Conference misery::feline_v1

    Sam is sleek, black and beautiful.  He's also very spooky.
    He likes to hide out on the rafters above my front porch,
    and when I come out to sit down, he hurls himself straight
    into my lap with no warning!!  At which point he sometimes
    gets hurled straight off my lap.  Now he has a new trick--
    I was lying in bed Saturday morning and heard his very 
    distinctive plaintive MEEEEEEOWWWWW!  I figured he was 
    downstairs and wanted out but since he had a cat box he could
    wait awhile.  After all, it was SATURDAY!  Eventually, I
    turned my head and looked towards the window, and there was
    Sam, perched on the roof staring in at me!!  I let him in
    through the window, but am wondering what the next antic
    will be.  Sam is a male, but he is "fixed".  I thought
    the craziness went away with the operation--any ideas?!

    Does he want you to pet him or play when he jumps on you??
    
    They don't understand that you can't pet them ALL THE TIME!  Sometimes
    it's inconvenient for you, especially if you have a paper plate on 
    your lap with food on it!!!
    
    The only thing I can think of that might help is..set him up.   Sit 
    on the porch and wait for him to jump on you.. when he's in the air
    move your chair!!   HAHAHAHHAHAA!!  either that or whip out a portable
    food tray and make a wall out of it so he jumps into that.  8^)
    
    I'm kidding--
    
    -=[SANDY]=-

    Their fur is EVERYWHERE!  Since my two monsters are indoor-only,
    and semi-longhaired, they shed constantly.  Grooming seems to aggravate
    the problem too, but I groom them nonetheless.
    
    AND Ninja drinks with his paw only.  So there is always water on
    the kitchen floor, and fur in the bowl from him dunking his
    paw in there!
    
    AND Pumpkin likes to be petted, but she stands just beyond your
    reach so that you have to follow her around to pet her.
    
    AND when you feed them the dry food, they stare at you as if they
    are insulted that you don't have any wet food or tuna juice for
    them.
    
    AND they vanish when you take the cat kennel out for a trip to the
    vet.  AND you warn the vet that they are spastic creatures, only
    to have them contradict you by acting like total sweethearts.
                                                  
    AND when they vomit on the livingroom carpet instead of the linoleum.
       
    AND lots of other things I won't get into.
    
    Say...
    This note isn't some kind of trick to talk someone out of getting
    a cat, is it?!?!  I love my kitties dearly!  They are worth much
    more than any aggravations they might stir up.

    [.2]
    
    I like the food one!!  Also, moving the chair might work that
    once, but Sam does not learn by experience!  I neglected to
    mention that the reason I am on the porch, usually at night
    when I cannot see a black cat coming at me, is because I 
    smoke and my non-smoking family kicks me out for my nasty
    habit.  So far, Sam has always missed the cigarette.  And
    I'm just not cruel enough to do that anyway.  He COULD be
    trying to scare me out of smoking, as my family has suggested!
    In which case, he may be smarter than I give him credit for.
    
    Also, in addition to the porch trick and the roof/window thing,
    he has taken to urinating in the pot of a large dieffenbachia
    in my dining room.  He had never done this before.  He
    shares the house with two other cats, one younger and one
    much older.  Could he be begging for attention?  He's going
    to get it--only not the kind he wants!! 
    
    Thanks for your ideas,
    
    Betsy

    
    	Only a few things about my kitties drive me nuts...
    	
    	Duke is *always* hungry...there could be a ton of food in
    	his dish and he doesn't want that....he screams for more.
    	On occasion (like Saturday night) when i'm putting leftovers
    	into containers, he'll fly up onto the counter and grab as
    	much as he can before he gets a swat on the butt and "You
    	little S**t!!"
    
    	Sasha terrorized our Himalayan Chloe...
    
    	Chloe in turn will not use the litterbox if there is so much
    	as one little poop in them.  so she uses the kitchen floor,
    	the kitchen rug, the bathroom rug and the cellar floor...I'm
    	just waiting for the day when she either uses the kitty condo
    	or a basket of clean clothes.
    
    	Brandi isn't really irritating.
    
    
    

I have two cats, Shadow and Cooper.  However, Shadow is the brat of the
two.  He is about 2 and 1/2 years old, gray and very playful.  He is also
the baby of the group.  

Anyway, what I don't like occurs on the weekends. Shadow decides when it is time
for me to get up.  He will start by finding paper to rustle such as in 
the wastebasket, or under my TV where I keep papers and such.  If that doesn't
work and me yelling "Shadow, knock it off!" in an angry, sleepy voice, he
then goes to the bedroom sliding closet doors and bangs those with his paw.
When that doesn't work, he goes to the closed bathroom door and bangs
that.  Each time I yell at him, he pops up on the bed like he is going to
rest for a while and then poof, back to the door banging.  It is a continual
nightmare until I get up.  You say, "it's food he wants", well, he and Cooper
have hard food, so it is in his plate and available at his command.  They are 
both indoor cats also.  No, Shadow just wants me to get up with him, then he is
a happy kitty! 

    Hobbes insists that the food in his dish be fresh.  I put his dry food
    in and he'll eat and leave some, sometimes a lot.  Then sometime later
    he's hungry, he bags for food, but what's in the dish is not good
    enough.  Sometimes I make him eat it -- that keeps him a lean tiger --
    but sometimes I weaken and add fresh food to his dish.
    
    ed

    Great responses! I accept the retribution for the kitty crimes in the 
    style in which it was delivered. I know noone was seriously considering
    plotting any harm to the furry ones. 
    
    I now know that Bonkers behavior is not unusual; his behavior is very 
    similar to that of.5 and .6. He's an indoor cat that is sometimes fussy
    about his litter box. He'll surprise me with a certain oddly playful 
    behavior sometimes, and then I'll go downstairs and find a gift waiting
    on the cellar floor. I SWORE that I had sifted his litter box ONLY 2
    DAYS ago!
    
    The wake-up behavior is the same at our house. He can be found at the
    end of our bed when we either wake-up or are woken-up at 6:30. He either
    snoops around to see if our eyes are opened, or nudges my wife's (first
    one up) arm to get her to feed and/or play with her. If neither of us 
    rises up, he turns his loud purring to jack-hammer volume.
    
    All of this is done JUST to let us know how happy he is to have us as his 
    custodians. We are by no means his owners. It's just like the concept of 
    us not really teaching him tricks. He shows us what he's interested in, 
    or we SUGGEST a new behavior to him. If he's so inclined, he repeats the 
    trick or behavior as it suits him.
    
    When we got him a year ago, he taught us how to take care of an indoor
    kitty properly. He showed us if you don't clip his nails, he'll keep them 
    trimmed and cleaned by ripping up your burlap-trimmed speaker material. 
    After that experience, I started trimming his claws every 10 days or so. 
    I also showed him the scratching post and a few other "clawing toys" to 
    help him with his urge to shred nappy objects.
    
    Our current concern is whether or not people who have leather furniture
    have problems with their cat sinking it's claws into the leather and doing
    harm to their sofas or chairs? We are seriously considering buying some
    nice leather upholstered furniture but are worried that the cat would
    still be interested in shredding and digging into it (even though the
    behavior has subsided to a good degree). We'd like to know a head of
    time if possible, any tendencies that cats have with leather furniture.
    I don't know if we did get leather, whether a slip cover on the sofa
    would protect it well. 
    
    Any ideas or suggestions? (BTW, no way on claw removal operation)
    
    Russ, Phyllis, and Bonkers
     

    Some constructive suggestions, I hope:
    
    A cat that bites when it's been happily accepting pats a moment
    before:  some cats have areas that you must not touch;  often the
    stomach or lower back (on the back just above the tail) are
    no-nos.  Also some cats get overexcited and
    will then bite -- you can usually tell, if you pay attention, when this
    is about to happen, because they will warn you by making a false
    nip or two.
    
    urinating in the wrong places is often a sign of a urinary tract 
    infection, but it will persist afterwards if the soiled areas aren't
    de-smelled with an enzyme cleaner.
    
    litter boxes should be scooped out at least once a day, or they
    are liable to be declared unacceptable.
    
    if a pussycat tries to get you out of bed in the morning, and you
    "reward" it by making noises of distress, or, worse yet, by getting up,
    it will repeat the behaviour.  The only way to change teh habit is to
    tough it out for a few days:  let the cat know you're awake, but then 
    turn over and resolutely ignore it until you want to get up.
    
    And I thought Little Bit was the only cat who said "pet me!" and then
    moved just out of reach....
    
         

    
    stella, not called the h*llcat for nothing! still loves to jump on the
    kitchen counter top.  she gets the dreaded water bottle treatment.  it
    makes her stop momentarily until i am not looking, then there she is
    again.
    
    if not scrupulously watched, she will lick the bacon grease out of the
    frying pan.  one good thing about this is i am a better housekeeper
    now.  as soon as breakfast is over, the pan is washed!
    
    i must admit that she is less rambunctious now (at 2.75 years old) than
    she was as a kitten.  maybe i am getting through that thick, furry
    skull...
    
    diane, stanley and stella (still the h*llcat)
    

    Sophie's a real WINGER, and she likes the sound of her own voice!!  I
    think she's taken it upon herself to prepare me for having children
    later on in life...  She'll talk non-stop and make the most weird sounds
    - especially at 7 o'clock in the morning at weekends (yes I have the
    same problem).  I guess she figures - "They're up at this time most
    days - maybe their alarm didn't go off, so I'd better wake them up
    instead!"  We DO ignore her when she does this,  and she DOES stop, but 
    sometimes she'll try again 15 minutes later , this time scratching the
    door - just in case!
    
    Henrietta won't be told anything!  If she sees that you don't want her
    to do something, she'll go out of her way to do it (usually behind your
    back).  Her favourite is going into the bathroom, tipping over the
    wastebasket and playing with the cotton wool...  She's a persistent
    little devil and will stop at nothing to get what she wants!  Once we
    tried to block the cat flap at night by putting a chair, a full bag of
    cat litter, and several coats in front of it - did it stop her? NO
    CHANCE! We also tried sellotaping a piece of card over it, but in no
    time she had the sellotape in her mouth and we heard this big ripping
    noise.....It was just more fun, that's all!  
    
    Whenever Henrietta's being particularly naughty, Sophie will just sit
    and watch her intently as if to say "I'll tell mummy...!"
                
    ...and then there's the MIEOW CHORUS when I'm serving dinner - Sophie
    in B minor and Henri in C major...Handel, eat your heart out!

    Boogie refuses to play with anything that is not firmly attached
    to a human hand.  Forget mousies, forget kitty trees, forget other
    kitties, it's the Kitty Tease or nothing for Miss Boogs...and if
    it's nothing she'll make your life miserable.
    
    "EEEEEow, EEEEEEow, EEEEEEow", all day long.  Under Mommy's feet,
    on Mommy's shoulders, dashing into the kitchen any time you're
    on the ground floor, over to the closet door where the Kitty Tease
    is kept.  "YibYibYibYibYib."  "PlaywithmePlaywithmePlaywithme."
    All day,every day.  Even if you *do* play with her.  
    
    Ah, but those big green eyes.  That soft tabby fur.  Draped across
    my shoulders "making bread" while I do the housework.
    
    She teaching the kittens...I'm beginning to think it's genetic....
    Last night I heard Mips downstairs, "EEEEow, EEEEow, EEEEow...."
    
    Mary-Michael
    

    
    A blast from the past.  My mother had a cat named Rousseau who died
    from natural causes this past summer.  Rousseau had a taste for the
    finer things in life such as my mother's canaries, snakes, and baby
    rabbits.  Would you believe on Easter Sunday one year Rousseau came 
    out of the woods with an Easter Bunny in her mouth?  I chased her
    around our back yard until she dropped the rabbit.  Fortunately, 
    the rabbit survived the ordeal.  Rousseau couldn't understand why 
    I was so mad with her. 
    
    One year my mother decided that she wanted to buy some canaries.  She
    bought four birds and one tall cage.  One night Rousseau decided 
    to have a midnight snack.  She knocked the cage over and the chase 
    was on.  My mother and I ran downstairs and got three of the birds 
    back in the cage.  The fourth one we could not find.  The next morning
    we searched for the bird.  I looked behind the couch and found the
    remains of the fourth bird.  Rousseau went on a canary rampage a couple
    of times.  My mother bought more canaries and Rousseau kept on eating
    them.  I think my mother finally decided that canaries were getting to
    expensive to buy and switched to finches.  She also moved the cage to
    an upstairs bedroom.
    
    One last note.  My brother was outside one summer day on a lounge chair
    reading the paper.  He heard Rousseau and continued reading until he
    saw a snake at his foot.  He jumped so high and bolted for the house
    while Rousseau just looked at him like he as a nut.
    
    Present day madness.  I recently got a cat for Christmas named Rusty. 
    Rusty came to me by means of a family who took him in after he was
    abandoned.  They couldn't keep Rusty because they had two cats of their
    own and these cats had no desire for Rusty.  Rusty is orange in color
    (looks like Morris) and has a very nice disposition.  A little jumpy at
    times but I think its due to him adjusting to my husband and I.  Rusty
    is an outdoor cat so last Saturday I decided it was time for him to go
    outside.  What a mistake.  I went to Boston that day and left my
    husband to keep and eye out for Rusty.  At 5:30 p.m. my sister-in-law
    (Judy) and I are driving down our street.  All of the sudden I see Rusty
    sitting on side of the road (a good distance from home).  We stop the
    car and I jump out trying to coax Rusty into the car.  No go.  Then I
    decide to walk Rusty home.  It is six degrees out and I am walking on a
    rode with no lights.  I continued to call Rusty's name and he followed
    very slowly.  Remember it is six degrees out.  I finally got Rusty as
    far as my mother-in-law's house and bang Judy's cat Buzz-on saw Rusty
    and started for him.  Rusty took off and I gave up for the evening. 
    The next day my mother-in-law suggested I look in the barn for Rusty. 
    I walked in the barn and started to call for Rusty.  He answered and I
    needless to say was very happy.  The only problem was Rusty was on the
    second level on top of some hay stacks and I on the first.  I started
    to walk towards him and heard something move on the first level.  I
    hoped at this point that it was Buzz-on.  I looked around the corner
    and saw a raccoon coming towards me.  I never ran so fast in my life. 
    I stayed by the door and called for Rusty.  Rusty finally figured a way
    to get to the first level but decided not to answer me anymore.  I
    didn't know if he left the barn or what.  Then Rusty walked out from
    some junk and over to me.  I took him back to my car and he freaked.  I
    held on to him but received a nice deep cut on my hand.  I'm looking
    forward next week when I try to let him out again.    

    
    
    Hmmmm.....what don't I like about the kitties' behavior....let's
    see....(I have four now - Amber,Pistachio,Buster Brown and Scooter
    - at one time there were 10 in my house!  Also, we have Muffin our
    Lhasa Poo).
    
    Somehow they always manage to break something special that I 
    thought was out of their reach or too big for them to move.
    Maybe with the big objects they all get together and give it
    a good shove!
    
    I really get *mad* when they start to run around the house at
    4:30 in the morning, or decide that they must come up and wake
    us up at 5:00 am.  So the kitties will come up on the bed, walk
    over our heads, will catch Muffins eye so that he goes into
    attack mode and then all hell breaks loose!  We're lucky not
    to be scratched to bits, and it's a helluva way to wake up!
    
    Scratching the furniture and the woodwork.
    
    Trying to bury the food that I just put in their dishes.
    
    Bringing home dead moles.
    
    Bringing home dead squirrels.
    
    Not letting me kiss them when I want to (they are *so* stubborn!!)
    
    Being very intolerant of the newest kitty in the house.
    
    
    ....and I wouldn't want to be without any of them!
    
    Carole

    Benjamin is a super-duper affectionate cat.  EXCEPT, I HATE having a
    face full of fur.  He rubs his whole body across my face, expecially
    when I'm sleeping or lounging on the couch.  He likes to wake us up at
    5:30 and then decides to go back to sleep an hour later when we
    actually get up.  AND, during a full moon, he wails around the house
    all night (like a tom calling after a female in heat)
    
    Gonezo also likes to drink water with his paw and I also have water on
    my kitchen floor.  He also will only drink Poland Springs out of his
    water dish.  He's a fat cat (20lbs) but you never see him eat too much
    at once and he always seems to be crying for more food.  Oh, and he
    likes to do that "rupp,rupp,rupp" found in the Sniglet note entered
    before Christmas.
    
    Barney is another big, fat (20+lbs) cat.  He eats EVERYTHING in sight
    and when Ben is done eating (only 9.5lbs), I must take his bowl off the
    floor before Barney eats it.
    
    And have you guys ever noticed that when you're laying down the cats
    always seem to walk across very tender parts of your body and HURT you
    (although unintentionally)?  Drives me and my husband crazy.
    
    Yet, I would never trade my guys in for anything.  To me, they are my
    best friends next to my husband.  
    
    Mary
    

    
    	Neither of my babies are lapcats :-(
    
    	Sometimes if I'm lounging on the couch with a book  or watching
    tv with a blanket over me, Buttons will come up and sit very close
    to me but that's all.  I miss a nice warm kitty to cuddle up
    on my lap!
    
    Joanne, Puffin & Buttons

    
    Sparky is a pain first thing in the morning. He sleeps right by my side
    or on the pillow all night long, and as soon as he hears the alarm go
    off he knows it's time to get up. Unfortunately, I like to set the
    alarm clock early and hit the snooze button a couple of times. I can't
    do that with Sparks around though! As soon as I shut off the alarm,
    he'll come up into my ears and start his motor going, purring so
    loud... so i'll roll over and try to ignore him, and he'll start
    talking and chirping to me, as if to say "Come on Mom, stop being so
    lazy, you know that alarm went off!" And he'll start poking his cold
    wet nose on my eyes! Well, no matter what I do at this point, i've got
    to get up or it just gets worse. He'll start batting my nose softly
    with his paw, then he'll sit on my stomach and start kneading, and
    batting at Taco, who is usually sleeping at my feet. So I get up and
    have to stumble over him all the way to the kitchen. I do get a bit of
    a reprieve when he's eating, but it's back to purring on mommy's lap
    when i'm getting ready for work, and gurgling happily. What a sad face
    he gives me when I am putting on my coat to leave, too, as if to say
    "Can't you stay home and play today? Did I get you up for nothing?"
    
    Sparky also has a problem with the litterboxes. If they are not
    immaculate, he will go in the bathtub, and you can't imagine what it is
    like to turn on the shower when you're half asleep then realize what
    he's done!!
    
    Taco is a sweetheart most of the time, but when he sees another cat, he
    will cry and cry to get at it. And when he wants attention he won't
    leave you alone, he is all over you until HE is satisfied. And when
    you're patting him, if he is really enjoying it, and purring really
    loud, he'll start gnawing softly at your hand. I don't know why. He
    doesn't hurt when he does it..
    
    JellyBean is a crybaby. She'll get into these moods where she'll just
    walk around the house talking LOUD. Who knows why? Then she'll come
    over and rub against your legs until you pick her up and pet her, and
    she won't let you put her back down. She's been a real b*tch to the
    other two lately, swatting at them and hissing for no reason. We think
    she might be pregnant though. Either that, or it's just one of her
    moods. Catch her in a bad mood and she wants nothing to do with anyone
    or anything but her adopted "kids", a few mice we have in an aquarium.
    We leave the aquarium (covered, of course) on the floor in the spare
    bedroom and she will sit in front of it purring and admiring them for
    hours on end. When you take one out of the cage and hold it in your
    hand for her, she'll sniff it, her purring like a jackhammer now, and
    she starts cleaning it. Those maternal instincts!
    
    All in all though, my kids are all great, and I wouldn't give them up
    for anything.
    
    

	T.K. has this really annoying habit of chewing the toilet 
	brush for hours on end if I don't remember to shut the bathroom
	door.  He also likes to chew on wood and has ruined a corner of
	a bureau and a wooden door stop (which just happens to be a cat).

	Bandit is a cotton ball freak and plastic chewer so I have to 
	make sure I keep those things out of reach.

	Just last week, I looked at my cats and said "T.K., you are the
	naughtiest cat I have ever met!".  Then I looked at Bandit and
	said, "And Bandit, you are the laziest!".

	Karen

    Pippin has done a little of some of the things that have been mentioned
    before this - one corner of the couch has had it although we've
    got carpeted tunnels, tree houses, condo's etc all over the place,
    and she loves to knock things over at some ungodly hour of the morning,
    jump on my chest and yell for me to get up.
    
    Stitch was hand reared and doesn't like to be held for more than
    a minute or so, but he loves to suck on my neck at 4 in the morning
    while driving his claws into my chest at the same time - try to
    hug him - no way - it drives me crazy - but then take him to the
    vet and Scott can do anything to him and comments on what a little
    affectionate love ball he is.  Oh he also shows his disgust with
    certain types of food by flipping the entire contents of the food,
    water and crunchie bowls on the kitchen floor and hasd the nerve
    to do it while I'm standing there!
    
    Gino, my 13lb Siamese is almost perfect - loves to be held, is not
    fussy about food, has conversations with you, doesn't run away from
    home, takes general abuse from Stitch - doesn't bite or scratch
    - he just sulks from time to time if he thinks he's not getting
    enough attention.
    
    But what's having a cat without all of these crazy, hair pulling,
    frustrating things they do and put us through - sure would be dull
    without them.

    
    I have two Siamese females.  Sarah is like a living, breathing,
    teddy-bear.  Missy (a tortie-point) is a little terrorist.
    
    One thing that makes me a little crazy--
    
    Missy likes her litter box to be absolutely clean.  I have discovered
    that I must totally strip her litter box EVERY DAY or she will 'water'
    my bed.  So, dumping the boxes is part of my morning chores.  Missy sits
    right there and supervises while I dump the boxes to make sure I am doing 
    it correctly.
    

I have 2 kitties. Elsa and Smokia. Elsa only gets me mad once in a while.
Like when she ignores me when I call her. She just sticks her nose up in 
the air and looks the other way and pretends she doesn't hear me. Or when
she thinks she is all the way in her very large litter box, but really isn't
and her poop ends up on the floor near her litter box instead!

Smokia on the other hand, is bad at least once a day. If I leave the 
bathroom door open, she likes to pull all the toilet paper off the roll,
and then take a swim in the toilet!! She has figured out to jump up on the
counter and loves to knock whatever she can off the counter, and of course
she discovered the paper towels, so she pulls all them off the
roll too. She loves it when I yell "NO" and put her on the floor. She thinks
it means do it again as soon as possible. And again, and again. I can't
keep her off the counter. She even likes getting squirted with the C.A.T.
I think she loves getting yelled at too. She scratched my furniture, and I
scream "NO", pick her up bring her to the scratching post and try to get her
to scratch that. A minute later she is back to scratching the furniture,
but she is watching me a the same time waiting for me to yell and go get
her again. She thinks it is fun, sometimes she purrs when I pick her up
yelling the whole time and bring her to the scratching post. Of course she
does it again and again because she thinks "NO" mean do it again. 

Every single day when I am cleaning the litter box, Smokia has to jump
in and take a big poop at the same time!!! When Smokia is bad, Elsa just
stares at her and shakes her head. Then she looks at me as if to say  "See, 
I told you she was a bad kitty". But I love them both, even when they are
bad.

    WOW!!  
    That's all I can say after reading all these replies!!   Some of these
    stories are so FUNNY!!  cats are so.............!!!!??? what could I 
    put in the blank!!   They're so funny, DISTIGUISHED!!! (that's for
    sure) each one has their own personality that makes them so unique!!
    
    Like Karen's cat T.K.... "chewing on a toilet brush!!"  I thought that
    was SO funny!!  and Sparky "the picky one" who poops in the TUB!!!
    (that must drive you CRAZY sometimes!!!!)  I don't know what I'd do 
    if that ever happend!!!!  You must really, really, REALLY love that 
    cat!!!!   8^)
    
    (Fortunately,  -for HIM- Buddy will only go in the box)
    
    This turned out to be a great topic!!!  (if I DO say so myself!!!)
    
    -=[SANDY]=-
    

    I agree with .22. This is a really great topic and the way the events
    are written are super and interesting plus funny, etc.
    
    What I don't like about Oliver is he gives me dirty looks for no
    reason - anyway so I think until I say his name and find out he
    really was off somewhere in dream land and not really looking at
    me. Wonder what he is thinking.
    
    Another thing is that he really is a sloppy eater. Half of his food
    ends up on the floor.
    
    I really wish he would not be afraid of visitors and hide out until
    they leave - even if they stay for two weeks!!!  This happened once.
    
    But, he sure is my love.
    
    Flo

    re: .20
    
    my dynamic duo also watches intently as mum changes the box.  they must
    be sidewalk superintendents during the whole procedure!  my cissy was
    never overly concerned about the box as long as it was cleaned at
    regular intervals.  these two, though, will drop whatever they are
    destroying and follow mom to the "little room off the toidy" which
    contains the box.  once the box is dumped, one or the other of them
    will be sitting in the middle of where the box is s'posed to go!
    
    diane, stella & stanley (who got a clean box just last night)
                                                             

    When it's cold out, Hobbes just has to get inside quickly so he can run
    and use the box.
    
    ed

What I don't like....

Hannah playing in the sink while I'm trying to brush my teeth in the morning..
toothpaste everywhere!  

Nicholas starts at 5:00 AM to try and get someone to open up the Sheba and
give him his breakfast....if you don't respond to the "sit on Mom and purr
real loud" technique, he starts pushing your nose!  If you burrow under
the covers, he digs under the covers with his paw - trying to find that
da**ed nose!

Would I trade them in....Not a chance.

    Bailey - She chews my clothes.  Not my old clothes that I don't
             care about, noooooo, my favorite units outfits, or sweaters.
             She started out with shoe laces and underwear and has worked
             her way up to the heavier stuff like nylons, sweaters,
             etc.  I have to be extremely neat with her around. Also
             had to get door jams for my sliding closet doors so Amelia
             couldn't open them for her to get in for a smorgasbord.
             Found her in the closet one day on her tippy toes with
             her 2 front paws clinging to my lavender sweater w/dolman
             sleeves just chewing away.  She doesn't want to be held
             unless its her idea.  She's my first cat and I want to
             hold on to her and love her and she usually isn't in the 
             mood.
    
    Amelia - Can't think of too much I don't like about this lady. 
             Before I changed to covered litterboxes she used to stand
             close to the edge and slowly straigten up sending a stream
             of cat pee outside the box for mom to clean up.  This doesn't
             happen any more with the covered box.  Thank goodness.
             Amelia's favorite spot in the morning is under the covers
             between my legs.  She usually sleeps on top of the covers
             between my legs and when it gets too cold she likes to
             get under the covers.  This is fine until she starts giving
             me love nips in the thigh to knee area.  What a surprise
             first thing in the morning. 
    
    Carrie - My newest kitty.  This cat is a tyrant.  Is always picking
             on Bailey and boxing with Amelia.  She runs through the
             house like a crazy loon.  Fur pops off of her in clumps
             so I have grey clumps all over my tan carpeting.  I swear
             you can actually hear the kamakazi clumps yelling "banzai"
             as they throw themselves to their deaths on the carpet.
             She always has to have her head in my water glass, I can't
             get a drink of my own water with her around.  I have to be 
             super careful not to leave butter/margarine open on the counter
             or Carrie's tongue marks will be found on it.  I have to
             fight with her to clip her claws.  The list goes on and
             on with Carrie.
    
    Actually, I adore all my furfaces and wouldn't give them up for
    anything.  Have you ever noticed that having cats forces you to
    become a better housekeeper.  I have to keep my clothes picked up
    for Bailey, the litterbox neat for Amelia and the kitchen cleaned
    up for Carrie...not to mention the endless vacuuming.
    
    I love my cats...I love my cats...I love my cats...I love my cats,
    geez, without them I'd be a total slob (make that a bored total
    slob).
    
    Jan

    Oh boy, who knows where to start!!
    
    Limoges - She gives me love bites.  When I least expect it.  Mostly
    on my face or neck.  Nicknamed Vampira.  She will start purring
    up a storm, nuzzle me a bit, then *chomp*.  There are two things
    in this world that she would KILL for...1) a feather toy 2) *anything*
    edible!  This latter one makes for interesting times at shows. 
    If anyone in the whole show hall pops open a jar of baby food or
    a can of cat food, she becomes a raving maniac until I give her
    something to eat.  She eats all day long, and still only weighs
    7 1/2 pounds.  I wish I could be so lucky.
    
    Kalliste - he loves to rub against my face, getting cat hairs stuck
    in my nose, mouth, eyes, etc.  He particularly likes to twirl around
    and stick his butt in my face.  Why is it that cats enjoy doing
    this so much??
    
    Laci - she will run between your legs, then in front, and just when
    you lunge to miss her, she is between your legs again.  She has
    managed to trip me up several times.  Now, when I am headed down
    the hall in a hurry, I have to pick her up in order to avoid the
    hassle of trying not to step on her.  Maybe this was her plan all
    along.
    
    Joui - she will roll and roll on the ground, looking totally cute
    and pet-able, then, when you reach to pet her, she will get up,
    take a few steps away, look over her shoulder to see if you are
    still coming.  If you are, she takes a few more steps, then flops
    over on her side, rolling again.  If you are not still coming, then
    she stops were she is, flops on the ground, and starts rolling again.
    The idea is to be just out of reach at all times, while maintaining
    irresistable cuteness.
    
    Tilly - she talks back to me.  Always has.  She knows that she is
    Ken's cat, and is constantly baiting me.  She will get up on the
    counter, and when I tell her to get down, she mutters "#$@^&*" under
    her breath and just stays there!!  She does whatever she wants to
    when Ken isn't there.  When he is there, she is a perfect angel
    again.  That way, he thinks I am making up all the stories about
    her bad behavior.
    
    The poo-heads - Laci and Kyrielle's seven babies.  They have come
    into that stage that all my kittens go through.  It is about a two
    to three week stage of indescriminate defecation.  Hence the name
    Poo-heads.  The chosen spot, under the bed, on my side.  Thank God
    that Ken is the one in charge of the "back end" of the cats.  
    
    I could go on and on but I will give someone else a chance.  Each
    of these little quirks endears the little darlings to us even more
    (with the exception of the Poo-heads :^D).
    
    Jo

    I sure am glad to hear that everyone's cats do things that drive
    them crazy.  Sometimes from reading this file, I get the feeling
    that I am AWFUL when my gang drives me nuts.  So what is it they
    do?  Well..........
    
    Bitser's favorite is to beg to go out - you know, stand at the back
    door and give that wonderful Burmese/Siamese wail - then, when I
    open the door, she stands there, sniffs the air, takes one step,
    sniffs again, tilts her head, another step......  If I approach
    her she turns and heads under the table, only to be crying at the
    back door 2 minutes later.  Af course, all this time the cold air
    is rushing in raising my already exorbitant heat bill!!!  The kittens
    are learning from her!!!!
    
    Zelda HAS to be lying on the kitchen floor right between the counter
    where I do most of my work and the sink.  Every time I need to step
    from one to the other, I have to look carefully - have stepped on
    her from time to time.  She gets MOST indignant - what am I doing
    in HER space!!!
    
    Esmarelda is the early bird.  And she thinks her humans should be
    up with her.  So she goes from room to room knocking things off
    dressers and tipping over garbage cans.  She has been ushered out
    the door in the wee hours many times.
    
    Bob is pretty good, but what a moody son of a gun.  He will be purring
    away and loving attention and then all of a sudden, he has had enough
    and he will let you know by swatting at you.  I get tired expaining
    the scratches on my nose, chin, cheek.
    
    I really do love them, but they have their moments!!!  Suppose they
    feel the same about me??
    
    Ellen

    
    Hi Sandy,
    
    Boy you make "Buddy" sound like a real monster!!!  Are you sure you
    
    aren't leaving anything out of the story.  Like for example when he
    
    just about ready to go to sleep don't you usually sneak up on him and
    
    make a "PSST" sound???  Don't we usually end up spending the rest of 
    
    the night peeling him off the ceiling???  I just wanted to speak on 
    
    Buddys behalf sense he is mine and your Adopted SON!!!  Granted he
    
    can be a real pain in the butt, But I know you wouldn't trade him in 
    
    for all the money in the world!!!
    
    
                                  Kevin & Buddy

    Kev,
    
    	You know that's a DIFFERENT story...this topic is what HE does that
    	aggrivates ME!!  
    
    	(I'm sure that's on his list, but hey, I have to get him back SOME
    	 how!!)    hee hee hee...
    
    	and your right, I wouldn't trade him for all the money in the
    world.
    
    	SEE YOU AT HOME *DEAR*  8^\
    
    	-=[SANDY]=-
    

     
      My two almost-grown kittens (~10-11 months) and my three-legged male
    have a tendency to play "follow-the-leader" off the walls at 2:30 in
    the morning!! They also love to climb up on the bookshelves during
    their play-time and begin clearing the shelves of anything that is
    small enough to move.(so far,they don't do anything with the books,
    just the other stuff.
    
      Stormy also has this thing about being the FIRST into the litterbox
    as soon as it's cleaned out in the morning. She'll acctually sit in the
    empty box while I take the plastic bag with the dirty stuff in it out
    to the barn... She also cannot wait until I feed her...so she begins
    eating out of the can instead of waiting...
    
      Actually, I can't truthfully say that I'm that aggravated by all
    this...they all cause a lot of smiles and chuckles when they begin
    their antics...
    JM

    Tasia and spud like to sleep on opposites sides of my head -
    Which isn't too bad until Spud decides Tasia's got the good side
    and attempts to relocate her (usually at about 3:00 A.M.). Tasia
    being the loving good tempered mom she is, usually retaliates with
    hisses, teeth and claws.
    

    I forgot another one that Laci does that drives me nuts.  She started
    doing "it" at about 4:00am this morning.
    
    She *licks* the mini blinds!  She climbs up onto the windowsill,
    and starts licking them, ssccrrrrrpppp, sssccccrrrrrpppppp,
    sssscccrrrrppp.  She starts at one side and works her way across
    to the other.  I think what makes me the craziest is that she is
    so methodical about it!  The whole time she is doing it, she is
    probably thinking " boy, mom sure doesn't keep these things very
    clean!  I better help her out."  I always know when she has been
    at it...tell tale tongue marks on them in the morning.
    
    Jo

    Some of the things that my girls do that drive me crazy also are
    the things that endear them to me.  For instance, when I am home
    sick and trying to get some sleep, they surround me so tightly on
    the bed that I can't move at all and consequently end up getting
    very little sleep.  It is, however, a nice feeling to feel so loved.
    
    Bruce hates it when they sleep with us for the same reason.  He,
    however, can sleep through their crying to be let in during the night
    and I cannot.  I know that, if I ignore them long enough, they will
    go away but I end up feeling so guilty that I let them in and then
    spend the entire night trying to keep them on my side of the bed.
    Again, though, it IS nice feeling those little bodies snuggled up
    against me.
    
    The few things that really aggravate me are:  
    
    - Playing with noisy toys on the tile floor in the bathroom in the
      middle of the night which makes a racket which wakes me up.
    
    - Stripping the Xmas ornaments off the tree and chewing through
      the light cord causing whole strings to go out (and it took
      me 5+ hours to get those lights on right).
    
    - Eating and playing with any flowers that I might receive for
      any special occasion.
    
    - Digging their claws into my leg while I am sitting at the table
      eating to stand up to see what it is I am eating.
    
    - Coming and either sitting in the middle of the game board that we
      are playing or coming along and batting all the pieces around.
    
    - Sticking their heads into the refrigerator every time I open the
      door to see what there is to eat.
    
    - Melody walks along the head of the bed meowing in the morning
      if I don't get up exactly when she wants me to.  She goes from
      that to whatever pieces of furniture she can get on.  The
      other two are quiet--they just get on the nightstand and start
      batting my contact lens case around.  It ALWAYS gets me up!
    
    There are probably a few other things, but for the most part
    I end up chuckling about it and I have to admit that I've often 
    been a bad influence by either laughing about it or simply letting
    them get away with something.
    
    And, as everyone has said, the special moments so outweigh the
    aggravating ones that it doesn't really matter in the long run!

Honey is very affectionate...make that overly affectionate!  What bugs me
the most is when he jumps up besides me and tries to get my attention by
pulling on my arm with his claws.  He starts off with a little nudge and then
starts extending the claws.  All of my clothes have little Honey pull marks on
them.  I can't stand it!!

Chauncey...he's very skittish and he runs away from me every time I try to pet
him.  I wish he'd get it thru that thick skull that I'm not gonna beat him
every second I get.  He wasn't handled much as a tiny kitten and it shows.

Julie drives me nuts cause she does everything at 100 miles an hour.  She's
incredibly hyperactive.  She eats like a vacuum cleaner and then runs into
the living room and throws up.  Very pleasant.

Robin is the perfect angel!!  One out of 4 ain't bad!!

Mary

    Well 90% of the time, Zula (our Abyssinian) is an absolute angel.
    He's such a lovable cuddly sweet boy but..............
    
    What drives me crazy is his wining as soon as I start cooking. 
    Doesn't stop until I'm done.  This really gets my husband mad so
    two nights ago he locked zula up in the bedroom (kitty jail seems
    to work the best on Zula, I usually lock him up in the BATHROOM).
    Well John went in there about 10 minutes later and guess what little
    Zula did.  He must have really been pi**ed because he decided to
    sh*t on the comforter.  Not a little dry one but rather all over
    the place.  I had to run out to the laundry mat.   He's never done
    that.  
    
    I hate that Chewy has now decided to become the little b*tch of
    the household.  You can only pat her when she wants to be patted.
    She now enjoys instigating Zula and they both chase each other around
    the house knocking down every plant in sight.   We have to vacume
    constantly because there is always dirt all over the rug.  Looks
    like we can't have plants.  Zula chews on them all (which I know
    some are poisonous).  Last night one of them decided to chew into
    a 5 pound bag of crushed corn cob (for the birds cage).  I don't
    know how, but one of them dragged the bag out of the spare room
    and down the hall spreading the corn cob all the way down.  Now
    why the heck would this interest them.  
    
    I guess I have to keep EVERYTHING out of reach.  I don't know how
    some of you can handle so many.  Two's my limit.  But then comes
    the nights like last night.  Zula just curled up in my arms like
    a little baby and slept all night while I was watching TV.   
    
    Pam

    It sounds like they are bored.  Maybe some kity games like
    throw the catnip mouse will tucker them out.  And
    do they have toys like mice and pingpong balls as alternatives
    to your stuff?  You are lucky Zula did #2 on the comforter,
    and not #1.....
    

    I have always found that if a toy is bought specially for them, they
    won't be intrested.  They only ever play with home made toys (and that
    includes scrunched up pieces of paper!).  Henri is always listening out
    if she hears you rustling the sweet wrappers - but not for the sweet -
    just for the wrapper.  It has come to the stage where she thinks it is
    her *right* that you make it into a little ball and throw it for her to
    chase (if it lands in the curtains that's even better!).
    
    Ruthie, Sophie and
    Henri-who-has-just-got-into-a-scrap-with-a-neighborhood-cat-and-now-
    has-a-scratched-nose!!

    Forgot to add..... Re: .37, my two also have their 'mad moments' when
    they go chasing round the house knocking over anything in their path,
    but I don't put it down to boredom..Cats are brilliant at inventing
    their own games (much better than humans for obvious reasons..!), and
    they also have moments when they *know* that they are being naughty,
    but that adds to the fun, just like a small child.  After all, cats
    have a need to 'act dangerously' every now and then - it adds to the
    feeling of adventure which they would normally only get in the wild.
    
    That's my opinion anyway, but it's all open to interpretation of
    course!
    
    Ruthie.

    When Parker wants OUT at 4:00 a.m I can ignore him through anything
    
    EXCEPT when he starts pawing at the clock radio.  He knows that
    when the music comes on, he gets to eat -- so he takes an active
    approach to the problem. All I can think of is that he'll change
    the time and that I'll oversleep.  He wins.  
    
    His second favorite is to get next to my pillow and "brush" my hair.

    There are assorted toys around the house.  Chewy would not lower
    herself to playing with toys.  Zula has a rabbit fur covered mouse
    that he has killed.  The tail is in one end of the house and the
    body is at the other end.  He likes to play with that but doesn't
    really touch the other toys.  What he really enjoys playing with
    (when he's not chasing Chewy) is those little plastic rings that
    come off of milk/juice jugs.  He loves to play fetch.   When I'm
    watching TV I'll throw it and he'll bring it back to me for hours
    at a time.  Sometimes at 3:00 in the morning he decides he wants
    to play fetch.  The only way I get peace is to hide it under my
    pillow or throw it in a draw by the bed.  That is until he finds
    another one.  He'll dig up 6 or 7.  Don't know where he hides them.
    He'll play with those things until they finally break up into
    several pieces.  I bought a catnip toy and Zula could have cared
    less.  Wouldn't go near it.  Chewy on the other hand attacked it.
    First time I have seen her play with anything for a long time.
    Then she never went near it again.  Are there some catnip toys
    that have a stronger scent or last longer?  How long do they last
    before the scent wears out?  
    
    #2 is worse than #1?  Is that because it is harder to get the odor
    out if it is #1?  #2 was more like diareah.  Boy did it stink up
    the whole bedroom!
    
    Chewy may be bored.  She loves to be outside chasing anything that
    moves but it's a bit too cold for her now.  I never had a problem
    when it was just chewy (besides her scratching at the couch).  Either
    she was outside playing or inside eating/sleeping.  It's only since
    I brought Zula home.  He's still a kitten though.  Only 7 months.
    I'm sure he'll mellow out when he gets older.  One good thing about
    Zula (well there's MANY MANY MANY good things, only a couple pain
    in the a** things that drive me crazy) is that he has NEVER touched
    the couch.  I bought one of those rope covered scratching posts
    and he attachs that thing constantly.  Now if Chewy would catch
    on.  I wish I had bought one when Chewy was a kitten.  I used to
    have carpeted covered posts for other cats which they never touched.
    This one is great.  
    
    Pam

    Maybe Chewy wants a carpet covered post.  My guys
    use carpet covered ones, and totally ignore the sisal covered
    one.
    

    Hi,
    
    My cat Rocky has this thing for pens and pencils.  He takes them and
    hides them under the corners of rugs.  So you walk along and step on
    all these lumps.  I can't have a pencil holder on my desk, or leave
    anything out and about.  It is even to the point, where he will sit
    next to me as I write, eyeing the coveted pen, occaisionally reaching
    out to paw at it, and try to bite it.  What could have caused this?
    Rocky has always done this, he's now almost 2.  I really don't mind
    tho, and think it kind of funny...He doesn't chew on them at all, just
    hides them...hmmm
    
    Susan & Rocky
    

    Re .44
    
    Diamond has just taken up playing with pens (she'll bat it around,
    or bite it if I tease her with it while holding it.)
    
    
    She gets into EVERYTHING, is the nosiest kitty I've ever known.
    She is now bold enough to lay on the coffee table, knock the remotes
    for the cable and vcr around, and trash my tv guide.
    
    Fred and Diamond the demon cat

    This is so much fun, I haven't written in awhile... 
    
    Now that ATTU aka "THE BEAST CHILD" is approaching a year old I figured 
    she'd calm down... My roommates tell me every day how wonderful she's been
    lately,"What have you been doing to her?" 
    
    The only thing I can think of is she getting her fix with me.  Something we
    used to do when she was younger and she's picked it up again... only it's 
    funnier, but, I should stop it before it gets worse....  
    
    I used to get home from work at 7:00 in the morning and we would "play"
    for awhile... it was great...
    
    Now,  I get home about 1:00am, and we "play" before I go to sleep...
    however, she sits on my chest, stares at me and bites my hand/arm, I
    respond by saying "Don't do that!" and tapping her on the nose with my
    index finger... she then GLARES at me looking extremely "pissed off"
    she looks like she's thinking "EXCUSE ME...WHAT DID YOU SAY?????" 
    so I put my finger up and say "Don't bit me!" and TBC hits my hand with her
    (declawed) paw, still looking pissed. And, everytime I catch her about
    to bite me and I put my finger up she "bats" it... last night I almost
    woke the whole house up laughing.
    
    She too, wakes me in the morning, we have a ritual... she wakes me, I
    get up and shower... sometimes she joins me others she sits on the step
    and waits for me... then we go to the kitchen ... she sits on top of the 
    refride while I get her food and my coffee ready.
    
    When I come home she greets me, flopps on her side and talks up a
    storm.
    
    I have to say this is the best way to start and end the day... 

    Thanks for listening....
    
    Me and ATTU

    What don't I like? My alarm goes off, so I switch on the light, ready
    to get up. Jesse struggles up, eyes blinking, stretches, walks towards
    me... turns around and I get a mouthful of cat tail. He also stands
    just out of reach of being stroked.
    
    Over the weekends, he used to meaow a lot early in the morning, but
    lately he's settled down to sleep on the bed waiting for me to move.
    When I first got him, he kept trying to curl up on my pillow on my head
    but I soon persuaded him not to adopt that behaviour.
    
    Whenever he plays with a bit of paper it always seems to head straight
    for the TV/Video, right next to the aerial cable... the picture wobbles
    as this furry monster starts reaching for the paper...
    
    Pete.

    Hi,
    
    Tigger has developed a very annoying (for lack of a better word) habit.
    
    I have french doors that lead from my kitchen area to a sun room.
    The curtains for the french doors are held by spring rods...  
    around 3:00am in the morning she sits by the french door, and pulls out
    the rod, then lets it go so it bangs against the door..  She doesn't
    pull on the curtain, just pulls the rod out far enough to make a LOUD
    racket.  
    
    When she hears me get up, she runs under the couch.  If I shut off the
    lights, she will eventually come out, and sniff her bowls...    I keep
    dry stuff in her bowl, but she seems to be looking for fresh food...
    (food that was put there at 10pm isn't good enough)
    
    When she comes out to investigate, I can catch her...  but I don't know
    what to do with her when I catch her...  
    
    How do I reprimand her????  
    
    Am I not feeding her enough????   (she gets dry stuff in the morning
    before I go to work, and a 1/2 can at night...  when the canned food is
    gone, I put more dry down...
    
    She started this about a week ago...
    
    HELP!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    Kathy
    
    

    It does no good to scold her once you do catch her since she wont'
    understand what she is being scolded for.  
    
    What you can do is arm yourself with the squirt bottle, and sneak
    out from your room very quietly, then nail her with the squirt bottle
    while she is pulling out the curtain rod.  That ought to make her
    understand.  
    
    The only other thing to do is to look her in a part of the house
    that doesn't have french doors so that she can't disturb your sleep.
    
    Be sure not to give her food, or positive attention when she gets
    you up out of bed.  Actually, the best thing to do might be to do
    nothing.  If she is looking for attention, she is certainly getting
    yours by making you get up out of bed.
    
    Jo

    I agree with .49.  Don't get out of bed.  It sounds as though she
    is not doing any damage just making noise.  When she discovers it doesn't
    work, she will stop, and hopefully, not find something else to do.

    Good luck!  Aren't they clever?
    
    Flo and Oliver

    
    Thanks for the advice...  Clever isn't quite the word I had for her
    this morning...  8*)...
    
    This morning, I caught her and put her out in the sun room...
    
    tonight I will try ignoring her...    She is 6 years old, and this
    is the first time that she has ever done anything like this...
    
    I love my kids, but sometime I can't figure out why...  8*)...
    
    kathy