Conference misery::feline_v1

    Clever cat.  Hopefully not TOO clever.
    
    Hoover seems to have learned a new trick that got him
    lots of rewards <chomp, snarf, chew, chew>.
    
    He's likely to try it again, now that he knows where
    the goodies are...so, please, for your sake and Hoover's,
    do a HOOVER SEARCH as needed, and beware the Hooverless
    home ("Oh no, haven't seen Hoover for about 3 minutes now,
    is he in the fridge or in the fourth dimension???").
    
    	:-)

    I'm sitting her laughing !!!!  I know !!!!  Locking a kitty in fridge
    is not good but I can't help it....
    
    Sandi and the Storm Troopers
    
    
    
    
    
       

    I kept saying "omygod, omygod, but then I'm visualizing this cat in the
    fridge stuffing his face and I've just now gotten back from the ladies
    room!!! My side still hurts.
    
    Giudi +3
    
    

    I may have already told this story - but my first cat used to
    LOVE to jump into the fridge.  Well, oneday my then boy-friend
    decided to teach her a lesson by locking her in the fridge for
    a "few minutes".  Well, the space cadet FORGOT about her!
    
    Fortunately I needed something in the fridge and discovered her
    in there.  She'd been in there about 1/2 hr.  SHe was totally 
    unphased by the whole thing, but John almost didn't survive!  ;^}

    Always...always do a headcount before leaving the house.  We
    do headcounts about every hour...because with seven little 
    devils....you never know where you'd find them.  The frig
    is Poco's favorite spot..the dryer is Dewey's, and little
    Chloe and Abby love going in the cubboards.
    
    Sandy (one, two, three, four, five, six seven kitties)
                                               

    When I was young, we almost had an appliance-related holocaust.  One of
    our cats had had six kittens.  They liked warm places, and could climb
    into the dryer after it ran.

    Well, one day Mom just threw some clothes in and hit the button.  Luckily
    she had some ironing to do in the basement, so she heard the "thump
    thump...meow, thump thump...meaw" and got them out in time.

    Always check your appliances carefully before throwing the switch.  By
    the way, I haven't had an indoor cat for 12 years now, and I _still_
    peer into the dryer before putting stuff in it...

    
    Sounds familiar....  I was preparing to leave for work one morning
    when I heard a strange sound inside the kitchen, apparently from 
    one of the cabinets. I looked around found no cat. I was about to
    leave and heard anothe thump. I opened a counter DRAWER and to my
    astonishment, there was a cat inside looking up very innocently. 
    
    My cats try to get into drawers, the dishwasher, the washing machine,
    etc., so I always tend to double check for them before turning
    things on or leaving the house.
    
    /ljj
    

    re: .6 - that reminds me of a people story.  When I was a child
    I decided to do some "baking" one day.  I took a round glass cake
    pan and place crayons, little plastic horses and who know what else
    into the pan and put it in the cold oven to "bake".  
    
    Well my mother decided to bake something and she turned on the
    oven without looking in it first.  A short time later she began
    to smell something funny.  It was a disaster!! My poor horsies
    were all melted.  
    
    To this day she checks in the oven before turning it on.  And so do I.
    

    Although I've known I *should* do a kitty count before leaving the
    house, I've been very negligent about it...until last Friday that is. 
    Becky has developed this "thing" about the coat closet.  Anytime the
    door is open she has to go in and "explore".  Well, we've been pretty
    good at being sure she was out when we closed the door, but last Friday
    night Randy was in a hurry to get our coats because our ride was at the
    door.  Five hours later, we get home and open the door to put the coats
    away and here's Becky sitting there very patiently.  I fully expected
    an "accident" that would need cleaning up, but she was very good.  The
    only real problem is she made an immediate bee-line for the
    litterboxes, but someone must have been in both because she jumped into
    the basket of dirty towels and used them (at least they were already
    dirty).  Needless to say, we now do at least a Becky-check before we
    leave.  Randy usually has to pet and say good-bye to all of them
    anyway.  
    
    Bernice

      Re .9
      I can identify with that!! My closet also happens to be the one
    that's large enuff to have the dirty-clothes hamper in it...and my wife
    has a tendency to throw clothes in it and just shut the door... On more
    than one occasion I've come home and gone upstairs to change into my
    'comfortable' clothes, only to hear "MPHHHWW", coming from the closed
    closet door...and oening it to find a VERY indignant cat standing there
    with a switching tail and a very exasperated attitude. Fortunately, so
    far there have been no unwanted 'deposits' left...but I always do check
    each of my shoes!!
    
      My twerps only like to roam around in the cupboard where the pots and
    pans are stored at 3:00 a.m....and the noisier they get the better they
    like it. Usually this means that half the pans are on the kitchen floor
    before I can get them out of the darned cabinets...
    
      JM
    
      

    Believe me, I do do a kitty check quite often, especially a Hoover
    check.  This wasn't the first time he jumped into the refrigerator,
    just the first time I didn't see him.  He faked me out because I had
    just left my bedroom and he was sleeping on the bed.  He evidently came
    running when he heard the door open and jumped in.
    
    This cat isn't named Hoover for nothing.  He has opened packets of
    Tender Vittles, which I keep on hand in case anyone has a bout with
    diarrhea (cats that is), and left them strewn on the kitchen floor.  He
    once opened a can of Pounce by himself and ate the entire contents.  He
    will eat potato chips, popcorn, icecream, spaghetti, squash, cheese,
    bread, lemonade, kitty greens, pasta, olives, brussel sprouts, corn and,
    believe it or not, pepperocini.  I caught him eating a cotton ball once
    and he really fought me when I took it away from him.  If it involves
    food or something he perceives MIGHT be food he'll find a way to get it.
    Then there was the time last summer when my brother gave me some fresh
    tomatoes from his garden and when I got up the next morning there they
    were on the dining room table with these big pieces missing - Hoover ate
    them.  I didn't even get one!  
    
    He has such a reputation that one of the staff at the Amherst Animal
    Hospital drew a vacuum cleaner on the outside of his chart.  
    
    And to think I almost named him Harold.
    
    Terry + 3
    
    

    > He faked me out because I had just left my bedroom and he was 
    > sleeping on the bed.  He evidently came running when he heard 
    > the door open and jumped in.
    
    Aw yes, the teleporting kitty trick.  ;-)
    

    I know you guys aren't going to believe this but I got up this morning
    to find pieces of chewed up paper on the dining room rug.  Hoover ate
    part of Schedule A from my income tax return.
    
    

    Of COURSE we believe you!
    
    My cats' favorite activity with paper is playing 
    "Shuffle and Deal," preferably by using one piece of paper
    as a sled across the other piece of paper.  Glossy paper
    is the best!
    
    Second favorite is chewing edges of papers (the more important
    the paper, the greater the probability that it gets chewed),
    and general paper shredding, usually with teeth, not so often
    with claws.
    
    "DOG-EARED" paper, poo!  CAT's do a MUCH better job.

My cats prefer the taste of Kodak paper, as in photographs!!  I have to be 
careful not to leave any laying around, or I will find them with teeth marks
in them shortly after.  My photo album is full of pics with little teeth marks
in them.

And, they also love to chew my DEC badge.  What is it about my DEC badge.  I
have had to replace it twice already.  After a while it starts coming apart in 
layers from all the chewing.

Jo

    Bailey uses the "shred the important papers" tactic to get my 
    attention in the morning if I haven't gotten out of bed to feed
    her when she deems it is the appropriate time.  Do you know how
    hard it is to be sure every paper, magazine, newspaper, etc. is
    out of reach of a determined cat.
    
    Carrie likes to chew on my photographs too.  I've had to start
    putting the loose (non-albumed) pictures on the top shelf of
    my closet to save them from the picture sucking/chewing cat.
    
    Jan