Cat Tales....

[inthesticks]

My very first pet (as a child) was a cat named Tiger...a yellow-striped Tabby that I really loved. My parents owned a house boat and kept it moored at Greers Ferry Lake here in north-central Arkansas. One day, the family (plus the cat) spent a weekend out on the lake, for a couple of days of fishing and relaxation on the water. The first night anchored out on the lake, and I was asleep in bed on the main level near the "Captain's Wheel". Downstairs, my parents occupied the master bedroom. All was quiet that night, with the occasional slight rocking of the boat as a wave passed beneath it from a passing boat or some unseen lake monster...who knows.

Somewhere during that time period, Tiger (remember the cat?) decided it was time to play. He evidently noticed my dad's toes sticking out from under the covers in their bedroom, and pounced on the covers with claws and teeth, intent upon "capturing" dad's toes. Well, my dad, who had been asleep up until this point, woke up with a yell. The yelling woke me up, and all I remember was hearing a yowl from the cat...and the cat came flying upstairs onto the main level where I was. I saw the cat race back downstairs and then heard more yelling from dad (something like G*damn cat!), more yowling from Tiger, and I remember the boat began rocking from the frantic activity taking place downstairs. The cat again came flying upstairs towards me. By this time, I was up...mom was up...hell, everyone was up.

Dad came upstairs, hair disheveled, angry, and with a clawed and bleeding toe. He picked up the cat, opened the cabin door, and threw Tiger outside onto the walkway which went around the house boat. After all the confusion, it seems that when the cat saw dad's toes wiggling, it pounced on them...clawed and bit them (I suppose like playing with a mouse or something). This startled dad from his sleep, and dad didn't know what it was attached to his foot...so he reached down and knocked the cat up the stairs to where I was (geez..thanks dad! The silly cat could have been rabid and would probably have attacked me). However, the cat...still feeling frisky, raced back downstairs for more "play"...and again went for dad's toes. That is when the cat flew upstairs the second time...having been flung from their bed. Dad, at this point, probably thought the cat had gone mad.

Needless to say, Tiger spent the rest of his nights outside the cabin.

 

[darkislandcs]

Oh, cats love the toes and anything that wiggles is obviously mocking him/her and must be dealt with! :laughing:
I had a cat named Forrest. He was the runt of the litter and never mewed or anything like the other kittens. He'd always come to me, sit on my foot and wait for me to pick him up, always silent. I'd put him on my chest and sit back and he'd just fall asleep. It was my intent to keep him but one day, when I wasn't there, my girlfriend(the kittens were from her cat) gave him to another friend of ours. Two weeks later the friend called me up, knowing that I wanted him for myself, and asked if I still wanted him. He was apparently too much for them to handle. A real devil she said. I picked him up that night and he was as docile as could be. Never once freaked out in the car. He just sat in my lap an occasionally propped himself up on the steering wheel to peek out the window.
Over the next six months I learned that this cat was quite possibly the coolest tempered, friendly and strangest cat that I'd ever come to know. For one, he loved Doritos. Not just the cheese on the Doritos...the WHOLE chips. They were a treat I'd give him only once in a while but he knew the bag by sight and would pester me until I gave in and opened them up for him. He'd sit quietly on the floor with a chip, nibbling and when he finished he'd wait for me to quit snacking and politely make it known that any Dorito cheese dust left on my fingertips was his sole property and that he would dispense of it immediately. He also used to like to tuck in under the covers when I slept. He'd slip under and curl up in the crook of my knees. This came about because we had a sleeping arrangement battle one night when he first came into our home. He kept trying to climb into bed, only to be kicked out before he made it up the blanket. I could feel him every time he made an attempt so it was just a matter of placing my foot in the right spot and waiting for him to get to the top. Bump. Down to the floor he went. Just when I thought he'd given up and rolled over to go to sleep I found out just how clever he was. I rolled over on my pillow only to be greeted by a couple pounds of fuzz already curled up and sleeping. He'd crawled under the bed, found a gap between the corner of the bed and the wall and shimmied up it without me noticing. I couldn't deny him after that.
The sleeping under the covers thing came to an end when I started working 12 hour shifts. There was a lot of standing involve so at night I'd get cramps when I tried to sleep. I put BenGay on one night and little Forrest came crawling into bed. He got about halfway under the covers when he stopped dead and slowly backed out, his tail straight up in the air and back hunched. He turned and gave me this look as if to say, "Dude...you are foul!". He never went under there again. :laughing: One morning I awoke to find him sitting on my chest, staring intently at my nose. He wasn't napping, he'd obviously been there for a while staring at the odd thing sticking off of my face. He looked at me, opened his mouth and clamped down on my nose. Not hard, not biting...just....sampling...like he was simply curious as to what it would be like to have my nose in his mouth for a minute or two. I've got so many memories of that little guy from the short time he was with me. He was odd, but I wouldn't have wanted him any other way.

 

[tharedhead]

I'll never forget when the cat was kind enough to bring me a nice...rabid bat. The weeks of shots that followed.... The cat also had to have booster shots and stay under observation. I know he meant well, though! :crazytongue:

 

[ping1970]

Our new cat, Star, or as I call him, Mew, loves to ride in the van with us ~ everywhere. Most of the time he sits contently in the windshield like a bobblehead doll. Well, yesterday during the ride he decided that the seatbelt was attacking me and decided to 'save' my life...needless to say it required a quick trip into the emergancy lane and kitty going into Caitlyn's arms for the rest of the trip :laughing: Today the trip was just fine.

Love my kitties!! :sunny:

 

[cinphi]

I'm a dog person but since I have been feeding a stray for the last month I thought I would post. He's so funny to because any time I go outside he comes runing and meowing. He's black with bright yellow eyes. I can't bring him inside because he would fight with my 2 dogs.

 

[ktshome]

cin.

How do you know the cat would fight with your dogs? Dogs and cats can get along just fine - we have two dogs (Will and Olivia) that we have had forever, and just introduced them to cats (1 and then another a month later - Pippin and Leia), and they get along just fine. The problem is the introduction - do you have a screen door on your garage or the patio - place the dogs outside and let the cat in the house. The cat will roam around, getting the lay of the land (and smelling the dogs, too, which lets the cat know the dogs were there BEFORE her/him), and then the cat will go to the screen door (eventually). Do the dogs look curious, or wag their tails? Does the cat hiss or run away, or stay put and look curious?

Of course, dogs and cats do fight. We had four rescued greyhounds at one time (they are the gentlest dogs - couch potatoes, really), and three of them were just fine with cats. The fourth one wasn't - he was trained to run - with cats (and we got him when he was three years old). He absolutely HATED cats, and when he caught one (something he did rarely - most cats were too fast, and didn't get far from a fence!), he broke the cats neck or back.

I've gone on too long :sleepy: But I just wanted to put my two cents (more like two dollars) worth into the discussion. Oh, yeah - we're going to get another cat at the end of August from the local animal shelter (spayed, vaccinated, and everything) - this one will be an "outside" cat, a "ratter." We have mice and rats, and instead of killing them ourselves, this cat will do it for us, or at least keep the rats away from our house - rats can smell cats, so...... We'll feed the cat in the garage (where we smoke), so the cat will get some "loving" and petting, but it will be an outside cat (Pippin and Leia are "inside" cats).

Kate

 

[cinphi]

cin.

How do you know the cat would fight with your dogs? Dogs and cats can get along just fine - we have two dogs (Will and Olivia) that we have had forever, and just introduced them to cats (1 and then another a month later - Pippin and Leia), and they get along just fine. The problem is the introduction - do you have a screen door on your garage or the patio - place the dogs outside and let the cat in the house. The cat will roam around, getting the lay of the land (and smelling the dogs, too, which lets the cat know the dogs were there BEFORE her/him), and then the cat will go to the screen door (eventually). Do the dogs look curious, or wag their tails? Does the cat hiss or run away, or stay put and look curious?

Of course, dogs and cats do fight. We had four rescued greyhounds at one time (they are the gentlest dogs - couch potatoes, really), and three of them were just fine with cats. The fourth one wasn't - he was trained to run - with cats (and we got him when he was three years old). He absolutely HATED cats, and when he caught one (something he did rarely - most cats were too fast, and didn't get far from a fence!), he broke the cats neck or back.

I've gone on too long :sleepy: But I just wanted to put my two cents (more like two dollars) worth into the discussion. Oh, yeah - we're going to get another cat at the end of August from the local animal shelter (spayed, vaccinated, and everything) - this one will be an "outside" cat, a "ratter." We have mice and rats, and instead of killing them ourselves, this cat will do it for us, or at least keep the rats away from our house - rats can smell cats, so...... We'll feed the cat in the garage (where we smoke), so the cat will get some "loving" and petting, but it will be an outside cat (Pippin and Leia are "inside" cats).

Kate

No that's a good suggestion I may try it. I also have 2 dogs but one is a pomeranian and that dog is spastic :laughing: He was also given to me because my sister didn't want him GRRR that just makes me crazy when people do that with animals. My husband says the cat belongs to the neighbors but I am not sure. I may have to ask them.

He's just too cute of a cat though. He's got that long drawn out meow and he just doesn't stop until you pick him up. I know if we ever move from here and he's still around I would have to take him. Maybe I'll get a picture of him and post it. Hey sticks and everyone else post those cat pics. for us

 

[inthesticks]

I'll never forget when the cat was kind enough to bring me a nice...rabid bat. The weeks of shots that followed.... The cat also had to have booster shots and stay under observation. I know he meant well, though! :crazytongue:

Wow, red...the things that happen to you are hilarious! You should write a book about your life mishaps.... :laughing: