Saturday, July 29, 2006

I haven't had a cat since I was a kid and even then it was an outside cat. So I am learning new cat things everyday. Like cat vocabulary.

Vest Buttons - the spot markings on a cat's tummy... check out Stewie's in the above pic. They are referred to on this site about tabbys but is disturbing due to the little stretched out cat hide illustrations!

Making Biscuits - the kneading action cats make with their front paws when they are happy. There is a small mention of it down the page on this site about cats .

The Rips - when your cat starts tearing around the house at breakneck speeds chasing after invisible mice (got this one from Joel)

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13 comments:

  1. JessicaJuly 31, 2006 at 10:35 AM

    There are some fun books you can read to learn more about your new kitty! One is Why Do Cats Do That?: Real Answers to the Curious Things Cats Do which you can usually find at Petsmart. Another one is The Tribe of Tiger which goes into more of the connection between domestic and wild/big cats. Fun if you want to compare your new kitty to a tiger!

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  2. TinaJuly 31, 2006 at 12:48 PM

    As Stewie's babysitter this weekend, I can attest to the fact that he has been doing the rips quite frequently! Is there a term for 'clasping a rubber band in their paw and pulling at it with their teeth, only to have it snap back against their paw and send them running?" He's doing that too.

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  3. blackberrybeadsJuly 31, 2006 at 1:10 PM

    Don't let those drawings bother you too much - they are what Vets use to mark locations on animals...so they are 'scientific', not gruesome or mean...

    wait till Stewie starts chirping at birds and squirrels thru the windows...that's always a hoot...

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  4. ColleenJuly 31, 2006 at 1:34 PM

    Here's a good one.I refer to this manual on a regular basis for my tabby.

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  5. Alison B.July 31, 2006 at 2:33 PM

    We call it "starfish paws" instead of "making biscuits" and "vacuum energy" instead of "the rips". I'm not really sure why or where these terms came from...

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  6. sbJuly 31, 2006 at 4:03 PM

    hee, I like "the rips." I've been calling it "gallop mode."

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  7. ratichooJuly 31, 2006 at 4:12 PM

    In my family (in France) we say that cats are doing "plot plot" for "making biscuits"; My parents' cat has also this funny habit of sucking on one's shirt while doing it! Cats are weird sometimes...

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  8. AnonymousJuly 31, 2006 at 5:53 PM

    We call the kneeding: Gingy.. it even has a song for our house (ginjy ginj, ginjy ginj, ginjy the ginjy ginj)

    We all the breakneck racing: "Crack attack" because it usually happens at 11pm and completely out of nowhere. Our pug is still young enough though that she chases him and then they start the best WWE style wrestling.

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  9. Adam and MeredithJuly 31, 2006 at 7:02 PM

    gorgeous kitty. Is he part Bengal?

    The rips, eh? I just always called it "insane"

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  10. graceJuly 31, 2006 at 7:17 PM

    apparently the wikipedia entry on cats refers to the rips as "the night crazies." i miss when my cat used to do it!

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  11. AnonymousJuly 31, 2006 at 11:01 PM

    We call the part of the night where the kitties go running around the house, "psycho kitty mode." This happens nightly in our house. Watch out if you are laying on the floor! ~Monica

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  12. AnonymousJuly 31, 2006 at 11:58 PM

    elevator butt: when you pet their back and their butt rises up

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  13. Shelley NobleAugust 1, 2006 at 1:45 PM

    Thanks for the links!

    Tina (and Jenny), please make sure Stewie only plays with rubberbands (& sewing thread/needles, etc.) withyour close supervision the whole time. If swallowed it could be extremely harmful for the dear.

    I try to think about possible internal dangers of everything my cats have access to.

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