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

I love these stories about dogs who think they're human. The current thinking about dog psyhcology is that dogs *want* to be human, while cats want *you* to be a cat.

The best animal I remember for spicey food was our last cat which died not too long ago...

I'd get back from teh pub, you know like 2 AM.... Call out for a kebab of some variety with 'as much' chilie sauce as they could put on to it....

the bluddy cat would wait till I was seated with the kebab, jump up besides me and sit there....

I'd hand feed it bits of kebab.... I remember one time, which can't have been that long before she died, sitting on the sofa, and it was one bit of kebab meat for me.... one for the cat... through the entire kebab
Were anyone so foolish as to fall asleep in the front room with a half finished kebab or curry or chinese, it'd all be gone by the time you woke up
(and no, she didn't die of food poisening )
But she was a weird cat... she'd eat anythign* if she thought it was human food; put it in her food bowl and she'd ignore it... we all just got used to putting out plates of what we'd just eatn down after we'd finishe dand she'd 'clean the plates'... peas, cabbage, batter puds, roast potatos, gravey, icecream, trifle bread and butter... whatever it might be

You do have to be careful of what pets eat though. I came home once and found my daughter with *that* little doggy (my daughter was 15 at the time) The dog was unconscious - so we rushed her to the vets - The vet thought that the dog was going to die, and there was nothing to be done about it. So we brought the dog home, she was sick, and immediately became right as rain.

It turned out that my daughter had let the doggy eat a bit of a peanut butter on wholemeal bread sandwich, a couple of minutes before I came home and it nearly poisoned the dog. I never knew that dogs could be allergic to peanuts. Chocolate is very bad for them too.

Are all dogs allergic to peanuts, or only a few? After all, most humans can tolerate peanuts, but the few who are allergic to them can die fairly soon after eating them.

I think dogs often get fed peanuts, especially in English pubs. Crisps and peanuts.

Do you have a dog Paul?

Sorry, no dog.
I had a puppy when I was 16, and she died a terrible death in the road in front of our house a few months later.

I've had goldfish, I've taken care of other people's cats when they were away, but I haven't had any dogs since then.

Oh, that is so sad, I'm not surprised you never had another dog. That is a really sad story.

There seem to be far too many cats around here at the moment. They all like to sit on the roofs at night and howl. Or whatever noise cats make.

Whilst it was raining earlier, one seemed to be really yowling, as if the rain would stop if it made enough fuss about it. I came up the steps yesterday and there was a group of four by the gate, just staring each other out as cats do. Some were wearing collars and others were well fed, but there was a great big rough looking brute with tatty ears. I'm sure he is the one that is the offender in the middle of the night screeching scenarios. Miaow.

We have a fair few cats round here, but don't really hear them too often... the funniest though was when I'd had some fresh wetfish..... and had obiouvsly not very well wrapped up the bones and put them into the outside bin... I swear that cat sat on my bin for nearly a week just because it could smell the fresh fish
Luckily there was no way a cat could get in though
Our family has always had cats, though at the moment we only have a cat by proxy well its a semi ferrel cat that a friend used to look after, but he's sort of moved away, and so my dad goes and feeds the ferral cats there that he used to look after... Though I get the feeling they get enough food elsewehre, but they do still like the atteniton and being fussed over

I have some friends who feed feral cats. It's one way, though. The cats don't feed myfriends.

When I lived in Bristol there was a terribly wild tom cat. It was very fierce indeed and one night my ex went out to chase it away from our dustbin and garden and it scratched his leg very badly. My ex had to go and have tetanus injections because of it. ( I had to laugh )

Feral cats usually flee when a person goes after them. I wonder why this one didn't.

I don't know, but in those days everyone used plastic sacks for their rubbish (garbage, US meaning) and it was used to helping itself to whatever took its fancy - I think it thought it was defending its food source.

I am fed up now, because I still haven't finished packing ( so boring ) and have discovered that the mosquitoes have bitten me last night. Honestly two nights of rain and the creatures have turned me into a bumpy pin cushion. I shall have to go and find the piriton and the skin cream -

That's the funny thing about paradise: it always has some vile bugs.

Oo didn't know you got mosquitos out there... The little critters love me... I hate them.. I react badly to mosquito bites for some reason; I've scars on my feet from years of being bitten by them

There's not many, but I'm allergic to them. Mostly it's too dry, but since its rained, they appear. I have a mosquito net, but its a bit too late to fix it up tonight. In fact I have most anti mosquito equipment available. Electric zapping lights, citronella candles, stuff to rub on my skin and so on.

It's just a fact of life and you have to get used to living with them - they are not malaria ones luckily.

I've always thought of mosquitos as food for frogs and bats. If the frogs aren't doing their job, the bats are all that's left.

that's a very good thought Paul. Bats are really incredible creatures.

Luckily we don't get malaria here either of course... Though in the past there used to be... :- think it was one of the reasons the Romans got pissed off when they tried to establish themselves in the UK and of course, it may be one thing we have to look forward too if global warming takes hold, as I think the areas malaria is endemic in are already moving somewhat Northwards; But the fact it was once here in the UK is yet another piece of evidence people like to overlook when thinking that climate and regional temp etc is a static thing

I also am allergic to the bites, hence the scars I've got from bites I do seem to react a bit less strongly now than I used to... but hypersensitivity does suck... well at least I outgrew the hayfever and simular allergys, the same may one day be true for the mossy bites

Clarityn tablets and hydrocortisone cream seem to have done the trick for the mozzie bites


and I have travelled back through turbulence and airport delays and am now back at 'home' with mum and dad. Expecting snow in the night? -2 degrees tomorrow? Do I like this?

Your moving the wrong way at the wrong tim eof year... this time of year is when you want to be* out in the sunny bit of the world Tis certianly cold though... I noticed it this evening; Taht is the coldest I've felt it outside thusfar this year and I'm hoping we don't get too* much snow : I have to be on the trains come thursday