Conference misery::feline_v1

    I'm glad that Benjamin didn't wander off.  That's pretty scarey! 
    I'm always afraid that Kelsey will learn to open the screen door,
    though brains and ingenuity seem to be lacking in his character :^). 
    He's not as smart as a Siamese!
    
    I do believe that when you restict their territory sometimes they
    instinctively know the boudaries and don't venture beyond them.  This
    isn't true in all cases of course.  I hope I never get a scare like
    Benjamin gave you and I'm glad that your story had a happy ending!!
    
    :^)
    

    Phhhhhhhheewwwwwww!
    
    Happy to know their cousin Benjamin is safe,
    
    Callie & Tabitha (& Mom too!)

    
     Yes I do think the same way with my siamese sometime he is so noisy
     that i would pay the the gypsies to take him away.
                                                       	
                         	                               	
     Jean. ^ ^
           o o
           >|<
    

    Something similar happened to me about a week ago.  I was doing my
    laundry on a beautiful day and had my windows open...all have
    screens...When I came back into my apt., I noticed that my Precious,
    who always is walking around when I'm around hadn't shown her face for
    quite a while.  So I began looking around my apartment...under the
    bed...etc.  I went into my bedroom only to find the screen to my window
    halfway out.  I panicked!!! (Just a little extra tidbit...I live on the
    second floor of a condo complex!!!!  You can imagine my thoughts...)
    
    I went running outside asking everyone if they had seen a cat.  After
    a couple of minutes someone called to me and said there was a cat
    hiding under the bushes.  I was almost crying from fear....All my
    kittens are indoor kittens....(She is 11 months old)  Now I can't leave
    my windows open....does anyone have suggestions for keeping the screens
    from falli8ng out....????
    

    OH MY GOODNESS!! HEART ATTACK CITY!!!!!!
    
    I live on the third floor of a victorian house, so there's a ledge all
    around the top of my apt. One day, Daddy was out the window on the
    roof, filling Tabitha's bird feeder for her, while she sat on the
    window sill & watched. This was ALWAYS the way we did it, she was con-
    tent & never tried to get out or anything, so we just let her watch.
    
    Well, she did it, she made the big break & went right out onto the
    roof! Dave went to grab her & she ran off & got up on the ledge & went 
    AROUND THE CORNER!!!!!She was about 4 months old at the time & not very
    wise about height & things! She started PLAYING WITH A BUGGY on the
    edge & I was so afraid she'd chase it right off! She also knows where
    the birdies live & went over to inspect the hole they fly in & out of!
    I was SO afraid one would come out & she try to go after it!!!
    
    I paniced in a major way! I ran to the fridge & grabbed her open can of
    food! I don't even know how I got the idea, I was in such a state! I
    ran into the bathroom, cuz this is the side of the house she was now
    on. I just TORE the screen out of the window...couldn't get the
    coordination up enough to press the tabs & lift. I held the can out &
    she ran to me!!! I was shaking & hyperventalating! (sp) I told Dave
    that it this was ANYTHING like having kids, forget it! It took me about
    15 minutes to calm down & Tabitha got plenty of loving that night!
    
    FWIW-->We DO have one screen that doens't fit properly in the window,
    & we used duct tape ALL AROUND it & it stays just fine. It happens to
    be a screen we never need to open, so it's OK. It doesn't look that
    great, but it sure makes me feel better!
    
    Hope it works for you!
    
    Bonnie

    re: .5  - My heart was pounding just reading that note!  I'm so glad
    she was ok.
    

    re .5
    
    My heart was pounding too, but I was also laughing.....because I could 
    see her
    running around, the expression on her face, tearing the screen out,
    etc...The story was told very well.....8')
    
    
    thanks for the suggestions...duct tape, i definitely will try
    it...what's the summer with the windows down????
    
    michele

    I remember putting a note in here about two years ago regarding Stitch
    and his breakout of the cat run, which by the way is on a roof 3
    stories or more above ground.  We thought he had learned his lesson -
    but he didn't. 
    
    After having been gone for the day and returning around 9 last night we
    let the kids out for some fresh air - it was warm and a big moon
    shining - so Richard and I turned on the TV and proceeded to watch a
    movie.  About 10:00 Pippin & Gino came in chattering and trying to lead
    us up stairs, - well - there again, came the sound from the grave -
    shinned the flash light down 1-1/2 city blocks and on the far end of
    that roof is Stitch - unable to get back on his own.  So here we go
    again - fetch 12 foot ladder - cross the roof tops down one city block
    and half of another - (in some places the buildings are not attached
    and we had to lay the ladder across and crawl over) - we are walking
    on our tip-toes for fear someone will come up and shoot us for
    trespassing or attempting to break in with this 12 foot ladder in the
    middle of the night - Stitch is still yelling his head off - I can't
    make it down the last drop - it's about 15 feet so Richard goes on his
    own - goes over to the other edge and places the ladder over the side -
    I'm shinning the flash lite from where I am - and low and behold -
    Stitch gets a running start and runs up the damn ladder - they walk back
    to where I am and he runs up the ladder a second time with Richard
    behind him and the three of us quietly??? make it back to our place.
    
    Richard is checking the fencing this moring as we couldn't tell if he
    found an opening last night - but this cat is capable of anything. 
    Well, at least this time I didn't get the entire neighborhood involved!
    Two years ago we still couldn't get to him after 3 hours of trying -
    may next time I let him spend the night!
    
    Giudi + Pippin Gino and stitch
                                            

    That sounded scarey!  Crossing rooftops via ladder, etc.  I'm really
    afraid of heights!!  How suspensfull :^) !
    

    re: .8 - Maybe Stitch and Angel are related.  I can't keep that cat
    on the deck!  Now I put her in a cage so I can let the rest of the
    crew out on the deck.
      N
    

    Thunder and DejaVu (both indoor de-clawed kittys) and Storm (the dog)
    got out last week.  The first time I noticed it when I looked through
    the window and noticed this big tri-color collie across the street.
    What a pretty dog I thought.  Then I realized IT WAS STORM !!!!.  I
    ran to the door and found it wide open.  Lightning was still in the 
    house and Patches is allowed outside.  I found Deja right away and
    coaxed Storm back in (she was playing with the dog across the street).
    Thunder was nowhere to be found.  After going around the house and 
    looking up and down the street, I looked *under the house*.  Boy, it
    is really hard to find a black kitty in the dark.  I ran in the house
    and got the flashlight.  I finally saw two bright wide-open eyes in
    the flashlight beam.  Thunder didn't want to come in !!!!  She was
    afraid that I was going to scold her.  She came to me finally and
    then scooted around me into the front near the road.  ARGGHHHHHH !!!
    She doesn't *know* cars.  She then went back under the house.  I
    FINALLY got her by bribing her with food.  This only took about half
    an hour but it seemed like FOREVERRRRRRR..
      
    I still have nightmares of her running into the road..... 
    
    And, no, I didn't scold her.  I was just too happy to have her back
    in the house....  She got lots of hugs and kisses and so didn't
    Deja and Storm.  Lightning got loves and pats because she was such
    a good kitty for staying in the house.  
    
    
    SANDI and the STORM TROOPERS
    
    

    I have found that scolding them is VERY counterproductive in these
    situations.  Praise them to the skies when you finally do get your
    hands on them.  That will help insure that they come to you if there
    is a next time.  
    
    Dundee has a regular game where he tries to (and often succeeds) get
    out the front door when I open it to get the mail.  He just runs around
    the side of the house with me chasing after him callin him a brat. 
    Then he lays down in the grass (wet, dry he doesn't care).  I pick him
    up and put him on my shoulders and carry him back in the house telling
    him the whole way that I don't know what I'm going to do with such a
    naughty boy.  He just purrs his brains out.
      N

    My husband was ready to sell Barkley to the gypsies yesterday...
    
    Barkley is a former stray that spent many years outside ...so
    when he goes out now...he ususally stays real close to the house
    and comes in within a hour.  Well yesterday it was pouring rain 0and
    Barkley wanted to go out...so my husband let him out.   Well within
    15 minutes Ernie kept checking for Barkley...but he was nowhere.
    
    Well after an hour...Ernie was a nervous wreck...so he put on a
    rain jacket and went for a search in the woods....he was out
    there for an hour.  Well two hours have gone by and no Barkley...
    so Ernie (who was totally soaked by this time) came back in, took
    a warm shower and changed his close.   He then looked on the porch
    and there was good old Barkley...just sitting there...dry as can be!!
    
    Sandy
    

    re: .13 - I think we know who the smarter species is here.

    By the time you get them back and get yourself under control it really
    doesn't do any good to scold them - by then the deed has been done and
    they don't really know what they're catching He** for.  We, on the
    other hand, are so releived to have them back that we'll lavish them
    with all sorts of loving and attention and treats and sweet talking -
    trying to extract a promise from the little buggers that they'll never
    ever do it again - they lay there and lap it up - and then you catch a
    hint of a wink "sure - till the next time".
    
    Giudi

    I came close to GIVING Callie to the gypsies this morning!!!
    
    I just have to get used to the antics of a kitten again! Just as
    Tabitha was outgrowing her MORNING HORRORS, we got Callie! Cal
    always finds it necessary to romp over my head, body & bed in order
    to wake me up about an hour before I'm supposed to be up! With Tab,
    we just "ignored it" & after a few weeks she knew that this behavior
    was getting her nowhere. Well, I have to convince my SO of that now!
    
    He gets so upset & then I have to listen to HIM AND THE CATS! I keep
    saying, "shhhhhh if they hear us talking they'll keep it up!" he thinks
    I'm NUTS!!! I know it works, so we'll have to be patient!
    
    SO, this morning I got up a half hour before it was time, so I could
    shut all three of them up! (I know, if callie gets used to this, she'll
    keep doing it, but...) Guess what I found on the outfit I laid out for
    today?!?!? FURBALLS! YUCK! I felt bad for Callie, (I know it was her)
    but I felt worse for ME!
    
    Then she proceeds to attack my pantyhose while I'm putting them on, 
    MAJOR RUN!!! I was ready to give her to the gypsies, alright!!!.....
    
    Then when it was time for me to leave, she ran down to the door to say
    "bye-bye's" in her usual way, but she flopped over on her back & gave
    me the "Hi Eyes" while she purrrrrrred her little heart out! Now how
    could I go & sell her to the gypsies after that?!?!
    
    One Tired Mommy (Bonnie)

    Bon,
    
    Kelsey, for all of his almost 3 years, jumps on the bed each
    morning and meeoowwwrrs in our face.  He continually does this until I
    get up and feed him.  Once my husband and I are up and getting ready for
    work, Kelsey proceeds to go into his cat bed and sleep... he's done his job.
    
    Well, one morning, Dana goes over to the cat bed and picks it up with
    Kelsey in it and meeoowwrrs right in his face.  Kelsey wakes up and Dana
    says, "HOW DO *YOU* LIKE IT?!"  Kelsey just gives him a dirty look and
    lays back down... he evidently didn't get the hint!  We still have to
    listen to him every single morning...
    
    The other cats are dolls!  Never make a peep.
    

  Re -1 & -2
    
    I am glad mine isn't the only one that does this, except Miskey does it at
    all hours of the night. Ever since we got her, she "bugs" us during the 
    night. She will walk on the pillows, and sometimes on our faces. If that 
    doesn't wake us up, she will walk back and forth on us across the bed, 
    purring the whole time. When she does this my husband will wake up and 
    give her all kinds of loving, reinforcing the "habit". She is so bad or
    good depending on the way you look at it, she has kept my husband up
    all night. 
    
    To stop her from during this, when I am home, I keep her up. There has 
    been times when I have kept her up all day long. By the time 10:00pm comes 
    around, we have one tried kitty. Needless to say she sleeps all night and 
    part of the next day, too.
    
    But I love her to pieces, and won't trade her (and her bad habits) for
    anything.
    
                       Crys (Miskey - the wonder kitty)
        

    I am so glad to hear that others have the same problem with cats
    waking them up in the morning.  I've tried closing the bedroom
    door, but then they scratch and yowl until you just HAVE to get
    up (at least I do, my husband can sleep through anything).  So
    I have finally found the trick.  Jessica and Alexander sleep
    on the bed with us all night, then I get up around 4 or 5.  I go
    downstairs to feed them (they do like an early breakfast), then
    go back upstairs and close the door.  For some reason, the food
    keeps them quiet.  And I can sleep until the alarm goes off.
    
    It's amazing.  I can now navigate downstairs without lights, open
    and serve a can of catfood, climb upstairs, close the door and 
    have no trouble getting back to sleep (if I was ever fully awake
    in the first place, which I doubt).  Kitties are happy now and so
    am I.
    
    Laura

    Laura, that's my routine now too.  We used to have a squirt bottle on
    the nightstand but Kelsey would only run away for a few minutes then
    come right back again like a bad dream.  So, when he starts in, I just
    get up, feed him and go back to bed.  He's happy, the house is quiet,
    and we can sleep!
    
    :^)
    

    My Alex never fails to wake me for breakfast every morning!
    But now that Vinnies home-he gives me a break and sleeps a
    little later in the morning and talks to Vinnie to get his
    breakfast! 8^)
    
    SueJ

    Funny how you find yourself missing things that used to drive you
    nuts--
    
    My little girl used to wake us up about 4 in the morning by pulling a
    variety of stunts, but the noisest and most disturbing of all was her
    getting on my dresser and knocking down my parfume bottles one by one -
    I would watch the little dickens do it - bam - bam - bam!!! until I
    would get up and take the whole disaster off the dresser and put it up
    somewhere in the closet where she couldn't get to it - but she would
    then find something else.  Well, now Pippin is 7 and every once in a
    while she'll knock over a bottle or two but it seems that she's
    sleeping in later these days - her next best trick was getting into the
    waste paper basket, tipping it over and playing with all the paper
    scraps on the hardwood floor.  
    
    Giudi +3

    Every morning around 5:00 my Tamba jumps on my bed and he weigh 16
    pounds and it is a waterbed...so you can just imagine.  Then he
    comes walking over me with his very loud purr...sounds more like
    a car running...and then head butts me until I wake up!!!
    
    Of course I open my eyes...pat him...and off he goes!  Then Dewey
    comes strolling in and does his "pretty boy" in the mirror.  Pretty
    boy is when he takes his head and completely turns it upside down
    and start rubbing.  Well of he goes...and them comes Abby.
    
    By this time...I just get up!
    
    Sandy

    Well, I can see who's in charge in these homes (including mine)
    and it ain't us!!   :^)

I am willing to bet that even if you put food out before you went to sleep,
your cat would be waking you up in the middle of the night...not due to
hunger, but because of bordom, etc.  You are, after all, teaching him that
this works!

I put dry kibble out at night -- and go to bed.  If anyone of the gang is
into night patrols, they get an extra snack.  They know it's there, and
they know if they try and bug me....they won't like the cold shower.  Those
two facts combined give me peace and quiet at night.  My roomy, however,
Lets Nick "nag" her up early in the morning for some canned food...but he
won't bug me if she isn't around...he knows to wait until I've had my
shower and then he gets fed.

Of course, they can always get an ear scratch....as long as I don't have
to wake up and get up, I let the little tyrants have their way...8^}

    Sounds like Nick has devised a way to get fed twice in the morning!
    
    Deb

>>>    Sounds like Nick has devised a way to get fed twice in the morning!
    
and he's the "slow" one in the house....

Boy, was Callie a little terror last night & this morning!!!

I woke up at about 4:00 when I heard her running across the kitchen floor,
it's loud, and kidn of annoying. I try to ignore it as long as possible, cuz
I KNOW she's just trying to get me up so she can have her breakfast!!

Well, what I didn't know is that my 17 year old ("I'm the only person in
the world that matters, to hell w/ anyone else") downstairs neighbor came
home at 2:00 AM, and slammed her door so hard the house shook, and it made
our door pop open! Luckilly there is a hall downstairs that is closed off to
the outdoors, so the cats could only get out of the apartment, not outta the
house!

So, finally, Callie is driving me nuts enough for me to get up and put her 
into the bathroom. Tabitha ALWAYS comes out to say, "LOOK MUM!! *I'M* being
a good girl, it's Callie that's making all that noise!" (yeah, right...and she
thinks I don't know she's just as much of an after hours hell raiser!)

Well, this time Tabitha didn't come out. I was worried, because yesterday
there was some vomit in a couple of places, and their FAVORITE food was 
hardly even touched. I tossed the remaining food, figuring that it was a 
bad batch or something, and didn't give it a second thought! TIL 4:00AM,
when Tabs didn't come out to proclaim her innocence. I was so afraid she'd
gone & hid someplace cuz she was sick (that's what she doeswhen she's sick).
Then I realized the door was open downstairs!! I looked in the hall, and 
nothing, I went into a slight panic!

I opened the outside door to see if maybe she had snuck out. I knew that if
she had, she'd be RIGHT at that door waiting to come in. She's a wimp! I
didn't have my glasses on, but I could see a little kitty sitting on the
neighbors driveway. I couldn't tell if it was her or not, and I know the
neighbors don't have a cat. I turned to run back up & get something on, and
get my glasses, and Tabitha came darting out from behind the door! I was so
relieved. She was laughing at me, "nah, nah, nah, nah, nah! you couldn't
find me!"

Now, It's 4:15 AM, I've gone on a wild goose chase for no reason, and the cats
think I'm up to feed them! HAH! I closed my bedroom door, because they
were being "wild ones" & went back to bed for an hour. I could hear them 
tearing up[ the place, but I've got it pretty much "kitty proofed", so I
wasn't too worried about it.

Well, When I got up, Callie (and I KNOW it was her!) had pulled down a vase
full of wild flowers, AND a box of potpouri from the top of a stereo speaker
which is ON TOP of an end table!! When I got up, after I stepped in the water
on the carpet, I found Callie in a full stretch in front of the speaker! Her
back legs were on the end table & her front paws were up on top of the speaker,
now trying to pull down my Christmas Cactus!! "Callie, Get DOWN from ther!"
I yell softly, so that Dave doesn't wake up. She does. Then she proceeds to go
over to the computer (where I do my feline noting from home;*)) and trys to
pull down my pothos plant from the TOP OF THE ENTERTAINMENT CENTER! This thing
is about 7 feet tall!!

Her food & water dishes were knocked over, she was running wild everywhere, and
when I went into the shower, she came into the bathroom & started to knock
all of my cosmetics & things off of the counters! I was so frustrated, she was
climbing the curtains & MMeeerrroowwwing her kitten face off!

Just when I thought I'd had enough, she comes over to me pu-r-r-r-r-r-rrrrr-r-r
rrrr-r-r-r-r-rrrring her head off, & giving me kitty loves! Now how could I
be angry w/ a sweetie like this, huh?! I gave her kitty kisses, & told her
how much I love her, cuz she's so cute & sweet (she loves that!) and went to
work! Maybe she's mad because we ran outta pounce last night! ;*)

Bonnie