We've failed as internetizens today

@DaveInSoCal

@JonT

@DaveInSoCal

@DaveInSoCal

@bluedyn That looks like my cat! :-)

@joelmw Does it have a time delay camera setup so it can take and post pix of itself to the 'net while you're not looking?
Or a charming assistant?

@bluedyn He has humans. And we're always saying how adorable he is, but we're negligent with the photos. I don't like cats generally, but 1) my cat is doglike and otherwise kind of unique; 2) we have a history (which I shall not bore you with, other than to say that he was a rescue, badly beaten when we got him, but now gorgeous--he's a Norwegian Forest, if you know the breed--and I am totally his favorite).

@bluedyn :)

@joelmw Aw, a cat convert. I'm very happy for you. I've met more than one cat that has doggish traits.

@joelmw so majestic

@JonT @bluedyn Very majestic. And he loves high perches and is an amazing jumper. But here's a crappy video I like, because it reminds me of my boy. Our other cat will also drink from the tap, but he's different from her in that he's content to let the water run down the top of his head like this guy. I think it's the cold-weather conditioning.

@joelmw

@joelmw Similar here, much more of a dog person. I treat my cats like dogs and they mostly end up acting like dogs. Our pets tend to behave both as we train and as we expect them to.

@bluedyn That has happened in my house. Actually a typical scenario is that I'll turn the sink on for him when I get in the shower, he drinks and then lounges on the mat waiting for me (even if the door is open). When I come out of the shower he likes to lick my feet. He doesn't seem to mind the water (I think he enjoys the coolness of it), but he also appreciates it when I pet it off his head--which I think he expects after licking my feet.

@moondrake I concur. Our other cat likes to play fetch. She's annoying and hasn't domesticated me and is therefore far more cat-like. What's worse is that she came in after Buddy (my boy) and once she got acclimated she clearly started mimicking the behaviors she saw that we appreciated in the boy. But when she does them she just looks kinda sad. The wife loves her. I sometimes give the shecat attention just out of pity. It works out though, because my boy likes to nibble a little so he doesn't get as much positive attention from others because of that (plus he's more likely to bite others in the wrong ways in the wrong contexts; he's complicated).

@joelmw I think cats being anti-water is a big misconception. If I take a bath, my cat is right there on the edge of the tub, trying to get a hot water drink. If I open the shower curtain, he darts in from wherever and claims his spot on the toilet lid to be nearby. Curiously, he's always gone when I get out of the shower, but my other cat is there to greet me. They're keeping tabs on me. In shifts. They're getting organized.

@bluedyn Cats are both really smart and really stupid. They're like people. Which might be why some people like them. But they're not like people. Which is probably why some people like them. I feel like I'm talking in circles here and am no longer sure exactly what I mean by it. This happens to me sometimes.

@joelmw I keep giant breed dogs, which means I must have a zero tolerance policy for any kind of violent behavior out of my pets. The cats are expected to control themselves just as well. My formerly stray siamese cat does not scratch or bite under any circumstances, no matter how frightened or angry she is. Last night I picked up a bit of cloth from beside where she was laying and she reached out to grab it and came very close to tagging the back of my hand by accident. I saw her stop herself in mid-strike, pull in her claws and follow through to pat my hand. I praised and scritched her for it. The lovely Jasmine:

@moondrake That's awesome. And I'll admit, I have little talent or understanding for properly disciplining any creature--feline, canine, human or otherwise. I've mostly just gotten lucky my whole life (my kid was a bit precocious and has always seemed self-disciplined to me, at least from about the age of 7). My cat was in horrible shape when we got him and I guess we've probably let him get away with some things, Idunno. He does seem a little naturally bitey (mostly in a not even aggressive way), but he generally controls it around us. Oddly, my wife works with kids and we were at first nervous, but he is crazy gentle and tolerant with any kids we've had around.

@moondrake He mostly has a problem with strangers--and we've worked out a system for managing that, which, actually the last several people we've had in the house he's been fine with (hasn't tried to bite and eventually warms up)--and being startled. Again, he'd been abused before we got him.

@joelmw

@joelmw Yeah, although Jasmine was a stray and then an outdoor farm cat for years before I took her in, I don't think anyone actually abused her. I've worked with dogs and horses that have been abused, and you have to earn their trust before any kind of strict discipline is possible. Consistency and fairness are the main components of training animals. I hear it works great with kids too. I meant to say I liked your story about the new cat emulating the successful behaviors of the established cat. I love to see animals learn human culture from one another. Like the chimp who was taught sign language, and then went on to teach it to wild chimps.

@pistol

@JonT I imagine that's how they will feel after being cuddled by dozens of strangers.

@carl669 You gotta be kitten me!

@bluedyn

@JonT

@narfcake Good lord! How many dressers do you have?

@joelmw it's Yousef day too!?

@marklog Steve day actually. I'm all for people naming themselves (and truly I am), but once they've done it a couple of times, I think they need to cut us some slack. I think this was the tipping point for me.

@Thumperchick That cat smoke vid is eerily mesmerizing.

@Thumperchick Pro Imgur tip: if you remove the 'v' from the .gifv url that Imgur is using now you can get the original gif (unless the file is too big). Like so: (imgur.com/nJnD26r(dot)gif)

@JonT that doesn't work on larger gifvs and it wasn't working when i first posted. Weird.

@Foxborn If you have a scanner or a printer that can do copies, then you can scan a paper photo and create/save a digital image. I've been doing that with old family photos that were beginning to fade or fall apart, and it works quite well, even with a cheap printer/copier.

@rockblossom that's the problem it is a scanned copy and I can't find either copy.

@joelmw "I say sexy things to myself when I'm daaancing." Yep, me too.

@joelmw Your replies to yourself are cracking me up.

@Thumperchick There have been a few times that I did it accidentally, but lately it's all been very intentional. I'm glad some of y'all are noticing. I do these things and I feel it just goes right past some people. This is my curse, I guess.

@Thumperchick And thank you. :-)

@joelmw I've also noticed the frequency of your self replies. We also have self starrers, so why the fuck not? Go for it.

@bluedyn Thanks. I'm always talking to myself, so it's only natural. And--so people have told me--I have a lot to say (if they only knew how much jabbering was going on in my head, they might appreciate the restraint I exercise in my little rants; we've discussed this before, I think). Also, most of the time I'm ambivalent, so the dialog makes sense. Though, to be clear, I don't believe in "two sides": there are many sides. Though of course we artificially render issues into binary components because it's more convenient.