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-   -   Flying Kitty, Anyone? (http://www.catbanter.com/showthread.php?t=113397)

John Kasupski January 13th 17 06:37 PM

Flying Kitty, Anyone?
 

This kind of branches off from Joy's "Rain" post, but...anybody beside me ever
have a cat that could literally go all the way around a room or from the middle
of one room to the other end of the next room without touching the floor?

I've had two. My very first kitty, a calico named Natasha and usually called
Tasha for short, used to do that in the living room. She'd start from the couch,
jump onto the TV, and from there onto the playpen. She'd walk along the edge of
the playpen until she got to the other end and jump onto the table next to the
recliner in the corner, then leap to the recliner itself. From there, she would
launch herself at the bathroom doorway, catching the molding on one side to
propel herself across the doorway in mid-air...and upon getting to the molding
on the other side of the doorway she'd repeat the process to redirect herself
again...landing back on the couch where she started from. Then she'd sit there
in the middle of the couch looking at me as if to ask, "Wanna go around again,
fool?" And if you tried to grab her off the couch, she would indeed repeat the
entire act. This, of course, was part of her training the humans in the house,
and it was LESSON ONE: If a cat truly does not want to be caught...

That was when I was in my early twenties. I'll turn 59 this February - provided,
of course, that my current feline companion lets me live that long. She's a gray
Tabby named Minnie who just joined me in October, and she often goes from the
table in the middle of the dining room that my computer is on all the way to the
couch at the far end of the living room without touching the floor (by way of
three other tables and two recliners). Furthermore, from there she can easily
get from the couch to the adjacent hallway and finally land in front of the door
to the sun porch. Now, since the shortest distance between any two points is a
straight line, she could get from the computer table to the door and only put on
a third as much mileage if she went directly across the floor from the computer
table to the door - but what fun would there be in that? :-)

This has become part of Minnie's daily routine. We get up in the morning, and
when we get to the kitchen, she eats while watching me make coffee. Once I have
a hot cup of coffee in hand and head to the dining room table with it, she jumps
up to look out the dining room windows, and if I've neglected to open the blinds
so she can see outside, she'll remind me by banging noisily on the blinds with a
paw until I open them for her. After she looks out there, she goes to the living
room in the manner described above and stands on the back of the couch to look
out front - and again, if the blinds aren't open, she'll demand in her customary
manner that I open them for her immediately.

She gets downright indignant about it if I haven't opened the blinds before
sitting down with my cup of coffee! This morning, I remembered to open the
blinds for her. She's standing over there on the back of the couch as I'm typing
this, alternately looking out the window and over at me, giving me those slow
kitty-kiss winks when she catches me looking at her - but you know what? I don't
get those slow winks on mornings when she has to remind me to open the blinds!

I've only had her since October, but already I could write a book.

John D. Kasupski
Niagara Falls, NY


Joy[_3_] January 13th 17 08:07 PM

Flying Kitty, Anyone?
 
On 1/13/2017 9:37 AM, John Kasupski wrote:

This kind of branches off from Joy's "Rain" post, but...anybody beside me ever
have a cat that could literally go all the way around a room or from the middle
of one room to the other end of the next room without touching the floor?

I've had two. My very first kitty, a calico named Natasha and usually called
Tasha for short, used to do that in the living room. She'd start from the couch,
jump onto the TV, and from there onto the playpen. She'd walk along the edge of
the playpen until she got to the other end and jump onto the table next to the
recliner in the corner, then leap to the recliner itself. From there, she would
launch herself at the bathroom doorway, catching the molding on one side to
propel herself across the doorway in mid-air...and upon getting to the molding
on the other side of the doorway she'd repeat the process to redirect herself
again...landing back on the couch where she started from. Then she'd sit there
in the middle of the couch looking at me as if to ask, "Wanna go around again,
fool?" And if you tried to grab her off the couch, she would indeed repeat the
entire act. This, of course, was part of her training the humans in the house,
and it was LESSON ONE: If a cat truly does not want to be caught...

That was when I was in my early twenties. I'll turn 59 this February - provided,
of course, that my current feline companion lets me live that long. She's a gray
Tabby named Minnie who just joined me in October, and she often goes from the
table in the middle of the dining room that my computer is on all the way to the
couch at the far end of the living room without touching the floor (by way of
three other tables and two recliners). Furthermore, from there she can easily
get from the couch to the adjacent hallway and finally land in front of the door
to the sun porch. Now, since the shortest distance between any two points is a
straight line, she could get from the computer table to the door and only put on
a third as much mileage if she went directly across the floor from the computer
table to the door - but what fun would there be in that? :-)

This has become part of Minnie's daily routine. We get up in the morning, and
when we get to the kitchen, she eats while watching me make coffee. Once I have
a hot cup of coffee in hand and head to the dining room table with it, she jumps
up to look out the dining room windows, and if I've neglected to open the blinds
so she can see outside, she'll remind me by banging noisily on the blinds with a
paw until I open them for her. After she looks out there, she goes to the living
room in the manner described above and stands on the back of the couch to look
out front - and again, if the blinds aren't open, she'll demand in her customary
manner that I open them for her immediately.

She gets downright indignant about it if I haven't opened the blinds before
sitting down with my cup of coffee! This morning, I remembered to open the
blinds for her. She's standing over there on the back of the couch as I'm typing
this, alternately looking out the window and over at me, giving me those slow
kitty-kiss winks when she catches me looking at her - but you know what? I don't
get those slow winks on mornings when she has to remind me to open the blinds!

I've only had her since October, but already I could write a book.

John D. Kasupski
Niagara Falls, NY


Yup. There's no education like a cat, is there?

A few months ago I did a humorous speech about cats and dogs. I started
by saying:

"Whether training involves a dog or a cat, the first and most important
thing is that the animal understands who is in charge. Once a dog
understands that you are the boss, he will do everything he can to
please you. Once a cat knows that you understand she is the boss, she
will be pleased."

Joy
Simi Valley, CA

John Kasupski January 13th 17 08:52 PM

Flying Kitty, Anyone?
 
On Fri, 13 Jan 2017 11:07:22 -0800, Joy wrote:

Yup. There's no education like a cat, is there?

A few months ago I did a humorous speech about cats and dogs. I started
by saying:

"Whether training involves a dog or a cat, the first and most important
thing is that the animal understands who is in charge. Once a dog
understands that you are the boss, he will do everything he can to
please you. Once a cat knows that you understand she is the boss, she
will be pleased."


I've often expressed a similar sentiment: When somebody gets a dog, they think
to themselves, "Cool, I now own a dog" - but when somebody gets a cat, the cat
thinks to itself, "Cool, I now own a human."

John D. Kasupski
Niagara Falls, NY


Joy[_3_] January 13th 17 09:20 PM

Flying Kitty, Anyone?
 
On 1/13/2017 11:52 AM, John Kasupski wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jan 2017 11:07:22 -0800, Joy wrote:

Yup. There's no education like a cat, is there?

A few months ago I did a humorous speech about cats and dogs. I started
by saying:

"Whether training involves a dog or a cat, the first and most important
thing is that the animal understands who is in charge. Once a dog
understands that you are the boss, he will do everything he can to
please you. Once a cat knows that you understand she is the boss, she
will be pleased."


I've often expressed a similar sentiment: When somebody gets a dog, they think
to themselves, "Cool, I now own a dog" - but when somebody gets a cat, the cat
thinks to itself, "Cool, I now own a human."

John D. Kasupski
Niagara Falls, NY


Yep. That is so true.

jmcquown[_2_] January 14th 17 01:53 AM

Flying Kitty, Anyone?
 
On 1/13/2017 2:52 PM, John Kasupski wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jan 2017 11:07:22 -0800, Joy wrote:

Yup. There's no education like a cat, is there?

A few months ago I did a humorous speech about cats and dogs. I started
by saying:

"Whether training involves a dog or a cat, the first and most important
thing is that the animal understands who is in charge. Once a dog
understands that you are the boss, he will do everything he can to
please you. Once a cat knows that you understand she is the boss, she
will be pleased."


I've often expressed a similar sentiment: When somebody gets a dog, they think
to themselves, "Cool, I now own a dog" - but when somebody gets a cat, the cat
thinks to itself, "Cool, I now own a human."

John D. Kasupski
Niagara Falls, NY

My cat Persia (RB 2014) pretty much barged her way into my life. One
cold January night (I lived in the Memphis, TN area at the time) she
showed up at the back door to my patio, yowling her head off. I
couldn't get her to go away. It was supposed to be abuut 23F that night
so as darkness fell I drove to the store down the street. Grabbed a bag
of kibble, a litter box and litter. Sure enough she was still there
when I got back. I let her inside. I could tell immediately from her
catitude, "Yep, I own you now!" :)

Jill

John Kasupski January 14th 17 06:43 AM

Flying Kitty, Anyone?
 
On Fri, 13 Jan 2017 19:53:58 -0500, jmcquown wrote:

My cat Persia (RB 2014) pretty much barged her way into my life. One
cold January night (I lived in the Memphis, TN area at the time) she
showed up at the back door to my patio, yowling her head off. I
couldn't get her to go away. It was supposed to be about 23F that night
so as darkness fell I drove to the store down the street. Grabbed a bag
of kibble, a litter box and litter. Sure enough she was still there
when I got back. I let her inside. I could tell immediately from her
catitude, "Yep, I own you now!" :)


Of course you let her in, because (a) there's no sense going to fetch all those
kitty supplies if you're not going to let her in, and (b) since you're probably
kicking the door open with your foot because your arms are loaded with kitty
supplies, you're most likely in no position to stop her even if you wanted to!

I think this just goes to show you what we cat lovers will do for our feline
friends. I won't go out at night during the winter to get ME a bag of kibble! If
it's not already in the house somewhere when the sun goes down, I'll do without
it until morning. There are two exceptions to this: (1) the kitty (who BETTER be
in the house somewhere!) and (2) anything the kitty needs. And needless to say,
they can see that it's dark out and as soon as they see you go out to fetch them
something anyway, they know they've got you.

At any rate, I'd bet my last dollar you were glad she was still there when you
got back - and not solely because if she'd left during your supply run, you'd
have probably felt a little foolish standing out there in the freezing cold with
all those brand new kitty supplies, but no kitty. I know I would have!

John D. Kasupski
Niagara Falls, NY


jmcquown[_2_] January 14th 17 03:17 PM

Flying Kitty, Anyone?
 
On 1/14/2017 12:43 AM, John Kasupski wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jan 2017 19:53:58 -0500, jmcquown wrote:

My cat Persia (RB 2014) pretty much barged her way into my life. One
cold January night (I lived in the Memphis, TN area at the time) she
showed up at the back door to my patio, yowling her head off. I
couldn't get her to go away. It was supposed to be about 23F that night
so as darkness fell I drove to the store down the street. Grabbed a bag
of kibble, a litter box and litter. Sure enough she was still there
when I got back. I let her inside. I could tell immediately from her
catitude, "Yep, I own you now!" :)


Of course you let her in, because (a) there's no sense going to fetch all those
kitty supplies if you're not going to let her in, and (b) since you're probably
kicking the door open with your foot because your arms are loaded with kitty
supplies, you're most likely in no position to stop her even if you wanted to!

I think this just goes to show you what we cat lovers will do for our feline
friends. I won't go out at night during the winter to get ME a bag of kibble! If
it's not already in the house somewhere when the sun goes down, I'll do without
it until morning. There are two exceptions to this: (1) the kitty (who BETTER be
in the house somewhere!) and (2) anything the kitty needs. And needless to say,
they can see that it's dark out and as soon as they see you go out to fetch them
something anyway, they know they've got you.

At any rate, I'd bet my last dollar you were glad she was still there when you
got back - and not solely because if she'd left during your supply run, you'd
have probably felt a little foolish standing out there in the freezing cold with
all those brand new kitty supplies, but no kitty. I know I would have!

John D. Kasupski
Niagara Falls, NY

LOL Well, she was at the back door and I came in through the front. I
figured if she was gone I could just take the stuff back to the store
the next day. I did try to find out where she came from. Put up fliers
and called the area vets and the shelter. No one had reported her
missing. She was a lovely grey cat, looked like a Russian Blue.

She was very smart. I used to give her a can of Fancy Feast as a treat
every Sunday. The food was stored in the pantry in the kitchen; the
shelves in the pantry were set off to the side and I had a large kitchen
trash can right in front of the shelves. One *Saturday* I walked into
the kitchen to discover she'd opened the pantry door, maneuvered around
the trash can and knocked a can of FF down. She scooted it to the
middle of the kitchen floor. Then she sat down next to it and waited...
when I walked into the kitchen and saw her I burst out laughing! Of
course she was rewarded for that clever trick. :)

Jill

John Kasupski January 14th 17 11:24 PM

Flying Kitty, Anyone?
 
On Sat, 14 Jan 2017 09:17:19 -0500, jmcquown wrote:

LOL Well, she was at the back door and I came in through the front. I
figured if she was gone I could just take the stuff back to the store
the next day. I did try to find out where she came from. Put up fliers
and called the area vets and the shelter. No one had reported her
missing. She was a lovely grey cat, looked like a Russian Blue.


I had a male Russian Blue - Charlie (RB). Outstanding cat. Ranks #2 on my
all-time list, behind only the legendary Goldie (RB).

She was very smart. I used to give her a can of Fancy Feast as a treat
every Sunday. The food was stored in the pantry in the kitchen; the
shelves in the pantry were set off to the side and I had a large kitchen
trash can right in front of the shelves. One *Saturday* I walked into
the kitchen to discover she'd opened the pantry door, maneuvered around
the trash can and knocked a can of FF down. She scooted it to the
middle of the kitchen floor. Then she sat down next to it and waited...
when I walked into the kitchen and saw her I burst out laughing! Of
course she was rewarded for that clever trick. :)


Awwwww. :-)

Some cats seem to excel at dropping very strong hints like that. Minnie's little
catnip mouse on a kitty fishing pole has an electronic squaker inside of it. She
also has a non-catnip mouse with a squeaker in it. To tell me when she wants me
to get out the catnip one and play with her, she goes and gets the other one and
drops it right next to my feet, then stands there with one front paw repeatedly
pushing on it to make it squeak while she stares up at me. Only a complete idiot
who pays no attention at all to her could possibly fail to understand precisely
what she's trying to tell me.

We just finished playing with it 20 minutes ago, and right now she's all curled
up asleep on the floor below me with her head and both front paws on my right
foot using it as a pillow. That's not a difficult message to understand either.

John D. Kasupski
Niagara Falls, NY


Joy[_3_] January 15th 17 01:59 AM

Flying Kitty, Anyone?
 
On 1/14/2017 2:24 PM, John Kasupski wrote:
On Sat, 14 Jan 2017 09:17:19 -0500, jmcquown wrote:

LOL Well, she was at the back door and I came in through the front. I
figured if she was gone I could just take the stuff back to the store
the next day. I did try to find out where she came from. Put up fliers
and called the area vets and the shelter. No one had reported her
missing. She was a lovely grey cat, looked like a Russian Blue.


I had a male Russian Blue - Charlie (RB). Outstanding cat. Ranks #2 on my
all-time list, behind only the legendary Goldie (RB).

She was very smart. I used to give her a can of Fancy Feast as a treat
every Sunday. The food was stored in the pantry in the kitchen; the
shelves in the pantry were set off to the side and I had a large kitchen
trash can right in front of the shelves. One *Saturday* I walked into
the kitchen to discover she'd opened the pantry door, maneuvered around
the trash can and knocked a can of FF down. She scooted it to the
middle of the kitchen floor. Then she sat down next to it and waited...
when I walked into the kitchen and saw her I burst out laughing! Of
course she was rewarded for that clever trick. :)


Awwwww. :-)

Some cats seem to excel at dropping very strong hints like that. Minnie's little
catnip mouse on a kitty fishing pole has an electronic squaker inside of it. She
also has a non-catnip mouse with a squeaker in it. To tell me when she wants me
to get out the catnip one and play with her, she goes and gets the other one and
drops it right next to my feet, then stands there with one front paw repeatedly
pushing on it to make it squeak while she stares up at me. Only a complete idiot
who pays no attention at all to her could possibly fail to understand precisely
what she's trying to tell me.

We just finished playing with it 20 minutes ago, and right now she's all curled
up asleep on the floor below me with her head and both front paws on my right
foot using it as a pillow. That's not a difficult message to understand either.

John D. Kasupski
Niagara Falls, NY


Right. "Don't go anywhere until I'm ready to have you do something else."

They're very good at training us.

Joy


Joy[_3_] January 16th 17 07:30 PM

Flying Kitty, Anyone?
 
On 1/16/2017 4:28 AM, Judith Latham wrote:
In article , John Kasupski
wrote:

This kind of branches off from Joy's "Rain" post, but...anybody beside
me ever have a cat that could literally go all the way around a room or
from the middle of one room to the other end of the next room without
touching the floor?


snipped


She gets downright indignant about it if I haven't opened the blinds
before sitting down with my cup of coffee! This morning, I remembered to
open the blinds for her. She's standing over there on the back of the
couch as I'm typing this, alternately looking out the window and over at
me, giving me those slow kitty-kiss winks when she catches me looking at
her - but you know what? I don't get those slow winks on mornings when
she has to remind me to open the blinds!


I've only had her since October, but already I could write a book.


John D. Kasupski Niagara Falls, NY


My first cat, Sweep, had to take tablets everyday usually this was in some
food but when she wasn't eating it was a battle. one day DH had her
wrapped in a towel (not an easy thing to achieve) and had her on his lap
in the dining room to try to pill her. She was having none of this and
escaped, jumping out of DH's reach and leaping into the air. As my DH was
trying to catch her she was using his arms and hands to keep herself in
the air. She was in effect flying around the room. This went on for
several minutes until Sweep realised she was heading for the window and
couldn't change direction so she just stopped. DH managed to catch her as
she dropped and she took the pill no problem.

Judith


Lindy (RB) used to make me chase her around the house to give her a
pill. However, after a couple of minutes of running, she would jump up
on the couch or a bed and wait docilely. She didn't fight at all when I
gave here the pill, but she had to have that chase first.


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