WHEN in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary….
Something Super Wonderful: (Very Young and Very Old) Kids’ Reactions To Kitten And Puppy Surprise On Christmas
byVanderleunonDecember 31, 2017
O Tidings of comfort and joy unconstrained and recorded. Laughter, tears, and happiness in a box for all ages.
Via neo-neocon The gift that keeps on giving: puppies and kittens who notes: “The thing that struck me is that their reactions are so very similar—as you can see. You’ll need a tolerance for high-pitched squealing, though—and I’m not talking about the sound the puppies are making”
The Skinnycat showed up at my work sometime in October. She was a tiny ragged slip of a kitten abandoned at the Elementary school. The little poop would pop up here and there as I was making the night rounds. She’d dart out from the bushes, cry out in that thin, wheezy, “miyeee yeee”, but shy away if I tried to get too near. It was hot and dry so I put out some water. Then she’d sort of follow me around the hallways, sometimes sneaking into the classrooms while I was cleaning up. Finally, like a dope, I brought food. It became part of the nightly routine- go home for lunch, bring back a little food for the cat. She’d wait for me, crying out, and yakking up a storm when I came through the gates with her dinner, then shadow me all evening as I was cleaning up. But all things end, including this job. I just can’t keep up with knocking out twenty eight rooms a night anymore. And of course, I managed to get absolutely hammered with this flu, and completely missed the last week of work. The only reason I put on shoes at all for the last two weeks was to over to school and feed the Skinnycat. The flu is letting go, and last night I took the Hav-a-heart trap, and set it out under the picnic table where I feed the cat. It didn’t take long. Today, I’m officially retired, and I took the cat with me when I left. Skinnycat is in the garage with a little shelter, some litter, and food and water. We’ll see if we can make a pet out of the little beast.
JWM
ghostsniperDecember 31, 2017, 9:37 AM
People that give animals for gifts should be beaten about the head and shoulders with a blunt, metal like object.
Those poor animals end up abandoned in droves by the middle of January.
pbirdDecember 31, 2017, 10:14 AM
Oh ghost I think most of these will end up ok, but some of those kids need to get a grip.
pbirdDecember 31, 2017, 10:19 AM
My wolf was a gift too, but I didn’t act deranged when she was given to me.
BunnyDecember 31, 2017, 10:23 AM
Geeze, Ghost, you take the fun out of everything. The givers don’t have to be stupid jerks, they could just as easily be responsible and conscientious pet owners and parents. I love these videos, the more over the top the reaction the better. “Stop judging me”, heh.
CallmelennieDecember 31, 2017, 12:03 PM
re 4:24
I guess it’s true what Trump said — Nothing like waking up to pussy
bgarrettDecember 31, 2017, 2:31 PM
What in the hell is the cause of the hysterics, screaming and crying??? I have never seen children acting so stupid. Is this the result of watching too much TV? Is this behaviour acceptable now?
I hope 2018 is not as bizarre as 2017 but this is not a good sign
ghostsniperDecember 31, 2017, 8:31 PM
@bgarrett, stupid parents have stupid kids, how could it be any other way?
Watch the pets section of craigslist the last half of Jan.
After that little beagle shits on that $1000 rug the 3rd time he’ll be sentenced to the yard where it will freeze to death or, after barking all the time, will sent to a “facility” or most likely just “dropped off” somewhere. All 5 of our current cats and most of our past cats came by way of the same methodry, same as my most favoritist dog in the world who is now gone. People chastize me for my stance but I have more than ample reason for it. And yes, all that screaming and yelling is a strong indicator of support for what I am saying. Momentary pleasure for the adolescent parents and a life sentence to damnation for the pets.
If I was Bill Gates I would buy Kansas, evict all the residents, 12′ triple fence the whole thing, hire 1,000,000 employees, and adopt all unwanted animals throughout the world.
Snakepit KansasJanuary 1, 2018, 6:42 AM
Ghost,
If I get evicted, I guess I would have to go to OK or TX.
Coyotes would love it. They have to eat too, especially cats. Last coyote I shot was with a little Stevens Favorite Rifle in .22. I saw that coyote bopping down the trail and I meowed at him twice, like a baby kitten. He came running toward me for a snack.
ghostsniperJanuary 1, 2018, 8:28 AM
@Snake, “I guess I would have to go to OK or TX.”
==================================
Only if you didn’t want to be one of the 1,000,000 employees, like maybe a superviser at $100k per year.
But, but ghost, where would all the coin come from for maintaining all of that?
Remember, I’m Bill Gates, and am the closest thing to god in this life.
Also, all the gov’t animal control facilities would now be rendered invalid and shut down and all of the coin the gov’t gives to them would now go to “Kansas Animal Haven”. But. All of that coin would be cut in half and the other half would be sent right back to Trump, Inc with instructions to never send that much again. The following year it would be cut in half again, and so on until the taxpayers are not speding one theen dime on KAH. Pet stores would be out of business because a continous nationwide PSA would be blasted everywhere about getting all pets spayed or neutered and all KAH animals would be as well. Anyone in the entire country found to have killed or abused a pet would be banned from ever having another pet. In 10 years the number of pets in the US would plummet to less than 10% of current. All new pet owners would be required to post a bond in the amount of the maintenance costs of the pet for it’s entire life, rendered back to the owner after the pets natural or medical demise, no exceptions.
ChrisJanuary 1, 2018, 9:17 AM
Ghostsniper – So what you’re really saying is it’s OK to be a fascist about the things YOU care about. Fuck the rest of us.
Snakepit KansasJanuary 1, 2018, 10:23 AM
Chris,
Read Ghost again. Funny as hell. He only picked Kansas to fence in to see how I would react. Ghost has several cats.
ghostsniperJanuary 1, 2018, 10:53 AM
What’s it called when someone starts their false accusation out with “what you’re really saying is…” as they twist the thing like a pretzel?
Back-off on that morning caffeine Chris, for your own good. Just a friendly suggestion mind you, but maybe I’m just being a fascist again. sigh
Snakes right, we currently have 5 cats that somebody didn’t want.
One of them was dropped off at our place in the dead of winter and though she didn’t appear so, 5 weeks later she dropped 5 wonderful little additions to our family. We gave 4 to other people ourselves and it’s difficult to find takers because there are so many unwanted cats out there. So yeah, we had 10 cats in our house. Yes. In. The 5 we have now have their own bedroom on the 2nd floor with a big window they can watch the backyard through and they have their own 28′ long screened in porch on the first floor they practically live on in the summer. We treat em right. The pregnant one is Isabella Rosellini but we call her Bella and the 5th kitten she had was also the smallest and we kept her and her name is Sparkle Muffin but I sometimes call her Cookie Budder. Our oldest one, born in Florida, Cameo, is now 14. For some reason every one of the cats we’ve had live to be 18 years old then they go back to that place where all spirits come from. BTW Chris, you can be one of Snake’s assistants at KAH at about $75k per year.
I guess the local animal shelters were empty so everyone had to go to the pet store.
VanderleunJanuary 1, 2018, 3:07 PM
Words cannot express how vile I have come to know San Francisco really is. Were the city scoured of life down to the molten core of the Earth it would not be dead enough.
VanderleunJanuary 1, 2018, 3:13 PM
Then again maybe they can….
BunnyJanuary 1, 2018, 3:59 PM
Social justice for animals! Animal liberation! “According to Singer, some humans are non-persons, while some non-human animals are persons. The key is not nature or species membership, but consciousness.” http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Am-Not-A-Fan-Of-Peter-Singer/657290
I totally overlooked the climate change factor. Let’s just not have pets at all. Methane, people. http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article164990657.html
Or if we must have pets, let’s limit breeding and ownership to only those pet mommies and daddies we totally regulate and approve. Certainly no puppies and kittens at Christmas, those people are automatically suspect.
jwmJanuary 1, 2018, 7:10 PM
Ghostsniper:
Any advice on taming a semi-feral- bringing it in with other cats? I had the Skinnycat in my garage for the last couple nights. She got used to going and coming pretty quick. This morning my black cat got sight of her, and that was it. Surprised my how aggressively he ran her off, considering he was a semi feral himself. Haven’t seen the little beast since.
JWM
ghostsniperJanuary 2, 2018, 4:59 AM
@jwm, let me preface this with, for a long time I didn’t particularly care for cats. My wife did. And over time I learned that my problem with cats was me, not the cats. The best I can figure now, with hindsite, is that I expected cats to be like dogs, and they ain’t. They iz diffrent.
I’ve also discovered that some cats and little kids are innately terrified of facial hair, which I have and will always have. So out of the gate I had handicaps. It takes long term patience and kindness to win a cat over. I mean l….o….n….g term, as in months. And even then there will be issues in some cases.
Of our current 5: Cameo is 14 and only in the past year or so has she warmed up to me. Caramel is 6 and most of the time will peel out trying to get to me when I enter the room. Tawny Autumn is 6 too and is OK with me about half the time, the other half she couldn’t care less for me. Bella is 4 and she is similar to Tawny Autumn as far as her attitude with me. Sparkle is 3 and she mostly avoids me though at times she’ll tolerate me.
So I don’t push the issue with the cats and accept them as they are though I constantly strive to be a better friend with them. I NEVER raise my voice with them or act stern or mean as that is damage that most likely can never be cured. Like I said, they is diff.
My mutt Shannon is not a cat. Last night she was chewing on her bed, again, and I jumped on her rather sternly and she was terrified, but 2 minutes later she was laying here next to my chair like nothing had ever happened. That’s the way all of my dogs have ever been, They ain’t cats and they let by-gones be by-gones.
My suggestions would be, and I may not be right because well, catz iz catz, to be very patient with it.
Do NOT introduce the new cat to the old cat(s) until it has been vet checked and received the proper shots, vaccinations, whatever. You cannot let the new cat cause harm to the existing cats.
My office’s have always been detached from the main house and new cats stay out here with me for the first 2 weeks while getting their shots, etc. When introduced to the old cats the new cat is quarantined in the bathroom next to the old cats bedroom so they can gradually get used to each others sounds and smells. At this time the new cat is also getting accustomed to the food and water the old cats use. After a few days of that, the new cat is allowed gradual but supervised contact with the older cats. All of our cats have been declawed in the front (strictly indoor and no chance of getting loose) so there is little chance of them scratching each other. Our son did not declaw his cats and when they got a new one the new one was in an altercation with an old one and got a scratched cornea and that eye had to be removed. Females to females always seen to get along better than female to male or male to male. Same way with dogs.
But yeah, patience and perseverance is the key when dealing with cats.
Cats are far more abused and abandoned than dogs, though the number of victimized dogs each year is heart wrenching, I suspect it is because of the difficulties with cats I’ve mentioned that makes that so. Good luck with your new kee-kee!
BTW, we’ve found Iams to be the best dry cat food, with a little warm water on it.
It has better ingredients than the run of the mill stuff and therefore you can feed them less, which, is a good thing cause less in means less out. You spend more for the food but, the cat is healthier, and you spend less on litter and vets. Lastly, we use a product from Rural King called Equine Pine which is a litter for horse stalls and comes in 40 pound bags. Cheaper, more absorbent, and contains smells better. The cats love it. Clay litter creates dust which is dangerous to some cats. Equine costs about $6 for a 40# bag. With 5 adult cats we go thru about 1.5 bags a month.
ghostsniperJanuary 2, 2018, 5:01 AM
Did my reply to jwm fall down in that bottomless pit again?
VanderleunJanuary 2, 2018, 8:57 AM
Nope. The bottomless pit is called “Delete Permanently”. Not this one. Just snagged in the spam filter for a few hours while I slept.
jwm, I hope the little cat will be alright. Is he being fed by another family somewhere locally? Cats will behave in an alpha/beta way in a group, so fighting happens. Can’t breed that out of them. Just feed the stray a little and regularly, but make sure the coyotes aren’t coming in to get the cat food.
KCK. Farm cat owner.
jwmJanuary 2, 2018, 9:35 AM
Ghostsniper, and Casey, thank you both so much. I appreciate the time you took for this. I haven’t seen the Skinnycat at all since my black ran her out of the garage. It was a gamble. If I had left her at the school, it would be animal patrol. Trying to trap her, bring her in, get her used to being near people, and having her fit in with the other cats all at once was a long shot. Even at the school she was barely at the point where I could touch her, and then only rarely. I set a shelter, and some food at the side of the house. All we can do is see what happens.
JWM
pbirdJanuary 2, 2018, 9:41 AM
Ghost, I would NEVER get a cat declawed. I just nip the end off their claws one in a while if I feel its needed. When they go to claw things I speak to them and they desist.
ghostsniperJanuary 2, 2018, 1:39 PM
@jwm, sometimes they are too far gone I suppose, but keep trying.
When Bella came to our house 4 years ago we didn’t really want another cat so we just sort of observed her come and go for a couple days. Then one day we saw her in the front yard hiding behind a shrub all crouched down and suddenly she sprang and lept into the air and snagged a cardinal and headed for the woods. That was more than my wife could bear and she told me to go get her. Bella was very friendly with me and came when I called her and I grabbed her up and took her into my office. Never again was she let loose to the wilds.
I brought Bella into my office but she was just “kee-kee” then cause we didn’t even know her gender. She is long haired so it was difficult to see down there and I’ve never been good at that stuff anyway. But apparently she bonded with me quickly and took over my office. While sitting at my computer using AutoCad she’d lay right in front of the keyboard so that I had to reach over her, and that is what I did. But then she saw my mouse hand was not paying attention to her so she reached out and put one of her paws on it so I couldn’t move it. “OK Bella, you got my attention, let’s go get Mousey.” And we’d play mousey for a bit, then I got back to work. This happened over and over every day.
Bella was sort of scraggly looking and skinny and I guess she might have been out on her own for a couple weeks before she landed here. She is about 50/50 black and white, long haired, and gorgeous green eyes. Her eyes have a slight slant to them and when she looks in my eyes it is beguiling, almost hypnotic. I have to look away before she engulfs me. A few days into it we took her to the vet for shots and such and set up an appt a couple weeks later for her spaying. The vet told us she was female and he didn’t think she was pregnant.
Then, 2 days before her spaying appt Bella let out a strange sound late at night while sitting on my wifes lap and suddenly her lap was all wet. Bella’s water broke. WTF??? She carried Bella to the master bath and put towels on the floor, called me on my cell and we both got on the floor to assist. Neither of us had experienced this before. It was sort of amazing. Over the spn of about an hour, bloop, bloop, bloop, bloop, 4 new lives slid out just like they’re supposed to with no issues and Bella set about doing what new mother cats do. This was from about 11 at night til midnight. At a few minutes after midnight when we thought the show was over, Bella moaned again and a little bloop was emitted. The 5th one was Sparkle and she was clearly smaller than the other 4.
Over the next few days my wife started naming them and I insisted the little one’s name shall be Sparkle cause she is long haired like her mom and was 3 different colors. She “sparkled”.
When the new ones reached 8 weeks old my wife was going crazy trying to keep up with them as there were now 10 cats in our house and we created some flyers and posted them in all the usual places and we started getting calls. We got calls from people 2 states away. Say what? Some people came to look at them and they looked like seedy characters and we didn’t give them a cat. I did some research and found what happens to “free” kittens. It’s not nice. Not at all. The suggested remedy was to charge a “rehoming fee” of about $20 or so.
See, there are people in this life that are of a character that is despicable. Some of them become politicians and some of them go to jail for long periods. Some of them skirt the systems and bring all kinds of grief to this world. The rumor is that certain types of people grab up animals any way they can and sell them to medical research facilities, pitbull dog fighters for bait, satanic rituals, etc. It’s terrible. Black cats and dogs are the most available, the most abandoned and the most abused. My sister runs 2 animal shelters in NC and confirmed this.
For the last 10 years, starting in Sept., I go onto craigslist everyday for our area and send replies to people posting free cats and dogs asking them to hold onto their pets until after Halloween and then repost their ad but to please ask for a rehoming fee of $20. In most cases the evil people will not spend the $20 cause they can usually find sources for free animals instead.
In Florida when I designed and built our new home I designed it with a cat porch on the rear whish was a separate porch to the main one that stretched all across the back. The main porch was not screened as it spilled right out to the pool deck which was screened. There was a triple dolphin fountain on one corner and the cats loved to lay in the sun and watch those dolphins. When we moved here to the great white north there was no porch on this house. So my first chore was to build a 28′ long porch across the back that was screened in and it also has a railed deck on top, the 2nd floor. Even when it’s very cold like today Bella likes to lay on that porch under a chair and watch the creatures in the woods beyond until my wife finally goes out and retrieves her cold and trembling body. I believe she lays there prone like she did in days long past, under a shrub, and remembers what it was like to run free through the woods, and when my wife brings her in she remembers what it was like when she was first brought into our family where life is happy all the time, and plenty of food, and warm. Good luck with your wild and free kee-kee. Keep trying and remember that the end is never good for cats that are left to run.
jwmJanuary 2, 2018, 2:26 PM
Again, Ghostsniper, many many thanks. And the story isn’t over, yet. My black didn’t run her off after all. She just hid herself somewhere in deep the garage jungle. When I opened up this morning, there she was. Made me happy, dammit. So…
JWM
ghostsniperJanuary 2, 2018, 6:00 PM
@jwm, you ol’ softy. Good for her-him-it. Sounds like your garage has been taking lessons from mine. It’s a big room with a series of hastily crafted tunnels. I promised the ball n chain I will deal with it in the spring.
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
The Skinnycat showed up at my work sometime in October. She was a tiny ragged slip of a kitten abandoned at the Elementary school. The little poop would pop up here and there as I was making the night rounds. She’d dart out from the bushes, cry out in that thin, wheezy, “miyeee yeee”, but shy away if I tried to get too near. It was hot and dry so I put out some water. Then she’d sort of follow me around the hallways, sometimes sneaking into the classrooms while I was cleaning up. Finally, like a dope, I brought food. It became part of the nightly routine- go home for lunch, bring back a little food for the cat. She’d wait for me, crying out, and yakking up a storm when I came through the gates with her dinner, then shadow me all evening as I was cleaning up. But all things end, including this job. I just can’t keep up with knocking out twenty eight rooms a night anymore. And of course, I managed to get absolutely hammered with this flu, and completely missed the last week of work. The only reason I put on shoes at all for the last two weeks was to over to school and feed the Skinnycat. The flu is letting go, and last night I took the Hav-a-heart trap, and set it out under the picnic table where I feed the cat. It didn’t take long. Today, I’m officially retired, and I took the cat with me when I left. Skinnycat is in the garage with a little shelter, some litter, and food and water. We’ll see if we can make a pet out of the little beast.
JWM
People that give animals for gifts should be beaten about the head and shoulders with a blunt, metal like object.
Those poor animals end up abandoned in droves by the middle of January.
Oh ghost I think most of these will end up ok, but some of those kids need to get a grip.
My wolf was a gift too, but I didn’t act deranged when she was given to me.
Geeze, Ghost, you take the fun out of everything. The givers don’t have to be stupid jerks, they could just as easily be responsible and conscientious pet owners and parents. I love these videos, the more over the top the reaction the better. “Stop judging me”, heh.
re 4:24
I guess it’s true what Trump said — Nothing like waking up to pussy
What in the hell is the cause of the hysterics, screaming and crying??? I have never seen children acting so stupid. Is this the result of watching too much TV? Is this behaviour acceptable now?
I hope 2018 is not as bizarre as 2017 but this is not a good sign
@bgarrett, stupid parents have stupid kids, how could it be any other way?
Watch the pets section of craigslist the last half of Jan.
After that little beagle shits on that $1000 rug the 3rd time he’ll be sentenced to the yard where it will freeze to death or, after barking all the time, will sent to a “facility” or most likely just “dropped off” somewhere. All 5 of our current cats and most of our past cats came by way of the same methodry, same as my most favoritist dog in the world who is now gone. People chastize me for my stance but I have more than ample reason for it. And yes, all that screaming and yelling is a strong indicator of support for what I am saying. Momentary pleasure for the adolescent parents and a life sentence to damnation for the pets.
If I was Bill Gates I would buy Kansas, evict all the residents, 12′ triple fence the whole thing, hire 1,000,000 employees, and adopt all unwanted animals throughout the world.
Ghost,
If I get evicted, I guess I would have to go to OK or TX.
Coyotes would love it. They have to eat too, especially cats. Last coyote I shot was with a little Stevens Favorite Rifle in .22. I saw that coyote bopping down the trail and I meowed at him twice, like a baby kitten. He came running toward me for a snack.
@Snake, “I guess I would have to go to OK or TX.”
==================================
Only if you didn’t want to be one of the 1,000,000 employees, like maybe a superviser at $100k per year.
But, but ghost, where would all the coin come from for maintaining all of that?
Remember, I’m Bill Gates, and am the closest thing to god in this life.
Also, all the gov’t animal control facilities would now be rendered invalid and shut down and all of the coin the gov’t gives to them would now go to “Kansas Animal Haven”. But. All of that coin would be cut in half and the other half would be sent right back to Trump, Inc with instructions to never send that much again. The following year it would be cut in half again, and so on until the taxpayers are not speding one theen dime on KAH. Pet stores would be out of business because a continous nationwide PSA would be blasted everywhere about getting all pets spayed or neutered and all KAH animals would be as well. Anyone in the entire country found to have killed or abused a pet would be banned from ever having another pet. In 10 years the number of pets in the US would plummet to less than 10% of current. All new pet owners would be required to post a bond in the amount of the maintenance costs of the pet for it’s entire life, rendered back to the owner after the pets natural or medical demise, no exceptions.
Ghostsniper – So what you’re really saying is it’s OK to be a fascist about the things YOU care about. Fuck the rest of us.
Chris,
Read Ghost again. Funny as hell. He only picked Kansas to fence in to see how I would react. Ghost has several cats.
What’s it called when someone starts their false accusation out with “what you’re really saying is…” as they twist the thing like a pretzel?
Back-off on that morning caffeine Chris, for your own good. Just a friendly suggestion mind you, but maybe I’m just being a fascist again. sigh
Snakes right, we currently have 5 cats that somebody didn’t want.
One of them was dropped off at our place in the dead of winter and though she didn’t appear so, 5 weeks later she dropped 5 wonderful little additions to our family. We gave 4 to other people ourselves and it’s difficult to find takers because there are so many unwanted cats out there. So yeah, we had 10 cats in our house. Yes. In. The 5 we have now have their own bedroom on the 2nd floor with a big window they can watch the backyard through and they have their own 28′ long screened in porch on the first floor they practically live on in the summer. We treat em right. The pregnant one is Isabella Rosellini but we call her Bella and the 5th kitten she had was also the smallest and we kept her and her name is Sparkle Muffin but I sometimes call her Cookie Budder. Our oldest one, born in Florida, Cameo, is now 14. For some reason every one of the cats we’ve had live to be 18 years old then they go back to that place where all spirits come from. BTW Chris, you can be one of Snake’s assistants at KAH at about $75k per year.
You know who else strongly supported animal welfare? Hitler, that’s who.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_welfare_in_Nazi_Germany
Ha ha, just kidding.
But seriously, you can’t even buy a pet in San Francisco anymore unless it’s a rescue, so forget about buying the breed your heart is set on in that city.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/san-francisco-puppies-kittens-law-pet-shops-only-sell-rescue-animals-a7586186.html
Of course, a lot of San Franciscans are just not down with pet ownership.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2004718/First-circumcision-goldfish-San-Francisco-ban-sale-pet-fish.html
I don’t believe the goldfish ban ever came to pass. Still, even with shutting down pet stores, responsible breeders and pet owners are not guaranteed. There’s an internet loophole.
https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/100701a.aspx
I’m sure in time there will be more restrictions. And there will still be abused and abandoned animals. Go figure.
I guess the local animal shelters were empty so everyone had to go to the pet store.
Words cannot express how vile I have come to know San Francisco really is. Were the city scoured of life down to the molten core of the Earth it would not be dead enough.
Then again maybe they can….
Social justice for animals! Animal liberation! “According to Singer, some humans are non-persons, while some non-human animals are persons. The key is not nature or species membership, but consciousness.”
http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Am-Not-A-Fan-Of-Peter-Singer/657290
I totally overlooked the climate change factor. Let’s just not have pets at all. Methane, people.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article164990657.html
Or if we must have pets, let’s limit breeding and ownership to only those pet mommies and daddies we totally regulate and approve. Certainly no puppies and kittens at Christmas, those people are automatically suspect.
Ghostsniper:
Any advice on taming a semi-feral- bringing it in with other cats? I had the Skinnycat in my garage for the last couple nights. She got used to going and coming pretty quick. This morning my black cat got sight of her, and that was it. Surprised my how aggressively he ran her off, considering he was a semi feral himself. Haven’t seen the little beast since.
JWM
@jwm, let me preface this with, for a long time I didn’t particularly care for cats. My wife did. And over time I learned that my problem with cats was me, not the cats. The best I can figure now, with hindsite, is that I expected cats to be like dogs, and they ain’t. They iz diffrent.
I’ve also discovered that some cats and little kids are innately terrified of facial hair, which I have and will always have. So out of the gate I had handicaps. It takes long term patience and kindness to win a cat over. I mean l….o….n….g term, as in months. And even then there will be issues in some cases.
Of our current 5: Cameo is 14 and only in the past year or so has she warmed up to me. Caramel is 6 and most of the time will peel out trying to get to me when I enter the room. Tawny Autumn is 6 too and is OK with me about half the time, the other half she couldn’t care less for me. Bella is 4 and she is similar to Tawny Autumn as far as her attitude with me. Sparkle is 3 and she mostly avoids me though at times she’ll tolerate me.
So I don’t push the issue with the cats and accept them as they are though I constantly strive to be a better friend with them. I NEVER raise my voice with them or act stern or mean as that is damage that most likely can never be cured. Like I said, they is diff.
My mutt Shannon is not a cat. Last night she was chewing on her bed, again, and I jumped on her rather sternly and she was terrified, but 2 minutes later she was laying here next to my chair like nothing had ever happened. That’s the way all of my dogs have ever been, They ain’t cats and they let by-gones be by-gones.
My suggestions would be, and I may not be right because well, catz iz catz, to be very patient with it.
Do NOT introduce the new cat to the old cat(s) until it has been vet checked and received the proper shots, vaccinations, whatever. You cannot let the new cat cause harm to the existing cats.
My office’s have always been detached from the main house and new cats stay out here with me for the first 2 weeks while getting their shots, etc. When introduced to the old cats the new cat is quarantined in the bathroom next to the old cats bedroom so they can gradually get used to each others sounds and smells. At this time the new cat is also getting accustomed to the food and water the old cats use. After a few days of that, the new cat is allowed gradual but supervised contact with the older cats. All of our cats have been declawed in the front (strictly indoor and no chance of getting loose) so there is little chance of them scratching each other. Our son did not declaw his cats and when they got a new one the new one was in an altercation with an old one and got a scratched cornea and that eye had to be removed. Females to females always seen to get along better than female to male or male to male. Same way with dogs.
But yeah, patience and perseverance is the key when dealing with cats.
Cats are far more abused and abandoned than dogs, though the number of victimized dogs each year is heart wrenching, I suspect it is because of the difficulties with cats I’ve mentioned that makes that so. Good luck with your new kee-kee!
BTW, we’ve found Iams to be the best dry cat food, with a little warm water on it.
It has better ingredients than the run of the mill stuff and therefore you can feed them less, which, is a good thing cause less in means less out. You spend more for the food but, the cat is healthier, and you spend less on litter and vets. Lastly, we use a product from Rural King called Equine Pine which is a litter for horse stalls and comes in 40 pound bags. Cheaper, more absorbent, and contains smells better. The cats love it. Clay litter creates dust which is dangerous to some cats. Equine costs about $6 for a 40# bag. With 5 adult cats we go thru about 1.5 bags a month.
Did my reply to jwm fall down in that bottomless pit again?
Nope. The bottomless pit is called “Delete Permanently”. Not this one. Just snagged in the spam filter for a few hours while I slept.
jwm, I hope the little cat will be alright. Is he being fed by another family somewhere locally? Cats will behave in an alpha/beta way in a group, so fighting happens. Can’t breed that out of them. Just feed the stray a little and regularly, but make sure the coyotes aren’t coming in to get the cat food.
KCK. Farm cat owner.
Ghostsniper, and Casey, thank you both so much. I appreciate the time you took for this. I haven’t seen the Skinnycat at all since my black ran her out of the garage. It was a gamble. If I had left her at the school, it would be animal patrol. Trying to trap her, bring her in, get her used to being near people, and having her fit in with the other cats all at once was a long shot. Even at the school she was barely at the point where I could touch her, and then only rarely. I set a shelter, and some food at the side of the house. All we can do is see what happens.
JWM
Ghost, I would NEVER get a cat declawed. I just nip the end off their claws one in a while if I feel its needed. When they go to claw things I speak to them and they desist.
@jwm, sometimes they are too far gone I suppose, but keep trying.
When Bella came to our house 4 years ago we didn’t really want another cat so we just sort of observed her come and go for a couple days. Then one day we saw her in the front yard hiding behind a shrub all crouched down and suddenly she sprang and lept into the air and snagged a cardinal and headed for the woods. That was more than my wife could bear and she told me to go get her. Bella was very friendly with me and came when I called her and I grabbed her up and took her into my office. Never again was she let loose to the wilds.
I brought Bella into my office but she was just “kee-kee” then cause we didn’t even know her gender. She is long haired so it was difficult to see down there and I’ve never been good at that stuff anyway. But apparently she bonded with me quickly and took over my office. While sitting at my computer using AutoCad she’d lay right in front of the keyboard so that I had to reach over her, and that is what I did. But then she saw my mouse hand was not paying attention to her so she reached out and put one of her paws on it so I couldn’t move it. “OK Bella, you got my attention, let’s go get Mousey.” And we’d play mousey for a bit, then I got back to work. This happened over and over every day.
Bella was sort of scraggly looking and skinny and I guess she might have been out on her own for a couple weeks before she landed here. She is about 50/50 black and white, long haired, and gorgeous green eyes. Her eyes have a slight slant to them and when she looks in my eyes it is beguiling, almost hypnotic. I have to look away before she engulfs me. A few days into it we took her to the vet for shots and such and set up an appt a couple weeks later for her spaying. The vet told us she was female and he didn’t think she was pregnant.
Then, 2 days before her spaying appt Bella let out a strange sound late at night while sitting on my wifes lap and suddenly her lap was all wet. Bella’s water broke. WTF??? She carried Bella to the master bath and put towels on the floor, called me on my cell and we both got on the floor to assist. Neither of us had experienced this before. It was sort of amazing. Over the spn of about an hour, bloop, bloop, bloop, bloop, 4 new lives slid out just like they’re supposed to with no issues and Bella set about doing what new mother cats do. This was from about 11 at night til midnight. At a few minutes after midnight when we thought the show was over, Bella moaned again and a little bloop was emitted. The 5th one was Sparkle and she was clearly smaller than the other 4.
Over the next few days my wife started naming them and I insisted the little one’s name shall be Sparkle cause she is long haired like her mom and was 3 different colors. She “sparkled”.
When the new ones reached 8 weeks old my wife was going crazy trying to keep up with them as there were now 10 cats in our house and we created some flyers and posted them in all the usual places and we started getting calls. We got calls from people 2 states away. Say what? Some people came to look at them and they looked like seedy characters and we didn’t give them a cat. I did some research and found what happens to “free” kittens. It’s not nice. Not at all. The suggested remedy was to charge a “rehoming fee” of about $20 or so.
See, there are people in this life that are of a character that is despicable. Some of them become politicians and some of them go to jail for long periods. Some of them skirt the systems and bring all kinds of grief to this world. The rumor is that certain types of people grab up animals any way they can and sell them to medical research facilities, pitbull dog fighters for bait, satanic rituals, etc. It’s terrible. Black cats and dogs are the most available, the most abandoned and the most abused. My sister runs 2 animal shelters in NC and confirmed this.
For the last 10 years, starting in Sept., I go onto craigslist everyday for our area and send replies to people posting free cats and dogs asking them to hold onto their pets until after Halloween and then repost their ad but to please ask for a rehoming fee of $20. In most cases the evil people will not spend the $20 cause they can usually find sources for free animals instead.
In Florida when I designed and built our new home I designed it with a cat porch on the rear whish was a separate porch to the main one that stretched all across the back. The main porch was not screened as it spilled right out to the pool deck which was screened. There was a triple dolphin fountain on one corner and the cats loved to lay in the sun and watch those dolphins. When we moved here to the great white north there was no porch on this house. So my first chore was to build a 28′ long porch across the back that was screened in and it also has a railed deck on top, the 2nd floor. Even when it’s very cold like today Bella likes to lay on that porch under a chair and watch the creatures in the woods beyond until my wife finally goes out and retrieves her cold and trembling body. I believe she lays there prone like she did in days long past, under a shrub, and remembers what it was like to run free through the woods, and when my wife brings her in she remembers what it was like when she was first brought into our family where life is happy all the time, and plenty of food, and warm. Good luck with your wild and free kee-kee. Keep trying and remember that the end is never good for cats that are left to run.
Again, Ghostsniper, many many thanks. And the story isn’t over, yet. My black didn’t run her off after all. She just hid herself somewhere in deep the garage jungle. When I opened up this morning, there she was. Made me happy, dammit. So…
JWM
@jwm, you ol’ softy. Good for her-him-it. Sounds like your garage has been taking lessons from mine. It’s a big room with a series of hastily crafted tunnels. I promised the ball n chain I will deal with it in the spring.