Critters!

[Packrat]

@too-old-for-this As somebody who has had cats able to go outside whenever they want via cat flap, who have in some cases been prolific hunters? They continue to be derps even when they are devouring and torturing prey literally every day.

We had a pair of brothers when I was a kid who were confined to the kitchen, living room and conservatory (plus outside) at night, they were very determined to get into the rest of the house so that they could literally spend all night chasing each other up and down the stairs Extremely Loudly. Once they worked out how to get on the roof they would crouch outside of my bedroom window and shout at me for hours in the hope I would let them inside. If I did? They would then throw things off tables in the hope I would open my bedroom door and allow them access to the wonders of the stairs.

If I ever did this then everyone in the house regretted it.

[silverfox]

What I hear:

Cats are complicated creatures with a mirand of personalities.

Take our pot babies:

1. Indica: Most outgoing, protects their siblings willing to sit in the open
2. Sativa: Sits in open, but needs sibling as comfort blanket, only eats when feels safe
3. Cocoa: Already full lap kitten with purr engaged, eats from human hand.
4. Unnamed baby 4: Pokes head out but prefers to eat with human far away.
5. Unnamed baby 5: Will not come out of hiding when human present even if food is offered
6. Unnamed baby 6: Hisses and prepares to attack at slightest scent/sight of human, hides with #5.

All of them have the same mother (though I suspect 2 fathers from coloring, 1,2, and 4, then 3, 5, 6), came from the same situation, etc.

Yet they are RADICALLY different.

Also, we are keeping Sativa and Indica to socialize them.

[BetterNow]

@silverfox said in Critters!:

What I hear:

Cats are complicated creatures with a mirand of personalities.

Take our pot babies:

Then there is my cat, former stray, vet thought she was maybe 2 when she decided she was "my cat". Doesn't seem to understand she's a cat. Doesn't do most bad cat stuff outside of occasionally scratching at low furniture to try and pull off shed claw sheathes. For real. Doesn't climb on things. Doesn't try to get outside even if the door is wide open. Doesn't bear trap attack when belly is rubbed. Likes the car. Likes the vet. Loves her giant dog sisters. Doesn't knock things off other things. Doesn't sing the song of her people at 3 am. Doesn't try to suffocate me in my sleep. Loves any old dry food I feed her and shares the water bowl with the dogs. Has hacked up 2 hairballs in 4 years. Comes when she's called. Is shy with strangers around for...maybe an hour? Then comes out for pettings.

My vet described her as a "gateway cat".

[Too Old For This]

@silverfox I still want tabbyfloof baby. >.>

[Testament]

My cats.

Bubba(otherwise know as Bubs, Mr. Bubbles, Bubba-wabba-ding-dong, Babaganuche, and DAT BOI) : Ear-clipped rescue I adopted as an attempt to have company for my Old Man(who passed away last December). Bubba was from a hoarding situation and was super skittish for about a year and a half before warming up to me and my fiance. He now is one biggest cuddle bugs ever, throwing himself into your side. He loves all other cats, and he is never the problem when introducing new cats, hoping to be friends(which gives evidence that he came from house that hoarded cats). Still is terrified of plastic bags, loud noises, and people he doesn't know. Has the most perfect beans, but beware, they are extra spicy beans.

Zuchinni(otherwise known as Zuzu, Zuzubean, Fluffernaut, Precious-Baby-Angel, She Who Cannot Be Contained, and "She is Baby") She is the youngest of the three and also the oddest. The kind of cat that loves to be pet, but haaaaates it if you pick her up, as the crying will start. She was the runt of her litter, so she has a large body, but tiny head. She also the best trained, because she knows her name perfectly and comes when called. Also likes to play fetch with some of her toys. Is the one that instigates most chasing time with the other two.

Fuzz(otherwise known as Fuzzy, Old Man Fuzz, Mr. Fuzzles, The Most Tired One, and Dapper Dan): The oldest, and the resident Old Man of the house. We adopted this old 14 year old cat because partly because after losing my cat of 16 years, I wanted to adopt another senior cat because I felt that more older cats deserve a good home in their twilight years. And the other part was simply because there was a hole left in my heart from my Old Man's passing. And we just like having three cats. Fuzz has taken awhile to acclimate to the house, but seems to like it here. Granted, he has this thing where he has to sleep on clothes. Dirty clothes, clean clothes, doesn't matter, so long as he's sleeping on clothes. I have found him in the most interesting places because clothes happend to be there. It has thus proven that for as slow moving and sleepy as he is, he can be energetic, he doesn't choose to very often.

[silverfox]

@too-old-for-this

That is Cocoa!

[Too Old For This]

@silverfox Perfect! I will take them!

[Aria]

Having just put groceries away, I guess I smell like all kinds of goodies to my old dog. So I'm sitting here repeatedly showing him my hands like I'm some sort of fucking blackjack dealer to prove that I do not have secret snackies tucked up my sleeve.

[Too Old For This]

@aria I have to do the same thing to my cats. ESPECIALLY after rustling BAGS. Because BAGS mean FOOD.

[silverfox]

I STARTED to go fold Laundry, but then my husband said the pot babies were hungry and to go feed them.

(They didn't really want to eat.)

Calypso is NOT HAPPY she isn't allowed in because the pot babies are still in quarantine.

I didn't realize that raising her while fostering would cause an obsession with the fosters. I thought once she was older she would mostly just not care.

[Too Old For This]

@silverfox She wants to foster mama!

Also those kittens are just more gorgeous each time! I would seriously consider adopting one.

[Prism]

We've added a new kitten to our household. I have a spayed female calico who has been on her own here for over a year.

New kitten wants to play with the older cat SO bad. We've been letting them out morning and night to get used to the scent because the older cat hasn't had a lot of social experience.

Well today, for the first time since the new kitten has been here, the older cat went up and sniffed her without hissing or growling, and seems to be slowly accepting the fact that she's here.

Of course, the older diva keeps giving the kitten the occasional swats to remind her who the boss is. So far it's been relatively harmless. Here is hoping they can get along.

[mietze]

My derpy destructive but also ridiculously beautiful when he wants to be panther cat has racked up yet another destroyed thing to his tally. He is the most expensive pet I have ever owned. So far he has destroyed a large zojirushi rice cooker (getting caught trying to pull out the retractable cord, freaking out, and scrambling over the top of it and knocking it to the ground from the high shelf it was placed on), a wedding-gift tiffany vase (getting in a fight with his sister on top of the china cabinet and booty bumping it off even though it wasn't near the ledge), an antique snow globe (knocking it over while desperately trying to bite the corner of the mantle), a fondue pot and everything but the forks part of that set (freaking out at the clicking noise made when he bit and then tried to run away with the magnetic cord, and jumping into the pot and then knocking it to the ground in the pantry, scratching up the surface and bending the fork rest), almost everyone in the family's favorite coffee/tea mug (4 in total--all from opening up the cabinet we keep the drinkware in and inexplicably trying to squeeze himself onto the mug shelf. These were not done at once, but in 4 separate incidents), a dyson vaccum cleaner (chewing through the cord), and now my favorite duster length cozy sweater (going apeshit with biting, rabbit kicking, and generally being a hooligan after getting into some catnip).

His sister just lays around looking like the huge owl eyed fluffball that she is, farting, snoring, and occasionally attacking guests.

[Ganymede]

@mietze

Cats. Are. Assholes.

[Ominous]

@ganymede

If what you want is a wild animal that keeps you as a pet, then the cat might be the best master for you.

[Ganymede]

@ominous

[Arkandel]

I can't prove it but my cat knows somehow when I grab a compostable bag from under the sink to replace the one in the cat litter, and he races me up the stairs to get in there and pee before I do so.

[Snackness]

@arkandel And who can blame him

[Too Old For This]

@arkandel Ahhhhhhhh, yes. The race for the last pee before the NEW LITTER drops. Then it's the stalking wait to drop the first turd into the NEW LITTER.

[silverfox]

All the babies got spay and neutered today.

Charley is high af.