Conference misery::feline

    I think Oscar is bored and is playing "feet are prey."  Tucker
    him out with some games.  I would discourage any tendency to bite
    by doing the whimper when bitten thing, so he knows he is hurting
    you.
    

    Assuming there's no organic cause for him to be reacting like this,
    you may want to try a training technique suggested by a cat behaviorist.
    Put double sided carpet tape (easy to find in most hardware stores)
    on your jeans and walk by Oscar when he's doing his thing.  When he 
    grabs your leg he'll stick.  His first reaction should be to get the
    heck off that sticky stuff.  At some point in the training he should
    get the message that grabbing legs is not a pleasant experience for him
    and stop the behavior.
    
    Jan

    Jeans??? in triple digit weather???  and CARPET tape??  I say just a
    little far fetched!  The way I see it, .1 said it all.  He's only
    playing "feet are prey".  I say just blow it off as just more cat
    mischief!
    
    Fluffy, the former stray Maine coon, shows his afection towards me by a
    mild nip.  Just last night I was at the back door calling Barney, when
    he started rubbing up against my bare leg, and yelling "OUT!" in cat
    voice, and then just to make sure he really had my attention he sort of
    stood up on hind legs and gently nipped my knee.  Not to hurt, but just
    sort of to say "hey rmember me, I want to see out too!"  He also will
    do much the same thing on my cheek at night, usually in the throws of
    nose to nose rubbing.  I sort of think this, and your situation as well
    it just an attention getter.  Blow it off!
    
    Lyn
    

    You can usually stop the "feet are prey" games by usign a kitty
    tease.Basicly it it s fishing pole with somethign like a cloth bow, a
    feather, etc on the end. You move it around and let kitty try to catch
    it. By the way, you need to let kitty "win" the kitty tease game
    occasionally. YOu can get a kitty tease for $5-$10 at any pet store.
    
    Deb

    
    I agree with everyone... I think Oscar is bored and wants someone to
    play with..  The feet are the closes and he might know that if he does
    the feet he will most definately have your attention....
    
    He might be hot a frustrated and trying to tell you about... 
    
    
    *joyce and the boys!
    
    
    

    >Jeans??? in triple digit weather???  and CARPET tape??  I say just a
    >little far fetched!  The way I see it, .1 said it all.  He's only
    >playing "feet are prey".  I say just blow it off as just more cat
    >mischief!
    
    Well, exccuuusseee me for trying to help.  It's not as far fetched
    as it may sound to you.  It works.  
    
    >    Fluffy, the former stray Maine coon, shows his afection towards me by a
    >mild nip.  Just last night I was at the back door calling Barney, when
    >he started rubbing up against my bare leg, and yelling "OUT!" in cat
    >voice, and then just to make sure he really had my attention he sort of
    >stood up on hind legs and gently nipped my knee.  Not to hurt, but just
    >sort of to say "hey rmember me, I want to see out too!"  He also will
    >do much the same thing on my cheek at night, usually in the throws of
    >nose to nose rubbing.  I sort of think this, and your situation as well
    >it just an attention getter.  Blow it off!
    
    A gentle nip/love bite is one thing.  Grabbing your leg and biting is 
    another.  It sounded like he was being aggressive, not affectionate.  
    So, I offered some help.  Just because you don't agree with the help I 
    offered is no reason to play it off as some kind of idiotic idea.

    Jan
    

    You may need to figure out if the cat is doing this because he's bored
    (then other toys will work) or if something has upset it. Each would
    require a different response (or at least that's how we handle it.) If
    you don't want the cat doing this at all, then your methods may differ.
    Also, is it possible that this was how he played in his previous house?
    
    One of our current kitties, Merlin, does the "grab the ankle" routine.
    But, he has 2 levels of intensity, one which is the "i'm bored" and the
    other "I'm mad at you". As both levels start off with the same attack,
    (cat wraps himself or just a paw around an ankle and starts to hold
    on), but the "i'm mad" quickly elevates into something painful, we try
    to stop the "i'm mad" immediately or before it happens. The other we
    don't really discourage.
    
    In the "I'm bored"... we can be sitting or standing and Merlin will
    come by, fall on the floor, usually on the human foot target, wrap
    himself around the ankle and start kicking with his back paws, as if
    he were fighting. However he uses no claws and no teeth. The attack
    intensifies if you try to move, but still no claws/teeth. (on vinyl
    floors this can actually be fun as you gently swing your leg around and
    the cat comes with it - it's great for picking up the loose
    dustballs.!) He'll then jump up/off and looksto see if you're
    following. Of course we do and usually pick up some toy and play for a
    while.
    
    In the "I'm mad" event, it usually happens as we are going to bed and he
    is NOT happy with the bedtime snack he just received. As we head up the
    stairs, he'll run ahead, lay in wait on the next to top step and as you
    go to step over him, he'll latch onto your leg for a brief few seconds,
    with claws/teeth. enough to be slightly painful, not do any real
    damage. No reaction will mean him taking a stronger bite/hold. Since
    he's laying in wait - if I stop a few steps down from him and look him
    straight in the eye and say a loud "NO" usually followed by a "don't
    even think about it!".... he backs off and just sulks.
    
    So - you should determine what mood your kitty is in. If playful, then
    find a distrastion. If angry, defuse it. Our first cat would do this
    when he was upset and would draw blood (previous owners mistreated
    him). It took us almost a year to break him of that habit. Until we
    did, it was not only painful for us, but our friends weren't that happy
    with him either (since he's pick any leg).
    
    good luck!

    I agree that this is just an attention ploy.  Our Ashley will get
    in one of her "I'm bored and nobody will play with me" moods and
    will grab an ankle as we walk by then bolt the other way so
    someone will chase her and play her games.  Either that or she will
    come up to me and rub to get my attention then when she has it
    she'll go do something bad like eating a dry flower arrangement
    or chewing the phone cord.  Anything to get me up, which being
    8 months pregnant, isn't a piece of cake anymore!!!  
    
    Susan.

    Help,
    
    ok, so I'm a paranoid pet owner. Last night, my kitty pushed out the 
    screne window, my indoor kitty. She escaped late last night. If my SO
    hadn't come home when he did, I wouldn't have woke up and looked for
    her. The reason I'm concerned is because she came running to the door
    when I called her but she was covered in sap and anything else she
    found to roll in, but her eyes were dialated, and she looked like she
    had the furballs scared right outa her. She was hissing and spitting
    (yes she spits at me when she's mad) she was just plain uptight about
    something..of course this was her first time outside unattending by 
    an adult parent....me or him...She did get out last week because of 
    a little girl heard her meowing so she OPENED my screne and (choke)
    let her out...!! the lady across the street scolded the little girl and
    put the kitty back in the house. I just don't want her getting run over
    or attacked by other animals, lots in the nieghborhood. 
    This moring however, she was spralled out on the recliner like she'd
    run the boston marathon, but she was still spooked...
    Do ya think she had a run in with a nieghborhood bullie or something. 
    she seems aweful skiddish, more than usual....
    
    michelle
    

    michelle,  "covered in sap" doesn't sound good to me.  I suspect a not-
so-kind human did something and your kitty was lucky to escape.  You don't
sound paranoid to me; kitties aren't normally still bug-eyed the next day 
for the usual stuff that ticks them off.

    Is there any way you can make the screens more secure?  On my old ones, I
used nails and bent them over the frame.  Depending on the kind of screen you
have you might have some luck finding appropriate brackets at a hardware store
(not one of those new "emporiums" but a real hardware store with ancient 
clerks and aisles full of bins of good "stuff").

			SQ

PS.  Glad your kitty is okay!

Re .9:

Yeah, sounds like your cat encountered a jerk.  Cats which are used to humans
being friendly can be seriously shaken by human jerks.  She'll probably get
over it over the next week or so, but she'll remember.  Just be your normal
nice self to her, and things should work out.

    Thanks guys, you're making me feel a bit better. She still is on alert
    but her hair isn't standing up anymore. I got most of the sap or pitch
    off of her, she wasn't happy, but she'll adjust. 
    michelle
    

    When my lovely Shadow, a throw-away Persian (Honest !!), wants to be
    picked up and loved, she stands up behind me on her hind paws and puts
    her front paws, with just a bare minimum of claw out, right into the
    crease behind my knee.  That is her way of saying she is feeling
    neglected (HER, NEGLETED ??).  Of course, it always works.  
    
    Thunder, a declawed Beauty, runs up and *pats* me on the rear when she
    wants some cuddling.  
    
    They all have their own way of getting our attention.
    
    Sandi and the Notorious 7
    

	KD will grab for your feet, especially if you have socks on. He will
grip your foor with all 4 paws if she gets the chance, and then nip at your
foot. It's really cute to watch. :-0

    
    Blueberry sometimes attacks my ankles.  I read someplace that the
    instinct to prey is so strong in cats that they will often completely
    disregard ridiculous differences in size between themselves and their
    potential prey.
    
    len.
    

    Red is completely wicked when he wants attention.  First, he'll
    run up and butt your hand with his head.  Ignore that, and he'll
    head for the couch and claw (a forbidden behavior) all the while
    looking over his shoulder to make sure I've seen him.  In the event
    that he finds I am completely dense, I have on occasion been
    subjected to 10 kitty claws in my backside as a wake-up call (I have
    a LARGE cat) :-)  I usually pick up on that one right quick!
    
    With regular play periods we find his behavior calms down
    somewhat.  
    
    Mary-Michael

    Hey!  Mary-Michael, fancy meeting you here!
    My big-boy Spike does something similar - if I don't wake up to his
    chirping (I hear him, I just pretend I'm still sleeping), he tries
    clawing a piece of furniture.  Sometimes it's the bed, which is no big
    deal. Failing that, he attempts to S-Q-U-E-E-Z-E his big backend up
    onto my very tiny night stand. It's only big enough for the clock and
    the boudoir lamp - no room for a 20-lb. cat!  As soon as I hear the
    clock or the lamp topple over, I know I need to get up.  I've since put
    pillows on the floor, so if the lamp goes over it doesn't break. He has
    broken 2 so far...
    ONE of us needs better training... : )
    Sarah

    I had a cat named Daffy that had her own way of waking me up.  First
    she would get her face very close to mine so her whiskers were tickling
    my face.  If that didn't work, she would hook a couple of claws in my
    hair and pull.  As a last resort, she would take one claw and whack me
    on the nose.  Needless to say, I aways opened my eyes on that one.
    
    I now have a cat named Tigger who loves to play.  The other day I was
    tossing one of his toys for him in the bedroom and it went all the way
    over the bed and landed on the floor on the other side.  I lay across
    the bed and was trying to grab it, when, all of a sudden, he jumped up
    on the bed, nipped my backside and ran like the devil that he is.  The
    things we put up with from our furry faces!
    
    Marilyn

    re: .17
    
    Hi Sarah!  I see you're a kitty person too! :-)
    
    Red used to be an outdoor cat.  He isn't anymore and
    has adjusted pretty well, except that he still has this
    vague memory of something happening between 3:30 and
    4:30 in the morning.  Something which he seems to remember
    involves a person.  So, every morning around 4:30, Red
    tries to wake me up.  The first move is usually a 
    23 lb cat jumping onto my stomach.  Should I choose 
    to ignore that, or desire to catch my breath :-), I get
    a cold wet nose in my ear, accompanied by a purr which
    is loud enough to have a decible level.  If for some reason 
    I ignore even these plain signs of kitty need, he jumps on
    each dresser in turn, knocking off whatever he can.
    On the truely dense days, he backs his 23lb frame onto
    the nightstand next to my side of the bed and jumps up
    onto the bookcase, the impact from the takeoff removing
    all items from the nightstand (amazingly enough, the lamp
    has not yet broken).  This usually gets my attention because
    something generally lands on my face :-).  At this point he
    either gets shut out of the bedroom or let onto the screen
    porch.  Obviously, he prefers the porch :-).  Lately I've
    taken to sleeping with the C.A.T. next to the bed, and 
    giving him a few squirts when he gets up on the dresser.
    In the beginning this worked extremely well, but now it
    seems to have turned into a game where he sees how many
    items he can knock off the dresser before I hit him with
    the sprayer....
    
    I'm sure he thinks my training is going just fine.... ;-)
    
    Mary-Michael
       

    Mary-Michael,
    Too funny!  Nice to see you can be trained : )
    Spike is also in the 20-22 pounds range.  However, I can't shut him out
    of the bedroom since he can open the door himself.  He stretches up,
    rattles the doorknob until it pops open.  I usually end up relocating
    him to the cellar with the door locked. Any idea what happens at that
    magic hour?  Must be other cats outside calling to them for a party or
    something.
    Sarah  

    hi guys, 
    
    Well I took Harley to the vet because I was becoming increasingly
    concerned with her strange behavior. I suspected worms or some physical
    ailment...BUT NOOOOOO, my vet checked her inside and out. I mean REALLY
    checked her. I explained what happened and just as I finished, Harley 
    went into her rendition of hissing and spitting at the vet...well, I
    was a bit humilited, yet I felt better that she hadn't just singled me 
    out for torture. I have been informed that my kitty has a ... get this
    behavioral problem. I spent $35 dollars to find out my kitty has an 
    attitude problem. That I already knew!! 
    I guess it's heat season and all the male cats are circling the
    neighborhood. Harley is fixed, but the most of the males in the 'hood
    are not neutered, so they are on the prowl and the vet thinks she is 
    picking up the sent from them and becoming unglued because she is
    trying to defend her territory from inside. I let her out with me 
    when I get home from work and she plays in the yard with both of us,
    but then she goes right back inside. The vet suggested I stop doing
    that until she calms down a bit, she's still getting wigged out over
    stupid stuff, but she's calming a bit already. 
    NO fleas or flea dust 
    no worms, no infections 
    no temp. no physical problems...just mental...I'll be driving her
    to the kitty psychiatrist soon..NOT!!
    
    michelle
    

    Hi, Michelle.  I've got a cat who's had a similar "attitude problem" as
    Harley.  She's about 7 years old, and never had a problem before, but
    suddenly she began acting like the devil himself were after her!  She'd
    be begging for attention, so I'd pick her up, and all of a sudden her
    eyes would dialate and she'd spring off my chest (leaving her mark as
    she did so) and run off to hide!  The first couple of days I didn't do
    anything about it, because I assumed something had spooked her.  But it
    started becoming REALLY annoying:  she'd be fine for a day or two, and
    then "spook" for absolutely no reason.  She'd get up on the bed (she's
    my wake-up call!), and then flee like I was going to kill her.  After a
    few days of being scratched to pieces (my cat does NOT scratch me!) I'd
    had enough.  When she'd rebound off my chest, I'd chase after her, pull
    her out of her hiding spot, and scold her, forcing her against my
    chest (so she couldn't rebound off again).  My husband thought I was
    being cruel (he, too, thought something must have scared her), but
    after the second time, she was fine.  A few months later she started up
    again, but it only took 1 scolding this time.  She's been fine ever
    since.  I never did figure out what was going through her head - my vet
    was baffled as well.  But now she's fine, and HOPEFULLY she'll stay
    that way!
    
    Tina
    

    A new problem with Bits.
    
    Wall climbing, I first noticed it last Thursday and my husband said
    that was the first time he had seen him do it.
    Now it is a regular thing, anywhere he can get a paw on each side of a
    section of wall, he runs up it, door jambs are his favorite, to-night
    he made it to the top of the kitchen door.
    
    Has any-one else come across this? if so what did you do about it?
    
    joan

    Both my cats did this when they were kittens.  We had blown vinyl
    wallpaper in our hall.  (I am not sure what you call this in the States
    but it is slightly padded wallpaper).
    
    The cats could get their claws right into this and were often found
    right up at the ceiling.  Unfortunately we found no way of stopping
    this and as they got older they took great delight in stripping great
    chunks off the wall.  We finally stripped the whole lot off last
    September and have yet to get round to re-papering.  I am hoping by the
    time we do it they will have forgotten that they used to climb up it.
    
    I am also looking for a cat proof wallpaper and will never have stuff
    that is padded in any way.
    
    Kirsty

Re .24:

Cat-proof wallpaper:  Iron?  Stainless steel?  Granite?

	My cat runs up the doorway frames. She hasn't gotten all the way up
yet, but she is getting better at it. Oh yeah, she now not only brings back
balls you bounce down the hall to you, she moved that up to any item you throw
down the hall for her to chase. 


Glen

    I once had a cat that would play "catch" with you.  If I rolled a ball
    to her, she would roll it back to me.  Of, course, she was a very
    intelligent cat (as all of our cats are!).  It used to drive my husband
    crazy that I could tell her to do something, and she would do it.
    
    Marilyn

    actually, the name of that game is "throw" or "roll", not catch. Kitty
    teachs you to throw or roll the ball, kitty brings it back to you throw
    or roll again, etc. :-)
    
    Deb

	Buki used to love to play catch up until the time he was 4 or so,
	all of a sudden he stopped.  The name of the game should actually
	be "retrieve", you throw or roll an object and they retrieve it. 
	Although many times Buki would jump up high and catch the object in his
	mouth in mid air.

	Laura

    
    	re doors:
    
    	Max the Abysinnian has a new trick of getting on top of doors, 
    	usually by jumping from the bathroom sink or my desk to the top
    	of the door. He thinks this is just great and will sit up there
    	rubbing his chin on the frame [pleased with himself]. He often 
    	turns around to sit his butt on the top of the frame, front feet
    	on the door, surveying his kingdom [aka, the bathroom :) ]. He
    	jumps down to the floor [rather than back via the sink route]. 
    
    	I think it's a hoot, but I worry about him coming down wrong in
    	landing. But, there's nothing I can do to stop him!
    
    	The other Aby is not this adventurous so I don't forsee any doortop
    	tussles. Another of the cats, Punkin, will sit on the floor and
    	curse at Max "Oh, you think you SO smart, huh?"....
    
    	Sherry

    I have a tiny bathroom window, above the tub surround, that is about 6
    inches high and maybe two fee long or so.  It has a very narrow sill. 
    If I leave the sliding glass shower doors open, Tigger will leap from
    the bathroom counter up to that window and seems to have no trouble
    landing on the sill.  He sits and looks out, then proceeds to give me
    more heart attacks by jumping over to the shower door frame and walking
    back and forth on that.  He thinks it's great, I think he's nuts. 
    Sometimes I wonder if he does that when no one is around, or if he just
    does it to scare me.  I do try to remember to keep the shower doors
    closed, but you know how it is when you're rushing to get to work in
    the A.M.  
    
    Marilyn

    	I love kitties! We don't own them, they own us! I had 25 at one
    point, now only 2. Sometimes I think they out smart me. I have a 6
    years old girl kittie, Resin and a 1 year old boy kittie, Yip-Yip.
    Resin has been very jealous....She won't speak to me anymore, no
    cuddles, nothing...her attitude started when I had my son, Kyle, now 
    1 1/2 years old. Then I got a puppy, I had to give him away due to her
    prissiness and unhappiness. She has ajusted to Kyle now. But Yip-Yip is
    continuously harassing her, and she lets him. I think the main reason
    she is "mad" at me is due to the strong bond between Yip-Yip and
    myself. But for the first time in 1 year she actually slept with me
    while Yip-Yip was on the bad too!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes. I give
    extra special attention, sneak her treats. I even put Yip-Yip outside
    just to have a special moment between her and I. So far she's doing ok
    but wil not give up on her stubborness. Yip-Yip can be very rude to
    her, I can't even feed them both together because Yip-Yip will chow his
    meal in seconds and then push her out of the way and eat hers, and she
    doesn't fight for it!! She lets him do it and just walks off. She has
    been bringing me gifts though, mice, birds.etc... I praise her well for
    it and she enjoys that much. Well, I'm blabbing on and on and on now!
    					katy  happy kittying!!

    
    My youngest orange fur ball has developed a new strange behavior! She
    has discovered a passion for Bounty paper towels! 
    
    When I purchase paper towels I usually buy them in bulks of twelve.
    I store the towels I'm not using in the laundry room of my basement.
    Ms. Fur Ball discovered them quite by accident (or curiousity) and
    decided to knaw through the outer wrapping and tackle the paper.
    I snuck the extra rolls of paper out of the laundry room and thought
    I was hiding them from her only to find out she found them again
    and proudly displayed her ability to shred paper to me!
    
    Does anyone know of a reason why a kitty would want to shred paper and
    knaw plastic wrap?  Could it be a vitamin deficiency or is she 'just
    being a kitty'?
    
    Nancy

    Paper towels and packages of toilet paper are fair game in my house.
    Ms. Marple thinks it's her duty to 'kill' any plastic wrapped package.
    She must be protecting us from some evil we don't recognize.  Unless
    these packages are well hidden, I use paper towels and toilet tissue
    which are full of holes.  Ms Marple does have a plastic fetish. She
    licks and chews grocery bags and other plastic material.  I stop her
    when she gets too carried away or the sound it makes gets too annoying.
    I've never understood the attraction, but she's been doing it for about
    14 years.
    
    Nancy

    Just kitty behaviour...and it could be worse because I have
    a cat that LOVES to spray any type of plastic that is laying
    around.
    
    Sandy

    I have to put the paper towels on their holder backwards (spooling off
    the back of the roll instead of the front) as well as the toilet paper
    thse days.  otherwise, Melody the Maine coon kitten uses far more of
    both of them than her human servants get to use!  Now, Melody, of
    course, is not actually supposed to be on the kitchen counter where the
    paper towels are at all - but she isn't old enough to have learned not
    to get caught or leave obvious signs of her mischief-making activities
    yet.  The critter will actually look at any humans in the area before
    misbehaving, as if to weigh how much trouble she is about to get into
    against how much fun she is about to have doing it!  She can't get at
    where the unopened paper towels are stored, and she usually doesn't get
    into the cabinet where the unopened toilet paper is, although she has
    sometimes gotten in there and shredded multiple rolls at one time.
    
    
    /Charlotte

    Be glad that your cat just shreds the roll of paper. My late cat Pip
    (aka Her Lovelyness, MS Pip S. Pussycat, Esq) felt that toilet paper
    was for decorating purposes. She would take an end of the roll in her
    mouth and run through the house with it. When it broke off, she'd go
    back and do it again. 
    
    Deb

    
    re: -1 
    
    MS Pip S. Pussycat, Esq never gives up!  She could be to an advantage
    if you needed to decorate your house in order to throw a birthday party
    with streamers!
    
    Nancy

    I really miss her; she had such a unique take on the world ...
    

    Melody does that with packing peanuts, if she gets into any before we
    can put them into cartons in the storeroom (I come out about even on
    packing peanuts - I mail order a lot of stuff, and I also mail out a
    lot of stuff).  The kitten loves the things, and if she gets into them,
    she carries them off and decorates the whole house with them.  I'm glad
    it hasn't occurred to her fuzzy little mind to do the same with the
    toilet paper.
    
    /Charlotte

    
    re: .37
    
    When I read your reply it didn't sink in she is deceased. Sorry.
    
    Nancy

    
    Ms. Orange Fur Ball has another strange habit she recently picked
    up!  The other night she jumped on my bed while I was sleeping.  I felt
    her beside me, gave her a little pat and fell back asleep again.
    Somehow she managed to get under the covers and settle down beside my
    ankle. I awoke briefly only to notice she was laying beside me and then
    fell back asleep again.  Suddenly, I felt teeth biting my ankle! Wide
    awake I sat up in bed wondering what was going on. I noticed my kitty
    demanding I pay attention to her. This was 4:30 am. Normally I get up 
    at about 5:50.  I couldn't get back to sleep again after such a 
    'piercing' awakening.
    
    Ms. Orange Fur Ball hasn't bit my ankle since then but she is getting
    into the habit of biting my fingers.  I know it is an affectionate bite
    but I ask myself 'why so early'?  I've thought about wearing winter
    apparel to bed but decided that wouldn't be comfortable.  Has anyone
    had this same behavioral problem with their cat, and if so, what did
    you do about it?  I call it a behavioral  problem simply because of the
    timing my kitty decides she wants me to give her attention.  I don't
    mind her bites or nibbles on my fingers when I'm awake!!
    
    What to do?
    
    Signed,
    
    Tired  
    
    
    

    
    Dear Tired, 
    
        Have no fear you are not alone ;-) Just be thankfull that yours
        only bites your ankles and fingers. Mine bites the nose!
        Funny thing about 4:30 am, one of my cats (the nose biting one)
        wakes me up at 4:30 or there abouts every morning. 
    
    Shaw

    Dear Tired,

    Could it just be the changing time of the year and the fact that
    it's getting warmer/lighter so kitty's awakening sooner ?  I know mine
    have been more "rambuncious" (sp?) running around the house earlier
    in the morning lately !!

   

    
    I guess by the sound of the two replies about my note on Ms. Orange Fur
    Ball that bed 'baby-kitty' bite (instead of bed bugs biting) isn't off- 
    the-wall behavior for a kitty. 
    
    I have been owned by several cats in my day and I must say the behavior
    of Ms. Orange Fur Ball is somewhat unusual to how I'm usually treated
    by my masters.  
    
    Tonight, all shades go 'down' and covers will be fastened on me! I am
    determined to get a full nights sleep! (If I am allowed)
    
    Tired
     

    I don't have a practical solution, but FWIW it's common (if not
    "normal"!).  Our Veto gives my daughter Alex licks on her *eyelids*
    in the morning, and then he usually proceeds to give love-nips on the
    eyebrows and/or cheeks.  I rarely "rate" these affections, but since
    we came back from vacation Veto has been so glad to see me that I get
    the morning bites too!
    
    Luckily they don't even leave a mark, but they do *smart*!
    
    Leslie

    
    Common indeed, and varied in its manifestations.
    
    The cats gather round in anticipation of the alarm going off.
    
    Merlin rubs the side of his mouth against my nose.  Rocky licks my
    chin.  Floyd bites my toes through the blankets.  Blueberry sits on my
    chest with her paws draped over the blankets.  Robin stands on me,
    with her tail in my face, kneading me.
                                                                   
    OK, OK, time to get up!
    
    len.
     

    re: -1
    
    Your five cats sound so precious! They must adore you!  I can tell they
    have a happy home!
    
    Nancy

    Re: .47
    
    This is not unlike what mine do when I try to go to bed at night :-)
    

    
    re. .48 - for their complete story, see note 509.
    
    len.
    

    I'm often awakened by a fang up the nostril only to open my eyes
    and find Onyx crouched on my chest biting my nose.
    
    Amelia has a much more gentle approach.  She usually sleeps on the
    side of my pillow and wakes me by gently stretching her paw to 
    touch my face.
    
    Mac saves his routine for night...thankfully.  He usually kneads
    my pillow right by my head then walks around and plops down on my
    chest with his body or butt in my face.  Needless to say he usually
    gets flipped around pretty quickly so that I have his little Mac
    face in my face instead.
    
    Jan

    Boots used to sit on the night table, with her nose almost on mine, I
    would open my eyes to see a pair of very green eyes staring at me.
    She would also sleep on my hair, or crawl under the covers and sleep on
    my lap, both of which she would wait until about 4AM to do, I get up at
    5:30 and the production she went though doing either of the above would
    keep me half awake until the alarm went off.
    
    Bits, walks up and down my body, making no attempt to lie down, this
    usually starts about 5AM.
    I get up, he goes back to bed, I think he just wants my warm spot in
    the bed.
    
    And BTW, he thinks the scratching post we bought him makes a great
    pillow. The corner of the wall is a much better place to sharpen his
    claws on.
    
    
    joan
    
    

    
    Perhaps this is not a very 'strange behavior' for a cat but I do need
    advice again about what to do with Ms. Orange Fur Ball!  I have a
    rubber plant which has special meaning to me above being just a plant.
    I enjoy having this plant in my living room on the window sil.  Ms. Fur
    Ball really enjoys jumping up on the window sil, sitting down beside
    the plant,  cupping her paw and taking out a few sprinkles of dirt. 
    She will set them down on the sil and swipe them with her paw extended
    onto the carpet.  
    
    I refuse to spank her.  I don't believe it is necessary to whack cats
    to get them to obey.  I do have a squirt gun filled with water that I
    use on her.  The trouble is,  she likes it!  There are times when I
    have the squirt gun beside me.  She will jump up in my lap and start
    knawing the tip.  I gently squirt water into her mouth.  She seems to
    really enjoy this trick.  
    
    I think because of my playing with her using the squirt gun her fear of
    water has diminished!  What to do?
    
    Signed,
    
    "Woman living in anxiety every time I try to watch a good program on tv
    because I am watching her". 
    

    hmmm....only solution...admit she won and move the plant!!!
    
    Sandy M

    
    You could cover the pot/dirt with a chicken wire mesh, cut the
    mesh to fit the trunk and the pot, like a donut or fake collar,
    water and air can get through, but kitty paws can't! If the
    plant loves that window, it is kind of unfair that it has to
    suffer ;-)
    
    
    Eva 

    I would cover that dirt with decorative stones, and provide a
    sacrificial :-) plant with no emotional connection nearby with
    dirt available.
    

    In find something to cover the dirt that is uncomfortable under their
    paws, like tiny pine cones, that might keep the cat away. I wonder if
    you put an aluminum foil wrapper over the top of the pot (obviously let
    the plant stick through) if that would help.
    
    Deb - who decided to let my plant eating Panther-sauras win that one
    

>    I would cover that dirt with decorative stones, and provide a
>    sacrificial :-) plant with no emotional connection nearby with
>    dirt available.
    
Scarificial plant -- I LOVE that one (and it's what we would do).

				SQ

    
    Thanks for the suggestions.  I am using Eva's suggestion in note .55
    but instead of using chicken wire mesh, I cut an onion mesh bag and fit
    it around the plant.  So far, so good.  I will find out more when I get
    home today.
    
    If that doesn't work,  I will try the stones or pine cones.  Perhaps
    even the pine cone scent would keep her away.
    
    Nancy

    
    >Scarificial plant
    
    ;-) Well, we have developed an hierachy of sorts at home, 
    strictly based on seniority - top rung plants, second rung 
    kitties, bottom rung kiddies!! Both kitties and kiddies had 
    seen me fly off the handle when they got into these big ole 
    plants which we had babied before their time!! ;-) So far
    the plants that have never been touched are the cactus, wonder
    why...
    
    
    Eva

    
    Update on Ms. Orange Fur Ball:
    
    The onion bag cut and placed above the dirt of my plant seems to be
    preventing Ms. Fur Ball from scooping the dirt out and onto the carpet.  
    
    Now if only I could find a way to break her of a new habit!  She is
    unplugging my telephone answering machine...
    
    Nancy
    

    
    >Now if only I could find a way to break her of a new habit!  She is
    >unplugging my telephone answering machine...
    
    I am sitting here laughing... Maybe she needs some toys ;-)
    Nancy, there are books on how to *child*proof our homes and
    it seems like they maybe helpful!!!
    
    
    Eva

    
    Hi Eva,
    
    I do have toys for the each kitty but the little one doesn't like to
    play by herself.  I must participate.  I think I am going to buy her
    new, and more interesting toys.  She is so clever!
    
    Nancy

    Tabasco sauce on the answering machine cord -- it dries clear
    and non-sticky.  It's what I use on electrical cords to prevent
    electricuted(sp?) kitties...  Sounds like she needs more toys and
    also games that you play with her to work off that excess energy :-)
       

    
    	Ha-ha! Somewhere I have one of those Sylvia cartoons where a
    	person write in "Dear Sylvia, my cat keeps turning off my 
    	answering machine when I'm not home. What should I do?"
    	Her reply is "Dear Jane, Your cats loves you and is trying to
    	protect you from the fact that nobody ever calls you" or something
    	like that. I saved it because mine used to step on the buttons
    	and turn my machine off all the time!
    
    	Sherry

You've got to love them!!!!  Mine often step on the button to record an
outgoing message on my answering machine.  All of a sudden the message will be
little background noises and a meow now and then!  This happens about 3
times a year, even though I got a plexiglass shelf that the machine fits
*almost* all the way under!

I think it's a riot when it happens!

Laura

    re .64, what brand of Tabasco sauce is (or, more to the point, 
    dries) clear?  I thought it was reddish... but I'll have to
    check the bottle when I get home.  (Bought it because a friend
    likes to use it in Bloody Marys, but *I* use horseradish in 'em.)
    
    This is of interest to me because my Mom has been making serious
    "gotta get a bunny" noises lately, and I've heard or read that
    (some) bunnies like to chew cords.
    
    re .65, too funny!  I saw a standup comic on TV somewhere talking
    about getting back at someone you don't like by talking to his/her
    dog through their answering machine.  When the owner is at work,
    call and yell stuff like: "WHERE'S the LEASH, Fido?  Huh boy?  Go get 
    the LEASH, go for a WALK!"
    
    Thanks,
    Leslie

    It's the red Tabasco sauce that dries clear.  In case anyone thinks
    this is an evil thing to do to cats, mine seem to sniff and back
    away without tasting it.  Beats the danger of their chewing electrical
    cords.
     

    Thanks, Karen (learn something new every day!).  Wonder if it
    would work on baby's breath, the ultimate cat magnet in our house.
    I wouldn't mind if they just dragged it out of the vase, but then
    they eat it, go directly to a rug or couch and ralph it back up |-P
    
    Leslie

    Mine like to leave messages on my machine that take up the entire
    tape.  They step on the record message button and I come home and
    have to let the entire thing play out before I get rewind.
    
    Re:  baby's breath...that's Onyx's favorite plant.  I can't have the
    stuff in the house (not a problem since I never receive flowers anyway
    and usually don't bring them home myself :^)  He also likes to behead
    roses and other expensive flowers.
    
    Jan

    Whoever invented clock radios...did not own a cat.   Two
    of my cats LOVE to walk on the buttons on top of the
    radio and put the music on.   This is fine during the day...
    but they are starting to do it at night and of course I 
    think it's time to get up!!
    
    Sandy

    The remote to my TV can be placed for storage in a storage area newar
    the top of the TV. Harry has discovered that when he sits on the TV, if
    if puts his paw in the right place he can turn the TV on and off, and
    switch the stations, and control the volume!!
    
    Let me tell you, there is nothing like hearing the TV come on with a
    boom at 3 AM, especially on a night that you are having a hard time
    sleeping.
    
    Deb

    
    
    When Sam, the new kitty (full grown now), was kept indoors
    before neutering, she was chewing/digging up plants, splitting
    shoe laces, etc, and playing with the outlets. She would try
    to stick her claws into the outlet holes (maybe a mouse would 
    come out?). So, out came from the attic the outlet covers, put 
    into storage since my daughter grew out of the "shove this in 
    and see what happens" stage. Not much difference between babies 
    of the two species, except one grows up to use the can opener and
    the other doesn't!
    
    
    Eva
       

    
    re various previous notes regarding cats and answering machines and remotes:
    
    My kids use to regularly leave me messages on my answering machine,
    until I got one of those plastic letter trays at an office supply
    superstore and covered the machine with the upside down tray.  I got a
    clear one so I could see the "message waiting" indicator.  It works
    great, but the cats (especially Floyd, who's irresistably fascinated by
    the clicks and whirs when the machine's receiving a message) still
    come running when the phone rings.
    
    They also regularly step on the VCR and receiver remotes, changing the
    channel I'm watching or turning on the radio in the middle of the night.  
    I've also found my PC doing unexpected things when someone decided the
    keyboard offered a shortcut across my desk.
    
    Remember the first rule of cat navigation:
    
      Never go around anything you can go over.
    
    I have learned that this includes people...
    
    len.
    

    I know for a fact that if you call Len's house and tell the cats who
    are sitting next to the answering machine to give him a message, he
    will get it.
    
    Edd

    
    Merlin would have no trouble remembering the message if he could only
    hear it...
    
    len.
    

  re:  the answering machine problems

After one kitty encounter too many, our answering machine croaked.  Since 
the old one wasn't all that old, we looked at the possibility of using the 
Bell system message center.  By the time we figured in the cost of a new 
machine every year or so and the savings we'd have by dropping that obnoxious 
call-waiting feature, we decided it was worth it to have voicemail at home.

Voicemail picks up when we're on the phone so we don't miss any important calls 
and it's usually a local call to check for messages remotely.  The kitties 
can't "break" it and we can save messages for one another just as easily as 
in the voicemail at work.  The only problem is that you can't screen calls 
like you can with an answering machine unless you want to pay more.  And, of
course, the number functions on the keypad don't match the ones at work; 
fast forward at work is a 3, but at home 3 deletes.  Fortunately at home I 
can check deleted messages and reclaim them before exiting.

Now if only the TV and clock radio problems could be fixed so easily....

				SQ

    On my last answering machine, I used an acrylic "photo cube" top
    (a cube missing one side), which just fit over the control buttons
    and wasn't subject to being knocked off (my kitty at the time was
    a laid-back old lady; this was before "the boys" and their wild
    chases).  Now with the boys and a kitchen phone that needed replacing,
    I got a WALL phone with a built-in answering machine.  It's mounted
    chest-high on the wall, so the boys would have to try real hard to
    mess it up.  (Could happen, though, in one of the "kill the crystal's
    spectrum" attacks!)
    
    I really like having an answering machine at home *with tapes*, micro
    or standard size, as opposed to having a chip.  Maybe it's retro
    technology, but because I was using a cassette in the old system
    (warning: soap opera melodrama alert!), I have a recording of my
    late SO dedicating a song to me ("Haunted Heart" sung by Jo Stafford,
    sniff!).  Getting a message off a chip for archival purposes can
    probably be done, but would I know how to do it before the next call
    came in?  No.
    
    Anyway I need to solve the clock radio problem too :-}
    
    Leslie

    I do not know your problems. I once told Smokey NOT to answer the phone
    and since then she does not pick it up.
    
    I have a tape-type synth-talking Panasonic Q at home and had never
    problems in puncto cat/phone.
    
    I have to put away the TV remote though. Smokey even knows where the IR
    steps out (if she sees it or had learned how to point dunno) and paws
    the remote first to point to the TV sensor, switches on (usually with
    channel 5 in the middle) and steps on the arrows so long till she gets
    something 'useful' to watch.
    
    I tried to tape this automatically with my camera, but you shall fall
    down: the only thing was taped was Smokey 
    
    *pointing the remote to the camera and stepping on OFF*
    
    and that was it.
    
    (I use Sony gear with same-language-talking LANC IR remote...)
    
    I am not wondering about anything any more...
    
    Nat