen)
Subject: Re: Cats and LSD
Organization: Energy, Mines, and Resources, Ottawa
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 18:23:40 GMT

In article <5fpr+7b@lynx.unm.edu> ledlow@triton.unm.edu (Michael Ledlow PHYS) writes:
>In article <1992Dec28.211752.26463@Cadence.COM> phz@cadence.com (Pete Zakel) writes:
>>In article <1992Dec17.200748.16776@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com> billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:
>>>mary@zmax.com (Mary Papp) writes:
>>>: 
>>I remember visiting someone's house one time and the person living there
>>warned me to be careful of the cat.
>>
>>Seems the cat made off with some LSD (blotter) that someone had left lying
>>on the coffee table and has never been the same since.  It made the cat
>>somewhat unpredictable in behavior (not that cats are necessarily predictable)
>>and he would as soon slash your hand as let you pet him.
>>
>>In this case the cat definitely had taken the LSD of his own accord.
>>
>The cat didn't consciencely choose to take LSD, his careless owners provided
>him the opportunity to do so.  Cats being curious creatures will play 
>with about anything.  To say that the cat did this of his own accord is
>ridiculous.  If you leave poison out on the table, and the cat ingests it
>do you say the cat committed suicide??  
>
>--Michael
>
>
No kittying. Years ago at Christmas, we set out table
candles (the omnipresent Twitmas angles, who revolve with
heat).  Our Persian cat sauntered by these candles, flicking 
his tail as cats will, and carried on, with his tail on fire. 
Fortunately, someone was there to kill the flames (the cat never
actually clued into what had happened, except that he suddenly
had a singed tail.)  The moral? Anything on the table is fair
game....you can pretty much assume the cat will be into it
before long.  And it's our responsibility cause, c'mon, they're cats!

Tracy
>


Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner)
Subject: Re: House plants
Reply-To: rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner)
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 92 17:49:10 GMT

In article <1992Dec28.104831.12243@thelema.uucp> STella@thelema.uucp (STella) writes:
>In article <18911@mindlink.bc.ca> Jack_Webb@mindlink.bc.ca (Jack Webb) writes:
>>Cat Fancy magazine of May 1988 has a good article on cats and houseplants...
>>here is a list of some of the more poisonous plants.
>>
>>Asparagus Fern
>
>Asparagus fern?  I've been using asparagus ferns as the one plant the
>beasts can munch for ages with no ill effect, 

It might be the berries that are the problem (for those of you who haven't
seen it, asparagus ferns do have tiny white flowers and red berries, they 
aren't really ferns).

Our two haven't shown any particular interest in the two asparagus ferns
I have. But then, I don't water them often enough, so they're pretty sorry
specimens :-).
-- 
Ruth Milner                          NRAO/VLA                  Socorro NM
Computing Division Head      rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: odkahn@eos.ncsu.edu (OPHER DANIEL KAHN)
Subject: Flea FAQ location?
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 00:40:37 GMT

Can anyone tell me the real location of the FAQ on fleas? The normal FAQ claims
there is such a faq in pit-manager.mit.edu under pub/usenet/news.answers/fleas-
ticks.  However, I can't find such a thing there.  Any ideas?
-- 
 Opher D. Kahn
From: hecate@ac.dal.ca
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: re:declawing plus chin acne question
Date: 24 Dec 92 16:16:25 -0400
Organization: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

My sincerest support for the person whose newest
addition has a positive FeLV result. I remember
when I first had Patches tested many years ago that she
had a weak positive test. Thank the Goddess the next
one was definitely negative. But I'll never forget
the agony of waiting for the second test...hang in
there. Even with a strong positive, the little one
can have years of life ahead. 

Now for a question of my own. My Rusty has acne on
his chin, and it just doesn't seem to want to clear
up. I put hydrogen peroxide on it every day for a
couple of weeks, and it seems to clear, and after 
a week or so of no morning chin scrubbing the damn
thing comes back. My vet has suggested benzoyl peroxide.
Any other suggestions? (All my cats eat out of metal
dishes, BTW- this after Patches developed the same problem
and it cleared up after I got rid of the plastic bowl).

Julia
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: laurel.schippers@hal9k.ann-arbor.mi.us (Laurel Schippers) 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: RE:    DECLAWING?
Date: 27 Dec 92 22:43:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: HAL 9000, W-NET HQ, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Reply-To: laurel.schippers@hal9k.ann-arbor.mi.us (Laurel Schippers) 

Well, declawing really oughta be a last resort.  If you clip their
claws, it does the same thing without the expense or the trouble
for the cat.  (If they're outdoor cats or they sneak out,
they really need those claws!)
                                   
----
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| HAL 9000 BBS +1 313 663 4173 or 663 3959 | Four 14.4k v.32bis dial-ins |
| Public Access QWK-to-Usenet gateway running PCBoard 14.5a/E10/MULTITASK|
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: syearick@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Sid Yearick)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Defense
Date: 30 Dec 92 14:38:22 GMT
Reply-To: syearick@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Sid Yearick)
Organization: Carderock Division, NSWC, Bethesda, MD

I have been reading this on-going discussion for a long time.  I have been 
owned by several cats over the years some with some without claws.  I do not
intend to pass judgement on anyone who does or doesn't have cats with claws.
It is the business of the owner.  I agree with Tracy in the previous post,
there are far more important situations going on in the world that need to
be taken care of.  I currently have five beautiful cats that I would never
harm, and they are all declawed.  It was my decision to take this step, and
I don't have to nor do I intend to explain it to anyone.

I don't mean to come across in a negative frame of mind, but I really think
there are other issues which involve animals as well as humans that need to
have priority over the issue of "To declaw or not to declaw".
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
 KEPURR        /|    TEAL      I]   syearick@oasys.dt.navy.mil
            ` o.O '            []   Sid Yearick
 MUFFIN     =(___)=  YOGI      []   David Taylor Model Basin Carderock Division
               U               []   Naval Surface Warfare Center
 TIGGER   ACK!THPTPHH!  ????   []   Bethesda, Maryland 20084-5000
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][]][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: wd6cmu@netcom.com (Eric Williams)
Subject: Litterbox tip
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 19:16:50 GMT

I got tired of "digging for gold" in my litter box every night and
thought there must be a better way.  Here's a technique for clumping
litter I've been using for two or three weeks that seems to work
pretty good.  

First, get a second litter box the same size as your current one. 
Then go to the hardware store and get three or four feet of 1/4-inch
"hardware cloth".  Take a pair of tin snips and cut and bend the
hardware cloth into a tub shape that will fit reasonably snugly
inside of your litter boxes.  (This is the hardest part, get someone
handy with building things to do it for you if you can.)  It helps if
you overlap at the corners, and you can seal the edges together by
"sewing" with wire or by soldering.  Build some sort of handles into
the opposing ends that you can hang on to.

When it's time to clean the litter box, put the hardware cloth
strainer into the empty litter box and dump the dirty one into it. 
Scrape loose any clumps that stick to the bottom of the old box and
pour them into your garbage bag.  (I like the trash compactor bags,
they're about the right size and very heavy-duty.)  Now gently
agitate the strainer to get the loose litter to fall through into the
litter box.  (Now you're panning for gold instead of digging for it.
;-)  Dump what got strained into your bag and seal it up.  Put the
new litter box back where the old one was and put the old one aside
for tomorrow. If you want to, you can now clean and disinfect the old
box and have it dry in time for the next show.

I initially had difficulties because my two cats would "help" me with
the procedure by jumping into the empty pan or strainer whenever they
could.  I found that a cordless dust buster not only picked up the
stray litter on the floor when I was done, but also made an excellent
helpful cat repeller.
-- 
Eric Williams     wd6cmu@netcom.com  |  Never attribute to malice that which
WD6CMU@WD6CMU.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA       |  is adequately explained by stupidity.
From: das@voodoo.boeing.com (Deb Schwartz)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Getting sick cat to eat
Date: 22 Dec 92 16:56:12 GMT
Organization: Yet Another Graphics Project, Bellevue, WA

Oreo finally started eating again last night.  He demolished a whole can of
the prescription cat food, and this morning he ate half a can of it plus some
of his regular food.  Thank goodness he's on the road to recovery.

Many thanks to all who emailed suggestions.

Debbie Schwartz // das@voodoo.ca.boeing.com  // ....uw-beaver!bcsaic!voodoo!das


Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: wall@cc.swarthmore.edu (Matthew Wall)
Subject: Post-spaying rejection - by older cat
Followup-To: rec.pets.cats
Organization: Swarthmore College Computing Center
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 15:58:49 GMT

Well, we had a weird week. We took Didi, our six month old kitten, to the
vet last Friday for an overnight stay for her sterilization operation.

The older cat, Gogo (5 yrs), who took about 2 months of surly growling to
even accept Didi, spent the next day sulking around the house, running from
room to room, presumably looking for Didi. It was kind of touching. Here
was this grumpy old cat missing her kitten friend.

Chiah, RIGHT.

Didi gets back from the vet the next day, and Gogo CAN'T STAND HER. She's
back to the way she was the first day Didi came home from the shelter -
hissing, growling menacingly, batting and slashing at her at every
opportunity, and generally being a pain in the rear. And she was equally
surly and nasty to her humans.

OK, we figured, Didi smells weird - she has antiseptic smell on her, she is
probably exuding a different odor because of the other animals at the vet,
and Gogo just doesn't recognize her in the olafactory sense. Give it a few
days, and things will be back to normal.

A week and a half later, things are just now getting back to normal. Gogo
is still a little wary of Didi, but they seemed to have started playing
with one another tentatively yesterday (read: mock-fighting) which we take
as a good sign.

Did Gogo think she was back to being A-1? (We're somewhat disinclined to
believe this because she's always been kind of a jungle cat, having been
mistreated as a kitten before we got her, and hence never much in demand of
human affection.) Did she simply not recognize Didi? Was it pre-holiday
blues?

- Matt

wall@cc.swarthmore.edu
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Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats