Off Topic!, For all our "general" off topic tendencies Options

[CvlSrvnt]

By about 4 weeks the males will start to, erm, look a little like males. Unfortunately, I do mean little, since male domestic cats don't have much to brag about in that department even when they're mature. If their eyes are open and they're moving around on their own, try lifting the tail and having a peek (it may be easier to hold the kitten in your palm, on his/her back, while you attempt this).

[Mari Welsh]

By about 4 weeks the males will start to, erm, look a little like males. Unfortunately, I do mean little, since male domestic cats don't have much to brag about in that department even when they're mature. If their eyes are open and they're moving around on their own, try lifting the tail and having a peek (it may be easier to hold the kitten in your palm, on his/her back, while you attempt this).

But notice they make the most racket about their...equipment? This is not, however, restricted to male cats! More noise, less...well anyway, to add Cvl's point, then off to be spayed and neutered, if done asap no spraying, and no breast cancer for the girls. It's all good!
Mari

[CvlSrvnt]

But notice they make the most racket about their...equipment? This is not, however, restricted to male cats! More noise, less...well anyway, to add Cvl's point, then off to be spayed and neutered, if done asap no spraying, and no breast cancer for the girls. It's all good!
Mari

Actually, they don't start using their equipment 'til about 6 months, and most vets don't recommend spay/neuter until about 4 months at least.

And for the record, it's the females who make most of the noise. Male cats make noise when they square off, each hoping to intimidate the other and thus spare both from an actual fight. Females yell when mating because the poor little males are so...well, little. They have a tendancy to, um, fall out. So nature gave them little spines on their little p-, uh, you know. So they can, ah, hang in there 'til the job is done. This causes the female a fair amount of pain, so she hollers a good bit, and when the male finishes she usually turns around and beats the crap out of him (which does not deter her from approaching him again in about twenty minutes...some things do cross all species lines).

[Jeez, this is hard...God help me if I ever have to have the birds and the bees talk with an actual human child]

[CvlSrvnt]

to add Cvl's point, then off to be spayed and neutered, if done asap no spraying, and no breast cancer for the girls. It's all good!
Mari

And adding to my own point: Yes, a trip to the vet is definitely in order, especially if you have other animals in the house, or plan on keeping these. Got to make sure the little fellas are healthy, and didn't pick up or inherit anything nasty before you got them.


Cvl, aka The Crazy Old Lady With All The Cats

[alliehalliwell]

Last night i had the tv on and was doing something in the other room when I heard this ad for CSI:NY. Something about it sounded vaguely familiar (but it was a new ep apparently). Anyways I don't watch that show but i was curious so i sat down. In the first few minutes, you know what I realized?

They ripped off the story from CI. Or at least part of it. It's like the writers took one ep of CI, chopped it up, threw in more boobs, bad actors, and gore and *Poof* they had an episode.

The ep they ripped it from was from this year too. I forget the name but it was the one with Lee Turgeson, Logan/Wheeler.

What was stolen, the whole russian/poisoning plot. Some guy at the beginning runs into the crime scene and was like "I need to report a murder!"

"This lady's?"
"No, mine!" And the guy collapsed.

Sound familiar? They even had a suspect (though short lived) who was Russian. There were a few other minor similarities but they didn't last long. But I'm convinced, b/c of how the guy reported his own murder, that the writers were looking at CI for good story ideas.

I mean, how can a show that does that remain on the air and CI may get the boot? I don't get it at all...

Anyways, I got about 40 minutes in and got sick of the ep but I was filled in later about who the killer was so I know it did differ a little from CI in that respect.

[Mari Welsh]

Actually, they don't start using their equipment 'til about 6 months, and most vets don't recommend spay/neuter until about 4 months at least.

And for the record, it's the females who make most of the noise. Male cats make noise when they square off, each hoping to intimidate the other and thus spare both from an actual fight. Females yell when mating because the poor little males are so...well, little. They have a tendancy to, um, fall out. So nature gave them little spines on their little p-, uh, you know. So they can, ah, hang in there 'til the job is done. This causes the female a fair amount of pain, so she hollers a good bit, and when the male finishes she usually turns around and beats the crap out of him (which does not deter her from approaching him again in about twenty minutes...some things do cross all species lines).

[Jeez, this is hard...God help me if I ever have to have the birds and the bees talk with an actual human child]

The 'barbs' are an amazing adaptation, really. Of course, they could have gone the other way and avoided the need...this is not only OT, this is kinda wierd! Funnily enough we used to live behind a fence which was the centre ring for the the cats to sing their little hearts out all night. My boy used to sit and look out the window, look back at me in horror, then resume staring. He has always been delicate! When the boys, er, mature a bit, they well, descend, and my little guy took to sitting off to the side! That is now it, for me, on this topic! Interesting as it is, poor Rowe, she is going to wonder what happened here!
Mari

[stefanl]

And adding to my own point: Yes, a trip to the vet is definitely in order, especially if you have other animals in the house, or plan on keeping these. Got to make sure the little fellas are healthy, and didn't pick up or inherit anything nasty before you got them.
Cvl, aka The Crazy Old Lady With All The Cats

Cvl, Mari and Peachy (who pm-ed),
Thanks from the bottom of my heart for ALL the information. Who knew reading about cats could be so much fun at this time of the morning?! I will pass along a PG version to my friend and her grandson (he's four) and see to it that they take the little babies to the vet when when appropriate to have them, um, snipped.

Who says you can't learn anything useful on the internet?! Oh, gosh that hurts!!!

[peachybc]

Well, I'll be....the personal photo and avatar are finally correct! Have no idea when it happened or how.
Peachy

[peachybc]

Ya just never know...who's on the other side of your pooter screen.
Peachy

[stefanl]

Ya just never know...who's on the other side of your pooter screen.
Peachy

I sent this to a friend whose name is Charles Boyce. He always thought he was an original.

[stefanl]

I just got myself the best toy for getting rid of dandelions in my lawn. Yanks those suckers right out by the roots and gives you that good feeling you sometimes find yourself needing when all you want is a nice green lawn. I feel I understand my father so much better now.

Five years ago, B.H. (before house) I thought of dandelions as where Horton found his Whos. Like perfect yellow stars, twinkling in a sky of Kelly green. Tiny white novas of seeds, softly wafting on the faintest breeze!

Now? They're a blight on a lawn that otherwise looks like a retired person lives here. You know, perfect lines, perfect edging, beautiful green color, *screeching halt* DANDELIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!! My neighbor cultivates them from what I can tell. And she IS a retired person! Can't they do something to her for that?! Take away her AARP card? Make her pay full price at the diner!!! She yells to me over the fence, "Oh, Linda, your yard is always so lovely! Such color!!"

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Google weed hound.

Papa, can you hear me?!

[peachybc]

I just got myself the best toy for getting rid of dandelions in my lawn. Yanks those suckers right out by the roots and gives you that good feeling you sometimes find yourself needing when all you want is a nice green lawn. I feel I understand my father so much better now.

Five years ago, B.H. (before house) I thought of dandelions as where Horton found his Whos. Like perfect yellow stars, twinkling in a sky of Kelly green. Tiny white novas of seeds, softly wafting on the faintest breeze!

Now? They're a blight on a lawn that otherwise looks like a retired person lives here. You know, perfect lines, perfect edging, beautiful green color, *screeching halt* DANDELIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!! My neighbor cultivates them from what I can tell. And she IS a retired person! Can't they do something to her for that?! Take away her AARP card? Make her pay full price at the diner!!! She yells to me over the fence, "Oh, Linda, your yard is always so lovely! Such color!!"

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Google weed hound.

Papa, can you hear me?!

Linda,

What a jewel of a post. Love that sentence! Having spent most of the day doing yard work, which included the abrupt, cruel death of weeds, with a choke hold grasp and a swift ripping of them from the comfort of their earthly delights....I hear you!!
Peachy

[CvlSrvnt]

Having spent most of the day doing yard work, which included the abrupt, cruel death of weeds, with a choke hold grasp and a swift ripping of them from the comfort of their earthly delights....I hear you!!
Peachy

I did something like that today...only it was a 700 lb man from a couch in a third floor apartment (no, of course there wasn't an elevator - people who live in apartments with elevators apparently never need EMS).

[naydi]

I did something like that today...only it was a 700 lb man from a couch in a third floor apartment (no, of course there wasn't an elevator - people who live in apartments with elevators apparently never need EMS).

Ummm.... How could I say this in a manner appropriate for a member of the world of medicine? Oh I know....

EEEEEEEEIIIIIIUUUUUWWWWWWWLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You know, if our Supersized eatin' a**es keep this up, windows of new buildings are going to be mandated to be cut to specific width specs and the hoyer lift people will be forced into a manufacturing partnership with John Deere!!!

Now - I consider myself a fairly empathetic woman; but there's a definite limit as to how far it goes. Unless you've found some quack that has you mainlining therapeutic steroids 'round the clock; there's no earthly uncontrollable excuse, man. H'll, even then, the immunosuppressing effect of the roids'd get you a monster, killing infection before hitting 350 from an acceptable BMI. Only other one is a four-man sized tumor you're afraid to get cut out. MAN! Just a greedy a** bunch of people on these shores...

[coastie]

Ya just never know...who's on the other side of your pooter screen.
Peachy

Hey, Peachy I thought you might like this.

[peachybc]

LOL Coastie. A fine pair, aren't they??
Peachy

[coastie]

LOL Coastie. A fine pair, aren't they??
Peachy

Yes.. Yes I am pretty sure I have chatted with either one of these on the Net..scary. A good wakeup call to revealing personal details about yourself.

I find if I am asked a direct question about my marital status or the area I live, I get the person to reveal their details first, they will get annoyed and usually they log off or don't answer.

[CvlSrvnt]

Now - I consider myself a fairly empathetic woman; but there's a definite limit as to how far it goes. Unless you've found some quack that has you mainlining therapeutic steroids 'round the clock; there's no earthly uncontrollable excuse, man. H'll, even then, the immunosuppressing effect of the roids'd get you a monster, killing infection before hitting 350 from an acceptable BMI. Only other one is a four-man sized tumor you're afraid to get cut out. MAN! Just a greedy a** bunch of people on these shores...

Well...to cut him a little bit of slack, he's hypothyroid, and at least 50 pounds of that was fluid (he hadn't peed in several days, despite 80 a day of Lasix). We couldn't push his limbs close enough together to fit him in the fire department's Stokes Basket - they were rock hard.

But, yeah, I have to agree with you on the rest. Especially since the day before I took a 600 pounder (with decub) out of a second floor apartment, while she screamed about how we all need to learn to accomodate fat people. I'm pretty sure it didn't occur to her that the whole community was "accomodating" her, since she tied up a fire crew and three ambulances for over an hour, leaving the rest of the town virtually without service.

[rowenaaine]

Actually, they don't start using their equipment 'til about 6 months, and most vets don't recommend spay/neuter until about 4 months at least.

And for the record, it's the females who make most of the noise. Male cats make noise when they square off, each hoping to intimidate the other and thus spare both from an actual fight. Females yell when mating because the poor little males are so...well, little. They have a tendancy to, um, fall out. So nature gave them little spines on their little p-, uh, you know. So they can, ah, hang in there 'til the job is done. This causes the female a fair amount of pain, so she hollers a good bit, and when the male finishes she usually turns around and beats the crap out of him (which does not deter her from approaching him again in about twenty minutes...some things do cross all species lines).

[Jeez, this is hard...God help me if I ever have to have the birds and the bees talk with an actual human child]

OH. MY. GODS!!

I know this post is already two days old, but I'm late to the party as usual. Cvl, dear, you have me rolling around on the floor in absolute STITCHES!!! This is so very true, and yet very, very funny to read.

And one more vote for spaying. If the females get old enough to actually go into heat, they will keep you up all night with their moaning and groaning. "Caterwauling" I believe is the expression. The first kittens I adopted, some 20 years ago, both went into heat around the same time and I literally did not sleep for nearly a week until I got them "taken care of." Good golly, I never heard such noise before - plaintive, whining, wailing...and dragging their butts along the floor. (How was that for a great visual?)

Sorry, I'll go back into my corner and put the tin foil hat back on.

rowe

[stefanl]

Remember Gossamer from the old Bugs Bunny cartoons? The big red monster with the bad hair and, "Look at those finganails!"



Imagine Gossamer is green and that's my spider plant! I've had it for four or five years now. It's spawned literally hundreds of baby spider plants that I've pushed off onto countless unsuspecting kindergarten children in the name of Mother's Day presents. I've had to split Gossamer twice already because she won't stop growing. I've tried neglect, really severe pruning, over watering, under watering, no sun, direct sun... My most recent harvest yielded 183 baby plants hanging off that mama in various states of growth on those freaky looking stems that grow out of the middle of I don't know where. She has been hanging from a nail on the potting shed for about a month now and has four new stems that I swear were NOT there yesterday and baby plants just spoinking into existence. I think I can hear them at night *spoink* *spoink*

Last summer, a baby spider fell into a huge Christmas cactus that was in a pot under Gossamer. When I realized it was there it had already reached a good 8 inches of leaf growth. A friend suggested I pull the thing out since they tend to overtake other plants in the same pot. When I pulled it up from the soil, this thing that looked like a dead man's hand, is hanging from the bottom of the plant! It was hideous. So of course, I couldn't look away. I wonder what is growing in the pot with that mother plant and now know why I can't kill it even with herbicides.

It's a pod.