Someone just emailed this to me and I had never seen it before and it was great:
I swear to FSM at about 1:40 he asks the dog why he is shaking and check for yourself, but I am convinced the dog said “I don’t know.”
Watch for yourself.
BTW- when should I try to groom Boss and get those mats off his back? Do you think it is too soon or should I wait a little more? Right now his coat is such a mess he’s more Boss Marley than he is just Boss.
*** Update ***
That was easy, went in, called Boss over, showed him the brush, sat cross legged on the floor, he came over, let me brush him and cut the mats out, and then loved on me for a solid twenty minutes.
Are all Toms this affectionate, or is it the Maine coon aspect? All I have to do is lie down on the spare bed and he comes jumping up and loves all over me. Still does not vocalize at all, but is very expressive with his eyes (and I wish I could take pictures worth a shit, because he has the greenest eyes I have ever seen) and his tail and overall body language.
Violet
I heard it too. What a sweet dog.
Princess Leia
I think you should see if the vet tech could do it while he is sedated. Less stress.
eemom
I love that!
Kitty can haz middle name??
Betty Cracker
I’d wait on the de-matting. He’s still adjusting to his new home.
Felonius Monk
Stop “pussy-footing” around, John. If the Boss needs grooming and he’s amenable, then do it. If he’s not in the mood, then open a can of tuna and get out the catnip — this is not rocket science, it’s Boss-ology!
kc
@Princess Leia:
Agree. He’s going in Tuesday, right? It can wait. Maybe call the vet and make sure they can do the grooming (or at least de-matting) while he’s under.
kc
Surprised the shelter people let you take him without neutering him first. There aren’t any shelters or rescue groups around here that will adopt out an unneutered animal (though the local humane society did let me take a kitty who was too sick to be neutered, on the condition that I would bring him back for the surgery after he got healthy).
gogol's wife
Did you think about the idea some people suggested of giving him the lion cut? It might be simpler for him to be shaved and then let it grow in again. I don’t know, I’ve only had shorthairs.
scuffletuffle
Ask the vet to have a tech do the worst while he’s sedated. Once he’s home again, introduce brushing mixed in with petting to get him used to it and associate brushing with good stuff.
Darkrose
If you think they’ll have to shave him, I’d wait and see if the vet can do it while he’s under. Less traumatic for all concerned.
Mnemosyne
It sounds like you may have a case of stud tail there. It’s grosser than it sounds from the name.
It’s probably not a bad idea to start getting him used to the idea that you’re going to want to brush and groom him, but I would get any bad mats out while he’s still out from the anesthesia.
rammalamadingdong
Let the groomer give him the lion cut. He will feel so much better.
carlweese
Our rescued Maine coon demands brushing several times a day. I’d say begin right away, but don’t go straight for the mats: try to make the brushing enjoyable and then work your way toward dealing with the problem areas. Also, too, you can break up the mats with your fingers if the cat is comfortable with you, so you can work on that too.
Sarah Wenk
Let the vet look at his hair loss first to make sure everything’s ok. Then let a groomer at him.
Sarah Wenk
Let the vet look at his hair loss first to make sure everything’s ok. Then let a groomer at him.
The Moar You Know
I had to leave for a month overseas to a third-world hellhole back in 2011 – my wife and I (it is her dog) had been married just under a year.
I came back. Wife was at work, I was locked out, dog was in backyard. I went in the backyard. Dog didn’t immediately recognize me and got snarly and was barking. And then she smelled me.
She was so ashamed of barking at her dog dad. God, I’ve never felt so awful in my life, especially as she was doing the right thing. She instantly went from snarling to ashamed, was cringing and begging for forgiveness and I felt awful, as I was just so fucking happy to see her. I finally had to pick up this eighty pound dog and take her inside, put her on my lap for a while and just tell her everything was OK. She was shaking like a leaf, poor girl.
Dogs worship us. You can either be a cruel god or a good one, it’s up to you, but make no mistake, they look to you for everything. As a longtime cat owner, that’s a hard lesson to learn. I’ve had to learn to put my head in a very different space.
kc
Aw, that puppy!
geg6
OMG, I heard it, too, John. That dog looks like a large version of Koda. Although she’s never vocalized quite like that, she does talk to us. Otis is just a regular dog with lots of barking when he wants our attention, but Koda “talks” to us all the time.
And put me in the crowd that is wondering why Boss wasn’t neutered at the shelter. That’s standard procedure at adoption, if not sooner, around here.
MomSense
Follow your instincts! You have a good sense about these things.If it were me I would probably wait until he is really confident and secure with you just because I know how sensitive my Maine Coon is about dealing with all the fur/grooming issues. And he is going through a lot of change–new home, new dogs, losing his boys, and grooming. That is a lot to deal with in a short time.
Kristine
That’s a lovely video–the folks who gave it Thumbs Down must not have pets.
Shared on FB.
Hal
Animal hygiene question: is it necessary to have a dogs teeth cleaned? I have a little rat terrier who seems to have some plaque buildup on his teeth. I thought of having his teeth cleaned but I’m not sure if I like the idea of putting the dog under, or if it’s really even necessary. I never even knew people had dogs teeth cleaning professionally until recently.
SIA
Damn it. One of our cats ate and threw up part of a lily which apparently are toxic to cats. We don’t know which one so both Juliette and angel (girl and boy) are at the kitty hospital for IV I guess and observation. Poor Julie is pretty feral though an inside cat, and I’m freaking out that she’s freaking out. She can’t ride in a car inside her crate for more than a few minutes without vomiting, peeing and pooping.
The lily that was ingested is not the kind that is really bad but apparently even the pollen from the other lilies in my birthday bouquet can make them horribly illl and can even be fatal.
My understanding is that if they get treatment quickly it should not be serious, but I am so worried and hate it that they’ll be at the vet at least overnight. I only found out this week that they are toxic to cats. I should have thrown the bouquet away immediately but they were from my husband and up on the kitchen table, and we’ve had flowers which included lilies for years with no problems. I’m so fucking busy with work everything in my life is a blur and it just didnt register. A friend had the same thing happen and everything was fine, but god I hate this. And both cats sleep with me or nearby and it will suck knowing they’re there and the vet is closed on Saturday.
Fuck. Sorry to run on but I’m worried. Please no one tell me your cat died from eating lilies.
lamh36
Well jeez. Can we have a mad open thread or a melancholy open thread…lol?
I feel bad posting anything that’s not overtly happy on this open thread, but I’ll try…um I’m happy I’m not at work right now, even if I do have to work tomorrow…lol
lamh36
…deleted
Moe Gamble
I have a Maine Coon who lives both indoors and outdoors. Don’t shave him all over in a lion cut unless he’s matted all over. My Maine Coon is proud of his fur. I swear it. And it protects him from the sun and insects and other cats and the cold.
When I first found Groucho, he was so matted on every part of his body, with most of the mats containing burrs that were penetrating his skin, that I absolutely had to get him shaved in a lion cut. He cringed for months until his hair grew back. Don’t do it unless absolutely necessary.
I’d go with the vet tech route as suggested by others if they can actually remove just those mats while he’s under sedation for the neutering. But they always want to shave the whole cat, and don’t let them do that. If they insist, I’d work on the mats gradually myself, one at a time. Don’t try to do them all at once. Keep grooming pleasurable.
And you may not be able to work those mats out. Maine Coon hair is so fine. I just cut off mats with scissors. If you can’t get all of the mat because it’s so close to his skin, get what you can and get the rest later when the hair has grown some more.
Then I keep hair in mat-prone areas (chest, butt, back of rear legs, lower side area) short with a scissors. Just a clip a day somewhere as needed, not a major clip job all at once.
I’m happy for you and Boss.
SIA
@lamh36: Yeah, I missed the “happy” part of open thread. :(
Eric U.
for the first year or so, our dog was aloof when we came home. I don’t expect he would ever put on a display like the one in the video, but he does get excited when one of us comes home now, even if we have been gone for a short while. The funny thing is, his biggest display of emotion is before the returning person comes in the door, so everyone thinks he’s more excited when other people come home.
Josie
The worst of the mats can be removed while Boss is under sedation. Then you can take your time getting him used to grooming. I’m not sure I would take him to a groomer at this point, since he is just getting used to you and the girls and has to go to the vet. Too many adjustments at one time.
Southern Beale
Related … and bittersweet: RIP Schoep…. I think I saw the photo referenced over here, so touching.
I still miss my beloved Cleo and Zelda, every day. As Emmylou Harris says, the only problem with dogs is they don’t live long enough.
Anne Laurie
Cole, leave the grooming for the techs next week. Maine Coons have terrible fur to groom, it mats like felt and if you’re not super-careful cutting the mats out you’ll cut into their skin. (Which looks worse than it hurts, but you’ll feel terrible.) If your Germanic standards won’t let you wait, get a beard trimmer and use that to shave out the lumps, carefully.
MCs are the opposite from the Oriental “silk satin” coat Tunch had. You’ll be able to use the furminator on him once he’s been cleaned off, but there will be a re-learning process for both of you.
SIA
@Southern Beale: RIP Schoep. A wonderful photo. Isn’t that the guy at Rumproast?
Gindy51
@Hal: Yes, my GSMD needs it done every year as he has huge dewlaps and tooth brushing just does not cut it. Plaque can lead to infections of the gums, which can lead to heart disease and all sorts of nasty stuff.
muddy
I have a small pair of scissors and some cat nail cutters in the drawer by my chair. I don’t make grooming an event. I just do a little of one or the other when they are already sitting there: clip a paw, clip a mat. They never seem to mind, possibly because they know it’s always super brief, it’s over before they realize what’s up. We refer to the cut mats and comb gleanings as “butt kittens”. All the animals are very interested in butt kittens and try to steal and eat them. Disgusting.
Southern Beale
I can never watch videos like this enuf.
gogol's wife
@Moe Gamble:
You’re saying your cat is proud of his fur reminds me of an interview I saw with a woman who claimed to be a pet psychic. They asked her what cats think about, and she said, “They think about their fur all the time.” She was a nut, but that sounded plausible.
@SIA:
I hope your kitty’s okay. Our Sasha loves to eat flowers (she’s never had any bad reaction though), so on the rare occasions when someone gives us some, we have to put them on the washing machine in the laundry room, which is the only room in our house that you can actually shut the door on.
StringOnAStick
@Hal: RE: cleaning a dog (or cats) teeth, they get calculus (“tartar” to the non-dentally employed) just like you and I do, and it can lead to periodontal disease and eventual loss of teeth after an intervening period of absolutely horrendous breath.
Yes, 30 or 30 years ago this wasn’t common practice, but pets live longer now thanks to better food, better vet care, and definitely better dental care. Believe me, it matters.
I have heard of some individuals who are extra good at dog handling and can actually do the cleaning without sedation. Obviously, these aren’t people who work at a vet’s office; they are free lancers. They are cheaper though (or so I’ve been told by dog owners). Pet sedation now is also extremely safe for animals without any chronic or hidden issues; in the old days they uses barbiturates and there were losses from the anesthesia. I discussed this with our vet, who told me she has never lost an animal because of the newer sedation methods.
We just got a letter from our vet; she’s turning her practice over to 3 younger vets because she’s bought a coffee/fruit farm/B&B in Hawaii. I’ll miss her; I certainly can’t blame her for moving her practice to the big island.
Keith G
@Moe Gamble: I want to second and third Moe’s ideas. Common sense and very simple, grounded.
And this site is loading slowly. Are we about to have another apocalypse?
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@SIA: I saw that earlier and was happy that at least they had almost another year together. Unger does kinda look like pictures of Strange.
StringOnAStick
Also, wait for the big de-matting. Our kitty is a very similar-looking 2nd hand rescue (she hated her first rescue family’s other cats), and apparently she came from the shelter very matted. Her prior owner was way, way too aggressive, and now the only thing wrong with this cat is she hates being groomed with the heat of a thousand suns. They even washed her every month because they thought she looked “too greasy” (her top coat is slick, shiny, long black hair). No wonder she was happy to move in here…
Cassidy
Happy open thread needs music.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Princess Leia:
Good advice. We did the same thing with our MC rescue, Tommy. When we got him I called him Rasta Cat because his belly was horribly matted. On top of that, three of the five teeth he had left had to be pulled. We asked the vet if they could clean up his belly when he was sedated for the dental work and they were happy to do it. Tommy came home with a belly that was shaved smooth and it filled in with fluffy orange/white hair in no time at all.
kc
@SIA:
Aw, sorry. Sending good thoughts. Bet they’ll be just fine.
TaMara (BHF)
I have two males and two females. My males were neutered at 1year+ so I don’t know if that makes a difference, but they are definitely more affectionate than my girls. They just love to drape themselves over me and get petted. My girls are more snuggle beside me to get love.
Glad the grooming is going well. It sounds like Boss is the furry version of you – all zen and full of love. He’ll fit right in.
WereBear
You can dematt him yourself with a:
MATT SPLITTER
which can be purchased at any pet store. I’ve had lots of longhaired and neglected cat experience and these things zip through the matt so that you can comb it out. A bit of care to hold at at the right angle, always, and it’s totally safe.
And then brace yourself for the luvvin! Because it feels so much better.
Blue Galangal
In my experience, MC males are pretty darn mellow and sweet. Maybe not a lot of brains – the females seem to get the majority of those – but the boys are sweetie pies.
LT
My Maine Coon (never knew he was one of these or that such a thing existed until recent threads here) was so sookie he would – every time – drool on you when you held him and petted him.
burnspbesq
Well, well. It turns out that there is no extradition treaty between Italy and Panama. Lady was detained because of an outstanding Interpol “red notice.” Like I said, you’d have to ask the Panamanian Ministry of Justice why it decided to put him on the next flight back to the US.
Better luck next time, Italy.
npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=203689673
Kris
I had a Maine Coon for years. That cat had more personality than any other cat I knew. Bar none. Not all of it good, mind you. I once got a call from the neighbors that our cat was not letting them in their own front door. I also once caught him sunning himself in the middle of a residential road and he wouldn’t move. The cars were going around him. I thought we was dead, but he was fine. He was expert at escape. He groomed himself in the most half-hearted way that I have ever seen in a cat.
The mats are a big deal, IMO. He needs to be groomed daily, or they will keep coming. If you can get them without him hurting you, that’s great, but my guess is he would prefer to do it at the vet with some relaxing meds. My Maine once hurt me bad when I tried to get a small mat and he only tolerated brushing sometimes (or a superficial brushing which didn’t get all of his coat) which lead to the mats.
SIA
@gogol’s wife: @kc: Thank you for the good thoughts, it helps.
Princess Leia
Awww- so glad it went well- he must feel so much better. I think there just are some cats born to give the lovin’. Mine is my big boy Barry White (AKA the Walrus of Love) who is outrageous in his affections. Glad you found one for yourself, John.
SIA
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Both very nice looking fellows. I’ve never outgrown my love of a man with a pony tail. Something in my memory linked thr pic with Strange.
Mnemosyne
@SIA:
Keaton and Annie had to be rushed to the vet after Keaton chewed on a lily and we couldn’t be sure that Annie hadn’t been exposed. They were not happy that they had to get intravenous fluids at the vet for three days, but they were both just fine afterwards, though we make sure to have their kidney values re-checked every couple of years just to be on the safe side.
(Poor Keaton also had to get IV fluids after being exposed to melamine in cat food, so if any part of him goes first, it’s going to be his kidneys.)
SIA
@Mnemosyne: Thank you, yes can’t be sure which one so both have to be treated. the melamine issue must’ve been infuriating. Glad they were ok.
Mnemosyne
@LT:
My tortie Natasha used to do that, but when she felt the drool on her lip, she would shake her head and you would get a faceful of kitty spit. Ew!
Raven
@StringOnAStick: I give my pups marrow bones from Publix. I took the little one to her heart vet last week and he was thrilled with her teeth and gums!
Comrade Mary
Congratulations on the great grooming experience. Man, Boss is the feline equivalent of the EASY button, isn’t he?
Some Toms are RIDICULOUSLY affectionate. An old boyfriend of mine used to share a house with several other people and two cats. One of the cats was an unfixed tom called Oscar (another brown tabby — data point!), who looked like a typical battered bruiser of a cat, complete with damaged ears from cold and/or fights.
Whenever I visited, I had to spend a good 5-10 minutes petting and paying attention to Oscar, who just wanted to share his love with everyone. Except maybe some of the neighbourhood cats.
Chat Noir
@Mnemosyne: When my veterinary sister found out I was getting a tortoiseshell cat, she said, “Ew. They’re bitches.” Takes one to know one! LOL. Natasha is an awesome name for a tort.
Natalie, my tort, is more reserved than her brother, Sherman, but she is still affectionate in her own way, especially when she wants to drink water from the bathroom faucet. As a friend once said, “Cats are magic.”
We’re celebrating this weekend as Natalie & Sherman turn 14 on Sunday.
Violet
Told you that’s why they named him Bugger. Because he bugs you to pay attention to him.
lawnorder
My Maine coons were all cuddlebugs like Boss.
ruemara
Maine Coon/Ragdolls are sweet, tolerant and just about as loving as they come. Case in point, this ball of fluffy love, who cannot live without being beside his human. Tolerant, patient and considering he’s poly and has a club nail that he’s very sensitive to having cut, amazingly good kitty. You’re never going wonder if Boss loves you.
Pogonip
Test
Southern Beale
@ruemara:
Agreed. Our Maine Coon is the Gentle Giant of the house.
And he’s got this thing for blue balls. He’ll make artwork out of them on our bed, leave them as gifts. I didn’t realize cats weren’t color blind until Quinn started separating the blue balls from the other ones. I guess he finds the color blue soothing.
Pogonip
Toms are good guys. It’s a shame they can’t live indoors (unless you have no sense of smell).
Boss was thanking you for getting his mats out. They hurt.
WereBear
Cats have color vision. It’s just not like ours.
Elizabelle
Bromance in the Cole household.
(And I wonder if Boss can smell Tunch in the house and ponders when he will meet the other cat.)
WereBear
Maine Coon girls I have met are rather bossy :) But sweet.
Maine Coon boys have this wiseass sense of humor. My Bubby would sit up alertly when I would tell him to “stop playing with that.”
This? he would ask, playing with it. This thing right here? Is this the thing you want me to stop playing with? I want to make sure it is this thing right here…
And so forth.
ruemara
@Southern Beale: The ultra floofyness also makes them excellent cuddlebutts.
Mary G
OK, he’s starting to sound too good to be true. Those green eyes are something.
bemused
Someone in a previous Boss thread mentioned the comb with roller pins. We use one of those (Evolution with 3 rows of roller pins) for our double-coated dogs and it’s wonderful. The coat of one of our long haired kitties grew longer and she developed an impressive mane in the last few months that tends to mat. I tried the roller pin comb on her. She loved it, rolling all over the place. Worked well on her hair too.
Tim C.
Has anyone else had the “like a boss” song in their head since our new feline overlord’s name was announced?
Violet
That #FoxBuzzFeed hashtag is hilarious. Samples:
tesslibrarian
@Kris: My Maine Coon did something like that. Not long after we bought our house, I’d given a back door key to a friend of mine, someone who had repeatedly been the one who fed our cat and changed her box when we went out of town. When she tried to let herself into the house while I was still at work one day, my girl would not have it.
The funny part is my friend would put out her hand to pet her, G would come up and rub her head on her hand to get pet, but as soon as my friend tried to step from the tile of the kitchen to the hardwood of the dining room, G would hiss and arch her back. Apparently this went on until I came home and walked in the front door.
quannlace
It can happen. He might not have been at the shelter long enough to be scheduled for the surgery. That was the case with my Katie. She’d been there a bare two weeks. Your typical overcrowded shelter and I think they were just relieved to have her adopted out. I signed a paper promising I’d have her spayed.
*********
In that video, the way that dog sings his joy to the skies; I’m crying again.
StringOnAStick
A cat that likes being brushed AND de-matted! Well done! Once again, who’s saving whom?
Princess Leia
Can we have a post grooming pic, please?
Mnemosyne
@Chat Noir:
What I usually tell people about torties is that they expect to be obeyed and to have their every whim catered to, but since most of their whims involve cuddling, snuggling, and petting, they’re usually easy to please.
Tashi was G’s first cat experience (he had always grown up with dogs before we started dating) and she completely converted him. He was heartbroken when she died of cancer.
Medicine Man
Usually Maine Coon cats are very chirpy and vocal. Maybe he just didn’t get that part of the MC package.
BillinGlendaleCA
@burnspbesq: Gee Burnsy, you’re such a party pooper, letting logic and the law get in the way of a good conspiracy.
WaynersT
I put Boss Cole into the Wu Tang Name Generator and it came back
Gentleman Criminal
Princess Leia
@WaynersT: And you are surprised???????
Steeplejack
DVR Alert!
TCM continues with François Truffaut tonight (all times EDT):
A good chance to see some films that are rarely (or never) shown. And Jules and Jim is perhaps the classic of the French New Wave—a masterpiece.
Desert Rat
I have been owned by a dozen cats over my lifetime (6 right now). It’s my experience that neutered males are friendlier to both people, and frankly, other cats, than spayed females. Not sure why that is, but virtually every time I see two of the cats truly get territorial, one of them is always one of our two females.
They just seem a little more laid back, on balance. We’ve got a big old tabby (15 lbs, but all muscle) who we call the welcome wagon. He’s friendly to everybody, the other cats, us, total strangers. Every one of the other cats hangs out with him at different times of the day.
ruemara
I’m waiting to hear back from a 2nd interview and it’s been 2 weeks. I may go quite mad, but to me, 2 weeks means no. Everyone else is saying it’s a gov job, so you have to be more patient. I suppose threatening to throttle them if I don’t a response soon is out of the question? /academic
Anne Laurie
@Kris:
In my experience, Maine Coons are extremely un-fastidious, by cat standards. The first MC-mix I ever lived with — a skinny tan adolescent we named Puma before he turned into a magnificant peach-and-cream longhair — did such a lousy job washing himself, our other cat took over the job for him. Puma would come over, give Asmo a token lick or two to jump-start the process, and then lie there purring while Asmo tongue-scrubbed him. But cats don’t groom other cats’ feet, so Puma always looked like he was wearing grey sweatsocks… and poor Asmo, who looked like an all-black version of Tunch, kept throwing up peach-colored hairballs.
Comrade Mary
JOHN
JOHN
JOHN
Stop grooming and start drawing. You have three prime candidates!
Trinity
Love to hear about Boss John! My husband and I are going on Sunday to visit two little Maine Coon/Domestic short hair mix kitties we hope to rescue. We have never had Maine Coons and hear they have the BEST temperament and are very smart.
I cared for a friend’s long-haired cat in college. He wouldn’t let me touch the mats in his hair so I took him to the groomer and had his big butt shaved bare. Adorable!
Southern Beale
The coolest thing about this video is the way my own dogs respond to it when I play it, which has been like a dozen times. They can hear the dog yipping but they’re really confused why that noise comes out of this plastic box thingie. It’s so cute.
MikeJ
Yippee big Star documentary tonight, live band playing the theatre after.
Look for me if you go.
FlipYrWhig
@ruemara: My sister had a govt job interview that went well and the whole thing STILL took months to resolve, after which point she had taken something else. So I wouldn’t draw too many conclusions from the timetable alone. Best wishes…
Karen in GA (who really needs a better name)
I’m getting a dog next Saturday! A rescue dog — young adult, looks to be some sort of Bichon mix. Kind of Benji-looking. Working tomorrow, which sucks, then spending Sunday preparing the house.
We chose his name already, and by “we,” I mean I chose it and the hubby’s going along because I didn’t like any of his suggestions. He’s a very good husband that way. Pup’s name will be Iggy, which I think is a perfectly good name for a friendly, wavy-furred, floppy-eared mutt.
Happy me.
Mnemosyne
@ruemara:
I accidentally managed to talk myself out of a good interview by being overeager and calling to check too many times so, sadly … wait. Did you already send a pleasant thank-you note for the interview? If not, send one. They go over surprisingly well.
Mnemosyne
@Anne Laurie:
Annie is our smallest cat (she barely tips the scales at 8 pounds soaking wet) but I swear she’s our truest Maine Coon. Keaton is obsessive about keeping himself and the other two groomed, but Annie won’t groom anyone back. I’m still convinced that Charlotte thinks Annie is RUDE RUDE RUDE for not grooming back and that’s why Charlotte feels she has to jump on Annie’s back from time to time.
Southern Beale
I’m being forced to watch the movie Identify Theft and since this is a special fear of mine, I’m trying really hard to pretend it’s not on the TV right now.
Help. Me.
Ellid
That sweet, loving personality is pure Maine Coon. He’ll probably mew when he feels more comfortable.
Southern Beale
@Karen in GA (who really needs a better name):
Congratulations!!! Nothing like that new pup smell … :-)
Yatsuno
@Karen in GA (who really needs a better name): Pics and vids shall be required of course. :)
lamh36
I already know that soon as I post this, another open thread will show up, but c’est la vie…lol.
Saw this guy on CNN (the rare Black conservative radio idiot) trying to say what evidence did Obama have of being profiled (which I admit Blitzer was good at shutting down by asking him, well have you ever experienced what the President described, to which the dude hemmed and hawed but said yeah of course), well here something:
Before He Was President, Mistaken for a Waiter: a 2003 Meeting
2003 garden party at the Manhattan home of media luminaries Tina Brown, now editor of the Daily Beast, and Harold Evans. The gathering just a little more than 10 years ago was to celebrate Sidney Blumenthal’s book The Clinton Wars.
muddy
@Southern Beale: My dogs were quite perturbed by it. Not from the source but the content, by their reaction.
I have had a number of dogs who were big talkers. What was funny to me is that all the talking is a tale of woe. Even the happy return crying is really saying how dreadful it all was.
mai naem
@ruemara: I applied for a fed job years ago when I got out of school. It was a peon job, not any kind of supervisory/management job. It took them six months to get back to me. I found out later that they used temp workers to fill the position for years – even now. I really wanted to call the HR lady and ask her who she thought was going to hang around for six months waiting to get hired for a peon job. I kind of wondered if whoever was in charge of using temp workers was getting a kickback from the temp agencies.
Da;vid Koch
An Inconvenient Truth
Southern Beale
@muddy:
Yeah it was weird … mine definitely had an emotional response, I can’t say it was distress, but there was definitely something going on.
Tata
@Steeplejack: Thank you!
Laura C
@Southern Beale: My cat also sat up and looked shocked at the audio of that video. Pretty funny.
Southern Beale
I can’t tell you how much I’m hating this movie.
Comrade Mary
Give up completely and sing these songs to your cat.
raven
@Karen in GA (who really needs a better name): Where are you anyway? I’m in Athens.
ellie
Yes, my Maine Coons are very affectionate. Anywhere I am sitting or if I lay down I immediately have a cat blanket on me. It’s nice but their claws are like razors.
Karen in GA (who really needs a better name)
@raven: Not far from you. Barrow County.
Here, if it works, is an album with some bad pictures of Iggy taken on my ancient flippy phone device thing.
iggyetc.shutterfly.com/pictures/17
ruemara
@Mnemosyne: Did that when I sent extra references.
I’m just a ball of stress, because I need to know really soon. If I get it, I’ll need the car; if I don’t, I can sell the car. There are too many things that need to be resolved within the next week or I’m out of my apartment and out into who knows where and hanging about like this on a job I applied to in February is pushing my stress levels up to 20. I can’t concentrate and all I see are the ways the math does not add up to anything good come September 1st if I have no roommate and no extra or better, job. I know employers just have no sense of urgency but come on!
raven
@Karen in GA (who really needs a better name): Aw look at that lil dood! My bride works in public health and Barrow is in her area.
Princess Leia
@Karen in GA (who really needs a better name): He’s cuteness cubed!!!!!!!
Karen in GA (who really needs a better name)
@raven: Funny — my groom works in your area. :)
lamh36
raven
@Karen in GA (who really needs a better name): Small world here in dawgville!
Odie Hugh Manatee
Glad to hear that both of you made it through the experience unscathed. :)
Maine Coon boys are big, lovable piles of fur who love a lap and lots of petting/attention. He just might be one of those quiet cats but I bet he will start vocalizing soon enough. Our Stewie (not a MC) rarely meows at me because he is around me all of the time and all he has to do is “mmmmmrrrrr” and he has my attention. Yet he meows loudly at the kids and wife every morning, standing up into their palms for extra attention. Hell, he rarely ever rubs against my legs and yet he just about sets theirs on fire with the friction…lol!
It’s great that he’s so accepting of you so quickly, it shows that he will adapt to his new situation in the same way. He doesn’t know it now but he has a good life ahead of him with a servant, I mean owner, like you. :)
Suzanne
I really think their life experiences, the way they are treated by people, and those inexplicable “quirks” explain far more about animal behavior than breed. I’ve had a shy Maine Coon mix, and three Siberian Huskies who were so different, I’m surprised that they had “carbon-based life form” in common. Boss is the way he is in large part because of how he has lived, and breed characteristics are probably faaaar below that in terms of their impact on his personality.
Of course, this is why I am not in the “all pit bulls must die” camp.
Karen in GA (who really needs a better name)
@Princess Leia: He is, isn’t he?
He was whining in his kennel at the rescue, and when the volunteer let him outside, he went straight to a fence and lifted his leg. He might have been marking territory — he did it a couple of times and he wasn’t fixed yet (he is now); but I’m hoping it could mean he’s housetrained, at least somewhat.
He would come to me when I called him, albeit reluctantly if he was interested in something else, despite the fact that I had no treats or anything. I’m hoping that means he’ll recognize that I’m “in charge,” as it were. (There’ll be lots of small treats and positive-reinforcement.) And when a smaller dog on the other side of the chain-link fence nipped his nose, instead of barking or growling or trying to bite back, he took a quick half-step back, as if to say, “Hey! Quit it!” so I’m hoping that means he’s not aggressive.
He just seems like a happy little well-socialized dog.
I have no idea what his mix of breeds actually is. His fur feels like my sister’s bichon frise, though.
There will be much shopping on Sunday, and much joy next weekend. And much slow introducing to the cats. :)
Mnemosyne
@Comrade Mary:
Wait, there are people out there who don’t sing to their cats?
ruemara
@lamh36: Holy crap. Is that Sirota?
Mnemosyne
@ruemara:
Is there a temp agency you can sign up with while you wait? I can’t remember if you’re still at your crappy job while you’re looking for a new one. If you can find out which agency the university uses, they would probably love to have someone who already knows the place.
raven
@Karen in GA (who really needs a better name): He has little feat.
Mnemosyne
@Karen in GA (who really needs a better name):
Awww. That is exactly the kind of dog G likes. Sadly, we don’t have room for one in our small apartment, especially since we already have 3 cats cluttering up the place.
WereBear
@Karen in GA (who really needs a better name): He says Cairn Terrier with Bichon to me. Adorable!
An old soul, methinks.
Karen in GA (who really needs a better name)
@raven: HA! I was thinking of naming him Lowell. Doesn’t suit him, though. (ETA: yep, we noticed the small feet too.)
gogol's wife
@Southern Beale:
Is this some sort of bizarre home invasion-hostage scenario?
nobadcats
As others have said Maine Coons have incredibly sensitive skin which leads to their equally incredible pride in their coat. Gently gently groom him, combing or zoom grooming out the mats from the ends.
I also agree that he’ll start vocalizing with you. I had a cat who the shelter said never spoke, but after a week in our house, she began responding to us, because I live in the House of Cats and Klutzy Women, and we all talk like crazy. From the very little you know of his history, it sounds like Boss didn’t get a great deal of human interaction. That’ll change. Especially if you’re a person who talks to companion animals like you’re having a conversation every day.
I am so happy that you and Boss found each other.
Jebediah
@Karen in GA (who really needs a better name):
Woo Hoo!
Lucky dog, lucky you!
delosgatos
Maybe just me as no one has remarked on it, but it kind of sounded to me like the dog dad was “talking dog” when it sounded like the dog said ” I don’t know”, and again once or twice shortly thereafter. I think there are two different registers, the dog’s more high pitched and the lower one which sounds like the dad making the sound that’s like “I don’t know”. Anyone else detecting that?
Still an awesome moment. Sounds like the dog is saying something like “and you weren’t there, and no one threw a stick, and you weren’t there, and there was food but no you, and I peed but you weren’t there, and where were you you weren’t there…”.
I, Floridian
@ruemara: I once heard back from a state job after 4 months (and got the job). Good luck.