Kat Klub

[WiseOne]

A new twist on the "cat in bag" series:

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No warm places for me, nope sirree! I like to hang out in sinks and tubs. And the top of the chest freezer. By the way, your job right now is to pet me under the chin, as per my instructions. Forget brushing your teeth. - Chai.

[Kriegsspiel]

Incredibly unsanitary.

BTW, my bro got me a Super Soaker for my birthday. So that I could reach out and touch the ferals from my back deck or front porch. I saw one today that looked like it had a rough time surviving the winter.

[WiseOne]

Oh Kriegspiel you cat hater you!

My immune system needs the practice, is all.

[Kriegsspiel]

My immune system needs the practice, is all.

This coming from a doctor? Should I be licking the soles of my shoes and eating garbage, since I'm not exposed to cats or hospitals all day?

[WiseOne]

Research dating from the 1980s popularised the view that pet ownership could have positive benefits on human health. Benefits ranged from higher survival rates from myocardial infarction1; a significantly lower use of general practitioner services (prompting some researchers to speculate on considerable potential savings to health expenditure)2; a reduced risk of asthma and allergic rhinitis in children exposed to pet allergens during the first year of life3,4; a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease5; and better physical and psychological wellbeing in community dwelling older people.6 No studies have found significant social or economic differences between people who do or do not have pets that would adequately explain differences in health outcome, leading to the belief that pet ownership itself is the primary cause of the reported benefits.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1289326/

[Kriegsspiel]

Research dating from the 1980s popularised the view that pet ownership could have positive benefits on human health. Benefits ranged from higher survival rates from myocardial infarction1; a significantly lower use of general practitioner services (prompting some researchers to speculate on considerable potential savings to health expenditure)2; a reduced risk of asthma and allergic rhinitis in children exposed to pet allergens during the first year of life3,4; a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease5; and better physical and psychological wellbeing in community dwelling older people.6 No studies have found significant social or economic differences between people who do or do not have pets that would adequately explain differences in health outcome, leading to the belief that pet ownership itself is the primary cause of the reported benefits.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1289326/

As a fellow Iaonnidis fan, this should have given you pause, "Although the research did much to raise awareness of the importance that people attach to their pets, recent studies have failed to replicate the benefits."

[Kriegsspiel]

As an aside, that paper had egregious child boarn in it.

[vnatale]

Incredibly unsanitary.

BTW, my bro got me a Super Soaker for my birthday. So that I could reach out and touch the ferals from my back deck or front porch. I saw one today that looked like it had a rough time surviving the winter.

I used to use a machine gun water squirter on my cats.

I'd learned that if you yelled at them when they doing something they weren't supposed to be doing they'd just think that they should not be around you. But if they got hit with this water out of nowhere they'd better associate getting the water with their present behavior.

Vinny

[dualstow]

Great shot, WiseOne. My cat doesn’t hang out *in* the sink as often as when she was a kitten, but she takes drinks from the faucet. Licking the faucet- probably not good for human health.

[Smith1776]

Well this is a new position...

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[WiseOne]

As a fellow Iaonnidis fan, this should have given you pause, "Although the research did much to raise awareness of the importance that people attach to their pets, recent studies have failed to replicate the benefits."

Touche! There is a paper somewhere out there though, that showed a strong association of pets and FEWER allergies in kids. Association not causality of course, but when the association is strong and not some stupid 1.2 odds ratio, you have to think there's something to it. (I just couldn't find that exact paper).

Especially touche because I just got a paper rejected with the silliest reviews I've ever seen, which was camouflage for a religious belief which the paper directly confronted. People seriously into the religion don't like that. Just wish they realized what that implies for what terrible scientists they are.

[Smith1776]

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[WiseOne]

Yet another great cat photo! Thanks Smith!

Here's one of a well-combed, well-fed, sleepy kitty. Good for lowering blood pressure.

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[dualstow]

These cats know they’re good looking.

I was just reading ‘The World Without Us” a book describing in great detail how nature would retake the earth if humans suddenly vanished (the New York chapter is terrifying, WiseOne. How do they even keep the subways free of water *today*. Answer: with great effort).

There’s a passage that says long after predators have eaten domesticated dogs, feral cats will live on, eating starlings.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Th ... ral%20cats
(PG37)

[WiseOne]

Ooh, that does sound scary. Although, if the subways filled with water but no one were around to use them, why would that matter. Except the rats, I guess. Feral cats are way too smart to mess with subway tunnels.

Probably a more significant problem are the shorelines and steep cliffs held up by retaining walls in various states of disrepair. A nearby one collapsed a few years ago and blocked a highway for several days. The residents of the coop that owned the wall ended up getting stuck with bills of $50K or so each. Not everyone had enough insurance coverage. I made sure my homeowner's policy would cover an event like that, because my coop also has retaining walls.

[dualstow]

↳ over here
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=18&p=197180#p197180

[Smith1776]

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[Kriegsspiel]

[dualstow]

Even looks like my sweet girl.

[vnatale]

In the cat's nature to do so!

Vinny

[WiseOne]

Well drawn! How many times have I seen my cats in exactly the same position. It's how I learned not to put lightweight, breakable items on windowsills.

On with the Kriegspiel theme, which also would have played well in the middle ages. During the Black Death, feral cats were blamed for the calamity and slaughtered in large numbers. This of course only made things worse, as it allowed the rat population to increase.

[Smith1776]

Well drawn! How many times have I seen my cats in exactly the same position. It's how I learned not to put lightweight, breakable items on windowsills.

On with the Kriegspiel theme, which also would have played well in the middle ages. During the Black Death, feral cats were blamed for the calamity and slaughtered in large numbers. This of course only made things worse, as it allowed the rat population to increase.

WiseOne! Your cat is very elegant and dainty. What a beauty!

Your cat reminds me of Marie from The Aristocats.

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[vnatale]

Well drawn! How many times have I seen my cats in exactly the same position. It's how I learned not to put lightweight, breakable items on windowsills.

On with the Kriegspiel theme, which also would have played well in the middle ages. During the Black Death, feral cats were blamed for the calamity and slaughtered in large numbers. This of course only made things worse, as it allowed the rat population to increase.

One source states that it was spread county by county by fleas on black rats on ships traveling between those countries. Once it made to those countries it was spread by human fleas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death#Transmission

Then another states that the black rats were not guilty at all. That it was actually giant gerbils which were the guilty parties.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-31588671

I can testify from first hand experience that cats will definitely my pet gerbils. Giant gerbils? Different story. As I've prior stated my cats stay away from my rats but they are endlessly attracted to the gerbils. If a giant gerbil was rat size then maybe the cats also would have left them alone.

Vinny

[Smith1776]

Look who's in quarantine!!!

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[WiseOne]

Is that how you get her to vet visits Smith?

Put a board or something underneath and that may be a solution for cats who fight carriers tooth and nail.