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You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / Boss Open Thread

Boss Open Thread

by | 140 Comments

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Here are some new pics of Boss:

bigbossman

lounging

You can click to embiggen.

Do you think tomcats ever get tired of being Toms? So far, this guy has shown no interest in escaping, although he does want to follow me around the house. He’s very, very content to just lounge around his room. I spent a couple hours lying on the bed read the new Chris Hayes book, Twilight of the Elites (which is a good read, btw), and all I have to do is lie down and he jumps up on the bed, puts his butt on the pillow, drapes his body over my shoulder, and puts his head and paws on my chest, and just starts purring.

He loves having his belly rubbed, but what he really loves is getting a kitty massage of his neck. I think all the hormones and that thick neck must be really stressful, and he has just decided his carousing days are over, because he really loves being rubbed there from the ears to the shoulder blades. I can’t get over how thick and muscular his neck is, so I’m wondering if it causes Toms pain.

That is all. US Soccer team just demolished El Salvador.

Reader Interactions

140Comments

  1. 1.

    cathyx

    If you don’t get him fixed, he will leave to follow a female cat. Why do you think he was in a shelter to begin with?

  4. 4.

    Yatsuno

    BOSSKITTEH!! Papa Hemingway ruling the roost as is right with the universe.

    Proper authoritahs alerted.

  7. 7.

    MattW

    It’s not stress. The back of the neck is the place cats can’t reach on their own.

  8. 8.

    Mnemosyne

    According to this chart (scroll down the page), Boss is somewhere between 40 and 56 in human terms. So, yeah, I’m guessing that he thinks he’s gotten a pretty sweet deal in his middle age (box to poop in! human giving him food! petting whenever he wants! no predators!)

  9. 9.

    asiangrrlMN

    AWWWWWWW! Boss looks so content. I think he’s ready to settle down with you, Cole. Is that legal in your state? Looooove that second pic of his sheer floofiness!

    @Yatsuno: Thanks, Yutsy! I was jonesin’ for more Boss pics.

  10. 10.

    John Cole

    @MattW:

    It’s not stress. The back of the neck is the place cats can’t reach on their own.

    I guess I never knew this because Tunch had multiple places he couldn’t reach.

  11. 11.

    mclaren

    Click to embiggen.

    I think he’s probably going to embiggen without me having to do anything, just the way Tunch did.

  13. 13.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    US Soccer team just demolished El Salvador.

    More significantly, it was the second stringers who demolished El Salvador. In the not-so-distant past I wouldn’t have been able to look at this sort of US roster and feel confident against any but the lowliest of our CONCACAF rivals. Now I’m very excited about the quality of our depth.

  14. 14.

    Bill D.

    My late female cat also loved having her neck massaged. She would just totally bliss out, drop her head, arch her back, and lean against me with her eyes closed while purring. I think cats get sore neck muscles from holding their head out front. That’s a lot harder than what humans do, balancing a head on the shoulders so most of the weight goes down the spine.

  17. 17.

    J R in WV

    I just got a robocall from Rick Santorum. My policy is to let those go on as long as they can, knowing that they won’t talk me into anything, and I’m using up a resource that could be calling someone persuadable.

    [The FYWP thinks Santorum is misspelled, how sweet!]

    After a long talk about people dying in Libya, and the IRS cheating any organization with Patriot in its name, he asked me to hang on to talk to an associate, and to please sign their petition. The associate came on and asked me to press 1 to sign the petition, so I did. Then I hung up, before they could get to the please send money part.

    I’m hoping they’ll call back to beg, and I can tell them the definition of santorum on Google, and ask them why they’re working for someone whose name is synonymous with anal lubricant, and why he didn’t change the name when he found out it was a synonym for anal froth!

    Should be big fun, better than the Jake Tapper thread!

  19. 19.

    Moe Gamble

    @cathyx:

    Absolutely not true, and I know from long personal experience.

    Toms are as loyal and affectionate as fixed cats.

    The only reason to castrate this cat is all the unwanted animals out there and the difficulty of dealing with the spraying.

  21. 21.

    Nicole

    Is there anyone who doesn’t like having his or her neck massaged?

    Will Boss’s neck and cheeks go down after being neutered? Sometimes horses who have been gelded later in life have their cresty formerly stallion necks collapse a bit, but I don’t know how it is for cats- the only cats I ever had in my life were both female.

  22. 22.

    Roger Moore

    Do you think tomcats ever get tired of being Toms?

    No. Most human males don’t want to be castrated, even though testosterone does all kinds of unhealthy stuff to us. I can’t imagine that cats are any different.

  23. 23.

    Anne Laurie

    He does have lovely eyes. And he’s softening you up nicely — can’t wait until you discover that every Maine Coon is a pirate at heart!

  25. 25.

    Roger Moore

    @Moe Gamble:

    The only reason to castrate this cat is all the unwanted animals out there and the difficulty of dealing with the spraying.

    And the long-term health benefits. Testosterone is a hell of a drug.

  26. 26.

    Mnemosyne

    Argh! The tires on G’s cheapo Target bike keep blowing out, and I have to go pick him up. It’s definitely getting to the point where it’s more economical to buy a better quality bike.

  27. 27.

    Amir Khalid

    @Mnemosyne:
    If I recall correctly, the Guinness Book of World Records lists 36 years as the record for housecat longevity. (I think they rejected, for inadequate documentation, a claim for another cat that supposedly lived to be 43.) Going by that formula, an indoor cat that old would be like a 160-year-old human; an outdoor cat would be like a 296-year-old human. The actual aging rule might be a bit more complicated.

  30. 30.

    NickT

    @Roger Moore:

    And at least Cole won’t have to have that embarrassing conversation about how sometimes a mommy cat and a daddy cat who love each other very very much have certain urges…..

  32. 32.

    Roger Moore

    @Mnemosyne:

    It’s definitely getting to the point where it’s more economical to buy a better quality bike.

    Or at least better quality tires.

    @Amir Khalid:

    I think the idea that outdoor cats age faster is wrong. They don’t live as long, but it’s because they die of accidents and diseases, not because they age much faster.

  34. 34.

    w3ski

    We have a “feral” yard cat that comes in at night for food and sleep. He never sprays and loves to be petted, brushed and played with. Holding isn’t his thing but he makes the best “cookies” of all 9 cats here.We finally got him fixed but he is just as mellow as he ever was.
    W3ski

  35. 35.

    NickT

    @Roger Moore:

    You could probably make an argument that outdoor cats get more exercise and so are in somewhat better cardio-vascular condition.

  36. 36.

    Amir Khalid

    @burnspbesq:
    Alas, no. Shah Alam’s quite a bit out of my way and I’m not well enough to drive. The result was no surprise, though. No Malaysian XI has beaten a visiting top-division English side since 1975, when we won one and drew one against a mediocre Arsenal.

  37. 37.

    Pogonip

    I would like to inquire on behalf of my parents, both 80-ish, who have been trapped in phone tree hell for a week and a half trying to get AT&T to fix their phone line. (Whoever invented the phone tree should spend eternity in a room full of spraying tomcats and braying radios all tuned to Rush Limbaugh.). Other than me blowing the CEO of AT&T, does anyone know how they can talk to a person and get the damn phone fixed?

  38. 38.

    Luci

    Great cat John!! I thought he was already neutered though. If not, have at it. My Mom had a HUGE and quite aggressive tomcat some years back. He beat up the dog, was just plain mean all around, and they had to trap him in a live trap to get him to the vet to get fixed. Well, the vet had to use a long needle to put him to sleep, but all went well, and within a few days he turned into the sweetest, most loving cat you can imagine! He’s always underfoot when we are by him, and he does not fight. His neck and chest should both go down when he’s neutered, or at least that’s what’s happened to some of the tommies at Mom’s house. They settle down, become very loving, and enjoy life a LOT by the look of it.

  39. 39.

    Rosalita

    He has some fabulous whiskers!

    The shoulder rub works on my kittehs and I can get some of our toughest customers at the shelter to purr when you massage them there, An easy massage down the spine of a cat (who trusts you) really relaxes them too.

  41. 41.

    Roger Moore

    @Pogonip:

    Other than me blowing the CEO of AT&T, does anyone know how they can talk to a person and get the damn phone fixed?

    I have two suggestions, though I can’t guarantee either one:

    1) Go to a physical ATT location. At least some phone companies still have those, and they’re pretty much guaranteed not to send you through a phone tree.

    2) Refuse to cooperate with the phone tree. If you call up and refuse to push any buttons, some phone trees assume you can’t use them for some reason and send you to a human being.

  42. 42.

    TaMara (BHF)

    So the other night, when John fed the dogs half his sandwich, someone sounded an alarm because they had avocado on them. I thought it then, but was too tired to look it up, that avocado was actually good for dogs. My vet recommended it when my greyhound had hot spots.

    And then suggested a food with avocado in it. Turns out the meat isn’t toxic to dogs (pit is, skin can be). Link here.

    In case anyone else was worried.

  43. 43.

    Violet

    @Pogonip: Your parents have my sympathies. I once spent an hour on hold with AT&T only to get no help once someone finally picked up.

    I think I just keep asking for Customer Service when I get any chance to ask for a pressing zero when given any option. Another thing to do is to pick an option that will get you a person–like pretending you want to add something to your service, so Sales–then telling them you don’t know why you got to them and telling them to transfer you. I’ve found that to be faster on some occasions.

    Another alternative is to pay for the monthly line repair fee–I think it’s about $5/month–and then once that’s in place, call and say there’s a problem with the line. The problem with that is, I think that has to be in place for a month before you can get a repair done under it. But if all other options fail, it might bump them higher up the line for getting service.

    I might also suggest you calling AT&T for them.

  44. 44.

    Pogonip

    P.s. Boss’s fur looks better already.

    I think John should go back to the shelter, get the other cat, and name him Clarence.

  45. 45.

    Keith G

    I dig the predatory nonchalance seen in that first pic. It’s almost as if Boss has sized up Cole’s neck and decided that it’s too big of a target – yet the wistfulness remains.

    I imagine that Boss has some tom cat tales to tell if he only could speak human.

    And finally, Cole, if Boss seem content to be inside, please consider keeping him an inside kitty.

  46. 46.

    Ash Can

    @John Cole: I have a request. I just got back home after two weeks with only spotty Internet access, and only via my phone. Now that I’m back to a secure and reliable connection, I’d like to (finally) make a donation to MARC in Tunch’s name. Would you, or someone else, be able to repost the link? I’d really appreciate it.

  47. 47.

    BethanyAnne

    Mmm, soup! I have been hungry for soup, so I made some this weekend. I browned some tomato paste Friday night, and threw it in the slow cooker with red wine, red pepper paste, tomato sauce, garlic, onion and Italian seasoning overnight. Sauteed mirepoix Saturday morning, added corn and the tomato mix, and let that cook half the day. Added 4 types of beans, gave that a couple of hours, added shrooms, and let it cool. Fridge overnight. Warmed it up this morning, added calebaza squash. Finally ready after cooking a few more hours. Mmmm!

  51. 51.

    TaMara (BHF)

    @Mnemosyne: My tubes are expensive to replace – and would go flat with the slightest puncture – so I added bike tube slime to them. No problems since. You can also buy tubes pre-slimed if you have to replace them anyway. Should keep G inflated, so to speak. ahem.

  52. 52.

    Jay C

    @Mnemosyne:

    True this: we learned long ago that house cats are, despite all the anthropomorphizing and cutesifying, fundamentally carnivorous predators, and that feeding them what used to be thought of as the “basic house cat diet”, i.e., grain-based commercial dry food, and whatever the cheapest canned food was that they would eat, pretty much unhealthy for them ipso facto: so we went to a high-protein, minimal-carb, low-ash diet for all of them. And have gotten many years of healthy cat-adoration out of it thereby.

  53. 53.

    Pogonip

    @Violet: Thanks to you and Roger. I do plan to call for them, that’s why I was looking for a way around the tree.

    I have had good luck with several companies by speaking in Spanish and getting immediately transferred to a bilingual live person, but that doesn’t work with AT&T. (if anyone has tried this in another foreign language, did it work?)

  54. 54.

    mclaren

    @Mnemosyne:

    Pro tip: it’s not the tires, it’s the inner tube. You can buy heavy-duty thorn-resistant inner tubes for that bike. Also, you can buy a kevlar inner liner that goes between the tire itself and the inner tube. If you get both (and they’re relatively inexpensive on amazon.com or ebay), you’ll find you won’t have much of a problem with bicycle tire blowouts unless you’re trying to ride over nails sticking out of boards.

  56. 56.

    Felonius Monk

    @John Cole:

    puts his butt on the pillow, drapes his body over my shoulder, and puts his head and paws on my chest, and just starts purring

    John, I think you would do the same thing if you had someone 20 times bigger than you to give you belly rubs and neck massages.

    Ouch — that image hurts.

  58. 58.

    Cassidy

    Damn it’s been a good weekend. The flea market yesterday with the family. Today was the Museum of Science and History with the three youngest. Now it’s pulled pork and margaritas. Tomorrow I start my new job.

  59. 59.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Mnemosyne: Go to a real bike shop first. They may be able to recommend a better tire, and they may be able to diagnose why the problem is happening. Could be something pinching the tube, could be a wheel incorrectly built so that the spoke is protruding through the inside of the rim. They’ll tell you whether it’s worth fixing.

    I’ve been a cyclist for a very long time, and I often get asked for recommendations. My answer is invariably to find a local independent bike shop (many have been in business for decades) and listen to their recommendations. Yes, some may push one brand more than another, but they are generally in business for the long haul and want you to be happy so you’ll come back for other stuff, as you most certainly will. I’ve been doing business with one local bike shop for nearly 30 years. I always, always warn against buying a bike from Target, Wal-Mart, whatever. They do not have the time or expertise to make sure the bikes are correctly assembled, and they sell absolute bottom of the barrel goods.

  65. 65.

    Pogonip

    Sounds like the Boss and John are forming a good relationship. Long may they wave.

  67. 67.

    The Red Pen

    Oh, these cat pictures are doing me a world of good.

    I just terminated a two-day flame war with a wingnut over the Trayvon Martin case. We actually didn’t discuss the case. He kept goading me to read and comment on an article on American Thinker, and I kept refusing to dignify it with a response. Near the end, I Googled the guy’s name (it was odd) and discovered that he had been sued under a civil rights statute. Gee, and here he was attacking Presdent Obama for being “the real racist.”

    When I confronted him on it, he brushed it off. I called him a racist, and he shot back with an interesting rejoinder. The guy who sued him was white, so this made me the real racist.

    I just ended up wondering how badly you have to fuck up to be sued on a civil rights case by a white guy. I can imaging walking my white ass into a lawyers office and going, “Help, I’m bein’ repressed,” and leaving chased by peals of laughter audible all the way to the parking lot. But no, some white guy apparently had a strong enough case to sue this loser. They settled out of court (as is typical) with no admission of wrongdoing (also typical). The wingnut assured me that the plaintiff didn’t have a case, and it was just cheaper to settle. Completely meritless cases get thrown out. There was a case. It may not have been a strong case, maybe not even a winning case, but the plaintiff established enough of a case for a tort that the case proceeded.

    This is the level of scum that’s feeling energized and sassy these days. Sweet FSM, I hope 2014 delivers some good political news.

  68. 68.

    Violet

    @Pogonip: Haven’t tried speaking in a foreign language to AT&T. Unless you are on the account as a signatory, be prepared for them not to speak to you. You might have to pretend you are one of your parents.

    I’ve also found hanging up and calling back helpful if I get lost in phone tree land. Just start over. It’s easier.

  70. 70.

    TaMara (BHF)

    @Keith G: I know this is your thing, and I respect your viewpoint, but there is a difference between letting your cats roam free outside and having them backyard trained.

    Mine get to spend time in their backyard during the day, while I’m home. They get sunshine, exercise and all the grass and catnip they can eat. They chase grasshoppers to get their predator on and scratch their kitty backs on the concrete.

    If I didn’t have a safe place, they’d be strictly indoors, but they have a safe place to play.

  71. 71.

    Pogonip

    P.P.S. please do not tell the rents I mentioned blowing the C EO of AT& T. I’m not so much concerned that they’d be shocked as that they are desperate enough that they’d tell me to go ahead and give it a try.

    Those complex phone trees should be illegal. My father actually used up a cell phone’s charge fighting his way through. And suppose he were mentally disabled? How would someone like that cope with a phone tree?

  72. 72.

    Stan

    You have entered the realm of the Brown Tabby Tom. Soon all other cats will seem stupid and small. You don’t yet know what you’re in for. These cats are communicative, many are very vocal, clever to the point of confounding, and know who’s the real boss even if they won’t admit it. He appears to be a bit Scottish Wildcat which means he’ll be fiercely loyal to you, but may not play well with others. Just be glad he won’t grow into a 18-inch long shoulder to tail, 17 lb lean beast who learns to work doorknobs like my Bob.

    One of the great pleasures of my life is when new people come over and ask, “He’s just a house cat, right?” and the snuggling, oh yeah. Closest thing I’ve had to a gay relationship in my life.

    @pogonip Your parent’s dilemma is all but hopeless. What you need to do is dial, from a pay phone if you can find one, the number to disconnect service. After they ask why, you will be on the hotline to actually getting something done. Voice of experience, here.

  76. 76.

    Violet

    @Pogonip: AT&T’s phone tree is particularly bad. I forgot to mention that you might be able to report the problem online. Have you checked that option?

    I like the suggestion of going to an actual physical storefront. Get them to call it in for you. Pick a slow time, like 10:00 a.m. on a Tuesday, and see if they can’t help you.

  77. 77.

    JWL

    Mr. Thomas ‘Lucked Out’ Boss is still comprehending where he’s landed, and he’s grateful for it. In other words, he’s starting to relax. But just starting.

  78. 78.

    Pogonip

    @Stan: That’s the nuclear weapon we are reserving for when all else fails (AT & T is so screwed up we figure there’s an excellent chance they would be disconnected, probably without warning).

    Just for my own amusement, when the phone tree prompts me I think I will reply “Flibbidy khaleesi [trill]bwob,” just to see if gibberish works where English and Spanish don’t.

  79. 79.

    joel hanes

    @TaMara (BHF):

    I used to help friends who lived back of Escondido harvest their avocados. One of the things I learned is that coyotes often eat fallen avocados.

  80. 80.

    Ash Can

    And as for Boss, he looks every bit as huggly-snuggly as Tunch. Yay! I’m so glad we didn’t have to go for long without a resident kitty.

    @jeffreyw: Ooh, pretty!

  81. 81.

    Violet

    @Stan: Yes, this is a great suggestion. Threaten to disconnect service. You might be able to do this from a non-pay-phone, like a work phone or something. It sucks these days, though, because they always know where you’re calling from.

  82. 82.

    Roger Moore

    @Pogonip:

    Those complex phone trees should be illegal.

    The complex phone trees are a symptom. The real problem is giant faceless companies that know they don’t have to bother with customer service because their customers don’t have any choice and regulators are toothless. If you had any real alternative to ATT, you would have told them to screw themselves and gone with a competitor a long time ago.

  83. 83.

    Amir Khalid

    @Pogonip:

    Just for my own amusement, when the phone tree prompts me I think I will reply “Flibbidy khaleesi [trill]bwob,” just to see if gibberish works where English and Spanish don’t.

    No don’t try that. For all anyone knows, your parents might end up with a second phone line and twice as many headaches.

  85. 85.

    Pogonip

    @Violet: I’m going to use the work phone since no one calls me (I’m a cubicle mushroom and the job is all e-mail). I figure that way the battery won’t run down.

  86. 86.

    Violet

    @Pogonip: I really suggest going with the “add additional services” option. They want your money. Work with that instead off against that. They’ll let you talk to a real person when you want to spend more money (or they think you do). Then when you get a person on the line, pretend you have no idea how you got there and beg them for help.

  87. 87.

    joel hanes

    @Pogonip:

    Have your parents try this :

    At every pause, when they’re supposed to enter some response, they should clearly say “representative”.

    It has worked for me on four or five different corporate phone trees that were not offering “speak to a representative” as an option.

  95. 95.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    @Mnemosyne:

    Can’t he just get a good set of tires? Or is it something that the wheels (or the bike) would do to any tires?

  96. 96.

    catclub

    @Roger Moore: “Refuse to cooperate with the phone tree”

    That sounds like what I would do, or say that you want to order new service. They always seem to have people available for those calls. Then tell them what you need.

  99. 99.

    burnspbesq

    @mclaren:

    I assume this means America just launched a drone strike on the El Salvadoran soccer team…?

    It was a model LD-10 drone.

  101. 101.

    A Ghost To Most

    @Cassidy: Sweet! Congratulations again. I am between jobs at the moment; quit one last week, start one in two weeks. Good luck, and stay safe.

  102. 102.

    lou

    I haven’t read other comments. But. We ended up with a tom who adopted us. The first week in our house, he pranced around as if he’d won the stray kitty jackpot. So we ended up naming him Jackpot. He escaped twice. The first time I didn’t make sure the door was closed. The second time it was thanks to a quick-release collar. He returned both times. However we live in the big city with a heavily trafficked road so we didn’t want him wandering.

    Cue seven months later. After he’s been “fixed.” we decided to open the fenced-in back yard and the upstairs deck to him. He did not. want. to go outside.

    So the fixing fixed his desire to wander.

  105. 105.

    Cassidy

    @Pogonip: I don’t know if this will help, but once upon a time there was an unburied cable that ran across a certain “Mr. Cassidy’s” backyard. For several weeks, Mr. Cassidy would call the cable company and politely ask when was someone going to come out and bury it and was constantly given assurances it was scheduled to be done and thanking him for being patient. Finally, Mr. Cassidy began to realize that he was being blown off and that burying this cable was not a priority and was tired of the issues in his yard where the lawn service was driving around the cable and not cutting the grass; Mr. Cassidy lived in military housing. So, Mr. Cassidy did what any person would do in that situation (Maybe not, but I’ll pretend); he went outside and cut the cord. Mr. Cassidy did feel bad when his neighbor came outside and asked him if he had just cut his cable, and he did apologize, but the cable company did respond very promptly to the customer with no cable. Within hours, the neighbor had his cable back and the cord was buried. The End.

  107. 107.

    Suzanne

    @Pogonip: For the phone trees that are voice-activated, I just scream “HELP” at them until I get a person. Which never takes long. For the ones activated by pressing numbers on the keypad, just press 0 over and over.

    Seriously.

  110. 110.

    Keith G

    @TaMara (BHF): Some humans and their cats have it worked out so that, as you said there is safe, supervised outside R&R time. Great.

    Some human-cat partnerships don’t have the important details worked out so that the feline’s outdoor activities become a threat to themselves and/or other outdoor creatures, especially songbirds. Not great.

    Theoretically speaking, if one had a much loved cat killed during an unsupervised encounter with another animal, I would hope hard thinking would occur before allowing another loved pet to encounter similar dangers. And if the decision is made to go ahead as before, than at the very least don’t spend days agonizing over the predictable course of events that will eventually play out.

  112. 112.

    gelfling545

    @Pogonip: If you don’t speak another language you can just say something like “all mimsey were the borogroves” when they ask for a response. It will usually result in “Please wait for the next assistant.”

  113. 113.

    TaMara (BHF)

    @Keith G: I knew that is what you were getting at, but I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt before I told you to STFU.

    You really think that those tragic events were because the cat had access to his very own backyard? I think you’re stretching there. Or go back and read what happened and stop passing judgement.

    If anyone knows how to handle his animals, John does. And a tragic accident can happen, no matter how indoor your cat is. You don’t think there aren’t accidents waiting to happen indoors? Then you’ve just been lucky.

    ETA: No I take it back, just STFU and stop trying to make John, Devon and Seth feel worse than they already do. You’ve been nagging about this in every cat thread. We get it. Now stop it. It’s not your place.

  116. 116.

    danah gaz

    Oh no, John I am so sorry for your loss. Tunch wasn’t my cat, but he was one of my favorite cats, and his passing has got me all teary. =( Words fail.

    Your new cat looks like a sweetie though. I’ve got a big, cuddly monster like him myself. Such a joy.

  117. 117.

    gelfling545

    @Michele C.: My first cat didn’t seem to get the memo about what happens in neutering and continued going through the routine with any female cat he encountered. He seemed to be enjoying himself so I didn’t feel I should explain it to him. He did stop spraying, though & obviously no kittens so mission accomplished.

  119. 119.

    quannlace

    I know, those whiskers. Boss looks like a nobleman in an ancient Chinese court.

  120. 120.

    p.a.

    @Pogonip: don’t hit any buttons. The computer will probably re-prompt 2-3 times, then assume a rotary phone and connect them to a human.

  121. 121.

    NeenerNeener

    @Pogonip: if push comes to shove a complaint filed with the local Public Utilities Commission has been known to light a fire under AT&T.

  124. 124.

    Keith G

    @TaMara (BHF): I have grown up with animals all my life and you are right – there is no sure thing. Ever.

    You learn from the past and balance out the risks. I have had much loved pets die in my arms at vet’s clinic. I had to collect the carcass of my sister’s dog two days after a neighboring farmer shot her.

    The best, most congenial cat I ever knew lived to 18 and died in her bed, in part I know, because after I adopted her as a two year old “curb kitty” by the time she was five I decided she needed to stay indoors.

    Her male traveling companion (we supposed they had lived together before some fool cut them loose) may have been a littermate. We had him fixed but never insisted on the indoor only route and we watched the long march of afflictions begin: Bites, infections, parasites. an abscess here and there. He, C.C., was such a character, and I miss him still. He died much earlier than an 18th birthday. His sister, Tapestry, missed him too.

    We live with our choices and so do they.

    Now I will STFU

  125. 125.

    Corner Stone

    @Keith G: I can not tell you how amusing I find it when you somehow incite others into being really pissed at you.

  126. 126.

    MazeDancer

    Boss got Puma Nose!

    (So does my recent rescue. She also has 6 toes and gorgeous green eyes.)

    Puma Nose is that pencil eraser color on the outlined nostril and the mini-mountain lion fur color tapering to it. A great reminder that all cats are the same. From lion to domestic pet kitten, they’re basically the same animal, the major difference is size.

  128. 128.

    Pogonip

    Thanks for all the hints! I had not thought of the PUCO. I’ll keep them in mind.

    I know one thing, if you let your cats out fleas will ride in them and then bite you before they die.

  131. 131.

    Mnemosyne

    Bikewise, G will probably start with a new set of tires — I’m convinced the problem is the cheap Target tires have small holes in them that are causing flats in the inner tubes. But he’s starting to think about getting a better bike next spring because Target bikes (even Schwinns) are not made for people to be riding them 20-30 miles a day for 3 or 4 days a week. I think he should look at a fitness hybrid like the Trek FX for his next bike, but if anyone has any recommendations, I’ll add them to the list.

    @mclaren:

    I bought some of the Slime liners, but I read the reviews afterwards and most of the reviewers said they were getting pinch flats from the liners, so we never installed them. He rides the LA River Trail a lot, which has a combination of broken glass and pointy plants on the edges, so he definitely needs stronger tires.

    @TaMara (BHF):

    Have you ever used the Slime tire liners? The bad reviews put us off using them, but it seemed like a good idea. I know you can buy pre-Slimed inner tubes, as it were.

  133. 133.

    Mike in NC

    Now that I’ve spent five days in Boston, stuffing my face with whole fried clams, scallops, lobster, calamari, mussels, steamers, scrod and haddock, I’m about ready to hop on a plane back to the Confederacy of Dunces.

  134. 134.

    Pogonip

    @Mnemosyne: Next he’ll be giving visitors that weird American Tour of the House: “and this is MY personal, private litter box. Even the Fat Guy Who Gives Massages doesn’t use MY box. It’s MINE. HE has to use the Chair of Swirly Water. And nobody has said a word about mice; I get all this FREE! Sweeeeeeeet.”

  136. 136.

    Jay C

    @Steeplejack (tablet):

    Some vets, and a couple of smallish, non-chain pet-food stores I’ve patronized have recommended Royal Canin for dry food as being pretty much the best brand with wide availability. There was also a high-protein (85% or so) brand which they liked, but I have forgotten the name right now, since our youngest darling Edina was diagnosed with a bad food allergy and we had to switch to a prescription diet about a year ago. Fortunately the rest of the cats like it (enough to eat most of it, anyway. Sorry.

  137. 137.

    Mnemosyne

    @Jay C:

    We give our cats Blue Buffalo Wilderness as dry food and whatever non-grain wet food looks good at the pet store (I’ve been buying lots of Weruva and BFF). So far, so good.

    Natural Balance has some grain-free choices, but I never recommend them because they’re the ones who put fucking melamine-laced rice gluten from China in their food and killed my cat Boris.

  138. 138.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @joel hanes:

    For example if you are calling Charter Cable for internet problems, say “Agent” three times and it will forward you directly to a tech.

  139. 139.

    elis

    @Pogonip: A week and a 1/2 and no repair appt. scheduled? I think the PUCO is a very good idea – Utilities have special responsibilities. It depends on how big a stink you want to make, but you could also try your parent’s City Council Person or Ombudsman (or local equivalent). I had to deal with similar phone issues for my mother, an 80 yr. old amputee living on the 5th floor. Her phone line went out during a summer heat wave with rolling brown outs that stopped the elevator in her apartment building. She refused to pay a monthly fee for a possible future repair that she felt Verizon should fix in a timely manner because that’s how she paid their bills. One call to my Council Member and there was a repair person at home the next afternoon. Your parent’s age, and any health issues they might have, makes this a serious safety issue.

  140. 140.

    Karal Taylor

    Boss is awesome! I had a tom cat that I had fixed; he was a rescue cat, lived a long life (21 years), and I kept him inside along with my two other cats as well! Max was just as loving after he was fixed as before, so I recommend it! He loved looking out of the windows, was so precious, and I still miss him….I also want you to know that I “loved” Tunch and send condolences too!

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