HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: barlow@prodigal.psych.rochester.edu (Rebel)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: alternative disciplinary measures?
Date: 13 Dec 92 22:19:55 GMT
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York

Although Zeb was VERY disgusted by being squirted with a water bottle and
promptly stopped what she was doing and ran away....this only worked for things
she wasn't that committed to doing :-) It worked for stopped her from getting
on the kitchen table during mealtime and from eating my fiance's "Twin Peaks"
calendar ....but it was only a momentary deterant from biting which Zeb is
QUITE fond of. One thing that I fond works really well (and actually makes a
lot of sense) is growling and hissing like a mother cat. I admit however that
this takes a bit of practice to actually sound convincingly like a cat. If Zeb
starts actively biting me (not just playful but vengeful) I growl and then
loudly hiss at her....needless to say the biting stops INSTANTLY,  and she
wrinkles up her little nose. After which she won't even let me put my hand by
her mouth. *laugh* When we first got her, Zeb was a real biter and scratcher...
the humane society had her because the previous owner said their young son was
abusive to her...personally I think Zeb was abusive to HIM :-) And now at 8
months she only "play" bites when playing....or if she REALLY doesn't want to
be handled which I respect by putting her down. Hitting a cat in my opinion
REALLY doens't work (regardless of ethical reasons for avoiding it).. cats are
too "springy" and you can rarely land a spank which is in any way meaningful to
the cat...they're way too quick for humans ;-) Besides which they regard it was
play...and just "hit" you back...often more effectively than you did :-)
Another way to curb certain behaviors is to substitute them. If Zeb is
attacking something important...I pull her away from it and give her one of her
toys to play with...often that alone is enough for her to be distracted. 
Cats are pretty smart they get the hint. Ignoring them when they get to be
obnoxious during play...if they hurt you by biting..play stops and you walk
away....It takes patience but it does work. 

Good luck :-)
Jen mommy to Zebulon, delegate of the nine planets and envoy to 2 universes
From: tittle@ics.uci.edu (Cindy Tittle Moore)
Subject: Re: jellicle?
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Reply-To: tittle@ics.uci.edu (Cindy Tittle Moore)
Organization: ICS Dept., UC Irvine
Date: 17 Dec 92 22:07:22 GMT

In <1992Dec17.152121.4668@memstvx1.memst.edu> nvonstein@memstvx1.memst.edu writes:

>In article <1gqke4INN3po@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu>, at881@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (N. French) writes:
>>
>> excuse me if this is a stupid question, but what the heck
>> is a jellicle cat?
>>
>> Nicole


>It is from the play "Cats". I haven't seen the play yet, but have the
>soundtrack and from what I understand, Jellicle is the neighborhood in which
>the characters reside; therefore they are the Jellicle cats.

>I may be wrong--hopefully next Spring when the play comes back to Memphis, I
>will get to find out. Because I will be sure to see "Cats".

This is in the FAQ.  It is from a poem by T.S. Elliot.  Jellicle cats
are black and white cats.

--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: brad@Apple.COM (Brad Zaller)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Ocicat & Friend Seek New Home
Date: 21 Dec 92 04:14:47 GMT
Distribution: ba
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA


Ocicat & Friend Looking For New Home

Due to some dramatic lifestyle changes for me, I am no longer able to care
for two longtime companions of mine, and I need to find a loving home for
them as soon as possible.

"Natasha" is a 4-year old, female, purebred Ocicat (if you're not familiar
with the breed, Ocicats are beautifully spotted and look like miniature
leopards).  Her cinnamon coat is beautifully spotted with chocolate-colored
spots, and she has oversized ears and big green eyes -- this won her second
place overall in a CFA cat show back when she was a kitten.  She eagerly
plays "fetch" with anybody at hand, and loves to perch on her owner's
shoulders during the morning primping rituals.

"Ashley" is a 6-year old male Maltese cat (Maltese is just a fancy way
of saying "grey cat" with no specific bloodline).  He's solid grey, hefty
(about 13 pounds), and loves to be the center of attention.  He loves
people, and is as comfortable in the middle of a party as he is warming
someone's lap late at night.

Ashley and Natasha have been companions since 1988, filling their days
with endless hours of sleeping, playing and chasing each other around
the house (Natasha usually wins...).  This, of course, has provided me
with lots of cheap entertainment for hours on end.

They have been exclusively indoor cats since I got them as kittens, and
they've been very happy that way.  They both get along with other cats
in the household (I had a roommate with another male cat for a while --
no problems), and they are both fixed (no spraying or heat problems here!).

I'm hoping to find a home where both of them will be loved together.  
As much as they love each other, I couldn't stand to break them up.

Ashley and Natasha come equipped with their own cat carriers, food bowls,
a 6-foot tall carpeted cat tree (their "perch"), and an assortment of
foam balls that Natasha will dutifully hide and retreive for you.

If you're interested in providing a home for these two waifs, please
give me a call at (415) 550-2661.  I'm in the San Francisco area.

Thanx,
Brad Zaller


-- 
   Bradley C. Zaller  ::  Apple Computer, Inc.  ::  brad@apple.com

  "As she lay there dozing next beside me, a voice inside my head kept
   saying 'Relax. . . you're not the first doctor who's ever slept with
   one of his patients,' but another kept reminding me, 'Howard, you're
   a veterinarian.'"
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: vboynton@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Virginia R Boynton)
Subject: Re: a very sad day for me....
Keywords: tears, tears
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 22:50:20 GMT

In article <1992Dec15.220540.7437@pony.Ingres.COM> walker@Ingres.COM (Lynn Walk
er) writes:
>Today is a very sad day for me. My Siamese cat Max passed away. He was in
>surgery at the vet, and it was discovered that he had cancerous tumours in
>his colon and liver. He had lost some weight over the last few weeks, and it
>seems that he was gone in no time at all. His approximate age was 8 years old.
>My other cat Oliver has been howling all over the house because he misses his
>buddy. His cries almost sound angry. Could he know what was happening? They
>both have been with me for the past four years.
>
>I'm only writing because I am hurting, and hope that I did the right thing by
>putting him down. The vet said that they could remove the tumors, but it would
>only have bought him a bit more time. I thought about Oliver being alone now,
>and wonder if getting another cat will make him feel better. I don't know if I
>want another one, or if we should just adjust to our loss.
>
>Time will tell.
>
>              -- Lynn --

Our deepest sympathies to you and Oliver, Lynn.

Ginny, Salem, Emma, and Whiskers
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: todd@hector.cc.bellcore.com (todd,carolyn m)
Subject: Re: cats that recognize their names
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 92 14:33:38 GMT

In article <17DEC199209015430@lims02.lerc.nasa.gov> mpmarie@lims02.lerc.nasa.gov (MARIE HUCOVSKY) writes:
>I am responding to the question posted "Do your cats know their names?".  I 
>always wondered if they really did or were they just reacting to my voice.  
>Then one summer day I had Spike and Harry in the yard on their leashes, 
>enjoying the weather.  On the street behind our house a woman was calling 
>her son Harry.  She kept calling out Harry Harry.  My cat Harry came 
>running over to me and looked kind of confused when she realized it was not 
>me calling her.  Spike is very good and when I call him to come up from in 
>the basement, he does.  They don't always react when I call them, but most 
>of the time they do.  They are good kitties and I love them.
>
>Marie

Smokey comes to me no matter where he is in the house,
whenever I call his name.  Of course, sometimes he takes his
own sweet time about it....but he eventually shows up.
Columbus, on the other hand, 
acknowledges his name only when it suits his purpose.
Carolyn Todd


Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: dblackbu@alleg.edu (Dave Blackburn)
Subject: Re: Any interesting cat tricks out there? 8-)
Organization: Allegheny College
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 19:54:27 GMT

In article <FROUD.92Dec16013447@SunLab41.sx.ac.uk> froud@SunLab41.sx.ac.uk  
(Froud D D M) writes:
>In article <Bz270n.EzH@cs.dal.ca> maillet@ug.cs.dal.ca (Andre' Maillet)  
writes:
>
>>     She knows how to push a door open by sitting up and pushing out with  
her
>>paws. From this, she figured out why some doors would shut when she pushes.  
8^)
>>Or, at least which ones NOT to push. 8^) She now can open some doors from  
the 
>>outside. (so long as they are ajar, of course)
>
>PAH! Smart!?!?! THAT!?!?!? Ha! Well, *my* burmese can not only open doors
>inwards or outside by hooking a paw around and pulling or pushing on the  
door,
>but two of them can actually UNLOCK the damn things by turning the key in
>their mouths!! So ner! :-P
>
>(pity it's such a damn nuisance!)
>
>Dominic
>--
>Name: Dom. Species: Spod. Breed: 2nd year. Body: long
>Other features: ugly, boring, funny eye, says 'barf' a lot.
>For more information: email the address above. " <- a quote

Oh Yeah? My cat programs in UNIX environments. (Well, no, but he will sit on  
the Mac.)
--

* Dave Blackburn  dblackbu@alleg.edu  flames to self@home.dev.null *          
* Chemistry, Macs, Hypercard, cats,  <>< religion, & the Dead      *
* (Anyone else who held these opinions would be as crazy as I am.) *
*   "Sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own"   *
From: tjw@vms.cis.pitt.edu (TJ Wood)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: How do you teach a kitten to use the litter box?  HELP!
Date: 14 Dec 92 23:14:13 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

Thanks to all who gave hints.  Putting some of the other cats litter in his
box seems to have done the trick.  He's no longer sleeping in the cat box!!

What's fun is how my 2 other female cats are reacting to him.  The look on
their face is incredible.  If they were human, I'd swear that they were
thinking: "How could you do THAT to me!".  They really get an intense look
on their faces, and growl a bit.  It's funny how they know the difference
between a small kitten and a large mouse.  They can see what he is but
can't seem to believe it until they smell him.

He was overjoyed to see my cats.  He immediately ran from me and tried tog
get next to my tabby cat (he's a tabby too) but kept his distance once she
started growling!  I'm sure they'll learn to get along.  It will just take
some time.

Thanks again!

Terry
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: prkenne@lims02.lerc.nasa.gov (CAROL SHARP)
Subject: Re: Fur Balls (Hair Balls)
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Keywords: fur balls and/or hair balls
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
Date: 17 Dec 1992 09:52 EST  

In article <1992Dec16.223535.10343@ast.saic.com>, hirschon@ast.saic.com writes...
>What do people feed their cats to take care of the fur ball problem when the cat detests the medicine (such as Petramalt)?  I've been giving mine 1/2 teaspoon olive oil per can of cat food (and she gets half a can each night in addition to dry food left 

I mix 1/2 tsp of mineral oil into canned food every other day.  Unlike 
other oils it is colorless and mostly tastless and odorless.  Wouldn't want 
to interfere with that yummy smelling and tasting amore!

Carol
> 
Organization: University Libraries - Technical Service, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 08:22:42 -0500 
From: "Susan R. Wagner" <sw39+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: "Air Kitty" time is drawing near

Hello everyone,  Just wanted to let everyone know we are about to begin
our journey home for the holidays.  Jester (our cat), my husband and
myself will begin our treck to Colorado on Sunday.  We opted to carry
Jester on the plane with tranquilizers in hand ready to mellow him out. 
It should be exciting.  I've had the carrier out for the past few days
and I'm always catching him sleeping in there, I don't think it'll be a
problem.  

I'll let you know the outcome of his adventure.  What an exciting two
weeks, a plane ride, meeting the extended "animal" family (my families
two cats, one dog and my inlaws dog), and numerous car trips between the
two households.  

I hope everyones Holidays are bright and cheerful.  Keep those Christmas
trees standing. 

Merry Christmas,
Susan and Jester
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 11:48:26 EST
From: <BXB5@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Outdoor cat won't use litter box

My mother has an adult Tom that refuses to use a litter box inside.  It
always goes outside, even at night--a problem for her (my mom) since she's
old.  The cat is a found cat, a real hunter but well domesticated in all
other areas.  It is about three years old.  They live in a rural, wooded
area.  Mom thinks Shadow may have mistaken her anger at his use of a sand
and shell arrangement in the house as a litter box may have put him off this
useful habit (littering, I mean) forever.  Any suggestions?
From: tim.burton@cutting.hou.tx.us (Tim Burton) 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: declawing?
Date: 16 Dec 92 16:15:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: The Cutting Edge - Houston, TX - 713-466-1525
Reply-To: tim.burton@cutting.hou.tx.us (Tim Burton) 

PV.With a little patience and a water bottle or water pistol you can
  .train a cat not to claw your furniture.  Declawing is really
  .amputation of the first section of your animals "fingers".  I would
  .feel bad about doing that to someone I loved.  The water pistol
  .training usually lasts for only a couple months.  My cats got to
  .the point that they recognized the water pistol and would run.  They
  .are very smart and eventually learn the desired behavior.



    I tried that, and he still clawed every thing he could get his 
claws on.  He did learn about the water bottle, but he also learned he 
could get away with it when I was not home.  Cats are REALLY 
smart...he knew he was doing wrong, and  would run when I would come 
in and catch him climbing curtains or clawing our $2000 leather sofa.  
(Not good)  As for pain, he experience very little.  He was most 
freaked out by his shaved paws.  It felt funny, most likely cold, and 
he would shake his paws.  Sort of like when a cat get his paws wet, or 
tape stuck on them.   The only problem I face now is not letting him 
outside without having to go out with him.  I would not want a big dog 
to eat him.  (Even worse)   I don't think it as bad as most people 
think it is.  While, that's my two cents worth. :)  ttyl.
 
 - Tim
   Internet: Tim.Burton@cutting.hou.tx.us
---
 . 1st 1.01 #1199s . You're only young once.  You're immature forever.
                                                                                                                  
----
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Cutting Edge BBS (cutting.hou.tx.us)    A PCBoard 14.5a system  |
| Houston, Texas, USA    +1 713 466 1525          running uuPCB       |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: mpmarie@lims02.lerc.nasa.gov (MARIE HUCOVSKY)
Subject: cats that recognize their names
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
Distribution: usa
Date: 17 Dec 1992 09:01 EST  

I am responding to the question posted "Do your cats know their names?".  I 
always wondered if they really did or were they just reacting to my voice.  
Then one summer day I had Spike and Harry in the yard on their leashes, 
enjoying the weather.  On the street behind our house a woman was calling 
her son Harry.  She kept calling out Harry Harry.  My cat Harry came 
running over to me and looked kind of confused when she realized it was not 
me calling her.  Spike is very good and when I call him to come up from in 
the basement, he does.  They don't always react when I call them, but most 
of the time they do.  They are good kitties and I love them.

Marie 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: ramirez@julia.math.ucla.edu (Alice Ramirez)
Subject: My favorite type of cat
Organization: UCLA Mathematics Department
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 92 15:26:54 GMT

Ah, now that you've asked about our favorite cat type...I don't
know who you are, but thank you Mystery Poster.  Sorry I didn't
catch your name.

My favorite FAVORITE type of cat is the fluffy brown tabby. Especially
the sub-type of LARGE fluffy brown tabby. The kind that looks as if it might
have Maine Coon Cat lineage.  I'm not talking about full-blooded Persian
cats here, but that sort of mix of Persian or Maine Coon with Alley.

Booger the Bad (R.I.P.) was a fluffy brown tabby.  Bubbles the Big is a fluffy
brown tabby.  They have a certain personality about them, combined of 
cheerful arrogance and buttery-oily charm.  This last tends
to come out VERY strongly when they want something from you.  

Fluffy Brown Tabbies are intelligent, sometimes
fiendishly so (Booger the Bad knew how to open all my kitchen cabinets and
how to get into the neighbors' kitchens. No loaf of bread was safe from him, 
nor boxes of powdered skimmed milk, nor leftovers, nor corn cobs).  Also, 
as I said before, very charming, often stubborn.  These are cats with minds 
of their own.  I have never known a dumb brown tabby, fluffy or otherwise.  

They are also, in my humble OPINION (Please don't flame me, I'm admitting
this is only my opinion, my insane prejudice) the quintessential CAT.
No cat, in my opinion, is cattier, more catlike, than the magnificent
fluffy brown tabby.
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Sisal and scratching posts
Date: 14 Dec 92 18:08:22 -0600
Distribution: world
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <18053@bcars664.bnr.ca>, lianne@bcarh17e.BNR.CA (Lianne Barre) writes:
> 
> I've heard many times that sisal rope is good for scratching posts.
> I have one of those useless carpet-covered posts that I'd like to wrap
> with something more appealing. I've used denim (the cats like to scratch
> our jeans) and it's worked OK, but it eventually comes off. I'd like to
> try sisal rope.
> 
> Now...just what is sisal? And where can I get some? Is it sold in the
> usual hardware stores or do I need to go somewhere special to find it.

Plain ol' brown rope, the kind that is kinda scratchy-fuzzy, and isn't
nylon or polyester, or any of those other synthetic fibers.  I find it
at hardware stores, home centers and Walmart/Kmart type places.

Kay
From: lb04@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (Laura Bassi)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Question
Date: 19 Dec 92 18:54:44 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University

Hi folks,
  I recently caught a bit of a news piece that was saying something about
  pregnant women and cat litter.  Apparently, contact w/ cat litter (used, I
  assume :), is dangerous to the developing fetus. Anyone hear of anything
  about this?  Thanks.
  peace,
  laura
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: wd6cmu@netcom.com (Eric Williams)
Subject: Re: Help me name my cat
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 19:01:51 GMT

And the winner is: Vincent.  Thanks to all who gave suggestions.  Vincent
is 14 weeks old and is already 5 pounds.  I hope that means he's going to
be a big cat.
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eric Williams     wd6cmu@netcom.com  |  Never attribute to malice that which
WD6CMU@WD6CMU.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA       |  is adequately explained by stupidity.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: lcornell@stein.u.washington.edu (Linda D. Cornell)
Subject: Re: a very sad day for me....
Keywords: tears, tears
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 07:42:32 GMT

Tears, tears is understandable...it's been almost 3 years since I went
through something similar to this with my "big guy" Merlyn.  Posts like
this will probably alway bring tears to my eyes....the hurt hasn't gone
away, because the love hasn't gone away.  I guess it just means that I
will always have him - and I'm sure you'll always have Max too.

Hugs from me, Pandora and Chantilly

Note:  Once about 9 years ago, a vet kindly told me to do this sickly
kitten and another kitten a favor...put this one out if it's misery and
adopt a healthy one that will be put to sleep only because it doesn't have
a home.  His words have helped me on several occasions since then. 
I was able to save my wonderful "'Tilly Cat" from a death sentence at the
pound.  I was looking for a new buddy for Pandora after Merlyn was gone -
I can't imagine life without her now.  Take care, and just keep on loving
Max...and give another little fur-ball a chance  to have a wonderful life
with a caring owner like you!

Linda Cornell
lcornell@u.washington.edu
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re:    declawing?
Date: 11 Dec 92 20:08:57 GMT
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <c3qkVB1w165w@valinor.mythical.com>, judy@valinor.mythical.com (Judy Labovitz) writes:
> lhuffman@stsci.edu writes:
> 
>> In article <92344.032514KHDLC@ASUACAD.BITNET>, <KHDLC@ASUACAD.BITNET> writes:
>> > I've been trying to decide on whether to have my cat declawed or not,
>> > was hoping I'd get some input...
> 
>> Declawed cats must NEVER be allowed outside.
> 
> However, I disagree with NEVER in this statement.  Both my cats are
> declawed and go outside when I am outside with them.  The key is to not
> let them out _unsupervised_.  Your presence with them protects them from
> getting trapped by a dog or other animal without their full armament.

Three of my 6 are declawed, and unlike Judy, I let mine out unsupervised.
Except for a few weeks of healing, they have always been I/O cats, and
they still do _everything_ they did with claws except shred furniture
and woodwork.  They can climb trees, swat dogs, and win in cat fights 
(cats normally fight by kicking with the hind legs).  Yes, they still
hunt, and bring home trophies with about the same frequency as always.

Declawing was a last-ditch option for these cats, one I thought I'd
never resort to.  But having seen what they can do minus their claws,
I'm much more comfortable with the choice.

Kay Klier  Biology Dept  UNI 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats