June 30, 2007
Noble Tristan, Stain'd
I wondered who wrote those notes on my office desk. Guess he got a bit overzealous.
hln
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February 20, 2005
Meet Eduardo
Tristan, my white cat, has had some health issues of late. I'll not go into their nature (since some of you may be eating), but I brought him back from the vet in far better health than he was upon travel to the vet. Thank goodness for the vet.
The day after the vet drama, though, one of my other cats BIT HIS EAR AND PUNCTURED IT. Yes, the stud jokes ensued, but my heart was broken. This is my TRISTAN, my beloved white cat who is so loyal to me that I can call him from anywhere in the house, and typically he will come running.
Brian was, of course, trying to cheer me about the cat's disfiguration. He told me we could put him in the witness protection program - dye the cat brown, and rename him Eduardo...and everyone (the cat population) would be none the wiser.
Meet Eduardo. We just skipped the dye part.
My poor kitty.
hln
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I'm thinking put a hoop earring in the hole, dress him like a pirate, and call him Cap'n Jack Sparrow.
YARRRRR! :-)
Posted by: Harvey at February 21, 2005 08:58 AM (tJfh1)
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July 09, 2004
MEOW
Ajax would like you to scratch his belly.
hln
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Funny. When my cat gets into that position it means "Bring your hand a little closer because my teeth need sharpening." Just one of life's little lessons.
Posted by: physics geek at July 09, 2004 12:43 PM (Xvrs7)
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Naturally, when *I* look at this picture, I think "I wonder if my wife is that flexible?"
Posted by: Harvey at July 10, 2004 10:59 AM (ubhj8)
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Scratchy, scratchy... LOL. Very cute kitty!
Posted by: Teresa at July 10, 2004 06:32 PM (nAfYo)
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April 14, 2004
Cats Have Lips
Yes, really. Never thought about it, but they do.
These are the things that Brian and I talk about while doing dishes, other chores. We actually argued about it, and Aurora volunteered (was the nearest cat) to be the display cat. I picked her up, pried open her mouth, and, hey, what do you know?
Brian clarified that birds do not have lips. See, beaks are not lips. Dogs do have lips, though.
hln
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And take it from me, some cats have some pretty nasty tempers and some really nasty claws, as well. Speaking of cats, I have to dash, as Miss Kitty is hot on my heels.
Posted by: Mr Mouse at April 14, 2004 10:29 PM (G5PGV)
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Drat, I missed that little varmint again. I know he was just here because the wires are still warm.
Posted by: Miss Kitty at April 14, 2004 10:32 PM (G5PGV)
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Of *course* cats have lips! Who was arguing which side?
Posted by: Victor at April 15, 2004 07:59 AM (1FF48)
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But seagulls don't have eyebrows.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at April 15, 2004 10:21 AM (+S1Ft)
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And the French have no balls.
Posted by: Harvey at April 15, 2004 10:33 AM (tJfh1)
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But seagulls don't have eyebrows.
Neither does Michael Jackson. Come to think of it...he might not have lips either.
Posted by: Victor at April 15, 2004 02:13 PM (1FF48)
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My family uses the term "frog lips" liberally.
No point there.
Posted by: Jennifer at April 15, 2004 03:14 PM (DdBLw)
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March 04, 2004
Hey You Cat Owners, Help
I have no time to blog, but I have a question, and I want to look like I'm updating the blog, so here we go...
How many cats do you have, and do you have leather furniture, and can the twain meet?
Discuss. Help me. Considering leather furniture.
Back to work.
hln
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One cat, no leather furniture. But my sister had both. It was a sad, expensive story. If you are against declawing, forget the leather furniture.
Posted by: Mike at March 04, 2004 08:20 PM (dzRdS)
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Two cats but no leather furniture. Still I had a problem with scratching UNTIL I went to PetSmart and picked up two of tho cardboard scratchy boxes you put on the floor. Never had a problem since!!!
Posted by: Phillip at March 05, 2004 05:23 AM (1hRqD)
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Beloved Wife & I have 3 cats (4, actually) but one has her own room, since she doesn't play nice with the others) a leather couch, & a leather loveseat. The cats have lots of other places to scratch, so they show no interest hurting the leather. I would caution that, if the cat is comfy on the leather, DON'T startle him. Those "0-60 in 1 second" take-off's can leave a puncture.
As long as you keep your cats' claws trimmed, you should be ok on general wear & tear. Blunt claws won't catch or punture. Pointy ones...
We do like the leather furniture because, unlike the cloth stuff, the cat hair comes off without a struggle. That's the big reason we got it in the first place.
Posted by: Harvey at March 05, 2004 09:37 AM (tJfh1)
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If cats are not declawed and show an inclination for scratching on the leather furniture, a quick trip to the vet for "Soft Paws", little silicone claw caps (Lee Press-On Nails for kitty) will solve that problem.
Posted by: Omnibus Driver at March 05, 2004 11:29 AM (6VG2d)
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OMG! HOW CUTE!! FAKE NAILS FOR KITTIES!
I have GOT to tell The Good Doctor about this!
Posted by: Trey Givens at March 05, 2004 01:08 PM (Fo1B/)
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Yes, I have to second those silicon nails. They let the cat have its needed claws, esp indoor-outdoor, but are enough not to puncture....
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=2975&Ne=40000&R=4615&N=2002+113036
Posted by: Courtney at March 05, 2004 08:33 PM (7HzK2)
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Two cats, and leater recliner. Cats seem to leave the leather alone, though the cats do their claw stretching thing on everything else.
Posted by: Tom at March 06, 2004 06:38 AM (+1ZQW)
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We have a leather chair. Cats leave it alone, except for one tragic peeing incident from that cat who uses inappropriate places. No problems since...
Posted by: Jennifer at March 06, 2004 07:28 AM (XJT8e)
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I told TGD about the kitty nails and he said that he did have those on his kitties, of whom he shares joint customdy with his sister, but they come off and wear thin every now and then so you have to get them put back on. As such, he had some furniture damage in spite of them.
Since then, he's had their front paws declawed and that has helped.
Posted by: Trey Givens at March 06, 2004 03:31 PM (Fo1B/)
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For much of the past 10yrs I have had the pleasure of sharing my humble domicile with two furry felines. As to this subject, I have 3 thoughts.
#1 Cats + Leather = Shredded moderately uncomfortable furnature.
#2 Cats have only a few clasifications for things in thier worlds.
a. Cat Perch
b. Cat Food
c. Cat Box
d. Cat CSD (Claw Sharpening Device)
e. Cat Toy
k. Cat Friend or Enemy
At best it is only occasionally pleasant to be in class a or sometimes class k.
#3 Everything with our furry friends would be simply marvelous if we humans could just pause to remember what is most important in a cat human relationship is not us. ;-)
Posted by: Mr Chaos Yin Yang at March 07, 2004 05:27 PM (1AQDv)
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For much of the past 10yrs I have had the pleasure of sharing my humble domicile with two furry felines. As to this subject, I have 3 thoughts.
#1 Cats + Leather = Shredded moderately uncomfortable furnature.
#2 Cats have only a few clasifications for things in thier worlds.
a. Cat Perch
b. Cat Food
c. Cat Box
d. Cat CSD (Claw Sharpening Device)
e. Cat Toy
k. Cat Friend or Enemy
At best it is only occasionally pleasant to be in class a or sometimes class k.
#3 Everything with our furry friends would be simply marvelous if we humans could just pause to remember that what is most important in a cat human relationship is not us. ;-)
Posted by: Mr Chaos Yin Yang at March 07, 2004 05:28 PM (1AQDv)
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Three cats, no leather furniture. Ever. Out of the question. Even if you train them to NOT sharpen their claws on the furniture, the climbing and jumping will ruin the upholstery. Also, don't pet the cat when he/she is on the leather. Those happy kneading claws will wreak havoc. Just sayin'.
Posted by: physics geek at March 09, 2004 09:21 AM (Xvrs7)
Posted by: james at March 09, 2004 12:13 PM (3YScj)
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I have 3 cats with all claws and had a leather sofa for a number of years. We kept thier claws clipped and a scratching post near by. We NEVER had a problem with them tearing it up. HOWEVER, one of our cats took to PEEING on it! We consulted our vet and he said we needed more litter boxes, at least one for each cat, plus having one near the living room where the sofa was. After having the sofa cleaned and getting the extra boxes, there was no problem... for a about 2 years. Then he started peeing on it again. We ended up having to get rid of the sofa.
Posted by: Darren at September 19, 2004 11:26 AM (ZksqB)
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Do those of you who have had cats and leather sofas have any opinions on whether it helps if the leather is the "tight" kind, where there isn't much to latch on to? I'd been told that there was more scratching if the leather was more the looser, relaxed kind of leather.
Posted by: Linda at February 24, 2005 03:53 PM (iEhmQ)
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I would think the "tight" kind of leather would be more prone to puncture and the relaxed would have more give to prevent puncture. I have 8 cats, claws and all, however I don't own leather. I am in the market for a leather set myself and have the same question. Can any respond to the best leather for household with pets?
Posted by: Lisa at March 03, 2005 07:53 PM (a3OU5)
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February 05, 2004
November 17, 2003
Aurora Knows
Aurora called me at work from home. She's displeased that no one has commented about her pictures. Come on, people. Tell Aurora what a cute cat she is, or I'll hear ALL about it when I get home. And she probably won't allow me to post any more cute cate pictures, either. And that'll anger Dominique.
hln
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Tell the babies I'm very sorry. I don't always comment when I should. They're all beautiful. You can tell Aurora she's the most beautiful if you think she'll feel better.
Posted by: Jennifer at November 17, 2003 02:09 PM (kjOoJ)
2
It's a start. She's quite a prima donna, you know. Just like her mother.
hln
Posted by: hln at November 17, 2003 02:43 PM (CWwGn)
3
That top picture keeps messing with my head, because it sort of looks like she's standing in front of a wall. Then I realize she's laying down & I get this sense of vertigo...
Cute kitty, though :-)
Posted by: Harvey at November 18, 2003 12:41 PM (tJfh1)
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November 16, 2003
Sunday Cat Blogging
Is this supposed to be a Friday thing? In the spirit of
Pixy Misa,
James Joyner, and
Kevin Drum, here are some pictures of my cats. Not all of 'em, mind you, because I have five. But I'll get there eventually. (That cat in the left picture on Kevin's site is on my desktop at work, but a different picture).
Today is Aurora day. I have pictures of
Galt and
Ajax already on the blog.
hln
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*chuckle* They are cute. Any siamese in them?
Posted by: Courtney at November 17, 2003 03:14 PM (u6jpO)
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Yep - this one's daddy was a meezer, and her mama was a black cat.
hln
Posted by: hln at November 17, 2003 03:50 PM (CWwGn)
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She is quite beautiful. And she does have a bit of a prima donna look about her...but don't all cats? ;-)
Posted by: nic at November 17, 2003 04:00 PM (16A49)
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Some of us don't say anything because we're choked with jealousy.
Posted by: LeeAnn at November 17, 2003 04:10 PM (HxCeX)
5
That is a very cute kitty indeed. She has that "come and pet me" look, which I can totally relate to.
Posted by: angua at November 17, 2003 11:11 PM (YA9cV)
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October 14, 2003
John Galt Update
Galt is recovering. He is happy to be home, and he should be healthy. The tumor removal was a success.
Ain't he dapper? The deal was pretty expensive, too - about $418.00.
And, yes, I realize I could have fed dinner to 418 homeless crack addicts for that hefty sum. I CHOSE NOT TO.
My regular good humor should return soon.
Good night, all.
hln
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October 10, 2003
John Galt, Vomit, and Sundry Other Bodily Excretions
Who is John Galt?
This John Galt.
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(Though a veterinarian once asked the same question, and the only answer he got from me is "exactly.")
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Galt is my first cat - he's 7 1/2 years old. I've had him longer than I've known Brian, and, for the most part he's a great cat. He likes to produce these little benign tumors on various parts of his body. I'm thankful they're benign, but they are still tumors, so we have them removed. I found the third one this morning and flipped out, assuming the worst (malignant until proven benign, etc.).
I got an appointment set up for him - 2:40 this afternoon.
That was the easy part.
See, Galt HATES the carrier. But woman is stronger than cat, so in the carrier he went. I have some experience with this considering the seven years we've been together. First, it was just a bit of vomiting. Now, every time he's in a car, he usually vomits AND performs some other excretory function, the least of which is frothing at the mouth. That's not so bad.
When we moved him from the last house to this one, we didn't use the carrier (moved three cats, had two carriers) and rather kept him on my lap while Brian drove, thinking that he'd be more docile and that the CARRIER was the problem (not the cat - should've known better). About halfway from one house to the next, the cat exhibited pre-stress vomiting behavior. About four blocks from the house, the cat let forth a mildly fetid spew (could've been worse) of Friskies - all over me.
Well, what can you do? I laughed. I laughed so hard I'm sure it was disturbing to the other four people in the car, only one of whom knows me well enough to understand that the only ways for me to react in that situation are to intensely freak out or, as we all say, laugh my ass off.
I digress.
Today's trip to the vet went a little like this.
Heather arrives home from work and sets the cat carrier out (open) before going to sweet talk the cat into being as docile as possible. She places towels in a plastic bag for clean-up of any messes cat will make. Cat reads Heather's intentions while she approaches him and hides under the sofa. Other cats watch, bemused (because they're cats). Heather scruffs Galt and takes him upstairs. Battle of wills ensues. Cat loses.
Cat in carrier goes in car. About halfway there, cat vomits (quite unceremoniously, which is odd for him, as I mentioned). I shrug it off; I'm "prepared."
Another 1/4 mile, and cat defecates. I know this from the smell. He's in the carrier, and I've got the sunroof open, so I make unpleasant faces, scrunching up my face to avoid the smell as much as possible and ignore Galt's yowling for the remainder of the trip.
When we arrive, I formulate this great plan, whereby I will open the cat carrier (because once the cat's in, he doesn't want out, y'know) and clean the front part where the vomit is, then remove the cat, clean the back, more offensive part, and then replace the cat in the carrier.
Uh, no. Cat escapes. Heather quickly closes the sunroof. Cat has nowhere to go. Yowling still, cat paces on the dashboard while Heather cleans out the carrier. The cat has defecated on the towel, so the carrier is actually clean when the towel and vomit from the front are removed.
Now, to place cat in carrier yet again. Because of Heather's seated position in driver's section of car, cat actually wins this battle.
Heather scruffs cat, opens door, and drags screaming cat (all 13 lbs of him) into Page Animal Hospital. Veterinary workers view distressed mother and cat.
The rest of the time, of course, cat is docile, sweet, loving, and kind, even during the biospy.
It's benign. I'm at my emotional wits' end, though. You'd think I'd be relieved, instead.
But...
His surgery's Tuesday. We do it ALL OVER AGAIN!
I told them to expect a dirty cat.
hln
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Perhaps you could feed the cat a bit of rum and milk before you go. Not too much but just enough to "settle it's nerves" so to speak. Granted it's not a great idea but I bet it would work.
Posted by: cybrpunk at October 10, 2003 04:20 PM (q9YxC)
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I remember the pleasant situation of taking my sister's cat from Tampa to St Louis. He cried so much I had to put him on my lap, and the he peed the carrier.
Hottest urine I've ever felt. Luckily there was plenty of newspaper. Sadly, there was no potpourri for the woman who sat next to me for two hours smelling cat urine.
Posted by: TheYeti at October 10, 2003 04:21 PM (+yDzP)
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Our cat Treacle would panic on sight of the carrier, but once in place would usually settle down to merely crying piteously.
Muffin, though... Muffin was
The vet? We're going to the vet? Cool! How do you work these seat belts?
Posted by: Pixy Misa at October 10, 2003 06:33 PM (jtW2s)
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The first time I took Midnight in for a checkup and shots I used one of those cardboard carriers. He was not pleased, but retained control of all excretory functions. This time, for his one year follow up (having owned him for a year now and knowing his personality better) I said to heck with the carrier and carried him. He sat on my lap while I drove, and kept peering over the steering wheel. It must have been hysterical to other driver to see Toonces, the driving cat....
Posted by: Susie at October 10, 2003 09:26 PM (0+cMc)
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You read the part about the lap, though, Susie. Been there, done that, got...covered.
My other cats are angels in the car. A bit nervous, but good.
hln
Posted by: hln at October 10, 2003 10:02 PM (g+waq)
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Galt sounds just like my cat Lola! Lola (who passed away over the summer *tear*) used to HATE the carrier. Everyone looked at me like a freak whenever I'd bring her to the vet because she'd howl like she was in pain and she'd have vomitted and deficated in her carrier, so it was all stinky too. I always felt so bad having to make Lola travel. She hated traveling. She used to get tumors and eventually, she ended up getting a malignant one and it spread and I had to put her to sleep this summer. *sigh* I'm glad to know the spirit of Lola is still alive and well in sweet kitties like yours.
Posted by: The Patriette at October 15, 2003 08:30 PM (zavsX)
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September 18, 2003
Cathexis John Cole waxes insightful
Cathexis
John Cole
waxes insightful regarding his feline companions. And
it's delightful.
When I reach down to rub their bellies, I am usually bitten. When I work on
the computer, I am usually greeted with the perfectly placed southern end of
a northbound cat- this is Tunch's idea of giving me affection- cat booty in
the face while I am trying to read. When friends come over, the cats ignore
me and do none of the entertaining things they do when no one else is
around- making me look like a liar and a fool. When I finally go to sleep,
my cats either decide to play on top of me, or start meowing about something
or another.
hln
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May 16, 2003
Ajax Against the World
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I received a "marketing tool" gift today from the owner of my company, a
"stress world," if you will. It's a squeezable ball with world artwork on
it, and it says "Global Wizard," which is the name of the software product
on which I work.
Global Wizard, or GWIZ for short, is set to launch next Tuesday in Chicago,
so today I've found myself owning not only this stress world, but also a
nifty GWIZ letter opener. You can tell I worked too long today because I am
blogging about work.
At any rate, all of the fun with the stress world ensued when I brought said
item home. I placed it on the counter, and it was soon found by my most
adventurous cat, Ajax, who surveyed it, sniffed it, and promptly put it in
his mouth and carried it around the house.
This was so humorous I attempted (for quite some time) to get a picture of
my cat chewing on the world, but, alas, he would do no such thing for the
digital camera. Hey, someone, right there's a dissertation in waiting for
some Heisenberg Principle enthusiast, as Brian pointed
out.
This is the best I could do, but it's still extremely cute, though not as
funny, as his ball-carrying behavior. One cat against the world - proving
that, indeed, the world is not enough.
hln
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