*Curls up and purrs a contented purr*
August 31, 2016 4:25 PM Subscribe
BBC: "Unlike the big cats many people recognise, such as lions and tigers, many wild cat species are small, rare and little-known. But they are just as deserving of our adoration as the pets we keep at home, and far more endangered. So to help raise their profile, we thought we would create our own cat challenge. Can you spot which of the following are wild cat species, and which are breeds of everyday moggy?"
To avoid spoilers, you may want to take the test before reading the comments.
To avoid spoilers, you may want to take the test before reading the comments.
The real question is: would you hug all of them? If the answer is not "yes," then you are a MONSTER!
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:40 PM on August 31, 2016 [27 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:40 PM on August 31, 2016 [27 favorites]
omg kitties!!!!!
posted by Artw at 4:45 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 4:45 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
Oh those lovely Lynx ears. If I was an insane Central Asian dictator I would have a forest preserve with nothing but Lynx and Abert's Squirrel.
posted by selfnoise at 4:45 PM on August 31, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by selfnoise at 4:45 PM on August 31, 2016 [6 favorites]
It's disappointing that the Scottish wildcat was omitted. Although they could pass for domestic cats far more easily than a lot of the examples here, they're a subspecies of the slightly fiercer-looking European wildcat. They've outlasted the British bear, wolf, and lynx to become the British Isles' final remaining large wild predator.
They're also incredibly cute as kittens.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:53 PM on August 31, 2016 [17 favorites]
They're also incredibly cute as kittens.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:53 PM on August 31, 2016 [17 favorites]
The many weeks I spent memorizing my Encyclopedia of Cats have finally paid off!
Granted, with every picture my squeal of "KITTY!!!" just got progressively louder and louder, but inside I was making correct assessments.
so many kitties ahhhhh
posted by Hermione Granger at 4:57 PM on August 31, 2016 [18 favorites]
Granted, with every picture my squeal of "KITTY!!!" just got progressively louder and louder, but inside I was making correct assessments.
so many kitties ahhhhh
posted by Hermione Granger at 4:57 PM on August 31, 2016 [18 favorites]
Moggy/Moggie
[noun, British, informal]
a cat, especially one that does not have a pedigree or is otherwise unremarkable
#rude #AllCatsAreRemarkable #WTFYouTalkingAboutGoogle #MerriamWebsterDiscriminatesAgainstCats
posted by Hermione Granger at 5:00 PM on August 31, 2016 [25 favorites]
[noun, British, informal]
a cat, especially one that does not have a pedigree or is otherwise unremarkable
#rude #AllCatsAreRemarkable #WTFYouTalkingAboutGoogle #MerriamWebsterDiscriminatesAgainstCats
posted by Hermione Granger at 5:00 PM on August 31, 2016 [25 favorites]
Basically, moggy:cat :: mutt:dog.
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:15 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:15 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
GenjiandProust, I am allergic to cats, so I'll be over here softly weeping about my inability to hug them all.
posted by mollymayhem at 5:23 PM on August 31, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by mollymayhem at 5:23 PM on August 31, 2016 [4 favorites]
Oh gee, Dr. Zed...that video almost needs a trigger warning for teh cuteness.
With the adorable kitten climbing and getting all protected under her beautiful momma amid the vocalizations, my head asplode!
posted by darkstar at 5:39 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
With the adorable kitten climbing and getting all protected under her beautiful momma amid the vocalizations, my head asplode!
posted by darkstar at 5:39 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
Pallas cat probably still best cat.
posted by Artw at 5:49 PM on August 31, 2016 [13 favorites]
posted by Artw at 5:49 PM on August 31, 2016 [13 favorites]
British slang always sounds so dirty and lascivious. "Snog." "Dodgy Dossier."
posted by Auden at 5:53 PM on August 31, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Auden at 5:53 PM on August 31, 2016 [3 favorites]
I was only wrong about the Somali cat. This kind of post is what I come to Metafilter for.
posted by jeather at 6:09 PM on August 31, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by jeather at 6:09 PM on August 31, 2016 [3 favorites]
They can all be my pet moggy if they want.
posted by notquitemaryann at 6:11 PM on August 31, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by notquitemaryann at 6:11 PM on August 31, 2016 [4 favorites]
Pallas's Cat discovers hidden camera
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:43 PM on August 31, 2016 [16 favorites]
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:43 PM on August 31, 2016 [16 favorites]
Guess what's the best? CATS.
posted by something something at 7:07 PM on August 31, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by something something at 7:07 PM on August 31, 2016 [5 favorites]
My Dad told me that the reason why moggy is a name for cats is because you can draw a cat by using the letters M O G
M
O
G
(imagine squished together a bit more- the M is the ears, the G is the tail)
I reckon this is a backwards explanation, I feel that the drawing probably postdates the usage of 'moggy'.
posted by freethefeet at 7:18 PM on August 31, 2016 [13 favorites]
M
O
G
(imagine squished together a bit more- the M is the ears, the G is the tail)
I reckon this is a backwards explanation, I feel that the drawing probably postdates the usage of 'moggy'.
posted by freethefeet at 7:18 PM on August 31, 2016 [13 favorites]
Charismatic microfauna
posted by zippy at 8:16 PM on August 31, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by zippy at 8:16 PM on August 31, 2016 [6 favorites]
The real question is: would you hug all of them? If the answer is not "yes," then you are a MONSTER!
I'm good enough with cats that I can now hug (and occasionally even pick up) my legitimately feral cat. So no - I value the integrity of my skin.
posted by wotsac at 8:27 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'm good enough with cats that I can now hug (and occasionally even pick up) my legitimately feral cat. So no - I value the integrity of my skin.
posted by wotsac at 8:27 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
One definition of crazy cat person is anybody who keeps a Maine coon inside their house or apartment. That sucker can hurt you.
posted by bukvich at 8:37 PM on August 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by bukvich at 8:37 PM on August 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
I don't have any legit Maine Coons, but I've got a couple of good sized medium-long haired MC style cats. As sweet and easy to handle as a cat could be. The feral though is 14 lbs of lean muscle. now that we're close friends, he tries to avoid hurting me if I pick him up and he doesn't like it, but no doubt he could injure me properly if we had a sufficiently strong physical dispute over, say, going in a carrier.
posted by wotsac at 9:05 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by wotsac at 9:05 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
It's a kitty! is what I answered for all of them. Adorable! is also correct.
posted by rtha at 9:06 PM on August 31, 2016 [14 favorites]
posted by rtha at 9:06 PM on August 31, 2016 [14 favorites]
I really, really want one of those ones with the flat head and the tiny ears.
posted by slkinsey at 9:23 PM on August 31, 2016
posted by slkinsey at 9:23 PM on August 31, 2016
Learn your wild cats!
List 1
List 2
posted by sebastienbailard at 9:38 PM on August 31, 2016 [3 favorites]
List 1
List 2
posted by sebastienbailard at 9:38 PM on August 31, 2016 [3 favorites]
Ahh! This explains the cat-like character's name (Mogget) in Garth Nix's Abhorsen books.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 10:10 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by WalkerWestridge at 10:10 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
A hearty A+ to whoever included the cataphract in List 2, but a solid C- for leaving out the Ceiling Cat, our lord and savior whom we must all pay homage to at least twice daily.
posted by Hermione Granger at 10:28 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Hermione Granger at 10:28 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
Admirable, though you may go blind.
posted by Artw at 10:34 PM on August 31, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 10:34 PM on August 31, 2016 [3 favorites]
I reckon this is a backwards explanation, I feel that the drawing probably postdates the usage of 'moggy'.
But here's my theory, take it for what it's worth. There's am English dialect word "cagmag" which means "inferior meat". It crops up in Dickens, in Great Expectations, Ch. 20:
posted by Joe in Australia at 11:00 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
M I was taught to draw the cat as O but maybe it was originally this => M Q which looks even more like a cat. oggYYou're probably right about the drawing postdating the term; the OED says that "moggy" has been used as a dialect word for cows, and as an insulting term for women; and the citations for those uses are considerably earlier than the 1911 citation meaning "cat". On the other hand, it's apparently a Cockney term and a lot of Cockney slang does involve wordplay, so it's possible that the other uses of the word are merely coincidental, and the drawing is in fact the true origin of moggy-as-cat.
But here's my theory, take it for what it's worth. There's am English dialect word "cagmag" which means "inferior meat". It crops up in Dickens, in Great Expectations, Ch. 20:
"O Jaggerth, Jaggerth, Jaggerth! all otherth ith Cag-Maggerth, give me Jaggerth!"When I was in school I saw a gloss on this that said it meant "cats' meat". But the origin is "cagmag"; a "cag-magger" must have been someone who sells cats' meat. The repeated guttural sounds make this an unlovely word; it's not unlikely that the first syllable would be lost. If Dickens' people understood a "cag-magger" to be someone who supplied cats, it's not unlikely that fifty years later "magger" – "mogger" – "moggy" would have come to mean "a cat". Anyway, that's my suggestion.
posted by Joe in Australia at 11:00 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
bukvich: Call me crazy then, for I had not one, but two Maine Coon Cats living in my apartment, and later, my home. Maine Coons are great, especially if you can befriend them when they are young. They are the most dog-like of all cats in terms of temperament, affectionate, slightly needy, and drooly.
Wonderful cats, I still miss my Sam very much, his brother continues to be a first rate mouser.
posted by LeRoienJaune at 11:48 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
Wonderful cats, I still miss my Sam very much, his brother continues to be a first rate mouser.
posted by LeRoienJaune at 11:48 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]
I was just recently trading old tree planting stories with a friend when she hit me with this doozy: one day, she was tasked with reforesting a long skinny machine track that arched back into the forest about 600m. She's almost at the back, working away with headphones on, when she gets a funny feeling and glances back over her shoulder. And there's a cat there, what looks like a house cat blown up to her size proportions, sitting calmly and watching her, maybe 2m away.
It was a cougar. This girl had grown up in rural British Columbia and had seen cougars darting across roads and such, but this was the first time she'd seen one up close not moving, and she said she had a full 5 second confusion delay before she realized what it was, and that it likely had never seen a human before and that was the only reason it hadn't already pounced on the back of her neck.
And then she spent a long slow motion hour of inching her way back out of the machine trail, keeping locked eye contact with it as it followed just in the treeline, trying not to trip. Fun story.
posted by mannequito at 12:48 AM on September 1, 2016 [9 favorites]
It was a cougar. This girl had grown up in rural British Columbia and had seen cougars darting across roads and such, but this was the first time she'd seen one up close not moving, and she said she had a full 5 second confusion delay before she realized what it was, and that it likely had never seen a human before and that was the only reason it hadn't already pounced on the back of her neck.
And then she spent a long slow motion hour of inching her way back out of the machine trail, keeping locked eye contact with it as it followed just in the treeline, trying not to trip. Fun story.
posted by mannequito at 12:48 AM on September 1, 2016 [9 favorites]
It's 2016, and the BBC's best solution for an online quiz is the modern-day equivalent of "turn the page upside down to read the answers"?
Great idea for a quiz, though - I managed to get fooled by the Somali. The flat-headed cat doesn't even look like a cat of any sort to me, much less a pet kitty. More like a weasel or something.
posted by Gordafarin at 1:07 AM on September 1, 2016 [5 favorites]
Great idea for a quiz, though - I managed to get fooled by the Somali. The flat-headed cat doesn't even look like a cat of any sort to me, much less a pet kitty. More like a weasel or something.
posted by Gordafarin at 1:07 AM on September 1, 2016 [5 favorites]
I was surprised to learn that “flat-headed cat” is the name of a species, and not just a legitimate description of any cat.
posted by acb at 2:41 AM on September 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by acb at 2:41 AM on September 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
For some reason, this feels like the right place to share that I have apparently moved into a neighborhood where, on fine evenings around dusk, at least two people bring out their cats (one each) for a walk around the block. At least two. There may be more. Anything, at this point, is possible.
No leashes are involved. One employs a general dog walking approach, moving forward at a steady pace with which the cat catches up by a brief run, once it is done sniffing everything and marking trees.
The other walks more or less side by side at a trot, checking the cat when it begins to deviate too much from the path by whistling in a particular meowlike tone.
posted by notquitemaryann at 4:09 AM on September 1, 2016 [7 favorites]
No leashes are involved. One employs a general dog walking approach, moving forward at a steady pace with which the cat catches up by a brief run, once it is done sniffing everything and marking trees.
The other walks more or less side by side at a trot, checking the cat when it begins to deviate too much from the path by whistling in a particular meowlike tone.
posted by notquitemaryann at 4:09 AM on September 1, 2016 [7 favorites]
No leashes are involved. One employs a general dog walking approach, moving forward at a steady pace with which the cat catches up by a brief run, once it is done sniffing everything and marking trees.
The other walks more or less side by side at a trot, checking the cat when it begins to deviate too much from the path by whistling in a particular meowlike tone.
We had a cat who would come for walks like that with my wife and I. He wasn't exactly invited, he was just outside and enjoyed the company. The little fucker would always get tuckered out about halfway, start panting, and need to be carried back.
posted by leotrotsky at 4:34 AM on September 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
The other walks more or less side by side at a trot, checking the cat when it begins to deviate too much from the path by whistling in a particular meowlike tone.
We had a cat who would come for walks like that with my wife and I. He wasn't exactly invited, he was just outside and enjoyed the company. The little fucker would always get tuckered out about halfway, start panting, and need to be carried back.
posted by leotrotsky at 4:34 AM on September 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
I walk my cat! On a leash though. Being in an apartment, I dont trust him to remember the way back home if he freaks out because there's a dog or something since all the buildings look alike.
posted by LizBoBiz at 5:56 AM on September 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by LizBoBiz at 5:56 AM on September 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
It's 2016, and the BBC's best solution for an online quiz is the modern-day equivalent of "turn the page upside down to read the answers"?
They've got multiple styles of online quiz available to them in their codevase, so it's slightly perplexing. Maybe they've reached the point of CMS complexity where it's easier to say "fuck it" and not use any of them.
posted by Artw at 6:23 AM on September 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
They've got multiple styles of online quiz available to them in their codevase, so it's slightly perplexing. Maybe they've reached the point of CMS complexity where it's easier to say "fuck it" and not use any of them.
posted by Artw at 6:23 AM on September 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
I "walk" both my cats, on leads. Mostly its just me following them around the yard while they explore. The fun bit is when I take them both out at once - Oberon is fairly slow and cautious and loves to sit and observe, while Titania is bouncy, prone to dashing about, and sticks her little nose into everything.
The quiz was fun. I missed the black footed cat, which just looks like an adorable kitten.
posted by sandraregina at 6:27 AM on September 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
The quiz was fun. I missed the black footed cat, which just looks like an adorable kitten.
posted by sandraregina at 6:27 AM on September 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
I miss our kitty, pest to me though she was.
Our yard seems like a safe haven for the local feral cats; we have one who is the predominant resident, but at least four other individuals have been spotted. We also have no rats, voles, or mice, so yay for kitties. The local songbird population seems relatively robust. On the occasions I find an exploded bird, it's almost always a robin, which I'm convinced would be hard to exterminate (despite their own best efforts; we had one repeatedly flying into our windows this spring as it thought its reflection was a rival, apparently not an uncommon thing. Not the brightest bulbs...)
posted by maxwelton at 6:27 AM on September 1, 2016
Our yard seems like a safe haven for the local feral cats; we have one who is the predominant resident, but at least four other individuals have been spotted. We also have no rats, voles, or mice, so yay for kitties. The local songbird population seems relatively robust. On the occasions I find an exploded bird, it's almost always a robin, which I'm convinced would be hard to exterminate (despite their own best efforts; we had one repeatedly flying into our windows this spring as it thought its reflection was a rival, apparently not an uncommon thing. Not the brightest bulbs...)
posted by maxwelton at 6:27 AM on September 1, 2016
Here's video on instagram of me walking the two. Oberon is the big grey one, Titania the little tortishell (yes, she's full grown).
posted by sandraregina at 6:45 AM on September 1, 2016
posted by sandraregina at 6:45 AM on September 1, 2016
We take one of our cats out on a harness. He tends not to want to leave the property by much and is terrified of vans (I think a visit from an electrician that involved loud weird noises when he was a kitten left a real impression.) One of our much missed former cats would go for walks on a harness all over, and also happily go to crowded events riding on a shoulder and bask in all the attention.
We don't need cats to take care of the birds around here. We have hawks or falcons (maybe both). Every now and then you see them circling, and then later a feather explosion. We caught one of them watching our cat speculatively when he was a tiny kitten once, but it saw the human protector and thought better of it.
posted by Karmakaze at 6:55 AM on September 1, 2016
We don't need cats to take care of the birds around here. We have hawks or falcons (maybe both). Every now and then you see them circling, and then later a feather explosion. We caught one of them watching our cat speculatively when he was a tiny kitten once, but it saw the human protector and thought better of it.
posted by Karmakaze at 6:55 AM on September 1, 2016
We had a Maine Coon for a while. Windsor. He was a gray cloud of fur.
We found him on Pet Finder. His previous owner was a MC breeder that was going into assisted living. Her breeding stock sold right off, but this was her personal pet and he was fixed and she had declawed him, so no one wanted him.
At his biggest he was 28 pounds as long as my arm and stood taller and wider than a Jack Russell Terrier.
But Windsor was such a love, like just a bag of fur that puddled in your lap and wanted to be pet all day. He loved water and would climb into the bathtub with my toddler. He didn't like fighting. If the other two cats started fighting, he'd run in and jump between them and break it up. If he heard my son cry, he'd run in and try to beat up whatever was bothering him. But mostly he lay in my mom's lap getting petted.
We brushed him every day, but every spring in high shed season he'd get matted and we'd have to lion cut him. He looked so ridiculous and be annoyed for weeks. He didn't meow, more rumbled or chirped.
His kidneys started going and I spent a year giving him subcutaneous fluids via IV. He never fought me or bit me when I did. So gentle. He curled up in my mom's lap when he went and just drifted off while purring.
Years later and my son still asks for him.
Best damn cat we ever adopted.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 7:10 AM on September 1, 2016 [14 favorites]
We found him on Pet Finder. His previous owner was a MC breeder that was going into assisted living. Her breeding stock sold right off, but this was her personal pet and he was fixed and she had declawed him, so no one wanted him.
At his biggest he was 28 pounds as long as my arm and stood taller and wider than a Jack Russell Terrier.
But Windsor was such a love, like just a bag of fur that puddled in your lap and wanted to be pet all day. He loved water and would climb into the bathtub with my toddler. He didn't like fighting. If the other two cats started fighting, he'd run in and jump between them and break it up. If he heard my son cry, he'd run in and try to beat up whatever was bothering him. But mostly he lay in my mom's lap getting petted.
We brushed him every day, but every spring in high shed season he'd get matted and we'd have to lion cut him. He looked so ridiculous and be annoyed for weeks. He didn't meow, more rumbled or chirped.
His kidneys started going and I spent a year giving him subcutaneous fluids via IV. He never fought me or bit me when I did. So gentle. He curled up in my mom's lap when he went and just drifted off while purring.
Years later and my son still asks for him.
Best damn cat we ever adopted.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 7:10 AM on September 1, 2016 [14 favorites]
Both of the two cats I've owned in my life frequently join the dogs and I for our walks around the neighborhood. They join at their own whim, no leashes involved. They just seem to like to be part of the pack. It makes me a bit nervous when they do it, I worry about cars hitting them or other dogs going after them. Still, my approach has always been quality of life over quantity since that is what I want personally as well.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 7:43 AM on September 1, 2016
posted by WalkerWestridge at 7:43 AM on September 1, 2016
Also I follow Bolt and Keel the hiking, canoeing rescue cats on Instagram and love their adventures.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 7:47 AM on September 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by WalkerWestridge at 7:47 AM on September 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
I only got Somali cat wrong too! That's a gorgeous kitty.
One definition of crazy cat person is anybody who keeps a Maine coon inside their house or apartment. That sucker can hurt you.
Dawwww my Maine Coon mutt (he'd been abandoned, so no one knows his mix, but he's very Maine Coon) is the sweetest cat that ever lived. Even when he's been scared he hasn't hurt me. He just sits and praaows plaintively. Once he hurt a back knee falling wrong off the fence he'd climbed (sigh), and he just came inside going, "graaar rarr hrmph arrrrmarrr." Took him to the vet without a problem.
Six kilos (about 14 pounds) of fluff and purr. Loves water too, typical of the breed – every morning he hops into the bathtub and with a few gentle "praaaw? praaaw?" reminds me that It Is Shower Time We Must Have Water. He makes me laugh seeing his pointy ears sticking out over the bathtub and his bright, expectant eyes. "Prraw? Shower? Now?" Then he paws at the falling water. Some days he takes a full shower; others he just washes his paws and laps up shower drops.
My little (compared to the Coon) mutt black kitty is the wild one. I always tell this story, but she refused human contact until she was three months old, to the point where the guy who gave her to me didn't realize she existed until she was nearly that age (he knew her age because she had four grey tabby siblings). He kept asking me, "you sure you want the wildcat??" and I was like, oh yeah, sweet Maine Coon puffball will be the perfect big pal for her, he needs someone to keep his life perky. Plus I had a little garden in which she could continue her wildcat ways. The first time she was handled was when the guy finally managed to catch her – he brought her straight to my place. Poor dear cried for hours, I ended up letting her and floof-monster meet the same day. It was the right call, she adopted him as her papa-cat on the spot, and he was like, "aww poor kitten, have a cuddle." They've been friends ever since. She is THE most expressive cat, huge range of vocalizations, carries on conversations that she not only understands but remembers. I have to be careful to keep my word when I tell her something. She chews me out if I'm home late from work and I didn't tell her I might be.
Obligatory pics: Coon cat and wildcat, as well as both of them play-fighting.
posted by fraula at 8:03 AM on September 1, 2016 [7 favorites]
One definition of crazy cat person is anybody who keeps a Maine coon inside their house or apartment. That sucker can hurt you.
Dawwww my Maine Coon mutt (he'd been abandoned, so no one knows his mix, but he's very Maine Coon) is the sweetest cat that ever lived. Even when he's been scared he hasn't hurt me. He just sits and praaows plaintively. Once he hurt a back knee falling wrong off the fence he'd climbed (sigh), and he just came inside going, "graaar rarr hrmph arrrrmarrr." Took him to the vet without a problem.
Six kilos (about 14 pounds) of fluff and purr. Loves water too, typical of the breed – every morning he hops into the bathtub and with a few gentle "praaaw? praaaw?" reminds me that It Is Shower Time We Must Have Water. He makes me laugh seeing his pointy ears sticking out over the bathtub and his bright, expectant eyes. "Prraw? Shower? Now?" Then he paws at the falling water. Some days he takes a full shower; others he just washes his paws and laps up shower drops.
My little (compared to the Coon) mutt black kitty is the wild one. I always tell this story, but she refused human contact until she was three months old, to the point where the guy who gave her to me didn't realize she existed until she was nearly that age (he knew her age because she had four grey tabby siblings). He kept asking me, "you sure you want the wildcat??" and I was like, oh yeah, sweet Maine Coon puffball will be the perfect big pal for her, he needs someone to keep his life perky. Plus I had a little garden in which she could continue her wildcat ways. The first time she was handled was when the guy finally managed to catch her – he brought her straight to my place. Poor dear cried for hours, I ended up letting her and floof-monster meet the same day. It was the right call, she adopted him as her papa-cat on the spot, and he was like, "aww poor kitten, have a cuddle." They've been friends ever since. She is THE most expressive cat, huge range of vocalizations, carries on conversations that she not only understands but remembers. I have to be careful to keep my word when I tell her something. She chews me out if I'm home late from work and I didn't tell her I might be.
Obligatory pics: Coon cat and wildcat, as well as both of them play-fighting.
posted by fraula at 8:03 AM on September 1, 2016 [7 favorites]
> One definition of crazy cat person is anybody who keeps a Maine coon inside their house or apartment. That sucker can hurt you.
Call me crazy, then. Here is my dear departed Linus, who never quite attained the legendary size of some Maine Coons, but was still a pretty big cat who loved best to sit on your lap and nurse on your pants or shirt. He was always an indoor-only cat.
posted by rtha at 8:10 AM on September 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Call me crazy, then. Here is my dear departed Linus, who never quite attained the legendary size of some Maine Coons, but was still a pretty big cat who loved best to sit on your lap and nurse on your pants or shirt. He was always an indoor-only cat.
posted by rtha at 8:10 AM on September 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
My guy Schroedinger's version of being walked is "lie down in grass, roll around a lot, sniff dandelions, bat idly at bugs." There's not much actual walking involved. He did used to walk semi-properly on a leash when he was a kitten, but now he's an old man and has figured out the benefits of getting someone else to carry you around instead.
posted by Stacey at 8:12 AM on September 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Stacey at 8:12 AM on September 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
Found an old picture of Windsor. Crappy pic, right before a shaving. But that's him, the floof monster.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 9:54 AM on September 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 9:54 AM on September 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
As many Brits will know, a Moggy can also refer to one of these.
posted by Devonian at 9:54 AM on September 1, 2016
posted by Devonian at 9:54 AM on September 1, 2016
So last night I was out playing Pokemon Go (as one does) when I came across my first Eevee on a street corner in my neighborhood! Naturally I was super excited, but even more so when I saw a kitty right next to the Eevee as I was trying to catch it! (Yay kitty) Once my new Eevee was secure in a Pokeball, I decided that said kitty deserved a celebratory pat on the head for helping assist me.
Then I realized I was leaning down to pet a very, VERY pissed off skunk who immediately hissed, turned around, and reared up just as my lizard brain kicked into high gear and booked me out of there as fast as conceivably possible.
TL;DR: A skunk is not a cat. JUST FYI.
posted by Hermione Granger at 9:58 AM on September 1, 2016 [13 favorites]
Then I realized I was leaning down to pet a very, VERY pissed off skunk who immediately hissed, turned around, and reared up just as my lizard brain kicked into high gear and booked me out of there as fast as conceivably possible.
TL;DR: A skunk is not a cat. JUST FYI.
posted by Hermione Granger at 9:58 AM on September 1, 2016 [13 favorites]
bam got em all
i'm gonna go brag to my cat about it (part maine coon, 100% dumb baby. she puked yesterday and got barf on her face and wouldn't let me clean it off)
posted by burgerrr at 1:48 PM on September 1, 2016
i'm gonna go brag to my cat about it (part maine coon, 100% dumb baby. she puked yesterday and got barf on her face and wouldn't let me clean it off)
posted by burgerrr at 1:48 PM on September 1, 2016
I got 11 of 16 right! Not literally the worst!
On of my best friends can never, ever visit my house because they're super terribly allergic to our cat. He is soft and nice and friendly though. He maaaoooows so desperately to go outside sometimes, and when we let him out he just finds a pile of dirt to curl up on or roll in for a while, then walks right back to the door.
Also I have to say I was super excited by all the use of the word "moggy". I only learned it like a year or two ago on QI--it wasn't even a topic or anything, Stephen Fry just offhandedly referred to a random cat in a picture as "a fat moggy" and I had to look it up, because as much as I'd like to I don't actually speak British.
posted by elsilnora at 3:11 PM on September 1, 2016
On of my best friends can never, ever visit my house because they're super terribly allergic to our cat. He is soft and nice and friendly though. He maaaoooows so desperately to go outside sometimes, and when we let him out he just finds a pile of dirt to curl up on or roll in for a while, then walks right back to the door.
Also I have to say I was super excited by all the use of the word "moggy". I only learned it like a year or two ago on QI--it wasn't even a topic or anything, Stephen Fry just offhandedly referred to a random cat in a picture as "a fat moggy" and I had to look it up, because as much as I'd like to I don't actually speak British.
posted by elsilnora at 3:11 PM on September 1, 2016
All this moggy talk reminds me of the following passage from the semi-autobiographical children's book, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr. It's the first place I ever saw the term (well, sort of; Kerr uses a slightly different version, but eight year old me ran to look it up and I've loved it ever since). Just after the Reichstag fire, the two children and their mother are trying to travel undetected from Switzerland to Germany in order to join the father, a well-known Jewish writer whose criticism of the Nazi party made it necessary for him to flee without even telling the children he was going.
---------------------------------
After a long time Anna asked, "Are we in Switzerland yet?"
"I think so. I'm not sure," said Mama.
The lady with the basket stopped chewing. "Oh yes," she said comfortably, "this is Switzerland. We're in Switzerland now--this is my country."
It was marvellous.
"Switzerland!" said Anna. "We're really in Switzerland!"
"About time too!" said Max and grinned.
Mama put the camel bag down on the seat beside her and smiled and smiled.
"Well!" she said. "Well! We'll soon be with Papa."
Anna suddenly felt quite silly and light-headed. She wanted to do or say something extraordinary and exciting but could think of nothing at all--so she turned to the Swiss lady and said, "Excuse me, but what have you got in that basket?"
"That's my mogger," said the lady in her soft country voice.
For some reason this was terribly funny. Anna, biting back her laughter, glanced at Max and found that he too was almost in convulsions.
"What's a... what's a mogger?" she asked as the lady folded back the lid of the basket, and before anyone could answer there was a screech of "Meeee", and the head of a scruffy black tomcat appeared out of the opening.
At this Anna and Max could contain themselves no longer. They fell about with laughter.
"He answered you!" gasped Max. "You said, 'What's a mogger' and he said..."
"Meeee!" screamed Anna.
"Children, children!" said Mama, but it was no good--they could not stop laughing. They laughed at everything they saw, all the way to Zurich. Mama apologised to the lady but she said she did not mind--she knew high spirits when she saw them. Any time they looked like flagging Max only had to say, "What's a mogger?" and Anna cried, "Meeee!" and they were off all over again. They were still laughing on the platform in Zurich when they were looking for Papa.
posted by notquitemaryann at 8:23 AM on September 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
---------------------------------
After a long time Anna asked, "Are we in Switzerland yet?"
"I think so. I'm not sure," said Mama.
The lady with the basket stopped chewing. "Oh yes," she said comfortably, "this is Switzerland. We're in Switzerland now--this is my country."
It was marvellous.
"Switzerland!" said Anna. "We're really in Switzerland!"
"About time too!" said Max and grinned.
Mama put the camel bag down on the seat beside her and smiled and smiled.
"Well!" she said. "Well! We'll soon be with Papa."
Anna suddenly felt quite silly and light-headed. She wanted to do or say something extraordinary and exciting but could think of nothing at all--so she turned to the Swiss lady and said, "Excuse me, but what have you got in that basket?"
"That's my mogger," said the lady in her soft country voice.
For some reason this was terribly funny. Anna, biting back her laughter, glanced at Max and found that he too was almost in convulsions.
"What's a... what's a mogger?" she asked as the lady folded back the lid of the basket, and before anyone could answer there was a screech of "Meeee", and the head of a scruffy black tomcat appeared out of the opening.
At this Anna and Max could contain themselves no longer. They fell about with laughter.
"He answered you!" gasped Max. "You said, 'What's a mogger' and he said..."
"Meeee!" screamed Anna.
"Children, children!" said Mama, but it was no good--they could not stop laughing. They laughed at everything they saw, all the way to Zurich. Mama apologised to the lady but she said she did not mind--she knew high spirits when she saw them. Any time they looked like flagging Max only had to say, "What's a mogger?" and Anna cried, "Meeee!" and they were off all over again. They were still laughing on the platform in Zurich when they were looking for Papa.
posted by notquitemaryann at 8:23 AM on September 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
I love this photo of the Andean Mountain Cat. It so obviously just walked up to someone and said "hey."
posted by you're a kitty! at 5:18 PM on September 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by you're a kitty! at 5:18 PM on September 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Once upon a time I lived in central Africa and had a pet wild cat (I'm not actually sure of the species). Here are a couple of pics of the sweet beast.
posted by Death and Gravity at 7:32 PM on September 2, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by Death and Gravity at 7:32 PM on September 2, 2016 [4 favorites]
That's what I thought too, but I now believe it was a genet. Whatever it was, it walked out the door one day and was not seen again. I'm glad I shared time with it, whatever it was.
posted by Death and Gravity at 8:57 PM on September 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Death and Gravity at 8:57 PM on September 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
Uh...I'm pretty sure that's an actual ceiling cat.
posted by moody cow at 4:21 AM on September 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by moody cow at 4:21 AM on September 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
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