The WELL: inkwell.vue.284: Gina Spadafori, "Why Do Dogs Drink Out of the Toilet" & "Do Cats Always Land on Their Feet?"

#101: Fawn Fitter (fsquared) Wed 1 Nov 06 16:44

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 16:44:00 PST

Thank you! [Read entire topic]

#100: Gail Williams (gail) Wed 1 Nov 06 15:32

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 15:32:00 PST

What a lot of fun this has been! [Read entire topic]

#99: Gina Spadafori (giori) Wed 1 Nov 06 15:16

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 15:16:00 PST

Thanks for dropping in! [Read entire topic]

#98: David Adam Edelstein (davadam) Wed 1 Nov 06 13:21

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 13:21:00 PST

Speaking of prey chatter, that's a terrible segue for me to thank Gina, Christine, and Fawn for a great conversation.

Our Inkwell spotlight is now turning to a new conversation, but this topic will still be around for as long as Gina cares to keep chattering. [Read entire topic]

#97: Gina Spadafori (giori) Tue 31 Oct 06 06:25

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 06:25:00 PST

Almost all cats do this prey chatter, especially when the prey is out of reach. It's an involuntary response. [Read entire topic]

#96: paralyzed by a question like that (debunix) Mon 30 Oct 06 22:36

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 22:36:00 PST

That's another odd cat thing I wonder about--the "prey in sight" warble. Both of my cats have done that.

It seems quite contrary to good practice as a stealthy stalker to advertise your excitement with the warble.

Is that something our domestic cats retain from kittenhood?

Do they only do it if we're around--being social? if the prey is unattainable--a cry of frustration? [Read entire topic]

#95: Craig S. Thom (craigthom) Mon 30 Oct 06 21:35

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 21:35:00 PST

<gail>, way back you mentioned a noise your cat makes when watching birds. Mine does that, too. Her jaw opens and closes and she makes a weird little noise. The only time she does this is when watching birds.

She's got three other distinctive noises (five if you count a hiss): the regular "Hey, look at me" meow, the "I am really not enjoying this" growl, and a little coo she makes when she's asleep and I touch her. [Read entire topic]

#94: Gina Spadafori (giori) Mon 30 Oct 06 17:15

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 17:15:00 PST

Dunno, but I sure have observed it a lot in a lot of cats. Probably just feels good, scratching some itchy spots.

Horses love to do it, too:

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockandracehorses/102391671/in/set-219309/> [Read entire topic]

#93: paralyzed by a question like that (debunix) Mon 30 Oct 06 16:48

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 16:48:00 PST

Emily does that too.....as soon as she gets out onto the little concrete balcony, she looks around for about 10-15 seconds, then stops, drops, & rolls.

After a couple of minutes, she'll get bored, and go sit by the edge to watch birds & squirrels. But if I bring her inside, then back out again a few minutes later, she'll start over with the rolling.

100* summer day, 40 degrees in the fall, still stop/drop/roll.

It's so predictable that I went a little overboard....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/debunix/sets/72157594216344279/

What is up with that? [Read entire topic]

#92: looking at you with his eyebrows tweedling (booter) Mon 30 Oct 06 16:08

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 16:08:00 PST

I have two cats. One is a Birman or Ragdoll named Beanie. The other is a DSH named Zero. I keep them indoors, but have allowed them out under supervision in case they are accidentally let out for any reason. (They have pried screens off and escaped in their own.) Beanie is permanently grounded, because he now knows that if he runs up and over the fence, down the block and into a small space, I cannot find him. Zero, however, still gets "playtime". He is allowed out because it takes him a long time to get bored with the yard and try to leave. When he leaves, I walk into the neighbor's yard, bringing him in, kicking and screaming.

That's not the issue.

The issue is this. I used to have a brick patio and a concrete paver. He used to roll on the concrete paver when he got out. That was generally the First Order of Business. Now, I no longer have the patio and paver. I have a large rectangle of sand that I think of as "the beach". Zero will dart out the door and hurl himself into the sand and roll on it for five to ten minutes. He'll take a break, but he always comes back to the sand. My sister observed this and said, "He's rolling in it like a veal cutlet in breadcrumbs." I now call this ritual "Cutlet Time".

I have seen other cats roll on concrete, but not to the degree that Zero does.

So, to paraphrase Seinfeld..."What's with that?" [Read entire topic]