Herd your cats here

[the_geneticist]

That sounds like a delightful day!  Fresh grilled, buttery bread and sunshine and happy cat :o)

[smallcleanrat]

Maestro the Office Supplies Manager:

Every so often SO glances at his printer to find its self-diagnostic results sitting in the printout tray. Maestro has an uncanny habit of initiating the printer diagnostic. Even when the printer is off, Maestro will somehow turn it on and then print the diagnostic. This seems to be the only printer function he ever sets off (even though there are plenty of other options random button-mashing might produce).

We are finding this both amusing and unsettling.

[OneMoreYear]

Maestro the Office Supplies Manager:

Every so often SO glances at his printer to find its self-diagnostic results sitting in the printout tray. Maestro has an uncanny habit of initiating the printer diagnostic. Even when the printer is off, Maestro will somehow turn it on and then print the diagnostic. This seems to be the only printer function he ever sets off (even though there are plenty of other options random button-mashing might produce).

We are finding this both amusing and unsettling.

So cute! Maestro is a much more helpful office manager than either Ninja or Ricochet. Ninja's contributions include laying on top of the scanner and daring me to move her if I want to scan something.  She also has inserted herself into videos I make for my skills class when I am demonstrating skills under the doc cam (some of my instructions include: "remove cat from the work space"). She also tends to lay on top of whatever I need to be grading at the moment.  Ricochet's contributions include walking across the keyboard when I'm trying to type and occasionally sending an email that only she can decode. We think it's possible she's trying to contact the mothership to obtain more specific instructions on "how to cat" but, so far, she has only managed to send emails to my students.

[Puget]

So many good cat antics!

We are having an amazing run of unseasonably lovely weather, so the cats are getting to once again enjoy their catio aka the cat coop (which they access through a window). They are both basking out there and watching cat TV, i.e., the bird feeder.

[smallcleanrat]

Maestro the Office Supplies Manager:

Every so often SO glances at his printer to find its self-diagnostic results sitting in the printout tray. Maestro has an uncanny habit of initiating the printer diagnostic. Even when the printer is off, Maestro will somehow turn it on and then print the diagnostic. This seems to be the only printer function he ever sets off (even though there are plenty of other options random button-mashing might produce).

We are finding this both amusing and unsettling.

So cute! Maestro is a much more helpful office manager than either Ninja or Ricochet. Ninja's contributions include laying on top of the scanner and daring me to move her if I want to scan something.  She also has inserted herself into videos I make for my skills class when I am demonstrating skills under the doc cam (some of my instructions include: "remove cat from the work space"). She also tends to lay on top of whatever I need to be grading at the moment.  Ricochet's contributions include walking across the keyboard when I'm trying to type and occasionally sending an email that only she can decode. We think it's possible she's trying to contact the mothership to obtain more specific instructions on "how to cat" but, so far, she has only managed to send emails to my students.

Ahahaha; that's fantastic.

I've been meaning to ask if there are posts on this thread with the origin story of Ninja and Ricochet (especially how they got their fora names). They sound like quite an interesting pair of kitties!

I wonder if Ricochet and Maestro have the same contact. Sometimes in the middle of the night I'm awakened by the light from my computer monitor coming out of sleep mode, followed by the sound of typing. I will sit up in bed to see Maestro sitting on my desk, face bathed in the glow of the monitor, gaze intent, paws on keyboard.

If I say, "Maestro, what are you doing?" he whirls around, eyes wide and immediately bolts away. SO speculates the cat writes embarrassing fanfiction and fears being discovered. But your mothership idea seems quite plausible.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

We moved more furniture for seating in our 'family room' since we're repairing our large sofa/couch 'cause we're frugal nerds.

I have the little love seat and SO has an armchair. For some reason, two of the cats like the love seat. Elder evil cat is jealous of anyone who gets my attention, so he gets annoyed with Youngest evil cat, who will occasionally sprawl on me when the electric blanket is on. It's been interesting over here.

[mamselle]

Or maybe it's the electric blanket he's jealous of?

After all, he may see warming you up as HIS job...

;--}

M.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Or maybe it's the electric blanket he's jealous of?

After all, he may see warming you up as HIS job...

;--}

M.

Probably. Every now and then I'll catch him staring at me (in disbelief?) when I pet Youngest evil cat. She's so floofy and soft, but she's not a long-haired. Our vet classified her as a medium-haired cat, which is interesting. I've only had one long-haired cat and the rest have been short-haired.

[Larimar]

I wonder if Ricochet and Maestro have the same contact. Sometimes in the middle of the night I'm awakened by the light from my computer monitor coming out of sleep mode, followed by the sound of typing. I will sit up in bed to see Maestro sitting on my desk, face bathed in the glow of the monitor, gaze intent, paws on keyboard.

If I say, "Maestro, what are you doing?" he whirls around, eyes wide and immediately bolts away. SO speculates the cat writes embarrassing fanfiction and fears being discovered. But your mothership idea seems quite plausible.

LOL!

Twerp was the life of the party at my afternoon class yesterday. She spent most of it curled up quietly on my lap, under the radar of my web cam, so I just petted her while I lectured. A few minutes before class was over, though, she ran out of patience and started mewing, and ran across the keyboard several times. I had to shoo her away. Then I had a meeting with a student, and Twerp jumped back on my lap, put her paws near my shoulders, and got right in my face. The student laughed.

Mr. Larimar will be taking Calico to the vet at about lunch time today. She was licking frantically at her back, sides, front legs, and tail. No sign of fleas anywhere, and the other kitties seem fine, so we don't know what it is. I just hope we get some answers. For things like this, they can't always figure it out.

[OneMoreYear]

I've been meaning to ask if there are posts on this thread with the origin story of Ninja and Ricochet (especially how they got their fora names). They sound like quite an interesting pair of kitties!

Ninja and Ricochet origin: Well, their origin story with SO and me is that 5 years ago, SO's kitty companion, FloppyTail (RIP) passed away from bladder cancer.  At the time, we had my fluffy calico (FluffyGirl, RIP), who was decidedly my cat, and SO needed a cat, so when SO was ready, off to the shelter we went.  We initially thought we'd adopt an adult cat, but SO fell in love with two tiny kittens; both had heart murmurs and Ninja had parasites, so she was barely 2 pounds.  We took them out of their shared cage, and they crawled all over us, and that was it.  The first night we had them home, we put up a gate to keep them upstairs and away from FluffyGirl (we probably should not have bothered, she ignored them).  Ninja decided she was not having it, climbed over the gate, and tumbled down the stairs.  She was fine, but that essentially ended attempts at separation.

So, on their Fora names, well, Ninja is stealth and able to steal food out from under you (recent acquisition--pork).  Ricochet, well, she is a ricochet. She zooms around the house at warp speed. She frequently bolts when people come near her.  She has lived with us for 5 years now, and she still is confounded by humans.  She still, after these years with us (and we are decidedly cat people), flinches when we attempt to pet her about half the time.  If strangers are in the house, she zooms into a hiding place. When she allows me to love on her, I melt.

They are certainly an interesting pair.  Our lives are richer for them.  Sorry for long post.

[OneMoreYear]

Double posting a few days apart.

As I've described upthread, Ricochet's primary manner of interacting with us is to initiate the follow-follow/chase game in which she runs (bolts) to a safe spot, we give her scritches, then she bolts to the next spot, and we follow her; the game occurs in short rounds that end when she refuses to come out of a corner or runs to the basement.  She has attempted to initiate the game eleventy-billion times today, interrupting my grading binge. I know I should grade instead of play with my cat, but she's just so flippin' cute. If only she'd interact with us by sitting next to us (or as Ninja does, sitting on the desk itself). I can pet and grade at the same time, but I cannot grade and run around the house at the same time (as evidenced by my still very large grading pile).

[smallcleanrat]

Double posting a few days apart.

As I've described upthread, Ricochet's primary manner of interacting with us is to initiate the follow-follow/chase game in which she runs (bolts) to a safe spot, we give her scritches, then she bolts to the next spot, and we follow her; the game occurs in short rounds that end when she refuses to come out of a corner or runs to the basement.  She has attempted to initiate the game eleventy-billion times today, interrupting my grading binge. I know I should grade instead of play with my cat, but she's just so flippin' cute. If only she'd interact with us by sitting next to us (or as Ninja does, sitting on the desk itself). I can pet and grade at the same time, but I cannot grade and run around the house at the same time (as evidenced by my still very large grading pile).

I think Ricochet takes issue with your base assumption. And haven't you read the research on the draining effects of multitasking? Single-tasking is all the rage these days; it's supposed to be much better for productivity *and* mental well-being. Ricochet is just looking out for you, OneMoreYear!

Thanks for sharing the backstory of your cute critters! I love that you went into the shelter with one set of cat criteria in mind only to jettison those criteria when you met Ninja and Ricochet because they were just that irresistible.

Before Maestro, I had been fantasizing about my future kitty, imagining wandering the shelter until I found The One. When Maestro made his surprise debut in our lives, my fantasy criteria no longer mattered. I never realized I needed a kitty with a silly milk mustache or a honking snore but Maestro showed me the way.

[mamselle]

Ha, just ran across this: The cats at Disneyland (in Anaheim, CA, that is) have their own website...

   https://disneylandcats.com/

And apparently the ones at Grizzly River Run are in the best shape right now:

   https://www.sfgate.com/disneyland/article/While-the-crowds-are-away-Disneyland-s-cats-15726421.php

They say they try to ignore it was all started by a mouse, but I suspect they're pretty ecumenical for all that....

M.

[OneMoreYear]

Before Maestro, I had been fantasizing about my future kitty, imagining wandering the shelter until I found The One. When Maestro made his surprise debut in our lives, my fantasy criteria no longer mattered. I never realized I needed a kitty with a silly milk mustache or a honking snore but Maestro showed me the way.

I don't believe much in fate, but I do think that sometimes the right cat finds the right person and it seems that Maestro is the right cat for you and you are the right person for him. Ninja is the right cat for SO, as he is her human, and she follows him around and sits on his lap and thinks he is the best thing since salmon treats.  I think we are the right people for Ricochet because we know that we have to be patient and accept her in all of her squirreliness and appreciate the little things, even though she remains confounded by us and we do not fully understand all of her rules.

[statsgeek]

Anybody have tricks to prevent unrolling of toilet paper?  There's not really an easily accessible drawer we can put it inside.  We've lost 2 rolls in the last 24 hours, even after I explained that we couldn't afford to waste any right now.