I love my cat and he is always trying to get involved in projects. I took a snapshot of Biscuit making sure the work is done right, sleeping on the plans, inspecting the cabinet…can’t do anything without his approval it seems.
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ok, I'll bite. One of our cats, the female. loves to garden with daddy.
She's in the garden, rolling in the driveway, in and out of my legs..........gee, almost like she wants something!
Could it be the catnip growing in the garden?
My cats are stoners!
Eric
Biscuit could only dream of having fresh catnip. We live in the city and I'm no gardener by any means so he has to deal with the dry stuff. Love it when he enjoys that catnip though. :)
JB
I've got a cat,Chester. When he was young, I used to call him Chesticle. Not anymore. ;^}
He runs out when I start any machinery, and I'm glad about that.
I've never met a cat with more zest for life than him, he's actually a lot like a dog(fetch) that catches mice. A real live ball-bearing mouse trap.
He's my buddy, 'cause I feed him. :^}
cat we had a coupla years ago was always into everyting remodeling related too ...
couldn't leave a step ladder out unattended or he'd be sitting on the top in no time at all ....
noise scared the hell out of his partner in crime ... but this one would get so close I was afraid an off cut would fall on his head. He also would steal any tool he could carry.
Was doing some plumbing work and had the LR ceiling open in a coupla places ...
ladder was set out ....
later that night ... we realized we only counted one cat ...
get out the cat treats to see where he ended up ....
he poked his head down one of the holes and meowed for his treat.
Seems he'd spent the last coupla hours inspecting the plumbing and wiring thru the second floor.
I just set a treat on the top of the 6' ladder .. he jumped from the 8' ceiling down and sat up there eating ....covered in 100 years of soot ...like nothing was wrong.
Jeff
Buck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
yeah, I had a cat "spaz" who loved 2 things in my shop..fresh finish on a flat surface..'Puuurrr fect' for paw prints, and hair , he could actually projectile shed if there was wet lacquer around.
and glue..I would frequently put glue in a small cup and use a flux brush for applying it..and spaz would find a way to dip his foot in the cup..and proceed to walk all over what ever he wanted to put glue on..I really think he thought he was helping.
Named him spaz cuz as a kitten he'd go from zero to 60 in 2 seconds..up the wall,across the room, and back to zero..
then he got his head a little rearranged by a Buick at 6 mos. old, and after that he was just eternally happy..never had a bad day
had him for over 20 yrs. His sister lived to be 26..buried her christmas eve..2002
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
maybe it's all in the names ...
our remodeling cat was named... "Nac Nac" .. after a move Supercross rider Jeremy McGrath made up ... right around the start of the "extreme" motorcross stuff ...
as a kitten .. the cat would run across the room ... then scare itself with some imaginery attacker .. and in one fluid motion .... leap ... twist ... and turn ...
he'd end up doing a 180 in the air with his hind legs pointed at the ceiling ...
hit the ground still running ... and head off out of the same doorway he just flew into the room from ...
real psycho, that one ... great cat ... very entertaining!
our other cat ... named Bad Dog ... a big maine coon ... would just sit there and give him a dirty look ... then look at us like ... don't expect that crap from me ....
JeffBuck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
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SamT
How did that puddle get into the picture?
Mac
Ha, I knew I wasn't alone.
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=43395.24
Back in the eighties I had a legendary dog named Rosie (after the Sprinsteen song) that would climb ladders and follow everyone around even on pump jack scaffold planks. She was amazing in that regard. Her successor Annie who recently passed away after a long great life while still a great dog didn't have her athleticism or fearlessness and therefore wasn't really a job site dog.
However, shortly after Annie came on the scene we were working an exterior remodeling project and all of a sudden there was this tiny little gray kitten hanging out with us. I told the homeowners one of their kittens had gotten out and they told me they didn't have a cat and had no idea where it came from. I went to every house in that neighborhood that afternoon looking for the kittens owners but no one knew where he came from.
So that night I took the kitten home which didn't please that cat I already had one bit. Annie the dog was curious for a moment but otherwise indifferent. The next day I brought the kitten back to the job with me and took posters I had printed up on my computer saying I hand a lost kitten and posted them and put them in mail boxes in an even wider range than the immediate neighborhood. The kitten pretty much sat on the bed in my van watching me work but every once in a while would wander off and disappear for a while. I would think good he probably gone home but then a little while later I turn around from the table saw and there he would be looking at me.
This went on for days with me bringing him back to the job each day. I figured if I left him home the older senior cat would crush him. One day the GC came by and asked me if the kitten was still around and I just pointed to a pouch on my tool belt and the GC said "what a kool cat". He worked the rest of the job with us and no one ever came by looking him and all these years later now I'm really glad no one ever did.
While I never took him out in the field on jobs again he wasn't at all bothered by tool noise and always hung out with me when I was working. He became best buds with my dog Annie and I think from her learned how to "be like a dog". He comes when I whistle (well most of the time he does) and he follows me around outside like a dog. While he'll wrestle with a tennis ball he doesn't fetch it but he does fetch match books and other smaller items.
As he started to become a real member of the family he would always "attack and ambush" the older cat who was this big huge cat. C.J. would throw a couple of professional wresting moves on him pin him and then walk away to which unrelenting Smokey would just jump up and pounce on him again and get beat up all over again. Even when Smokey grew to full size C.J. was still over twice his size but that never stopped or discouraged him and I think he just wore C.J. out with his persistence and it became funny to see this little cat chasing this big huge cat around.
That agressive take chage attitude he took out with him not the rest of the neighborhood too. In the coming years people around me here began to refer to him as "The Mayor" because while he was and still is the smallest of the full grown cats here he very definitely owns and runs the neighborhood.
Well a couple of years ago as I spent more and more time working in front of the computer rather than with my hammer and saws Smokey joined me here too.
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I'm about to go out to the pounds and start the search for a new dog in these next few weeks. It'll be interesting to see what Smokey has to teach this new dog. While I love and get along great with all animals I'm really a "dog person" but I do have to give him credit and say that Smokey is one kool cat.
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Jerald, If you saw my post here..lemme tell ya, it is too strange..I was working on an old farmhouse in PA. reglazing windows, and fixin the weights..they seemed to have a litter of kittens there..and the soon to be "spaz" befriended me..
He would get in my pouch, as I was up a ladder, scraping sash..at BT, he shared my cup of Dannon yougurt, at lunch he had a bite of a ham sammich..
One morning, I was off to the job and my DW's cat was in the road..flat on the double yellow..bad day.
I told her about "spaz" at work and she agreed to have look at him..when we got there..the old Pa. Dutch farmer said they are all " gonna drown in the pond"..
well, she wanted the cute black an white one..(his sister) and I wanted " spazzy"..so we took em both!
two of my best friends ever.."spaz" would still look for my tool belt..and I suppose the yougurt cups ( with glue in them) was a rememberance of our first days.
Touche'.. (that was another cat..)
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
A few years ago I had a bunch of kittens dumped on the farm . Found them while mowing past a culvert the little tigger peeked out to see what the racket was. One got run over and only the tigger and a black one were left the guy down the road took the black . Tigger became a real work cat . He would follow around but never in the way while I was working. If I sat down he was there to jump on my lap . If you left the door on the truck open he would jump in and want a ride . Loved taking corners at high speed as he hung on to the seat back. He would hunt all the flies off the lower window panes then come get me to take him hunting on the upper sashes . Ate flies like a kid with MMs . He would come running for a ride in the tractor also , he'd sit and look out the window as long as the tractor was running. Never had to house train that cat either . the first day he was in the house I saw him scratching , and I put him outside right away. From then on he would let me know that he wanted out. The coyoties must have made a happy meal out of him cause he just disapeared one night.
I had a good real good coyote sound on my computer and my old dog Annie used to hear it and she would flip her ears up and tilt her head like the RCA dog. It was funny to watch so I thought I see what Smokey's reaction would be. I had him in my arms right in front of the key board when I played the coyote sound.
I never even saw him leave.
But my shirt was ripped and and my chest and shoulder had track marks in them showing me which way he left.
Smart cat.
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Jerrald: I love that cat "smokey" I always have had a love for cats.
He's a real good buddy. I'm a single guy, never been married. When my dog Annie who was never father away from me than ten ft unless I was out on the road died Smokey took up the slack right away. The mailboxes where I live are about a hundred yard back down the road from my house and the neighbors here get a kick out of how he follows me down and back to get the mail. I used to wonder if he was just hanging out with Annie or if he was following me. I'm thinking it was a little of both.
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i've been waiting for this thread.
my cat is 16 now and shows no signs of flagging.
Well, if the second photo was cat in grass, then the first should have been "cat in bed".
Come on fess up!! Cat in grass, you can't see me, I'm really not here, i know that look so well!!
Our cats have a bed all to themselves, although brother dominates it, heck they have a whole room all to themselves!
Actually they prefer our bed, mostly when we are in it and outside temps are below 30 or so. They love to keep our feet warm. Kick 'em all over the place all night and they still hang in there.
We love our kitties!
Eric
My kitty of 17 years is gone...she would come see what I was working on...
BLUBBER,BLUBBER,BLUBBER...
I had a cat for almost 17 years.
Her name was Xenon.
She was killed, indirectly, by a dog I will only call the devil incarnate.
When I moved out here, I had to live in a tiny little camper that fit the back of a full size pickup. Did so for a long time. Then a member here at Breaktime, named Jim Lovatt, gave me an RV trailer. It was like the taj mahal. What he did was a HUGE boon to me, and probably the biggest ongoing help I have had.
Anyway, the point is, at first I lived in a very small camper.
Xenon had lived with me for almost 17 years in a small apartment in Seattle. When we came out here, she was not at all prepared for the wild around us. She was constantly scared witless. I didn't have to worry about her trying to get out, because any time the door opened, she'd get as far away from it as possible.
Then I had a few visits.
Lots and lots of racoons. A few really big cats. (Mountain lions) And a couple of black bears. I finally decided to get a dog. An aqquaintance had one, and offered it. I brought it home and had it on a chain for a day. The next day, I decided to introduce it to Xenon.
That dog went wild, and no matter what I did to try to restrain it, it just kept going wild. Damn dog.
Scared the crap out of Xenon. I figure she thought she was trapped in the camper, and the first chance she got, she was out the door and disappeared.
I looked for her for two weeks. Every day I would be outside calling for her. Walking all over the place. Looking everywhere she could possibly have gone. A few times, I could have SWORN, I heard her calling back. But it was so incredibly faint that I had to assume it was my imagination.
After two weeks, she showed up. Came out of a huge hole at the bottom of the drive. Seems she had run into a mountain beaver burrow at the top of the hill. All those times that I had heard her, she had been right under my feet. Anywhere from a foot to three feet down. She had taken 2 weeks to work her way along that burrow, all the way down the hill. It was something like 200 feet. And of course, all twisty-turny. She came out completely matted. About half her former weight. And cold as an ice cube.
I picked her up out of that hole, stuck her under my tee shirt, and went waaay over the speed limit, all the way to the vet hospital energency room.
She died on the way.
Before that 2 weeks was up, I was already grieving for her like you wouldn't believe.
To this day, I think that the only reason why she never gave up under there, and came all the way to the open again, is because somehow she knew that I needed that closure. I don't know whether I would have been able to handle it at that time.
I think about her all the time. More often than I ever would have thought I would think about an old dead cat. She was very special to me.
I buried her, wrapped in my favorite shirt, which happened to be hers too. And in a steel toolbox, so that the frikken rats what calls themselves beavers here, wouldn't ever be able to touch her again.
I wish I could find one of those big glass globes that have the colors in the glass, that makes it look like the earth. I would put that over her grave.
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
I definitely know how you feel buddy,I got Skibo (skeebo) from the apt maint man (found her tied up with nylon clothes line in a vacancy) took a lot of patience to get her out of her feral attitudes,and she was rarely a lap-cat...except during the last couple mos she lived...
Edited 7/20/2004 12:31 am ET by mapache
It is is funny how cats always have to be right on top of what you're working on, whether it be reading a book, typing, or working on a vehicle.
How great it is to see others who realize that cats are the best buddies a guy (or girl) can have. I have 3 orange tabbys, Molly (Mom) and Rodney and Terry (her two sons). My GF has a black torty we call Abilene.
Our cute kitty story:
The summer after we graduated from college, my girlfriend and I went back to our college town to pick up a truck I had been restoring while I was in school. The truck was at my friend's farm, in a barn we he had stored it for me when he finished painting it. We loaded the truck on the trailer, hung out for a couple of days with old friends and then hit the road from Missouri to Colorado. A few hundred miles into the trip, at about 1 AM, we pulled over to sleep in the back of my pickup near Abilene, KS. We heard a little, but very persistent scream coming from the cab of the old truck. I opened the door and pulled out a wadded up car cover I had put on the floorboard. In the car cover was a little kitten, not more than 2 weeks old. My girlfriend convinced me were meant to have this little kitty, so we did, and appropriately named her Abilene.
Thanks for posting the pictures of your cats, I wish I could meet them.
do cats like snow?
I'm not sure if you can tell from the somewhat fuzzy photo, but Rodney is not a happy cat.
In fact, that particular snow was particularly unfavorable to cats, as it reached an accumulation of around five feet in three days.
How does that car stay on that rail ?
Super glue ?
Who cares, wins.
Hi Jeff,
I've only owned one cat and we used him for security in one of our warehouses.
Gabe
you need to get that kitty a friend.....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
He has lots of friends. When I loss the female due to an incompetent Vet. We sent the male Charlie to the Granby Zoo to live out the rest of his life.
Gabe
Did that cat sleep at the foot of your bed when he wasn't on duty?
No but the female did. She was a sucker for a car ride and as a result caused a lot of gasps from other drivers.
As a matter of fact, she emptied a toll booth once near Montreal.
Gabe
ROAR! Bet those claws were murder on inflatables...Kevin Halliburton
"The Greek comic poets, also, divided their plays into parts by introducing a choral song, ... they relived the actor's speeches by such intermissions." Vitruvious, (Book V)
Cougars can't fully retract when they're older and when they lose their balance they kinda sink their claws into your shoulders to regain balance.
I had to be home every night to tuck the female in otherwise she would cry until I did so. She also would only eat what I fed her by hand.
Gabe
Gabe,
That is one of the coolest pets I've ever seen but you either missed what IMERC was inferring or you are playing the straight guy in a two man comedy act really well. <G>Kevin Halliburton
"The Greek comic poets, also, divided their plays into parts by introducing a choral song, ... they relived the actor's speeches by such intermissions." Vitruvious, (Book V)
Actually the toy horse was often pulled behind us to exercise the male. Better the horse got nailed than one of us playing with this pussycat.
Gabe
Beautiful animal. How did you end up with him in the first place?
It was quiet a long time ago and my partner and I wanted to try and raise cougars without having to remove the young from it's mother. The cats were purchased from the Granby Zoo in Quebec.
The theory was based on trust. I believed the secret was with the female. My partner raised the male Charlie and I had Charo in a separate home environment.
If I were to describe what a cougar is like, I would have to compare them to German Sheppards.
Extremely loyal and devoted to one person but will get along with the other members of the family. When a sheppard enters adolescence it will test you. You will face a mouthfull of teeth and you will probably be bit. How you react to this will determine your relationship with this dog. With a cougar, it's a little bit more teeth and you will be bit. You have to react like it's mother would. You put your hand in there and act cool until the bite. An instant hard rap to the side of the head followed instantly by words of comfort and you forget the incident.
Animals know if you punish them because you love them or if you punish them out of hate.
When animals punish their young due to a bite or whatever, there is never a second punishment for the crime. A cat will bite it's young offender and instantly start to lick them while they purr.
This is very hard for humans to do.
Back to the story.
As the cat got older and heavier, when she would get on my shoulders and feel herself slipping, she would naturally dig her claws into me for traction.
The decision was made to have her declawed. The vet was overly cautious and overdosed the cat with the anesthetic.
After a year of caring for this cat, I didn't have it in me to try again and Charlie was returned to the zoo and because of his nature was used in classrooms to teach kids about big cats.
I had occassion to be in with most of the big cats, lions and Siberian tigers and the cougar is the most interesting of them all.
Hope this answers your question.
Gabe
Did some work for my mother in law, who had a large storage space in what was basically the knee wall of the 2nd story of her cape; a door opened to the storage area, but it was open to the rest of the attic which was completely unused/uninsulated. So I framed the closet, insulated the walls/ceilings and sheetrocked. Thought it was a decent little 1/2 day job, and that I had managed to avoid insulating the whole attic. That night, however, we realized that we hadn't seen her cat Molly all day; of course, when my MIL went to the closet and called her, we heard a muffled meow from the unused attic behind my new sheetrock and insulation. Thank god I hadn't plastered . . .
Well everyone,
Let me introduce Clio who is sitting pretty in morning glories.
The window is in my shop in a building we have been renovating for awhile. Clio grew up in the alley next to the building here in Baltimore and was just so sweet when I met her at the age of about 3 months I just had to bring her inside. So now she hangs out in the shop with about a dozen special places to snooze besides the window box. When not snoozing I will often find I'm being "stalked" as I move about.
Of course when I start up a tool she zips into a hiding place but other than that is perfectly happy. She has brought a really good feeling to this place.
Thanks to everyone for sharing the stories and pictures.
Tom
View ImageMr T
Happiness is a cold wet nose
Life is is never to busy to stop and pet the Doggies!!
Marty. I found this cat passed out in my shop..whaddya think? Kinda ugly should I keep it?
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Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
How did Fred end up at yur place???
Does Doueg @es or Capnmac know about this yet...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
I just caught it, I still have not seen one of those things alive, begining to believe there is no such thing.
Doug
Fred doesn't look to be doing so well either....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
Capnmac know about this yet...
I invoke Luka . . .
And Feldwebel Schultz, too.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Seems to be of the same metal as you-n-I...(this credit to unknown) LIFE IS SO SHORT,YET THE CRAFT SO LONG TO MASTER
A client I did a restoration a while back uses this as their "security system"...
Renaissance Restorations
Victorian Home Restoration Services
http://www.renaissancerestorations.com
The wife works in a restaurant.
Although not my cat but job site for a bar!
"Sir, if you were my husband I would poison your tea"
"Madam, if I were your husband I would drink it." Sir Winston Churchhill
Heres a jobsite cat that is too fat to get to the job. This is a friend of mines cat. Fattest cat I have ever seen.
you have to be kidding, what does that thing weigh?
This cat looks like it would survive just about any jobsite.
... If it survived this.
Would you call this a grey area in the food chain ?
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"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
>> Would you call this a grey area in the food chain?
Well, no. I'd call it PhotoShopping. But then again, I'm the guy who thinks the really big cat was PhotoShopped, too.
Edited 7/21/2004 6:57 am ET by Uncle Dunc
I don't think the phot is doctored.
Of course, I didn't take the picture, so there is no way for me to prove or be positive of that. LOL
It doesn't show up at snopes.
Which big cat are you talking about ?
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
>> Which big cat are you talking about?
The one at http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages/?msg=44522.43
Ah Yes.
I don't think that pic is doctored either.
Hey Stan, where did I see this pic before ? I have seen it somewhere besides here at BT. I just can't remember where. Did those people post it somewhere else ? If so, maybe they posted others ?
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
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"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
Wow Luka! What was the end to that story? Inquiring minds want to know. Hope everyone made it away safely and none the worse for curiousity.
Well, this is Dave the Cat after a long day of working...at disgesting his breakfast.
And to give you a sense of scale, here is a photo of Dave sitting next to our Lab. Yes, the Lab is very afraid of Dave the Cat.
Dave the Cat. Gotta love it.
You know, it was the only name he responded to when we adopted him. He even comes when you call him.
He likes beer (found that out by accident...he was dipping his paw in and sucking on it when we weren't looking). He likes his tummy scratched. He doesn't like anyone else to mess with his favorite chair. And he talks to you when you're making dinner in the kitchen.
You know...kinda like Dave Heinlein. (Whoops! Did I say that? :)
You know, you actually could be describing me. I respond to all the things you mentioned. amazing
Dave, that is entirely why we named "Dave the Cat" after you.
Dave's got a bit of Maine Coon in him ...
might be more than a bit ... tough breed to tell full blood from mixed ...
ya got a clear shot of his face?
JeffBuck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Bull honky. I've never been to Maine, and I aint no coon. ;^}
Jeff! You pinned it! Dave the Cat's got quite a bit of Maine Coon in him (how'd you guess?) And he's all Maine Coon personality--"the dogs of the cat world."
Here are some other shots of Dave...face, etc. All looking equally disdainful for a cat who is really into humans.
Everyone gets to vote on which photo looks most like Dave Heinlein :)
(Me? I'm voting for "Bug Killer")
maine coon ... also the only natural "pure breed" ...
and .. one of the few pure breeds that don't get dumbed down by too many of the same gene pool ...
we learned about the bred after leaving the shelter a few years back with one little kitten for my wife ... and "I'll take the biggest, meanest cat ya got in here .... I want the one no one else wants..." for me.
Mine turned out to be a Maine Coon ..... I'll have to dig out some old pics ... huge cat ... weighed at one point .... 23 lbs ... with no excess fat. All head and chest. Getting him into the carrier for a trip to the vets was like fighting a pitbull ....
unfortunatly ... they were from a pound when we lived in Houston TX .. where something like 80% of the pound cats have feline leukemia ... they both tested clean ... they both dies of FL within 3 years. Very sad ... but he was one hell of a cat!
I once showed a pic of him lying on the coffee table along side my tape measure ... I think he was over 3 ft long all stretched out .. to a breeder ... keep in mine .. we had him fixed to take home from the pound ... she said she'd pay $3K to take him home ... wanted to have him hand around her "showroom" ... as the example for when people say ... "I want a big cat, how big can they get"
Told her I never sold any of my drinking buddies yet .. and I wasn't gonna start.
Plus ... down in Houston ... he was the only one I could find that'd stay up late to watch a full hockey game on TV with me .....
His favorite game .... fetch. You couldn't crinkle up a piece of paper witout him running over to play throw and fetch.
When we first wanted to take him .. full grown .. out of thw cage at the shelter ... we had to wait for the only guy in the place that'd open his door .... seems he had a bit of a bad attitude while being locked up? They guy wouldn't even reach his hand in .. just said he'd open and hold the door ...
I was wearing my leather riding jacket ... and had my leather gloves with me ... so I leathered up ... zipped up ... wife said Yer Nuts ... and I reached in and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. Dragged him out like a little kitten ... held on tight ... expecting the worst .... and he just went limp in my arms and started to purr!
Love at first sight .... the people at the shelter told us they were keeping track of the scars and stitches he inflicted on the staff ..... I said maybe he was a Steelers fan?
JeffBuck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Well, that could explain a lot about Dave the Cat!
I went to the city pound with my sister...didn't want a pet yet. Apartment living and all. She went looking for a dog. Then she wanted to see the kittens.
I was walking through the "cat room" and there was this big sign on one cage that said, "Cat of the Day."
You know and I know what THAT means. "No one wants this cat. Dang. Please. Someone adopt this cat."
His bio said, "Doesn't like dogs. Doesn't like kids. Meant for a patient owner."
I saw him. He looked a mess. Hair all matted. Eyes all runny. Ears all clogged. Yuck. I thought, "Geez. Well, I'm waiting and have nothing better to do. Gotta clean this cat up and give him a chance."
Asked for a brush. Took him out expecting a fight. Nothing. Just settled his big ol' body down there in my lap and took that brushing like a man. A well-heeled couple walked up and asked, "Are you going to take that cat? 'Cause we'd like to consider him." I said, "Sorry. I'm taking him home." My sister looked at me like I'd grown daft.
"Your apartment doesn't allow cats! You can't have a cat!"
But I did the years I spent in Pittsburgh ('74-'84) included the Superbowl years. I guess every Maine Coon loves a Steeler fan.
Luckily, I lived in a brownstone. Seven apartments, two doors to each and a back stairwell. We'd stash him where we could when the landlord came around. Dave owned the whole place. Everyone loved him. One of my housemates had to win him over because, in a previous life, some guy had beaten Dave and Dave flinched when guys went to pet him. Loved the ladies though.
Dan won him over eventually. So Aaron had no problem when we got married. Dave thought, "Hmmm. This dude is 6'7". Okay. He's big and in charge." Loves to watch TV draped over the arm of a chair with each side of his big body hanging down on either side. Dog knows who is boss and moves out of his way. Kids aren't fooled. They carry him around with their arms hooked up under his front legs and dress him up and he rolls his eyes at me as if to say, "Don't just stand there. DO something."
Has never bitten or scratched anyone. Not even Dr. Jim, the vet down the street. Takes his shots like a proud warrior.
He's been with me for 9 years. He was 1-2 when I got him. He's down to his fighting weight...real lean. 18 lbs. When we overindulge him he can hit 22-24 lbs.
He's a bad cat alright. And by bad? I mean good. :)
This next pic will really show his size. That's Dave the Cat, sitting at the end of our King-sized bed (spouse can't stretch out in anything smaller). In our old place. Huge, ain't he? :)(I had to put the picture in a few notes down...the one I had here was WAY too large for viewing....sorry.)
Edited 7/24/2004 11:13 am ET by jmo
Edited 7/24/2004 11:18 am ET by jmo
wow .
great shot.
Looks very much like my old buddy Samson.
damn I miss that cat!
JeffBuck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Where do you people find so many cats that got light bulbs in their heads.........
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
Special model. You can only get those bulbs for cat heads in old mom & pop hardware stores. Big boxes (like Home Despot and such) don't carry them.
Useful little feature for owners who need a nightlight that follows them around at 3:00 am when you are raiding the fridge.
Hard to read by this light though, if the cat finds the book completely boring.
Sorry! That attachment was too big for some to open. Here's something a bit more manageable...
I'll admit that your choice pinned it. :^}
But then again, "scatcat" isn't too far off either.
When I think back over all the customers I've worked for, some have liked/owned cats, and some haven't. I've always got on better with the cat lovers. When I walk in a HO's kitchen, as soon as I see the cat food dishes I am reassured that we are going to get on OK
John
Suddenly, I feel famous. :^}
Sorry. I don't have any idea.
I just copied these from a thread on an art forum.
The guy says he doesn't know either, they were just sent to him.
He posted the second one after a while. I didn't see it till this moning, after I checked in here. Good timing though. Proves it wasn't faked.
: )
How is the bungalow coming along ?
Did you ever get any studly types to pose for your mini-magazine ?
Did you check out Jim Blodgett in the lastest issue of FHB ? Man, anyone with that sense of style could really take a magazine a long way...
And you might even get him to show his crazy legs.
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
So sad. The funding for the magazine fell through :( So, it will just be my husband reluctantly posing on our blog. (At 6'7", the man's got legs...his Swedish modesty prevents him from flaunting it through. Oh well.)
Jim Blodgett, eh? I'll have to go back and check the latest issue! Let me see....(turning pages)...Hmmm. Pouring foundations.
The mustache and the hair are reminding me of someone in the music industry. Jim, if you are reading this, 'fess up! Who do folks say you remind them of?
Well, I guess I'll just slide that picture of me posing in nothing but a toolbelt, back under the sink.
I haven't had a rodent problem since I put it there in the first place. Go figure.
LOL
Hey, I haven't been to your blog in a while. I'll get in there this evening. Got some work to do right now.
: )
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
C'mon by! It's just, you know, us and Coco and Dave the Cat.
And our ripped out 2nd floor.
And all of the stuff we are still finding in here.
You know, the usual.
I was telling my 3 year old son his usual made-up-on-the-fly bedtime story the other night and he said, "Daddy, tell me about the kitty cat." So I worked a cat into the story - then I asked him what the cat's name was. He shouted, "Rasin" with a big smile on his face.
Guess who showed up at the new home site the next day looking for dinner. (see attached) I've worked the silly thing into trusting me enough to let me stroke its back a few times while it's eating but I still don't know if it's male or female. That ear needs some attention. Guess I'm going to have to violate the trust barrier and go ahead and trap it so I can get it the medical attention and reproductive surgery it needs.
Doggone it if the misses didn't bring the little munchkin by so he could fall in love with it already. This might get expensive... <G>
Ah well, I've been told they keep the rattle snakes down. If it does that much it will at least contribute more than the dog. He's just a big old fat consumer - LOL
Kevin Halliburton
"The Greek comic poets, also, divided their plays into parts by introducing a choral song, ... they relived the actor's speeches by such intermissions." Vitruvious, (Book V)
"it so I can get it the medical attention and reproductive surgery it needs. "
don't forget the FIV and leukimia tests_____________________________
bobl Volo, non valeo
"it so I can get it the medical attention and reproductive surgery it needs. "
So if you ever go have a couple of beers with Kevin and in the morning you wake up to find that you are wearing this really peculiar lab coat, taken up residence in a rubber room and speaking in a high pitched voice.. You'll know what happened...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
LOL - hey, I only treat my uninvited guests to such royal accommodations.Kevin Halliburton
"The Greek comic poets, also, divided their plays into parts by introducing a choral song, ... they relived the actor's speeches by such intermissions." Vitruvious, (Book V)
Yea, I know... I was thinking about getting an OUTDOOR cat or two for perimeter varmint patrol when this one showed up. I can pick up all the cats I want from "Rescue The Animals" for about $50 apiece with all their shots and snipping taken care of already. Something tells me this one is going to cost a bit more than that before it's over with. What can I say? Looks like I've been chosen - LOL.
I was kind of hoping it would either go away or just hang around for a couple of months so I could determine if it would be worth the dough to get it all the attention it needs. Now I went and let the boy have a look at it and it's been around enough that I just can't be all callous like that.
Man I'm a sucker for a lost cause!
Wonder how the dog is gonna take the news. <G>Kevin Halliburton
"The Greek comic poets, also, divided their plays into parts by introducing a choral song, ... they relived the actor's speeches by such intermissions." Vitruvious, (Book V)
A few weeks back I couldn't bear to spend a Saturday in the Florida heat and humidity so I took some pictures of the cats.
Molly isn't upset, she's just displaying her ferocity.
Edited 10/4/2004 9:18 pm ET by bluemoose
And this is Rodney, he likes boxes, and he did this to himself.
LOL, I think you need a bigger box for that cat!
years back we had a really big cat ...
a maine coon that weighed in at around 20+ lbs ... no fat!
along the way ... someone forgot to tell him he wasn't a kitten anymore ...
put any box half his size anywhere in eyesight ...
and he'd be stuffing himself (almost) in just like that pic ...
then give the same look ...
like ... whadda looking at ... I'm hidden in here ... ya can't see me ....
JeffBuck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Just as long as he doesn't think every box is a litterbox ;)
jt8
I have a Maine Coon, Whiskers, and the heaviest he ever became was 19 lbs. I recall the day the veterinarian yelled at me because my cat was too fat. This after he proclaims, "My gosh is he strong!" as Whiskers gets a good grasp on his arm with his two front paws. Try telling your veterinarian that Main Coons are _naturally_ large cats.
Since then Whiskers has developed diabetes. We've been working for 2 months to get his insulin levels under control. Imagine the vets surprise to learn that 8 units of insulin twice a day just doesn't quite seem to do much for a Maine Coon. Who knows if his weight is the cause or he is simply genetically prone????
Will post a pic asap
Jennifer
we've had 2 maine coons over the years...
one in Tx and one here in PA.
first one we got was straight out of the Houston pound ...
didn't know what a maine coon was before. Just knew he was a damn big cat.
after we got him cleaned up and healthy ... his weight stayed right around 23 lbs.
and he had no belly fat ... all head and chest. Very strong ... it was like wrestling with a pittbull when he didn't wanna take his medicine. Huge feet too ....
we went to a cat show one year ... I brought his pic ... showed it to a breader ...
since he was a pound cat ... he was neutered ... she still offered me $3K to buy him ... said she'd just have him live in the front room and be the example when people ask "so how big can they get?"
I thougt she was a little nuts ... who'd sell their best friend?
No one else in Houston understood hockey ... I'd be watching the Pens games by myself if I sold him ....
JeffBuck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
As promised, here is a pic of my "baby" Whiskers. He's bounced back to a hefty 16 lbs 10 oz despite the diabetes. Has the vet all confused - first the glucose level is WAY too high, then it seemed perfect for two weeks, and now we've had our third week straight of it being much too low combined with weight gain that shouldn't occur as he is now on a very restricted diet.
Getting frisky again tho so he must be feeling better than he was! Funny to see him run around. Well, hop around is more the word for it. Makes us laugh no matter how hard you try not to. Does your Maine Coon kinda hop around when running or is it just mine?
Jen
don't have the fur buddy's anymore ..
but the maine coons did have that little hop/skip thing going on ...
even more so when they'd "pounce" ...
got great hang time before crushing what ever the prey was.
Jeff
When I was a kid on the farm, we had an old Mother cat named Ben Hur.
When we got the cat we named it "Ben".
But when it had kittens we changed it's name because it had been a her all along.