surogate cat mom

And the metalworking content is....?

The steel plate in your head? :)

A couple of my sister's cats did that, delivered within a day of each other. One mama cat had a nest in some of the insulation under the house, the other one "stole" the kittens and moved them all to HER nest while the first one was out hunting. They took turns hunting and nursing them.

Stan

Karl has been on the group for years. Who the Hell are you? JR Dweller in the cellar

For me, the best cats are the ones that are naturally friendly and love company. I think they're quite rare.

Our cat Sheebs is like that. Sadly, she's rather ill at the moment...

Chris

Actually its very much metalworking related. The cats make Julie happy. When she's happy, I can buy tools. I just scored a milwaukee mag drill today for $155. She was happy for me.

Karl

And the new fridge will be delivered tomorrow :-)

Hey Karl,

Seriously !?!?!? Really?!?!?!? Scored, or "stole"?

Is it repairable????

Brian Lawson, Bothwell, Ontario.

Stole might be a better word. It does have a couple scratches on it, but I think I can live with it

Karl

I suspect a lot of the friendliness of cats come from contact they have with people while they are kittens. Ever notice how a cat kept in a shop around a whole bunch of strange people tends to meet your definition? I suspect the nurture is more important than the nature here.

Of course the same is true for dogs. Those that have been properly socialized as pups tend to be really friendly as dogs.

You should see the veterans of our kitten bin. Especially the ones in there for all the school tours at our farm market. When the kids come back, their first question is always, "where are the kittens?"

Karl

it even works on older cats. the rescue i work at encourages people to just come in to handle and play with our residents. some of the cats never lose the wariness, but a lot eventually do.

i currently have a rescue at my house who couldn't be handled when we got her, and magically evaporates when anyone new comes into the house, but is just the sweetest lap cat now to my wife and i. another is a breeder rescue that had not been handled (ever) for the first 2.5 years of her life she was kept in a cage. after 2 months at my house, i can pet her but she may never turn into a lap cat.

regards, charlie cave creek, az

Many mammals will nurse the young of others, in rare cases even the young of different species.

My wife volunteers at the animal shelter and she says it happens all the time, with cats AND dogs. The only time there is trouble is when they get a male/female breeding pair. Shelter staff routinely separate the male from the female so it won't attack a different mother's young.

-Frank

Our now departed "lucky" came to us as a hitch-hiker under the hood of a car. She was VERY traumatised and extremely wary for a long time. We had her for 14 years, and the last 6 or more she was a real cuddler with my wife and I and the 2 girls, but made herself scarce when visitors arived. We'd often bring her in to the room for friends to "meet" her - and there were a few she "took to" right away - allowing herself to be petted and held - and even purring up a storm for a few minutes - then slipping away and hiding for the rest of the evening.

I think she spent the first year in the far corner under #2 daughter's bed.

Christopher Tidy fired this volley in news: snipped-for-privacy@cantabgold.net:

Chris, I think you don't get it. ALL cats treat ALL people with distain.

When they jump into your lap for a petting, it ain't about you, it's about getting petted. WHAT were you thinking?

We have an older tabby tom. When he gets in your lap, he grabs your hands (with claws, but gently), and DIRECTS your hands to where they're supposed to go. Pet with one hand? Unheard of -- get BOTH on the job, Bud!

They do love you, sure. And we love them. But don't forget who's the boss.

(Dogs have owners, cats have Staff)

LLoyd

I haven't known enough cats to be sure about this. We've got two. A

The older cat is much more friendly. The younger cat is a bit irritable and reclusive, and appears to view people with disdain. She's met plenty of people, she just doesn't like them. I don't know if she had a bad experience when she was only a few weeks old, or if it's just in her nature. Or if there's a way of training them to be friendly, other than stroking them and giving them food? Having said that, I think she's calming down and mellowing with age.

Chris

I scored a Hougen for a similar price, a little less actually. Solid machine. It looked pretty clean except that it was missing the handles. But I found that it needed the motor dismantling as the brushes were seized in the slots. That took a while to diagnose and fix.

Chris

You're right in a way, Lloyd. Every cat does what suits them. They don't consider anyone else. They don't feel bad about anything.

I don't think it's always disdain, but it's certainly arrogance. There are cats which decide that human company suits them, and are therefore nice to humans. There are cats which are indifferent, and so keep their distance. And there are cats which hate humans, and try to scratch when you approach (with a certain look in their eyes; that's the disdain I'm talking about).

Chris

Puppy has a similar procedure - hop up, sit straight up with front paws in the classic pose, and if I don't start scratching (armpit preferred) she will reach out and encourage me; if I do start scratching, she will tuck her head under my chin.

Gerry :-)} London, Canada