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BaftaBaby 
"Always entranced by cinema."
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 Posted - 05/31/2008 : 22:59:41
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ONE
The Dog's Diary:
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Dinner! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
TWO
The Cat's Diary:
Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I vomit on the carpet.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet.
I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Bastards!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.
The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe.
For now...
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thefoxboy
"Four your eyes only."
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Posted - 05/31/2008 : 23:16:20
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Love dogs, hate cats!
(Tho I would never hurt a cat) |
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w22dheartlivie 
"Kitty Lover"
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Posted - 06/01/2008 : 05:39:44
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This is all so true. My mighty hunter, Ralph, actually did manage to impress me this winter with two mice, and he was obviously quite proud of his accomplishments as well. Ralph has a bent joint at the tip of his tail (the vet assured me this sometimes happens with newborn kittens, but the offending joint usually drops off). He strutted proudly through the house, mouse in mouth, bent tail sticking up toward the ceiling, the end barely twitching with each step, as his eyes actually smiled. After the parade was over, he too dropped the mice at my feet. I kind of felt sorry for the poor little dead creatures.
That was all well and good, then one night as I slept, a commotion arose in the living room. It seems the newest mouse was a little craftier than Ralph, and my poor beautiful but probably mentally challenged older cat Kasha was quite upset over the chase. They had the mouse cornered under my work table and as I peered under it, flashlight brightly illuminating the mouse... it opened its nasty little rodent mouth and SCREAMED at me!!!!!!! OMG!! I did not know that such a thing existed outside of various and sundry Willard movies and the sound still echoes in the corners of my mind. Needless to say, when Ralph apprehended this particular horror of rodentia, I was less than sympathetic.
Kasha is a strange cat, and I suspect she's a cross between cat and dog. She has that "Oh boy!! My favorite thing!" attitude about her, and is as loyal a companion as my Sheltie ever was. Her name is derived from the Anne Rice books (Akasha - the vampire queen - from The Vampire Lestat), which I'd decided to use for a future cat when I named another, now passed, sweetheart Mekare, from the same book. Mekare was a longtime companion to my old girl Tantomile who was born behind my water heater during the 1984 men's gymnastics finals at the summer olympics, and who I finally, reluctantly, put down in the spring of 2004.
I love dogs, but they have proved to be more expensive, take greater upkeep, and it is hard to open the bag of cat food and leave a large bowl of water and be gone for a couple days. Plus I was never successful in getting Katie, my Sheltie, to use a litterbox, though she was fairly good about using the puppy pads to urinate while I was at work, if she couldn't wait.
On the other hand, I'm less confident that if I were to die in the night and not be found for a period of time, that my cats wouldn't put themselves first and eat my poor remains.
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Edited by - w22dheartlivie on 06/01/2008 07:30:29 |
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 06/01/2008 : 06:54:38
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quote:
Originally posted by thefoxboy
Love dogs, hate cats!
(Tho I would never hurt a cat)
I don't mind dogs, but I really dislike cats.
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lemmycaution
"Long mired in film"
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Sal[Au]pian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 06/01/2008 : 19:33:21
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| I cannot really comprehend how anyone dislikes dogs or cats in general, although of course there are nasty examples of both. And it's weird how someone people are so keen to label others 'dog people' or 'cat people'. Dogs are certainly more loyal and actively engaging, but the flipside is that it's a pathetic kind of servility. And assuming one has a catflap, one at least knows that the cat is choosing to stay. |
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Whippersnapper. 
"A fourword thinking guy."
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Posted - 06/02/2008 : 02:13:17
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Not long ago I had a mouse problem here.
Not only were mice eating into my food supplies, which would be bad enough, but, worse, they were frightening Tigga the cat, who was seen on more than one occasion running frantically out of the living room and up the stairs to relative safety of the bedroom.
Something had to be done.
So, firstly plastic containers were bought to protect the food.
Then, a couple of live mousetraps were purchased and placed strategically around the kitchen.
(Vegetarians do NOT harm animals, even mice!)
Now, I don't know if a mouse can guffaw, but if they can they probably did. They had the knack of getting into the live mousetrap, eating the bait and, with a trick known only to members of the mousey magic circle, leaving without the trap door closing behind them. I amended the angle of the trap, but still the bait was gone and the trap was empty.
I then devised my own mousetrap.
This device, of great invention and cunning, was an open container with a lid on top which was held up by a chocolate finger biscuit. The idea was that, as the mouse ate the chocolate finger biscuit, it would move and the top would fall down into the container, mouse inside, trapped. Brilliant, eh?
Eh, no. I would return next day to find the biscuit still upright in place, but with some of the chocolate nibbled off. I half expected to find a thank-you note too, but fortunately for me mice do not resort to sarcasm. One should avoid becoming too anthropomorphic about mice.
Anyhow, the mice were not able to get at the food any more - apart from the bait I was kindly providing in the traps of course - so I decided they would leave soon enough anyway.
Then, a few days later, I saw a rather thin looking mouse skirting around my living room. I stood up to confront said rodent, who responded by running under the tv cabinet.
Now, I'm no mouse, as you probably know, but it seems to me that a bright mouse would have considered that, having hidden its body from sight, that maybe some small attention might be given to the location and visibility of its posterior appendage a.k.a. the tail. But no, not this mouse. To its cost.
Creeping up and reaching down, I grabbed the protruding tail and pulled and, in a very short space of time indeed, the rest of the mouse followed.
So - one mouse, hanging upside down by its tail.
I don't know if you remember the scene from "The Outlaw Josey Wales" where Clint sneaks up on the old Indian. Well, I swear, this mouse had the same abject expression as that Indian. Let's just call it dejection. Oh my God, I've let a human catch me by the tail and here I am dangling upside down and I guess that's it, I'm a gonner.
Call me a sentimentalist, but its hard not to feel sorry for a vanquished enemy who, through no fault of his own, was decreed by fate to be fighting for the other side. And, let's be honest, is there anything more pathetic than a small mouse hanging upside down by its tail waiting to die? Probably not.
For you, the war is over.
So, having caught this pest, what was I to do next? I was unprepared for my moment of triumph. No accomodation was available for my POW.
Fortunately I had an empty jar in the larder, and, lowered the mouse in and quickly screwed on the lid. So, jarred mouse.
With a fork I punched some holes in lid so mouse could breathe - and placed jar (and mouse) on the table, for inspection.
Although no longer subject to the indignity of inverse pendulosity nonetheless the mouse still appeared, well, in a word, disgruntled.
Was a little gratitude really out of the question?
Look at it from my point of view, the mouse seemed to say. I was going about my business, troubling no-one (except that bloody cat of yours but don't start me off now about cats!) and I get hung by my tail and slapped into an old jar. Now, I ask you, is this your idea of hospitality?
Put that way, it had to be admitted that this mouse had a point, and must be placated, and fast. A biscuit was found and a small piece placed in the jar.
The mouse's nose twitched and, after a minute or two of contemplation, and probably out of a sense of guest etiquette, began to nibble suspiciously.
I then took a picture of the mouse in the jar, for identification purposes, although I have to admit I forgot the profile shot. Still, it's better than nothing.
Now, I don't want you thinking that I'm a softy when it comes to mice. Despite his silent yet eloquent pleas to be allowed out of the jar so he could run back behind the fireplace I was adamant that he would HAVE TO GO.
Mouse, in jar, in carrier bag, was walked about a quarter of a mile to the leafiest nearby street and then, rather to his relief I suspect, was released near some privet hedges.
Without so much as a goodbye, let alone a "Thanks for the biscuit, and may gord bless ya gov'nor," the mouse ran into the bushes and was gone.
This was several months back now, and no mice have been sighted in the house.
Either they've all packed up and left, or they're planning their next move.
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thefoxboy
"Four your eyes only."
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Posted - 06/02/2008 : 03:30:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
I cannot really comprehend how anyone dislikes dogs or cats in general, although of course there are nasty examples of both. And it's weird how someone people are so keen to label others 'dog people' or 'cat people'. Dogs are certainly more loyal and actively engaging, but the flipside is that it's a pathetic kind of servility. And assuming one has a catflap, one at least knows that the cat is choosing to stay.
Cat flaps should be banned, A cat should never be allowed out to destroy wildlife. |
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Sal[Au]pian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 06/02/2008 : 11:45:01
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quote:
Originally posted by thefoxboy
Cat flaps should be banned, A cat should never be allowed out to destroy wildlife.
Hhmmm, that doesn't make a lot of sense, especially in an urban setting. Cats kill the weakest animals (if they kill any at all, which many do not), and there is an absence of the predators who would kill in rural areas. Numbers of birds and mice in towns are not limited by cats but by the food supply. |
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thefoxboy
"Four your eyes only."
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Posted - 06/02/2008 : 13:14:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
quote:
Originally posted by thefoxboy
Cat flaps should be banned, A cat should never be allowed out to destroy wildlife.
Hhmmm, that doesn't make a lot of sense, especially in an urban setting. Cats kill the weakest animals (if they kill any at all, which many do not), and there is an absence of the predators who would kill in rural areas. Numbers of birds and mice in towns are not limited by cats but by the food supply.
All cats kill, whether you see it all not.
So killing the weak is ok? |
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Sal[Au]pian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 06/02/2008 : 22:50:30
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quote:
Originally posted by thefoxboy
All cats kill, whether you see it all not.
That's simply fantasy.
quote:
So killing the weak is ok?
It depends what one means by O.K. In evolutionary terms, it certainly is O.K.: it strengthens the gene pool. I of course wouldn't suggest that cats should be brought in specially for that purpose, but they're only doing what natural predators would do had we not built towns there. Birds which would otherwise slowly starve to death don't. And while those birds aren't starving to death, other birds also don't starve, but survive, as there is enough food for them.
In contrast, children are the main creatures killed by dogs. |
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thefoxboy
"Four your eyes only."
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Posted - 06/02/2008 : 23:04:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
quote:
Originally posted by thefoxboy
All cats kill, whether you see it all not.
That's simply fantasy.
No point pushing this point when you know everything.
quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
In contrast, children are the main creatures killed by dogs.
Main?, That's simply fantasy.
Yes, it does happen, but it's not the dogs fault. They're only doing what the breed was bred for, it's the owners fault for mixing children with a breed or mongrel that should never be together.
Never buy a dog from a pet shop or a backyarder, go to a registered dog breeder.
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Edited by - thefoxboy on 06/02/2008 23:05:55 |
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duh 
"catpurrs"
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Posted - 06/03/2008 : 23:11:52
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I like all animals to some degree or more. I do feel repulsed by pit vipers (because their bites can kill). Not their fault, but they'd damn well better stay out of my way or I'll lop their heads off with the nearest pooper scooper or hoe.
I find spiders and insects interesting also. I admire the beauty of "Orb Weavers" especially. However, I think I would try to avoid some of those super spiders y'all have in Oz.
I like birds. I even like chickens, because I once had a pet chicken that would perch on my shoulder.
I like rats too; the kids had some for pets that were very nice. |
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w22dheartlivie
"Kitty Lover"
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Posted - 06/04/2008 : 00:05:57
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quote:
Originally posted by thefoxboy
Never buy a dog from a pet shop or a backyarder, go to a registered dog breeder.
With the overpopulation of dogs and cats these days, I'd only consider adopting an animal from a shelter for discarded pets. I see no valid reason for the routine pet owner to encourage breeding by anyone to provide a housepet. I recognize the appeal of raising purebred animals, but for a family pet, lil Fluffy from the shelter is a fine thing to have.
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thefoxboy
"Four your eyes only."
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Posted - 06/04/2008 : 00:46:17
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quote:
Originally posted by wildheartlivie
quote:
Originally posted by thefoxboy
Never buy a dog from a pet shop or a backyarder, go to a registered dog breeder.
With the overpopulation of dogs and cats these days, I'd only consider adopting an animal from a shelter for discarded pets. I see no valid reason for the routine pet owner to encourage breeding by anyone to provide a housepet. I recognize the appeal of raising purebred animals, but for a family pet, lil Fluffy from the shelter is a fine thing to have.
Yes, I forgot to mentioned that. 
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Sal[Au]pian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 05/03/2009 : 07:57:50
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quote:
Originally posted by thefoxboy
No point pushing this point when you know everything.
Well, it was just such a ridiculous point to claim that all cats kill. I can no more prove the opposite than you can prove this, but if one has cats for a lifetime and never sees any evidence of their killing (while certainly seeing evidence of other cats killing), then one can be pretty sure that some cats do not kill.
quote:
Main [creatures killed by dogs are children]?, That's simply fantasy.
Yes, you're right. I was only talking about pet dogs (as that's the topic of this thread), and I couldn't think of any animals they ever kill. However, they do sometimes kill things like rabbits and livestock, so (as always) I am happy to acknowledge that I was wrong. However, I think most people would agree that dogs occasionally killing children is far more serious than cats killing quite a lot of birds.
quote:
Yes, it does happen, but it's not the dogs fault. They're only doing what the breed was bred for, it's the owners fault for mixing children with a breed or mongrel that should never be together.
I agree that it's not the dog's fault, but that's not the issue. Cats were kept (and therefore to some degree bred) for killing too. In my opinion, it's not just that dangerous breeds should not be kept with children: they should not have been bred in the first place. (Nor should any of the horrid deformed breeds such as bulldogs and dachshunds etc. In all honesty, I don't agree with breeds at all: they are all inbred and thus much less healthy on average than mongrels.) The ones that already exist should live out their lives, but no more be bred.
quote:
Never buy a dog from a pet shop or a backyarder, go to a registered dog breeder.
I'd always (if I weren't going to a shelter) get one from an ordinary home, not a breeder. A proper breeder is better than a puppy farm, but not as good as someone who is not earning an income from it.
As I said higher up, it's not that I think cats are better than dogs. It's just that I don't think the reverse. The 'all cats are evil' line that people trot out is so banal. |
Edited by - Sal[Au]pian on 05/03/2009 08:03:41 |
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Topic |
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The Difference Between Dogs & Cats
