Quote - I've gotten a pretty good chomp on the fingers from a parrot or two. 

I have a healthy respect for parrot beaks and know the damage they can do.  I wouldn't give any old parrot a kiss.  I hand fed Rio as a baby and consequently he thinks of me as his mother.  One time he "accidently" bit me and immediately said "OOPS" and let go!  LOL

For those having disciplinary issues with their dogs I highly recommend watching the Dog Whisperer with Cesar Milan - he is a genious when it comes to calming/training pets.  His methods that we have chosen to implement have helped us tremdously getting our dog(Violet) under control.  I've seen him get Pit Bulls/Rotweillers etc etc under control in about 2 weeks.

She is a mix of Austrain Shepherd/Schnauzer - very protective within a week of owning her.  All was cool till a "gang" moved in & verbally threatened me & the dog.  We had a couple of weeks where anytime she saw a black man(no offense) she would go into the Red Zone/Attack mode.  His methods of getting dogs under control are fabulous - but just as a child you have to be consistent.  For her we had find had find willing black males that would help us retrain her.  So, 2 weeks later she is almost back to normal.

If you are verbally threatened then I'd think that you'd want for the dog to go into a protective mode.......

My wife loves that Ceasar Milan (sp?) Dog Whisperer show -- even though we don't have a dog at the moment.  Sometimes we watch that show -- even when I'd rather be watching political dogfights/catfights on FOX or something.

Our cats know the sound of our car as well, especially the sound of the door being shut when hubby comes home alerts them - mostly Jack because he's SO hubby's cat (though basically he's everybody's cat if they can be persuaded to carry him around, preferably on his back, cradled like a baby...)

Of course there's a certain pavlovian reflex in the car-recognition, they know that when hubby comes home, it's time for FOOD! - which is impractical if it's not at "food time" he comes home LOL

I like dogs, but they're too much work. When the weather is miserable I'm SO happy to have cats and not a dog that needs to be walked in THAT.

As for cats being predators: Yes of course they are. If you don't like the thought of cats catching small animals, don't let it out. Cats thrive just fine inside, as long as they've been used to it from birth. And even grown cats can get used to being indoor cats, it just takes a bit more time.

And it's not anymore "cruel" to keep a cat in than to keep a bird in a cage. In both occasions, as long as they havne't been used to anything else, they have no concept of what they're missing, so they don't miss it. If anything, I personally think it's more cruel to let cats roam around, with the risk of being run over or caught and molested by sick people who still seem to live mentally i the middle ages and see cats as the spawn of the Devil... It also keeps the neighbours friendlier when they know it's not YOUR cat who has used the kids' sandbox as litterbox.

All of my cats are indoor only.  Mostly because, when I get them, they are either sick or handicapped.  I've got one who spends most of her time in her kennel cage.  She's old and crotchety, and the other cats pick on her.  So, from time to time, she'll hop off the window sill and ask to be put in her cage with some food and a toy ... where the other cats can't bother her.

I came back from Austin one day to find that the front door had been left open.  There must have been 10-12 cats on the lawn.  They saw the car and it was like "HOLY CRAP!!  Everybody get BACK in the HOUSE!!  MOM'S HOME!!   Everyone got inside before I did, except for Brian (who is severely brain damaged as a result of being beaten against a concrete wall when he was a kitten by a bunch of crackheads).  I'm inside doing a head count, and I start seeing this orange cat rising and falling in front of the kitchen window.  It was Brian, trying to figure out how he was going to get back in the house.

If they didn't like life here, I would think they would run away given the opportunity.  Most of them have been outside cats at some time, and I think they know a good life when they've got it.

At Xeno - of course I want the dog to protect when needed - that said she started going into the "red zone" at any approach of a black male whether they were adult or children - that is not acceptable.  I will say the "gang" is now residing in jail :)  They attacked a 73 Hispanic man & the neighbors took them down - about 12-3 ratio :D

There were 2 episodes - the one I mentioned * another were 1 came out with his Rotweiller & it went into attack mode & he was verbally threatening as well.

I know how hard it was for you to deviate from the political arena:biggrin:

Quote - At Xeno - of course I want the dog to protect when needed - that said she started going into the "red zone" at any approach of a black male whether they were adult or children - that is not acceptable.  I will say the "gang" is now residing in jail :)  They attacked a 73 Hispanic man & the neighbors took them down - about 12-3 ratio :D

There were 2 episodes - the one I mentioned * another were 1 came out with his Rotweiller & it went into attack mode & he was verbally threatening as well.

I know how hard it was for you to deviate from the political arena:biggrin:

I'm glad to hear that the "gang" problem was successfully put away.  And I'm especially glad to hear that you weren't hurt.

Oh, a steady diet of nothing but watching political arguing night after night can end up getting to most people, I think.  Including me.  It's refreshing to watch something else -- something completely non-political.  In fact, it's even better to get out and DO something.  Like ride a mountain bike, or go to a restaurant with friends.  For anyone who has to spend as much time glued to a PC as I do -- actually getting out and DOING something becomes doubly important.

But it's nice to have a cat or two curled up nearby on those late nights when you're working on the PC.  Even if one of them tends to chew on the computer cables.

I agree - until we got the dog I had no idea there was such activity going on :blink:  Cats are great, still have 2 left & one has low thyroid count(male) totally uncommon & is very sick ATM regardless of the meds, so I think before the year is out he will have to be put down.  The other 3 that passed spent close to 5k in year trying to save them - will never do that again.  I passed from lung & kidney cancer/1 from heart thrombosis/the other from a cold that caused total organ failure.

But I love ALL animals & don't regret having any of them :) At least now having a dog I actually get outside to walk - we walk 3 miles a day with her.

And I agree, getting away from politics can be quite refreshing - it's gotten to where I can hardly stand all the yelling that goes on, with all those political shows.

anouther cat lover here.

netta

http://www.mycathatesyou.com/

funny photos for cat people.  (Warning - strong language)

I got this in my work email today:)

PET RULES**
To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - nose height.
**** ****
Dear Dogs and Cats,
**** ****
The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food.  The  other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

****The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating ****
me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.
**** ****
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance is not required.

****The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. ****
I cannot stress this enough!
**** ****
**To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our ****
front door:
**** ****
To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:
1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture.
(That's why they call it "fur"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

Remember: In many ways, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:**
1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3 Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't want to wear your clothes
10. Don't need a "gazillion" dollars for college.**

And finally,**
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.**

As you can tell from my screen name and avatar, I have guinea pigs and a fish.  Although my current fish is a lovely red and blue Crown Tail Betta who has a whole gallon of water to live in.  I have 5 guinea pigs, all adopted from the local rescue.  I had six until two weeks ago when my senior citizen, Charlie, finally crossed the Rainbow Bridge.    I love most animals except birds--I think I saw Hitchcock's "The Birds" at a young, impressionable age.  I've had dogs, cats, fish, hamsters, rats, and even a pet crawdad (crayfish) once when I was desperate for a pet (Mom got me my last cat shortly after I brought her the crawdad on a leash).  I love the Pet Rules above--especially the "They live here, you don't." one.

The pet rules are great.  So was the "mycathatesyou" site.  I could spend all day there.  Very clever.

My transformation into a crazy cat lady is progressing quite well, I'm half ways there:
http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=1319416&member

I have 3 kidz, I mean cats. When my boyfriend moves in in about 6 months, we'll have a total of 5 cats, a dog and two teenagers in a house. We're planning on looking  for a bigger place for the 'animals' ;)

I'll have to remember I can't purr and meow at people, I'll actually have to talk 'human' instead of 'cat' when I get home... after they  move in that is.

Quote - cats welcome you just as much as a dog does. At least our cats do.

I'm sure it seems that way to you, but for me cats' reactions are not nearly as warming as a dog dancing and prancing and exploding with happiness when you walk in the door.

If we are all honest about this--Poser people don't own cats. Cats own Poser people :)

Attached Link: http://b3ta.hnldesign.nl/rsc/

wdupre what a pretty girl Roxy is!  I'm sorry for your loss. It's so hard to lose them.

Roxy looks like one I have.  Cute little petite thing.

Fluff (left) and Fatboy (right, chewing on a gokart tire) were rescued by the Safrit's from an exotic zoo in Florida and have been members of their family for nearly 8 yrs. now.
Me, I'm allergic to tigers.

If you ask me, I think each and every one of the kitties is the most adorable most precious thing there is!!!!!!!   
But, shhhh, don't tell Tigger, she's already giving me the stink eye, and mrrowling, oh, come on mrrrommy, hit Post Reply already!!!!

I hope You enjoy seeing my kitties as much as I enjoy seeing the wonderful photos of all of your babies!  Hugz, Connie

One cat 15 years old, 3 dogs all queensland heelers...one rides my husbands bike in her special bed but I refuse to let her on mine...two turtles..cockatiel in the house and an aviary with finches and keets outside....a rabbit...large fishpond. None are allowed in my den with my computers so they hang out in my husband's den. I have a large yard so I don't have to walk my dogs, they have a door to go out. No catbox, my cat also goes outside, has always refused to use one even though we have one in the garage for her. I love cats and dogs, would be hard to live without them. Mine are spoiled rotten, and don't seem to mind that they can't come in the den...lol  No horses but we have harleys until we move to more land where I can get one. Until then I just envy everyone else who has one.

I'm sending Tuesday over to shed on all your stuff.

LOL

there's tigers around my haunts? Lions and Bears next (Bears, yes..up in the mountains..;) oh my!..;)

My wife used to be a strict dog-only person.  Truth be told, she was slightly afraid of cats.  But now that we've had a couple of them, she's converted over into a strong cat-lover.  Although she still wants a dog, too.  But we both agree that a dog just wouldn't be very practical for us right now.

My cats are always very helpful to me as I go about my daily tasks.  Anything that I do around the house, they are guaranteed to be right there and assisting me.  Like when I carried a new exercise machine into the house this weekend.  Without any hesitation, both cats promptly jumped onto the large, slightly heavy box and began picking away and biting at the plastic packing straps which were wrapped around the box.  Clearly, they were helping me out by trying to get the packing straps off for me.  And then, after I'd gotten the box open and was in the process of assembling the machine, both cats were right in the middle of things.  They were knocking styrofoam packing material around, jumping onto the large plastic bags which the machine parts were packed into, sniffing at the steel framework, and otherwise helping us out in ways that only cats can.

One of the cats has issues about me talking on the telephone.  She might be on the other side of the house, asleep.  But if I pick up the phone in my home office and start talking to someone, she makes a beeline for the office -- and then proceeds to "meow!" insistently, rub my legs, and try to climb into my chair for as long as the telephone conversation lasts.  I don't understand her behavior; my other cat doesn't do this.  Once again: obviously -- she's trying to let me know that I don't need to talk on the phone; that she'd be happy to take a message for me.  And that only cats can do things like this for their owners.

I'd be happy to go out into the woods with a shotgun and a large dog or two.  I like having dogs in the back of my pickup truck.  Dogs are great companions, and they can be great protectors.  But I've learned over the years that cats have their place with us, too.

You can see the regal, ancient Egyptian heritage in every line.  Or at least you can see that they, themselves KNOW that they are royalty.  Until a yappy puppy shows up: and disturbs the cat's self-assured serenity.

My cat goes crazy when I'm on the phone, too.  I think it's because he thinks I'm talking to him.  There's no other human there I could be talking to, right?  Talking to kitty means I am, or am about to, feed, pet, brush, or play with him.  So he comes running when he hears me talking. 

Quote - Cats are great pets for Poser users.  They keep you company at the computer, but don't drag you away from it to take them for walks in the rain and such. 

LOL, looking at my 2 dogs here who would like a walk ............there is great truth in what you say !

Quote - I think it's because he thinks I'm talking to him.

I have it on good authority that they're trying to make sure you aren't having a conversation with another cat, behind their backs.

Green of eye, red of tooth ....

One of our cats, Jack (the black one) once had a phone conversation with hubby. He's 110% hubby's cat, and once where hubby was away on a week-long seminar, he phoned home. And I put the speaker on te phone so Jack could hear him. And then the silly cat ran to the phone, stared into it and started "talking" - the talked for a while. Hubby said something, Jack meowed back, hubby replied, Jack answered back. It was hilarious to witness. And even more when hubby had told his colleagues about it afterwards :)

When I talk to my ex-boyfriend on the phone (whom is also one of my best friends), Tigger, my black female kitty recognizes his voice. If she is close by and napping, I put the phone close to her, and he starts to baby-talk to her like he did when they'd cat-nap. She'd get all extra purry and snuggly when she'd hear him say ...daddy's precious little girl....  He says he can hear her purr over the phone.
LOL... and he'll probably shoot me for telling in public he's got such a sensitive side!!!

My gray tabby, Bubba will talk to any female voice on the speakerphone, and quite passionately too. LOL! Male voices hardly phase him at all.  Goofy little kitties :D

My (now dead) cat used to answer the phone... the sound probably irritated him and he jumped to the phone and used his paw to dislodge the phone thus making the sound stop. One particular event happened about 8 years ago and I heard of the incident much later. My friend phoned me, but I was away from home. After a persistent half-a-minute of ringing my cat answered the phone. He started to sniff and whine audibly on the phone and my friend on the other end of the line thought someone was dying there and was inches away from dialing paramedics! The meouwing sound finally gave the cat away as the true culprit.

Im a cat person at one point i had 5 the same as dlk but i moved out of state and when i returned i had found that 2 of them died while i was away one of old age and the other got hit by a car :( we think he got hit because he had always seen me cross the street when i walked and we think he was looking for me. now i have 2 cats a 2yr old black cat that was a runt from a barn cat litter (he now weighs atleast 15 lbs.) and a new bob-tail kitten about 4 months old though even though he is a bob-tail he actually has no tail at all.

Mine is a purebred Manx. He has the bob tail, about 2 inches. Gets twice that size when it fluffs up, then look out, your in for a scrap. The short tail means he is not the best tree climber, little scientific fact for ya, but can he jump. Long body and legs. One hell of a hunter. Rabbits, and those jacks get big around here, gophers gallor, and rarely a mouse in the house. In the country that is sayingt a lot.

Shame My dig cam is on the Fritz, no relation to the cat. I would show a pic of him.

I prefer cats  too.

On CNN this morning, they were talking about Tom Cruise's wedding (again).

Apparently, the Scientology wedding ceremony involves the husband promising to provide his wife with a comb, a pan...and a cat.

Quote - .... involves the husband promising to provide his wife with a comb, a pan...and a cat.

...
..
.

Dowers have apparently devalued over the years since I hatched.

You know....if a dog brings you a dead bird, it is saying "Look, I brought you dinner because I love you!"
If a cat brings you a dead bird, it is saying "Look, I killed this, and I can take care of YOU too...so haul out the tuna and watch your backside!"

1 child...1 grandchild....1 huge golden retriever....1 small cat, to rule them all and, in the darkness, bind them!

Wow... this thread is so long I dunno if anyone is reading all the way thru it anymore... but, in case anyone cares,  I too have two cats, Rocky and Bullwinkle... who are no relation but were same-day rescues from the pound --  I got two of them to keep each other company, as others have mentioned here.  One's a Morris-like ginger and the other is a handsome black-and-yellow-tigerstripe.  I'd show a photo, but they both skitter away from cameras, so my only pictures are of them asleep in fuzzy balls.

I feel genuinely sorry for anyone who is allergic to cats or who simply doesn't like them, because I think they are probably the most personality-filled pets on the planet and a true gift of God to mankind.   Cats know who is and who isn't a "cat person", and can show genuine affection like nothing else in the world.   Many is the day I have been at the computer with one cat asleep on my lap and the other competing with my mouse-hand for space.    I'm glad the "delete" button always brings up an "are you sure" confirm window, because they step on the delete button (and lots of other keys) with frightening consistency.   Maybe they're telling me my art is insufficiently feline.

*1 child...1 grandchild....1 huge golden retriever....1 small cat, to rule them all and, in the darkness, bind them!

*LOL!  One of my friends is a vet, and she says if you have a dog and a cat, 90% of the time, it's the cat that ends up dominant.

This photo was in the news earlier this year - a housecat who treed a bear!

news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060613-cat-bear.html

Six cats (5 males, 1 female).  One just turned 13 on Halloween and has traveled with me all over the country several times.  I prefer cats and I don't care to take a dog for walks at all times of the day and in bad weather.  My cats are spoiled rotten and do whatever they please when they want to.  They also don't bark, although my two Siamese are talkers.