Pets

Palomar · 2004-09-04 06:38:44

*There's something about the throw-rug in front of the refrigerator which is driving our cat (who's 2 years old) crazy lately. He's been stalking it, pouncing on/attacking it. It just lays there of course, looking pretty much like the other two throw-rugs in the kitchen. Night before last he took a long, running skid into that rug, then began tearing into it like mad with his teeth. I was doing dishes, so carefully slipped my toe under the rug's edge and suddenly flipped it up. Cat psyched out, jumped, began arching his back and attacking the rug even more ferociously. Scampered around, ears flat against his head -- then darted under the kitchen table. He sat staring at the rug, all wide-eyed and intense. Later it got attacked again.

Cats sure seem to hallucinate a lot. :laugh:

--Cindy

P.S.: We have a dog, too. Nice pooch, 10 years old; rather docile and gentle. When the cat goes into the yard with him (fenced in), he merely stands by and watches with mild curiosity. :hm:

C M Edwards · 2004-09-04 12:17:20

My dog's nemesis is my neighbor's wooden owl lawn ornament. It's been a long-time rivalry - not even the neighborhood squirrels are more hated. You can tell she wants it dead. And she's not being playful, either.

I fear I must resign myself to the fact that I have a stupid dog...

Palomar · 2004-09-04 13:06:31

My dog's nemesis is my neighbor's wooden owl lawn ornament. It's been a long-time rivalry - not even the neighborhood squirrels are more hated. You can tell she wants it dead. And she's not being playful, either.
I fear I must resign myself to the fact that I have a stupid dog...

*LOL!!

So much for the "don't move (I presume the lawn ornament is immobile -- doesn't swivel on a spring or pedestal from the wind) and it won't attack" advice animal experts give.

--Cindy

P.S.: Most of my dogs haven't been particularly bright either. Like the one who growled and barked at her reflection in the window.

Trebuchet · 2004-09-04 23:14:35

My dog is fairly bright (he can open a sliding door if it hasn't been securely shut), but he definitely has some odd behaviors. He seems to feel the need to kill the kibble in his dog dish, for instance - he will bark, jump on it, and smack it silly, then eat the food he's scattered. He doesn't do this all the time, but he does it enough to drive me crazy (and provide a good laugh)

The funniest thing he does, though, is if he thinks someone is drowning in the pool (or something like that - he will do this if someone is underwater for a while, or if they're splashing a lot). He barks frantically, hopping back and forth, then jumps in the water towards the person. Then he starts yipping piteously, because he's scared of the water, and panics, completely ignoring whoever he was planning to rescue.

Palomar · 2004-09-06 12:18:41

The funniest thing he does, though, is if he thinks someone is drowning in the pool (or something like that - he will do this if someone is underwater for a while, or if they're splashing a lot). He barks frantically, hopping back and forth, then jumps in the water towards the person. Then he starts yipping piteously, because he's scared of the water, and panics, completely ignoring whoever he was planning to rescue.

*Isn't it amazing how cats and dogs instinctively know how to swim? (And other non-aquatic animals too, I suppose...but I know this best in cats and dogs). If they get tossed into water (not by me!), they automatically know how to paddle to shore; even if never in water before, aside from womb waters of course. Nature has its ways with the 4-footed; often very impressive. As for we humans...most of us have to *learn* to swim or drown otherwise. ::shrugs::

--Cindy

Cobra Commander · 2004-09-07 14:13:53

At the risk of ruining my image as a heartless bastard, I've got this cat, Phobos, who among other odd behaviors has a fascination with running water. A while back he started trying to turn on the shower faucet and he's recently gotten real close to getting it right. After giving up with the drain release he's turned his attention to the correct fixture, pawing at it, turning it, pushing it, always checking the faucet after each attempt. One of these days he's gonna pull that thing and flood the house. ???

He also seems to understand that the remote control turns on the tv, which he likes to sit on for warmth. I've caught him pawing at that control as well, checking the tv for results.

If that cat had thumbs... :hm:

dicktice · 2004-09-08 17:04:40

I "growl and bark" at the mirror behind the bar, down at Paddy's Pub in our town, because my reflection scares me. Guess I'm not all that bright, either.

Shaun Barrett · 2004-09-08 19:50:10

Dicktice:-

I "growl and bark" at the mirror behind the bar, down at Paddy's Pub in our town, because my reflection scares me. Guess I'm not all that bright, either.

Ha-ha-ha !!! :laugh: :band:

I haven't gotten into a state as bad as that in a pub for many years! Remember not to leave your drink unattended, Dicktice. It sounds like someone's 'topping it up' for you while you're in the little-boys'-room!

Earthfirst · 2004-09-08 20:18:59

Three turtles, and they make great pets.

Dook · 2004-09-08 21:24:49

I prefer dogs. Cats you have to marinate for a long time cause the meat is so tough. Dog legs are better with BBQ sauce.

falkor · 2004-09-09 11:35:43

Dook shame on you, trust you to take the opportunity to laugh at us pet lovers

fine I hope you are proud of yourself

now how about an apology?? AND MEAN IT !!!!

C M Edwards · 2004-09-09 14:08:48

now how about an apology?? AND MEAN IT !!!!

Dook, I apologize for falkor.

(Very sincere. I hope that was satisfactory... :;): )

C M Edwards · 2004-09-09 14:33:39

On a more serious note:

When Roald Amundson and his crew made their famous trek to the south pole, he had the name of every sled dog he brought with him written down in a log book, along with the date he intended to kill and eat it during the journey. Most of the names were crossed out by the time they returned home.

Despite the fact that I've nearly killed me a terrier on several occasions, I never once considered eating the corpse.

Amundson was a brave and often unexpectedly selfless man, but also fundamentally a heartless bastard. He was the kind of person who should never have a dog.

Shaun Barrett · 2004-09-10 01:28:48

I love budgerigars.
My son bought me a white one, with patches of blue, and black stripes on his head, when I turned 42. The black stripes against the white made me think of zebras and I named him Zebedee. (My wife later added the rest of his title, "Doo-Dah", because of the song from the old movie, 'Zippety-Doo-Dah'! So Zeb became Zebedee Doo-Dah, for God's sake! ) I mollycoddled this feathery creature for 6 months, towards the end of which time I was telling my wife we must have a 'dud one' on our hands because he didn't seem to be getting much tamer.
Then, almost overnight, it was as though he figured out we weren't trying to kill him and became one of the tamest little birds you can imagine. He had the run of the house because we rarely closed him in (we kept the doors of the house closed and the windows all had fly-wire) and spent almost as much time out of his cage as in it.
That little guy would get in the shower with me and preen my wet hair, he'd sit on my chest with one foot on my chin when I had a nap and have a nap himself, he'd eat crumpets or cereal with us at breakfast time, and he loved a drink - especially white wine! He would sit on my shoulder and drag a glass of wine away from my lips with his claw so he could get a sip! And he loved beer too.
He had a pretty good vocabulary, including the usual: "give us a kiss", "who's a pretty boy" etc. And one morning I wandered, bleary-eyed, into the kitchen, without realising Zeb was on the raised bench almost in front of me (my wife had uncovered his cage and opened it up earlier). I didn't notice he was there until I heard him say, perfectly distinctly: "Good morning Daddy!", something I'd tried to teach him but hadn't persuaded him to say until he was good and ready and the time was right.
I couldn't eat sweet corn or pasta without Zeb expecting a portion and he used to take a bath in my cupped hand as I ran a gentle stream of water into it from the tap. And he always tried to grab the stream of water with one claw, just for fun.

Tragically, he died late one night nearly 3 years ago, aged 4 and a 1/2. Believe it or not, I still feel it deeply and I still mourn his loss. I guess you'd have to have known Zeb personally to really understand how a little bird could mean so much - I really loved that little guy.

Palomar · 2004-09-10 05:16:17

I guess you'd have to have known Zeb personally to really understand how a little bird could mean so much - I really loved that little guy.

*I completely understand. Loving tribute to a special bird -- can "see" it all. I've not had a bird as a pet, but your description is heartwarming for sure.

--Cindy

Cobra Commander · 2004-09-10 05:33:33

My sister used to have a budgerigar (which she unimaginatively named "budgie") when she was a kid. It was never quite as sociable as Shaun's, but it certainly had a playful streak and a knack for getting into things.

But we also had a dog, a complete ass of a dog. This hound caught Budgie on the floor and tried to eat it, we had to perform a sort of interspecies hostage negotiation while the bird looked frantically around, half inside the dog's mouth.

Budgie was never the same after that. Quiet and irritable, tried biting anything that entered the cage, which it wouldn't leave for the most part. A sad, broken shell of its former self. The avian equivalent of the bitter old man that lives alone and yells at the neighborhood kids to stay off the lawn.

dicktice · 2004-09-10 12:37:43

Shaun: I have a couple of stories, but of others' pet budgerigars, not mine, so I'm at a disadvantage. Funny--I haven't seen anything mentioned here about pet birds in space. Would you mind going into the feasibility of taking a pair or more such birds into low Earth orbit as pets? considering all aspects, includng flying, companionship, training for possible utility purposes, sanitation, etc. In addition, birds of that sort, released inside pressure-domes on Mars (hatched en route, or frozen at ? stage) might turn out to be desirable avion additions to colony life.

Dook · 2004-09-10 17:48:09

I think taking birds on a trip to mars is a great idea. Just don't forget the teriyaki sauce.

Shaun Barrett · 2004-09-10 20:05:12

Hi Dicktice!
In my experience, budgies can probably be persuaded to feel at home in almost any environment. If you treat them gently and consistently ('consistently' is the key, I think), they become relaxed and comfortable in the environment you live in.
However, they don't adapt well to changes in their environment. Even my Zeb, practically human though he was, found adapting to changes of abode quite daunting. He travelled down the east coast of Australia (about 3500 kms by road) in his cage, in a car, at one stage. Then back up to far north Queensland again by the same means! He was very nervous and visibly upset by the travelling on both occasions, complaining loudly if we continued to drive after sunset because the car lights upset him. I find it hard to imagine launching a budgie into LEO on a shuttle, say. The noise and vibration would be too much. (Anaesthetising small birds is a very dangerous game, by the way.)

If you could get a budgie into the ISS, I don't know how the micro-gravity would affect him/her. Sanitation would be only a minor problem because a budgie's droppings are very small, drying rapidly to become hard round pellets a few millimetres in diameter which are simplicity itself to dispose of. In addition, they are essentially odour-free, as are the birds themselves.
As for companionship, you'd have to leave me behind. I'd waste half my time playing with the budgie rather than doing my chores and experiments!
I don't quite know what you mean by "training for possible utility". I can't imagine training a budgie to actually perform what you might call 'useful work', though the sheer playfulness of the creature would be useful in creating a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere on board. This is an intangible benefit but no less 'useful' for all that, I suggest.

As for Mars, no one would be happier than I if I got to go to Mars and have a pet budgie when I arrived there!!

As for you, Dook, you can put your teriyaki sauce on roast chickens, if you like. But, if it comes down to budgies, and I have anything to do with it, you'll find yourself on the spit ahead of any budgerigar!
:realllymad: :laugh:

Mad Grad Student · 2004-09-10 23:29:24

At the risk of ruining my image as a heartless bastard, I've got this cat, Phobos, who among other odd behaviors has a fascination with running water. A while back he started trying to turn on the shower faucet and he's recently gotten real close to getting it right. After giving up with the drain release he's turned his attention to the correct fixture, pawing at it, turning it, pushing it, always checking the faucet after each attempt. One of these days he's gonna pull that thing and flood the house. ???
If that cat had thumbs... :hm:

That is one smart cat you have, Cobra. I happen to have two myself, of which one is relatively smart but has an odd love of splashing around in toilets and rolling in the dirtiest part of my patio, and the other is, well, not the brightest cat out there. Many times the stupid one, Midnight, has flopped down too hard on the edge of various pieces of furniture and simply rolled off the edge. Normally you'd think that all cats land on their feet, but this one seems to prefer landing on her side up by her shoulder. Either that, or she just can't figure out how to land.

I suppose it's sign of higher intelligence in an animal when different members of its species have profoundly different personalties, which cats seem to have. A cat I used to have, Morpheus, would come out whenever we were watching TV and curl up in one corner of the couch that was always reserved for him. If it was taken, he'd kinda stare at whoever was sitting there untill they got up, then jump over there and flop down. He had the ability to curl up under a pile of beadsheets and put himself to sleep for six, seven, eight hours at a time, during which you could come by, pull up the covers and pet him, and put them back down and he didn't seem to care. That's a pretty excentric cat.

Yes, perhaps it's a good thing that humans are among the few animals that have opposible thumbs, and none of our pets do. :;):

dicktice · 2004-09-12 10:47:36

Not strictly so, MadGrad: By coincidence, there was an hour's program on TV yesterday, about "felines," and 1/2 was devoted to pet cats having extra toes, called something beginning with "d" which I can't remember. The mutation was said to have been valued in the days of sail from from New England ports, for the enhanced ability to catch and grip mice by means of what amounted to "opposed" toes and retractable claws. Imbreeding with landlubber cats then led to the "breed" of such cats which has since proliferated around the World.
Shaun: A friend of mine in Ottawa dismantled her Mum's large parrot cage to bring it here to Nova Scotia--16 hours nonstop--in a new, small cage, you can imagine the result: The bird gripped the wire with its beak, the whole time, without taking water or food, arriving a nervous wreck. Upon reassembling the large cage, it again took up residence and talks in French and English normally again. (Mum obtained the parrot while ill in Ottawa, and even she resisted flying with the bird as baggage. Are you cringing?) Re such birds in space: The droppings would inevitably drift to the air exhaustgrill, I would think, along with the other airborne debris. Re utility training, I just threw that out as a further justification. Re flying under microgravity conditions, might not a flock of birds learn to roll and loop in place? Re Mars domed colonies, insect control would be a welcome (though untrained) utility. Or you might want to go out together with your pet out on a flight, wearing a bat-suit.

Rxke · 2004-09-12 11:57:09

cats having extra toes, called something beginning with "d" which I can't remember.

Polydactylism, or -ity.. not too sure about the spelling in English... Anyway the root is poly-dactyl: many-fingers...

Shaun Barrett · 2004-09-12 19:22:40

I think the word you're looking for is "polydactyly".

Some animals, such as dogs and cats, have an extra claw called a "dewclaw". It is generally a useless appendage, separated from the normal claws - i.e. situated higher up the leg.
As they are weak vestigial claws, they are prone to 'catching' on things and getting torn from the limb - very painful! For this reason, many vets suggest having them removed surgically to save any unnecessary suffering later.

Shaun Barrett · 2004-09-12 19:34:36

Thanks, Dicktice, for the story about your friend's parrot. Yes, I can imagine the poor thing's angst!

We actually lost Zebedee in Cairns for three whole weeks at one stage. It was my fault that he flew off - I left our apartment to go to work one morning ... with Zeb on my shoulder!!
Everyone assured us that a predominantly white budgie would last about 5 minutes in the wild but, through an unlikely sequence of small miracles I still marvel at, we got him back.
As in the case of your friend's parrot, Zebedee was absolutely delighted to be back in his own cage when we recovered him. He just leapt from one perch to another, from one toy to another, ringing his bell and talking nineteen-to-the-dozen to his reflection in his mirror!! You've never seen a happier and more relieved budgie.

[His owners were in much the same frame of mind, too!!]

Palomar · 2004-09-12 21:16:25

I left our apartment to go to work one morning ... with Zeb on my shoulder!!

...
As in the case of your friend's parrot, Zebedee was absolutely delighted to be back in his own cage when we recovered him. He just leapt from one perch to another, from one toy to another, ringing his bell and talking nineteen-to-the-dozen to his reflection in his mirror!! You've never seen a happier and more relieved budgie.

[His owners were in much the same frame of mind, too!!]

*If I'd not started this thread, we may never have become acquainted with Zeb. You're making me fall in love with that little feathered wonder, Shaun!

I'll definitely consider having a budgie as a pet in the future.

--Cindy

P.S.: I've not heard the phrase "nineteen to the dozen" before, but I get the general idea.

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