primitives discuss the cost of a cat

[Big Dog]

I would suggest asking yourself if you NEED a cat for some personal satisfaction or emotional gratification.  If not, don't spend the money.

"To each according to his need."

Now, where have I seen that before?

[Penfold]

"To each according to his need."

Now, where have I seen that before?

well, apparently not in any well written veterinary magazine that provides insight into good reasons for pet ownership...

cats can live 15 years - or more.  unlike dogs, they don't do kennels well, which means limited vacations, and depending on the cat's personality, she could end up with a lap cat that demands constant attention, or an aloof monarch that doesn't meet her emotional needs.

[Big Dog]

So, from your writing here we may conclude the following:

I would suggest asking yourself if you NEED a cat for some personal satisfaction or emotional gratification.  If not, don't spend the money.

What you really said: If you are personally satisfied or emotionally gratified, don't buy a cat. Only sad, lonely, maladjusted people with hollow lives should own cats.

well, apparently not in any well written veterinary magazine that provides insight into good reasons for pet ownership...

What you really said: Well written veterinary magazines do not include the phrase "to each according to his need".

How about poorly written veterinary magazines? Can we find that phrase in any of them?

cats can live 15 years - or more.  unlike dogs, they don't do kennels well, which means limited vacations, and depending on the cat's personality, she could end up with a lap cat that demands constant attention, or an aloof monarch that doesn't meet her emotional needs.

What you really said: I, Penfold, am a crazy cat lady.

[Tess Anderson]

Cats have been a big theme at the DUmp over the last few days . . . rsmithnumbers just made this thread about his deceased cat Kleo:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024472045

some eulogy that's too well-written to be a rsmithnumbers post.

[Penfold]

So, from your writing here we may conclude the following:....

excellent job,  Detective Lestrade!  Your brilliance once again cuts through the mirky shadows and leads us to a new dawn of intellectual and social excellence.

[Big Dog]

Speaking of cats...

[GOBUCKS]

Cats have been a big theme at the DUmp over the last few days . . . rsmithnumbers just made this thread about his deceased cat Kleo:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024472045

some eulogy that's too well-written to be a rsmithnumbers post.

No way rsmithnumbers wrote that. You only need to read a few of his comical, pathetic bouncy tales to realize how impossible that would be.

And all that transcontinental air travel, half of it in first class? Poor stupid rsmithnumbers is a lifelong hardscrabble loser. It's unlikely he's ever seen the inside of an airliner.

But it's great to see poor stupid rsmithnumbers back at the DUmp. I hope he starts crafting more of his hilarious bouncy tales. No one can do them better.

He's one of the DUmbest DUmmies at the DUmp, and he'll never learn to back up a truck, but he sure can entertain.

[Celtic Rose]

BS,we had a house cat from 1979 until 1993 that only hate Chefs Blend dry food.
She would turn her nose up at a can of tuna unless somehow was literally starving.

My cat gets wet and dry food.  I fill up the bowl with dry food and give her wet food once a day. She was getting pudgy a couple years ago, and my vet suggested adding wet food.  He said that because it is higher protein my cat would eat less and feel satisfied.  I tried it and my cat is now a perfectly healthy weight.

[Dori]

I would suggest asking yourself if you NEED a cat for some personal satisfaction or emotional gratification.  If not, don't spend the money.
 

LOL.....all my cats "found" me.  The last one was during a rain storm.  She sat outside for three days bawling her head off.  I was determined to not let her in and surly she would go away.....nope, she won.  I let her in and fed her, and she hasn't left.  That was 12 years ago.  Go figure.



 

[JohnnyReb]

I had 5 unwanted cats. Called animal control and they came and got 4 of them. I kept one male. 2 months have passed since then and I have 4 now. The damn things seem to growing on trees around here.

[BlueStateSaint]

We took care of my sister's cat when my BIL was 'sent' to MIT by the Navy to get a master's in construction management.  The cat stayed two weeks.  We had a positive experience, so I told my wife that if we had an opportunity to get a cat, we would.  Said opportunity presented itself a few months later, and Oreo showed up.  She's been with us ever since.  Two moves, our daughter's birth--Oreo's pretty much handled things.  I'd like to get a kitten to see if Oreo's mothering instincts would kick in, but she doesn't like neighborhood cats coming up to the sliding glass door, so I'm a bit leery yet.

[Dori]

I had 5 unwanted cats. Called animal control and they came and got 4 of them. I kept one male. 2 months have passed since then and I have 4 now. The damn things seem to growing on trees around here.

I swore that there was some unwritten sign in my yard that only stray cats could see.  I've always had a cat or two and never went out of my way to get one.  They always showed up on my doorstep.

The worst episode was when a nearby area was plowed to build a shopping center.  We had every kind of creature run across the boulevard into the neighborhood.  I had a family of feral cats hanging around my back yard.  We also had a problem with rats.  They were in the trees and on the power lines.  The health dept. was passing out traps to everyone, but the feral cats showing up took care of the problem.  They eventually moved on.



 

[thundley4]

I had 5 unwanted cats. Called animal control and they came and got 4 of them. I kept one male. 2 months have passed since then and I have 4 now. The damn things seem to growing on trees around here.

I guess when Frank disappears for awhile , it's because he's dropping his spare cats off at your house. 

[seahorse513]

I had 5 unwanted cats. Called animal control and they came and got 4 of them. I kept one male. 2 months have passed since then and I have 4 now. The damn things seem to growing on trees around here.

Either that, or they didn't listen to Bob Barker....

[cmypay]

We have two cats that came to us after being rescued from a hoarder's house. One is pyscho-bitchy cat. We just feed her and she puts up with us. The other is super sweet and friendly, even gets along with the dog! Now, the dog has decided ONLY these two cats are okay and all other cats should be chased off the property, even though we are way out in the county and have plenty of room.

[vesta111]

Strange this thing we have for cats an have had for a few thousand years.

Cat mummies in Egypt by the thousands, must have been expensive to have them dealt with after death.  

On the other hand at one time in the dark ages in France cats were hunted down and tortured for some reason. The killing of cats in Europe I believe led to the plague caused by rat fleas. It is said that the only people free of the Plague in Europe were the prisoner's in jail that were so hungry they ate the rats and mice before they had time to spread the Plague.      

Asia soon learned to leave the cats alone to guard the rice crops from vermin.

Domesticated cats as some say are no different from their huge cousins, same instincts, same life style.   How they shrunk to be so small is a wonder to me.   However if my cats grew to be the size of a bob cat or mountain lion, I cannot imagine having them in the house as pets.

I have had cats that displayed behavior like a dog, then cats that I only saw when I went to bed and they curled up next to me.

Cats seem to be tribal or pack animals, I always had two to keep themselves company when I was not there.  

Barn cats are interesting, A relative had about 20 of the darn things in her barn to keep out the vermin.    I drove up to visit one day and most were outside sunning themselves and nursing the baby's.    Not just their baby's but any baby that came along wanting a quick lunch.      Interesting scene for me but I am sure most folk that have barn cats have seen this before.  These were all tame cats, not wild and were fed every couple days cat food with plenty of water for them.  

Strange Animals, a Gift from God.  

[BadCat]

We have 8 cats, all indoor, never go out.
They're not cheap.

[Tucker]

We brought an abandoned cat in a few months back. My wife has never been happier. Even though I'm a Dog person, Eamon (his new name) is pretty cool. We can walk up to him and pick him up. He doesn't run away at all. He's sociable.

[Dori]

We have 8 cats, all indoor, never go out.
They're not cheap.

How do you deal with the cat boxes? 

I have a cat door.  They go out when nature calls.

[Chris_]

My cat's too scared to go outside.

Actually, I haven't tried it.  I'm afraid he might disappear.  There are outdoor cats in the neighborhood that might mess him up.

[Dori]

My cat's too scared to go outside.

Actually, I haven't tried it.  I'm afraid he might disappear.  There are outdoor cats in the neighborhood that might mess him up.

I've never had a cat not come home.  Once we had a Tom (not fixed) and he would disappear, but he would come home eventually, sometimes a bit beat up.

[BadCat]

How do you deal with the cat boxes? 

I have a cat door.  They go out when nature calls.

6 Litter Maids

[GOBUCKS]

Cost of cat varies, depending on egg rolls, soup, etc.