Conference misery::feline_v1

    I'm not laughing...I've done that to my neighbor's kitty a number
    of times.  Scares kitty half out of her mind.           
    
    -L-

    This is a common problem during the cold months and for me has always
    been caused by low humidity in the home, in fact I guage humidifier
    performance by how much the cats spark.

                As hinted at by the previous reply, GET A HUMIDIFIER!
        The added humidity will not only help your cats well being
        (fewer sparks) but also yours and your furniture. The average
        house in the winter (without a humidifier) has a humidity level
        that compares unfavorably with the Sahara (I've heard twice as
        dry!). It can also help with your fuel bills since a properly
        humidified house can usually be kept at a lower temperature for
        the same feeling of comfort.
                
                /s/     Bob

    No suggestions here, I'm afraid, but the topic did remind me of
    a *great* light show I had one night, stroking the cat under the
    covers; in the darkness I could see the blue lightning-bolts very
    clearly! (Chiun didn't seem to mind it, as long as I didn't touch
    his nose.)
    
    -b

    
    I have had this problem for years, but the kittys seem to understand.
    In fact I believe that I have occasionally seen my kittys wince
    just before they make that ever shocking nose contact with me. 
    My dearly departed geriatric pussycat, Missy, would brace for the
    shock and touch me several times with her nose to be sure the charge
    was all used up before she would cuddle in comfort with me.

    Mine learned to put out the paw first - the discharge there is
    not so painful.  They start doing this after a couple of days
    of heavy static.  I have a humidifier - but sometimes it doesn't
    keep up.  The only other thing I have found is a grooming spray
    made by Ring5.  Seems to help for a while.  Probably even a spray
    of plain water would help some.  Anything to soak up the extra
    electrons!
    
    Sally
    

    Two of my longhairs suffer from static cling.  I usually use the
    Ring5 grooming spray at the shows just to put that finishing touch
    on them and to make sure that the judges don't shock them during
    the judging process (when they check for Joui's roman nose, I often
    see her wince).
    
    A few other things I have tried are static guard (made for people)
    sprayed on the combs and brushes and then grooming them,  Cling
    free sheets - just take the sheet out and rub if over there fur,
    and last but not least, a new product out on the market made for
    carpets called static guard or something like that.  It is a carpet
    deoderizing powder and static preventative in one and it smells
    wonderful.  We used it for the first time last week and I am very
    pleased with the results.  Seems to have cut out the shock problem
    for the time being.  I don't know how long it will last but so far
    so good.
    
    You know that the static is really getting bad when your cats refuse
    to walk on the carpet and instead leap from airmchair to sofa to
    whatever in an effort to avoid the dreaded static maker!
    
    Jo Ann

    I saw a neat new product at the show this weekend.  A woman had
    a little gun that was actually a negative de-ionizer.  She would
    just "shoot" her kitty with it, and the static would disappear!
    As we all know (!) cats build up negatively charged ions - called
    anions.  What the gun does is release positively charged ions -
    called CATions - YES that's what they're relly called!  So our cats
    need more "cat ions" to fight static cling!  If I can find out how
    to get one of these nifty negative de-ionizers, I will enter a new
    note.  Anyone else seen them?????
    	Molly

    RE: .8
    
        These guns sound like the anti-static guns that are sold for
    neutralizing static on phonograph records. I think that Disc-
    washer sells them, for one!
    
    Ray

    RE .1
    
    What have you done to your neighbor's kitty a number of times????
    Shocked her on the nose, or put her in the dryer?  (-:

    what??
    

    re. .11
    
    > What??
    
    You need to reread the first response to see that it could be
    interpreted either way, based on the base note.
    
    Donna

    Winston has made a bold new discovery about static electricity on
    TV screens.  When we turn off the TV he will run to the screen and
    touch it alternately with each paw until all the shocks are out
    of it.  We can hear the clicking of the sparks.  Every evening now
    when we are getting ready to go to bed, Winston can be seen waiting
    patiently by the TV for us to turn it off.
    
    It works even better if all the lights are out in the room... then
    he can actually see the sparks as they fly!!
    
    Jo Ann

    My cat SPIKE rushes over to the TV when we switch it off. I think
    he likes the shocks as well.  Unfortunately the TV is always muddy
    now.