On Fri, 06 May 2005 23:50:10 +0000, Charlie Wilkes wrote:

TWEAKER

I saw a commercial once on TV -- digitally edited safari footage that
showed a tiny cat stalking and hunting a big game animal. It was an ad
for some kind of cat food I think, with a tag line to the effect that the
heart of a big cat beats in the chest of every armchair kitty.

It reminds me of Tweaker, the 4-pound lion who stalks and attacks my
85-pound rottweiler/shepherd. He crouches down and glares at her while
she eyes him ruefully and backs slowly away. Then he launches with a
screeching yowl and bats furiously at her legs and flanks with his
balled-up fists until he has her against a wall, where she cowers with her
tail down until I rescue her by snatching up the cat.

Slowly but surely she is learning to play with him and give it back,
though. It's an unusual role-reversal -- the dog is quiet and dignified,
whereas the cat is obnoxious and out of control. He also attacks my feet
when I try to move around. But he never scratches, not even slightly. He
is a self-declawing cat.

The other thing he loves is the red matchbox-type radio-controlled car
that I got at Radio Shack for $15. He goes berzerk when I put it down on
the kitchen floor and start moving it around.

He is easily forgiven because he is so affectionate and tiny and has so
much character. He's a warm ball of fun.

BATHROOM CAT -- BEYOND FERAL?

The bathroom cat has thwarted my attempts at capture to the point where I
have backed off and am now using hunger (but not excessively) as a taming
force. This is one hostile, ferocious animal, and not a small one either.
I wonder if she is not a natural lynx hybrid. Take another look at these
pix:

www.geocities.com/wallofgrays/catcam.htm

And then look at this link:

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/pl...90/canlynx.htm

I'm right up against the Canadian border, on the edge of the habitat, but
definitely on the inside edge, especially with the greenbelt that runs
along this stretch of border.

She is apparently not pregnant, but I think I have solved the mystery. It
turns out there is another cat who looks almost identical living on or
around my property. I trapped the wrong one.

Next week I go for the hard drugs if nothing else has worked by then.

Charlie


good luck. She definitely has a wild look. MLB