Another Getting to Know You thread

We haven't done this in awhile, and have some new people we need to know too.

How about: What was the weirdest(funniest, scariest etc.) thing you have had one of your cats do?

I'll start. Oliver was a bright, compliant boy and my husband was convinced he would be able to sit outside on our patio (on 3 acres) and watch the world go by with him. Never mind he was an indoor cat and DH didn't think a leash would be necessary.

So the two of them sat there happily for a few minutes. Then a fox streaked across our property and Oliver was gone in a flash. Thank goodness, after yelling for 5 minutes, Oliver reconsidered and came back home. The great outdoors obedience class was over for good!

DH also spent several weeks trying to get Niko toilet trained........he has this crazy idea that cats will do what you want them to.

 

Sue, thank goodness Oliver decided to stop Foxhunting and come home!!! Glad you started another of these threads, they're fun!

Years ago I had a barn cat named Stripes. One day while I was riding in the arena she was sitting on the fence, so I rode up and she got on the saddle with me. We rode around a bit and I went back to the fence and she got off. After that, she used to jump from the ground up on the rear of my horse while I was riding. The 1st time she did that scared the heck out of me, but my horse, though wide eyed, just stood there and let her. After that she'd do it all the time, and we'd ride around when she got bored she'd jump off. When we rode in the woods, she'd jump off, run into the woods, chasing something I suppose, and meet us down the trail where she'd jump back up and continue the ride! She lived to the ripe old age of 22! Since then I've tried to get the other cats to ride, but the aren't really interested...

 

Ohh I love these threads!

Well, as many of you know I have a little one named Elektra. She was feral when we got her and although she seems mostly happy hanging with us (and her dad and sister), she's never been friendly. She doesn't allow us to touch her unless she is cold and therefore sitting on my lap...and even then she's not sure about it.

Several years ago, we had a plastic walmart bag on the ground (we tended to throw bags on the ground when putting up groceries, then put them away after). Elektra snuck into the room to observe and decided to crawl in the bag and check it out. Once she determined it didn't have anything she wanted, she decided to crawl back out...but unfortunately tried going out through the handle. Of course, only her head fit. It scared her so bad that she ran off around the apartment with the bag flapping behind her! Then when she'd slow down, I would try to get it off her, but she didn't want me to touch her...so she ran off with it flapping again! It was like a cape! I know it was horrible, but I couldn't stop laughing. Eventually she got out by herself, and ever since then, I put the bags up as soon as I get the groceries out of them!

 

I just saw this post today! I am enjoying a good laugh and marveling over the antics of everyone's kitties! I had a cat, Beavis, when I lived out in the country, it was spring and the wild turkeys would stroll through the yard, Beavis was very territorial and decided to let the tom turkey know who was boss. The tom had it's feathers fanned out for the ladies and Beavis was jumping right next to him and boxing the air, no contact, just a lot of posturing on Beavis's part. Reminded me of the cowardly lion's line in the Wizard of OZ, "I'll fight ya with one paw tied behind my back"! The turkey wasn't impressed and continued his leisurely stroll into the woods. Thanks goodness he didn't perceive Beavis as a threat!

 

As fractious and difficult-to-handle as Bat-Bat is all too well-known to be, she does actually have the rare docile moment. (Although those are usually when only she's napping ... or has been knocked out cold by the vet for an exam!) And I have real photographic proof that she can, in fact, behave like a nice kitty when the mood strikes her ... as it did one chilly autumn morning in 2009, when Dave and I were having oatmeal for breakfast.

Now for some strange reason, he has always managed to get Bat-Bat to stretch out in his lap - on her back, no less - while he massages her head and neck. Looks pretty comical when she's in this position, as her back legs stick straight up into the air above Dave's knees. Even though she's really quite relaxed when he does this, it makes her look like old road kill after rigor mortis has set in.

On this morning, she actually allowed him to place his warm oatmeal bowl on her tummy ... while he ate from it! She even let him finish it, too. So although this photo is kinda grainy (didn't have a high-res camera back then), here's the shot. I call it "Bat-Bat Placemat":

 

Hee, hee *snickering at "road kill*

 

When I was moving to Cambodia, I brought my two cats in the cabin on the flights with me. I bought a ticket for my niece so we could each take a cat. I did months and months of research and finally booked the United flights: Chicago to Tokyo and then Tokyo to Bangkok.. the airlines limit the number of animals that can be in each class of cabin, so I booked my niece in business class, and myself in coach but ended up getting an upgrade. I called the airlines multiple times and they said pets are all set. When I got to the airport, it took me forever but I got all the paperwork. My vet gave me sedatives to give them (turns out much too strong tranquilizers - they were out cold) All was fine on the flight to Tokyo and we were all boarded and settled in on the Tokyo to Bangkok flight. The plane was ready to take off, when the gate agents came to me and said there were too many animals in the cabin, and I would have to pull one of my cats out of the cabin into the cargo hold beneath the plane. I refused and they said the plane could not take off until I did. Turns out there were 5 animals in business class on a Saturday night flight from Tokyo to Bangkok - what's the chances of that? when's the last time you even saw one cat in the cabin of an airplane? Not very often. I was terrified because my cat was out cold, and it was dangerous for him to be in the cargo hold (plus I didn't want him there). I ended up going back to coach where they were under their animal quota.
then when I got to board the flight from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, Thai air has very strict weight limits for animals in the cabin. I knew my one cat was over that limit I panicked while the check in agent weighed my little cat, she got distracted and had to go get something and never ended up weighing my over-the-weight-limit cat. (The little one is the one who ended up with the Buddhist funeral)

 

These stories are great! Every ones! I needed a good laugh today.........on so many levels. Back in 1975, I had a Seal-Point Siamese named Cecil. He was a character. He taught us that he knew how to fetch. We would tire long before he would. He especially liked to retrieve pens and sponges. When we pulled the washer out to clean under it, there were dozens of pens, pencils and many sponges that went AWOL underneath.

He loved to scare people. His favorite tactic was to go into the bathroom and he would jump up onto the towel rack and would leap from there to the top of the bathroom door where he would lay across in straddled. When I would be home alone, I would go into the bathroom and never close the door because it was just me home and as I walked through the door he would reach down with one paw and tap tap tap me on the head. The first time he did it and I almost wet myself. He was the neatest cat with the neatest personality.

 

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that's hilarious - my first cat (Mr. Spock - my soulmate) used to LOVE to retrieve those wire baskets from champagne bottles (don't know how he ever found so many) All the ex prozincers - we really miss you here

 

I had a cat that liked to scare the horses. His name was Nemo and he would lay flat on top a big hay roll out in the pasture. When I'd let the horses out after dinner they'd all go to the roll to eat. He'd lay there until everyone was eating, then jump up and scare them, & they'd take off running. He did this day after day until the roll was eaten down too much, but as soon as a new roll was put out, there he was again. The horses fell for it everytime. He also liked to lay in The rubber feed tubs that are in the pasture and when the neighbors guinnea hens came over to clean up spilled grain he'd jump out at them! There's nothing louder than a scared guinnea hen!

 

Oh, I know, they are better than a burglar alarm! People around the corner from me had free roaming ones and when I would take my walk in front of their house, GEEZE, they were loud!!

 

I've had that happen except I wasn't home. Tux met me at door and every time he moved the bag of course made noise. He was like that all day. He was so scared. He was shaking. Once I got it off him he only wanted to be held for hours. He loves to climb in the reusable bags. If I'm home I let him. But once groceries are put away bags are picked up and put right back in my car.

 

I almost posted about a similar thing that happened to my Siamese,Coco ( I used to only have Siamese until my Bubba) Anyway, it was Halloween time and I had bought one of those opaque plastic mask for one of my sons. It was still in the bag I purchased it in on my bedroom floor. Coco got into the bag and somehow slipped her head into the mask and it attached to her and she came tumbling down the stairs with that Halloween mask over her head..........she was so scarred and we were hysterical laughing. She was actually doing somersaults down the stairs trying to get that mask off her head. Wish I had gotten a picture of it!

 

I had a civvie Patchy. She could be the sweetest most innocent looking kitty. She would literally terrorize my Tripper. And she wasn't trying to play. She meant business. But she was also afraid of her own shadow or if we moved to fast, talked to loud. One day in our current home which we had been in about 3 years at the time. I was working in the computer room and the cats were in various places sleeping. She was in front of the sliders getting Sun and fresh air. I heard a clunk and thought nothing of it because our pipes banged occasionally. A few minutes later I walked through the house and she had broken through the screen AND caught a chipmunk. Couldn't imagine the noise didn't scare the chippy. Well I had to close the doors so other cats couldn't get out. I went out to get her. She was so skittish of me she kept circling the house trying to find a way in and wouldn't come near me so I could get her. She did this for two hours and finally exhausted herself which allowed me to pick her up. Needless to say the sliders are not opened more than 2" if that now.

 

that is hilarious - what kind of mask was it?

 

Enjoying this thread so much, think we all needed some good laughs. Thanks Sue!