Conference misery::feline_v1

    re: .-01
    
    	Thank God you were able to catch it in time.  I hope your cat
    learns the lesson, NEVER go in dryers.
    
    	Bob, Smoke, Sneakers, & Nova
    
    

    
    
       			What a LUCKY kitty!  
    
    						kim and Catnip!

    I have a reply to this story - funny you should write on a topic like
    this.
    
    Last Friday morning I let my kitty, Spunks, out on our screened in
    porch (she is an indoor cat).  I said to myself - "I better not forget
    her out there."  I proceeded to get ready for work and forgot all about
    poor little Spunks.
    
    That night I get home and my husband, who got home before me asked
    "did you let Spunks out this morning?"  It finally dawned on me - she
    had been out all day!  My husband said he came home and started looking
    for her.  He said that Zildjian was acting funny and kept looking out
    on the porch.  Michael said he was just about to shoo the cat that was
    sitting outside YES OUTSIDE on the porch when he realized that it was
    Spunks!!!  
    
    She was full of mud and real shook up.  No bruises or broken bones, but
    cold and shivering and HUNGRY (naturally).  Good thing it was 50
    degrees out that day and sunny.  THE WHOLE DAY and outside to boot!  
    
    I never felt so guilty in all my life!  I really paid attention to her
    all of that night (hugging and trying to warm up her little ears) and
    she loved every minute of it.  It took 2 days for her ears to finally
    warm up and she slept all day (which is not too unusual) Saturday.
    
    I will NEVER let her out again before work!  I learned a lesson and
    thanked God that she didn't get hurt cuz I never would have forgiven
    myself.  
    
    Anna/Zildjian/Spunks (the mud cat)
    

    re: .3 I should have explained that Spunks broke out of the screen
    porch.  She actually clawed her way out.  The only thing I can think of
    was she had to do her job and had no dirt to do it in - so she decided
    to break out.  Then she couldn't figure out how to get back in -
    
    POOR BABY!
    
    That should clarify things.
    
    

    My Siamese, Gino, took a spin in the dryer last summer.  I'm always
    careful to check before I close the door and start it up but this
    time I got distracted and didn't look (I had never found any of
    my cats in the dryer prior to this) and just turned it on.  Thank
    god I didn't walk out of the laundry room right away because I heard
    that same thunking sound.  Well I immediately opened the dryer (I
    think he only spun around 2-3 times) and there was my big guy, big
    blue eyes, somewhat glazed, looking out from all these wet clothes.
    
    Thank God, He hasn't gone near it since!!!
               
    
    Giudi

    I dread the day that I don't see Deja climb in the dryer.  I don't know
    what I would do if something bad happens to her.  
    
    She loves to climb in while I am pulling out the nice, fluffy, warm,
    dry clothes.  She looks so adorable in there.  I have even found her in
    there trying to warm up just after I pull all the clothes out.
    
    Thank goodness you got your kitty out in time.
    
    Sandi mom to 4 furry friends and 1 stray
    
    

    
    	I have trained my crew (does 4 count as a `crew', Nancy??)
    	to stay out fo the dryer - every time I catch one of them
    	standing on the open door, looking in, I sneak up and BANG
    	on the top of the dryer as hard as I can - the resulting 
    	racket usually scares the bejeebers out of the culprit, and
    	a couple of repeats (if any!) are all it takes to dissaude
    	them from climbing in (but I still check...I usually never
    	leave the door open, even between loads...)  Oh, this works
    	for the stove, too...
    
    	Sherry, Rosie, Missy, Squeek and SARAH!
    

    I think four can count as a crew Sherry - It definitely counts
    as a "furry foursome".
      N
    

    p.s. Who's Sarah?  I think I missed something.

    
    	well.....we tried to adopt Scooter from Pat Daley, but
    	squeek went mental and tried to kill him, so we gave him
    	back to Pat (who was delighted to get him abck, fortunately),
    	then some friends of ours gave us Sarah, she's 5 months
    	old, and her mother showed up on their doorstep, had kittens,
    	and got hit by a car a few weeks later...Sarah is a doll, she's
    	a light grey tiger with white feet, chest and nose, but in
    	between the grey and white, and on her tummy, is cream color.
    	I think she'd do well as a show kitty....she's very pretty...
    	Maybe I'll be seeing you at the shows after all...
    
    	Sherry and crew...
    

    re: shows - I sure hope so.  I wonder when you can enter HHP kittens.
    I know its 4 months for the purebreds and the sooner you start her
    the better.
      N
    

    You can enter HHP kittens at four months also !!
    
    E.T.

    
    	well...she's 4 1/2 months old.....hmmmm...
    
    	

    So go for the Hudson NH show!!  Beverly Hardacre is entry clerk.
    Give me a call if you want more info - its in here somewhere already
    but I'll give it to you over the phone.
      N
    

    
    
    	this could be fun, Sherry......

    Can you stand another short story, sort of?
    
    We moved recently and had to leave our beloved vet behind.  We were
    lucky and found a sympathic soul who unstood what it meant to take
    4 cats for shots--he makes house calls.  The first time that we
    visited the surgery we walked in with our rugged cat box with metal
    bars and super strong bolts.  To our shame there were people with--do
    you believe it--cats sitting on their laps, wrapped in blankets and
    generally able to fight, flee and cause all out mayhem.  But they
    didn't, they just sat on their respective owners laps and blinked.  My
    cat was growling, spitting, there were paws emerging from various
    holes in the box (both those put there by the manufacturer and those
    they fashioned themselves). It takes three people to cut the claws of
    my 4 cats, one had to wait until he had his teeth cleaned (under
    general anesthetic) to have them cut.  I am not a wimp, but my cats
    have the measure of me.  (Tigger has the measure of the vet as well-he
    is the one who tried to cut Tig's claws and had to admit defeat).   
    
    There!  I feel a bit better unloading it all.  I know you 
    understand and have had similar experiences yourselves and I can write
    without feeling the fool.
    
    I wouldn't change my cats for the world but I do wish I could just once
    sit in the vets waiting room with at least one of them sitting on my 
    lap blinking contentedly and looking like Aristotle.                   
    
	Meow!

    re: .1 - Don't feel too bad....at least you won't have to
    worry about your cat escaping at the vets.
      Nancy

    I am fortunate that my dryer is on top of the washer...the stacked kind
    so I don't have to worry about Otis and Tiffany getting into it.  I
    don't usually let them come downstairs with me - too many 'things' for
    them to get into.
    
    Tiffany is not very adventuresome...she likes to lay on my daughters
    waterbed - eat - lay in the sun downstairs - eat - and curl up in a
    chair.  She ALWAYS answers the door - when somebody knocks or rings the
    doorbell - she extremely docile and affectionate - she is a loveable 
    and kissy cat.
    
    Otis...on the other hand is a climber.  I have a chest of drawers in my
    bedroom that is 5 feet tall and he jumps up there and watches me clean
    the room - vacuum - look out the window and take a snooze on top of
    anything that's in his way.  He just rests his chin on 'it' and pops
    off to sleep.  He jumps up on top of my daughters desk and knocks
    things off of it - jumps up on top of the Entertainment Center in the
    living room and jumps up into the bathroom sink bowl - to cool off
    (like last Saturday when it was 94 degrees)!  
    
    Having read and heard some _sad_ stories about kittens/cats being stuck
    in dishwashers, dryers, closets, drawers, cabinets, once I heard of one
    being stuck behind a couch (apparantly the couch made up into a bed and
    the next morning they put the 'bed' back down and the poor kitty was
    there all day long!)....I get paranoid and have to know where each cat
    is.  Luckily Otis follows me everywhere but Tiffany is the sleeper and
    I need to know where she is at all times.  I even call my daughter at
    home during the day...just to see how the CATS are doing.  She got
    insulted once and wanted to know if I cared how HER day was going!
    
    I heard somewhere that there are two kinds of cats...the timid ones
    which stays prett much close to the ground and the aggressive ones
    which prefer high places.  Does anyone know if that is true?
    
    Marilyn
    

    I don't know if it's true in everybodys house but it is in ours. There
    is nothting too high that Mocha can't reach. Top of our pine hutch in
    the dinning room (filled with antique glass wear, and pewter napkins
    rings, and peweter tankards etc.) is one of his favorite places. He
    hasn't broken anything yet, just sort of re-arranges the shelves!! Some
    times we find a napkin ring or salt cellar on the floor.
    
    Now Ming is the perfect lady.... She rarely jumps up on anything. Ex-
    cept the couch or bed if you are using it. Chairs, and window sills
    seem to be of no interest. Good thing Mocha wouldn't share the window
    sills anyhow.
    
    Funny worlds these cats live in, one sees everything from the floor
    up, and the other looks down on top of everything.
    
    Barbara

    both of my furbabiez are 1/2 siamese, which means those strong back
    legs.  they are both climbers.  we had only been in the new house a few
    hours, when both of them had figured out how to get up on the high
    ledge that comes out from the top part of the vaulted ceiling.  i have
    pix of both of them up there.  sigh...  ;-)
    
    diane, stanley & stella