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

<> Isn't that a dominance thing?

Wow, I think my cat can beat all this behaviour! She licks because she likes licking, she licks bread wrappers, toilet roll bags, even the condensation on my patio doors. She won't drink water from her water bowl, but waits for the cold tap to be turned on, waits a few moments for it to go really cold, then bends almost double to lick from the running water. I am currently engaged in trying to train her to turn the damned tap OFF when she's finishedto no avail!

She also perches high, on top of a suitcase on top of a wardrobe (and you can't get any higher in that room other than being stapled to the ceiling) BUT that doesn't make her a sky cat, as she sleeps under the dining room table and hides behind my TV (on the TV table, a tiny place to perch but still...) not sure what she's waiting to pounce on, but the only time she ever "swipes" is when she's on the breakfast bar at the entrance/exit to my kitchen, if I walk past her without replenishing her food bowl or turning on the cold tap for her, she swipes.

GB, SHE is not YOUR cat. HER MAJESTY allows you lesser being in HER dwellings because you open food tins and clean HER toilet.

Pit

I wasn't aware that there were sky cats and earth cats, either. I'd love to read that entry if you do write it, Mina. You were one of the people I was hoping would pop in with suggestions- thank you for doing so.

The male cat has no real choice about being an "earth" cat because he has cerebellar hypoplasia. He's never been able to jump up at all and the only way he has ever been able to climb is by grabbing hold with his front claws and muscling himself up. Which isn't so nice when what he wants to be on happens to be your lap. The female will jump up on things occasionally (I can tell when she's been on the kitchen table because my tablecloths are black and she'll leave patches of white fur where she lay) to look out of windows, or to sleep there. I've never seen her climbing up high to leap down onto anyone, but she does crouch under low furniture to pounce on her brother as he walks by.

She also loves to drink water from the taps in the bathtub. One of them drips. We can tell when she's doing it because our tub is one of those old cast iron ones with feet, and there's a distinctive plopping sound when she jumps in. She'll life the lid to the toilet to get in there, too, so we had to replace it with a heavier one that's harder for her to lift. She'll even drink water from my glass- if I pour myself one, she runs alongside me, looking up at me and begging for some. I never met a cat who loved to drink water so much.

The vet says she's very healthy, other than having some kind of allergy which makes her sneeze a lot. Darned if we can narrow down what she is allergic to, though.

Thanks to everyone for all the input. I knew this would turn out be to informative and entertaining, and you all have come through, as always.

Oof, in that third paragraph, "life" should = "lift".

"Isn't that a dominance thing?"

If you think about it (as) logically (as a Mina can), who would a cat be dominant over? What purpose would it serve? They are solitary hunters.

All cats are both sky and earth. I've seen some and I can't work out which is their favourite, so I know some are very much in the middle, but there are others that shout it loud and clear.

**If you think about it (as) logically (as a Mina can *get*)**

"You were one of the people I was hoping would pop in with suggestions- thank you for doing so. "

thank you.

Further evidence that this kitty is not as bright as some- one of her favorite places to sleep is inside of one of my husband's kick drums. There's a hole cut into one of the heads, for putting mics inside. it's also just big enough for a cat to squeeze through. I'm sure that it's great fun, and it is cute, but how can she get any sleep in there? Loud purring inside a bass drum is not only amplified, but it reverberates quite a bit, too. And this cat purrs loud enough to hear from two rooms over as it is.

I only just thought about it because she's doing it right now, and it's loud enough to be very distracting...

(Re entry on cats - love to read it, have you thought of a collaborative effort' with you providing the wisdom and cat slaves providing the amusing anecdotes?).

I don't have time to organise a collaborative entry, been trying to write the article for 6 months! I'd contribute if someone else did, but at the moment i'm selfish enough that the solo credit is important to me these days.

Just an idea!

It is my firm belief that cats do apparently random things simply to confuse us. They know full well we won't understand them, and that makes them feel superior. Haven't you noticed that look they give you?

>>If you think about it (as) logically (as a Mina can), who would a cat be dominant over? What purpose would it serve? They are solitary hunters.<<

Hmm, dominance:

No1 Son rescued a severely traumatised kitten-cat who hides away all the time we are near. He can handle her - and she's allowed me to touch her, twice. She's coming round but very slowly (several weeks so far).

She and doglet came face-to-face yesterday (at a couple of feet distance)... guess which one turned away first...

That's not dominance. That's a dog's good sense.

Different body language. Dog says "want to play?", cat understands "want a fight?" and tells doggie in no uncertain terms "you can have it, buster". Dog understands that.

Dog's good sense - Oh yeah? some dogs, maybe...

The body language I'll believe.

The quick and the dead
the mannis so much slower than the doggis
the doggis so much slower than the cattis