Cats

[kourabiedes]

These are my kitties:

 

 

The little gray kitten is Smoky and the black cat is Velvet. Not really creative names. Velvet actually comes from a book series I like (it's the codename of a spy), and Smoky... my sister named him and now he won't answer to anything else. They're both quite spoiled and lovable. <3

[Soundwave95]

both look cute. I had grey cat with brown spots on back she die of kidney bad problem in 96 I remember at home after that. sad. my mom call her squiggy.. strange name. that I forget add it.

Edited January 24, 2011 by Soundwave95

[ClosetKitteh]

Omigosh, Smokey looks just like my cat, even the same collar. I've seen cats that look almost exactly like my cat Daisy ( I named her ), are they a new species of cat that look exactly the same? Raff, is that a little white spot right near Smokey's collar?

[TikindiDragon]

The vet thinks that since she was outdoors, intact, and unvaccinated (according to her former owners. UGH why own a cat if you're going to kick it outside and not do anything but feed it), she's probably had earmites since day one.

FYI: Not all outdoor cats have earmites, and not all cats that go outdoors are unloved. The majority of cat owners in the UK allow their cats outside (myself included) and many of them are happy, healthy and extremely well cared for.

 

That said I'm not getting into the inside vs outside debate. Opinions which of the two is cruel differ greatly, are lagrely cultural, and are so ingrained no one is going to change their minds.

 

@ Syaoransbear: Cats tend to do that when they're upset or stressed about something. It's one of the few ways they've got of letting you know there's a problem. If he's old they also start to miss the litter box because their kidneys are going....

[Syaoransbear]

@ Syaoransbear: Cats tend to do that when they're upset or stressed about something. It's one of the few ways they've got of letting you know there's a problem. If he's old they also start to miss the litter box because their kidneys are going....

He's around a year old, so it's definitely not age. He did it because he's a little jackass. There was a string laying on my knee from my bunny hug and he pounced on it with his claws and ripped up my knee(I had shorts on). All I did was yell 'NO' at him. He ran off while I tended to my bloodied knee, then I went to bed. Then sometime in the night he went and peed on the mat.

 

I dislike how finicky and sensitive most cats seem to be. I like a more adaptable and tolerant animal. I know a person whose cats pee on her curtains if she doesn't fluff their blankets enough. I'm not fond of that kind of strong reaction to tiny changes.

 

I'm interested in cat breeds that act similar to dogs, though. I wonder if they have the some low tolerance to change and stress that other cats seem to have. I never want to smell that cat urine smell ever again, ugh. At least it was the bathroom mat. If it had been the carpet, we would have had to throw out all the carpet in the basement.

[7Deadly$ins]

Some people let their cats control them too much....

[TikindiDragon]

He's around a year old, so it's definitely not age. He did it because he's a little jackass. There was a string laying on my knee from my bunny hug and he pounced on it with his claws and ripped up my knee(I had shorts on). All I did was yell 'NO' at him. He ran off while I tended to my bloodied knee, then I went to bed. Then sometime in the night he went and peed on the mat.

 

I dislike how finicky and sensitive most cats seem to be. I like a more adaptable and tolerant animal. I know a person whose cats pee on her curtains if she doesn't fluff their blankets enough. I'm not fond of that kind of strong reaction to tiny changes.

 

I'm interested in cat breeds that act similar to dogs, though. I wonder if they have the some low tolerance to change and stress that other cats seem to have. I never want to smell that cat urine smell ever again, ugh. At least it was the bathroom mat. If it had been the carpet, we would have had to throw out all the carpet in the basement.

The low tolerance to small changes seems, in my experience, to be a much, much bigger problem with indoor cats. Couldn't tell you why, but I've rarely heared of an outdoor cat that does it. Being an indoor cat does change their bahaviour. I think it may have something to do with their world being so small, but that would only be a guess.

 

Siamese are more dog like than many cats. But, again, they will still let you know if they object to something. Ours always did - but then that's intact breeding queens kept indoors. I've not heard any reports from people that have taken them as pets of the cat peeing inside (except in one case - but that was a queen we had to neuter and re-home after she mercilessly bullied every other cat we had. She stopped as soon as her hormones had calmed down.)

 

No cat is ever going to accept every single small thing you do. They're much more their own animal than a dog is - and they *will* disagree with you. That said I imagine you'd have much the same problems if you never let a dog out of the house too. Dogs that aren't properly excercised get behavioural problems.

[Syaoransbear]

The low tolerance to small changes seems, in my experience, to be a much, much bigger problem with indoor cats. Couldn't tell you why, but I've rarely heared of an outdoor cat that does it. Being an indoor cat does change their bahaviour. I think it may have something to do with their world being so small, but that would only be a guess.

 

Siamese are more dog like than many cats. But, again, they will still let you know if they object to something. Ours always did - but then that's intact breeding queens kept indoors. I've not heard any reports from people that have taken them as pets of the cat peeing inside (except in one case - but that was a queen we had to neuter and re-home after she mercilessly bullied every other cat we had. She stopped as soon as her hormones had calmed down.)

 

No cat is ever going to accept every single small thing you do. They're much more their own animal than a dog is - and they *will* disagree with you. That said I imagine you'd have much the same problems if you never let a dog out of the house too. Dogs that aren't properly excercised get behavioural problems.

It makes sense that an indoor cat would have such a problem with change, since their world rarely ever does change they have no option to get used to it.

 

I've never been to the UK, so maybe an outdoor cat would work out there, but it wouldn't work here, especially since I live on a busy street and when the cats were allowed outdoors they played the 'lets play in traffic' game and nearly caused accidents. Not to mention it's winter from like september-april .

 

I wonder if an outdoor enclosure would work out, but then it would still be pretty useless for most of the year since they don't like snow.

[7Deadly$ins]

I really have no choice on indoor/outdoor, it's illegal here.

[Syaoransbear]

I really have no choice on indoor/outdoor, it's illegal here.

Oh right, that too. I forgot it was also illegal . They'd probably be more likely to get squished by a car though.

[skinst]

 

Here's my darling little kitteh. :3 Her name is Bubbles. She's 4 years old now. She did have a brother, who unfortunetly got hit by a car.

 

http://th00.deviantart.net/fs50/PRE/f/2009...Thunderbomb.jpg

 

I called him my Sun cat.

[kourabiedes]

Omigosh, Smokey looks just like my cat, even the same collar. I've seen cats that look almost exactly like my cat Daisy ( I named her ), are they a new species of cat that look exactly the same? Raff, is that a little white spot right near Smokey's collar?

'Tis not. Smoky has some white on the very very end of his tail, but that's it. It's a trick of the light largely due to the fact that my phone's camera is pretty bad.

[TikindiDragon]

It makes sense that an indoor cat would have such a problem with change, since their world rarely ever does change they have no option to get used to it.

 

I've never been to the UK, so maybe an outdoor cat would work out there, but it wouldn't work here, especially since I live on a busy street and when the cats were allowed outdoors they played the 'lets play in traffic' game and nearly caused accidents. Not to mention it's winter from like september-april  .

 

I wonder if an outdoor enclosure would work out, but then it would still be pretty useless for most of the year since they don't like snow.

Cats here tend to learn road sense pretty early on. There have been a few over the years that have tried to 'play with traffic' and we've either kept them in, or rehomed them to farms in remote locations (one went to Wales, he now chases sheep instead of cars. Mind you that one *was* deaf, and a bit of a houdini). Cats in the snow are hillariously funny - they'll pick each paw up and shake it in distaste. I've also known mine to go around looking out of every window in the house just incase it's stopped snowing that side while he was checking the others.

 

Outdoor runs do do wonders for indoor cats. They tend to get more excecise when they have them, and they'll often just enjoy being out in the sunshine during the summer. We've always had outdoor spaces for our indoor siamese.

 

This was taken in the outdoor run at our old house. I think that litter were about 6 weeks old at the time.

 

Edited to add: @ ClosetKitteh - no, it's not a new breed of cat. It's just pretty simple colour genetics. That grey is caused by what's known as dilute, which is recessive, and there are also genes that control the expression of white. So no white + dilute = completely grey cat.

Edited January 24, 2011 by TikindiDragon

[Nectaris]

On the subject of cats adapting to changes, keep in mind some cats adapt much easier to changes than others. Our cat Oliver, has had her environment drastically changed many times, and has never objected to it once. Nor has she objected to small changes. Peekaboo on the otherhand, will object if the bag of dog food is moved into the hall, rather than kept in the garage(our dog food container isn't large enough to hold the entire bag).

[LeopardDragon]

Major, Big-time cat lover right here. I have a torbie named Jojo whom I absolutely adore!

[Cybele]

I adore cats. We've had our for over nine years now. She was a itty bitty stray kitten when we got her and she spent the first week or so living under the fridge. But she gradually got used to us and now, during winter, it's impossible to lounge on the couch without her coming to sleep on you sooner or later

Here's a pic of her.

[JaziandCo]

FYI: Not all outdoor cats have earmites, and not all cats that go outdoors are unloved. The majority of cat owners in the UK allow their cats outside (myself included) and many of them are happy, healthy and extremely well cared for.

 

That said I'm not getting into the inside vs outside debate. Opinions which of the two is cruel differ greatly, are lagrely cultural, and are so ingrained no one is going to change their minds.

Oh I know. I'd let Saffy out if we didn't live next to a highway. But the sheet I got from her previous owners said that she was an entirely outdoors cat that they didn't bother to take to the vet since birth, and that she spend nearly no time with her humans. She had none of her vaccinations and still had a working uterus at 1 yrs + some months. To me, that's /abandoning/ your cat outside, not /letting/ your cat outside.

 

 

I have a best friend who's mom is a vet, their 7 cats live mostly outdoors with the option of coming in, and they're all spay/neutered, up to date on shots, and extremely healthy. They also live in a secluded area where the worst the cats will have to deal with is other cats and raccoons. I'm fine with outdoor cats as long as they're /taken care of/.

[LeopardDragon]

As to the indoors, outdoors thing... all of our cats stay indoors, and none of them seem to suffer a s a result. As a matter of fact, none of them seem to have any real desire to go outside; they do like to sit in the windows and see the outside world, though.

 

I think perhaps it is a matter of what your cat is used to, if they have become accustomed to going out, then making the switch to indoor only might be tough, but if the cat has been brought up staying inside and that is what it knows, I don't see a problem.

[FishPanda]

I ADORE cats! I always joke that I'll end up as one of those old ladies with 70 cats. I've always had cats growing up - unfortunately my dad is allergic so the agreement was that we'd get only one. I really miss my baby now that I'm at uni and I'm almost never at home anymore.

 

I don't know if I have a favourite breed, though I do prefer the long-haired ones. I also prefer female cats, in my experience they're generally nicer. I can't imagine myself without a cat - as soon as I move to a more permenant place I'm getting a kitty (or three).

 

My favourite non-domesticated cat is probably the white tiger, but I find every kind of cat completely breath-taking. I could watch them for hours.

 

Luckily we live in a pretty secluded place, so my cat goes out a lot. She's a coward, though, so she never ventures far if she's in trouble she just yowls and all of us rush outside in an instance, ready to defend our baby. She's the queen of the house - not a bad position in life for someone who I'm pretty sure is the stupidest cat alive

[ClosetKitteh]

So yeah, my cat is a small, grey female. I've had her for years, since she was like a few weeks old. Her name is Daisy, I got her when I was five. I got her from a friend of my mom's. Apparently Daisy and her sister followed said person into her apartment. My family adopted her, I named her Daisy, and she loves me a lot.

 

… did I just tell the history known of my cat? Did I mention that she's seven years old and not showing signs of old age?

[Vicats]

So yeah, … did I just tell the history known of my cat? Did I mention that she's seven years old and not showing signs of old age?

Cats live into their teens or even their twenties, so it's not surprising that she's still healthy at 7. I have a friend who's cat is pretty much in the same shape as her other, healthy 3 year old cats (according to the vet, not just her), and that cat is 16.

 

I desperately want a cat, but my mom doesn't like them, my brother is allergic to them, and my dorm won't allow them - so not while I'm in school. I'm particularly enamored with white/grey tabbies... and tortoiseshells, and Birmans and Singapuras when it comes to purebreeds.

 

I'm going to name my first cat Taco, and its nickname will be Pal. :3

[grishiu]

I lub kitties so much <3 *favourite animal*

 

I pretty much love any type of cat, but I do favour some over others ^-^ My favourite indoor cat is a Siamese. Kittens are especially adorable! I heart them <3

When I'm older I'm DEFINITELY getting one, preferably one with blue eyes ^-^

 

I also have a favourite wild cat, black panthers I don't know why, they just are X3 Ocelots are probably my second favourite

 

I currently don't have a cat (2 budgies instead X3) but I used to have one <3 Actually I had *counts* 6? If you count the two kittens one of mine had. My old cat, Grishiu, looked a lot like a main coon, and he was seriously the most friendliest cat ever X3

 

I like cats so much that I even have names planned out for my future cats o3o Sushi (siamese), Pingu (boy black and white tabby), Bee (girl orange tabby), and Sprocket (calico) :B

[CrystalSong]

Ahh.. so I'm not the only one who has a mom who's allergic to cats. Story is she wasn't but rented with a lady who had, like, 10 longhairs in said house. Basically, that's a lot of allergens. I'd love to have a cat of my own, but, as I said before, my mom's allergic, so that's a bust. My grandparents have 2 cats, both female, named Fiona and Francy. I'm not too familiar with cat breeds, but they're not a normal looking breed. My grandparents think they're part bobcat, but I think they're part Manx. They've got the rabbitlike back legs, though they do have small tails, while Manx cats aren't supposed to.

 

My favorite undomesticated? Probably lions. All I'll say is I grew up watching the Lion King. =P

[7Deadly$ins]

I already mentioned I'm going to get a bengal, but I continue to get more and more obsessed with that breed. >.> I'm even on a forum for people with Bengals, and I'm probably not even going to be able to buy one until ~4 years. I'm a highschool senior, my desired college dorms don't allow pets, I can't afford an apartment... so I'll just have to look wistfully at Bengals for awhile. :\

 

There's a possibility I'll be staying at home, but even then I don't think it'd be terribly responsible to get a cat when I don't understand my future plans.

[Wilczak]

I love cats! I've got three at home, and two were born there.

All three are plain black, two with little white spots, but i can tell which is which by simply looking at them.

Have a sample: