My favourite cat ?

they are are stupid compliable animals .
Yeah, my Hoomans are just like that...I only have to meow and wub around their ankles an' I can make 'em do anything.
Sometimes I just puke on the carpet for fun...they get a bit cross then, but I am soooo beautiful and flufty wufty I can get away with owt.
Mind I'm getting pretty old, stone deaf and likely to pop my furry clogs soon.
I know they will be sad when that happens...I've heard the Lady of the House talking about getting a dog, to give the bloke exercise...but blimey he'll have to clean up all that dog crap.
Us cats don't do that sort of thing.

Del

Dogs are fun, but I agree - cleaning up is just yuuuuuck ! £1000 fine if you don't . I'd get fined less if I personally left a mess on the Chief Constables garden !

My favorite pets are my families and neighbors pets that come and visit me. I never have to feed them take care of them or concern myself with what ever it is they are doing or not doing!

The cotton tail rabbits, deer, turkeys, pheasants, and other wild creatures that have decided that I am no threat to them also brighten up my yard and still there is no effort on my part to have them here!

What more could you ask for? Some you can pet and play with, others just hang out and make the place seem more natural.

Very cool to have critters visit your garden. Mosy years I get hedgehogs - great fun to watch. They can climb amazingly, and it's astonishing how fast they can run (though looking at the roads recently, not quite fast enough at times ). We get plenty of urban foxes, though they can't get into my garden - it's fun to get up early, go for a walk, and spot them scavanging.

Well, it's probably all right since there is a Blog about how not to get kicked by a horse, and how to dance in wooden shoes.

I've written some PM stories about our cats to Del the Cat.

Not sure how he might share them.

Simply watching how other animals behave, and communicate with each other, or then us, is of terrific interest, and provides significant insights into ourselves and the world we live in.

In particular I learned that personality is inherited from watching seagulls.

Personality is inherited, and Character is developed.

Apparently the dog was the first domesticated animal, and most universally domesticated animal. They seem to have a wider personality range than cats, and due to their emotionalism are easier for us to communicate with, and train, than are cats.

Training cats is more difficult because they can only be trained though positive attention, and reject any negative feedback.

My favorite cat has a distinctive personality. He is a killer, and since he is a cat, whereas I may not admire humans with his bent for killing, I admire him.

He really doesn't need us. Who is whoms pet, is up for discussion as far as Alastair is concerned.

I do not really think all cats are the same.

At its most basic, the reason we love our pets, is that we need company in this life. It is a very hard life to live alone, and isolated, and a pet shares its life with you. A pet may very well know you better than you know yourself sometimes.

how to dance in wooden shoes

!!! I missed that - it sounds like a hoot

In particular I learned that personality is inherited from watching seagulls.

Having read that several times, I'm hoping you mean the seagull behaviour shows how personality develops in them (Not that mine, or anyone else's, personality is a result of days out at the seaside). Now I think about it, I do occasionally flap my arms in frustration.....

Not sure I accept this stuff about dogs being the first domesticated animal. There's just no proof. Some kind of rat in a cave might have become trained a little, though I accept that nobody would really call a pet rat domesticated. What about some form of goat ? In caveman type days, dogs would have been essentially wolves and regarded with hostility (?). 'Domesticated' is a bit of an ambiguous term - I musty look into it a bit more.

Totally agree about how dogs can be trained better than most animals. It's astonishing how many uses we put them too. Not just traditional sheep/cattle-herding, but sniffing out almost any substance (drugs,explosives,people etc etc).

Who is whoms pet - that phrase sums up cats quite nicely. Cats seem (to me) to have a look in their eyes that says, "Don't think that because I sit here purring and acting all cute that you can control me". The casual way they flex their claws out is almost like a sly reminder to the loving 'owner'. They may be a totally different species to tigers/jaguars/etc, but have a certain 'look' in their eyes that is the same. So relaxed and self-confident. Damn their manipulative lovableness !

The statement that dogs were the earliest and most universally domesticated animals comes from Jared Diamond, the anthropologist/historian/political scientist, who wrote the Pulitzer Prize winning book, Guns Germs and Steel.

Actually I may have to dash your hopes for I am saying that personality is inherited, and character is developed.

We are higher animals and this is what "we" have and do, whereas with dogs and cats, they do not necessarily become more than trained, and are stuck with personalities.

We Linemen, Ramp Rats, Aircraft Fuelers years ago in Fort Lauderdale would have flocks of seagulls come and land all together on the ramp outside the lineshack.

We would throw them bits of crackers and I noticed that within the flock of birds existed personalities you might discover in any classroom, or among groups of people, tribes, or bands.

There would be the Bold Bird that directly and without hesitation would go to the cracker with obvious confidence. There would be Timid Birds that who knows what they got to eat, other than left overs. Then there would be the Bird, who like a Clown, would even sometimes beat the Bold Bird to the Cracker, or play a trick, and was unpredictable.

In watching the behavior of these birds I was caused to determine that there could be no other explanation for the differences than unique inherited personality traits, such as Bold, Timid, or Clownish, and Happy.

At its simplest "Domesticated" means the animal will do your bidding and even come to you willingly when you might unfortunately need to slit its throat and eat it.

In the movie Cold Mountain there is just such a scene of a goat being petted and killed.

I have had the experience of herding pigs into a truck to take to the slaughter house, and that is not as simple a task as others of my life. Pigs are pretty smart. Pigs will get really vicious if they are hungry, and if you want to know what the screams of the tormented in Hell sound like, forget to feed the pigs.

Somerset Mauguam? -The short story writer, wrote a classic short story about a guy trapped on an island, whose only company was a black panther. The man loves the cat, and needs the company, but looking into the eyes of the panther recognizes that if he wants to live, he had better kill the cat, and he does, and is sad.

A friend of mine once said, "If my cat weighed 500 pounds, you can be damn sure he'd be no "pet".

Further evidence of the differences between cats and dogs were not that long ago illustrated in the mauling of the Las Vegas cat show performers.

Even Del the cat, who as a personality is typically very fine natured and humorous, will scratch you, if you cross him.

(Del and I are in a certain Delete of Post club.)

I'm proud of the company.

Personality is inherited - this month's BBC Focus magazine has a review of lots of resaerch into the issue Nature vs Nurture studying twins, with results that surprised (and upset?) the scientists by overturning long held beliefs.

Well, I disagree with that. Cats are not the same. The problem, I think, is that they are not just like dogs. They do have a stronger personality, they don't care too much about the others. As long as I have been observing them (and I had cats and dogs...and my dear beloved one had a lot of them...) cats tend to feel connected to the house and territory more than people. A friend dog can follow you wherever you go if you allow. Do not misunderstand me. I like cats, they are just different, they are more independent but are a great company too if you take a time to understand him and learn to see him as a different being with some rights to a good life and some needs to be addressed. Dogs tend to let you know more clearly what they think and what they want.

After all, Its all about love. Do not look for a reason for having a pet. You get a chance to love and care about them, or not. And I feel really sorry about those who, by lack of opportunity, space, time, or simply because they think that a pets poo or the requirement of feeding him are threads too big to deal every day.

From my part, currently at home we have:

- 3 dogs: the older pet of the house, "Bela" (Beauty), a chiuaua that weights about 2 kg and is really fierce with strangers - she bites hard, nobody believes until...; the almost so old "Sorel" (no translation for this), a boxer that is really docile, and follow even Bela's commands; and the new puppy for my daughter, "Mel" (Honey), a 2 month-old cocker spaniel that currently barks, bites shoes and pees and poos everywhere - and, with my daughter, makes us laugh a lot every day. Sorel thinks she is responsible for my daughter. Bela just cares about herself and her territory which, for some reason, is also occuped by us, humans (I'd say she is almost a cat...), and Mel, well, I think she adopted me for some reason - at least, I think that running around the house with my underwear means that she likes me...

- a couple of parakeets - Rod and Rita. They're old, simply gave up of having kids. Spend a lot of time eating and exchanging caresses in affection. I hope I can get to an advanced age like them with this enthusiasm in the marriage.

- a turtle, called "Fernando". This is a really bad mooded guy. He simply does not like me, he even does not eat from my hands. My wife has to feed him, scrub his shell, and so. I never did anything bad to him, who knows...

- Two aquariums, with a number of fishes. All of them are capable of recognising us for food and some are really curious when you have to put your arm in the water to clean or for some device maintenance. Really funny when they keep going in front of the fingers while you try to reach something in an already bad visual condition due to water distortion.

Thank you, bhrescobar - that's some marvelous input.

I agree with your observations, especially on how people should give careful thought to the reponsibility of having a pet.

You have a fascinating assortment ! Being in Brazil must offer the possibility of getting to see all sorts of amazing creatures.

Feranado sounds like a really funny character !

Your mention of fish brings to mind a news story I read about a year ago. There's a clinic somewhere in Europe that keeps a particular type of fish to help people with skin conditions. The fish swim around the patient and gently nibble off dead skin (I think it was for people with an eczema type condition). Apparently it provides much relief to the patient, and a couple who visited this clinic in Europe (might have been Hungary or Rumania) were so impressed that they opened up an identical operation in Wales. The details are a bit hazy in my mind, but it was a very interesting story. First instance I've heard of where fish are used in such a manner.

Much thanks for your input - a delight to read, for which I merrily give you a GA

Perfectly encapsulated ! Have yet another GA, Milo

It was a great question to create the opportunity.

My sylvester passed last winter at 19 years.

Meaning no disrespect to others, but he was the greatest cat EVER.

He had frequent flyer miles on Delta from when I flew him to Georgia, then back north to Ohio.

milo

No disrespect to Sylvester, but it ain't how far you can go, it's how hard you can go. Sooty is a cat's whisker from her place in the garden, but by gawd she can run up a tree. She might sit there looking duey-eyed and about to die, but one impulse and whoosh. 15' vertical up a trellis pole, no sweat. Unlike previous, she doesn't bring back big-game. No, a simple butterfly suits her. Evil cow brings them into the kitchen and will toy for hours unless I intercept.Always announces her trophy with endless miaowing. The dog just stand there looking stupidly puzzled. It's another vote for cat's being smarter than dogs.

Georgia-Ohio...I must consult my map......

My favorite cat is the American Short-hair, a very common cat. Don't get a Siamese variety, they howl all the time. We had a Persian who had a coat so thick we didn't know how infested with fleas he was until it was too late. Took him to get sheared and dipped. He must have swallowed or absorbed the poison, died the next day. $300 cat, plus vet bill.

I have a plan for my next pet; a cat would be fine, dogs are great, ferrets are a lot of fun, but will poop in every corner of the house. My plan is to go to the humane shelter and sit in a chair near the loose animals, if that's possible. The one that jumps in my lap is the one I take.

My favorite pet story is about the Chinchilla. The wife calls me to pick her up at the pet store. She had walked there, and couldn't leave without it. We named him Lucky, for obvious reasons. I made a huge cage for him, with everything recommended. He never tamed, would not let anybody touch him. When we moved, we gave him to a neighbor girl. We wished her luck, told her he wasn't tame. The next time we see them, he's cuddling her neck, tame as could be. Don't know if he would let anybody else touch him, but for sure when the right two get together, it works. Boy are they soft.

Sorry to hear about your Persian

Ferrets are kept as pets by many, but the thought scares the **** out of me. Those teeth, and probably having read that book when I was a kid - Sredni Vashtar by Saki (his author name is that of a type of monkey. Not sure why but many of his excellent short stories involve animals. The Seventh Pullet is fantastic if you come across it).

Good plan about choosing the shelter animal. The majority of my friends have 'rescue' animals', and without exception they become terrific pets. Obviously enough they've been thru duress of whatever sort, hence in a shelter, and respond well to tlc. I'm averse to the idea of getting a pedigree dog (too much irresponsible inbreeding etc. Check out Crufts dog show on the internet for related matter). Mrs K has a 'pedigree' Yorkie, much to mu objection at first, and sure enough a few months old and we find he has a congenital hip disorder (happens with that breed a lot). Cost an arm and a leg, but I've become quite fond of the little bugger. He has plenty of character, and loves affection. Had I more brain as a teenager I'd have got one - when I take the thing (only joking, it's "Tom") out for walkies I get into endless numbers of conversations with strangers - many of them with lovely ladies....all that teenage angst over finding gals could have been solved !

I don't recall your location, Mike, so sorry if it's Britland and you know; A number of hospitals have used pets as therapy programs. Simple idea being that some ill person is going to get better quicker if they have the pleasures that a pet such as a dog can bring. Not sure how it works in practice, but the principle seems sound (and it's hardly likely to risk more infection than Brit hospitals already do !). Also, as Del pointed out (or at least implied) earlier, the physical activity of having a pet such as a dog is good for health. Bit of brisk walking, fresh air etc.

Had I more brain as a teenager I'd have got one ... all that teenage angst over finding gals could have been solved !

I walked our dogs from the time I was about 8 or 9 till I left home at 18 and then when I visited. Never once in all those years did I get into conversation with a gorgeous hunk - or anyone under the age of 40. It's a myth I tell you!

Pets as Therapy is well controlled - and all the participants are thoroughly vetted (pun intended).

Nooo - it's not a myth. Tom could sit on the palm of my hand when we got him. Couldn't take him outside for a while (vaccinations etc), but when we first did he was tiny. The funniest thing is that his ears were near full grown - he looked hilarious. It was impossible to get more the 100 yards without some female getting all cooey over him. He got more loving adoration than a newborn baby, and still does. Dammit, I should have been born a dog, I missed the obvious !

I don't believe a word about the hunks. When some builder with a foot of arse showing yells down from a scaffold, " cor look at the ***** on 'er", it's not that he's uncouth, just shy of approaching. Just accidentally scrape the clasp of you handbag along the side of his van and he'll come blubbering down the ladder. They're quite trainable - local builder who let me down was simpering like a puppy to make amends after he found he had a flat tyre every morning for a week

Ta for the link - it's an excellent program. Stuff like that could pay for itself easily if given some backup from Government. Not just people with illnesses, but elderly people, juvenile delinquents. Give 'em something to occupy themselves (no disrespect intended to OAP's), and a responsibility that stops them dwelling on their own problems. Done on a bigger scale, with good management, such schemes could save millions in money spent on dealing with a vast range of health/social issues. Kudos to the folk involved with Pets as therapy - they deserve more backing. If we can bail out merchant bankers (no rhyming slang intended. much ), HM Government should surely look into the cost-benefit of such schemes.

You mean Del, right ? And a squirrel keeping a pet cat ? Don't you risk getting eaten up by him ?

It's one of them chicken/egg horse/cart scenarios

Or as my old MD used to say
A chicken and roundabout situation.
Del

Hello there,

Dell beats em' all paws down for me, as I don't own a pet.

I can't argue with that - they're beautifully put together, and not bad at the price. Mine could do with a bit more ram, so I may give it some in the coming months

Favourites:

Dog: the second one of my childhood - she was "mine" although her mother was the one who let me cry on her!

Cat: My first one, Kit (deceased 2003) who would remind me that I had to go to work in order to feed her.

And I still haven't found Safi

I'd not given much thought to the fact that domestic cats are indeed pretty much all the same size and shape - with just fur-related differences. It probably is more to do with the fact that humans have bred dogs over millenia to do particular jobs (like guarding handbags) whereas cats were just expected to get on with catching vermin and what they looked like didn't matter. Apart from the Ancient Egyptians and modern day "western" societies, did any actually keep them as pets?

Del's a sweetie pud, but he only visits and doesn't like me picking him up although he does like my feathers.....De-el...here kitty kitty

I still haven't found Safi

Wahhhh!

I guess th difference might be that cats have been bred for aesthetics - length/colour of coat, that type of thing. Dogs have been bred into being able to do specific jobs (most seem to have some sort of 'working' origin). As pointed out on a reasonably entertaining TV show (), it just seems odd that dogs have been engineered into such a wide variety of form. Even Darwin's Finches all look pretty much the same to me - slight change of beak etc, but basically twittering birds of a similar size. We've domesticated cattle for nearly as long as dogs, but they're all fairly similar. Guess that's because they're raised for eating not working. If we decided to train cats for specific jobs, then maybe in a couple of millennia we could have all sorts - long legged ones for hunting, ones with little legs for going down rabbit holes, shaggy-haired cats for mountain rescue (and story telling). The possibilities are endless.

Do keep us posted on poor old Safi .

Nice cat.

I've had cats (and dogs) most of my life and have to say that all cats are not "about the same" as one post said. If you believe that, then you will have to meet the Rag Doll (breed) fellow Teddy who lives in my house, all 20 pounds of him (he is a bit overweight, but huge none the less). He's really more like having another teenager in the house; someone who lounges around all day, messes the place up to amuse themselves and comes to you only when there is something in it for them.

Some animals exhibit what Kris mentioned. Here is one of them. All I can say to this is keep your friggin' distance from me puss!

That's a very cool link, whether you believe it or not (sorry, couldn't quite tell). Animals ability to smell stuff is amazing. I don't accept the point I mentioned earlier about dogs being able to smell cancer (which is by definition not a 'smellable' thing, just cells over-multiplying), buy I think they can sense when a person is unwell. How on earth do dogs detect imminent epileptic fit ? I've no idea (behaviour of the person, odour ?), but they can.

When all is said and done, you either love and appreciate pets (such as dogs/cats) or you don't. From life, you get out what you put in. As Transcendian said, love is all.

Gawd. I'm going all soppy now.

There are two neighbour cats that visit my garden from time to time, both tabby-white and whom I have named for the geography of their pelts "Boots" and "Shawl".

I first met them one day when I was working, and I heard the sound of cat fighting. I opened the window to talk to them.

Two cats could not be more different than Boots and Shawl. Boots (the agressor) turned out to be the sort of cat who understands English very well and communicates clearly in response. He'd rather have a sensible chat with me than to maul Shawl. Shawl on the other hand, a complete ditz whose response to human speech was a blank shocked stare ("It's talking to me??!!).

Boots is a hunter, if I ask he'll tell me if there are any mice or rats (not) or if he's after squirrel (sorry Kris!) or rabbits (yes). A cat can tell you anything with facial gestures alone, if they are the kind that will talk.

Shawl, apparently, was ruining the hunting by ditzing around.

My thoughts about cats is there are two kinds: those that are into communicating and those that are not... The walking-pillow cats do nothing for me, personally....

I quite agree that cat's talk. Sooty's preferred manner is blinking - we can sit facing each other and exchange blinks. I've no idea what she might think I'm saying, I don't understand that lingo (probably wrong choice of word), it must be some sort of cat-morse. She'll also reply to miaow's. Different types depending on her mood. There's a very distinctive noise she makes when she's got a kill (usually something pathetic like a butterfly), another for when she wants strokes, and many more for other occasions. Any twitching of the tail is a pretty good indicator not to go near - she may be old, but her ability to lash out is still lightning fast. She's beaten up the dog on several occasions ( I reckon he thinks she's a dog like him, just becasue of the size similarity), but the sucker still keeps getting himself a right lashing. On the intelligence side, it would seem that (in the case of my own pets) the cat wins. For reasons beyond my understanding, the two have developed some sort of mutual agreement - the dog gets fusses early evening, but after about 10pm the cat get's her way. It's like they have some sort of rota worked out. I suspect the two of them are playing me off against each other.

Here is a vintage shot of Tom (the dog) with a now ex-cat ();

Poor sucker got trained by the felines at an early age.

Poor sucker got trained by the felines at an early age

And people wonder why cats are perceived as "female" and dogs as "male" in general parlance....

The photo say's it all - she's snuggled up nice and cosey behind him (probably with cold paws on his back), and he's just carrying on doing his duty. He'd go ape if a cat tried that on him now. Funny thing is, if we have to leave them alone in the house, the dog whimpers like a baby. That cat could do anything to him, and he'd probably thank her for it. Eerm - I think I may have just proven the point, that cats are more feminine in nature _{sorry, Del, but it's true}