Sunday morning--Diet Coke, Mozart, and a cat on my lap---

[joeybee12]

It doesn't get much better than this.

BTW, I like my soda really cold, so I put glasses in the freezer and then load the glass with ice and add soda. This forms a lot of condensation on the outside of the glass, and Melanie (the cat) loves licking the water droplets off--it's like a treat for her.

So, tell me your cat's interesting quirks!

[Bertha Venation]

1. TUK!

Trapped under kitty! Do you read the Sunday comics? This was in "Rhymes with Orange" a few weeks ago.

Our Petey licks and bites our fingers when we try to pet him. He loves being petted, and especially being scratched at the base of his tail, but it just feels so good to him he can't stand it, so he has to spread the joy, or thank us, or something, by licking & biting. It's very cute. He'll stand on the bed while we're dressing and reach out a big paw to draw one of us in; when he does, he starts biting & licking the fingers, then he rubs his face against the hand.

Sweetie Petey.

[joeybee12]

8. I don't usually read the paper--just when someone leaves it at the

gym when i'm there--I'm too cheap!

Aw, Sweetie Petey! When I do that to Melanie, she seeems to like it, but starts making this weird sound!

[Bertha Venation]

12. here's the strip: (edit: strip now appears in post)

http://est.rbma.com/content/Rhymes_with_Orange?date=20040125

[joeybee12]

16. Thanks--says the image is currently unavailable--I'll try again later

[patricia92243]

2. Don't have cat - allergic. But it sounds like you are going to have a....

nice, relaxing day.

[joeybee12]

10. You're in luck--I hear they're trying to breed cats that people

won't be allergic to! Has to do with getting rid of the dander.

[patricia92243]

17. I hope they do - but I'm afraid they would be too expensive at first.

[joeybee12]

18. Yeah, but the price will eventually come down, sort of like DVD's!

Actually, a lot of people can be real shits about pets, so I'm willing to bet that soon after the cats are bred you'll find some at your local shelter that have been abandoned!

[ConcernedCanuk]

3. Mine likes to read !!

.
.

[Bertha Venation]

5. very cute! eom

[joeybee12]

6. Aw! It looks like he's reading Braille!

He looks like one of the cats I had growing up--a very good-natured one, and very affectionate.

[ConcernedCanuk]

9. Ah nah - he's a smart guy - them's crossword puzzles !!

.
.

[joeybee12]

11. OH, so he's concentrating! Must be a hard clue, like four letters,

means totally worthless sack of shit, but isn't shit! Starts with B...

[ConcernedCanuk]

13. hmmmm - ends with "h", and puts all of "us" in the middle ? hmmm ?

.
.

[joeybee12]

15. It'll come to you, just be patient!

[seventhson]

4. Diet Coke is dangerous -- headaches from Aspartame

My wife got very very ill from headaches which finally stopped after she cut out the diet soda.

A little research on apsartame will convince you. It was originally discovered during chemical/biological weapons research.

Sorry to be a bummer and if you don't get headaches maybe you will be fine. But I felt obligated to ask you to do a little googling. It saved my wife's life her pain was so bad and within a week of quitting diet soda they were GONE forever!

[joeybee12]

7. I get headaches from it, but I think it's the caffeine...I do cut it out

from time to time, but since I don't drink coffee, I often need soda to get me going!

Thansk for the info.

I had heard that apsartame causes short-term memory loss--and when I drink a lot, I often forget what I just said/did!

[earthman dave]

14. Big lap you got there

How is old Wulfgang these days, the hussy? :)

[joeybee12]

22. Still tempramental, hig maintenance, but you gotta expect

it from these geniuses.

[ConcernedCanuk]

19. Hmmm - I just noticed something, - a wee bit slow this morning I am,

.
.

But I'm a man,

So what does one expect !!

Anyways, my first album . . .



that was a Looooooong time ago - -

[joeybee12]

21. Oh! Was it really an album, as in vinyl??

Oh, how I love Prague--I'm conviced I'm moving there in a year or so!

[ConcernedCanuk]

29. let's see now, I'll give you a couple of hints - -

.
.

It was before the Beatles hit the Ed Sullivan Show . . .

oh heck,

I think ONE hint should suffice here !

[joeybee12]

31. Wow! Then it must be a 78 RPM!

A classic!

Actually, probably not, but I'm stretching it a bit. The only 78's I ever saw/heard were old ones of my parents.

[ConcernedCanuk]

36. it was a 331/3 - but it was rarity in our house, LOTS of 78's back then

.
.

I think I saved my allowance for months to buy that album,

and we HAD to do x amount of chores for that 5 - 10 cents a week

an extra hour our two of "special" chores might get you another dime or so . .

[LWolf]

20. Fresh pot of nice hot coffee

curled up in my chair with the Sunday paper...one kitty is draped over the back of the chair, one is competing with the paper in my lap. It takes a bit to get him to settle down; then I can put the paper on top of him and continue to read.

Dog is at my feet. Silence reigns supreme.

Lucy's interesting quirks:

He stares out the window and howls, growls, hisses, etc. at passers-by. The volume goes up if they turn and come up the front walk.

He rules the house with iron claws, keeping us all in line. Any human obviously exists to serve him. Any other creature is obviously prey, no matter how much bigger it happens to be. He brutalized a 100 lb dog who came for a visit.

When he gets bored, he will torment the other cat, chasing her round and round the house. Or, he will tease the dog, prancing back and forth in front of her, waving his tail under her nose, just waiting for her to break control and pounce...so he can administer discipline. If no one else is around to torment, he has been known to race around the place, turning somersaults, slamming into walls, and generally tearing the place apart. Until he's done; at which point he will pick himself up, shrug, and calmly walk off.

[Bertha Venation]

23. Lucy sounds like a peach.

What's the other cat's name?

[LWolf]

26. Willow.

She also came with my house; the house pet that was "left behind." Along with 4 hens.

She was about a year old, spayed, sweet, mild mannered, and quite pretty. A long haired classic brown tabby with a lot of white. He called her "sluggo." Why, I don't know, but I modified it to reflect her more graciously!

[Bertha Venation]

28. Willow is a much better name than Sluggo

And the hens -- what's become of them?

[LWolf]

35. I still have 2.

Two have died peacefully of old age. The other 2 freerange around the yard; my house is surrounded by one fence from back to front, so they have access to the whole place, and a shed to roost in. They keep the garden free of bugs, and provide a few eggs. Not many, since they are old ladies, but more than I can dispose of in the summer! They cluck peacefully and follow me around; hang out nearby when I'm out in the garden.

[Bertha Venation]

37. That is just so damn cool.

:toast:

[LWolf]

38. Isn't it?

:hi:

It's fascinating to watch the hens, the cats, and the dog all interacting. They've negotiated their space and their expectations, and they co-exist peacefully.

[joeybee12]

24. How old is Lucy?

Sounds like the antics of a kitten!

Mine are much more tame, or lazy, if you like. They do, however, love to look out the window and people and squirrel watch.

[LWolf]

25. Lucy is about 7 years old.

He was a "stray" that the previous owner was feeding in the garage when I bought my house. To keep the mice at bay. The vet who neutered him estimated his age at about 4 years at that time.

I've wondered if a few fully adult years with a full dose of testosterone made part of the difference in attitude, energy, etc. He is not a particularly large cat; he has small, dainty feet. He's not fat, but weighs in at 12 pounds of muscle, and has a heavier facial bone structure than any of the other cats I've had. It hurts when he stands on you...all those pounds focused on 4 little points.

His aggressive tendencies have mellowed with the loss of the big "T;" in the first year, he used to claw, bite, or scratch if I quit petting before he was done. He still rules, but doesn't unleash the claws as often these days. And doesn't unleash them on people at all anymore.

He wasn't allowed in the house until a month or so after I got him nuetered; the stench in the garage was indication enough to keep him out. And, being half-wild, he was curious but cautious about "indoors." Interestingly enough, he never sprayed or committed any sort of toilet indiscretion when he did start coming in. Although I have yet to convince him that prey, living or dead, does not belong in the house.

[joeybee12]

27. Awwwwwwwww--and as for the prey, I think even cats that have spent

their lives indoors would bring in something if they once got outside--the instinct is very strong.

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[terrya]

30. Mine likes to jump up on the computer table and sit right in front...

of the computer monitor. It looks like she's reading what's on the monitor.

:-)

Terry

[joeybee12]

32. Awwwwwwwwwwww! Has she ever watched television? Mine do at

times, especially football, because the camera angles change every few seconds, and they're fascinated by the constant movement!

[terrya]

33. She LOVED this movie, "The Adventures of Milo and Otis"

It's this movie about cats and dogs having this big adventure (the cats and dogs were voiced by human actors)

I was watching it one time, and Chess looked at what was going on the screen and was absolutely transfixed! She sat there, watching it intently!

:-)

Terry

[joeybee12]

34. Awwwwwwwww! I have pictures of mine watching a nature special

about big cats--it was funny to watch their ears prick up when the lions would roar!!!!!