The Mystery of the Red Paws

OMG, I figured it out. In the middle of the night, no less. You guys won't
believe this.
I woke up around 3 am having to go to the bathroom. I got up and noticed
that Vino wasn't in the bed with me like he usually is. I scanned the
bedroom on my way out and also looked around in the bathroom. Nothing.
"Hmmm, weird", I thought. On the way back to the bedroom, I happened to
look up and into the spare bedroom just as a shadowy silhouette of a cat was
climbing in through the window. What the heck!?!? I rushed over there and
Vino joyfully mrrrrped at me and casually strolled across the spare bed. I
went to the window and noticed that the latches for the screen were all
loose and Vino had managed to pry the screen open and then squeeze out
through the 3 inch slit that the window was open. Now this is all on the
second floor. The window only goes to the roof over the carport. But the
roof is tiled with these orange roof tiles, kind of made out of brick stuff.
Ha! So he must have been hanging out up there the night before too...and
who knows for how long. The roof tiles must have really stained his paws.
If this isn't a b*stard cat trick, I don't know what is!
Boy, am I ever happy that I caught this. It's not like I want Vino to be
hanging out on the roof at night. Sooner or later he would have probably
gotten brave enough to jump down or to a tree nearby. Yikes! Needless to
say, the windows in the spare room are now closed and latched very tightly.
Not just the screens!
Now I only hope that Vino didn't hurt or scare away our house gecko that's
been living under the roof tiles for at least 2 years. He's a beautiful
specimen, almost a foot long not including the tail. A big, round googly
head on him and huge mouth. In the evenings he likes to tell people that
he's a gecko by yelling out "gecko, gecko" over and over again. We love
him. He better still be around or I'll be really mad at Vino.
Anyway, so that's the story about Vino, International Cat of Mystery ;-)

badwilson wrote:
OMG, I figured it out. In the middle of the night, no less. You guys won't
believe this.
I woke up around 3 am having to go to the bathroom. I got up and noticed
that Vino wasn't in the bed with me like he usually is. I scanned the
bedroom on my way out and also looked around in the bathroom. Nothing.
"Hmmm, weird", I thought. On the way back to the bedroom, I happened to
look up and into the spare bedroom just as a shadowy silhouette of a cat was
climbing in through the window. What the heck!?!? I rushed over there and
Vino joyfully mrrrrped at me and casually strolled across the spare bed. I
went to the window and noticed that the latches for the screen were all
loose and Vino had managed to pry the screen open and then squeeze out
through the 3 inch slit that the window was open. Now this is all on the
second floor. The window only goes to the roof over the carport. But the
roof is tiled with these orange roof tiles, kind of made out of brick stuff.
snip

Yep, you now have an official b*stard cat!
Hats off to Vino.
Helen Wheels

in article , JHBennett at
wrote on 9/30/03 7:54 PM:


"Karen" wrote in message
...
in article , JHBennett at
wrote on 9/30/03 5:23 PM:


"m. L. Briggs" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 30 Sep 2003 16:19:01 -0500, "JHBennett"
wrote:

[[[[[[[[snip]]]]]]]
I really don't know. My spices are few and in the back of a high up
cupboard. I've checked my make up, drawers everywhere, etc. But you
never
know. It could be that she brought something in, food maybe, and
spilled
it. It's very odd. Also because it's on all 4 paws equally.
--
Britta

"...all four paws" argues for trotting across a floor being mopped,
Britta.
Which gets us back to some strong detergent, like Spic & Span (and
TSP),
or
a wax stripper (also loaded with TSP). I know, I'm determined ;-)
Cheers,
Jack

Cool Aid spilled?

Her first description was: "one of Vino's paws was kind of sticking in
my
face and I noticed it had a strange orange-pink tinge to it. The pads
were
way brighter and the fur in between the toes was stained." To me, it
sounded like a chemical burn/irritation. Add now the information that
all 4
paws were apparently affected equally, and the source narrows to
something
walked through. I believe something like Cool Aid would only yield a
happy
cat and no evidence. Likewise, any food or other tastey goodie.
My bet is for some household cleaner, e.g., Comet scouring powder, which
contains both powerful detergents and chlorine bleach. Sprinkle same
into
tub, add one cat curious about what's going on, or drawn to the strange
smell and......
Elementary, my dear Watson ;-)
Cheers,
Jack


Which, it could be something that just chemically reacted to the fur, but
didn't burn him. One thing I did want to mentionis I've seen dogs paws
that
are golden colored like Vino do this to, but it seems natural. I wonder...

Karen

I still say Colonel Mustard did it in the library with the wrench, Karen ;-)
Presuming that Britta knows the normal appearance of Vino's paws, and has
reported her observations accurately, we must account for "the pads were way
brighter..." That indicates an irritation or burn and, judging by Vino's
subsequent behavior, not very severe.
Personally, I think it is well neigh time she fly the bunch of us to
Thailand so we can get to the bottom of this whole sordid affair. A
complete investigation would involve "... a nice hike to this waterfall,
then swimming in the rocky pool under the falls, then a seafood lunch on the
beach..." Recall the poor dear lamented of the experience "my life really
sucks sometimes," and I think the very least we could do is ease her
suffering by sharing the burden...at her expense, of course. We might even
find time to check on the cat, whatever it's name was ;-)
Cheers,
Jack


OK Poirrot. You buying the tickets?

Karen

badwilson wrote:

OMG, I figured it out. In the middle of the night, no less. You guys won't
believe this.

Whew! Great that you found out the reason for Vino's red paws. I know it
would have bugged me if there was something strange about Laku's
appearance and I didn't know how it had come about.

Now I only hope that Vino didn't hurt or scare away our house gecko that's
been living under the roof tiles for at least 2 years.


Aren't geckos supposed to be lucky around that part of the world? And
they eat bugs too. Sure hope Vino hasn't scared away your other "pet",
unless he feels a slight rivalry towards it...

--
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Christine in Vantaa, Finland (Europe)
Email: christal63(at)yahoo(dot)com
Photos: http://photos.yahoo.com/christal63

"badwilson" wrote

If this isn't a b*stard cat trick, I don't know what is!

LOL! Mystery solved. Glad it wasn't anything chemically dangerous, and glad
he didn't jump off the roof. I'd love to have a house gecko, too!

--
Marina

On Wed, 1 Oct 2003 06:53:36 +0300, "Marina"
wrote:


"badwilson" wrote

If this isn't a b*stard cat trick, I don't know what is!

LOL! Mystery solved. Glad it wasn't anything chemically dangerous, and glad
he didn't jump off the roof. I'd love to have a house gecko, too!

What a cat! MLB

"Yoj" wrote in message
...
"JHBennett" wrote in message
...

"m. L. Briggs" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 30 Sep 2003 16:19:01 -0500, "JHBennett"
wrote:

[[[[[[[[snip]]]]]]]
I really don't know. My spices are few and in the back of a high
up
cupboard. I've checked my make up, drawers everywhere, etc. But
you
never
know. It could be that she brought something in, food maybe, and
spilled
it. It's very odd. Also because it's on all 4 paws equally.
--
Britta

"...all four paws" argues for trotting across a floor being mopped,
Britta.
Which gets us back to some strong detergent, like Spic & Span (and
TSP),
or
a wax stripper (also loaded with TSP). I know, I'm determined ;-)
Cheers,
Jack

Cool Aid spilled?

Her first description was: "one of Vino's paws was kind of sticking in
my
face and I noticed it had a strange orange-pink tinge to it. The pads
were
way brighter and the fur in between the toes was stained." To me, it
sounded like a chemical burn/irritation. Add now the information that
all 4
paws were apparently affected equally, and the source narrows to
something
walked through. I believe something like Cool Aid would only yield a
happy
cat and no evidence. Likewise, any food or other tastey goodie.
My bet is for some household cleaner, e.g., Comet scouring powder,
which
contains both powerful detergents and chlorine bleach. Sprinkle same
into
tub, add one cat curious about what's going on, or drawn to the
strange
smell and......
Elementary, my dear Watson ;-)
Cheers,
Jack

In the first place, the cat didn't show any indication of discomfort,
which IMNSHO rules out a chemical burn. In the second place, Comet is
green, not red, and most cleansers have little or no color. I'm betting
on some sort of food, most likely a tomato sauce of some sort. Either
the cat walked through a plate, or the food was spilled and the cat
walked through it.

Joy
Ah, Joy! I love a challenge. OK, let's evaluate your argument. Your first
premis is: "the cat didn't show any indication of discomfort, which IMNSHO
rules out a chemical burn." Not necessairly the case. Perhaps the word
*irritation* would better convey the condition, although it would be, in
fact, a chemical burn. Something on the order of what you and I have
experienced with a chapped or reddened area on our hands which, while
noticable, is not debilitating or particularly bothersome. Thus, your first
premis does not "rule out a chemical burn," as you assert.
Your second premis is; "Comet is green, not red, and most cleansers have
little or no color." While this is true, were a cat (or any creature) to
walk through a solution of Comet, or any other cleanser, it would cause
irritation--a chemical burn--to the skin and then be shed as it dried to a
powder, thus taking any trace of its existence (including color) with it,
leaving only the irritation and discolored fur. Again, the premis fails to
refute my argument and, in fact, my counterpoint strengthens my case.
Your conclusion: "I'm betting on some sort of food, most likely a tomato
sauce of some sort" is in no way supported by either of your premises, and
therefore becomes a leap of faith. Said conclusion also fails in and of
itself for the following reasons:
--First, were it a substance ON Vino's skin and fur, it would be
detectable to Britta as such, and the mystery would be at an end. That is,
tomato sauce/paste would be dried and caked, or in the process of flaking
off, and Britta could have determined it's true nature through visual
examination, touch, smell, and even taste. While food or tomato paste/sauce
has the potential for discoloring fur, it does not irritate skin, the other
condition which must be met.
--Second, were it a food of some sort, it would be spit soluable and,
presuming Vino to be the normal fastidious feline, he would have cleaned
himself up, leaving no trace for Britta to observe. Presuming Britta's
description of Vino is accurate, the second condition the mystery substance
must meet is that it do it's damage, then vanish without a trace. A food
substance cannot meet both the requirement to do injury and vanish, if you
contend the discoloration is due to it's presence.
Sorry to have gotten carried away with this, Joy. Not to take it
personally at all, for I dearly love to run through this kind of exercise
for the simple ... pleasure of it (I almost said joy). I can resist
anything but temptation.
Cheers,
Jack

"Karen" wrote in message
...
in article , JHBennett at
wrote on 9/30/03 7:54 PM:


"Karen" wrote in message
...
in article , JHBennett at

wrote on 9/30/03 5:23 PM:


"m. L. Briggs" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 30 Sep 2003 16:19:01 -0500, "JHBennett"
wrote:

[[[[[[[[snip]]]]]]]
I really don't know. My spices are few and in the back of a high
up
cupboard. I've checked my make up, drawers everywhere, etc. But
you
never
know. It could be that she brought something in, food maybe, and
spilled
it. It's very odd. Also because it's on all 4 paws equally.
--
Britta

"...all four paws" argues for trotting across a floor being mopped,
Britta.
Which gets us back to some strong detergent, like Spic & Span (and
TSP),
or
a wax stripper (also loaded with TSP). I know, I'm determined ;-)
Cheers,
Jack

Cool Aid spilled?

Her first description was: "one of Vino's paws was kind of sticking in
my
face and I noticed it had a strange orange-pink tinge to it. The pads
were
way brighter and the fur in between the toes was stained." To me, it
sounded like a chemical burn/irritation. Add now the information that
all 4
paws were apparently affected equally, and the source narrows to
something
walked through. I believe something like Cool Aid would only yield a
happy
cat and no evidence. Likewise, any food or other tastey goodie.
My bet is for some household cleaner, e.g., Comet scouring powder,
which
contains both powerful detergents and chlorine bleach. Sprinkle same
into
tub, add one cat curious about what's going on, or drawn to the
strange
smell and......
Elementary, my dear Watson ;-)
Cheers,
Jack


Which, it could be something that just chemically reacted to the fur,
but
didn't burn him. One thing I did want to mentionis I've seen dogs paws
that
are golden colored like Vino do this to, but it seems natural. I
wonder...

Karen

I still say Colonel Mustard did it in the library with the wrench, Karen
;-)
Presuming that Britta knows the normal appearance of Vino's paws, and
has
reported her observations accurately, we must account for "the pads were
way
brighter..." That indicates an irritation or burn and, judging by
Vino's
subsequent behavior, not very severe.
Personally, I think it is well neigh time she fly the bunch of us to
Thailand so we can get to the bottom of this whole sordid affair. A
complete investigation would involve "... a nice hike to this waterfall,
then swimming in the rocky pool under the falls, then a seafood lunch on
the
beach..." Recall the poor dear lamented of the experience "my life
really
sucks sometimes," and I think the very least we could do is ease her
suffering by sharing the burden...at her expense, of course. We might
even
find time to check on the cat, whatever it's name was ;-)
Cheers,
Jack


OK Poirrot. You buying the tickets?

Karen
The idea, Karen, is to dupe Britta into footing the bill for us top flight
investigators to come examine the scene of the crime, as it were. See if
you can come up with her credit card number. Quickly, please, as I'm
already freezing my bunns off and October is just getting started! This
does not bode well :-( .....and to think I spent 7 winters in Minnesota,
just loving every moment
Cheers,
Jack

So glad you solved *that* mystery, I was going crazy sitting on the edge
of my seat;[but you solved it before I could tell you it was the tiles ]
just kidding, been off the air for a couple of days looking after my
grandkids so I just kept reading. glad you found out what it was though jp
"Helen Wheels" wrote in message
...
badwilson wrote:
OMG, I figured it out. In the middle of the night, no less. You guys
won't
believe this.
I woke up around 3 am having to go to the bathroom. I got up and
noticed
that Vino wasn't in the bed with me like he usually is. I scanned the
bedroom on my way out and also looked around in the bathroom. Nothing.
"Hmmm, weird", I thought. On the way back to the bedroom, I happened to
look up and into the spare bedroom just as a shadowy silhouette of a cat
was
climbing in through the window. What the heck!?!? I rushed over there
and
Vino joyfully mrrrrped at me and casually strolled across the spare bed.
I
went to the window and noticed that the latches for the screen were all
loose and Vino had managed to pry the screen open and then squeeze out
through the 3 inch slit that the window was open. Now this is all on
the
second floor. The window only goes to the roof over the carport. But
the
roof is tiled with these orange roof tiles, kind of made out of brick
stuff.
snip

Yep, you now have an official b*stard cat!
Hats off to Vino.
Helen Wheels

Very good, indeed, and thanks for the feedback.
I'll also learn to scroll down on the screen, before I get too caught up
with exercises in logic--but it was fun anyway [really, it was].
Very glad it wasn't anything serious, with the exception of what the
Gecko may have experienced.
How about, for our next adventu what's become of the Gecko? Send money
and I will reluctantly depart these wintery skys and personally come to your
balmy land to investigate.
Best to you, Vino, and the Gecko
Cheers,
Jack