That's similar to how it is at my Mom's... but the kitty discussions are more combative. I think it's because they know they are safe from real confrontation because they are all wimps. Heh. I suppose we like pretending we're brave when we play some computer games.

They do love the view out - particularly if there is a bird to chirp at...

The Rottweiler across the street comes over and waits for my dog to come out to play. Rottweiler - 70 lbs or so. My dog - 15 lbs or so. My dog totally bosses the rottie around. It's fun to wathc.

Before I got my dear, departed Cosa fix, she went into heat. (I was getting ready to move across the country when she got old enough, so it was a while before things had settled down enough to where I could actually manage to get it done.) I was living alone in this HUGE, empty old house in the Boston suburbs, and I swear to god every cat in the neighborhood came to knock on the windows when she was in heat. She'd yowl, they'd yowl, the wind would howl through the cracked window glass.

I don't have fond memories of that period in my life.

aw, it's sad when cats feel separated and powerless to help it. What I hate is when a cat goes into a cluttered attic and starts meowing around like they're afraid they've lost a kitten, or like their favorite cat who died might be still alive up there and come out from behind a box or something.

The feral cats are a mama (now fixed) and the litter she had wen she showed up, now 5 years ago. Mama and a couple of the "kittens" are tiny, but one of the "kittens" is three times her size. The enormous one LOVES her mama, who'd rather just be left alone. Kitten will rub against her, lay down right next to her, crowd her, pester her, generally get on her nerves.

A couple of nights ago, mama got fed up with it, growled and hissed at the kitten. Kitten laid down and rolled over, exposing belly. I've never seen a cat do that before.

Kitten stayed like that for a while after mama walked away, seemed like she'd gotten the message. Next night, though, she was right back crowding and pestering her mama. Ah well.

My cats pay attention to the birds, rats, dogs, etc. outdoors. But when there's a cat out there - oh em gee. They are on high alert, all fluffed up and nasty cat language spewing from their mouths. I'm sure they would make a sailor blush if only we could understand them.

And I love how they chitter at the bigger birds. It's never aimed at sparrows or chickadees. It's always crows, Stellar jays and seagulls.

My dear, departed Sancho would meow from other rooms when he lost contact with me. I'd call him and he'd come running, tail held at full mast, chattering anxiously the whole way. He was a very laid back cat otherwise.

I've had all four of my current cats crowd into the bathroom for petting; captive audience, of course. Oliver usually manages to chase the other cats away so he can have me all to himself. Kaylee, the dog, shows up on occasion as well.

[Hello, I'm Deborah and I have lots of cats and cat stories. *ahem*]

Oliver will also stand on his hind legs at the sliding glass door and do a fast pawpawpaw at the door. He'll stay longer and go faster if we say something to him. He'll also do this to our legs.

I've also had three of the four current cats sleep on me (shoulder, hip, feet) while I was asleep. This greatly amuses the mister.

Abigail likes to quietly reach up and put a paw on me when I'm sitting at my computer. She usually manages to scare the hell out of me. I don't think I'll ever get used to that.

*ahem*

[Hello, I'm deborah and I have lots of cats and cat stories.]

My cat waits outside the bathroom for us when we're in there doing our business. I don't know why he thinks he needs to stand vigil, and I don't know if he is peeved that we don't do the same. But he's always there, parked right outside the door.

My friend has some outdoor cats at her house that belong to a relative. The last time I was there, one of the cats was sitting by the window and my friend's daughter was dangling the cord to the window blinds in front of it. The cat kept trying to catch it, from the wrong side of the window.

My cat waits outside the bathroom for us when we're in there doing our business.

Heh. One of mine does that when he hears the shower running. It's part of the routine now. I know when I come out of the bathroom after a shower, he will be pressed flat against the door, every single time.

Actually the whole routine with this cat sort of looks like:

1. zzzzzz
2. Hear alarm, run upstairs.
3. When I come out of the bedroom... STAIRS RACE!
4. Make noise in the kitchen until breakfast noms+water are provided. OM NOM NOM and so forth.
5. Hear shower, run upstairs, wait at bathroom door.
6. When I come out, run into bedroom, jump on bed, make noise until head scratches occur. RRRrrrRRRrrr.
7. [stuff I don't see while I am out of the house, mostly more zzzzzz I suspect]
8. Hear car in driveway, jump on kitchen table to look out window and see that it's me. YAY!
9. When front door opens, run into living room and pretend like me coming home is no big deal. Oh... it's you. Hi. No I wasn't looking out the window before. I don't care that you're home.
10. Lurk in the living room until dinner time, then OM NOM NOM and so forth.
11. Hear shower, run upstairs, wait at bathroom door.
12. When I come out, run into bedroom, jump on bed, make noise until head scratches occur. RRRrrrRRRrrr.
13. Flop on the bed leaning against me for 5-10 minutes.
14. Jump up and run out for no apparent reason.

Every day follows this routine. Seriously. EVERY DAY. It's hilarious. And great considering it was months before he would even come into the same room with me. He's gone from a very shy, nervous cat when I got him, to a cuddly little (big) kitty.

One of mine chitters when I sneeze or cough. Vid evidence (with massively fake coughs).

She also must have an audience to use the litterbox and if one doesn't leap out of their seat and accompany her to the bathroom when she demands, she will pee On Something You Value, which isn't very cute at all.

Mine does the bathroom-vigil thing. He used to scratch the carpet outside the bathroom door but doesn't any more, and he WILL come in and watch if I leave the door open.

He also does the stair-race thing. His way of following me downstairs for breakfast is to wait at the top until I am 2/3 of the way down, and then run as fast as he can to get to the bottom of the stairs before I do. EVERY DAY. Usually involves some swearing.

jamaro: Monty is *gorgeous*.

Proof that cats will be cats, whatever their size.

My cat Teddy will race me to the bathroom (or used to, until I got a place with a master bathroom and the cats aren't usually allowed in my bedroom). In the days when I had a tiny apartment and one bath, he'd race me in, and sit on the side of the tub so I could pet him. One day, he jumped up on the toilet seat (the lid was up), and actually peed in the bowl!! I was so proud of him (Woo Hoo, trained cat!!) but he never did it again.

My oldest cat, Charlie, at 14 has decided that he must be an outdoor cat. I got tired of replacing window screens that he tore through (thank heavens we live in a ranch) so he's now the neighborhood bully. This from a cat who won't play with the others, and acts as if Teddy is trying to kill him. I only feed him indoors, and when he's ready to go back out, if I'm not fast enough, he'll pee on my couch - which does not amuse me.

My newest cat, Lucie, loves to play with paper: receipts, newspaper, wrappers. She runs around the house with them, meowing as if it was something she'd killed.

(my name is redvixen and I have lots of cats and cat stories. thank you.)