Are cats really in control of our lives?

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In summary, this conversation is about a cat who is beloved for its willingness to suffer, and how it reminds the speaker of the story of Muezza.
  • #1
Ivan Seeking
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Right now, my office cat, bun, is sitting on my lap and holding my hand hostage. I need coffee. I need to hit the head. I am poking out this message with one finger and my leg has fallen asleep, but I can't disturb my Bun.

This is the true measure of a cat lover - the extent to which one is willing to suffer so as not to disturb the kitty.
 
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  • #2
I've been in exactly the same situation with our cat Misty. The other cat, Chester, is not a lap cat. He just likes to start waking me up a 0500 because he's hungry.
 
  • #3
Ivan Seeking said:
Right now, my office cat, bun, is sitting on my lap and holding my hand hostage. I need coffee. I need to hit the head. I am poking out this message with one finger and my leg has fallen asleep, but I can't disturb my Bun.

This is the true measure of a cat lover - the extent to which one is willing to suffer so as not to disturb the kitty.

Geez, i think you should be the one wearing the collar!
 
  • #4
This is the true measure of a cat lover - the extent to which one is willing to suffer so as not to disturb the kitty.
I'm willing to suffer as to not disturb my girlfriend, but a kitten? I'll move my hand when I want to move it. Damn cat gets to sleep and eat and play all day while I have to go to work.
 
  • #5
Lucy jumps into my lap so often that I sometimes don't even notice. I'll just look down and go 'where the hell did that come from?' It's gotten so that I keep a thermal bag with a few beers in it beside the couch so I don't have to disturb her to get a fresh one.

This isn't a hijack, but I did want to mention something and it will save me starting a new thread to do it here.
It's been driving me absolutely nuts trying to figure out what to get my mother for Xmas. She's 95 and can't get out of bed (although the staff at the nursing home can put her into a wheelchair). It's a semi-private room, so there's very little space for anything. She already has about half a dozen stuffed animals with her, and a dozen more at the house that we could take to her, so that's out. I'd resorted to flowers for a while, but then got her some very realistic artificial ones that she still has.
Anyhow, W dragged me into the city last week to shop for the grandbrats, and we ended up spending a torturous hour in Toys 'r' Us. Just when I was starting to wish that someone would rob the store and shoot me, I ran across the perfect gift.
When I moved in with W a couple of years ago, I gave Lucy to my mother to keep her company, and she really misses her now. Obviously, she can't have a cat of her own in her present situation.
So what before my wondering eyes did appear but an incredibly life-like robot cat! The brand name is Fur Real, and it looks very much like Lucy except for the eye colour. There are touch sensors, a light detector, and a tail-pull sensor. For battery life, it crouches down and goes to sleep if left unstimulated for 3 minutes. In between sleeps, it purrs, meows, changes posture, and moves its tail, all in response to different stimulae. There's a video on the net for anyone who wants to check it out. (There are a few different robot cats on there; this is the pure white one with the aforementioned brand name.)

Okay, you may now return to your regular programme.
 
  • #6
Ivan Seeking said:
Right now, my office cat, bun, is sitting on my lap and holding my hand hostage. I need coffee. I need to hit the head. I am poking out this message with one finger and my leg has fallen asleep, but I can't disturb my Bun.

This is the true measure of a cat lover - the extent to which one is willing to suffer so as not to disturb the kitty.

Reminds me of the story of Muezza:

Muezza is said to have been the Islamic prophet Muhammad's favorite cat.The most famous story about Muezza recounts how the call to prayer was given, and as Muhammad went to put on one of his robes, he found his cat sleeping on one of the sleeves, and instead of disturbing the cat he cut off the sleeve and let him sleep.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muezza
 
  • #7
Sounds like quite a few of the PF members are infected with toxoplasmosis.

I'm sitting in silence right now typing quietly so as not to wake my cat who's getting his regulation 14 hour beauty sleep.
 
  • #8
Hmm...I guess I'm not so nice to my cat. If she tries to hold my hand hostage, she gets her belly tickled! She used to get away with it when she was still a kitten and would just sit purring on my lap, but now that she's all grown up, she knows how to sleep all day without me, so I don't feel bad about disturbing her if she's curled up on me (she'll just move over and go back to sleep if she's really sleepy, otherwise, she'll get up and play when I get up).
 
  • #9
Math Is Hard said:
Reminds me of the story of Muezza:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muezza

Hah, I should have been a Muslim!

I'm a complete sucker for my cats. If I don't let Bun do exactly what she want's then she gets mad at me, and I just can't take that. :biggrin: She is soooo funny that way - stubborn as a mule and no end of cattitude. Many times when I try to move her,she will dig in her claws, glare at me, and refuse to budge. :rofl:

Einstein usually has Tsu trapped in her chair.
 
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  • #10
Was at dinner at a friends yesterday, and a cat is clawing at the window so I open it.
Later I asked what her cat's name was - "I don't have a cat", we go and find a stray cat asleep on her bed and she blames me!
 
  • #11
Ivan Seeking said:
Right now, my office cat, bun, is sitting on my lap and holding my hand hostage. I need coffee. I need to hit the head. I am poking out this message with one finger and my leg has fallen asleep, but I can't disturb my Bun.

This is the true measure of a cat lover - the extent to which one is willing to suffer so as not to disturb the kitty.
i know what you mean
 
  • #12
When I was young and dumb, I didn't know that avoiding a cat's gaze was tantamount to inviting them to get closer. I lived in an apartment across the street from a couple of married friends who had 6 cats and one of them was a deaf long-haired white cat with very blue eyes - Midnight. I liked my friends and didn't much care for cats, so I visited regularly and tried to ignore the cats. Midnight was pretty confined to visual cues, and she became so attached to me that every time I visited them, she had to be on my lap and in my face, rubbing her head under my chin and on my chest. Every evening I went home with white cat hairs all over my clothes.
 
  • #13
It's a well-known fact that a cat will gravitate to the most committed cat-hater in the room and pester the bejabers out of him.
Lucy is pretty much useless, but she does have one career to which she is very dedicated: to seek out any item of our clothing that isn't covered in cat hair and rectify the situation. Out of the 10 hours a day that she's awake, she spends about 8 on that project.
 
  • #14
Danger said:
It's a well-known fact that a cat will gravitate to the most committed cat-hater in the room and pester the bejabers out of him.
Lucy is pretty much useless, but she does have one career to which she is very dedicated: to seek out any item of our clothing that isn't covered in cat hair and rectify the situation. Out of the 10 hours a day that she's awake, she spends about 8 on that project.

:rofl: Ember is the same way! When I'm folding laundry, she instantly gravitates toward anything black and HAS to sit on it before I put it away. This is why I ask for things like lint brushes for Christmas. :rolleyes:
 
  • #15
And what really amazes me (and leads me to think of a conspiracy) is that a cat will only deposit upon an article of contrasing colour. I tend to wear black or dark blue clothing, and Lucifur is pure white, so she can't rest. She won't go near my white T-shirts, though. Conversely, Dingbat was black and grey, and would only assault my light coloured stuff. If I weren't an atheist, I'd suspect that they were all hell-spawn.
 
  • #16
Danger said:
It's a well-known fact that a cat will gravitate to the most committed cat-hater in the room and pester the bejabers out of him.
Lucy is pretty much useless, but she does have one career to which she is very dedicated: to seek out any item of our clothing that isn't covered in cat hair and rectify the situation. Out of the 10 hours a day that she's awake, she spends about 8 on that project.
It's not that I hated them - I just didn't give a damn for them, whereas I would have paid attention to dogs, for instance. When I would show up at my neighbors' place, Midnight would "claim" me as soon as I got there, and hop on my lap and start with the head-rubbing as soon as I sat down. If I scratched her ears and neck a little, she would stretch, knead my thighs a bit (no claws) and settle in for a nice comfortable nap. My neighbors thought it was a hoot. She was their most stand-offish (to them) cat - the snooty princess.
 
  • #17
Danger said:
And what really amazes me (and leads me to think of a conspiracy) is that a cat will only deposit upon an article of contrasing colour. I tend to wear black or dark blue clothing, and Lucifur is pure white, so she can't rest. She won't go near my white T-shirts, though. Conversely, Dingbat was black and grey, and would only assault my light coloured stuff. If I weren't an atheist, I'd suspect that they were all hell-spawn.

They also have an uncanny ability to do exactly what you don't want them to do. If there is one place in my office that I don't want Bun to lie, I can be sure to find her there.

On the up side, they don't have destructotails like dogs. :biggrin:
 
  • #18
You must not spoil them so! Where are your exercise studios for these cats?! And when was the last time you sent them to the military, huh??
 

1. How do cats manipulate us into doing their bidding?

Cats have a variety of strategies to get what they want from their human companions. They use their adorable appearance and purring to elicit affection and attention, and they can also exhibit behaviors such as meowing, rubbing against our legs, and even nipping or scratching to communicate their desires. They also have a strong sense of entitlement and can be quite persistent in getting what they want.

2. Why do we let cats get away with so much?

It's no secret that cats have a special ability to melt our hearts and make us forgive their mischievous behavior. This is likely due to the fact that they have been domesticated for thousands of years, and we have developed a deep emotional bond with them. Additionally, their small size and relatively low maintenance compared to other pets make it easier for us to overlook their antics.

3. Can cats really understand us?

Cats may not be able to understand our language, but they are highly attuned to our emotions and body language. They can sense when we are happy, sad, or angry, and will often adjust their behavior accordingly. They also have a remarkable ability to learn and remember specific words and routines, which suggests a level of understanding and intelligence.

4. Do cats have a hidden agenda?

While it may seem like cats have a master plan to take over our lives, the truth is that they are simply following their natural instincts. Cats are solitary animals by nature, and they are wired to be independent and self-sufficient. This can sometimes lead to behaviors that seem manipulative or calculating, but in reality, they are just trying to fulfill their own needs and desires.

5. How can we regain control over our lives from our feline overlords?

The key to maintaining a balanced relationship with your cat is to establish clear boundaries and rules from the beginning. This includes setting limits on where they are allowed to go and what they are allowed to do, as well as providing plenty of mental and physical stimulation to keep them from getting bored and mischievous. It's also important to remember that cats are not trying to control us, they just have different needs and behaviors than we do, and it's our responsibility to find a way to coexist harmoniously.

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