Tunch and I have been together so long, going on eleven years, that I forgot what it was like to be trained by a cat. ZsaZsa has spent the past few days, umm, asserting herself, and I have learned quite a bit. For example, it is completely normal for me to find her on my cutting board (five feet off the ground) at three am when I stumble into the kitchen to get water.
Nor is it odd for me to see a cat run out of the shower as I open the curtain at 8 am.
Likewise, it is totally normal for a cat to jump up on your bed, wake Tunch, run across you and both dogs, leave the room in chaos, and run into another room. At 4:47 am.
Can’t wait to go to sleep tonight.
RedKitten
Christ, she’s worse than a newborn. Glad you’re entertained, though.
greennotGreen
Dollar for dollar, pets are the best entertainment value.
Maude
I had a cat that would use me a bridge in the middle of the night. Wait until she gets used to the place.
S. cerevisiae
The Vikings have traded Percy Harvin to the Seahags for a first and seventh this year and a third next year. Harvin is a great player but if he really wanted out at least they got something for him. Now take that first and go get Victor Cruz.
Ed Drone
Cat-Town Races run all night, Doo-Dah, Doo-Dah.
Ed
Mnemosyne
After living with us for three (almost four) years, Charlotte finally deigned to sit in my lap on Saturday. Still not sure what prompted it and she hasn’t tried it again since.
That’s the fascinating thing about cats — they can suddenly develop new habits as they get older.
Diana
Have you got anyplace (e.g. garage) that has mice?
Zsa Zsa will leave you alone once she has mice. That’s what all the nocturnal activity is for.
Culture of Truth
She’s exploring. Can’t wait for updates.
And yes, pets are far funnier than any other entertainment. Certainly a bargain, financially.
Yes, it is interesting about cats – Tiger started off wild and feral and became a lap cat later in life.
Culture of Truth
Adding, trying playing with her for half an hour and giving her a treat before going to bed.
Frankensteinbeck
Have you guys been following the Prenda Law thing? This is crazy. I’ve been following it the last week from Popehat. Looks like a judge caught a law office serially lying in court so they could scam people for settlements – and the judge ain’t happy.
lamh35
People were reporting this as a “riot” based on police “sources” but from people on the ground, this was a peaceful protest of 100+ people (majority Black) protesting the shooting of a 16 year old kid by the police. The kid was shot 11 times.
Brooklyn neighborhood on police lockdown following protest
Mnemosyne
@lamh35:
Funny how the cops can never manage to produce the gun that they claim was pointed at them after they fatally shoot someone.
And by “funny” I mean “fucking infuriating.”
amk
If you keep going to the kitchen in the middle of the night just to get a glass of water, you’re gonna crush the poor ZsaZsa with your clumsy lead foot one of these days.
lamh35
@lamh35: elon James is tweeting updates from da scene
James Gary
John: Why exactly is your cutting board five feet off the ground? Virtually every kitchen counter I’ve seen is ~3 feet. Please advise.
lamh35
@lamh35:
LeftCoastTom
@Mnemosyne:
So, you’re saying cats are smarter than wingnuts?
BillinGlendaleCA
@James Gary: Maybe John’s a GIANT.
MattR
@Mnemosyne: It’s equally funny that the press continues to uncritically report whatever they are told by police sources.
@James Gary:
He cuts with his teeth?
PsiFighter37
Just booked a trip out to Seattle for Memorial Day weekend. I haven’t been there since I was a little kid, so wanted some recommendations if anyone’s familiar on the below…
a) any good joints to eat oysters at
b) do I need to rent a car if I am staying downtown?
c) any particular other places/sights that we should visit
We only have 2 full days there, so would like to pack in as much as possible!
TaMara (BHF)
One of my cats would peek her head into the shower to make sure I was ok. She’d always look at me like I must be sick or something since I was standing under rushing water. Then she’d lick me off when I got out. EVERY MORNING for years.
Now for real entertainment: chinchilla taking a dust bath or a duck taking a bath in his pool. Neither of these activities ever got old.
Ted & Hellen
We have discussed this before.
Your bedroom has a door. Close it.
hilzoy
The first time I got cats as an adult, I got three: Nils, then five weeks old and feral, and less than 24 hours later, two other kittens, two weeks old, whom a friend had found in the care of a five year old, in a cardboard box outside in the CA August sun, without food or water. When the kid started poking them with a BB gun, my friend intervened. Thus I became a cat owner.
The three of them just LOVED to play tag all night long. They ran all over everything, including me and my bed. Things would crash to the floor. Big hissings and screamings would happen in the middle of the night, and I would turn on the light, and there they would be doing their unbelievably cute tiny kitten abominable snowman imitations, trying in vain to look scary.
I was sleep-deprived for months.
BillinGlendaleCA
@PsiFighter37: I lived there while in grad school, so anything might be a bit dated. A few things I think are kinda interesting in Seattle: Rainer Vista at the UW if it’s clear is really a good view of the mountain. The locks are worth a visit(saw them when I visited with my then gf, later wife) and Underground Seattle. As far as transportation, I used the bus when I lived up there, but that was 30 years ago.
Just my 2 indian head cents.
TaMara (BHF)
Chinchilla Bath…real speed.
Ted & Hellen
@hilzoy:
Seriously, why didn’t you close your bedroom door? You know, so you could sleep.
mclaren
What the hell has happened to this blog? Where are the loonies screaming that anyone who doubts Barack Obama is the antichrist, insane, and must be destroyed?
Where are the authoritarians eagerly cheering on the assassination of U.S. citizens?
Where are the crackpot front-pagers proclaiming that other Democrats can “die in a fire”?
Holy crap, I don’t even recognize this place anymore!
MikeJ
@PsiFighter37:
a) Blueacre Seafood has a nice oyster bar and is right across the street from the cocktail bar, Vessel, where we had the last meetup.
b) no. Not if you’ve only got two days.
c) Take a ferry ride. Anywhere. Just get out on the water and enjoy the view of the city and what may be nice weather by that point. If you walk on rather than drive it’s cheap too. Have an ice cream in Bremerton or brunch on Bainbridge (hell, just go to West Seattle, there’s a Hawaiian/Korean fast food fish joint at the ferry stop there).
The standard Space Needle (take the monorail there) and Public market are good too.
Punchy
@S. cerevisiae: Does that contract have language about unlimited bottles of Advil/Midol?
hilzoy
@Ted & Hellen: Well, that would have meant not having them snuggle up to me as I went to sleep and make their tiny purring sounds.
BillinGlendaleCA
@MikeJ: I’m trying to imagine what a Hawaiian/Korean fast food fish joint is like. I agree the ferry ride would be really nice, but take half a day, though just to West Seattle would be quicker.
Violet
@PsiFighter37: Second the suggestion to take a ferry ride. Port Townsend is a cool little town to explore and you can get there by ferry.
MikeJ
@BillinGlendaleCA:
Ten minutes to West Seattle, 35 to Bainbridge, an hour to Bremerton.
Forum Transmitted Disease
@Ted & Hellen: Spoken like a true non-cat owner.
They can howl outside your closed door longer than you can stay sane.
Not all will. Some will take the hint, but most take pride of ownership in their humans and don’t like to be separated from them. Ergo, eternal howling.
The obvious answer is “get rid of the cat”, but people get attached to the critters. Plus they do settle down after a few months. Usually.
MikeJ
@MikeJ: Adding: Hawaiian/Korean fast food: http://marinationmobile.com/ma-kai
Hypatia's Momma
By the time Kiku-san died, she was 15.5 years old and had been very ill for nearly 2 years. One week after her death, I was given 2.5-month old Tanuki, an adorable orange-and-white little fluff-ball.
And one week after that I got him a kitten so I could get some rest.
Soonergrunt
@Frankensteinbeck: “the judge ain’t happy”
That never ends well.
koalaholik
I have a 12 year old formerly feral who has suddenly taken to sleeping on my butt. That would not be a real problem except he spends a good portion of the night smacking at his tail (he has not figured out YET that it is not a threat). I have tried closing the bedroom door, sounded like torture and dismemberment was taking place outside my bedroom.
mai naem
Cheap form of entertainment – giving a puppy/dog a little peanut butter. Not enough to make it dangerous. Just enough to watch them lick lick lick it off.
MikeJ
@PsiFighter37: Also too, slap Yutsy around and perhaps we could do another meetup. Sadly we often have these in bars and I’ve noticed your aversion to alcohol.
Yutsano
@MikeJ: Stop teasing me.
I’m thinking two birds, one stone: Ivar’s Salmon House. Oysters and booze and possibly my first sequester day. I had plans to skip town that weekend but the plans are malleable.
A Humble Lurker
@mclaren:
You started taking your meds and those delusions went away? It’s normal for that to happen when you do, you know.
BillinGlendaleCA
@MikeJ: Just looked at the menu, interesting.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Yutsano: I was also meaning to suggest Ivar’s Salmon House for some meal while there.
YellowJournalism
@Forum Transmitted Disease: There’s that, an there are also cat who learn how to reach underneath the bedroom door and rattle it with their paws. This is especially useful to them if the door is old and can be shook open.
Mnemosyne
@Forum Transmitted Disease:
Even better, your 15-pound Maine Coon can start flinging himself at the door to try and muscle it open.
We tried everything with Keaton — including putting him in a large dog-sized kennel at night — but ultimately we ended up just having to let him in. Fortunately, he’s a middle-aged kitteh (he will be 6 this year) so he’s primarily interested in sleeping and sometimes cleaning our heads in the middle of the night since we are not properly grooming ourselves with that “water” stuff.
Little Boots
honey, with the cat already.
Annamal
@TaMara (BHF):
When I shower in the evening our cat howls desperately outside the bathroom until my irritated partner lets her into the room and she can sit on the bathmat howling at me (and then tries to attack me as soon as I hop out of the shower.
She never does this to my partner and she never does it in the mornings when I shower.
Motto: Cats are loopy (and that’s without the 3am crazies)
TaMara (BHF)
@Annamal: Too true. One of mine hates when I meditate. One night, I must have really been ‘zen’ because he flung himself at me, right into my chest, almost knocked me over. Yowling the whole time. Maybe I went too ‘far’ away??
Also, regarding locking them out at night. My friend’s 6lb calico REMOVED the trim around the door in efforts to get in. And I’m sure that wasn’t quiet.
The prophet Nostradumbass
Just watched Magical Mystery Tour after not having seen it for years, and damn, it’s one strange production.
Suzanne
@Yutsano: Ivar’s. So jealous. Sigh. If I ever got off my ass, I’d plan a Phoenix/Tucson meetup. And then take pictures of us eating delicious Mexican food in 75-degree weather in February to remind y’all that the place isn’t a total pit.
I scheduled my next exam for April 12. Not yet filled with anxiety. But it’s coming. When I finally finish this, I want a weekend away with my husband where we essentially do nothing but each other. And order room service.
Suzanne
And my cats can open my bedroom door, even when it’s latched.
thalarctos
@PsiFighter37: That’s also the Folklife Festival weekend at the Seattle Center, if you’re interested (or, conversely, to stay away from if you want to avoid crowds).
http://www.nwfolklife.org/festival/
Mnemosyne
@Annamal:
My late great cat Boris would perch on the edge of the tub and peer around the edge of the shower curtain to make sure I was okay with all of that water falling on me. When we moved to an apartment that has a glass door instead of a shower curtain, he would perch on the toilet and patiently wait for me to be done.
We called him Safety Officer Boris because he always seemed very, very concerned at the possibility of a shower-related accident.
Yutsano
@Suzanne:
And pizza. But really awesome type pizza.
hitchhiker
@PsiFighter37:
Well, I’ve lived here for 28 years . . . I wouldn’t rent a car. There’s a train downtown from the airport and you can use buses.
You’ll be here for a free music festival held every Memorial Day weekend at the Seattle Center (old World’s Fair site where the space needle is) that’s funky and silly and full of good bands & people enjoying themselves. Worth some hours wandering around.
Can’t recommend oyster places, but if you like bookstores, there’s a terrific one called Elliott Bay Books, recently moved to one of the hippest neighborhoods in the city & easy to get to from downtown.
Such a great city!
ETA: I see that I’m late with the ideas ~ in for a BJ meetup if it could happen.
Roger Moore
@A Humble Lurker:
Did she start taking her meds, or just lay off the brown acid? Life is much less interesting that way, but less confusing.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@Suzanne: There was an Ivar’s in the Bay Area for a while, at Valley Fair mall in San Jose/Santa Clara, but I think it closed. Too bad, I liked them. “KEEP CLAM”, as they say there.
Higgs Boson's Mate
@TaMara (BHF):
Back some time in the early Eighties a co-worker of mine asked me if I wanted a cat. “Your cat?” I asked. “Yeah.”
His cat was pure evil with fur. When our Friday night party was held at the co-worker’s place his cat amused itself by running up and down people’s legs – claws out.
Anyway, I asked him why he was finally trying to give the cat away. Turned out that he’d dumped the cat some thirty miles away. Cat made his way back home and clawed through a screen door to get back in. The co-worker wanted to get rid of the cat because he was now afraid of it.
Roger Moore
@Suzanne:
Couldn’t you have scheduled some of that 75 degree February weather for when I was visiting? I got stuck with some actual cold. I guess I can’t complain too much, since the snow made the pictures from the trip more interesting.
Yutsano
@The prophet Nostradumbass: Ivar’s is both a sit-own restaurant and a fast food type place. Both serve really decent food although it can run a bit pricey. There’s an Ivar’s not too far from where I live that I would give my left nut to if they would have a drive-thru. But I guess that’s part of the charm of the place.
Mnemosyne
@Higgs Boson’s Mate:
He should have paid attention to “The Cat Came Back.” That song is a warning.
burnspbesq
@S. cerevisiae:
And do what? The giants’ management may not be geniuses, but neither are they rubes. Cruz for a draft choice isn’t happening.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@Yutsano: Yeah, I know. I have been to Seattle multiple times. The one down here was the fast-food type, at a food court. I think there’s even one at SeaTac, right?
ETA: On a tangent, I also really enjoyed Dahlia Lounge, Palace Kitchen and Etta’s, which are not Ivar’s.
Roger Moore
@Mnemosyne:
The only shower related accident Jake seems to be worried about is that he might possibly be in the shower when the water is turned on. I think he must have had a bad experience before I got him, since he will dash out of the shower the moment I set foot in the bathroom, and vacate the bathroom if I turn the water on in the shower.
burnspbesq
@Mnemosyne:
Well, it’s a well-known fact that Noo Yawk’s Finest never over-react and never shoot the wrong person, so I’m not sure what you’re getting at here.
FlipYrWhig
@Forum Transmitted Disease:
I guess T&H just can’t quite comprehend the phenomenon of a creature repeatedly doing something extremely annoying just so you pay attention to him.
burnspbesq
@mclaren:
We’re all tired of your act, so we’re no longer leaving any bait for you.
Roger Moore
@FlipYrWhig:
Not so much that; he just thinks he’s the only one clever enough to think of the plan.
Another Halocene Human
@lamh35: I was going to say Vancouver, but that wasn’t a protest–it was, indeed, a riot.
Most of the kids were “good kids” from the burbs who apparently didn’t feel a moment’s guilt at smashing up the commercial block in a town where they didn’t live. Vancouverites were pretty pissed….
(Took the heat off being from Boston when I was there, faa faa!)
burnspbesq
@FlipYrWhig:
Your Internets are in the mail.
Another Halocene Human
@Roger Moore: If Jake is a cat, some cats just really hate to get water sprayed on them.
Does Jake sneak in there to lick the shower water once you’re gone?
Yutsano
@The prophet Nostradumbass: I think so, if it’s the place I’m thinking of. I haven’t been on a plane in awhile though, but I think you’re right.
Irish Steel
Most basenjis are barkless. These sing Lee Greenwood. Obnoxious as fuck.
burnspbesq
@Yutsano:
Gotta take tourists to the Ivar’s on the lake and get a table outside. We took the kid and his roomie there on move-in day last fall.
Also, if your guest is a connoisseur of really dive-y greasy-spoon type joints, the Hurricane Cafe on Seventh across from the Cornish College dorms is a must..
Another Halocene Human
@PsiFighter37: Renting a car vs using transit is a judgment call. Some hotels have convenient shuttles.
I thought that visiting the section of the city (Pioneer Square?) where they had the underground sidewalks (you sign up for the tour ahead of time) was pretty damn cool, and a good history lesson. There’s a National Park building close by where they have info on the gold rush as well. And there’s a totem pole in the area with a pretty interesting story attached.
The space needle is cool if you like overlooks. It’s next to the science fiction museum which I guess is fun if you’re into that? I’d call it skippable.
Pike Place Market is fun.
There’s a skyscraper that looks over the whole city and lets people visit the top floor. A Seattlite could tell you the name.
You won’t have time to visit Denali I think, which is too bad. I thought it would suck but it was awesome.
If you go to the pier you can take a cruise out to this island where they do a Native American cultural and history exhibition (and salmon dinner) which was half a day and very nice. I thought seeing Seattle from the estuary was much better than looking down from the space needle.
King St Station (Amtrak) is being restored, if you’re into that sort of thing.
The local transit (King County Metro) has some unusual equipment, if you’re into that sort of thing.
I think there are actually boats between US and Canada and there’s a train, too (very slow, unfortunately, because BC won’t spend any money to maintain the tracks). IMO the weather is better in Canada. Maybe I’m biased.
Irish Steel
@FlipYrWhig:
Cannot be requoted enough.
Yutsano
@Another Halocene Human:
Columbia Tower. It only goes to the 73rd floor, but it’s worth the view. Plus coffee up there too.
Darkrose
@Higgs Boson’s Mate:
The cat came back
The very next day
Another Halocene Human
@MikeJ: I did not enjoy the monorail but now that you mention it there was a pretty cool saloon near one of the monorail stations (their signature drink was a gin martini and they had decorated the walls with beer taps, maybe a local could name it) with pretty good food (not seafood, though).
If you are into unusual transit equipment or mileage in the US, though, I guess the monorail would be obligatory. The underground trackless trolley/diesel bus combo vehicles are much more unusual, though.
Linkmeister
@Suzanne: Mi Nidito in Tucson, if it’s still around. It served up some of the best Mexican food I ever had in Arizona.
MikeJ
@Another Halocene Human:
Denali is in Alaska, about 2,000 miles away. Mt. Rainier is beautiful and a great place to hike. About 80 miles away, but much of it is two lane. Figure two hours drive.
Higgs Boson's Mate
@Another Halocene Human:
Cats do that too?
Alison
@Higgs Boson’s Mate: My old cat used to! As soon as we got out of the shower, he’d hop in to slurp up the drops of water from the tub and curtain. Hell, a couple times he jumped in while the shower was still going, which I found amusing but also would shoo him out because all I could think of was that he’d lick up soap or shampoo suds and die.
Probably not die, but I’m a fatalist.
Higgs Boson's Mate
@Alison:
I was thinking of a crazy, crazy beautiful gal I dated back in the day. I’d of dragged my nuts over a mile of broken glass just to hear her piss into a tin cup over a pay phone.
taylormattd
@PsiFighter37:
Do not rent a car if you are downtown. Most of the sites will be within walking distance, including the Pike Place Market. You can take age monorail to the Space Needle if you array inclined to do such things. Re: oysters, go to The Brooklyn. Its on 2nd and University
I am not a kook
@Higgs Boson’s Mate: You obviously have a much more exciting dating life than I do…
kdaug
Welcome to my world.
kdaug
@mclaren: Austin.
Death Panel Truck
I fucking hate cats. I’d rather have a bird perching on my shoulder than a cat in my lap.
I miss my cockatiel. She stood on my shoulder every day of 14 years. You can’t get that kind of loyalty from a cat. Cats just don’t give a fuck.
Central Planning
@Mnemosyne:
Sounds like she made a mistake. That’s why she hasn’t done it again.
Central Planning
@TaMara (BHF):
Didn’t realize the blog started pet pr0n. I guess it was only time.
qwerty42
@Ted & Hellen:
How much sleep would you get with the kitty mournfully meowing outside the door for a few hours? Speaking from experience.
Soonergrunt
@FlipYrWhig: “I guess T&H just can’t quite comprehend the phenomenon of a creature repeatedly doing something extremely annoying just so you pay attention to him.”
I see what you did there.
lojasmo
@PsiFighter37:
I’m sure there are good places for oysters, but I don’t eat them, so I don’t know. Yutsano will, though.
You won’t need a car.
I would certainly get across to bainbridge. Fairy takes 30 minutes, and the town is totally walkable. There’s a little leg of road at the west end of town with lots of good eats.
Take the elevator to the top of the library and walk down.
Portage cafe in the union district.
The obvious
Matt’s in the market is always great. Bonus…they have OYSTERS!
Have fun. One of my favorite cities.
Just One More Canuck
@Yutsano: keep clam
Keith G
@Death Panel Truck: Cats can be surprisingly loyal. There is a very wide spectrum of behavior patterns among individual cats with the key often being the amount and quality of human socialization. It’s just that they are not pack, herd, or flock animals so that their reward systems and intrinsic motivations are quite a bit different than what many are used to.
Paul in KY
@Death Panel Truck: Mine do. Cause I feed them.
icedfire
Cole, you named the cat after a diva. You cannot honestly be surprised by her living up to her name.
Also, too, as a Giants fan living in MN I say heeeeell no. Cruz is staying right where he is, I hope.
Minnesota nice didn’t stop y’all from poaching my boy Parise from the Devils, though, so I better not get my hopes up.
Deb T
@Ted & Hellen:
Have you ever tried to close a door to keep a cat out? It makes the room irresistible to them. Paws come snaking under the door. The door knob rattles. Sometimes there is crying and yowling outside. Besides, at some point, when the cat is a little older and it’s cool outside, there can be wonderful snuggling. My young tom cat who hardly ever snuggles, curled up in my arm and pressed his cheek against mine this morning. We slept like that for a long while.
Diana
@PsiFighter37: if the weather’s nice, right on Lake Union, midway between downtown and Queen Anne hill, there’s the Northwest Outdoors Center: http://www.nwoc.com/
Go there, rent a kayak or a paddle board, and give yourself a tour of the houseboats that line Lake Union. There’s no current in Lake Union, and on a pleasant weekend no wind to speak of, so it’s about as difficult as paddling in a swimming pool.
Luci
Well…. if one has a pet, and especially a cat, for companionship and such, you more or less have to learn to accept them for their eccentricities, much like you do a spouse or child. It goes much better if you can decide that you can learn to live with what they do, and it sounds like you are doing that John. To be honest, the idea of a cat on the cutting board when I’m getting water late at night is kind of charming. It’s company and another living creature in the house, and I think that’s worthwhile. When we got our first house, it seemed very dead until we got our first cat, and then there was life in the house, and I could feel it every time I came in, and while I was there too. A living creature was going around doing whatever it felt like doing, and that was great. Any inconvenience was very minor because of that, or at least it was to me. I think your family is going great! I hope you all live and thrive and enjoy each other for years.
steverino
My cats always slept with me– as kittens they curled up against my arm as it was tucked under my head/pillow, when grown they shifted down to my side, one on each (and the third, acquired later, between my legs).
One cat liked to wrap around my neck; once while I was at the sink washing dishes in just shorts and a t-shirt, she jumped/climbed up my back to sit on my shoulder. I had my hands in the suds; all I could do was bend over so she would stop using the pitons. When I showered she would sit on the toilet lid waiting for me to open the curtain so she could jump up: I had to hold my hand in front of her face to stop her while I toweled off.
Gemina13
@MikeJ:
I recommend hitting Jade Garden in the International District for dim sum at least once while you’re there. Also, try Michou’s Cafe in the Pike Place market – great food for cheap, and they have excellent Nanaimo bars. :)
Gemina13
@Suzanne:
Have you tried Los Reyes de la Torta in Sunnyslope? Good God, did they have good food. I plan to drag the SO there when we go to pick up the remainder of my stuff later this year. A huaracha with chicken tinga and a watermelon bomba sounds soooo good right now.