Conference misery::feline_v1

    We got seven or so inches of snow here (central Mass.) ending
    mid-morning yesterday.  I had an appointment at my allergy clinic
    early in the morning that it was really necessary for me to show
    up for (sigh.  I HATE allergies!!!), so I did so, getting there
    late and having the place to myself except for one doctor and one
    nurse (another patient straggled in as I was leaving, and the phones
    were ringing like crazy with cancellations).  Anyhow, when I got
    home to stick the medication in the refrigerator before heading
    over here, I shovelled my place (if your driveway is as steep as
    mine, you learn to get the snow out fast, because if any of it melts
    and freezes, you will have a really tough time getting to your door
    from the street!).  I shovelled the back door, also, as I usually
    do on the theory that you never know when you might ned an emergency
    exit or something, and went inside that way to retrieve the box
    of accumulated compost-able kitchen junk to dump in the compost
    pile.  Nebula attempted to streak out past me as I went back out
    the door, but turned tail fast and ran back in when she saw the
    piles of snow I had produced back there: nowhere for a small kitty
    to go to out the back door!  Poor critter....

    When I lived in Colorado Springs, I had a "foster cat" who belonged
    to a neighbor who had become ill and was unable to care for him
    for a few weeks.  Chow was originally from San Diego and had never
    seen snow before.  The first time it snowed, I opened the door to
    let him out (he loved crusing the neighborhood!).  Chow walked out
    the door, but when the first paw hit the snow, he turned right around,
    and with no change in his gait, he came right back in.  He walked 
    straight past me, went to his cat box, did his duty, then curled
    up in his favorite blanket and went back to sleep.  The first snow
    fall of the season always reminds me of him...
    
    Mary
    

    
    My cat thinks that I can change the weather! He'll tell me he HAS
    to go out, I'll open the door and he'll change his mind.  Ten minutes
    later he'll be facing the door, with his head twisted over his
    shoulder, and the big eyed "orphan cat" look on his face, insisting
    that by now the weather should have changed!
    
    It's nice to think that someone thinks I'm omnipotent!
    
    Jane.

    Robert Heinlein wrote a book, "The Door Into Summer" (I think).
    In the book, the main character had a cat who was forever looking
    for the door into summer when the weather was bad.  They lived on
    a planet with weather very much like N.E.'s.  That cat always reminds
    me of Munchkin.  He *loves* rain - I suppose it's because his mother
    (who was born and raised in India) used to go swimming in the pool
    when it was hot outside!  When it comes to snow, Munch doesn't want
    to have anything to do with it.  He doesn't mind flurries, but when
    he can't see over the snowbanks, well that's another story.  Being
    Siamese, he just complains continuously when he can't see, comes
    in and grouses some more, then, like the cat in the story, 5 minutes
    later wants to see if it changed!  Oh well, I often heard that animals
    reflect their *owners*, but I'm not sure who owns whom!
    
    J.
    

>< Note 398.4 by FEY::HOFFMAN >
>                                   -< Snow >-
>
>          Oh well, I often heard that animals
>    reflect their *owners*, but I'm not sure who owns whom!
>    
>    J.
>    

                A Siamese, and your not sure who owns whom!?!?!?
                
                I own (I mean I'm owned by) one also, and I've noticed
        that there is one major difference between Siamese and other
        cats. Other cats think they own you - A Siamese KNOWS it!!

                /s/     Bob

         I also live in central Mass.  The morning we had all the new
    snow I had a good laugh.  When I go out to the kitchen to put
    the coffee on, I put out the cats, (sisters-Sunny and Puff), who
    are waiting at the back door.  I opened the wooden door and they
    moved into position and the storm door.  I opened the storm door,
    pushing back a good deal of snow, and Sunny immediately jumped about
    a foot back and Puffy bolted into the living room.  Sunny did sniff
    it out and decided it was only snow and went out, Puff, (who is
    still a little shakey since a recent tangle with a car), went to
    the window to see if her sister was having fun.  (I have installed a
    shelf under the back dining room window for them to sit on.)
         Sunny digs the snow, she is long haired and weighs about 14
    pounds.  She hops like an impala through it when it gets deep.
    
    						Steve
        	       			(who is new to feline notes) 

RE:  "The Door Into Summer"

The planet in question has winters much like Earth, because it WAS Earth. That
just happens to be one of my favorite stories, and Petronius is one of my
favorite fictional cats.  Whatever else you think about Heinlein's work - his
cats are always CATS.

- Chris

    <Ref -.5>
    Bob,
    
    I completely agree with you!  To make matters even more interesting,
    I am *owned* by two, not just one!  Have you ever seen another cat
    give such dirty looks as those you get from the flashing blue eyes
    of a Siamese?  Talk about making one feel guilty!
    Joan

    Each of our cats is different, but strangely enough it seems to
    be the short-hairs who like the snow.  The long-hairs think that
    we are terrible people for FORCING them out in it (even if the weather
    is 50 degrees and we are outside with them).  Tyler, our short-haired
    orange tabby cannot WAIT to be out there-it's hard to discourage
    him even if the weather is COLD!  He goes crazy making snowballs and
    then batting them around the yard.  He's great entertainment.

                    Carol

    Ifor and Iddy love the snow.  Last year, we got Cassie, a puppy.
     She had great difficulty moving around in the snow and would jump
    and flop about in it.  Ifor used to follow her around and hide in
    the holes she made and then pounce on Iddy as she walked past. 
    There would then be a mad flurry of snow as Ifor and Iddy rolled
    and fought.  Cassie would flop over to them asap to join in, but
    she used to take so long getting there, that Ifor and Iddy would
    have finished their rough and tumble and be long gone.

    
    Shawsheen, my only indoor/outdoor kittie will tollerate the snow,
    but I always get a big laugh every year after the first show storm.
    When I open the door to let him out, he turns half way around to
    flash me a kitty diry look and I can almost hear him say - "Oh for
    crying out loud, lady, would you PLEASE get your act together and
    get all this cold wet stuff off the front lawn." 

    We just had 2 different snow falls over the past 4 days (Washington
    DC area) that have left about 2 1/2 feet of snow on the ground (the
    first one left about 1 1/2' the second one about 1').
    
    We have two cats, Rascal (about 4-5 yrs old) and Merlin (2 yrs old).
    Neither of them have ever seen large snowfalls (more than 3-4 inches)
    before.
    
    Both of these cats usually go out when we are home - so on the weekends
    that's usually from 10 am - 10 pm (with frequent stop-ins to check out
    the food bowls). Anyway, after the first storm (couldn't get them out
    during it - it was the old "PLEEEEASSSSE let me out.....YUCK, what is
    this stuff?" about every 1/2 hr) they wouldn't come out until the front
    sidewalk was shoveled.

    Now, they normally use the outdoors, rather than the litter box,
    but with the snow coming up to their ears - they would go out, walk
    about two steps and then cry to come back in and run for the box.
    
    Finally we took pity on them and us (since they were getting severe
    cabin fever and starting to bounce off the walls) and shoveled paths in
    the snow in the back yard. Several paths, as a matter of fact, with
    intersections and one path that led over the woods. We even cleared off
    a good sized section down to the leaves so they now had an outdoor
    "box". We then spent the next 1/2 hr laughing because they would race
    up and down the paths, but not be able to see each other, so would
    either collide at the intersections (and sometimes this was planned
    since Merlin likes to stalk Rascal, even if he is much smaller) or -
    one of the cats would jump straight up in the air to see where the
    other one was!
    
    Of course, all of the digging out had to be done all over again two
    days later, because of the second foot of snow, but it was certainly
    worth it! Watching those two leap up, or sit up on their hind legs like
    a prairie dog to peer over the edge of the snow, or just seeing a tail
    moving along these paths - what a site!
    
    Of course, they did blame the snow on us! And, did you ever notice
    how if they go to one door and don't like the weather, they try
    all the other doors in the house, looking for better weather? (just
    like in the books!)