h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Apparently Roy is now out of hospital and recovering at home.

Erm, sorry but I just checked the BBC Entertainment news and they say he's better but still critical. I must have misheard the news. Sorry.

I think they've both had so much plastic surgery they probably have no idea what they actually look like.

I hope Roy will be OK, too. I can't imagine that he would let them put the tiger down. I hope he doesn't give up working with them, either. All those decades without an accident; it probably would be many more before they'd have another.

I've been enjoying all the kitty stories. I used to have a cat who loved to play fetch too, with wadded-up paper. He'd carry it back to me in his mouth.

My Maine coon cat, Tabitha, loves to sleep sprawled flat on her back with all four paws curled into the air. She detests the vacuum (Hoover) like any right-thinking cat and has a love/hate relationship with plastic bags. Rattle one at her and she clears the room. But leave it on the floor and she'll go to sleep on it.

Like many Maine coons, she enjoys water. She prefers drinking out of the bathroom sink to her water bowl, she will sit on the side of the tub and dip her paws into the water when I take a bath, and she once came into the shower stall with me.

Her uncle, Beckatt, who also lived with us (died last year at age 14 1/2), periodically became afraid of our ceilings fan in the bedroom. He'd sit on the floor and gaze at it suspiciously, watching its every move, and give ita wide berth when he entered the room.

I love the story about the cat who was afraid of the Starship Enterprise! Beckatt was afraid of my husband's sister. Anytime she came into the room his eyes grew wide, he'd jump down from wherever he was sitting and quietly, quickly slink out of the room. We never could figure out what the problem was! She had two cats of her own, and she didn't run to him or try to pick him up or anything like that you might expect.

Toward the end of his life he changed his opinion about her and made peace.

My sister's cat, Sid Vicious, used to like playing board games with us. We would set a game up on the floor, and he would sit with us around the board, and very patiently wait while I rolled the dice and moved, and my sister rolled the dice and moved. Then, he knew it was his turn so he would bat the dice with his paw as far across the room as possible.

We would then retrieve the dice and continue playing.

So did Sid beat you at Monopoly?

No, he couldnt quite grasp the concept of real estate and money-making
But other than that he was a pretty clever cat.

Our oldest cat Spike hated not being the centre of attention so whenever we play board games he'll jump up and sit in the middle of the game and refuse to move

My husband's cat Beckatt (died last year, God rest his soul) had to be in his lap when he was working on the computer, and sometimes his immense paws hit the keys. One time he completely locked up the computer. Took my husband quite a while to untangle what the cat had done to it.

sounds like cat who had found incription methode

Good point! I should have called Bill Gates and worked out a deal.

We're going to pick out a new Maine coon kitten tomorrow! I'll provide a full report. Then we have to wait another five weeks to take him home, to give him time to finish growing. I think our other cat will be so happy to have the company. She's been lonely since her buddy died last year.

I've heard good stuff about the Maine Coon , but have never met them. Hope I will someday soon!

Make that, I have never met one of them! Not one of my more coherent sentences, I'm afraid!

The Deluxe Scrabble set is a godsend. It's tiles are just a little to big to comfortably eat, the tile bag isn't enticingly crumply plastic, the ridges prevent set-down tiles from being toys to bat at, and the swivel prevents attempts to park smack dab in the middle of the board. (the comedy to be had the first time this happened after we bought the new set puzzled both of my cats for weeks, then they decided to randomly jump clean over the board, and to also bump tile racks in revenge)

Will have to try that one on Spike, see if the same thing goes for him

My likes to mess with my . Last night, she was poking at my older lab . I told her to stop. So, naturally, she reached out her paw and pushed on Rox, just to irritate me. Pushed so hard she accidently knocked herself off the bed!

The new member of our household will be a red tabby with a white chest, stomach and paws. At 6 weeks old, his eyes are bright blue now, but will mellow to gold. He's curious, energetic and bold. He also looks like he's going to be a big 'un.

Can't wait to see how he will get along with big Sis! We'll bring him home on Nov. 17. A long time to wait!

Black (both name and colour) lives with me. Black was an orphan on a very young age; he never learnt to get along with other cats.... and he is 9~10 kg. I hardly feed him; he works in the garden late at night and in the early morning, and usually brings a friend for supper.. or breakfast; a mouse or, late summer, a bird. I found it touching to see him play with his mouse-friends .. it touches something near the back of my throat .
His playing with bird-friends can leave bloodstains on the wall to a height of 3 feet. I buy a lot of wall paint.

Cool stories folks! My friend keeps trying to convince me to get a cat. I kinda like the idea (but not if its head is going to explode with abscesses!). Only one cat story about friends cat (big fluffy black thing, a Persian perhaps?) which is rather lazy. Has now taken to waiting for next doors cat to bring an offering back for its owners and leave it on their front doors step. As soon as next doors cat has gone, friends cat pops over, nicks the offering and then puts it on my friends doorstep looking all proud and innocent

The abscess thing can really happen. That cat was lucky. We had a cat die from having one go untreated. The problem is you often cannot see they have been injured, through all the fur, until it's too late.

Best way to avoid: Keep your cat inside! I know some folks think it is cruel, but the last three Maine Coons we have bought, we've had to sign contracts including a stipulation that we would not let them outdoors unsupervised.

Average lifespan of outdoor cat: 3 years. Average lifespan of indoor cat: 15 years. I think that says it all.