Should Men Living Alone Get a Cat?

  • Thread starter FlexGunship
  • Start date
In summary, Flex is considering getting a cat, but is worried about the judgment he will receive living alone with one. He thinks that a slightly older cat from a shelter or from someone on Craigslist would be a better option.
  • #281
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  • #282
Flex, you are verging on pathetic here.

I 'spect a woman's going to snag you up any second now. :biggrin:
 
  • #283
Truth be told, those are FUNNY!
 
  • #284
you think schrodinger is odd? :)
 
  • #285
arabianights said:
you think schrodinger is odd? :)

Yeah... have you heard about his poor cat?
 
  • #286
no

what happened ;)
 
  • #287
arabianights said:
no

what happened ;)

No one knows! But Pavlov's dog was never the same.
 
  • #288
:-)
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  • #289
:smile:
 
  • #290
Math Is Hard said:
maru1.jpg

Awwwwwww... I'm pretty sure Pixel feels the same way.

EDIT: She shared one of her treats with me the other day. I took one and tore it into three pieces (they're too big for her). She brought one piece to me (in her mouth, of course), and dumped it on my lap. Then she laid down. I think it was for me, but I'm not sure... about 10 seconds later, she saw it again, and ate it.
 
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  • #291
Math Is Hard said:
:-)
maru1.jpg

lol funny :D
PF has turned into cat loving forum haha
 
  • #292
FlexGunship said:
Awwwwwww... I'm pretty sure Pixel feels the same way.

EDIT: She shared one of her treats with me the other day. I took one and tore it into three pieces (they're too big for her). She brought one piece to me (in her mouth, of course), and dumped it on my lap. Then she laid down. I think it was for me, but I'm not sure... about 10 seconds later, she saw it again, and ate it.

Bless one of my kittens insisted on playing fetch for about an hour last night just as i was ready for sleep cheeky devil.

Have you seen the furry pipe cleaners they go mad for them and the cat it tracks that keeps them busy for hours
 
  • #293
FlexGunship said:
I made some Pixel-based memes. The picture is just a random cat picture I found on a meme-generator site... no Pixel, unfortunately.

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sfypdz.jpg

lol they are great
 
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  • #294
Our equine and cat lovers say that cats and horses have a lot in common even though horses don't purr.

Cats (and horses) have NO GUILT. If they get caught doing something naughty they give the look that says DARN, I be more careful next time so I don't get caught. Scolding them after the deed is pointless. (Dogs feel guilty even if they didn't do it)

They will follow some rules to a certain extent but you know you don't "own them". They live in another dimension and sometimes allow you in.

They don't work for free (yes there are some exceptions but it's not typical). If they do something you want them to do, you'd better pay them like giving them a carrot or a warm lap.

They can always tell the difference between good and bad people. You can't lie to them and they don't lie to you.

And neither of them make any noise without a good reason. I'm hungry, I'm happy, I want attention, my friend just jumped the fence, there's a coyote up the road so you go first cause my mama didn't raise no fool.

Both species also have a vivid imagination and "see things" that aren't there - at least not to us dumb humans.

Gotta love'em.
 
  • #295
netgypsy said:
there's a coyote up the road so you go first cause my mama didn't raise no fool.

I get this a lot from Pixel.
 
  • #296
netgypsy said:
Our equine and cat lovers say that cats and horses have a lot in common even though horses don't purr.

Cats (and horses) have NO GUILT. If they get caught doing something naughty they give the look that says DARN, I be more careful next time so I don't get caught. Scolding them after the deed is pointless. (Dogs feel guilty even if they didn't do it)

They will follow some rules to a certain extent but you know you don't "own them". They live in another dimension and sometimes allow you in.

They don't work for free (yes there are some exceptions but it's not typical). If they do something you want them to do, you'd better pay them like giving them a carrot or a warm lap.

They can always tell the difference between good and bad people. You can't lie to them and they don't lie to you.

And neither of them make any noise without a good reason. I'm hungry, I'm happy, I want attention, my friend just jumped the fence, there's a coyote up the road so you go first cause my mama didn't raise no fool.

Both species also have a vivid imagination and "see things" that aren't there - at least not to us dumb humans.

Gotta love'em.

I sometimes think they both would kill you if they had a chance. Horses actually do it sometimes...cats try (e.g., walking under your feet at the top of stairs).

About feeling guilty: If you catch your dog being naughty, the dog thinks, "I will never, ever do that again!" If you catch your cat being naughty, the cat thinks, "I will never, ever let you catch me doing that again!"
 
  • #297
lisab said:
If you catch your cat being naughty, the cat thinks, "I will never, ever let you catch me doing that again!"

If I tell my cat NO, he tells me to f*** off...
 
  • #298
Ms Music said:
If I tell my cat NO, he tells me to f*** off...
That is funny, Ms Music, hopefully we will see more of you posting around here, you have been scarce as of late.

Rhody...
 
  • #299
Pixel, meet Sparta, Flex meet one close to crazy kitty owner, this guy is short a few cards in the deck if you know what I mean, funny to watch though...

The Mean Kitty Song



Rhody... :-p
 
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  • #300
rhody said:
Pixel, meet Sparta, Flex meet one close to crazy kitty owner, this guy is short a few cards in the deck if you know what I mean, funny to watch though...

The Mean Kitty Song



Rhody... :-p


lol i was going to mention Sparta this guy is hilarious though and Sparta clear rules the roost
 
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  • #301
I just read this whole thread and was smiling and laughing through it all. Those of us with cats likely all noticed the moment that Pixel chose you at the shelter, not the other way around. I love that name, Pixel, by the way!

Men who care for critters are very attractive to women, and not at all weird (well, at least the weirdness has no relation to the critter). It doesn't matter what the critter is.

As for earlier questions on bathing, I bathe mine about twice a year, which is when her fur starts getting sticky and she starts scratching a lot of itches that indicate she needs a bath. As a kitten, she managed to find extra special messes often, so she was bathed pretty frequently then. That started as soon as she came home because she lived in a barn and while she was welcomed into my home, fleas were not. We also used to have dogs as neighbors, so before I moved, she would pick up fleas from even the briefest outdoor excursion onto the deck (I kept her on a leash, she was allowed outside, but not without supervision and limits on how far she could roam...just enough to soak up some sunshine and chase a cricket or watch the birds). She thought the printer was fun to play with and appeared with black printer ink all over her paws, she has long hair, so had some litterbox issues until I figured out just how much butt fur to trim, etc. So she had a lot of baths as a kitten. She now calmly accepts the bath and doesn't use my arm as a ladder to the top of my head to escape the water, but still hates the brushing and blowdrying afterward. When I can anticipate a bath (not the emergency messes), I trim her claws a day or two before the bath. That gives her time to work off the rough edges from the trim but not enough time to regrow points on them. Then, even if she does cling to my arm, it isn't with little needles, and a long-sleeved t-shirt is enough body armor.

I've done okay on clawing. Mostly, it was accomplished by keeping plenty of approved scratching surfaces available and redirecting her to those. She was persistent on one sofa arm, but the sheets of double stick tape applied there worked as a deterrent (and she also used to climb inside the sleeper sofa and would find places where she could get inside the back of the sofa and had a blast removing stuffing...I ended up turning the sofa over and stapling an old bedsheet under it like a dust cover, but to keep the cat out instead of dust). I have one newer chair in my living room now that she seems to be testing me on. She's already claimed it as her chair, and I keep it draped with an old blanket, but the blanket doesn't cover the arms. She clearly knows she isn't supposed to scratch it, but is like a mischievous little kid about it. She very deliberately goes over to the chair while I'm on the couch, stretches her paws onto the arm, then looks directly at me as she hooks one claw to pluck. I clap my hands and yell, "no!" and she knows she lost the game once again an bounces over to the scratching post next to the chair or to the blanket on the chair. She also stops if I respond by asking, " Do your claws need trimming?" She hates being held still long enough for claw trimming. If she starts trying to scratch in a lot of places, it's usually when her claws are getting long and need trimming. Otherwise, she normally just scratches during a good stretch after waking up (that's why the scratching post is right next to her chair), or while playing (she'll run around like a lunatic, then "tag" the post like it's home base, give me a look of, "you can't catch me now, I'm safe," attacks the post for a bit, then resumes our game of tag...if I can catch her, I get to give belly snorgles).

Hmm...on second thought, maybe people with cats really are odd. :biggrin:
 
  • #302
Moonbear said:
I just read this whole thread and was smiling and laughing through it all. Those of us with cats likely all noticed the moment that Pixel chose you at the shelter, not the other way around. I love that name, Pixel, by the way!

Men who care for critters are very attractive to women, and not at all weird (well, at least the weirdness has no relation to the critter). It doesn't matter what the critter is.

As for earlier questions on bathing, I bathe mine about twice a year, which is when her fur starts getting sticky and she starts scratching a lot of itches that indicate she needs a bath. As a kitten, she managed to find extra special messes often, so she was bathed pretty frequently then. That started as soon as she came home because she lived in a barn and while she was welcomed into my home, fleas were not. We also used to have dogs as neighbors, so before I moved, she would pick up fleas from even the briefest outdoor excursion onto the deck (I kept her on a leash, she was allowed outside, but not without supervision and limits on how far she could roam...just enough to soak up some sunshine and chase a cricket or watch the birds). She thought the printer was fun to play with and appeared with black printer ink all over her paws, she has long hair, so had some litterbox issues until I figured out just how much butt fur to trim, etc. So she had a lot of baths as a kitten. She now calmly accepts the bath and doesn't use my arm as a ladder to the top of my head to escape the water, but still hates the brushing and blowdrying afterward. When I can anticipate a bath (not the emergency messes), I trim her claws a day or two before the bath. That gives her time to work off the rough edges from the trim but not enough time to regrow points on them. Then, even if she does cling to my arm, it isn't with little needles, and a long-sleeved t-shirt is enough body armor.

I've done okay on clawing. Mostly, it was accomplished by keeping plenty of approved scratching surfaces available and redirecting her to those. She was persistent on one sofa arm, but the sheets of double stick tape applied there worked as a deterrent (and she also used to climb inside the sleeper sofa and would find places where she could get inside the back of the sofa and had a blast removing stuffing...I ended up turning the sofa over and stapling an old bedsheet under it like a dust cover, but to keep the cat out instead of dust). I have one newer chair in my living room now that she seems to be testing me on. She's already claimed it as her chair, and I keep it draped with an old blanket, but the blanket doesn't cover the arms. She clearly knows she isn't supposed to scratch it, but is like a mischievous little kid about it. She very deliberately goes over to the chair while I'm on the couch, stretches her paws onto the arm, then looks directly at me as she hooks one claw to pluck. I clap my hands and yell, "no!" and she knows she lost the game once again an bounces over to the scratching post next to the chair or to the blanket on the chair. She also stops if I respond by asking, " Do your claws need trimming?" She hates being held still long enough for claw trimming. If she starts trying to scratch in a lot of places, it's usually when her claws are getting long and need trimming. Otherwise, she normally just scratches during a good stretch after waking up (that's why the scratching post is right next to her chair), or while playing (she'll run around like a lunatic, then "tag" the post like it's home base, give me a look of, "you can't catch me now, I'm safe," attacks the post for a bit, then resumes our game of tag...if I can catch her, I get to give belly snorgles).

Hmm...on second thought, maybe people with cats really are odd. :biggrin:

LOL Moonbear cat slaves we are a little odd but what are we comparing it to the human race come on the human race is very odd, p.s i love that sniper kitty
 
  • #303
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ5SPOO7Tio
 
  • #304
Ha ha! My cat used to entertain retrieving thrown toys, but now if I toss it more than three times, she gives up on my ability to hold a toy without dropping it, so moves it under the bed where I won't be able to drop it again.
 
  • #305
:!) That's heart warming!
 
  • #306
When she looses her mousey under something and can't get it, she does a little "juggle dance" to try to explain her needs to me. It looks like she's playing with her mousey, juggling it around and hopping on her hind legs, but there's nothing there. Then, when I pay attention to her, she leads me to where it is.

I think in her mind, she's tricking me into believing that she has a mouse and she's enticing me to play. Then, when I want to play, she reveals that she has no mouse and that we're on a recovery mission.
 
  • #307
My cats purposely "lose" a toy under the refrigerator, low furniture etc., then somehow extricate most of it with a looong clawed reach. One of these days I will have to retrieve their lost booty and start the cycle again.
 
  • #308
I really like cats. The thing is you can let them wander around (they always come back to eat), they don't require a lot of affection/attention like dogs do, and they don't eat that much. What's not to like? In fact, though lots of people don't think so, if you put enough time in, and do it the right way, you can actually train cats to do stuff. Maybe not to the extent of dogs, but still ... stuff.

Do I have any cats? No.

I'm sorry, what was the OP? Oh yeah ... are men with cats odd? Hmmm. Well, in my experience I would have to say yes. Not necessarily in a socially unacceptable, or even readily noticeable, way. But a rather deep-seated oddness ... yes, I think so.

Just kidding ... really ... I was.
 
  • #309
Moonbear said:
She thought the printer was fun to play with and appeared with black printer ink all over her paws, she has long hair, so had some litterbox issues until I figured out just how much butt fur to trim, etc. So she had a lot of baths as a kitten. She now calmly accepts the bath and doesn't use my arm as a ladder to the top of my head to escape the water, but still hates the brushing and blowdrying afterward.

We had a "messy" tail incident. So I dunked her in a warm bath. I don't own a blowdryer, but I towel dried her as best I could and let her sit in front of my little electric heater.

Last night I pulled apart my server rack and re-ran all of the cables for my gaming computer, my audio work station, and related hardware. I must've had 100 cables of varying purpose and size on the floor.

She about lost her little kitty mind.

She knows she's not supposed to play with them, and she resisted for a while... a good... uh, six minutes, or so. When she went for the first swipe I snapped my fingers (something I've trained her to associate with being sprayed with water) and she sat on the computer chair for the next hour... just watching me... her head darting back and forth, eyes wide with a mix of excitement, terror, and hopeless intrigue. I gave her a treat every few minutes that she sat still in the chair and things went well.

Then I went to bed...

...for half an hour I could hear her exploring the area, trying to find one left over cable. I could hear her lightly scratching the server rack and running around.
 
  • #310
Pixel Pixel Pixel! She seems very happy and cute :!)
 
  • #311
FlexGunship said:
We had a "messy" tail incident. So I dunked her in a warm bath. I don't own a blowdryer, but I towel dried her as best I could and let her sit in front of my little electric heater.

Last night I pulled apart my server rack and re-ran all of the cables for my gaming computer, my audio work station, and related hardware. I must've had 100 cables of varying purpose and size on the floor.

She about lost her little kitty mind.

She knows she's not supposed to play with them, and she resisted for a while... a good... uh, six minutes, or so. When she went for the first swipe I snapped my fingers (something I've trained her to associate with being sprayed with water) and she sat on the computer chair for the next hour... just watching me... her head darting back and forth, eyes wide with a mix of excitement, terror, and hopeless intrigue. I gave her a treat every few minutes that she sat still in the chair and things went well.

Then I went to bed...

...for half an hour I could hear her exploring the area, trying to find one left over cable. I could hear her lightly scratching the server rack and running around.
Sounds like you have things under control. Myself, I just keep them outside most of the time. Not that I currently have any cats. If they feel like coming back for food, fine. If not, fine.

I should note that I, and my assorted girlfriends, have had many cats over the years. I do not keep and maintain litter boxes. My cats do not, under any circumstances, poop or pee inside the house. "Tail accidents" are their problem. They're staying outside. But I give them lots of food and water and they seem to appreciate that.
 
  • #312
I know it's an old thread but I couldn't resist the title. Of course we are odd, and confident in our oddity. But you do need two cats, they come in pairs.

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/funny-pictures-ikea-kitteh.jpg
 
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  • #313
ThomasT said:
Myself, I just keep them outside most of the time. Not that I currently have any cats.

For a guy who has no cats you sure seem to have a lot of cats.
 
  • #314
Flex,

Glad to see the shiny side is still up, and well, shiny.

Rhody... :devil: :biggrin:
 
  • #315
FlexGunship said:
For a guy who has no cats you sure seem to have a lot of cats.
Yes, apparently I've confused myself again. Did you go away for a while or something? If so, welcome back. Sounds like you're getting on well with your cat(s). I actually have almost always had some sort of animal around. Cats, dogs, the occasional human, etc. Currently my girlfriend has the cats at her place. She likes them and it's probably a bit safer there ... less auto traffic on her street.
 
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