Herding cats! (thanks for the title Loverbear)
By ElicBxn
@ElicBxn (63643)
United States
December 10, 2009 8:26am CST
Well, as you guys know, the roomie had surgery yesterday - well, maybe you didn't but ANYWAY!
The roomie wanted to have all the cats out of her bedroom while she's out at her folks after surgery - so she can come home to a clean bed.
This morning we chased/threw 4 cats out and THOUGHT we had them all...
Of course not...
And not just ANY cat~~~ one of the feral tabbies!!!
Well, she was crying, she'd been in there ALL DAY after all, no food, no water, no sibs...
But would she come out when we opened the door?
Of COURSE NOT!!!
So I finally figured out where the little darling was hiding and got her out of there, so she goes under the chest - chase her out of there, back into the closet, go after her there and she goes to the very TOP of the closet
Have the other roomie get the broom and "sweep" her off the shelf. Meanwhile, the other cats are being kept out by valiant efforts of the other roomie and she sees the open door and goes out!!!
HURRAY!!!
So, I put the room BACK together and we shut it up.
Poor baby is probably traumatized for life - well, for the week anyway!
9 people like this
19 responses
@blestrella (176)
• Philippines
10 Dec 09
That is a nice story. I would like to share some experiences with our cats. too. They always follow me wherever I go, and they enter our house. But my husband doesn't like cats so he always shoos them out. And so, whenever they hear his voice, they would always run fast towards the door. Sometimes, they are very cautious when they come inside the house. They try to sense first if my husband is home. They would look at his room. If he is not there, they can relax and sleep inside the house. But when he gets home, at the sound of his voice, they would wake up and run to the door.
One day, our black feline Schwarzi followed me to my friend's house. My friend was to be out for a couple of days. We did not notice that when we left the house, Schwarzi was left and locked inside. When my friend got back, she was surprised to see the cat inside, with wide eyes because of hunger. The house smelled bad because the cat 'moved'. My friend could not see where 'it' was and then after a while she discovered that Schwarzi did it on a small rag which the cat rolled over to cover her mess. My friend just smiled because she did not have a hard time cleaning and removing Schwarzi's #%@.
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
10 Dec 09
Lol they are very determinant little Babies are the Cats
I know I had to get my Simba out of my Room once and goodness it took me nearly an hour good job I was not with this Illness then lol as he was a little Beggar and just would not come out, he was 6 months old then
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
10 Dec 09
Well, now that I self-determined it wasn't Maggie who went in for surgery and was the helper in herding/keeping the cats out of the room, how is the other roomie doing? I bet she misses the lil' critters but not enough to come home and get swamped by them. lol Waiiiiiiiiiiit a min here...after re-reading, just how many roomies you have? From what I'm determining, there's you, Maggie, other roomie, and one more roomie? -scratches head- Thought there was only 3 of ya? 
This is why when we first brought Tigger home, we had to make sure he couldn't go under the dresser in his room. Only way we could get him out was to actually lift the dresser and chase him out. Now, he can't get under lots of things.
This is why when we first brought Tigger home, we had to make sure he couldn't go under the dresser in his room. Only way we could get him out was to actually lift the dresser and chase him out. Now, he can't get under lots of things. 2 people like this
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
11 Dec 09
-puzzled- All this time I thought Maggie was still there. When did she move out?
2 people like this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
11 Dec 09
Allow me to take this one, Elic.
Yep. I moved out (with her help) about 5 years ago. I'm now in a semi-close-by complex, & I see Elic at least 5 days a week, as she took a job with Girling Health Care, to replace the string of...um...less than bright 
(& at least one thieving) "helpers" with whom I'd been plagued.
You see, I have a couple of handicaps (the worst, IMO, being osteoarthritis; I can barely walk, & then only for short hops. Standing still actually hurts worse! Go figure). She cooks, cleans, shops, grabs my mail, helps me with bureaucratic paperwork (they ought to pay her extra just for that! 
) Sometimes she catches phone calls when I'm on "The Throne"... ;o), & sometimes she plays with me, doing jigsaw puzzles or other fun stuff, such as watching a video on infrequent (but wonderful, Elic! LOL!) occasions. She's even sewn things for me, & she's made some of her beautiful jewelry for me.
I needed the space, anyway, & I still get to see my best friend lots, so it's okay. Home is where the heart is, so she's my home, since I love her to bits! Where I live is mostly unimportant. Hey, it's a roof over me, y'know? But this place could never be called my home.
Oh, & by the way, Elic's been with me through all my surgeries, too. She's good people, is Elic!
Oy! Elic! SMOOOOCH! 
Okay, back to you, gal!
Maggiepie
WHERE'S THE REAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE?
(& at least one thieving) "helpers" with whom I'd been plagued.
You see, I have a couple of handicaps (the worst, IMO, being osteoarthritis; I can barely walk, & then only for short hops. Standing still actually hurts worse! Go figure). She cooks, cleans, shops, grabs my mail, helps me with bureaucratic paperwork (they ought to pay her extra just for that! ) Sometimes she catches phone calls when I'm on "The Throne"... ;o), & sometimes she plays with me, doing jigsaw puzzles or other fun stuff, such as watching a video on infrequent (but wonderful, Elic! LOL!) occasions. She's even sewn things for me, & she's made some of her beautiful jewelry for me.
I needed the space, anyway, & I still get to see my best friend lots, so it's okay. Home is where the heart is, so she's my home, since I love her to bits! Where I live is mostly unimportant. Hey, it's a roof over me, y'know? But this place could never be called my home.
Oh, & by the way, Elic's been with me through all my surgeries, too. She's good people, is Elic!
Oy! Elic! SMOOOOCH! Okay, back to you, gal!
Maggiepie
WHERE'S THE REAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE?1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (47670)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
10 Dec 09
Were the cameras rolling? 
Let's hope the poor baby doesn't decide to give up on people and make a break for it.
Let's hope the poor baby doesn't decide to give up on people and make a break for it.
2 people like this
@chulce (1537)
• United States
10 Dec 09
It sounds like you got a great work out in the process. LOL. Do you feel more energized after doing all the chasing. Wow! I must admit I too have quite a few animals and do a lot of chasing about. But, not to that extent. After a while I just give up and figure the animals will go or come when they want and if they don't do it eventually, they will understand the reasoning later.
@rogue13xmen13 (14402)
• United States
11 Dec 09
Cats are independent creatures that still need love and food! I have four cats, and I feed them and take care of them. I do everything for them, and I clean up after them. They are not easy to take care of, but I do it. My cats all came to me from different litters, and many of them are the last of their litters. Most of them have health problems too, they are a imperfect as I am. I had surgery once as well, and I still took care of my cats. Having cats is a responsibility and if your roomie cannot handle it, then she needs to turn them over to folks who can.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63643)
• United States
11 Dec 09
oh, she doesn't have a problem taking care of them, but when I had surgery last year, they didn't expect me to come home and change cat boxes - her doc doesn't want her to come home until she's got the worst of her surgery stabilize - after all, they did put stitches in her stomach!
mean while, I'm her and the other roomie is here, things will be taken care of
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
11 Dec 09
I have two cats, but I used to have four. I remember when we had to try to catch them for vaccination trips, or to the cattery. It was a circus, just like you described catching these cats.
Even now, with my two cats, one of them can tell the time and has ESP, so she hides hours before she is due to go to the vets.
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
20 Dec 09
there always seems to be one who sneaks back in just when you think you've got them all.my littlest one tried to hide in a box spring that was getting thrown out.
i hate to tell her i could hear her trying to open the bottom.
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
11 Dec 09
Oh, the poor baby! I really shouldn't laugh; it's just the way you told it, though!
Try to make sure she has at least a few weeks of peace, won't you? She probably really is traumatized! How I wish she could be cuddled. but the, she wouldn't be feral, & this whole thing would never have happened.
By the way, lost a 4th post to one (or more?) of my personal herd of stalkers. So you have less money...again. 
At least I finally found out how to reach actual people at HQ, here! (Yaaay!) I sent them a heads up about what's been happening to me! Maybe...they'll respond. Keep yer digits x'd! ;o) (By the way, I saved my complaint letter; I'll let you see it tomorrow, if we have time)(Oh, & thanks again for "fixing" my email! I was going into MyBot withdrawal! Whew!)
Maggiepie
WHERE'S THE REAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE?1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63643)
• United States
11 Dec 09
well, Emily was staring at me but Elmer split, so maybe it was Elmer in the room? I really thought it was Emily... (I'm so glad I had them cut the ears differently so we could tell them apart)
"S" the geek contacted me about the password, but I told her I got it fixed.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63643)
• United States
12 Dec 09
they "notch" the ears of feral cats to show they are fixed
by "notching" what they do is snip just the tip off the ear - while they are out for the fixing
So, the feral kittens, because we were expecting them to go to the horse barn, had, like their mother, their ears notched. But because Elmer and Emily look so much alike, we had them notch Elmer's right ear instead of the normal left ear.
so, they don't "cut their ear off" they just snip a little piece off the tip so people can tell they are fixed easily (hard to tell if ia female is fixed otherswise!)
1 person likes this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
12 Dec 09
"Cut the ears?" "CUT THE EARS?!"
Please tell me that's a joke or something! Who "cuts" cats' ears?!? 
Maggiepie
WHERE'S THE REAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE?1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
10 Dec 09
I hope your friend is doing well from the surgery. I told u my neighbor next door had that surgery & she has done really well w/it. hope roomie does to. As for all those cats in her room, no comment, lol.
1 person likes this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
11 Dec 09
Yeah, it's mostly dogs they have there, right? Well, that & her lame-o brother (Hey!--her opinion! )
Anyway, she'll be fine. She's tougher than a Yukon sled dog driver's shoe leather--except when she's concerned about her fur-babies! Her best virtue, IMO!
Maggiepie
WHERE'S THE REAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE?
)
Anyway, she'll be fine. She's tougher than a Yukon sled dog driver's shoe leather--except when she's concerned about her fur-babies! Her best virtue, IMO!
Maggiepie
WHERE'S THE REAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE?1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
11 Dec 09
Elic, i hope she pops back as quick as my friend did. I couldn't believe how she popped back from the surgery. I hope roomie does as well. Have a great weekend.
@mysticmaggie (2498)
• United States
11 Dec 09
You needed my Scottish terrier. He's great at herding cats because he has the moves of a quarter horse and a happy disposition. He herded our cats with great determination until they finally piled up together in a ball of cats and fell asleep!
1 person likes this
@Loverbear (4918)
• United States
12 Dec 09
Uhh, the thing about terriers is that they can jump! He could have probably handled getting up to the top of the closet! Terriers don't wear out too quickly either, but they do eventually wear out. I proved that with a friends terrier who decided to play ball with me one day. We played for about 4 hours straight...he was so tired and thirsty that he drank two of my cups of coffee! He was really "wired" after that. (Sorry, I couldn't pass up that pun! 
)
Terriers don't wear out too quickly either, but they do eventually wear out. I proved that with a friends terrier who decided to play ball with me one day. We played for about 4 hours straight...he was so tired and thirsty that he drank two of my cups of coffee! He was really "wired" after that. (Sorry, I couldn't pass up that pun! )2 people like this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
12 Dec 09
Arrrrrrrrrrghle! OW wotta pun!
Maggiepie (punoff winner, Punisher Extreme)
WHERE'S THE REAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE?
OW wotta pun!
Maggiepie (punoff winner, Punisher Extreme)
WHERE'S THE REAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE?1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
10 Dec 09
hi ElicBxn good for you despite all the sweat and everything
you finally got your cats out of the roomie's bedroom. oh
poor baby but she will get over it I am sure. you sound
like you really love all these cats, feral or not. I am
so glad someone does care for them,I would love to have
a cat here but it would mean an extra hundred dollars a
month on my rent which I do not have. My roomie has talked'
about it but I do not think she is really able to care
for a cat now. good luck and God bless.
1 person likes this
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
10 Dec 09
Thanks for the narrative. You gave me my laugh for the day, well, a good chuckle, anyway.
1 person likes this
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
11 Dec 09
They keep you on your toes don’t they? I find every day I battle keeping the dog away from the kitten, the kitten away from the older cat, the budgie away from the kitten and all the while making sure nobody eats anybody else’s food because they are all on different diets! On top of all that the little one, the new arrival is very mischievous and has already broken things and got stuck under the couch and couldn’t get out!
I almost always attract cats wherever I go. Before I got married I lived in a first floor apartment on my own and I did not have any cats at the time because I was working rather long hours but managed to have feline visitors come and see me all the time from around the neighbourhood. One day one of the little visitors got inside my place as I was getting for work. When I returned home about ten hours later the poor cat had lifted all my carpet off the floor while scratching to get out; he was left alone with my bird all day whose cage was on the floor and didn’t touch him which in itself was amazing, I thought.
1 person likes this
@gayathri_nugur (125)
• India
11 Dec 09
well coming to my point i cannot chase at the back of my pets as you because i do not have as much as capacity as you,my pets make me to run some times ,I do not leave them if they make me angry,I wait for some time and take them to my house
