HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: set@cis.ksu.edu (Toaster Man)
Newsgroups: rec.pets
Subject: Getting worried about my ferrets weight
Date: 8 Apr 1992 18:57:03 GMT
Organization: Kansas State University, Department of Computing and Information Sciences
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: harry.cis.ksu.edu
Originator: set@cis.ksu.edu

I have been watching my youngest ferret latley and I seem to have a concern
about his weight.  He is a male spayed and descented.  I have 2 ferrets
the oldest Bear doesnt seem to have a weight problem.  Know for the past
4 days I have noticed that he doesnt seem to be eating or at least not that
I can see.  Since I have school and lots of projects I havnt been around much
to watch thier eating habbits.. This is really worring me about this..
Whats this about swollen voluo (sp)? What should I watch for ?  I have had
this hunch that the older ferret hasnt been letting him eat from the bowl.

I dont know.. I havnt had any problems with my ferrets at all, but this doesnt
seem write! What should I do or look for? force feed? put jelly on the ferret
food (since my ferrets seem to like jelly)  confine him to the cage with a bowl
full of food?  Help please respond soon..

info. both males,spayed and descented,  Bear is almost 1 year old and Smokey
is about 7 months old.


-steve tietze
From: irod@ourbeach.Eng.Sun.COM (Irma Rodriguez)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Quaking cats
Date: 17 Apr 92 00:32:32 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, Ca.
NNTP-Posting-Host: ourbeach

In article <tlyj8zb.sparck@netcom.com> sparck@netcom.com (Deborah Sparck) writes:
>In article <1992Apr14.200048.2989@rsg1.er.usgs.gov> ssnyder@sunai.er.usgs.gov (Steve Snyder) writes:
>>And now for something a little different:
>>
>>A few of my co-workers and I were discussing if animals could detect
>>earthquakes before they occurred. This is actually directed towards
>>people in the San Francisco Bay area but others may respond:
>>Before the Loma Prieta earthquake in October 1989, did anybody notice any 
>>unusual behavior in their kitties? Or other animals?
> 
>I didn't notice anything unusual, but then, I was not at home when it happened.
>The rest of the evening, though, Loki would not come out from under the
>comforter on the bed.


My cat apparently found shelter behind some moving boxes during
the Big Quake. At least that was where I found her when I got home.
However,  during the night she did not even bother to wake 
up for the (several) after shocks. (While I, on the other hand,
spent the night on the living room floor under a heavy table).


-Irma
From: das@voodoo.boeing.com (Deb Schwartz)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Meet Willie and Magic
Keywords: new, hello
Date: 10 Apr 92 22:05:53 GMT
Organization: Boeing Graphics project, Bellevue WA

In article <swwhatley.702829925@node_ecdd> swwhatley@lescsse.jsc.nasa.gov (STEVEN WHATLEY) writes:
>
>Neal, have you thought about shooting kitten?  No, not with a real gun!!!!
>Water pistols work wonders with misbehaving cats.  They hate it!  I no longer
>have to chase after my cats when they're naughty.  I just say "NO!" then aim 
>and squirt.  Sometimes I can even get four or five squirts before they go
>into hiding.
>
Usually I'd say that was a good idea, but in this case, NOOOOOooooo!  If
kitty became well-behaved, Neal would no longer have any reason to post
his highly entertaining kitty stories.
-- 
Debbie Schwartz // das@voodoo.boeing.com  // or uunet!bcstec!voodoo!das
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats

The first thing to do is to decide what breed of cat you want.  There are 30
some breeds of cats.  You should go to a cat show and look at all the  
different breeds then decide which breed of cat you want.  Talk to the breeder
who breed the kind of cat you want.  They can give you the standards of the
cat. Every breed has a different standard.  Breeding cats can be very expensive
it will cost you anywhere from $800-$1000 for a pair of good breeding cats.
You'll want breeder quality or show quality if you are planning to show them.
Show quality may be more.  After the kittens are born they have to have their
shots and a vet checkup.  And there are also a chance that the queen may have
problems with the delivery.  I had a queen who's kitten turn sideways in the
birth canal, she ended up having a C section and we lost the whole litter.
I hope this will help you.  Oh by the way, I breed Main Coon Cats.

Jackie

Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Cats and toilets (was Re: Anybody toilet trained a cat?)
Date: 16 Apr 92 16:06:29 GMT
Article-I.D.: zia.1992Apr16.160629.2333
Reply-To: rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner)
Distribution: usa
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM

In article <18765@ravel.udel.edu> abby@ravel.udel.edu (Louis Abbruzzesi) writes:
>
>I know someone who took in a stray that was already toilet trained but it
>may have been self-taught.  Wouldn't it be nice?

Along similar lines, I was talking to my brother about this a week or two ago,
and he said some friends of his have a cat that has learned how to flush the
toilet (doesn't use it, just flushes it). It apparently only does this when 
it's bored, because they didn't know about it until one of the neighbours in 
the apartment building asked them why their toilet flushed repeatedly while 
they weren't home. This cat would just sit on the seat pressing the handle 
over and over again, presumably so it could watch the motion of the water 
(that's what our two like about the toilet).

It reminded me of the story about the cats that liked to watch the Weather 
Channel. :-)
-- 
Ruth Milner                          NRAO/VLA                  Socorro NM
Computing Division Head      rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: anne@cs.UAlberta.CA (Anne J.R. Nield)
Subject: Re: cat not using litter box while owners on trips
Keywords: litter box, vacations
Organization: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 19:58:58 GMT

Some friends of mine had an elderly diabetic cat that required
insulin shots.  They had neighbors who used to come over 
and give him his food and shots twice a day.  However, they also
were not "cat people" and didn't spend much time with him.

My friends begged me to help out when they came back from   
one trip to find out that the cat had had diarrhea ALL OVER THE
HOUSE!!  They suspected it was loneliness and lack of attention so
whenever they went away after that, I spent at least every other
day at their house (I also have two cats so had to divide my time!)

He was fine and there was never another problem.  I suspect your
cat is just incredibly lonely and upset; they all have their ways
of getting their messages across!

I am lucky -- have several friends that will cat sit for me, but
I have seen ads for pet sitters, and there are agencies that are
bonded and will send people out.  I have never heard of any problems
with them, but if you know someone who would be willing to spend
some time at your place (one previous poster here said she encouraged
her friends to bring over videos and watch them on her VCR -- which
they didn't have!  Cat loved it!!) that would be ideal.

Otherwise, I would suggest boarding the cat out at a vet's or a
kennel's.  At least there they get attention and they have lots
of company.  Some of the more luxurious ones are like "pet spas"!!

Good luck!

Anne
From: vandykt@kepler.ME.ORST.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Spanking Cats? yes/no
Keywords: physical punishment
Date: 10 Apr 92 02:05:40 GMT
Article-I.D.: talon.1992Apr10.020540.15027
Distribution: na
Organization: Oregon State University

I agree with Janet completey in that it is never necessary to
slap a cat to punish it.  Hurting a cat in this way will only 
make the cat fear you.  
 
I have owned cats for 25 years (since I was a child) and I 
have never felt a need to slap any of them.  Just like Janet, 
I simply raise my voice or stomp my feet to stop my cat from 
doing something bad.  After that, they usually don't do it 
again.
  
My theory is, if you give your cats plenty of affection and 
attention, and never hurt them, they will trust you and 
refrain from doing things that they know you don't want them 
to do.
   
--Traig
From: jmf@abacus.harvard.edu ( ghost )
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Need advice: Cat has cancer. Fight it?
Keywords: Maybe
Date: 7 Apr 92 22:51:09 GMT
Article-I.D.: das.1992Apr7.225109.17216
Distribution: na
Organization: as good as I can under the circumstances

>In article <2769@manta.NOSC.MIL> psm@manta.NOSC.MIL (Scot Mcintosh) writes:
>>My 15 year old cat has cancer that has caused a tumor in the lymph....
>
I missed the original article (they unplugged the news server just for fun)
but...
depends on what your cat has & how bad they have it.

My late cat Dipper responded really well to chemo, lived 3 more years,
& when she died, under treatment again for a recurrance of the cancer,
died abruptly from a respiratory infection rather than wasting
to death from lymphoma/not eating.  You never can predict how your cat will
respond to chemo or how the cancer will respond to chemo; its a gamble.
And its expensive, relatively.  I spent somewhere between $2-$3000, all told,
on vet stuff for Dipper over a 4-year period;
initial tests & exploratory surgery were the biggest
expenses; the actual chemo was dirt cheap & I was taught how to give 
it at home after her health turned upward.  I don't regret 1 penny. 
I just hope I have $$ left for if-ever my current cat gets sick to treat
him if warranted.

They don't give animals quite the megadoses that make people feel so depleted,
exactly because the animals won't know they're supposedly being cured,
they'll just know they feel sicker; therefore the "recession period" may
not be as long as in a human under treatment for the same disease.
From: tittle@ics.uci.edu (Cindy Tittle Moore)
Subject: Re: Hill's Science Diet - good idea?
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Reply-To: tittle@ics.uci.edu (Cindy Tittle Moore)
Organization: ICS Dept., UC Irvine
Date: 6 Apr 92 20:14:19 GMT
Distribution: na

In <VBj+6j#@engin.umich.edu> (stephannie) writes:

>I am glad that someone brought up the food topic.  I have been reading
>Anitra Frazier's THE NATURAL CAT and have learned many o' things.

>First of all, I know that Science Diet seems to be the rage, but vets
>are doctors of pet medicine, not pet dieticians.  The get a cut from
>Hill's to promote this stuff, bear in mind.  What Frazier suggests is
>to look for things in labels - namely preservatives and everything
>that says "by-product" (i.e. meat, poultry, etc.)  Another thing is
>to avoid the word "digest" (i.e. meat poultry, etc.)  Apparently
>these words may refer to the four D's - dead, decaying, dying and
>diseased.  It even may refer to cancerous parts of the meat.  The
>government OK's these things because their theory is that the heat
>processing should kill the harmful bacteria.  But would you feel safe
>eating meat that was diseased even if it had been heat processed?  Do
>you want to feed that to your cat?  Also, she tells about putting
>your cats on a regimine of foods that are natural, herbs, grains, and
>including vitamins.  It is important to be sure that your cat is
>supplemented with Vitamin E - i can't remember why, i think it's coat
>and skin related, and that feeding tuna in oil to your cat blocks the
>source of Vitamin E absorbtion.  Please don't flame as I have been
>incomplete - I will copy parts from the book if anyone is interested.

>By the way, Hill's Science diet does contain By-products, as does
>Iams, Dad's\ 9-lives, whiskas, alpo and almost every other commercial
>brand.  Nutramax does not.  I don't have an email address so post to
>the net if you want me to post excerpts.  GREAT book.  EVERYONE
>SHOULD GET ONE!

While _The Natural Cat_ is by and large a very good book, do keep in
mind that cats are carnivores and as such, eat every bit of prey.

You do not want preservatives, and "digest" (although, ALL meat
ingested is basically dead...) for the most part.  But byproducts
include the sort of food that cats normally eat, and are frequently
included for the trace minerals, vitamins, and etc that they provide.
Byproducts as the *first* ingredient tells you they're skimping to
save money, but byproducts later in the list tells you that they're
being nutritionally complete.

Feeding tuna to cats has other problems as well.

--Cindy

--
Cindy Tittle Moore -- Owned by Noisy Underfoot, bird watcher extraordinaire.

I post the rec.pets.cats FAQ (in two parts) at the beginning of every month.
To get the FAQ: use anonymous ftp to pit-manager.mit.edu and look under
/pub/usenet/news.answers/cats-faq/* (part1, part2), or send email to
mail-server@pit-manager.mit.edu with "send usenet/news.answers/cats-faq/part1"
in the subject line, and a second email message for part2.  Send contributions
and suggestions to me; send questions not covered in FAQ to the newsgroup.
From: maxfield@athena.cs.uga.edu (Joan C. Maxfield)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Real fur mousie toy
Date: 5 Apr 92 19:55:31 GMT
Organization: University of Georgia, Athens


	I picked up the mousie that started this thread about a week
ago in a department store.  Since then nobody in my house has calmed
down!  After I bought the first one Spot grabbed it and walked around
the house growling and hissing to himself with it in his mouth.
Needless to say, I had to get more, Amos and Angelicas were mad, they
wanted to play too!  I stopped at a new store in town where the owner
gave me a bag of them (she didnt like the real fur but couldnt return
them) and being the kind soul that I am, I dropped one off for Cat and
Steve.  I could say that my kitties liked them, but it is easier to
tell you that I had to pick up the furniture the next day because they
played all night!  And every time I look at Amos he jumps up, makes a
little kitty noise and RUNS SCREAMING through the house!  I have never
seen such happy cats!  Even the kitty next door, Otherspot, likes to
come over and play with them!

Joan 
(Flame disclaimer: Amos used to bring me home little furry thing when
he was an O/D kitty.  I much prefer a pretend mousie that came to be
by way of the food industries by-products (where humane killing is a
LAW, check your local grocery store, I'll bet they have frozen rabbit)
to a real mousie that was minding his own buisness in the woods.)
-- 
J. C. Maxfield				maxfield@athena.cs.uga.edu
DISCLAIMER:  I don't speak for the University, but they often speak for me!
From: maxfield@athena.cs.uga.edu (Joan C. Maxfield)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Kitty's Birthday Parties
Date: 11 Apr 92 17:04:22 GMT
Article-I.D.: athena.1992Apr11.170422.19124
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Georgia, Athens

I did this for Amos' first birthday.  It was a small gathering of a
few of my friends, I bought fancy feast and cupcakes (no chocolate)
and a few toys.  I plan to do it again for his 3rd.  I even plan on
inviting Otherspot, the cat next door that is always coming over to
play and eat.  I must admit Amos wasn't the best birthday boy, he ate
his food and looked at his toys and went to sleep under the bed,
ignoring all his guests.  Next time I plan to supplement with kitty
pictures or maybe a good kitty movie, Milo amd Otis anyone?  Ms.
Stanton, be sure to keep the week of Oct. 16 free this year!

Joan

-- 
J. C. Maxfield				maxfield@athena.cs.uga.edu
DISCLAIMER:  I don't speak for the University, but they often speak for me!
From: rdmiller@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Ruth D Miller)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: advice on cat door
Date: 6 Apr 1992 15:25:07 -0500
Organization: Kansas State University
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: matt.ksu.ksu.edu

In article <1992Apr4.142751.12643@wisper.com> smith@wisper.com (Sue Smith) writes:
>needed to go, if you know what I mean. Total disaster. He would go through
>the door if we pushed him through. But when he wanted to come in (about 15
>times a day!) he would perch himself in various windows and ledges where he
>knew we would see him and we run up and down stairs to let him in. Now there
>is no need for the door, because WE are completely trained. And this previ-

"The Rum TumTugger is a terrible bore:
When you let him in, then he wants to be out;
He's always on the wrong side of every door,
And as soon as he's at home, then he'd like to get about..." T.S. Eliot

Something never mentioned in our "rules of cat behavior":
1) if it is a door, get a human to open it. (it's what we keep them for,
after all!) :-)

Ruth
From: ruthc@sco.COM (ethyl bourn cell)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Cat Facial Expressions
Summary: a territorial expression?
Date: Thu, 09 Apr 92 19:44:42 GMT
Reply-To: calyxa @misco.UUCP (ethyl bourn cell)
Organization: The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.


In article <23658@scorn.sco.COM> pamh@sco.COM (Pam Hassell) writes:
>
>I am always amused when one of our cats begins sniffing something 
>that they're *very* interested in.  They open up their mouths about
>halfway and their eyes get real wide.  They'll hold this expression
>it seems, for several minutes after sniffing whatever wonderful smell
>they found.  It's like they're in a cat trance! (Oooh, how unusual ;-)

I call this the "I smell another kitty!" look.  I've never seen my
cats do this except when they are sniffing at a spot where another
cat has been.
 
>I guess they have scent glands in the backs of their throats which are
>very sensitive.  Is this correct?

dunno.  could be, but since I've always associated it with them
smelling another cat, I thought it might be some kind of territorial
gesture, as if the other cat were nearby and watching.

I saw a special about cats and they showed a tiger making the same
expression, and I'm pretty sure the narrator made some comment about
the tiger's territory at that point.

-r
-- 
Someday, perhaps, it will be considered a normal weekend's entertainment to,
say, suit up in Kevlar and go rocketing off a mile-long Teflon-coated downspout
describing a perfect 200-foot Day-Glo arc before landing, presumably without
permanent injury, in a sea of Styrofoam peanuts.       - Ilana Stern
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Giardia
Date: 16 Apr 92 10:18:24 -0500
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <15APR92.23410628@nauvax.ucc.nau.edu>, coody@nauvax.ucc.nau.edu writes:
> I have a new kitten which I rescued from the Humane Society.  The kitten has
> Giardia (intestinal parasite).  I treated him for 8 days with medicine from the
> vet.  He is not better.  I aparently contracted Giardia as well.  I have a
> three-year old daughter whose health is at risk.  The vet has recommended
> another 8 day treatment.  If the cat does not respond, he will have chroni
> c Giardia.  If I return him to the Humane Society, they will put him down
> immediately.  Has anyone had a cat with Giardia.  Did the cat respond to
> treatment.  Do you know of any humans who have contracted Giardia from a pet?

No, but I've gotten it from an unexpected bath in the Lower Colorado River...
Not fun, but pretty treatable. Giardiasis is actually quite common.

You say your cat has shown no improvement.  Has the vet done a second fecal
check?  If s/he hasn't, have them do so.  Some cats (and people too!) have
residual bowel irritibilty after a bout of diarrhea.  The cause may be gone,
but the diarrhea lingers on...  the treatment is usually a bland, low-residue
diet.  For cats, boiled hamburger and rice or strained veal or lamb and rice
are often recommended.  For humans, bananas, rice and crackers seem to come
highly recommended.

Kay Klier  Biology Dept  UNI
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: mark@relgyro.stanford.edu (Mark Jacobs)
Subject: Re: How much food should a cat eat?
Organization: DSG, Stanford University
Date:  7 Apr 92 00:45:40 GMT


> Susan R. Wagner writes about how much food a cat should eat...
I find that my cat is pretty much "self-regulating" when it comes to
dry food, but will go overboard on the wet (canned) stuff if you give
him the chance.  I was surprised to read the part about the people who
make the canned food recommending 9oz a day; that sounds like an awful
lot to me.

So what I settled on is to give him some canned mixed with dry in the
morning, and leave dry food and water out all the time.  One of the
standard-sized cans lasts about a week.  (No kidding -- I only do it to
give him some variety in the taste.  The vet tells me a lot of the soft
stuff is bad for his teeth and gums.)  So far it works great.

-- Mark J


(P.S. About a week ago someone said they didn't like the look of the
ingredient list for Hill's.  Well, I wouldn't eat it either, but what's
a good diet for us versus cats could be different things.  Every vet
I've ever talked to put Hill's #1 on their list.  -- Should have said
that earlier, but oh well...)



Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
From: jay@cmn11.Stanford.EDU (Jay Kadis)
Subject: Re: A CAT IS NOT AN "it"!!!!
Organization: DSG, Stanford University
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 92 16:39:43 GMT

In article <edotto.703437376@uipsuxb> edotto@uipsuxb.ps.uiuc.edu (Edward  
C. Otto III) writes:
> Actually, it is the correct pronoun to use for a neutered/spayed animal,
> as they then have NO sex. (Not if the vet did his job correctly. :-) )
> 

I would argue that a neutered/spayed animal still has gender: even without  
gonads they are genetically male or female.

Jay Kadis
jay@ccrma.stanford.edu
From: ah881@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Joyce Brabner)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: CATS HOME ALONE WHILE I TRAVEL: ADVICE?
Date: 9 Apr 92 04:54:20 GMT
Article-I.D.: usenet.1992Apr9.045420.20674
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, (USA)


I have to take a 4-5 day trip out of town, and
have no one who can house-sit, and check on my
two young cats (less than a year old).  I live
in a very large place, with litter boxes on
every floor (3), and know from experience that
3 fresh boxes won't fill up THAT quickly-- I
suppose I could leave one or two more, next to
the usual boxes.
 
My cats eschew water bowls.  They aren't toilet
dunkers just yet, but I think they drink from a
slightly leaky faucet.  And they eat dried chow.
 
I think they would be a lot happier home alone,
as opposed to boarding in a kennel, or at the vet.
If I leave enough dried food out, do you think
they'll be OK?  I've seen these weird little
devices that are supposed to release food once/day,
but I don't trust them.  Any suggestions?
There really isn't any way I can get someone in
here, they are indoor cats, and I think they can
keep each other company until I get back.  If they
decide to eat 4 days worth of kitten chow in one
sitting, well...  I dunno.  Aren't they supposed 
to have some kind of common sense about these
things?  They don't have regular feeding times.
All I do is keep their bowls full.  They're still
growing, a tad underweight for their age, and
the stuff doesn't spoil.  It just attracts 
"kibble moths".
--