NationStates Jolt Archive

There are special times in a person's life when they have the privilege of doing something incredibly stupid. These times are sacred. They can also be moments of weakness in which you had the best intentions but they went awry.

I guess a bit of back story is needed.

As most of you know, I'm a cat owner. My cat is a cranky creature as 15 years old and hasn't had another cat around for a hell of a long time.

So, I have a friend who lives nearby and he was getting new filters installed in his apartment. He too has a cat (actually, it's a kitten). This kitten likes to run out into the hallway when the door is opened. This isn't normally a problem for my friends but because they would have people coming and going yesterday, they didn't want the kitten in the house.

Being the nice friend I am, I told my friend he could leave his kitten here.

It wouldn't have been so bad if Shini didn't growl and hiss a lot. My cat, Chrystal had a lot to fume over. There was another cat on her turf and that was an insult. But she only growled and hissed in return IF Shini threatened her.

It was relatively fine for a while until I put Shini on my chair. He jumped down and threatened my cat, who went berserk.

I'll tell you all up front, until yesterday, I was anti-declaw. I didn't believe in declawing cats. But my mind was changed after I had to break up a cat fight, since Shini was too tiny to defend himself against my cat who would have eaten it for breakfast.

Considering that both cats weren't declawed, I wasn't too badly scratched, though the back of my right shin is really clawed up.

When I broke up the fight, I had to pick up Shini; Chrystal would have hurt me if I touched her. The smaller cat was easier to handle. Of course, holding Shini up was a bad idea as Chrystal tried to climb my bare leg (I wear shorts in the house). Her claws left nasty scratches on my leg but nothing serious.

I had to put Shini in the bathroom. Closest and easiest place to access.

I kept him with me while I cleaned the scratches on the back of my shin.

My cat meanwhile lurked outside of the door, wanting to get to the intruder. To prevent her from doing so, I threw a brush at her. It pushed her back but she hissed and swatted it. Once out, I looked at her and she crawled away.

I managed to keep the two cats apart so they shortly forgot about the other.

Shini hisses and growls at everything. I had a toy of Chrystal's (a cat teaser/tickler toy). He actually plays unlike my old kitty.

Did I learn my lesson? Oh yeah!

Never put two cats in the same room unless they're kittens or they grew up together.

Just be happy they didn't gang up on you.

Is Shini okay?

I want pics.

Just be happy they didn't gang up on you.
My cat is usually scared shitless of me; she cowers before the squirter bottle, which I forgot about... and it was within reaching distance.

Too bad my digital camera is over in Beijing (my dad borrowed it), otherwise I'd take a picture to provide proof of my 'lesson'.

My cat is usually scared shitless of me; she cowers before the squirter bottle, which I forgot about... and it was within reaching distance.

Too bad my digital camera is over in Beijing (my dad borrowed it), otherwise I'd take a picture to provide proof of my 'lesson'.

Well you are very big, compared to a cat anyway.

Is Shini okay?

I want pics.

Shini is fine. My leg took the fall. The little guy was terrified. He did provoke the sleeping giant.

And I think I have pics of Shini; just none of my mangled leg, though I doubt it will fully heal by the time I get my camera back so I'll take a picture.

http://weaselhut.net/DSC01106.JPG

And my cat...

http://weaselhut.net/pic_small.jpg

Well you are very big, compared to a cat anyway.

Actually, a cat will not be scared of you if it thinks it can exert itself. A cat that knows your the alpha will act like they are a member of the pack and not the alpha cat. :)

Cats who have grown up together can still end up hating each other.

My own cats did that. Once they hit elderly, senile status, they fought over the food bowls.

Something I learned from my cat: They are evil, evil creatures... that are just so adorwubble!

Actually, a cat will not be scared of you if it thinks it can exert itself. A cat that knows your the alpha will act like they are a member of the pack and not the alpha cat. :)

Kryozerkia == cat whisperer :eek:

Cats who have grown up together can still end up hating each other.

My own cats did that. Once they hit elderly, senile status, they fought over the food bowls.

I realise that too. My cats did that. Chrystal is the one I kept. The one who became senile was the male cat.

Something I learned from my cat: They are evil, evil creatures... that are just so adorwubble!

That they are.

FYI - Shini means death. :D

Kryozerkia == cat whisperer :eek:

;) Yep. I've always had cats around. In fact, I don't remember a single year in my life when my family didn't own a cat. The cat I own now I brought it with me when I moved out.

So your lesson learned likely leads to the decision to get a Rottweiler (with steel capped canines), yes?

woah... our cat used to fight with the neighbours' cats all the time (and used to win :D), and the thought of putting two of them in a room together is frankly terrifying :p

i guess you did learn a lesson there ;)



oh, and... http://www.funnieststuff.net/viewmovie.php?ad_key=XRDBYYCOYFBG&tracking_id=890371&id=614 :p

Every day shall be Caturday. Meow.

btw, my (late and lamented) cat was totally fascinated and happy when I brought a kitten home, he loved him from the first day.
Too bad the kitten died soon: he used to play on the balcony, got scared by the vac cleaner my dad was using, recoiled and fell over (from the sixth storey). My dad is still glum when he thinks about this, and it happened about 14 years ago - and my cat was sad for a lot of time.

Well, my first two cats were mother and son(we had the mother fixed after one litter and gave away the other four kittens). They obviously got along quite well about 99.9% of the time. But every once in a while, especially when they got older, harsh language and even a bit more were exchanged. I think anyone with parents and/or children can understand that. ;)

Well, my first two cats were mother and son(we had the mother fixed after one litter and gave away the other four kittens). They obviously got along quite well about 99.9% of the time. But every once in a while, especially when they got older, harsh language and even a bit more were exchanged. I think anyone with parents and/or children can understand that. ;)

Imagine what'll happen when you and your offspring turn on each other........

Imagine what'll happen when you and your offspring turn on each other........

A devastating prank war that will leave half a continent uninhabitable for 10,000 years. :eek:

Edit: Actually it was foretold that I would produce the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. That's why I got the bullets taken out of the gun after three. Now however, I'm beginning to suspect that my younger nephew might be the fourth. :eek:

Yes you learned your lesson.

A devastating prank war that will leave half a continent uninhabitable for 10,000 years. :eek:

And that's just when you won't give them the keys to the Goofball Mobile.

Every day shall be Caturday. Meow.

btw, my (late and lamented) cat was totally fascinated and happy when I brought a kitten home, he loved him from the first day.
Too bad the kitten died soon: he used to play on the balcony, got scared by the vac cleaner my dad was using, recoiled and fell over (from the sixth storey). My dad is still glum when he thinks about this, and it happened about 14 years ago - and my cat was sad for a lot of time.

Aw... that's so sad. :(

My current cat is Evil. THat's his name. Evil the cat. I figured, why fight it?

Evil has interacted with other cats and even a dog once. That poor dog. :(

woah... our cat used to fight with the neighbours' cats all the time (and used to win :D), and the thought of putting two of them in a room together is frankly terrifying :p

i guess you did learn a lesson there ;)



oh, and... http://www.funnieststuff.net/viewmovie.php?ad_key=XRDBYYCOYFBG&tracking_id=890371&id=614 :p


Love that cartoon! LOL. I learnt to close my door when I'm sleeping a long time ago. All Lulu can do now is scratch or shake the door (when she manages to get her paw under it) hehe.

And my cat...

http://weaselhut.net/pic_small.jpg

'I can waitz all dai....... bitch'

'I can waitz all dai....... bitch'

The funny thing is, she would have just sat on her kitty condo fuming if Shini hadn't been such an aggressive little ball of fur.

Actually, a cat will not be scared of you if it thinks it can exert itself.

That goes for anyone!

A cat that knows your the alpha will act like they are a member of the pack and not the alpha cat. :)

Pfft, you're thinking in dog terms. Cats don't have packs and they could give less than a shit about who's "alpha." Dogs have that whole hiearchy so they know where they stand in the world. Cats already know.

Every cat is an alpha! (Just ask the cat.)

Pfft, you're thinking in dog terms. Cats don't have packs and they could give less than a shit about who's "alpha." Dogs have that whole hiearchy so they know where they stand in the world. Cats already know.

Every cat is an alpha! (Just ask the cat.)

nonononono... cats do have a hiearchy, cats are also very VERY territorial.

This reminds me of a story that happened back when Sara was alive (she's now dead). Anyways one day I went for a walk and I saw two kittens, and I decide to take them in and feed them and give them milk. Of course one of them had a broken neck (and soon died after I found it). Well anyways after I sent the other one who survived off to the humane society, and when I came home, Sara went BALLISTIC! I mean she pissed EVERYWHERE and she was mad at me for two weeks. Every time I would try to get close to her, she would hiss and just flare up and go into a fit. So after that, and after we got the pee smell out of the house, I learned to never bring another cat into another's cat territory.

Pfft, you're thinking in dog terms. Cats don't have packs and they could give less than a shit about who's "alpha." Dogs have that whole hiearchy so they know where they stand in the world. Cats already know.

Every cat is an alpha! (Just ask the cat.)

Independently they are alpha. But when multiple cats share the same area, there is a dominant cat while the others wait in the wings to take over. This behaviour is most notable with lions, where the younger male will usurp an older male.

And Wilgrove, you think your cat was irritated after that, at least it wasn't take out of its alpha position by another cat who lived in the same house. That was no fun to deal with.

Chrystal was never the alpha cat for a great part of her life; another cat we had, who looks like her, Rocky was the alpha cat. But that status is very delicate because she decided she wanted that position and emasculated him. This set him off and he often refused to use the litter box by peeing around the house to mark his territory. He did this for longer than your cat did; we have to give him up because he wouldn't go in the litter box. At this point, we had two boxes that we cleaned twice a week, one per cat.

Cats are more territorial and possessive than people are.

Cats when they have competition they will try and muscle the other cat out of the way if the owner is giving one cat attention. In this, they are like children; they only want something if their sibling has it or wants it too.

EDIT - ;) and it's nice to see that NSG doesn't think I've learned my lesson or refuses to say. :)

Don't go for declawing. Declawing is horribly cruel and painful and it prevents the cat from using their claws the way they need to for moving around.

Just clip the claws every once in a while to keep them from becoming too sharp if it's that much of a problem.

Don't go for declawing. Declawing is horribly cruel and painful and it prevents the cat from using their claws the way they need to for moving around.

Actually...my cat moved around very well and she was declawed. My current cat though is not declawed.

Don't go for declawing. Declawing is horribly cruel and painful and it prevents the cat from using their claws the way they need to for moving around.

Just clip the claws every once in a while to keep them from becoming too sharp if it's that much of a problem.

I agree with you; my leg has just grown a mind of its own. In fact, it led a brief coup and ursuped my brain to spread its vile propaganda. :p Is it possible for different parts of your body to have an opinion? ;) because while I'm still anti-declaw, my right leg, with sympathy from the left, is saying otherwise.

:) I wouldn't declaw my girl; she's normally VERY gentle with her claws. She has scratched me only three or four times in fifteen years. The times she scratched me was because I had bathed her. So, I guess I deserved it.

Declawing cats is a horrible thing to do. There's also the fact that it'll make them bite a lot.

And only some cats tend to fight. Most of mom's cats got along fine when they first met Chanson; the objection was Thaigirl the bully. Most of mom's cats got along fine when I adopted Polgar; the objection was Thaigirl the bully. Yes, Thaigirl's female and spayed.

Also if you haven't seen my two kittens, here they are: http://www.geocities.com/charizardatma/kitten/

This is why cats scare me.

Heh, that little ball of fluff your friend has reminds me exactly the opposite of my brother's friend's cat "Pablo, the starving mexican" (long story to the name). Anyways, Pablo is a small little calico (if I remember correctly) which my bro's friend found in their neighborhood who was just this small palm sized thing. They decided to take it in, and have it interact with their other two older cats (much like your own, 10-15ish IIRC). A year or so later when he was nourished back to health, he was a hyper cat who always playfuly tackled the older cats who growled back at him but he didn't seem to care. The older cats eventually became scared of this little thing who was 1/4th their size and could easily break it's neck if they sat on him. Which ever room he was in, they would avoid it for the whole day so long as Pablo was in there. When they go to another room, they poke their heads in a bit to "scan" the place to see if he's in there. They won't even go near their food bowls if he's eating. All he wants is to play and have some attention from his bigger family...

PS: Wonder when (and if) our resident Kat is going to post here in honor of the third option

http://weaselhut.net/DSC01106.JPG[/IMG]

Awww... Awwwwwwwwwwww... I wish there were cats like that which stayed that size their whole life. They're so cute!

This is why cats scare me.

Because they're cute :confused:

I'll agree that declawing shouldn't be done. Especially to an older cat.

THere's nothing declawing can do that a scratchng post and a firm shouting voice can't accomplish. *nod*

I'll agree that declawing shouldn't be done. Especially to an older cat.

THere's nothing declawing can do that a scratchng post and a firm shouting voice can't accomplish. *nod*

Failing that, suits of armour never go out of fashion.

My mom once thought about taking in a stray kitten that had wandered onto our porch. Her existing cat made it clear that that would have been a very bad idea.

For awhile, Mom thought about getting that cat declawed because she kept attacking one of the chairs, but didn't want to because she was an outdoor cat. Luckilly she discovered that the cat preferred cardboard boxes to chairs, so she kept a box upstairs for that purpose.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a47/DarkSideOfTheSpoon/soz.jpg

That's nothing, Huntaer -- Emmy (one of mom's full-grown cats) is afraid of Chanson's newborn kittens, who are so young they haven't even opened up their eyes yet!

I'll agree that declawing shouldn't be done. Especially to an older cat.

THere's nothing declawing can do that a scratchng post and a firm shouting voice can't accomplish. *nod*

I have a scratching post, and I taught her to use it after years of my cat of allowing her to scratch this sofa. :headbang: My dad refused to buy a scratching post because he claimed she'd never use it.

I would never declaw her, but I can't stop my right shin from having its own damn opinion on the matter. :)

Failing that, suits of armour never go out of fashion.

Now... where would one acquire such things? :) I could have used it.

Now... where would one acquire such things? :) I could have used it.

Eastern Europe ;) Or at least medieval fantasyfairs where blacksmiths from those countries are present. Generally cheap and decent wares.

Yes, I realise it was not a serious question. So :p ?

I have a scratching post, and I taught her to use it after years of my cat of allowing her to scratch this sofa. :headbang: My dad refused to buy a scratching post because he claimed she'd never use it.

I would never declaw her, but I can't stop my right shin from having its own damn opinion on the matter. :)
Bad shin, bad.



Now... where would one acquire such things? :) I could have used it.

Try here (http://www.swordsandarmor.com/mall/lobby.htm). Practical and sexy.

I'll agree that declawing shouldn't be done. Especially to an older cat.

THere's nothing declawing can do that a scratchng post and a firm shouting voice can't accomplish. *nod*

some experts say a small water pistol also helps.

Of course, holding Shini up was a bad idea as Chrystal tried to climb my bare leg


Embrace the pain!

Embrace the pain!

You've never been scratched by a cat... have you, my friend? :p

I'd like you to know that the pic of the little one has made it into my 'favorite pics' folder and will probably be soon on desktop duty. Such an adorable bit of fluff!

so... are the two still fighting or does kitty now Pwn the bathroom?

so... are the two still fighting or does kitty now Pwn the bathroom?

I was only watching the fluffy ball of mischief for one day. My cat pretty much lays claim to the whole apartment even though mine and my husband's name is on the lease...