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2005-02-23 -Short Attention Span Theater-

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Posted by Steve 2005-02-23 9:36:56 AM|| || Front Page|| [11134 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 "Catnip Akhbar!"

Posted by BH 2005-02-23 10:10:31 AM|| 2005-02-23 10:10:31 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Pound for pound, the most successful predator on the planet is a female housecat.

Posted by Ptah 2005-02-23 10:10:50 AM|| [http://www.crusaderwarcollege.org] 2005-02-23 10:10:50 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Grrrrrrr. An 8 pound cat and they had to shoot it?

There's a tiny place in Hell for morons like this. They get to change cat litter pans forever.

I have 5 cats. The cat may have eaten something poisonous in the basement.

Posted by Chuck Simmins 2005-02-23 10:15:18 AM|| [http://blog.simmins.org] 2005-02-23 10:15:18 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Obligatory "Housecats--why do they hate us?"

Posted by Dar 2005-02-23 10:22:29 AM|| 2005-02-23 10:22:29 AM|| Front Page Top

Posted by .com 2005-02-23 11:03:16 AM|| 2005-02-23 11:03:16 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 Something doesn't ring right here. I accidently stepped on my cat's (Martin Granite-Lion) paw in the dark this morning, and he meowed but didn't attack my leg. I think like Chuck S., that he must have eaten something, or been ill, or the other scenario - there were minor incidents leading up to this.

You don't hear about otherwise gentle cats going crazy unless there is something else happening. The first thing I thought was, if it wasn't rabies, did the cat have a tumor causing pain, and when the girl petted it, did she hit it? I have had two previous cats die of cancer (mouth & lung) - but they never got mean.

Posted by BigEd 2005-02-23 11:35:52 AM|| 2005-02-23 11:35:52 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 Maybe they should check the basement for a meth lab..

Posted by Steve 2005-02-23 11:44:13 AM|| 2005-02-23 11:44:13 AM|| Front Page Top

#8 Strychnine.

Posted by Shipman 2005-02-23 11:48:38 AM|| 2005-02-23 11:48:38 AM|| Front Page Top

#9 The day cats develop opposable thumbs is the day humanity dies.

Posted by growler 2005-02-23 12:10:30 PM|| 2005-02-23 12:10:30 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 What did that cat see in the basement???? They probably have a well down there were they keep a gimp or something like that.

.com-> that looks exactly like one of my cats; great photo.

Posted by Mark E. 2005-02-23 12:23:40 PM|| 2005-02-23 12:23:40 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 That's one mean pussy.

Posted by Chris W. 2005-02-23 12:40:52 PM|| 2005-02-23 12:40:52 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 The cat must have found Islam and wanted to get his 72 virgin kittens...

Posted by CrazyFool 2005-02-23 12:48:21 PM|| 2005-02-23 12:48:21 PM|| Front Page Top

#13 Faster, pussycat! Kill! Kill!

Posted by BH 2005-02-23 1:03:11 PM|| 2005-02-23 1:03:11 PM|| Front Page Top

#14 I, for one, welcome our new feline overlords.

Posted by Steve 2005-02-23 1:10:51 PM|| 2005-02-23 1:10:51 PM|| Front Page Top

#15 My former M-I-L had a nice purring feline once (I've got 3). One day, probably chasing insect in the open window, the cat fell down six storeys and landed on the pavement, cracking its skull a bit, breaking a leg or two. It survived, and after 3 weeks in amimal hospital it was almost like new. Forward 6 months. M-I-L complains about cat behaving strangely, hostile, making sounds that may be more associated with a bloodthirsty preditor than a cat. It took over kitchen. I came to investigate. Cat seems normal, I gave it fresh water, and more food. It started munching happily. I transversed the length of the kitchen (7m narrow noodle) and were opening the door to exit.

The sound... It would be a really really good sound effect for horror flick, I felt the hair on my back standing up. In a second, the cat turned into a vicious preditor, accelerated through the whole length of the kitchen--I simply did not know what hit me, as I saw the cat munching before I turn my head towards the door--its teeth sunk into my calf and the claws..oy! sharp as razors...tearing my skin through jeans!

I was able to shake it off and slip out closing the door on the berseker critter. I devised a plan... taking a thick blanket, I entered the kitchen again, the cat sitting under the table with an expression that did not indicate anything happened minutes ago. I put the cat on the blanket, gathered the corners to emulate a bag, slipped the whole thing into a real bag and off to the animal hospital I went--it was conveniently a block away. They took the cat, which seemed to be at that time the most angelic animal on the face of earth. I got my rabies shots, just in case. Two weeks later, still under observation, the cat died. Autopsy revealed a brain tumor. The vet offered a suggestion that the fall 6 months prior may have caused a trauma that resulted in the cancerous growth.

I there a possibility that humans may follow the same fate? Like falling on their head at young tender age and then turning into vicious bloodthirsty jihadis? I dunno. I got several accidents that resulted in noticeable and prominent bumps on the back of my skull--yet I did not turn into an insane (some may argue with that assessment) bloodthirsty murdering animal.

I was also indoctrinated during my early years into believing in the evilness of kapitalistic opressors. Did not seem to work.

Posted by Sobiesky 2005-02-23 1:48:50 PM|| 2005-02-23 1:48:50 PM|| Front Page Top

#16 #9 growler: I have a cat with 6 fully functional digits on each paw. The extra digit is almost opposable and the cat uses it to walk tightrope-like across ropes and chair rungs. Apparently sailors liked these cats (called ship's cats) especially for this reason. This cat also happens to be the smartest cat I've EVER seen. She's almost at the point of tool-using in inventing games to play with her toys. Just a bit more evolution and cats like Twitchy would rule the world outright, as opposed to subtly like they do today.

Posted by Xbalanke 2005-02-23 2:08:10 PM|| 2005-02-23 2:08:10 PM|| Front Page Top

#17 #16L: That would be a Polydactyle cat. Hemingway's house in Key West is infested with cats, one third of which are polydactyle.

Posted by Ptah 2005-02-23 2:21:34 PM|| [http://www.crusaderwarcollege.org] 2005-02-23 2:21:34 PM|| Front Page Top

#18 Xbalanke, I concur. Imagine cats with tiny human hands. Scarry! :-)

Whenever I go on a trip, I get my cats out and provide enough food/water for the length of the trip with someone taking a peek on them if it is longer than a week. My cats always supplement their diet with an ample supply of rodents and avians, so there is not much worry in the case they run short on cat food before I return.

Once, I did not notice that Rene (named after Rene Descartes, e.g. very smart cat) slipped back in. That someone that was supposed to check on them did not get to it.

Upon return after 10 days, when I opened the door and entered the living room, Rene peaked her head over the back of an armchair. Geebus! I locked her in!
Fortunately, I had a spare bag of the cat food in a kitchen kabinet (she can open them on the fly). She teared off a corner to make a spout and apparetly used the batroom faucet that was slightly leaking to get her water by pulling a sponge over the sinkhole, so there was a always a little pool there. She did go to potty in the bathtub--boy, the smell, but easy to dispose off than from a carpet.

So, yes, cats are very smart. The only thing that is a bit strange is their behavior when I go to bathroom and close the door. They scratch like crazy to get in. Why? They know there is no secret exit door through which I would slip out. I'll always come out. This is a mystery for me.

Posted by Sobiesky 2005-02-23 2:33:22 PM|| 2005-02-23 2:33:22 PM|| Front Page Top

#19 #19 My cats do the same thing when I'm in the bathroom - they frantically try to get in. Yes, cats are truly weird.

Posted by Xbalanke 2005-02-23 2:51:40 PM|| 2005-02-23 2:51:40 PM|| Front Page Top

#20 cats are truly weird?

How about when "Granite Lion" runs to the toilet when you flush to watch the water and other "particulate matter" go down! He justr watches it! AND when we get sushi, he will hop on the table to steal a piece of salmon roll when ones back is turned. His timing is calculated and impeccable! And he is very quick...

Posted by BigEd 2005-02-23 2:59:35 PM|| 2005-02-23 2:59:35 PM|| Front Page Top

#21 He just watches it!

He likes the whirpool spin, it may be fascinating for a cat. Sort of a research project.

My cats are stealing steaks from neighbor's barbeque before it gets too hot. Turn away for a few seconds and give you steak a good-bye. I once offered to return a steak thoroughly washed, but the neighbor declined. Talked to my cats about it, but they did not seem to express an opinion about the matter either way, probably thinking that neighbor's steaks are a fair game. So be it.

Posted by Sobiesky 2005-02-23 3:10:58 PM|| 2005-02-23 3:10:58 PM|| Front Page Top

#22

I think gratwoitous cat pictures are wrong.

Posted by half 2005-02-23 4:00:17 PM|| 2005-02-23 4:00:17 PM|| Front Page Top

#23 neighbor's steaks are a fair game?

How about the steaks you cook, Sobiesky?

"Share that sirloin with me, or I will share it with myself!" Of course it is said with a purr and a rub against the leg...

Posted by BigEd 2005-02-23 4:06:25 PM|| 2005-02-23 4:06:25 PM|| Front Page Top

#24 My cats pretty much get anything they want. Which of course makes them not want anything, as is their fickle way.

A previous girlfriend had a cat called a Blue Chartreuse whom I christened "Puma." He was exceptionally big. 29 pounds big. When he stretched, you could see muscle definition, like on a big cat. He was also exceptionally angry at the fact he was a cat. More than once I had to put on combat boots and a long sleeve non-snag shirt to get the cat out of a neighbors closet or vestibule. Most clothing was useless, as his claws were longer than the thickness of most fabrics. After I was with her for over 2 years, I was the only person other than her to be able to even touch the cat or brush it as it went by. When she went away to business school, I got the cat. She told me that it was either me or the shelter because literally no one else could have contact with it. After living with me for about 2 years, he was still angry, but didn't go out of his way to attack house guests as much. He died of liver failure on Army-Navy day 3 years ago. I still miss him and his violent attitude.

Posted by Mark E. 2005-02-23 4:22:05 PM|| 2005-02-23 4:22:05 PM|| Front Page Top

#25 We got a female (indistinguishable breed) from the shelter. She belonged to all of us but my wife got feeding duty. One time we went out for a day trip, so we didn't make any special arrangements for kitty food. We ran into a humongous thunderstorm on the way back, however, so we stayed in a hotel overnight. When we got back the cat was nowhere to be found, so we assumed that she had gone into hiding because of the storm. My wife went into the kitchen to do something and the cat ran across two rooms, leaped into the air, and sank fangs and claws into my wife's leg. Good thing I was nearby or we would have had a dead cat on our hands.

Posted by Jonathan 2005-02-23 4:38:57 PM|| [http://www.workaround.blogspot.com] 2005-02-23 4:38:57 PM|| Front Page Top

#26 Catblogging! My friends brought their male Manx (no-tail) kitty along with them on holiday on Chincoteague Island in Virginia. A couple years after Trucker's two-week visit, Chincoteague now has LOTS of kitties with no tails. Heh.

Posted by Seafarious 2005-02-23 5:07:55 PM|| 2005-02-23 5:07:55 PM|| Front Page Top

#27 Seafarious-> best story yet.....the tom cat out tom cattin'!

Posted by Mark E. 2005-02-23 5:22:07 PM|| 2005-02-23 5:22:07 PM|| Front Page Top

#28 OK, just one more cat tale related to cats' pointy ends: I had a cat whom I moved with me to another town. The cat managed to get out and disappear for a few days. I noticed him lurking about the edge of the woods and finally coaxed him into letting me approach. As I was just starting to pick him up my friend came crashing though the woods wondering how I was doing - the cat absolutely panicked. No way was I going to let go and lose him forever, though, so I held on to this howling ball of fur, teeth and little razors for all I was worth. I just managed to get him inside, but at the cost of much blood and flesh. He was fine after that and never got out again.

Posted by Xbalanke 2005-02-23 5:23:53 PM|| 2005-02-23 5:23:53 PM|| Front Page Top

#29 When our cat was a kitten, she would sometimes nap under the loveseat, safely hidden behind the upholstery flaps. One day the priest came for a visit and sat down on the loveseat. Several minutes later, without warning, two paws suddenly poked out, wrapped around his ankle, and sank all claws deeply. I'll give the man a lot of credit for poise under attack: he bolted upright, gasped, and then all he said was "And what have we here?!?". I'll bet he wears heavier socks to this day.

Posted by Tom 2005-02-23 5:27:05 PM|| 2005-02-23 5:27:05 PM|| Front Page Top

#30 I there a possibility that humans may follow the same fate? Like falling on their head at young tender age and then turning into vicious bloodthirsty jihadis?

Good heavens.

According to my mother, I fell out of a high chair when I was 2, and bonked my head on the floor of a dwelling that had no basement (read: linoleum covered cement). While running my hand across the top of my head, there is a pronounced dent on the top.

Maybe I should sell whatever weapons I own now, while I can. :)

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2005-02-23 6:18:41 PM|| 2005-02-23 6:18:41 PM|| Front Page Top

#31 #3 Chuck, I'm a dog person myself, but I agree.

Posted by too true 2005-02-23 7:20:49 PM|| 2005-02-23 7:20:49 PM|| Front Page Top

#32 And I vote for some kind of poisoning, or brain-tumor event... and would like to point out that an 8-lb pound cat can be a fearsome object... I was put into the hospital for two days by a semi-feral, 8 lb cat. She was one of mine--- whom I prefer to be indoors cats (since they live longer, and don't rack up interestingly long veterinary care bills) and took violent exception to this arrangement. The bite on my left hand took some surgery and two days of antibiotics to sort out. I let her be an outdoor kitty after that, and she was killed by a car a year later... just before she was due for shots. I was not looking forward to catching her, stuffing her into the carrier and taking her to the veterinarian. Leather gauntlets are a good idea, when handling even the smallest, uncooperative cat.

Posted by Sgt. Mom 2005-02-23 7:36:20 PM|| [http://www.sgtstryker.com] 2005-02-23 7:36:20 PM|| Front Page Top

#33 I there a possibility that humans may follow the same fate? Like falling on their head at young tender age...

Eerie someone should make such a comparison...

One of the American Musical Giants, George Gershwin, died of a brain tumor at 38.

He once told the story of how he was playing cards at age 13 with some friends, his chair tipped over, and he hit his head on a radiator, and was knocked out for a few minutes. Until that time he had no real intrest in music, but claims that after the incident, the intrest in music developed suddenly... Eerie...

Posted by BigEd 2005-02-23 7:51:17 PM|| 2005-02-23 7:51:17 PM|| Front Page Top

#34 Something happened to Morris's health. COUld have had a number of ailment's which effected the cat neurologically. I don't feel as though the cat needed to be shot (agressive cops) The cat could have been trapped into a pet carrier, then brought to the vet for a full eval.

Andrea Jackson

Posted by Andrea Jackson 2005-02-23 9:11:48 PM|| 2005-02-23 9:11:48 PM|| Front Page Top

#35 Agree AJ. My guess is drugs in the basement.

Posted by ex-lib 2005-02-23 9:26:41 PM|| 2005-02-23 9:26:41 PM|| Front Page Top

#36 #23 neighbor's steaks are a fair game? How about the steaks you cook, Sobiesky?

They are yummy, of course, am an excellent cook!
But I guess the thrill of the steak kill is missing.

There is another highly intelligent critter that steals steaks from unattended barbeque--crow. I've seen it myself--a crow lifting a steak half of its size... So, maybe my cats are blamed by default, based on a couple of incidents.

As for the drop on the head incidents, I remember reading about several incidents that were a precursor of a complete personality change, so the Gershwin's case is not that unique, despite somewhat rare statistically.

Posted by Sobiesky 2005-02-23 9:32:55 PM|| 2005-02-23 9:32:55 PM|| Front Page Top

#37 Yes, I would love to read the police report on that case! One time when doing yard work at my Mother's
a EEEKKKK SNAKE found it's way inside the aluminum ladder rungs and would not come out !!! We took a can of DRANO and poured it into the rungs of the ladder...the snake ingested the Drano, came slithering out of the ladder onto the yard and BLEW UP LIKE A BOMB! (If the cat swallowed laundry detergent, that could have been enough).

Andrea Jackson

Posted by Andrea Jackson 2005-02-23 9:33:30 PM|| 2005-02-23 9:33:30 PM|| Front Page Top

#38 Andrea, EEEKKKK SNAKE...

Never heard of that species.

Posted by Sobiesky 2005-02-23 9:38:19 PM|| 2005-02-23 9:38:19 PM|| Front Page Top

12:58 Glereger Cligum6229
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23:40 anon
23:17 Analog Roam
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22:57 2b
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22:38 Ptah
22:34 2b
22:22 The Doctor
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21:54 Fred
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