Just because... by Kwicko

I for one welcome our new katten overlords! :D

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

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Saturday, November 3, 2012 4:05 PM

NEWOLDBROWNCOAT

Oh, how gorgeous!

If the other 2 cats are male, she'll be ruling the household soon.

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Saturday, November 3, 2012 4:23 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by NewOldBrownCoat:
Oh, how gorgeous!

If the other 2 cats are male, she'll be ruling the household soon.

They are. And she will.

She's actually pretty good at standing on her rear legs, too. She'll stand up and hold the position for 20 seconds or so. Kinda freaky ------------7ppppppppppppppppppppppppp

ETA: Apparently she's learning to type, too. That was her walking on the keyboard...

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

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Saturday, November 3, 2012 4:24 PM

You're a lucky guy, Kwicko!!

True Love Rules!

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Saturday, November 3, 2012 4:41 PM

WISHIMAY

Oh. No. A CAT.

*crinkle TAKE A PILL TAKE A PILL TAKE A PILLLLLLLL!!!!!

Sniffle. *Tingle in my throat.

Sniffle sniffle sniffle scratch SCRATCH rub-rub-rub

Achoo!

sniffle-scratch-rub-sniffle *nose feels like a caterpiller is playing hide and seek in it......

Achoo....Achoooo. AAAAAH_CHOOOOOOO

rub-blow-scratch...BLOW! *throat feels like I just had a sandpaper milkshake.

Oh, god. here it comes... full blown allergic attack....

AAAAHHHHHHHHHCHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. For an hour and a half, until medicine kicks in....... By then I'm barely moving air, my eyes look like a crack addicts, and I sound like a frog... The repetitive sneezing has damaged my lungs to the point of causing pneumonia several times...

And everyone I know has one...

"We don't care you can't breathe, you don't need to come over anyway... Besides you are probably making it up to get sympathy or to be a nusiance anyway..." And you people wonder why I hate just about everyone. I could DIE from my allergy and they would sit there petting the fluffy kitty.

For some reason some breeds of cats have less of an effect, but most will cause that^. Also, I just read that some people that have cat allergies also have pork allergies because the protiens that cause it are very similar...
Not that anyone cares.

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Saturday, November 3, 2012 5:37 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

She sounds adorable.

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Saturday, November 3, 2012 10:13 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
I for one welcome our new katten overlords! :D

We're doomed, DOOOOOOMED!

Ha, one of the residents cats has absolutely perfect polydactyl "thumbs", exactly one on each front paw and they do seem to be at least semi-opposable, kinda creepy when you think about it.
Ironically he's a rescued feral, and has the bad habit of bolting out the door occasionally when the owner comes home, apparently he "doesn't like people" so they tell me...
He ADORES me, to the point where I wind up extorted into petting or even carrying him around so I can do my job without stepping on him - at least there's this much, he ain't none too bright.

His actual name is Syban, but I just call him little-orange-twerp.
Lucky little jerk he is too, K-Ghost doesn't take him seriously - she's a stray who showed up three days after Kallista passed away and is just about a dead ringer, I was starting to wonder if grief hadn't crossed some wires in my head till other people saw her... she is NOT a nice kitty, early on in her abandonment she ran afoul of the raccoons while trying to raid the dumpster and has some nasty scars and chunks of fur missing, to which she retaliated by doing in one of the baby raccoons when it stupidly went dumpster-foraging unescorted.
She outweighs Twerp by about four times over, and when he foolishly challenged her she pulled her claws in and delivered a whack upside his head which all but scrambled what brains he has before striding off with her tail in the air - good thing for him!

-F

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Sunday, November 4, 2012 3:28 AM

MAL4PREZ

Ack! So cute!

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
We're thinking of calling her "Khaleesi".

Perfect.

Quote:
And yes, she has two different colored eyes - one blue, one green.

If the 28 Weeks Later virus gets here, she may be the savior of the world.

The place where I get my kitty food has shelter cats, and this summer they got 3 kitten brothers, so so cute! I was sure they'd go in days. One went, the other ~~three~~ oops - I mean two! - are still there and now half grown. It makes me so sad! But I just can't have more than 2. :(

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Sunday, November 4, 2012 6:35 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Oh I ADORE kittens! By my hubby is seriously allergic, so our two cats had to turn into "outdoor cats". Good thing we live in a mild climate with no coyotes. And when they passed on, I bawled for HOURS, especially over my Ginger-cat who was like a dog in terms of sociability but without the hierarchic reflex. He saw himself as a friend and equal... I don't know many people who can do that, even.

So WISH, I do understand the allergy thing. And KWICKO, I LOVE the little, lucky kitty! What a sweetie! Congrats to all of you for finding each other! More pix, please!!!!

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Monday, November 5, 2012 10:14 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK

Like father like Kitten..... ;)

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book

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Tuesday, November 6, 2012 5:57 AM

Cats give me hives on the eyeballs.

Frem is never lacking in kitties - K-ghost sounds a little unsettling, maybe she is possessed.

Congratulations Kwicko.

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Tuesday, November 6, 2012 9:03 AM

Well, now we're torn on names.

On the one hand there's Khaleesi, Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons.

On the other is Katniss, which both alludes to The Hunger Games AND to her "catness".

Granted, she IS the mother of dragons, in a way, since she has command of the two other cats and the dog...

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

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Tuesday, November 6, 2012 10:11 AM

I dunno. Seems like there's going to be a whole rash of cats for a while with the name Katniss. Googling "Katniss kitty" brings up a lot of results.

Which series do you like better?

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Saturday, November 10, 2012 10:09 PM

How's the kitty? Khaleesi is she?

=========================

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Sunday, November 11, 2012 2:53 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Just noticed this thread...absolutely adorable (and then some). Younglings of any species are particularly adorable, and she's a prime example.

I take it "Khaleesi" is from Hunger Games? Wouldn't be caught dead watching it, from all I've heard. "Avatar" was more my style...non-violent for the most part. I vote for "Kitniss", which sounds like the diminutive of something else having to do with "kitten". But then, I have a prejudice against naming animals after TV/movie characters, so that's just me. Always seemed to me like one could put more imagination into a name than just pulling one out of a movie (tho' Firefly is definitely OUTSIDE that opinion!). I've known a dog and a rabbit called "Frodo", and it seemed silly to me.

But then, my husband is even LESS imaginative. He came from Idaho--he named his dog Idaho and his cat Burley (the town his parents lived in). Luckily Burley turned out to be an adorable butter-bear of a cat, so lived up to his name, but really!

Whatever you call her, she's precious--they don't stay babies long enough, damit, damit, damit! Everything you describe about her sounds like the typical female cat to me; cats are great, I still miss having one around. Even the huskies, who've killed moles, rats, even pet rabbits, back off instantly when Paula's cats tell them to f*ck off. Cats are cool.

So what's she up to now? Regale us with her antics; aside being guaranteed to bring smiles, it's a lovely break from bitching at one another!

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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Sunday, November 11, 2012 2:53 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Ooops...obviously she's so cute I had to say it TWICE! (*#@#%$(&U computer...)

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Sunday, November 11, 2012 5:30 AM

Khaleesi she is. It's from Game of Thrones, not Hunger Games (that was Katniss).

Her full name, which she will undoubtedly never answer to, is Danaerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, Khaleesi of the Dothraki and Mother of Dragons.

And yes, she has three dragons she rules over - the other two cats and the dog. She lords it over them, too. She weighs less than a pound and has the run of the house.

As for antics, I could go on for days, except that I find myself quite sleep-deprived these days. Khaleesi wakes up playing, and falls asleep the same way. And she tends to both wake up and fall asleep on me, usually tucked into my neck. She is fascinated with my hair, loves to burrow under my neck when I'm asleep, and then wrap herself in hair, playing with it until she's quite tangled up, which wakes me up so I can untangle her, at which point it all starts again.

I get maybe an hour or two of sleep at a time, usually not more than 5 hours a night.

I can't get mad at her, because she's so damned cute about it, and she has a really sweet personality. Plus, from experience, I know she'll grow out of it and never want to be close to people again the way she does now. So I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts, because it never lasts long enough.

This morning I came vaguely awake at 3am to the feeling of something small bouncing its way up my stomach and chest, towards my neck and face, and then... stopping. It was enough that I *almost* just shrugged it off and went back to sleep, but then there it was - a paw full of claws in each cheek, and a bit on the end of my nose. HELLO! I'M AWAKE NOW! And then she bounded off to harass the dog...

She is quite fun, and quite funny. She's playful, not malicious, and none of the scratches or bites are painful.

Jeepie (my dog) is completely deferential to her. When Jeepie sleeps, she does not like to be awakened or surprised - she tends to wake up snapping if the cats or another dog wake her. Khaleesi gets different treatment - she jumped across Jeepers's ribcage on one of her jaunts, and the dog raised her head lazily, looked around to see what was up, wagged her tail upon seeing Khaleesi playing, and went back to sleep. I've never seen her do anything like that with another animal that disturbed her sleep before.

We're all having a blast, Khaleesi most of all.

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

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Sunday, November 11, 2012 2:07 PM

Quote Kwicko, "I know she'll grow out of it and never
want to be close to people again the way she does now."

I wouldn't be so sure; she is, after all, a rugged individual.

My 4 all started feral.
One of them, Lucky, nearly-never would warm up to me, & only
hung around to be with the other kittens and to get food. For
2 months she avoided me by hiding under the recliner when she
was inside. (Yes, they always had a cat door; she could have
escaped.) I named her Lucky for magic, to put a good vibe on
her, to overcome her fears.

One evening, 3 of them, now big kittens were back from playing
outside & ready for dinner which I was about to serve. No Lucky,
I feared for her. She is a serious scavenger, and finally, she came
groping her way up the front steps, a dirty old mayonaise jar
over her head. I picked her up, held her firmly, gently removed
the jar. I gave her a couple of pets, asked if she was OK, & set
her on the floor.

You may have noticed that rescued cats can have different reac-
tions to it. Some recognize their savior. Others consider this
person part of the trauma, never to be trusted. Lucky changed
toward me. Over the next days, she would come in range of get-
ting a pet when the other cats did. Thus she became petable &
soon would be on my lap instead of under it. She remains terri-
fied of all other humans. The other cats, no so much.

Long story short. Two of my feral cats sleep with me, under the
covers, not playing there, but just cuddling to keep warm. Two
don't, for different reasons.

As Khaleesi is the trainer, not the trainee, she will decide if
cuddling a person is a good thing forever. Meanwhile, you are
grateful that a Mother of Dragons has Chosen You.

=========================

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Sunday, November 11, 2012 2:10 PM

Actually you learn to live with it, hell I found out recently to my chagrin that I have even MORE trouble sleeping if I DON'T have a cat walking on me and trying to steal the covers.

As for Meerkatting (the hind legs popup sentry pose) it's not unknown for cats, Molly is notorious for it as well, but apparently they start to grow out of it as they get older, either that or it's developed as a defensive response and a safe environment renders that kinda moot.

Yanno though, all things being equal, the bat might have been a little more pleasant than Puppys habit of dropping dead mice two inches from my nose, especially that one she decapitated first.

-F

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Sunday, November 11, 2012 3:25 PM

Some cats are just dominant like that. Although it's still surprising she's managing to bully cats much older than her.

One of the things my cats have is a fairly regular schedule, when they get feed, when they get a treat, and also when they go to bed. We put them overnight in a room with bedding, food, a couple litter boxes, and water, then let them out again in the morning. I don't mind being jumped on because you can just go back to sleep, but they knock on doors at night, and they'll do that for hours.

Also they pee on us. :(

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Sunday, November 11, 2012 3:29 PM

Quote:
Meanwhile, you are
grateful that a Mother of Dragons has Chosen You.

Yes, indeed I am.

There are much worse things in the world to be awakened by than a cat playing.

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Monday, November 12, 2012 5:50 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Ohhhh, I'm envious, so envious! I remember those days fondly--not for the being awakened, and we never had one as adorable as her--but we had SOME of that "fun". All our cats came from the shelter or were "found", none of them had bad enough experiences that they were the slightest bit shy, but only two of them were true "kittens", and oh, my, did I love that time before they grow into "cats"! Jim not so much I think...

Those two we found on a motorcycle trip up North...were in the tiny one-room "visitors center" in Leggit and they came up to me and did the "purr, rub, purr rub" thing on my leg. I dropped down, of course, to be on the floor with them and remarked "you have a couple of great ambassadors"--woman said no, they'd wandered in out of the forest and she didn't know what she was going to do about it. We, of course, offered to take them home. Bought some cat food and they slept in our tent--they were so tiny the two of them fit into Jim's motorcycle helmet, which is where they slept!

We ended up making the 200-mile journey home with them in the tank bag of my motorcycle. The little female, Bebe, was an escape artist and I couldn't zip the bag completely closed, so I made most of the trip with one hand over the opening and we had to stop three or four times to squeeze her back IN. Bebe was a real kick in the head, had so many of the personality quirks cats have that she kept us in stitches. They were so close, I think that's why we never had the experiences you did; they were inseparable and would sleep wrapped around one another. They were our first cats and we had no fenced yard, so they'd go across the street in the morning to hunt, then come back and spend the day indoors. J.D. got hit by a car about a year later, but Bebe lived a long and happy life, and was the most unusual of all our cats in her personality. When we went camping (sans motorcycles!) I'd let her and J.D. out at the campground with a long yellow rope tied to them so they couldn't go far and I could track them down, and Bebe'd always visit all the nearby campgrounds to say hi. Great White Hunter, too...she'd go off and come back dragging a snake or something. We traveled in the camper we got later many times, with the five cats we ended up with then, and Bebe always rode on the dashboard in front of the driver, lounging like the queen she knew she was!

Here comes my "Most Beloved Cat" story (spoiler alert; don't read if it might make you cry):

My wonder cat was this tiny thing called Missy...she'd belonged to our friend across the street, who had three cats. Sydney dropped dead at a young age in the middle of aerobics class; family came to get her stuff, took two of the cats, Missy bolted (she was incredibly shy) so they left her behind.

I didn't know any of this until told by our nextdoor neighbor, I just kept seeing this small cat in the driveway of the empty house across the street...tried to rescue her but she wouldn't let me get near her. Started putting food in the driveway, then in my car parked at the curb with the window open. She'd go in the window, eat and leave.

The house was fumigated (with entire house covered, you know how they do that, and Missy disappeared. Feared she'd been killed by the fumigation, since she often spent the day under the house. People moved in, and she continued to live under the house, as Winter was coming and it was getting colder. I couldn't catch her, so put food, water and blanket in the crawl space under the house.

I approached the new inhabitants and told them about Missy...the lady wasn't the friendly type and just remarked that she thought she'd "heard something under the floor making some kind of sounds" (!), and wanted me to stop feeding her so she'd go away. I kept putting food there, as by now Winter rains had moved in.

Next thing I know, a young police officer knocks at our door. New neighbor said I was trespassing and better stop! I explained to the officer, who was really, really sympathetic, and said he wished he could help, but if she insisted...you know.

So I started putting food in our back in my car, then moved it to our pickup, front door open, parked in our driveway, and she started coming to eat there. One very rainy night I stood under a tree until she went in, then ran across the wet grass and SLAMMED it shut as fast as I could. Pickup had window to the camper shell (with which we'd replaced the camper), so next day I went to check and she was nowhere. I KNEW she was in there somewhere. talked to friend Cat Expert in Illinois and said I was scared to find her, lest she attack me or something.

Robin said no, likely when I found her she'd try to run and hide somewhere else in the camper shell, or would just give up. When I did find her, lifted tarp and she just rolled over, proferred tummy in a "do what you will with me" gesture.

Missy was the most amazing cat I've ever had. I lived in the big "converted garage" basement room downstairs, and she never set foot outside it, and was never more than two feet away from me when I was down there. She was the most loving cat, never slept more than six inches from my face, or under the covers up against me, would do the "pat your face" thing during the night. She totally stole my heart.

Turned out she had cancer (I've always blamed the fumigation) and I wasn't honored with her presence for more than a little over two years. The last one was spent nursing her...I won't go into it but suffice it to say it was incredibly hard on both of us but she never once complained. Our vet at the time was all about making animals as comfortable as possible and going the "natural death" route, saying they knew when it was time and would fight until it was. I agreed to do that, to medicating her, force-feeding her toward the end, the whole shebang.

I took to carrying her to the back yard and sitting with her in the sun a few times toward the end--she could have walked away but seemed to enjoy it. One Summer morning, by-then-incredibly-small and weak Missy actually followed me up the stairs, to my amazement. She went over to Jim and purred and rubbed against his leg, then went to Curt and did the same, then walked out the back door and lay in the sun. All day. I carried her in at night and she died that night. She DID know, I've accepted that ever since, but will never, never go through that again!

We've had as many as eight cats at one time or another, but Missy will always have my heart in a special way. Her little box of ashes sits on a shelf in my room--well, almost all of them do, dogs and cats, but hers has a photo of her (about the only one I have) in front of it, and I'll never forget her. The incredible trust and love she honored me with for that short time was a gift I will always treasure.

So treasure, treasure--they never live long enough, but unquestionably the pain and hassle (and lack of sleep!) which comes along with them is far more than worth it, in my opinion.

ETA: I ADORE the Simon's Cat animations; thank you Frem for the giggle. He really captured all the personalities of his cat, I think it hits home with most of us who've had cats!

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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Monday, November 12, 2012 8:11 AM

Haven't read all your story, Niki, but I will. I'm taking a quick minute at work to throw down some grub, then it's back to it. I'm on 12 days straight without a day off right now - welcome to busy season!

Simon's Cat is a longtime favorite around the Kwicko household, as is Henri the Existential Cat.

There are more.

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

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Monday, November 12, 2012 9:27 AM

Quote:
Yanno though, all things being equal, the bat might have been a little more pleasant than Puppys habit of dropping dead mice two inches from my nose, especially that one she decapitated first.

She was sending you a message. "Feed me or you end up like this mouse. Also, <3s plurrplurr." An adorable bundle of love and predatory calculation.

Niki: On the other hand, if they lived longer, they would figure out how to make tools, wire explosives, and build tanks. Actually, I wish we had genmod enhanced pets already that live human livespans and can talk to us. Well, I mean actual conversations, since they do vocalize in an understandable way.

I saw a stocking decoration for sale, had a cat entangled in a strand of outdoor lights embroidered on the red part, and text in red on the white felty part: "I've been as good as I can be."

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Monday, November 12, 2012 10:02 AM

*snicker*
Feline as insufferable french jerk ?
And it soooo works!

FYI, that's the same model of motorized/filtered water bowl as I use, works well but you have to keep up on the filters and clean the thing regularly, which is a pain in the arse.

And actually my response to the decapitated mouse was asking her if she'd been watching The Godfather or something...
Far as conversation goes, I do pretty good, since neither party seems to care if other HUMANS understand any of it, although Kallista could make herself generally understood to anyone cause she sounded like a feline take on R Lee Ermey, you *knew* what she was telling you, believe it.

And yes, the guy who does Simons Cat so perfectly captures it.

This is SOOOOOOooo much like Squirmy and Ghoster, it's hi-larious.
S'Funny, cause I know how to avoid the "turf" problem - you make the item so large they can't psychologically lay claim to it and it becomes shared-space, but my ex is too lazy to keep after it and we have less cats now anyways... I used a kiddy pool as litterbox, it ended the fights and was remarkably easy to keep clean if you kept to a schedule, and using a really large food bowl put paid to a lot of the snark, gluttony and whatnot, with the exception of Kallista who would *NOT* eat with other cats cause she found their "table manners" despicable, and I mean to the point of turning her back on special treats cause she was too dignified to become one with the slobbering horde.
I did not call her "The Princess" without cause yanno, hell she didn't even like TUNA cause she thought it was too plebian, preferring pink salmon.

Molly seems to have little interest in human food, although she did take a swipe at my pizza last night - and I have been tasked with bringing T-day treats to Ghoster, Squirmy and Lexi since my ex will be out of town with her screwed up hillpeople family (as if I should talk!).

I am actually quite tempted to mockingly cook a cornish game hen since I don't actually have anyone to share it with but the cats.

-Frem

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Tuesday, November 13, 2012 8:54 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Okay, prize for first SUSTAINED hysterical giggling goes to Frem, without a doubt. That was GREAT! Luckily I knew what I was getting into so carefully put my ice tea where I couldn't knock it over before clicking on the video. Whew!

Oh GAWD no, Byte! Even if cats (and dogs) just had working opposable thumbs, just think the trouble we'd be in! Anything else, and we'd cease to be "dominant species" right off the bat!

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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Tuesday, November 13, 2012 1:55 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

Quicko, she is really cute! Have lots of fun with her.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Tuesday, November 13, 2012 5:22 PM

Well as I mentioned before, one of our residents cats, who I call Twerp, has perfect little "thumbs", one on each side and sorta opposable, if he wasn't so completely brainless in both human and feline sense I might feel threatened by that.

And just for more feline-related amusement, I was discussing Puppys "Last Dance" with a friend who asked me "Just how much catnip did you give her?"...
Me:"All of it."

So she sent me this...

Yeaaah, something like that!
Oddly, one wouldn't think I'd care much for commercially branded cat food, but Friskies has always been my go-to brand cause they have much better quality control and their Ocean Fish (now Seafood Sensations) mix has worked for every single cat I've ever known, never met a kitty who didn't like it or had a reaction to it - so when I went to canned food, shredded, then eventually pureed, as Puppys condition worsened, obviously Friskies.
I miss her dear, but being able to say goodbye, give her that glorious Last Dance, and Final Mercy at home in my lap took a large bite out of the grief cause she went out in style and comfort.

Puppy always was just a little bit in her own little world, and after gobbling down (she would EAT the stuff, not just sniff and roll in it!) a couple tablespoons of catnip I can totally see that going on in her little kitty head.

-Frem

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Tuesday, November 13, 2012 8:17 PM

PIRATENEWS

John Lee, conspiracy therapist at Hollywood award-winner History Channel-mocked SNL-spoofed PirateNew.org wooHOO!!!!!!

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:

And yes, she has two different colored eyes - one blue, one green.

She also has a total of 24 toes, making her a polydactyl cat.

Fukushima!

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012 3:49 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Always loved that commercial...not just for the smile it brings to my face, but for the imagination and quality of the work. Never saw that long a one, tho', so thanx.

Ahhhhh, catnip. Ain't it great? One of the most amusing things about cats, is that. Kitty dope. Had a friend whose cat loved marijuana, too--the smoke as well as the eating. Friend would get bag out of drawer, cat would come running and climb in. One puff and he'd pull the drawstring to mostly close the bag. Cat would come wobbling out a few minutes later, lay down, purr his head off and crash. All in all, catnip is more entertaining!

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012 5:11 AM

I think catnip is more like kitty meth. The ones that seem mellow and rolling around rubbing on everything are actually just experiencing the effects of increased libido, which somehow works even when the kitty is fixed. Otherwise common symptoms of catnip are increased focus, anxiety, aggression, and hyperactive/erratic hunting behaviour.

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012 7:59 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Yup, sounds like kitty meth to me! Of all our cats, some liked catnip, some paid it no attention, some reeeeeeeeely liked it, and some were only interested in the stuff growing in the garden, not into "dried" shit. We did have one which matched your description when it comes to aggression (!), and boy, was he aggressive when it came to keeping any of the other cats away from his "stash"! Possessive on steroids, I would say.

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012 6:55 PM

Speakin of Kitty Awesomness, THIS.

Dad buys kids pet cat after they win Facebook bet
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/dad-buys-kids-pet-cat-win-faceboo
k-bet-025013406.html

Quote:
Dan Urbano's two kids really wanted a cat. So, Urbano jokingly made a bet offering to adopt a feline friend if his friends could get 1,000 clicks on Facebook in support of their effort.

The combined power of social media, kids and cats proved too much as the Boston-area children far exceeded their dad's challenge, generating more than 111,000 "likes," and 100,000 shares.

To accomplish their feat, 7-year-old Remi and one-year-old Evelyn posted a picture on their mother Marissa's Facebook page. In the photo, Remi is smiling while holding a whiteboard which reads:

Hey Facebook! My sister and I really want a cat. Our papa promises we can get one if we can get 1,000 likes. Please like this picture. Thank you!"

Evelyn stands next to him with a huge grin on her face and appears to be pumping her fists with excitement.

After the photo went viral, Dan Urbano honored his end of the bet, picking up a pet from a local animal shelter.

'"Never, ever did we think this was going to happen," their Mom Marissa said in an interview with Good Morning America. "We figured our friends and maybe their friends would be nice and kind and share with each other."

The kids named their new cat Hairietta L. Pawturr, with the "L" standing for the massive amount of Facebook "likes."

And yes, one of those "likes" is mine, obviously.
George Takei (who is also, awesome) picked that ball up and threw it for the hail mary, dude has a SERIOUS amount of social media fans.

Okay yes, compared to the many horrible injustices in the world it's a small thing, but it's a damn cool small thing and Hairietta is now doubt smugly appreciating it.

-Frem

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012 9:10 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

Its funny, I've never seen Game of Thrones, don't have HBO, so hearing Quicko's cat's name, its hard to picture a person with that name, it sounds so much like a cat name and not a human woman name. :)

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Thursday, November 15, 2012 6:03 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by FREMDFIRMA:

Speakin of Kitty Awesomness, THIS.

Dad buys kids pet cat after they win Facebook bet
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/dad-buys-kids-pet-cat-win-faceboo
k-bet-025013406.html
Quote:
Dan Urbano's two kids really wanted a cat. So, Urbano jokingly made a bet offering to adopt a feline friend if his friends could get 1,000 clicks on Facebook in support of their effort.

The combined power of social media, kids and cats proved too much as the Boston-area children far exceeded their dad's challenge, generating more than 111,000 "likes," and 100,000 shares.

To accomplish their feat, 7-year-old Remi and one-year-old Evelyn posted a picture on their mother Marissa's Facebook page. In the photo, Remi is smiling while holding a whiteboard which reads:

Hey Facebook! My sister and I really want a cat. Our papa promises we can get one if we can get 1,000 likes. Please like this picture. Thank you!"

Evelyn stands next to him with a huge grin on her face and appears to be pumping her fists with excitement.

After the photo went viral, Dan Urbano honored his end of the bet, picking up a pet from a local animal shelter.

'"Never, ever did we think this was going to happen," their Mom Marissa said in an interview with Good Morning America. "We figured our friends and maybe their friends would be nice and kind and share with each other."

The kids named their new cat Hairietta L. Pawturr, with the "L" standing for the massive amount of Facebook "likes."

And yes, one of those "likes" is mine, obviously.
George Takei (who is also, awesome) picked that ball up and threw it for the hail mary, dude has a SERIOUS amount of social media fans.

Okay yes, compared to the many horrible injustices in the world it's a small thing, but it's a damn cool small thing and Hairietta is now doubt smugly appreciating it.

-Frem

Takei's page is hilarious - I always get a lugh out of the stuff he posts. Not sure how I missed this one, 'cause I definitely would've added my own "like" and some shares to their total!

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

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Thursday, November 15, 2012 6:13 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Riona,

Quote:
Its funny, I've never seen Game of Thrones, don't have HBO, so hearing Quicko's cat's name, its hard to picture a person with that name, it sounds so much like a cat name and not a human woman name. :)

Amusingly, not having any of those things you described either, that was MY reaction to the name "Kitniss". Seemed more like an affectionate term for a cat than a person's name.

I'll have to check out Takei's page; have had considerable respect for his intelligence since he ran for office and what I read about him through that; don't find it surprising he might have an equally positive sense of humor.

I think the story is fantastic and neat...and smiled thinking "Boy, are those parents out of the loop as to what will generate 'likes' on Facebook!"

Mike, you said "there is more"....MORE! MORE! MORE! We can always use the change from bickering about politics!

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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Thursday, November 15, 2012 6:47 AM

CAVETROLL

Congratulations Kwicko, many happy years with your cute new kitty.

A house without a dog or a cat is the home of a scoundrel. - Portuguese proverb

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Thursday, November 15, 2012 7:51 AM

There are a bunch of cat families living around a house near where I work. At least two mothers (orange tabby and a siamese) with five kittens between them, and an adult tortoiseshell who hangs around.

I walk past there on my lunch break and meow at them while the kittens bound around. I'm sure the owners of the house think I'm nuts.

It is impossible to not meow at cats. Scientific fact.

EDIT: grammar failure

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Thursday, November 15, 2012 8:46 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
There are a bunch of cat families living around a near house where I work. At least two mothers (orange tabby and a siamese) with five kittens between them, and an adult tortoiseshell who hangs around.

I walk past there on my lunch break and meow at them while the kittens bound around. I'm sure the owners of the house think I'm nuts.

I rather doubt that. They probably think you're just a rather vocal cat person. :)

Quote:

It is impossible to not meow at cats. Scientific fact.

I'm no scientist, but my own research bears this out.

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

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Thursday, November 15, 2012 9:52 AM

Just as an aside.. Little Orange Twerp got out again last night and was his usual demandingly affectionate self, lil bastard gets underfoot to the point where I HAVE to pick him up and play with him a while to appease him, the bloody extortionist...

Oh, and apparently those thumbs of his REALLY help in tree climbing, he went up one on a whim so fast it might as well have been horizontal - I just hope he doesn't get the notion of chasing a raccon up one, cause the clumsy fat bastard would prolly panic and fall on his lil 4lb arse and squish him!

-F

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Thursday, November 15, 2012 10:07 AM

Cats can scare off racoons? I thought racoons were lazy and epicurean but scrappy animals, willing to put up a fight and defend themselves.

Oh hey, did your favourite raccoon ever father any kits? You mentioned he had a girlfriend for a while.

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Thursday, November 15, 2012 8:38 PM

Well they had three, but one of them made the mistake of trying to solo the park dumpsters while K-ghost was waiting in ambush, and she has a massive grudge for their failed attempt to do much the same to her soon after she was abandoned.

And yeah, the raccoons are prettymuch wimps, but when they or their food supply is threatened they can turn nasty, which makes me worry about Twerp cause he's kinda stupid.

-F

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Friday, November 16, 2012 5:47 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Ooo,

Quote:
A house without a dog or a cat is the home of a scoundrel. - Portuguese proverb

I like that!
As to

Quote:
It is impossible to not meow at cats. Scientific fact.

I must be screwed up or something; I can't ever recall having meowed at a cat! Many, many silly-sounding sounds, names and endearments, but never a meow. Of course, my memory could be suffering from the self-preservation of looking stupid (which I don't think meowing actually IS), or maybe it's that I always had dogs until late in life and never learned proper cat etiquette.

"cat" "extortionist"--isn't that duplicative?

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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Saturday, November 17, 2012 7:03 AM

Finally some downtime from work, so more kitty pix!

Khaleesi is fitting in quite well now - the other cats have finally accepted her. Peedie, the oldest male, actually quite likes her, and has been playing with her for quite a while. Rodger, the younger male (himself a foundling, nearly starved and tinier then than Khaleesi is now) has been standoffish towards her, but if finally engaging her in some good-hearted playfulness.

Here's Khaleesi waking up from a well-earned nap:

She's not really scared - just giving a big yawn and stretch, and I just happened to be handy with a macro setting on the camera...

Nestled down for yet another nap, this time between the two older cats, who are now her unwitting minions. Hey, she's Mother of Dragons; how could they resist?

A bigger version of that same yawn from earlier:

Naps. Lots and lots of naps. She wakes up playing, and falls asleep usually doing the same. I think she dreams of naps.

Yes, she really does know exactly how cute she is. And she hams it up for the camera.

Told ya.

Being the meat in a Khaleesi sandwich:

I think she feels safe with such protectors watching over her!

Just chillin'

I worried about her eyes at first - cats are usually born with blue eyes, which then change to their "true" color, but hers seem to be staying one-blue-one-green. It's striking to see, really, but I worried that maybe the blue eye was blind or something. That seems not to be the case. The pupil responds exactly like the other eye does, and she has no trouble seeing out of it as far as I can tell. At this poing I hope they stay this way, because it's a unique look!

Acceptance!

They tolerate me! They really tolerate me!

Seriously, how freaking cute is this?

So cute even Khaleesi can't stand it, that's how cute!

Oh hai! I'm awake now! Wanna play?

Peedie, exhausted.

As well he should be. He found us as a youngish adult cat, and that was more than 12 years ago. He's starting to feel his age, I think, but still has enough energy to play chase with Khaleesi.

Next I've got to work on getting pix of Khaleesi and Jeepie together. She loves her kitty, but is still a little freaked out by her level of energy and her abruptness.

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

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Saturday, November 17, 2012 7:47 AM

Deafness in the associated ear is more the concern for blue eyes, but that's more for pure white cats (and I also think long hairs).

Heterochromia is a common and usually harmless condition. Just watch for changes in eye color (or parts of the eye) and for nodules of different colours on the iris.

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Sunday, November 18, 2012 1:09 PM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Oooo, goodie, cute-cat pictures! You made my day...I soooo miss having at least one around, sigh...

She is Perfectly Adorable and deserves every bit of attention she gets, obviously! If ONLY they stayed kittens longer!!

We call that Bi-eyed in huskies, and it's pretty common. Dunno about cats, but I've met a few like that and they seemed fine...just a genetic abnormality, I'm guessing. Sure is gorgeous!

The "just chillin" photo belongs in a photo contest of some sort, it's a keeper!

Made me a bit sad, tho'; your Peedie looks EXACTLY like the last of our "pride" that left us, Jim's Burley. He's much bigger no doubt, as Burley (a stray) never attained true "cat" size. And the black one--well, every black cat I ever see makes my heart yearn for my Zuli, who I called my "back door man" because I swear, when he snuggled with me, it was for all the world like he was trying to seduce me!

I miss cats. Thanx for the visceral enjoyment of yours.

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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Wednesday, November 28, 2012 6:25 PM