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This is a quote from a posting by Carey on the "Weather anomalies" thread:
I don't think your dog will mind the rain, our cat often sits on our drive in the middle of a rain...but that might be more of having a slightly off cat.
I just so happens that I had a conversation today with a lady who owns a cat that actually throws herself at the door when someone new enters the house and goes after their ankles and shoes. No real harm and it's kind of cute, but this is a real attack cat!
These are examples of the antics from cats that endear them to their owners (notice I didn't say "master", cat wouldn't like that). What does YOUR cat do that sets it apart from the crowd?
Me? I'm a dog person, but cats are pretty cool too.
A hui hou,
Brian
Aloha pumehana,
Brian and Mary
Lynnwood, WA\Discovery Harbour
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I have a cat that will scratch and bite suddenly for no apparant reason. A few weeks ago the cat was trying to rub up against the neighbor's dog. All of a sudden the cat sunk it's claws into the dog's head. The dog let out a yelp then wanted to attack the cat.
Sometimes I will be going into my house and I guess the cat wants me to stay outside so he'll run up to me and bite my feet. Once he bit me and drew blood. I think this cat may have toxoplasmosis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasma_gondii
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Doesn't "toxo" kill it's host rather quickly?
We have cats that will walk on our chests when we're laying in bed and will flop over on their sides. They do this mostly to my wife, nearly landing on her face. During the day, they are not so cuddly, acting more like they think we're going to kill them if we get too close.
I used to have a cat that was quite "normal" in the way he played: chased stuff but didn't "attack" anybody. That is, until a friend of mine said, "Oh, you don't know how to play with cats!" and she proceeded to rough-house with him. After that, he was an attack cat, often jumping at a passer-by's leg and grabbing with a little nip.
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quote:
Doesn't "toxo" kill it's host rather quickly?
No, if the read the link it will tell you the parasite modifies the host's behavior but does not kill it. It can make rats less fearful of cats and thus more likely to be killed and eaten by them. It can infect humans too and make them psychotic.
"Infected men have lower IQs, achieve a lower level of education and have shorter attention spans. They are also more likely to break rules and take risks, be more independent, more anti-social, suspicious, jealous and morose, and are deemed less attractive to women.
"On the other hand, infected women tend to be more outgoing, friendly, more promiscuous, and are considered more attractive to men compared with non-infected controls.
"In short, it can make men behave like alley cats and women behave like sex kittens''.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,209...77,00.html
My cat likes to kill rats but doesn't eat them. He kills and eats birds though. I guess rat doesn't taste very good.
Edited by - bystander on 01/25/2007 05:21:32
Edited by - bystander on 01/25/2007 05:24:15
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My cat likes to hide in the doorway in the hallway and when he hears you walking by... he'll jump out... extend his paw and will "tag" you gently on your foot or ankle and take off running to hide.
You are now.. "it"
Funny cat.
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As I said, I'm a dog person, but several years ago we had a cat that was pretty cool. We lived in the arctic, so the cat didn't get out much. We had him neutered just in case. This was a snow-white cat with a little dab of black on his forehead. I got to name him, so we called him Guano (white with a dab of black;-)) We moved overseas for a couple of years (grad school) and had to pass Guano to some friends in Seattle who didn't share my sense of humor regarding the name, and called him Gaucho. They had Gaucho's claws removed, which appalled me, but the cat was messing up some expensive stuff.
Gaucho should not have been allowed outside, but he did and soon came home one afternoon with his front teeth missing. We never learned what caused him to loose those teeth, but Gaucho then had no teeth, no claws, and no nuts; pretty much a rotten situation for him.
We kept in touch with the new master and Gaucho lived a long and pampered life and finally passed just a couple of years ago. We all felt sorry for him and miss his affection. Every cat has a unique personality, just like every other animal. I've always said that if we ever have another cat, I want one just like Guano.
Aloha,
Brian
Aloha pumehana,
Brian and Mary
Lynnwood, WA\Discovery Harbour
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What do you suppose Guano missed the most, his teeth, claws or balls?
Aloha
Richwhiteboy
“But I hang onto my prejudices, they are the testicles of my mind” _
Eric Hoffer
“Sometimes the truth hurts. And sometimes it feels real good.”
- Henry Rollins
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Another thing about cats is that you can almost guarantee that your next cat won't be anything like the one you really liked. It'll be a new experience.