Caaattttsssssss! (Yell it like Kirk yelling Khan)

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

Cats also saved civilization, from rats, served aboard ships, and kept entire navies operational.

[RUSTYMORLEY 162]

Normally a Cat would steer well clear of a Dog which was twice it's size, but when a Cat feels threatened or it's patch is invaded I think the animal instinct takes over and the Cat reacts aggressively. As a Cat owner myself I don't think the cat was protecting anything other than his own territory!

 

Cat's can do a lot of damage to a Dog's face and especially the eyes, claws are like needles, I think the Dog would have come away from a fight in pretty bad shape!

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

He did..they destroyed him.

 

sorry guys, but show me a Cat who'd do something like this? (don't get me wrong, I have Cats and Dogs...love them both)...but, the Dog's loyalty to his handler is legendary

 

 

[RUSTYMORLEY 162]

UK_Widowmaker, I have got to agree with that. I love my Cat, but a Cat is loyal only to himself and his needs and wants, and provided he gets what he wants he will keep coming back to you.

 

As you say - Dogs are far more loyal, the picture you have posted with the Dog saying goodbye to his master is upsetting. Maybe I am being daft but I feel so sorry for the Dog! I sincerely hope that he was taken in by another owner! 

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

It is indeed a heart-wrenching photo 

[jeanba 1,915]

He did..they destroyed him.

 

sorry guys, but show me a Cat who'd do something like this? (don't get me wrong, I have Cats and Dogs...love them both)...but, the Dog's loyalty to his handler is legendary

 

756_580104452033915_1849329593_n.jpg

My grandmother was wautress for a very old woman who had a cat.

When the old woman died, the cat slept on her and died there.

 

Actually, the case of the cat is very complex and scientifically fascinating :

 

Basically, unlike the dog, the cat is a solitary animal so its social behaviour can only be based on its behaviour toward its mother, brothers / sisters, kitties.

So a cat, when dealing with human, will mimic one of those or sometimes a mix of those.

 

Cats and man relations are around 3000 years : it is a symbiosis relation when agriculture arose :

Cat was eating all sorts of birds / mice / rodents and therefore protecting men's harvest. Men protected and cured cats (from parasites ..).

 

Then Drawin comes into play : domestic cats started to adapt to men and create relations with men. Some cats have a specific language when they communicate with men, you will notice that they try to reproduce some of our speech (of course with some limits).

This is normal because communicating with men (and gaining men's affection) brings cats an evolutive advantage (especially control and protection of the Kitties)

The difficulty is that you have both wild cats and domestic cats mixed, therefore the natural evolution (Darwin) does not affect them the same way (let alone that the speciy evolution is not fully fixed, unlike dogs) and when you get the cat, it is hard to know whether it is an "evoluted version" or a "wild version" or a mix of both.

 

Note that dogs mimics with man their usual social behaviour.

Basically, you will have "alpha" dogs, which will try to dominate you and other dogs, which will more easily obey you.

It can be detected, if you lie a (young) dog on its back : if it tries to stand up violently, it is likely you will have an "alpah specimen".

[+CrazyhorseB34 937]

I have to say that cats are not solitary creatures at all. Humans have a limited understanding of the Cat. The Dogs response to the human master is based on the whole dog Alpha dominant theory. All cats are alphas if you contemplate the Cat the same way we do Dogs. Cats are not loners at all. I have a cat who played with and ate with and groomed with and older cat who died. The older cat acted as a mentor. When he died the other Cat almost seemed to be in a state of despair. A couple of months later I rescued a kitten who had the same basic physical characteristics of the cat that died. The other cat assume the mentor role to the younger Cat and they are just as unseperateable as before. Cats are very complex social creatures who have more in common with us than Dogs. Dogs are merely tools.

[RUSTYMORLEY 162]

CrazyHorse B24. You're dead right about Cats being complicated creatures. I provide my Cat with fresh drinking water but he would rather drink from a puddle of water outside, I provide him with fresh meat pouches but he would rather go back to the previous days bowl of food which has been left on the kitchen floor, when I open the kitchen door for him to go outside he just looks at me, when I try to keep him in on a rainy night he kicks off and starts whining. I provided him with a scratching post but he refused to have anything to do with it but instead decided to rip the wallpaper off my bedroom wall.   

What the hell is going on! 

Edited May 22, 2014 by RUSTYMORLEY

[JediMaster 451]

I remember a comedian in the 80s talking about his cat and how he'd buy it the cat food and then just stare at it, then go lick his butt. He pondered why they didn't make butt-flavored cat food.

 

Then the cat will scratch and meow at the door till he opened it, then sit there and stare at him like "so you're going outside?" Then he would close the door and the cat would dart through at the last second, almost getting its tail caught!

[RUSTYMORLEY 162]

Cats, so contrary. AAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHHHH!!!!

[+CrazyhorseB34 937]

I don't want people to think I am being unfair to dogs. Dogs are and can be wonderful companions. But, the truth is I am scared of them. Been mauled about three times between the ages of 12 to 26. So my bias is based on experience. If you love dogs that is cool. I just do not trust them one damn bit. Furthermore, I would never purposely harm any animal. Just have my preferences.

 

Rusty, your cat is lonely. Cats in pairs is the way to go. Most of the weird antics should stop when your feline has another feline to stalk and torment. Cats do talk to each other believe it or not by moving their ears. Subtle twitches of their ears is how they communicate among themselves. Cats never "meow" to each other. They reserve that for communication with us. As far as the food thing goes, with my cats they eat canned food once a day but have dry food on standby for snacks. Everyday around 5:00PM they start the circling and twisting around like sharks. The oldest cat is the spokescat. He will stand on the table and meow to me while the young ones circle around me like sharks. Then I usually split a couple of cans between the four and they all jam their heads in their bowls and pig out. About two hours later the "Feline Judo" demonstration begins. The two 14 year old brother cats will sit on the back of chairs and couches and watch the 8 pound Tabby alley cat judo flip the 16 pound Main Coon for at least an hour. Great fun. Just remember they are social creatures and need feline companionship as much as you need their companionship. My cats have seemed to work out all their territory issues by themselves. They each have a little cool place they hang out. Sherman the youngest one has all his toys around a chair and he always sits in the chair. I call his area his "dojo." Pretty good fun indeed. When Buckey (my cat that died last year) had is final and worst seizure. Nimbo ( the Coon) sat by his side as he died. Ace (solid black 14 year old brother of the spokescat Quango) Stood guard over his body when he died. I wrapped poor Buckey in a towel and put him in a fancy decorative box until the morning and we took him to my fathers to bury. Ace stood next to the box all night and into the morning like he was guarding him. Really complex and fascinating creatures.

[PFunk 198]

Y'all can tell that the fella what took the picture in the first post has spent some time in San Antonio, as he's got one of those fancy Texas window unit air conditioning...known as a box fan to Yankees.

[RUSTYMORLEY 162]

CrazyhorseB34, you could be right about him being lonely, maybee that's why he has behavour issues, although I do spend as much time as I can with him when I am at home, and he is quite content to spend a couple of hours in my lap whilst I am on the computer. 

[jodandawg 17]

5 cats that are bonafide terrorists.  my wifes and my king size bed no longer belongs to us.  it is a terrorist training ground now.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Both Species have their place. I like Cat's because of their aloofness...and Dogs for their Loyalty. I'm sorry you've had such bad experiences with Dogs Crazyhorse. I've been bitten quite badly as a kid too.... I've also been bitten by my Cat!...both hurt like hell.

[jodandawg 17]

CrazyhorseB34 it sounds as though you have some awesome cats there.  I do really believe cats are very misunderstood.  They have their own way of showing love and devotion to their owners.  Did you see the video of the cat chasing away dog that was mauling a child.  The cat belonged to the child's family.   Awsome video and proof that cats do love their owners.

[Derk 265]

If cats are only friendly  for selfish reasons like protection, food and shelter, how come that my cat Sijtje lies on my lap whenever I am seated in a specific corner of the couch (always facing me instead of looking the other way) when there isn't any food issue and cuddles with my two Newfoundlander dogs as well as coming with them for walks which doesn't have to do anything with food either. In my opinion cats can be very loving and affectionate, they just don't  do it on command and are not so eager to please as dogs. .

Edited May 27, 2014 by Derk

[+CrazyhorseB34 937]

Well said Derk.

[RUSTYMORLEY 162]

If cats are only friendly  for selfish reasons like protection, food and shelter, how come that my cat Sijtje lies on my lap whenever I am seated in a specific corner of the couch (always facing me instead of looking the other way) when there isn't any food issue and cuddles with my two Newfoundlander dogs as well as coming with them for walks which doesn't have to do anything with food either. In my opinion cats can be very loving and affectionate, they just don't  do it on command and are not so eager to please as dogs. .

 

My Cat will often jump in my lap and spend a couple of hours with me whilst I am on the computer, I think that it is a comfort thing and he feels secure and safe enough to go to sleep, maybee no so much a love kind of thing but more because he feels protected and is willing to drop his guard and go to sleep. I have also noticed that if there is physical contact (with your hand resting on him) he goes off to sleep very quickly. Again I think it is a lot to do with safety and security.

[RUSTYMORLEY 162]

If any of you are still following this topic, I have a question about older Cats. My Cat spends most of his time asleep in the house and has little interest now in going outside even though the weather is sometimes warm and dry. He used to be quite active and outgoing but over the last 18 months he seems more reluctant to go outside - I assume he is losing his confidence and perhaps afraid of meeting bigger and more aggressive Cats. I estimate that he is asleep most of the time and occasionally goes outside just to do his business and relieve himself, but then comes strait back in. If any of you own an older Cat does this seem normal to you!   

[Emp_Palpatine 501]

How old is he?

Has he lost any weight? 

[jeanba 1,915]

He just looks old.

 

Mine just offered me a new mouse for my computer.

Unfortunatly, it is not USB compatible :(

[Emp_Palpatine 501]

HE could be old. Or he also could be ill. 

[RUSTYMORLEY 162]

HE could be old. Or he also could be ill. 

 

Well he has gone off his food a little bit and has lost a little weight. I estimate that his is about 9 -10 years old.

 

Have any of you ever had a Cat that is always licking his lips or is Gulping a lot.  I have been informed that a Cat which is licking his lips a lot (not after a meal) is a sign that the Cat is worried or concerned a lot about something. Are any of you Cat owners familiar with this!!

Edited June 6, 2014 by RUSTYMORLEY

[Emp_Palpatine 501]

Take him to the vet. 

If he isn't sick, well, you'll be reinsured. 

 

If he is sick, it's not the end of the world. 
Cat are strong and resilient animals, they can suffer from illness for years and not even show a sign of pain. But the owner can help, when he notices something wrong. If my father and I had been more carefull, we could have helped the cat my father's had before it was too late. He actually had some renal disease for almost two years and only showed symptoms in the last months. And even then, if we had saw them properly he could have underwent surgery. Sadly, he was too weak when we discovered the disease.

So, act fast!

 

My other late cat was diagnosised with some digestive cancer. Vet gave her something like six months. She lived six years more up until her 20th year. With proper treatment, care and a loving family, cats can outlast prognosises. 

 

So if you are worried, take him to the vet. Better safe than sorry.

If he is sick, don't necessarily put him down, there are other ways. 

Edited June 6, 2014 by Emp_Palpatine