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Review: Juvenile Felis Catus

MBCook writes "Looking for something new? Well Dan's Data has a review of something called a "Juvenile Felis Catus" (or "kitten" for short). The review goes over everything from how to aquire one, to required maintence, to storage, to a comparison against other ways of spending your money (kitten vs. puppy vs. baby vs. new video card). The article is full of useful and informative links such as your average kitten's standard configuration. A well reasoned and interesting review."

350 comments

  1. Ode to Spot by momerath2003 · · Score: 5, Funny
    Felis Catus is your taxonomic nomenclature,
    An endothermic quadruped carnivorous by nature.
    Your visual, olfactory and auditory senses
    Contribute to your hunting skills and natural defences.

    I find myself intrigued by your sub-vocal oscillations,
    A singular development of cat communications
    That obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
    For a rhythmic stroking of your fur to demonstrate affection.

    A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents:
    You would not be so agile if you lacked its counter-balance.
    And when not being utilized to aid in locomotion
    It often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.

    Oh Spot, the complex levels of behavior you display
    Connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array,
    And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend
    I none-the-less consider you a true and valued friend.


    -- Data

    (sorry, it was the first thing that came into my mind when I saw a review of "felis catus" on a page called "Dan's Data")
    --
    I had but a simple dream, to destroy all humans.
    1. Re:Ode to Spot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      'life's too short
      to fuck it up

    2. Re:Ode to Spot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      dammit, that poem was the first thing I thought of :)
      Congrats on FP.

    3. Re:Ode to Spot by pHatidic · · Score: 4, Funny
      kitten vs. puppy vs. baby vs. new video card


      At least spot doesn't have prerequesites

    4. Re:Ode to Spot by shiva.singh.goel · · Score: 1

      Un gato fascinador

    5. Re:Ode to Spot by momerath2003 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Thank you. I'd like to thank my producer, and my director of course, and lastly but most importantly, all my fans out there. I love you all.

      --
      I had but a simple dream, to destroy all humans.
    6. Re:Ode to Spot by kzinti · · Score: 1

      Gawd... not even Vogon poetry is THAT bad!

    7. Re:Ode to Spot by FooAtWFU · · Score: 2, Funny

      I just keep trying to sing it to the tune of _I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General_ (Pirates of Penzance) and failing. =(

      --
      The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
    8. Re:Ode to Spot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please tell me that you don't have that memorized...you had to look it up, right? Huh?

    9. Re:Ode to Spot by spinlocked · · Score: 1

      Well, I was just about to say that my cat has an extraordinarily well developed set of senses and is therefore completely sentient, when she decided to reply for herself:

      (Actually her contribution (random repeated alphanumerics) has been deemed 'lame', which is felist at best)

      --
      # init 5
      Connection closed.


      Oh... ...bugger.
    10. Re:Ode to Spot by rco3 · · Score: 4, Funny
      "kitten vs. puppy vs. baby vs. new video card

      At least spot doesn't have prerequesites"


      We call those dependencies 'round here, even though it seems to be the other way around.
      female.so not found
      Nothing to do in /home/bed/room.
      make: baby failed.
      Arg. I've been watching emerge too long.
      --

      Ce n'est pas un vrai mouvement de robot!
    11. Re:Ode to Spot by momerath2003 · · Score: 1

      Yes. I only know the first line and the second half of the second line by heart.

      --
      I had but a simple dream, to destroy all humans.
    12. Re:Ode to Spot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I just keep trying to sing it to the tune of _I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General_ (Pirates of Penzance) and failing. =(

      hahah... i was doing the same thing.

      on a side note.

      damn you woman! why did you make me watch that?!?! forever will it be stuck in my head.

      on a side to that my knowledge of gilbert and sullivan at least lets me picture this quote by pres bush...

      The enemy understands a free Iraq will be a major defeat in their ideology of hatred. That's why they're fighting so vociferously [boisterious]. ...as a future musical.

      i am the very model of a suicidal self dentonator.
      my views are very islamic, fundemental and most radical...

      eh... screw it... not enough alchohol or coffee to actually figure out the proper cadence to that. but one day...

    13. Re:Ode to Spot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Life? Don't talk to me about life.

    14. Re:Ode to Spot by Gori · · Score: 1

      Man, I have not laughed out so hard at /. for ages ! Thanks. made my day :)

      --
      Complexity is a measure of our ignorance...
    15. Re:Ode to Spot by toxcspdrmn · · Score: 1

      Obviously not many life scientists awake today.

      The Linnaean binomial ("scentific name") should always be italicized, the generic name has a capital and the specific name doesn't.

      So it should be:

      Felis catus or Felis domesticus.

      Pedantically yours,

      --
      "E pur si muove!" - attributed to Galileo Galilei, 1564-1642
    16. Re:Ode to Spot by Lemmeoutada+Collecti · · Score: 1

      Shoudn't that bee /home/room/bed ?

      General to specific?

      And becareful, using the shared female.so libraries can result in viruses. Tek appropriate precautions, and only use the single user mode of female.so

      I suggest you stick with the video card, however. Based on the error you posted from your makefile, you also do not have nag.so to provide asserts on filinus.box, or to canis.walk

      Enjoy

      --

      You can have it fast, accurate, or pretty. Pick any 2.
    17. Re:Ode to Spot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your female is shareable?

    18. Re:Ode to Spot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      eh... screw it... not enough alchohol or coffee to actually figure out the proper cadence to that. but one day...

      Not enough talent, more like.

    19. Re:Ode to Spot by rco3 · · Score: 1

      "Your female is shareable?"

      Why do you care? Can't you get one of your own?

      She's not female.[shareable object], she's female.[significant other].

      There. I've had to explain the joke. Happy now?

      --

      Ce n'est pas un vrai mouvement de robot!
    20. Re:Ode to Spot by operagost · · Score: 1

      That was a different ST:TNG episode - and it was Jeordi. *grin*

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    21. Re:Ode to Spot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought this was quite brilliant :)

  2. A "Pets:" Section? by MMHere · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What, a Pets: section now?

    First /. gets into Politics by adding that new section. Now this.

    What's next, RealEstate: ???

    1. Re:A "Pets:" Section? by commodoresloat · · Score: 1

      The pets section was necessary because they're bringing back the columns of JonKatz.

    2. Re:A "Pets:" Section? by miketang16 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yea seriously.. what IS next? A section for jokes or something?

      --
      -------
      "In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
      -- George Orwell
    3. Re:A "Pets:" Section? by mistersooreams · · Score: 1

      No, PROFIT!!!!

    4. Re:A "Pets:" Section? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      "no profit"

      ...the slashdot business model in a nutshell.

    5. Re:A "Pets:" Section? by nizo · · Score: 4, Funny

      It is either that or put the article under the "Food" section.

    6. Re:A "Pets:" Section? by Minwee · · Score: 1

      Perhaps a new section for "In Soviet Russia" jokes and "First Post" posts. We could call it "Insensitive Clod".

    7. Re:A "Pets:" Section? by Fizzog · · Score: 1

      Personally I think they should introduce something so we can comment on the Fortune Cookies. I'm surprised they haven't already.

    8. Re:A "Pets:" Section? by csguy314 · · Score: 1

      Animals, politics, what's the difference?

      --
      This is left as an exercise for the reader.
    9. Re:A "Pets:" Section? by bar-agent · · Score: 1

      First /. gets into Politics by adding that new section. Now this.

      Embrace and extend, baby. Embrance and extend.

      --
      i'd hit it so hard, if you pulled me out you'd be the king of britain [bash.org]
    10. Re:A "Pets:" Section? by ChairmanMeow · · Score: 1

      Embrance and extend.

      And extinguish.

      Kill the kittens!

      --
    11. Re:A "Pets:" Section? by waynelorentz · · Score: 1

      Embrace and extend, baby. Embrance and extend.

      Wasn't the motto of Monty Python's knights of the Round Table "Adopt, Adapt, and Improve?"

    12. Re:A "Pets:" Section? by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      Why work that hard? It's rather easy to get God to do it for you.

    13. Re:A "Pets:" Section? by jrumney · · Score: 1

      Next comes the "Pet Dupe" section. And in case you're wondering, I'm not talking about Dolly the Sheep.

    14. Re:A "Pets:" Section? by Dogtanian · · Score: 2

      They could combine the pets and jokes section and call it "Insensitive Clawed".

      --
      "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
  3. baby vs. new video card ?? by Average_Joe_Sixpack · · Score: 5, Funny

    No contest, I can always trade in the video card

    1. Re:baby vs. new video card ?? by kempokaraterulz · · Score: 2, Funny

      But the real question is... how many fps can the baby get, and can it be overclocked?

      --
      I have accepted Provolone into my life!
    2. Re:baby vs. new video card ?? by avgjoe62 · · Score: 4, Funny

      When it has been installed in your house for about 16 years, it will overclock with no intervention on your part...

      --

      How come Slashdot never gets Slashdotted?

    3. Re:baby vs. new video card ?? by nizo · · Score: 1

      Yes but neither a cat nor a video card can pick out the cheapest home for you when you get too old to take care of yourself.

    4. Re:baby vs. new video card ?? by justkarl · · Score: 1

      You know, I was reading the table, and it came to me, that based on one's level of expertise, a video card may or may not talk back during installation. It probably wouldn't make noise, but I guarantee it would piss you off when it did talk back.

    5. Re:baby vs. new video card ?? by logic+hack · · Score: 0

      Yes but the making of a video card isn't nearly as much fun ;)

    6. Re:baby vs. new video card ?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      True... But with the money I can save by not having a baby, I'll be able to hire my personal nurse.

      Anyway, you have a lot of faith if you believe your children will take care of you when you're old (unless they want your money, of course).

    7. Re:baby vs. new video card ?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because you have sex only to have children? You should get an other wife...

    8. Re:baby vs. new video card ?? by smithmc · · Score: 1

      No contest, I can always trade in the video card

      In today's hardware market, a baby will hold its market value longer than a video card.

      --
      Downmodding is the refuge of the weak. Don't downmod, make a better argument!
    9. Re:baby vs. new video card ?? by Afrosheen · · Score: 1

      But in the long run, your ROI may well be much lower on the baby. The ROI for the kitten is as immeasurable in concrete terms as the video card's is. Both can bring you some form of happiness or have entertainment value, but only one can cause you to sneeze uncontrollably, put up with atrocious odors, destroy furniture, and type uncontrollably.

      Yeah, I'll take the video card. Give me some time on the baby thing, I don't see a whole lot of value there. ;)

    10. Re:baby vs. new video card ?? by dougmc · · Score: 1
      I've got the baby (two), the kitten (now a cat) and a decent video card ...

      Guess which one is being bounced upon my knee as we speak because he won't sleep (probably has something with that projectile vomit bug he has!) Hint: the kitten^H^H^H^H^H^Hcat would just meow and vomit (a previous kitty did that in the back of a monitor. I needed a new monitor anyways (that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!)), and the video card would probably rather render cacodemons rather than be physically bounced.

      (Side note: while bouncing said baby, one hand is usually used holding him, which makes typing difficult and preclues most games, as they generally require two hands to play well. Chromium BSU is sort of useful in these circumstances -- can be played with one hand, is quick, and your system may already have it installed. Your video card wants OpenGL to render, and Chromium BSU does a fair job of delivering, at least until it crashes (alas, it's not that stable)).

    11. Re:baby vs. new video card ?? by FireFury03 · · Score: 1

      When it has been installed in your house for about 16 years, it will overclock with no intervention on your part...

      Doesn't that usually lead to a melt down?

    12. Re:baby vs. new video card ?? by Lemmeoutada+Collecti · · Score: 1

      Only in cases where the peripheral components cannot handle the bandwidth and keep good data flowing into the buffer. The baby goes through several upgrade cycles on it's own:

      1) Baby - Has the best rendering of smiles and frowns, and the sound devices canot drive subwoofers, but can be quite loud
      2) Toddler - Can easily be destructive to unprotected systems, however, can also provide hours of amusement if monitored properly
      3) Preteen - Probably the most stable, able to absorb large quantities of data. Make sure all data inflowing is of the highest quality, or the next stage is hell to deal with
      4) Teenager - Almost as destructive as toddler if the Preteen stage did not receive sufficient good data, this stage provides the most creative output, but very little logical functionality
      5) Postteen - This stage is highly unpredictable, and differs from Baby to Baby. At this point, a new Baby may be required.

      --

      You can have it fast, accurate, or pretty. Pick any 2.
    13. Re:baby vs. new video card ?? by Lemmeoutada+Collecti · · Score: 1

      Yes, but can the video card smile and make you feel all warm? Can the cat one day support you? And neither the kitten nor card will ever grom into woman(or man) to really make your day

      --

      You can have it fast, accurate, or pretty. Pick any 2.
  4. How many? by bigattichouse · · Score: 1

    Ahh.. so "How many cats crazy are you?" We are only one cat crazy. Most programmers I know are at least 2-3 cats crazy. How many cats crazy are you?

    --
    meh
    1. Re:How many? by kazoosandinstruments · · Score: 0

      well, i don't know about cats, but i just might be pussy crazy ...

    2. Re:How many? by Black+Jack+Hyde · · Score: 1

      Two here, a male grey mackerel tabby and a female longhair calico. Both are always eager to be near a warm computer too.

    3. Re:How many? by bigattichouse · · Score: 4, Funny

      Do you find that cats seem magnetically attracted to open computer cases? Its only a hypothesis of mine.

      --
      meh
    4. Re:How many? by smclean · · Score: 4, Funny
      I'm one cats crazy. But I think I get bonus points since every cat I've ever owned has been named after a unix text editor. What's strange, is the cats outcomes has been reflective of the state of their namesakes.

      Jed - Ran away. Came back miraculously a few months later, but could not be domesticated.

      Pico - Healthy cat, raised from a kitten, found dead inexplicably one day in the backyard.

      Lynx (OK, not a text editor) - Great cat, lots of fun, worked for years, then disappeared, presumably coyote food.

      Emacs - The only cat I still use now. Extremely independent and reliable, can be trained to strange behavoir, but only if he wants to be trained.

      Name your pets wisely!

      --

      "'Yrch!' said Legolas, falling into his own tongue."

    5. Re:How many? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      While not a Programmer, my gf has 5 cats. Names matched them in several ways.

      Jake - nice but tough.
      Jilly - simply silly
      Judo - he likes to play by grabbing and throwing things
      Mysty - she looks stoned or in a trance
      Goku - if you watched Dragonball Z, you'd understand

    6. Re:How many? by value_added · · Score: 1

      Sheesh. I wonder whether I can vi for space to say I'm zero cats crazy.

      --
      mutt user

    7. Re:How many? by dedeman · · Score: 1

      Just one, but that's all I need. "Mr. Cuddle Buttons" doesn't like other cats.

    8. Re:How many? by arose · · Score: 2, Funny

      Your cat unit is just diffing the enviroment, it is a standard feature and does not rely on magnetic attraction.

      --
      Analogies don't equal equalities, they are merely somewhat analogous.
    9. Re:How many? by Nos. · · Score: 1

      LOL... I thought I was the only one...
      Grep (well, text based tool at least)... out of all the cats I've had, she's one of two that has never been lost. The other one that never got lost Gryphon tries to stay out late. The funny thing is, I can tell her to go find Gryphon, and within 15 minutes they're both at the door waiting to come in.

    10. Re:How many? by tsarin · · Score: 1

      One cats crazy; name: Five.

    11. Re:How many? by OneDeeTenTee · · Score: 1

      No. I usually have several lying around. He hasn't even shown interest in the cables.

      --
      Stop the world; I need to get off.
    12. Re:How many? by WolfWithoutAClause · · Score: 1
      Lynx (OK, not a text editor) - Great cat, lots of fun, worked for years, then disappeared, presumably coyote food.

      Nah, most cats eat dogs for breakfast, or they atleast give a damn good account of their selves. Being almost literally armed to the teeth helps a lot.

      It was probably catnapped. As in, somebody started feeding it, and it st(r)ayed. They are like that, cats, always looking out for the number 1 mealticket.

      --

      -WolfWithoutAClause

      "Gravity is only a theory, not a fact!"
    13. Re:How many? by Fancia · · Score: 1

      Actually, coyotes are a real danger to domestic cats in some areas; it's far from unknown for that to happen.

      --

      Bít, zabít, jen proto, ze su liska!
    14. Re:How many? by cpeikert · · Score: 2, Funny

      What's strange, is the cats outcomes has been reflective of the state of their namesakes.

      My cat's name is Qusay.

      From the moment I named her, she started running my household like a brutal dictatorship.

      It's uncanny.

    15. Re:How many? by demon · · Score: 1

      Also look out for hawks, depending on where you live - a hawk got one of my parents' cats, after another had tried to take off with him a few years prior, and he ended up with big holes in his back for a couple months after that. He (Ed) was a big cat too...

      --

      Sam: "That was needlessly cryptic."
      Max: "I'd be peeing my pants if I wore any!"
    16. Re:How many? by thogard · · Score: 3, Funny

      Having kittens that like to walk on keyboards is the only sane argument I've ever known in the vi vs emacs wars...

    17. Re:How many? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have 37 cats, and I've just changed all their names to Jasmine.

    18. Re:How many? by Samrobb · · Score: 2, Funny

      Blargh. I just realized that, at the moment, we're 3 cats crazy, and we've been 4-5 cats crazy at times - not counting litters! Mix in two rufflebutts, two mini dauchsunds, a praying mantis, 3-4 stray cats that come around when it suits them, coyotes, deer, owls and (thanks to the cats) a regular flow of dead chipmunks, moles and birds... sheesh. Life on the farm, I guess. Best thing is I'm only 30 minutes outside of Pittsburgh :-)

      --
      "Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgement." Job 32:9
    19. Re:How many? by grendelkhan · · Score: 1
      God help me, we are now four cats crazy - all male.
      • Clovis - Mama's baby - old man, spoiled rotten, former indor cat, refuses to eat treats unless they are alive.
      • Grayson - Alpha male, wooly bully, the other old man, secretly loves affections, but only in the middle of the night when you'd rather sleep
      • Sully - former terrorist, now lovable in his threes, very fluffy
      • Milo - Young terrorist and menace to society, has only one eye from a childhood run in with a car, has learned how not to take pills and knock over every container of liquid in the hours
      --
      Wu-Tang Name: Half-Cut Skeleton Get your own Wu-Na
    20. Re:How many? by AaronW · · Score: 5, Funny

      Strangely enough both of my cats avoid my open computer cases and they both wear magnets. I installed a cat door that requires a magnet to be worn on the cat's collar for it to permit entry. The magnet works great for other things as well. My cats always seem to find those little springs and screws I lose in the carpet. Also, my cats seem to have found a never ending supply of bent nails. I have no idea where they pick them up from.

      The magnets have worked well to keep out the other neighborhood cats and a couple of raccoons who tried to chase my cat inside.

      It can also be comical to watch how the cat reacts when the magnet comes into contact with a magnetic object. I quickly learned to remove spoons from bowls before offering to let my cats pre-rinse them.

      Note that Cat 1.0 is not always compatible with Cat 2.0. Often random behavior will occur. Entertainment factor = # of cats squared.

      --
      This post is encrypted twice with ROT-13. Documenting or attempting to crack this encryption is illegal.
    21. Re:How many? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A coyote is not a lapdog. It is capable of eating tougher things than cats for breakfast. They can weigh up to 45 pounds, and that's pretty big for something built so wiry.

    22. Re:How many? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      My kittens avoid my Sunwoofer like it was a Chinese Buffet. Slap some Metallica into Winamp and they find a new place to chill.

      But, they absolutely love the monitor. Use the Big Windows Mouse Pointers and have a blast. They paw at 'em like crazy.

    23. Re:How many? by Zorilla · · Score: 1

      We actually ended up with quite a few dead birds in the yard because of our cat - one of which was a hawk. I'm still surprised that he managed to knock down a bird that big.

      --

      It would be cool if it didn't suck.
    24. Re:How many? by LiENUS · · Score: 1

      I'm quite surprised too... then again we had a bantum chicken that nearly killed a hawk, i guess if a 2 lb chicken can do it certainly a cat can. but when you get into bigger hawks your going to have trouble, we've got hawks out here where i live that would scare a fullgrown man.

    25. Re:How many? by laptop006 · · Score: 1

      Which is why the ones at work are trained not to. Always surprises people...

      --
      /* FUCK - The F-word is here so that you can grep for it */
    26. Re:How many? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My ex girl friend's cat use to be attracted to a open case like crazy... until one day, I was using one of those compressed air cans... and I tried to push the cat away... he got on my nervs... I reversed the can (you know that cold cold air will come out now) and kept the nozzle near his hide.... one fiiiizzzz and that cat never went close to the case again :P

    27. Re:How many? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      asdf

    28. Re:How many? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tell me about it: I've gotten into an accidental rut of naming mine after things from Gilligan's Island. Yes, the TV show. No, I was not using mushrooms nor dreaming of Maryanne.

      The first cat was a little buddy, so he got the name Gilligan.

      The second cat looks like a breed of dog called Schipperke, which is Dutch for... Skipper. So he is Skipper.

      The third cat just came along recently and he's stuck with this naming system. We call him Minnow, after the boat SS Minnow. Alternately, we call him Fish. Yes, a cat named Fish.

      Sigh. It's truly sad, isn't it?

      I have another cat who was once very small. We named it Pixel. Do I get any geek points for that? No? Shucks.

    29. Re:How many? by wheany · · Score: 1

      If I had a enough money to "throw away" a tablet pc, I would make a game for cats, kind of like whack-a-mole. In the game small "things" wander around the screen until the cat smacks them. Then they either stop or disappear. I would have to do some play testing to see which works best.

    30. Re:How many? by Lemmeoutada+Collecti · · Score: 1

      In my cat's case, Final Fantasy VII's Cloud works best. Can't play the game without being offered unsolicited help. Seems she likes yellow. She also goes after Mario characters, but never Luigi.

      Also, she loves pac man, the sound has her trying to get inside my subwoofers as he goes momp momp.

      Set up a forum for that and I think there would be some interesting observations.

      --

      You can have it fast, accurate, or pretty. Pick any 2.
    31. Re:How many? by cosmol · · Score: 1
      I installed a cat door that requires a magnet to be worn on the cat's collar for it to permit entry.

      That sounds pretty neeto, what is the brand name of the cat door, and does it actually work?

    32. Re:How many? by mdrn28 · · Score: 1

      My cat goes absolutely crazy when I play Warcraft III, with all those little things running around behind the glass.

    33. Re:How many? by pkhuong · · Score: 1

      Tablets aren't touch sensitive... Touch sensitive devices are usually less expensive, though, so you might be in luck :)

      --
      Try Corewar @ www.koth.org - rec.games.corewar
    34. Re:How many? by Crizp · · Score: 1

      One cat crazy, a completely black "dunno" mix. Well we know which cats are the parents but they're weird mixes too.

      It's called Ilemauzar, and to annoy some of the indoor cat freaks here: It basically lives outside, but it's as domesticated as any cat I've seen. We live in the woods, with the nearest asphalt road some 200 meters away. Most of the neighbours (7 in a square mile radius) have one or more cats. Every one has a distinct personality. One of the neighbor cats was most likely schizophrenic (I'm not kidding here) too.

      Ilemauzar manages just fine on his own and has his own habits. He comes and goes, but nearly always he's at the door between 5 and 7 in the morning. He'll stand there for a couple of minutes doing nothing. If we haven't noticed he's there he starts scratching at the cat door (closed for incoming due to neighbor cats).

      Sometimes in the summer he takes off and doesn't come back until a few days pass. He almost never fights but will defend his large territory to death (but all the cats here are "friends").

      In the winter he's inside most of the day and all night. Come summer and we rarely see him around.

      Cats do live fine by themselves, especially near a forest - I would never have a cat living in a city unless my apartment was huge with enough space. I think cats should be free to roam, but in the city it's near impossible if you actually want a long-time "friend" instead of a furry toy that lasts a couple of years.

      Cats in my hood generally live to be 10-12 years old. Every one of them lives like our cat - mostly outside. We don't have coyotes though. Just elk, deer, fox and some evil presence which name must not be mentioned lest you be drowned in the nearby lake.

    35. Re:How many? by hesiod · · Score: 1

      > I'm still surprised that he managed to knock down a bird that big.

      I have a friend whose cat was huge, we always just thought it was fat, but they took it to a vet & he said it was muscle. The cat ended up in a fight vs. a raccoon (which are really nasty & vicious, if you didn't know, and this is near the woods, it wasn't like the raccoon was lost, weak, & hungry in a city) & killed it. Tripper (the cat, of course) had only one slightly-bloody scratch across its nose. Cats can do some amazing things.

  5. Carryable! by lordsilence · · Score: 2, Funny

    An alternative to carrying the cat in a bag: LAN Gear for kittens ;)

  6. Slashdot. News for Nerds. Stuff That's Old by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    This review is well over a year old.

    1. Re:Slashdot. News for Nerds. Stuff That's Old by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Cat technology hasn't really changed a lot in the last year.

    2. Re:Slashdot. News for Nerds. Stuff That's Old by Alsee · · Score: 1

      Damn! Have cats hit the wall on Moore's law?

      -

      --
      - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
    3. Re:Slashdot. News for Nerds. Stuff That's Old by annesdata · · Score: 1

      This review IS old, but newer pictures of Mickey the cat can be found at the Dan's Data spinoff site here.

  7. Um, talk about out of date.... by endersdouble · · Score: 2, Informative

    We do all realize that this is WAY out of date? This page has been up since April 1st. 2003.

    1. Re:Um, talk about out of date.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      We do all realize that this is WAY out of date? This page has been up since April 1st. 2003.

      That's right. And of course, we all saw every web page that went up back then as soon as it appeared. It was easier way back then when the net was smaller, there were fewer pages and we didn't have so many people complaining that they've seen things before.

    2. Re:Um, talk about out of date.... by wolrahnaes · · Score: 1

      "That's right. And of course, we all saw every web page that went up back then as soon as it appeared. It was easier way back then when the net was smaller, there were fewer pages and we didn't have so many people complaining that they've seen things before."

      I know this page has been linked from here before...i saw it like a year and a half ago....but i'm too drunk right now to find it....

      maybe it was on the [H].....

      --
      I used to get high on life, but I developed a tolerance. Now I need something stronger.
  8. What's the deal with geeks and cats? by ventivent · · Score: 1

    I have one, too. But if you browse the somethingawful forums, (paid reg required) or any other message board frequented by geeks, probably 40% of them have some reference to their cat, either as their avatar pic, or somewhere in their .sig. Sheesh.

    1. Re:What's the deal with geeks and cats? by arose · · Score: 5, Funny

      Cats are bigger geeks than most human geeks: they like the same heat generating hardware AND bite off the heads of live chickens.

      --
      Analogies don't equal equalities, they are merely somewhat analogous.
    2. Re:What's the deal with geeks and cats? by Lemmeoutada+Collecti · · Score: 1

      Not only that, but somehow my cat has the uncanny ability to find exactly the part I am looking for... or maybe the reason I am looking is because the cat has it... on the other hand, my PC is named for the cat, "Bitchy Kitty"

      --

      You can have it fast, accurate, or pretty. Pick any 2.
  9. Laser Pointer ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Won't you risk damaging the cat's eyesight by aiming laser pointers at it - I'm serious ?

    1. Re:Laser Pointer ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm serious ?

      I don't know, are you?

    2. Re:Laser Pointer ? by lexarius · · Score: 5, Funny

      I don't think you are supposed to aim the pointer at the cat. Aim it at the wall. The cat will chase the light on the wall. Then move it around rapidly and see how many objects you can get the cat to run into. Works better with particularly stupid dogs.

    3. Re:Laser Pointer ? by Wolfbone · · Score: 1

      Not if you use it properly as shown in this training video. However, if you are worried, there is probably scope for building on the infamous patent and inventing some protective goggles or something to go with the cat laser.

    4. Re:Laser Pointer ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm gonna have to disagree on that one - stupid dogs can't get stuck on curtains, but stupid cats can.

      My friends cat has to regularly be let down because it will climb up but doesn't know how to get down and won't jump unless left for a LONG time.

  10. Looking for something old? by RevJim · · Score: 1
    "Looking for something new?"

    This review was up in April of 2003... not quite what I would consider new.

    However, Dan's Data rocks so I guess this is okay.

  11. negative one. by Vellmont · · Score: 1

    That is, if you leave me alone with a cat long enough, you'll have zero cats.

    --
    AccountKiller
    1. Re:negative one. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mmmm I like dogs. They go great with BBQ souce.

    2. Re:negative one. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dogs are excellent as fish bait too!

  12. Two words in cat care by droleary · · Score: 2, Insightful

    All you need to know has long been at: Bonsai Kitten!

    1. Re:Two words in cat care by gnuman99 · · Score: 1
      All you need to know has long been at: Bonsai Kitten!

      What kind of a fucked up site is that?

    2. Re:Two words in cat care by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative
      It's a joke. Look at Snopes before revealing your ignorance.

      I mean, REALLY! What sort of /. reader HASN'T heard of Bonsai Kitten? Next, you'll be asking what HHGttG stands for.

    3. Re:Two words in cat care by lavaface · · Score: 1

      Insightful? Oh, yeah, this is Slashdot. *shudders*

  13. I'm afraid by Doomsdaisy · · Score: 5, Funny

    I fear looking at the link just in case there is something about the notorious kitten modding community I keep hearing about. If you mod your kitten, don't you violate the warranty?

    '

    --
    These are breasts; this is source code.
    Why do you have a problem with those two things belonging to one person?
    1. Re:I'm afraid by Minwee · · Score: 4, Funny
      These are breasts; this is source code.
      Why do you have a problem with those two things belonging to one person?

      Having spent a lot of time around University computing labs, I have no problem with the idea that programmers can have breasts.

      Theirs are just hairier than the usual kind.

    2. Re:I'm afraid by MagicDude · · Score: 5, Funny

      Theirs are just hairier than the usual kind

      Yarrr. That will replace the whale in my nightmares.

    3. Re:I'm afraid by TyrranzzX · · Score: 1

      Yes and if you violate the warrenty, god won't give you another. Nuetering also removes warrenty.

    4. Re:I'm afraid by dswensen · · Score: 4, Funny

      You know, with signatures turned off in preferences, this exchange is surreal as hell.

    5. Re:I'm afraid by jb.hl.com · · Score: 1

      These are breasts; this is source code.
      Why do you have a problem with those two things belonging to one person?


      I don't, I'm an equal opportunities geek perv.

      --
      By summer it was all gone...now shesmovedon. --
  14. Cat vs Video Card? by dedeman · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ha ha! I have both, and to prove it, I can show you a cooling fan and a patch of white cat fur with an odd grill shape on it.

  15. dangerous behavior by etaluclac · · Score: 2, Funny
    Note to the squeamish: Yes, this means it'll lick its privates. Don't pretend you wouldn't do it too, if you could.
    I only wish my hardware could perform as reliably as the felis catus.
  16. First thing I thought of... by FrYGuY101 · · Score: 4, Funny

    after reading the summary:

    Hello? Tech support? Yeah, I've got one of your "Felis Catus", juvenile models... it seems to be expelling large amounts of hair-like spheres... yes, it does go into self-cleaning mode rather often... yes, it has been eating solid foods, rather than moist... yes, it's been drinking water, rather than milk... oh. Reboot? I'll try... *kick*MEOW!*

    --
    "If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living."

    - Seneca
    1. Re:First thing I thought of... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is that supposed to be funny? It's just dumb.

    2. Re:First thing I thought of... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not to gross anyone out, but one minor nit: anyone that has/had cats know that hair "balls" are in fact more like "hair cigars". Some of these "hair-cigars" are sturdy enough that one wonders how it does not injure the cat's innards.

      I'm surprised no one came up with a better name than "ball" because it is definitively not a hair ball. ...Crap, I can't believe I'm posting on Slashdot about cat hairballs. That's what too much overtime does to you.

  17. Confusion by KillerHamster · · Score: 1

    Ok, so I just woke up and without even bothering to put my glasses on, I opened up Slashdot and saw "Juvenile Fells Cactus" and thought, "Whaaaa?" and I took a second look and still saw the same thing, so I read the blurb and about halfway through realized it wasn't a cactus its talking about. I should probably go back to bed.

    1. Re:Confusion by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I read the article and I still thought it was about a cactus.

  18. **WARNING** by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    KITTEN IS NOT RACK-MOUNTABLE

    Just a word of advice from someone who's "been there".

    1. Re:**WARNING** by ChairmanMeow · · Score: 1

      # mount -t petfs /dev/kitten /mnt/windowsill
      mount: Could not mount /dev/kitten: Sharp claws.

      --
    2. Re:**WARNING** by TheBoostedBrain · · Score: 2, Funny

      Bonsai kittens are rack mountable

      --
      -- When did Ignorance Become a Point of View?
    3. Re:**WARNING** by Hobbex · · Score: 4, Funny

      Babies, however, are rather fond of being mounted to racks.

    4. Re:**WARNING** by th3space · · Score: 1

      "You want a rack'a'babies? We go babies on racks!" *thud* *monkey noise*

      --
      "How like you to drag your keyboard to a gun fight." - Aaron Bedard (BANE)
    5. Re:**WARNING** by Lemmeoutada+Collecti · · Score: 4, Funny

      You just need the rack mountable model. In point of fact, some models are self rack mounting. Apparently, they require a positive thermal flow (warm spot) and will then proceed to self rackmount for extended periods of time, unmounting only for maintenance tasks.

      I know this from experience. Also, do not leave an exposed rackmount keyboard, or you may find your iptables spontaneously changing.

      --

      You can have it fast, accurate, or pretty. Pick any 2.
    6. Re:**WARNING** by Mark_in_Brazil · · Score: 1
      Also, do not leave an exposed rackmount keyboard, or you may find your iptables spontaneously changing.
      Not if you use a product like this one...

      --Mark
      --
      "It is nice to know that the computer understands the problem. But I would like to understand it too." --Eugene Wigner
  19. Fun things to do with your cat by dirkdidit · · Score: 1

    If you have decided to take the plunge by getting a cat of your own, you'll eventually find yourself bored with it. Here's an interesting activity you might want to try to pass the time with you and your kitty.

    1. Re:Fun things to do with your cat by Mouse42 · · Score: 1

      I took this scan of my cat back when the shutdown.com cat scan website was still up.

      I love that scan because it shows my cat's polydactyly really well.

  20. Next of Kzin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    The standard jokes apply here, but not well.

    Can you run linux on it?
    Imagine a beowulf cluster of these...
    In Soviet Russia, cat posts year-old review of you.

    What this needs is a new meme.

    Can you start a new Man-Kzin War with one???

    (Can also apply to pretty much any space technology or any technology that could be adapted to weaponry with difficulty. Especially applies to any laser-based communications system.)

    It should be further noted that I forgot to include a subject and got the "Cat got your tongue" error message. Heh.

    1. Re:Next of Kzin by arose · · Score: 1
      Can you run linux on it?
      Runs on:
      • Kitten: most horizontal, many sloped and some vertical platforms
      • Puppy: most horizontal and some sloped platforms
      • Baby: most horizontal and some sloped platforms; slow, but should improve as the unit ages
      • New video card: AGP
      --
      Analogies don't equal equalities, they are merely somewhat analogous.
    2. Re:Next of Kzin by dedeman · · Score: 1
      In Japan, there is a a beowulf cluster of these.

      It should be further noted that I forgot to include a subject and got the "Cat got your tongue" error message. Heh.. My cat has my tounge, you insensitive clod!

      Ok, had to get those in quickly.
    3. Re:Next of Kzin by EnigmaticSource · · Score: 1

      Even toasters... hell even NetBSD can't do that (IAANBU)

      --
      The Geek in Black
      I know my BCD's (when I'm Sober)
  21. Fun fact by ImaLamer · · Score: 3, Informative

    Did you know that only about 1% of the housecats in the world are pure breed?

    Most cats (99%) are mixtures of several breeds.

    1. Re:Fun fact by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did you know that 85% of statistics are made up on the spot?

      Like that 85% number I just made up right now?

      That being said.. It's not that I don't believe you but it would be nice to post reference to back up that number, a website or something.

      This applies to all quoted statistics that are posted, not just you. So anyone who posts statistics, try to post reference also so you don't look like you're making it up.

    2. Re:Fun fact by pla · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Did you know that only about 1% of the housecats in the world are pure breed?

      Did you know that the entire concept of a "purebred" counts as total BS, a fictional concept designed to allow a small number of people to profit from an activity this particular species engages in prolifically (and loudly)?

      Not to mention that a "mixed" breed will usually have fewer health problems (some defensive cat-slaver will no doubt chime in to dispute that - True, under optimal conditions, you can breed genetic disease out of a line. It simply does not happen in practice, as the largest motivation to breed involves profit, which you don't maximize by "rendering nonviable" two out of every three newborns).

    3. Re:Fun fact by stratjakt · · Score: 3, Informative

      "Purebred" is just an arbitrary term cat (or dog) people come up with to create an artificially "elite" class of pet ownership.

      Personally, I think it's a little cruel to keep inbreeding animals. Purebred pets suffer so many more congenital problems than mutts.

      I mean, why do we make dogs who are cousins hump and make inbred, sick puppies?

      --
      I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
    4. Re:Fun fact by imac.usr · · Score: 4, Informative
      Er, no.

      No reputable breeder sets out to make a profit on their cats, nor are they trying to breed "disease" out - they're bred for specific physical or emotional characteristics, and judged as such.

      People who breed cats for profit are looked down upon as the scum of the universe by any real cat breeder. Every single one I know puts the health and well-being of their cats above any financial concern. There are people who spend close to $5,000 per year on their catterys, just for vet visits and sheltering.

      Please, do a little research on the subject before you paint all cat breeders with the same evil brush. (No, I'm not one, but my wife is, and I assure you she's not in it for the money.)

      --
      I use Macs for work, Linux for education, and Windows for cardplaying.
    5. Re:Fun fact by orkysoft · · Score: 1

      Did you know I think 99% of people who care about whether a cat is purebred are cat nazis?

      --

      I suffer from attention surplus disorder.
    6. Re:Fun fact by MagicDude · · Score: 1

      This kind of purebreeding has been done for centuries. It's how we got dogs to begin with; wolf puppies who showed more docile tendencies were bred together so their offspring could be used inside human society. That's also how we got all the breeds of dogs and cats we have today. Those animals which had desirable tendencies were selectively breeded together. Fishermen in Canada needed a dog to help them take the nets from the ship to the shore, so they bred a dog that liked to swim and had a thick and water resistant coat so that they could move through the cold Canadian waters, and thus the Labrador Retreiver was created. We will always breed animals to have the traits that suit our wants and needs. In the past, we wanted intellegent, strong, and loyal working dogs. These days we want proofy dogs with pointy ears and curly tails. Well, maybe that's not that I want, but that's what makes a championship dog these days if you've ever seen a dog show, but the means to make these dogs haven't changed since the days of old.

    7. Re:Fun fact by jpetts · · Score: 1

      Not to mention that a "mixed" breed will usually have fewer health problems (some defensive cat-slaver will no doubt chime in to dispute that - True, under optimal conditions, you can breed genetic disease out of a line. It simply does not happen in practice, as the largest motivation to breed involves profit, which you don't maximize by "rendering nonviable" two out of every three newborns).

      The easiest way to "breed" genetic disease out of a populations is to kill those with the disease (or you can substitute "undesirable trait" for "disease" if you wish), and this has been done successfully by many breeders, most notably breeders of horses, and most commonly in those societies where horse breeding is a rich man's pastime. Thus, for example, the stud of Manuel Tavares Veiga, for four generations in Portugal, has been ruthless in shooting all offspring with undesirable traits, and as a result, has the most sought after, and incidentally, among the hardiest lines of the Lusitano horse in the world. It happens in Spain, too, and with Arabian horses.

      --
      Call me old fashioned, but I like a dump to be as memorable as it is devastating - Bender
    8. Re:Fun fact by WCMI92 · · Score: 1

      There is NO SUCH THING as an ordinary cat. As any cat slave (You can't own a cat, they own you) can tell you.

      My cat is nopw 9. She's a marbled gray and orange, and her name is Polgara (David Eddings).

      --
      Corporatism != Free Market
    9. Re:Fun fact by Joe+Tie. · · Score: 1

      One trait we've selected for in particular I find interesting is their ability to understand and comunicate with humans. I've heard it said that dogs have a better intuitive understanding of human body language than even other primates. While I'm not sure of the truth of that, it certainly seems that humans have done a remarkable job in casting a quite genetically different species into our own image.

      --
      Everything will be taken away from you.
    10. Re:Fun fact by ludo_ergo_sum · · Score: 1

      I agree that not all animal breeders are evil. And speaking as a member of the board of directors of a local animal rescue organization, that actually says something. I also agree that we shouldn't paint everyone with the same evil brush. There are plenty of evil brushes to go around. :) There was a person who refused to have any of her cats sterilized even when we offered to have it done at no cost whatsoever. We even offered to transport the cats ourselves. She was definately not in it for the money since she didn't sell a single cat. She had a permanent "Free Kittens" sign in her yard. Of course, all the cats had serious health problems and were kept in terrible conditions and were handed out to anyone who wanted them so I am sure that many became "disposable kittens", but who's counting... It sounds like this is nothing like imac_usr's wife, just a bit of my experience that tends to bias me against anyone who breeds cats. My main problem is that any cats that a breeder sends out into the world is one more cat that is not adopted from an animal rescue or humane society. And yes, I know, some people would just go without cats if it were not for breeders, but I also feel those people have some distorted priorities. In response to the statements about people who breed animals killing the ones that don't match up to their standard: Anyone who does that is stupid. You can just as effectively remove undesirable genetic traits by sterilization of the animals with those traits. That then leaves you with an animal that may not fetch the same price as a perfect one, but certainly won't be completely valueless.

    11. Re:Fun fact by Chris+Carollo · · Score: 1
      Every single one I know puts the health and well-being of their cats above any financial concern.
      Yet some health problems are due to the purebreeding itself. Yes, I'm sure they take very good care of the cats they breed, but there's a certain amount of damage that is done simply by the act of purebreeding.

      For example, my parents have had 4 purebreed Golden Retrievers which have a far higher incidence of hip dysplasia than do mixed breeds.

      Coupled with the fact that there are thousands of cats and dogs euthanized for lack of adoption and I have a hard time empathising with those that intentionally breed more animals and by doing so encourage hereditary defects.
    12. Re:Fun fact by mvdwege · · Score: 1

      The Golden Retrievers' problems you mention is because the popularity of the breed drew in a lot of bad breeders a few years ago. The inbreeding in the line led to said problems with the race (some bad lines are actually mean, the very opposite of what a Golden Retriever should be).

      The same happened here in Europe with the German Shepherd (I believe the Americans call it the Alsatian?) and the Collie (where attempts to breed a finer pointed nose by crossing in the russian Borzoi led to serious character problems).

      In cat land the prime examples are the Siamese (character problems and fragile health) and the Persian (the modern Persian's flat nose leads to respiratory and tear duct problems).

      Health problems in purebred cats are mostly found, as in purebred dogs, when a race gets particularly popular, and thus draws in those 'breeders' who are only in it for the money. Of course, efforts fix a certain characteristic, (like aforementioned flat nose in Persians) also means lots of inbreeding, with the attendant problems.

      I have done some research on this. I have always been around moggies, but currently I am seriously considering getting a pure-bred Maine Coon. This breed is fairly free of problems, aside from a slightly higher chance on certain heart conditions. A friend of mine owns a pure-bred Persian, a beautiful smoke-coloured female of the classic kind, with the longer nose, and she's one unproblematic cat, full of as much vigour as the breed standard allows (Persians are not known for being very active, but she is at the top end of the spectrum).

      Thankfully, the trend in cat breeding over the past few years is for 'natural' cats. The lines are looking more robust these days, and the image of the high-strung, weak-health pedigree is slowly fading. It will take time, careful breeding, and a loss of some snobbiness as well, to make pedigrees as robust as the moggies, but it is by no means impossible.


      Mart
      --
      "I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?
    13. Re:Fun fact by Greyfox · · Score: 1
      "Pure bred" is an euphamism for "inbred". If you want the same breeding plan that brought us poodles, the British Royal Family and 2/3rds of the residents of Alabama then by all means go for the pure breeds of cat. You'll get a shorter life expectancy and discover the joys of genetic physical defects (Deafness is a common one.)

      If on the other hand you want a cat that'll live damn near forever (In cat terms anyway, especially if it's indoor only) and be able to cope with pretty much everything life throws at it, go for the mutts. All in all they're much better examples of "good stock" than the purebreeds out there. In my opinion.

      --

      I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

    14. Re:Fun fact by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Er, no.

      No reputable breeder sets out to make a profit on their cats, nor are they trying to breed "disease" out - they're bred for specific physical or emotional characteristics, and judged as such.

      People who breed cats for profit are looked down upon as the scum of the universe by any real cat breeder. Every single one I know puts the health and well-being of their cats above any financial concern. There are people who spend close to $5,000 per year on their catterys, just for vet visits and sheltering.

      Please, do a little research on the subject before you paint all cat breeders with the same evil brush. (No, I'm not one, but my wife is, and I assure you she's not in it for the money.)


      How do you know the thoughts and motives of all reputable breeders? And if you don't, how can you discern their intentions (without intimate access to their value-pathways)?

      People lie, you know. For money, people can lie very well. People can even lie to friends.

      So if your simple denial is based only on hunches and anecdotes from breeders you think you know, consider that their stated intentions and actual motives might be separate.

      Perhaps the "real cat breeders" you've encountered loudly proclaim their distaste towards open profiteering because of guilt, or some other psychological mechanism. Who's to say?

      One thing's for sure: desexed "purebreds" are a lot cheaper than ones with equipment intact. Why don't "real cat breeders" want competition?

      Also: the profit margins on sold "purebreds" are enormous considering the operating expenses. If "real cat breeders" don't have a profit motive, why do they let "the scum of the universe" set the market price, and go along with it happily, raking in thousands in profit per kitten sold?

    15. Re:Fun fact by Lemmeoutada+Collecti · · Score: 1

      I am Polgara, and I approved this message :P

      --

      You can have it fast, accurate, or pretty. Pick any 2.
    16. Re:Fun fact by LtOcelot · · Score: 1

      People who breed cats for profit are looked down upon as the scum of the universe by any real cat breeder.

      Sounds like the "no true Scotsman" fallacy. These people are "real cat breeders" irrespective of their motivations.

  22. Tuna by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I know there's one way to make a cat your instant friend: feed the fucker tuna. It's like a drug to them. Plus the cat gets nice and muscular too.

    1. Re:Tuna by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Be sure to feed them fried chicken liver afterwards.
      Male cats need it.

    2. Re:Tuna by DSP_Geek · · Score: 1

      You might wanna be careful about that. Cats need taurine, which tuna does not provide them. Taurine deficiency causes nasty diseases and eventually death.

  23. why just kittens and puppies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    being geeks, and probably mostly males, we could
    use this kind of information on aquisition and maintenance of a girl friend [though I hear the cost is in a whole other league from kittens]

  24. "multiple rendering pipelines" by man_ls · · Score: 1

    The comparison table at the end is the funniest thing I've seen all week. Without a doubt.

    1. Re:"multiple rendering pipelines" by cinhuram-j · · Score: 1

      Remember too, kittens pack more processing power than that new video card. So a cat is a much better buy for the discriminating shopper.

    2. Re:"multiple rendering pipelines" by man_ls · · Score: 1

      Can you provide a MIPS, MFLOPS, or Triangles/sec rating to back that up?

    3. Re:"multiple rendering pipelines" by stealthcat42 · · Score: 1

      This benchmark apparently didn't stress-test the "baby" device in this review.

      Main Entry: ren-der
      transitive verb
      1(a) to melt down render suet; also : to extract by melting (solid to liquid form) render lard

      Most Babies I've encountered (while still in the burn-in period) are indeed capable of at least dual-pipeline simultaneous rendering.

  25. Geeks like to experiment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  26. news for nerds?? by $tendec · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I don't mind slashdot posting articles on politics but it would be nice if it were more balanced....if slashdot is going to bash Kitty supporters then why don't they bash puppy supporters as well.

    I should qualify this....i do appretiate slashdot's choice giving exposure to third party pets.

    ok i can't go on any longer....i for one welcome out new fluffy faced overlords and in soviet russia our kittens own us.

    stendec@gmail.com

    1. Re:news for nerds?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How does this bash kitten owners? It says a cat is more desirable than a puppy, a video card, and a baby.

    2. Re:news for nerds?? by demon · · Score: 3, Funny

      and in soviet russia our kittens own us.

      No, I'm pretty sure that applies everywhere else as well...

      --

      Sam: "That was needlessly cryptic."
      Max: "I'd be peeing my pants if I wore any!"
    3. Re:news for nerds?? by arexu · · Score: 1

      I for one look welcome our new soviet kitten masters.

      --
      I'd love to help you out -- which way did you come in?
    4. Re:news for nerds?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Overlords. Its overlords. If you are going to repeat a slashdot cliche, get it right!

    5. Re:news for nerds?? by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      /me barely resists the urge to fire up the GIMP on that one.

  27. Ed? by dj245 · · Score: 1

    If you're going to post year-old articles, please don't include "looking for something new?" as the catchline. Its pretty amusing, but it makes you look silly.

    --
    Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
  28. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  29. Cat tale by slumpy · · Score: 3, Informative

    Cats are not compatible with optical mice.

    --
    http://www.commaecho.com
  30. Kittens are Xylophone Compatible by Sigfried · · Score: 1
    Check it out:

    http://www.rathergood.com/independent_woman/

    (Flash required)

    One of my favorite sites !

  31. Ob. Futurama Quote by Russ+Steffen · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Kittens give Morbo gas."

  32. Just say no! by gandalfnm · · Score: 2, Funny

    I have a 19 year old Felis Catus and good God! That cat can lay a turd which would put a great Dane to shame! And the stench will drive you outta the house! Course he only does that when hes done vomiting over everything in the house!

    AHHHHHHHH!

    1. Re:Just say no! by Kumochisonan · · Score: 1

      Please, take your cat to the vet. That is not normal behaviour

      --
      kill elrond
      take elrond
      put elrond in cupboard
    2. Re:Just say no! by twocoasttb · · Score: 3, Informative

      Sounds like your cat maybe has the same thing mine does. Megacolon is where the cat's large intestine becomes enlarged because of nerves not working properly. Stool accumulates and gets, well, enormous. Benefiber mixed in his food and two capsules daily of DSS stool softener help my cat maintain somewhat regular bowel function. It's definately something that should be treated; the longer you let it go the worse it gets, and if it goes to far surgery is the only option.

  33. PC Speak? by Sly+Mongoose · · Score: 1
    Upstanding individuals who don't desex their cats...

    "Desex?" Is that a politically correct euphemism for "cut their balls off?"
    1. Re:PC Speak? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For fuck's sake, I can't stand you fucking nazi conservatives. This is a good example of WHY.

      The first thing you do when you see a term you don't recognize is cover your ears and go "that's pc that's pc hur hur hur".

      "desex" would include both neutering and spaying. "cutting their balls off" only addresses one.

      God forbid english actually progress and become more efficent. If it did, then short-bus riding conservatives like yourself wouldn't be able to speak it!

    2. Re:PC Speak? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Desex?" Is that a politically correct euphemism for "cut their balls off?"

      or what life is like after you get married...

    3. Re:PC Speak? by demon · · Score: 1

      Well, not all cats have balls... mine used to, of course, but no longer does. Hasn't changed his holy-terror hardcore attitude tho. He's still as patently insane as the day I got him.

      --

      Sam: "That was needlessly cryptic."
      Max: "I'd be peeing my pants if I wore any!"
    4. Re:PC Speak? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You blame conservatives for a lot of things, don't you?

      It's really quite stupid, that has nothing to do with conservatives.

    5. Re:PC Speak? by allanj · · Score: 1

      [Upstanding individuals who don't desex their cats...]

      "Desex?" Is that a politically correct euphemism for "cut their balls off?"


      Yes and no. Desex would be the quasi-scientific term that works for EITHER gender. "Cut their balls off" very accurately describes the action for ONE gender. Neutering (sp?) would be more accurate though, works for both genders and already exists. So it's kind of an invented term where another does exist, which makes it a strong contender in the "politically correct" department. OTOH, it IS more accurate than "cut their balls off", which works in the opposite direction - at least IMHO.

      For the record, I've had several cats (all male) and none of them have been neutered. They've lived full lives - lots of hunting, lots of fighting, lots of attempts (sometimes successful) at breeding. Not very long lifes, though - even though we live in the countryside, we DO have cars and I've yet to see a cat that properly understands that they pose a real danger. As do combine harvesters, if one should be foolish enough to nap inside one...

      --
      Black holes are where God divided by zero
  34. Please post more "I LOVE MY KITTY" bullshit by stratjakt · · Score: 2, Insightful

    we don't cover insane cat people enough on slashdot.

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  35. Kitten modding by Raul654 · · Score: 3, Funny

    No need for unreliable amatuer modding, when you can but them pre-modded from these guys.

    --


    To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.
    --E.C. Stanton
  36. Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If you can't be bothered to care for a cat, don't get one, please. Cats should not be allowed outside to kill the local wildlife, get and spread disease, and be injured/killed/tortured by local dahmer-to-be's. Indoor cats live longer, healthier lives, and assuming you give them a toy or two, do not need the outdoors for entertainment/exercise.

    1. Re:Please stop having cats. by The+Infamous+Grimace · · Score: 1

      To confine a cat to the inside is to deny a cat its' true nature.

      (tig)

      --
      Ignorance and prejudice and fear
      Walk hand in hand
    2. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To domesticate a cat and live with it is to deny its true nature. Its too late, they have already been domesticated. They are no longer wild animals, and lack the ability to live safely outdoors. Care for them or do not have them.

    3. Re:Please stop having cats. by mad+flyer · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's stupid. Cats have their own personallities, some can live only inside, some need to be outside.
      Maybe their life is shorter, but it's THEIR LIFE. Like you may die faster if you ride a motorbike. You have no right to chose for others, btw in countries were they belong (i/e: everywhere except australia/newzealand) they just act as pest control.
      Mine is a house tornado but she's ill at ease outside, so she stay at home. But my father's cat was a sleep at home hunt outside boy. No way to keep him inside when he was awake, but no way to let him sleep outside.
      YOU CAN'T JUST DECIDE FOR CATS learn this and stop nazification "in the name of god" or "for the sake of children/cats".

    4. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, getting ran over by cars, eaten by stray dogs, or just plain lost is a cat's true nature. Especially right after you've forked out the money to get them spayed or nutered.

    5. Re:Please stop having cats. by tim_mathews · · Score: 1
      My cat is nearing on 17 and has spent most of her life going out one door and asking to come in the other. Sometimes she'll go out for a few days at a time though it's getting rarer. She seems to do rather well wandering through the woods on her own or sleeping on the sidewalk depending on her mood or whatever it is that makes cats want to do what they do.

      Likewise my grandmother's cat was a fullgrown stray when it showed up in her yard. I don't know any of his history prior to that but I do know that he lived outside under a bush for two years before he consented to come in the house. I've been dozens of farms and ranches and *every* one had barn cats. I suppose you could call them semi-domesticated. That is, they lived in the barn and generally survived on mice and other little critters but wouldn't run away from people and were generally friendly.

      I'll grant you that if you live in a city you probably shouldn't be letting your cats (or your children) roam around outside. However, don't go spouting crap like "cats lack the ability to live safely in the outdoors." That's the most rediculous thing I've heard all day.

    6. Re:Please stop having cats. by nihilogos · · Score: 1

      To confine a cat to the inside is to deny a cat its' true nature.

      I used to agree with you. My old cat was definately an outdoor cat, he used to cry at the door if I ever tried to keep him inside out of concern for the local possum population.

      After he died I got these two who are indoors all week except for maybe a few hours on the weekend. They are perfectly happy.

      --
      :wq
    7. Re:Please stop having cats. by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 2, Funny
      To confine a cat to the inside is to deny a cat its' true nature.

      Perhaps, but then they won't run the risk of running into dimensional transmogrifiers*.

      * Some people call them cars, I call them dimensional transmogrifiers, because they turn 3-dimension cats into 2 dimension cats.
      --- F. Frederick Skitty
    8. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, its not rediculous, its true. Look at the statistics available from say, the humane society. Cats are not able to feed themselves adequately, lack effective defenses against predators, nevermind cars and assholes. And the cats we domesticated so many years ago were not equipped to live in a north american environment to begin with, nevermind having been so far removed from nature for so many generations. Get your head out of your ass and look at reality, not your couple lucky cats that managed to survive.

    9. Re:Please stop having cats. by Snocone · · Score: 1

      Heh. Apparently you've never lived on a farm. Aside from the detail that they prefer sleeping inside out of the rain and cold, sensibly enough of them, barn cats are just as feral a predator as anything else close to their size and do just fine without any humans pandering to them in the slightest.

    10. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was raised on a farm, with "barn cats". This is a major reason I feel the way I do. Your barn cats are getting fed, from someone else. You did realize they wander off to other people's places too right? And you do realize they don't enjoy being killed by local dogs, coyotes, cars, etc right?

    11. Re:Please stop having cats. by Kyro · · Score: 1

      Wow they're gorgeous looking cats !

      Out of curiousity, what breed are they and what are their names?

      --
      save the GNUs!
    12. Re:Please stop having cats. by paganizer · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If you can't be bothered to let your cat LIVE instead of turning it into a life accessory/interactive toy, please do not get one.
      In order for a cat to be happy and whole, it MUST hunt, it must have a chance to explore. It's cat nature.
      Keeping one locked up it's entire life is no different than doing a bonsai kitty.
      Oh, and PLEASE consider cutting off your fingers to the first joint before you consider de-clawing a cat; if you can't live with a clawed cat, Kill It, it's more merciful.

      --
      Why, yes, I AM a Pagan Libertarian.
    13. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No, stop trying to put your feeling into your cat. Cats live perfectly fine indoors, and have no need to hunt anything or explore anything. If you want your cat to experience the outdoors, TAKE it outside, don't LET it outside.

      And I do find it amusing that you on one hand support cruel and neglectful treatment of cats, and then in the next breath are against cruelty. I don't know why you associate being a reponsable owner with mutilating animals, it seems kinda weird. I don't injure my cats, or my dogs for that matter. You aren't "supposed to" chop off ears and tails just because people are used to a dog looking a certain way.

    14. Re:Please stop having cats. by nihilogos · · Score: 1

      They are burmese, and their names are Sulfa and Taki.

      I am a bit concerned that I feel pride when anyone calls my cats gorgeous :P

      --
      :wq
    15. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Girls should not be allowed outside unattended to be raped by men, getting and spreading disease, unable to defend themselves against threats to their safety. Indeed, if you make sure to provide the finer things in life for them, there is no need at all for them to go outside.

      Freedom and safety are in many ways a direct one-to-one tradeoff for each other. Both are desirable, neither is the correct choice. Such are the difficult decisions in life.

      I suppose this wouldn't appeal if you're the sort of person who intends to force their children to become doctors when they want to be musicians, but personally, I believe in letting them choose their own fate. There is no proof a cat is actually smart enough to make this decision, but I believe they are. Regardless, I have had some cats who show no interest at all for going outside, and others who trod outside happily during the coldest, darkest, most miserable blizzards. Every cat is different just like every person is different.

    16. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you can keep your cat off my property, fine.

      Don't give me any of that bs about killing mice for me, etc., either. Those are my problem, not yours. Who likes cat crap buried in little kids' sandboxes? Hell, who likes curious little kids getting scratched by cats?

      If you DO leave it outside, don't start whining if someone's German Shepherd kills it while on their property (mine wouldn't, but its happened before to other people living in my area. Judge ruled in the dog owner's favour, btw. Natural prey drive, just like your cat killing mice and songbirds, and the cat shouldn't have been wandering the neighbourhood in the first place. Owner should've kept it in their house or on their property.)

    17. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Good analogy, wrong age. A cat is not able to make decisions like a teenager, they are like 3 year olds. And you are correct, 3 year old girls (and boys) should not be allowed outside unattended.

    18. Re:Please stop having cats. by Snocone · · Score: 1

      Your barn cats are getting fed, from someone else.

      Heh. The next nearest neighbour was four miles, the one after that twelve. I *assure* you, neither of them were feeding our barn cats. Or their own. Now, you can think that the cats were making a fifty mile round trip every day to and from the nearest subdivision where somebody might actually feed them, but you would be pretty much a complete idiot if you did, most people would say.

      And you do realize they don't enjoy being killed by local dogs, coyotes, cars, etc right?

      Well, there was only one local dog and only four local cars, where 'local' is a fifteen mile radius ... and not too many coyotes either. None of the above killed any significant number of cats that I ever noticed. Try again.

    19. Re:Please stop having cats. by Afrosheen · · Score: 1

      Gorgeous? I think he meant delicious.

      Mmmm...fresh cat.

    20. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Living on a farm is quite different than living in the city. I'm not sure why people would keep a cat inside on a farm.

      As for the city, we have a problem with neighbourhood cats ripping up our garden and until we got a German Shepherd dog (as a pet, not cat deterrance), crapping in the sandbox (yuck).

      City cats belong inside.

    21. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Yeah, sure, let it roam outside at will. Cut its life expectancy in half (or less). Way to show you care.

    22. Re:Please stop having cats. by LiENUS · · Score: 1

      If only you werent full of it, i've lived with cats my entire life, i've grown up with veterinarians my entire life, some cats need to be outdoors. Cats are quite intelligent and very capable of defending themselves, a cat has a far greater power to weight ratio than any other animal, the little 10 lb neighbourhood cat is capable of killing animals many times its size, they dont because of the risk but they are very capable of it. Cats are also very capable of feeding themselves, why do you think theres a HUGE problem with unneutered animals? because they survive just fine when they end up strays and they continue reproducing.

    23. Re:Please stop having cats. by greg_barton · · Score: 1

      if you can't live with a clawed cat, Kill It, it's more merciful.

      Now, that's a tad extreme. I declawed my cat. It's wasn't my finest hour, I'll admit (did it to please a girlfriend) but my kitty has done fine in the years since. He was a badass mutherfucker before, and he still is. He just wins fights by biting instead of clawing. The fights are actually fair now. (He hasn't killed another cat since being declawed. Before, though, he had several notches in his belt...uhhh...tail...)

    24. Re:Please stop having cats. by pyrote · · Score: 2, Funny

      Keeping one locked up it's entire life is no different than doing a bonsai kitty.

      Well there is more effort ito making a bonsai kitten. I have no idea where I can get small acrylic boxes.

      And I'm ashamed that you wouldn't even give a link to the site.

      on a serious note, I think your full of crap. I've had many cats throughout my life and every time I give in and let them "have the chance to explore" it's been run over by a car.

      Now I have 3 cats, all indoor, 2 kittens even. I have to say, these are the happiest animals I have ever seen.

      not to sound shallow, but I hope you get splinters from that tree your hugging.

      --
      THE WORLD IS GOING TO END!!!! eventually.
    25. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "cat has a far greater power to weight ratio than any other animal"

      Somehow I doubt this. But even if it was true...

      German shepherds, great danes, rottweilers, etc., are all easily capable of killing a cat. So are cars. So are all sorts of poisonous substances that they can get into (through someone's open garage door to some antifreeze, for example).

      Cats can defend themselves, sure. They're quite a match for small children, I'm told. Ever heard of cat scratch disease? Nasty thing for a young kid to get. And thanks to you people letting their cats outside, kids can now get it in their own back yard. Even if they don't get CSD, it can be dangerous for a small kid to be attacked by a cat (or more likely they provoke an attack by being curious). Also, how about other people's pets? Small dogs for instance. The dog is kept in its yard thanks to dog control laws, but that doesn't matter thanks to people like you.

      None of the things I've listed so far are all that common (although not THAT uncommon). But what about gardens? Cats rip through my garden regularly. They've killed flowers and generally made a mess getting to whatever plant they happen to like there. They've crapped in my sandbox and all over my yard.

      You want your cat outside? Fine. But keep it in your yard. Not for your cats sake, I couldn't care less if it was supper for some wild animal. Do it out of respect for other people.

    26. Re:Please stop having cats. by shoolz · · Score: 1
      I'll agree with you letting your cat run wild when it stops:
      • Digging up my garden that I spent all summer tending
      • Shitting in my garden and all over my yard
      • Chewing up my garbage and spreading it all over the place
      • Invading (trespassing on) my property
      • Leaving muddy footprints on my deck/car/sills that I have to clean
      • Trashing the nest of the beautiful doves that have settled in my pine tree
      • Pissing on everything it feels the need to mark
      You cat owners feel like the rest of society should bend over backwards because you WANT to own a cat without abiding by society's written and unwritten rules.
    27. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have you considered discussing your grievances with the cat, instead of simply bitching about them?

    28. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unfortunately, the cat doesn't know english, so a booting is all that works.

    29. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry but your girlfriend is a fucking piece of shit if she asked you to do that.

      Darling Smorgrav

    30. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      > Unfortunately, the cat doesn't know english, so a booting is all that works.

      I am sure you really meant "shooting"...
      HTH, HAND

    31. Re:Please stop having cats. by shawb · · Score: 5, Informative

      I agree that a cat must have a chance to explore. It is just fine exploring under your bed, in a paper bag just brought in, etc. And the hunting instinct can be more than compensated for by play and attention. Cats that are never allowed to roam free outside never really have much of a desire to.

      The fact is that cats that allowed to roam free have an average life expectancy of 3 years as opposed to 15-18 years for indoor only cats. House cats are domesticated animals. Many of the traits which help them survive in the wild have been bred out over thousands of years. Even wild cats which still have all of their instincts have no way of dealing with traffic, the number of poisons that are easiily found in the city and the cruelty that can be inflicted on them by other humans.

      And if you are still convinced that your cat needs to go outside, please make sure that it is spayed or neutered. Remember that in seven years one female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 cats. Because of this shelters are forced to euthanize millions of cats anually. These are people who love animals enough to make taking care of them a career, who have to kill cats each and every day because people are unwilling to spay/neuter and keep their cats locked in the house.

      However, I do agree with you 100% on declawing. It is indeed cruel, and there are ways to cope with the instinct and redirect it. And from personal experience working in shelters, a cat poses a much greater risk to people after it has been declawed, since the only weapon it has left to use when frightened is its teeth.

      And as long as I am ranting on the topic of humane treatment of animals: If you are considering adopting a cat (or any other animal) please look into the amount of actual work it is and decide if you are capable of providing for the animals needs. If you do decide to bring an animal into your life, please please please consider adopting one from the local shelter or a breed specific rescue organization. Many pet stores and ads in the paper often get their animals through very cruel sources. There are too many perfect animals waiting for homes to support the cruel trade of pets as product. And paying alot for a pet through a breeder that you do not know does nothing to guarantee the health and condition of that animal.

      --
      I'll never make that mistake again, reading the experts' opinions. - Feynman
    32. Re:Please stop having cats. by AngryScotsman · · Score: 1

      You obviously haven't met our cat. She doesn't even bother cleaning herself, let alone trying to catch something live. She'll go outside, but only if it's dry, and only for long enough to use the garden, then she's standing at the door waiting to come back in.

    33. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      holy shit you are nuts.

      I have a cat and a Full bred rough collie. the cat and dog get along great, the does NOT need to hunt, and people that let their cat's outside to roam are the biggest assholes on this planet. A housecat will KILL all the fish in your Koi pond for sport, leaving the fish there untouched on the edge of the water. My kitty is very happy and very playful, she comes to the door every time someone comes home and almost leap's into our arms, at night she also will curl up on the bed with us and usually hangs out in the bedroom all night.

      she is decalwed, and my collie has her dew-claws removed. the Cat's claws are for protection only and if you are a good cat owner and keep it indoors the cat will be happy and safe.

      as for the assholes that let their cat's roam my neighborhood, they can pick them up at the pound. I live trap about 5 cat's a month that piss and crap in my child's sandbox, kill my pond fish and damage my deck posts.

      I have cost one cat owner about $200.00 so far with the $50.00 fine they get for having the cat out unleashed and untagged.

      what's next, you going to rant on how my animal's RFID tags are givcing them cancer and the horrors of killiung the peaceful fleas on the animals?

    34. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm a bit concerned when anyone names their pets after antibiotic drugs.

    35. Re:Please stop having cats. by Welshalian · · Score: 1

      You could also call it a projection along the z axis....

    36. Re:Please stop having cats. by adamjaskie · · Score: 0, Troll

      Wow, really? So, my cat could have lived to 40 years if I kept it indoors? Damn, I never realized that.

      --
      /usr/games/fortune
    37. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you write "cat's", shouldn't you also write "post's"?
      I mean, what is it with you semi-literate types anyways? I meant "type's", sorry...

    38. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree that girls, women, females should be kept indoors. Fuck freedom.

    39. Re:Please stop having cats. by CmdrGravy · · Score: 1

      How is this insightful ? It's just idiotic and given the post it is replying to makes no sense either. Cats may well live just fine indoors but they also live perfectly well outdoors as well.

      The parent post was definitely not associating being a responsible owner with mutilating animals, in fact he was saying the exact opposite.

      Cats are territorial and predatory hunters, they live off small birds, animals and insects and are perfectly equipped and capable of feeding and looking after themselves by doing just that. If that is not the case why do you think various elements of Australian wildlife are in the process of being decimated by cats hunting and killing it ? And before you misread that and assume I am saying this is a good thing I'm not saying that at all I am simply providing proof that cats are effective hunting animals.

      Living in the wild a cat would face the same challenges as other predators / scavengers such as foxes and in the wild animals do die, all the time, but for each one which does die young others don't and continue to live long fruitful lives huntin' and killin'.

      You are moaning about other cats coming into your backyard but you have not understood that cats are territorial and this happens because other cats consider your backyard as a part of their territory. The best way to prevent that would be to let your own cat into the yard and let it protect it's territory for you.

      How the hell do you "take cats" into the wild ? On a lead or something ? Cats can amuse themselves quite sufficiently in the wild on there own, even if they can't be bothered to do any hunting themselves they are usually adept at roaming the neighbourhood and begging for food from your neighbours.

      If you don't want to let your cat outside fine, it's your cat do what you like with it but don't pretend it's for the benefit of the cat and don't bother lecturing everyone to make them do the same as you because you're not very good at it and it's just annoying.

    40. Re:Please stop having cats. by CmdrGravy · · Score: 1

      Are you the same anonymous coward replying to all these posts ?

      When they are outside cats behave pretty much like wild animals, they are too agile to have any hope of restricting them to one area.

      I am curious as to whether or not you and your kids live in some kind of sterile bubble protected from all the harsh realities of real life ?

      If dogs can kill cats then that's the cat's look out and I wouldn't come whining to anyone about it but it's going to be a pretty old, stupid cat they will let a dog catch it and kill it. Most dogs I have seen have a healthy respect for cats fairly soon after the first time they try and mess with one.

      Get a cover for your sandbox or hermetically seal your garden, all kinds of worms, slugs, birds, spiders, mice, rats etc are crapping and weeing in it constantly anyway.

    41. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good analogy, wrong age. A cat is not able to make decisions like a teenager, they are like 3 year olds. And you are correct, 3 year old girls (and boys) should not be allowed outside unattended.

      It wasn't even a good analogy. Cats have no capacity for reasoning and operate on instinct. A 3 year old actually has a developing rational function... let alone an adult female. A cat's potential ceiling is around a human 3-year-old's.

      A cat has almost no capacity to understand the dangers, laws or customs of human culture. They operate on instinct and don't form many concepts.

      Consider that if pet keeping were disallowed (or if unthinking animals had rights that demanded humans let them roam freely), most pet cats would not even exist today. Most people in industrialized nations live in cities, which are no more naturally suited to harboring cat life than a home interior - but are far more dangerous.

      If the cat-freedom lobby had their way, cats would be hunted and destroyed in the wild just like every other animal we don't use for food or pleasure. Just like cat strays are today. Pet shelters destroy cats they can't give away, daily.

      An apartment-dwelling human deciding not to adopt a cat from a shelter because of his cat-freedom ideas is dooming that cat to death, basically. Really, what's worse: nonexistence or captive existence?

    42. Re:Please stop having cats. by CmdrGravy · · Score: 1

      No they're not and you're an idiot. Cats are perfectly capable of making all the catty decisions they need to make to live their catty lives. Cats are animals not some kind of robotic toy, if people want to let them outside then that's fine because outside is a cats natural environment and cats are excellently equipped to cope in it. If you don't like cats coming into to your backyard then that's your look out and I advise that you find some other outlet for your mouth frothing madness.

    43. Re:Please stop having cats. by OG · · Score: 1

      I agree that a cat must have a chance to explore. It is just fine exploring under your bed, in a paper bag just brought in, etc. And the hunting instinct can be more than compensated for by play and attention. Cats that are never allowed to roam free outside never really have much of a desire to.

      I've got too disagree with this, based solely on personal experience. For the first two years I owned my cats (I got them when they were kittens) they were strictly indoors. Aside from getting into the crawlspace when I was doing some work on the house and had the registers removed, they didn't get out of the house.

      I moved to a new town, and they were still indoor cats. But they started becoming miserable with it after a couple of months. Whereas they used to sit around peacefully, never trying to get out when I opened the door, I started having to chase them around the neighborhood to try to get them back inside. They had already been desexed, so that wasn't an issue. I'm glad they weren't declawed, though. I realized that this wasn't going to change, and they were miserable being inside all the time, so I made sure they had all their shots, and they've been much happier since then.

      I suppose my point is that you can't be dogmatic about what cruelty is to another living creature. I live in Charleston, SC, where there's a huge population of outside cats in the downtown area (and in my neighborhood alone). It's pretty much a tradition. There's very little car traffic on my street, and the cats won't get two houses away from their home. The neighbors are fine with it, as many of them have outside cats as well. My cats are MUCH happier. Pretty much all they do when outside is sleep on the neighbor's porch or on my porch. If I lived in the suburbs, things would be different (which is why I'd never live in the suburbs). You can't say that's it's always best to let cats roam free, but you also can't say that it's always best to always keep your animals inside. Like everything else in this world, you have to take individual circumstances into consideration before making a decision.

    44. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cats are perfectly capable of making all the catty decisions they need to make to live their catty lives.

      Yup: Their short, brutal, horrifying catty lives.

      FACT: The average life span of an outdoor cat is about 3 years of age.

      FACT: The average life span for an indoor cat is about 16 years of age.

    45. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For some reason I have a gut feeling that your attitude towards cats also transfers to little children and people of different ethnicities and nationalities. Just an observation - you are a very intolerant person. I bet you are a republican too.

      Paul.

    46. Re:Please stop having cats. by paganizer · · Score: 1

      Which is cool...freedom of choice, y'know. but a cat that doesn't clean itself? that seems pretty odd.
      I really expected more flames on my grandparent post, slashdot turing into a Bush loven', RIAA embracing place and all.

      --
      Why, yes, I AM a Pagan Libertarian.
    47. Re:Please stop having cats. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It depends upon the cat, i had one that only went as far as the front door and she'd be back into the house, another one, a male was only happy outside and he-unfortunately-took up the local canine hobby of chasing motorbikes and attempting to bite their tires.

      My third cat believes he's a Labradour Retriever (he was abandonned as a baby and raised by my lab), you should see him try and retrieve ducks... He's also adopted some other characteristics such as the need to be walked and never leaves the yard when let out.

    48. Re:Please stop having cats. by fingerfucker · · Score: 1

      FACT: You can't speak your own language. Proof: you use "Their" where "They're" should have been used.

    49. Re:Please stop having cats. by fingerfucker · · Score: 1

      FACT: It was being an idiot and I should have read your post twice before commenting.

      My bad.

    50. Re:Please stop having cats. by CmdrGravy · · Score: 1

      Nonsense, please provide some evidence for these facts of yours.

      Secondly, if you kept your kids locked indoors throughout their entire life you'd find they were probably less likely to be run over by cars, abducted by strangers, exposed to disease, get skin cancer, fall over and graze their knees and all the other normal hazards faced by all creatures, human and animal going about their business in the world.

      You simply want to maintain the lifespan of your possesion for as long as you can and maximise your investment in your pet by preventing it from running away or coming into contact with factors which may cause expensive vet bills.

      You are not primarily concerned with the well being of your cat, despite loudly protesting that it is your prime concern, you are primarily insulating yourself from the emotional turmoil of you pet injuring it's self, dying or running away from you.

      The cat doesn't care if it lives till 3 or 30, they are not known for their advance planning capabilities, and they undeniably do enjoy being outside hunting so why are you taking this away from your pet simply to suit your own petty fears ?

    51. Re:Please stop having cats. by galt2112 · · Score: 1

      Do you keep your 18 year old children locked up? My cat is more self-actualized than I think you have the capacity to be.

      I would rather have him live a 10 year life in which he was happy and well fed than a 20 year life in which he was locked up safe and sound.

    52. Re:Please stop having cats. by hesiod · · Score: 1

      > > "cat has a far greater power to weight ratio than any other animal" [emph mine]
      > German shepherds, great danes, rottweilers, etc.

      You do realize that those three dogs far outweigh most healthy cats, right?

      Find a healthy cat and a healthy dog of the same size/weight, & the cat will rip it to shreds if it wants to.

      Also, to think that cats are completely domesticated is total bull. They wouldn't scratch up all the furniture if they were. They wouldn't prowl around even when there's nothing to pounce on.

      They can usually live outside just fine. If you live in the city, it is irresponsible to get an "outdoor cat" -- yes, just like dogs, certain breeds prefer indoor or outdoor living. My family has had both kinds, and after a while it becomes obvious where the cat wants to be.

      One of the biggest problems with cats is that they can live outdoors & fend for themselves. House cats (ie, not wild cats like panthers, etc) are not native to North America (IIRC) and therefore don't have the same natural predators that they did centuries ago.

      The whole thing about not letting them outside because they kill cute little birdies has a basis in reality because of them being imported, but is so overblown. Cats aren't endangering the existence of any species. They are hardly affecting it at all except in localized areas -- like killing flea-carrying rats & mice in barns and houses.

    53. Re:Please stop having cats. by hesiod · · Score: 1

      > TAKE it outside, don't LET it outside.

      Putting a leash on a cat is cruelty. And not very effective, either. Unless your cat has been abused into always obeying you.

      Ever heard of "herding cats?" It's a joke because it's pretty much impossible. They are too independent to act as a group (be herded) and that includes being on a leash. Most cats, as soon as they realize they are restricted in their movement, will hunker down & resist, short of being choked & dragged.

      Most cats can't even stand collars, although it is rather necessary these days. They'll be locked up if they can't show their identification. Kind of like where the U.S. is going.

    54. Re:Please stop having cats. by hesiod · · Score: 1

      And if a raccoon does those things instead? Why are some animals okay to do what they want, just not cats and dogs?

    55. Re:Please stop having cats. by hesiod · · Score: 1

      > you should see him try and retrieve ducks

      That could be hilarious & sad at the same time :)

      My cousin's cat even "fetches," although about the only thing it will bring back are small paper balls.

    56. Re:Please stop having cats. by hesiod · · Score: 1

      > I live trap about 5 cat's a month that piss and crap in my child's sandbox, kill my pond fish and damage my deck posts.

      And do you also trap the other animals that destroy your property, or do you just like being a mean person who takes pleasure in trapping poeples' pets?

      Sure, everyone wants to have a beautiful deck and a clean yard. So, put up a fence. That's the only way to keep nonburrowing animals out of your yard.

      I don't get why people are attacking cats so much and ignore that they are just one of any thousand animals that can do those things. Cats are just easier to blame, since there is a person that usually feeds & houses it.

      I seem to remember a cat's feces being more dangerous than other animals' for some reason, but I have no idea why I think that.

    57. Re:Please stop having cats. by hesiod · · Score: 1

      > FACT: The average life span of an outdoor cat is about 3 years of age.

      Lie. Stray cats and outdoor cats are NOT the same thing. It is STRAY cats that have the short expectancy. A good reason for that is that they are captured & killed by humans. Gee, no wonder they don't live so long. Without that, it might be 5 years, but still not much (for STRAYS). All of our cats (4 so far) have been outdoor pets. Only one has lived less than 6 years, but that was due to "natural causes." In this case, Feline Leukemia in a cat that was a "runt" of the litter.

    58. Re:Please stop having cats. by shoolz · · Score: 1

      I see what you're trying to say, but you make the erroneous statement that it's ok for other animals like raccoons. It's not OK, at least not in my city and probably not in yours either.

      According to my city by-laws, as a homeowner I can deal with vermin (racoons, rabbits, mice, etc) by trapping or killing them (not that I would choose the latter but it's ok by city by-law). If I tried to do that with the neighbor's cat I would be arrested.

  37. Cat maintanence 1.1 by b1scuit · · Score: 5, Funny
    How to keep your kitty clean.

    1. In toilet, combine one cat, one tablespoon pet shampoo.

    2. Close lid. Sit down.

    3. Flush.

    4. Field calls from curious/concerned neighbors.

    5. ????

    6. Profit!

    Keyboard error... Press F1 to resume.

    1. Re:Cat maintanence 1.1 by Alsee · · Score: 1

      1. In toilet, combine one cat, one tablespoon pet shampoo.
      1.1 This Program Has Caused a Fatal Exception 0D at 00457:000040B1 and Will Be Terminated.

      -

      --
      - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
    2. Re:Cat maintanence 1.1 by Dogtanian · · Score: 1

      2. Close lid. Sit down.

      If you forget to close the lid before you sit down, you'll learn "something that will always be useful and which will never grow dim or doubtful". (Apologies to Mark Twain).

      I also tried to get an "in Soviet Russia, cat neuters YOU" joke out of this, but I couldn't figure out a contrived reason for Soviet Russia being in there. To be fair, this hasn't stopped anyone in the past...

      --
      "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
  38. who cares about standard configuration... by General_Corto · · Score: 1

    this is slashdot - tell us about the Small Form Factor edition.

  39. Couldn't help but think of this by Atario · · Score: 1
    --
    "A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be a great democracy." --Theodore Roosevelt
  40. Hey, this is highly amusing by inflex · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I actually just bought myself a kitten about 6 weeks ago. The place is a mess, my keyboard has even -more- fur in it (aside from my own shedding) and my mouse routinely is found hanging off the edge of my desk when I arrive in the morning (I have a home-office).

    This kitten was highly incompatible with the already installed old-blind-dog system. It took over a month of food and luck to get the two systems to cooperate without causing general-insanity faults with the owners.

    Despite all that I could never take it back. I tried to take the cat back 24 hours after I bought it but I got about 2km down the road before everything was too blurry from the sudden onrush of water obscuring my vision.

    http://pldaniels.com/photos/2004092001/mpic00008 .j pg

    These things are dangerously addictive :-D

    1. Re:Hey, this is highly amusing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ahh damn, he's really cute, great picture. I can understand why it would unbelievably difficult to get a refund on that item, here's a pic or two my kitty :)

      Drugged Kitty
      this is the day after he was declawed (ya, i'm evil.) That's a morphine/oxycontin patch on the shaved spot, he was totally loving it :)

      Closeup Shot
      Here's a close up of him I use for my desktop bg :)

      Water!
      last one, cool though.. close up of him drinking from the old cast iron bath tub :)

    2. Re:Hey, this is highly amusing by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 1
      Despite all that I could never take it back. I tried to take the cat back 24 hours after I bought it but I got about 2km down the road before everything was too blurry from the sudden onrush of water obscuring my vision.
      http://pldaniels.com/photos/2004092001/mpic00008.j pg
      Looks just like mine, 12 years ago... I just finished this website and for a while I didn't have the product logo so I put my own cat's picture on the page. The client said that's cute and didn't ask to remove the picture...
    3. Re:Hey, this is highly amusing by jeffehobbs · · Score: 1

      Don't be fooled, people, that suspiciously cute robokitty takes lithium-ion batteries! Here's a picture from the same day as proof:

      http://pldaniels.com/photos/2004092001/mpic00002.j pg

      ~jeff

    4. Re:Hey, this is highly amusing by red+floyd · · Score: 1

      This kitten was highly incompatible with the already installed old-blind-dog system.

      I have a similar incompatibility problem. The older model cat tends to invade the dog's address space, causing the dog to emit error messages.

      The cat tries to issue a kill syscall on the dog. Luckily, it has insufficient power and privilige to do so.

      --
      The only reason we have the rights we have is that people just like us died to gain those rights. -- Cheerio Boy
    5. Re:Hey, this is highly amusing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      awwwww, hewwo babeh kitteh :-)

    6. Re:Hey, this is highly amusing by Yakman · · Score: 1

      Despite all that I could never take it back. I tried to take the cat back 24 hours after I bought it but I got about 2km down the road before everything was too blurry from the sudden onrush of water obscuring my vision.

      Sounds like you've got an allergy. Get a hairless cat next time, or copious doses of antihistamines.

    7. Re:Hey, this is highly amusing by lavaface · · Score: 1
      These things are dangerously addictive :-D

      You aren't kidding! I smoked cat for years and only recently have managed to kick the habit.

  41. Compatability with existing hardware. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How can no one have mentioned cat typing. I have four of these units and I have to store my keyboard in a vertical position.

    Cat hair gets everywhere.

    Cats take no training. Puppies have to be trained.

    Cats who can be taken for a walk are rare. Cats also don't do well on car trips. My big guy used to sit on my wife's shoulder and threaten to get seasick.

    Cats and puppies both want and provide companionship. This is their best feature.

    Cats and puppies both gnaw cables.

    Even when he is being friendly, a cat can leave puncture wounds.

    We also have one badly outnumbered and out sized pomeranian. We wouldn't part with any of them.

  42. Smelly by SbooX · · Score: 0

    I don't know if the reviewer got a different version of kitten than I did, but my kitten could stink up the house like a fat man just back from a chili cookoff.

  43. overclocking! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    He forgot to cover overclocking with catnip :-)

  44. This guy is violating patent 5443036 by jaymzter · · Score: 1

    I expect a cease and desist letter shortly, thanks to this slashdotting. By simply looking up this patent he would have known to keep the cat in the box!

    The question of course is whether a kitten is a derivative cat work, or if having a kitten gives this guy prior art...

    --
    If thou see a fair woman pay court to her, for thus thou wilt obtain love
  45. had to mv my cat... by OneOver137 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Dog (Doberman) and cat did had existing interoperability issues. Dog has impressive firewall capabilities. Baby 1.0 comes along, hogs processes and causes Wife 1.0 to segfault and core dump at regular intervals. This caused cat to receive little processor time and eventually cat was mv'd to another directory. Rumor has it that Dog and firearm-type firewalls are incompatible with later versions of Child 1.0. Hopefully this will not cause Wife 1.0 to uninstall...

    1. Re:had to mv my cat... by parvati · · Score: 1

      I'm a little unclear as to why this was modded "Funny." Dude, by adopting a pet you make a committment. I volunteered at a shelter for a while, and the most universally loathed people were the ones who brought their happy healthy pets in, complaining that they had to get rid of the cat/dog because of the arrival of Baby. Point A: Plan ahead. Don't get a pet if you're just going to throw it away when you sprog. Point B: It's really not THAT hard to have both children and pets in the same house. I was raised with a brother, 4-5 cats, and 3 dogs, and everyone did just fine.

    2. Re:had to mv my cat... by DrPepper · · Score: 1

      Agreed. If you get a pet, then you are responsible for it for the rest of its life. Sometimes things don't go according to plan, but it's still your responsibility to ensure the pet's welfare. That's life. Deal with it.

    3. Re:had to mv my cat... by OneOver137 · · Score: 1

      Dude, thanks for jumping to conclusions about my life! Let me draw a few about you: you are younger, not married, and have no kids. By saying you volunteered in a shelter, you are probably an emotional liberal who is sympathetic to PETA. And given that you clearly have no respect for human offspring (by using "sprog" and "plan ahead"), you probably support abortion too. Now, how's that taste? Didn't like it? Isn't true? Don't make assumptions and generalizations about other people by reading what they post.

      BTW, I was raised with a dog, two cats, and a brother. According to the doctor, my son may have been allergic to the cat. The cat was delivered to a good home.

    4. Re:had to mv my cat... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ha! I went back and read most of your earlier /. posts and binned you correctly. So tell me how someone like you with a Ph.D. can forget the fact they are a scientist and jump to conclusions based on scant information? I hope you aren't doing the same thing in the lab.

  46. Hell, file it under politics.slashdot.org!!! by Ayanami+Rei · · Score: 1
    --
    THIS THING CAN TURN ON A DIME, MACROSSZERO STYLE ALSO FUCK BETA, ~NYORON
  47. did anyone see the ads at the bottom? by dgodwin · · Score: 1

    I wonder how good of a seller the Juvenile felis catus is at AUS PC market???

  48. hur hur hur no1 EVAR has sex after marriage durr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    [translated from /bot-ese for our english speaking readers]
    "marriage sucks, I'm glad I live in mom's basement where I can jack off to all the japanese scat-porn I can find. Real women scare me because I know that my 1-inch pecker can't possibly be noticed, much less satisfy a healthy adult woman."

  49. No, cats obey the laws of gases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They expand to fill all available space.

  50. Slashdot. News for Nerds. Stuff That's [Tomorrows] by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Cat technology hasn't really changed a lot in the last year."

    Tomorrow's review of women will correct the imbalance.

  51. **WARNING**-Push buttons. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Did you try to push the reset button.

  52. This is off topic and old but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What would happen if you tied a piece of toast butter side up to back of a kitten and dropped it?

    1. Re:This is off topic and old but... by Ayrehtek · · Score: 1

      The "unit" as a whole would probably spin a few inches above ground while the laws of physics desperately try to sort themselves out. I predict an infinite loop, however, and a very dizzy kitten.

    2. Re:This is off topic and old but... by antispam_ben · · Score: 1

      I recall a (private mailing list) post describing the use of instances of the cat-and-buttered-toast configuration as wheels for a levitated train. I recalled what the jazz musician said about his friend who was wrongly sentenced to prison: "That cat was railroaded."

      --
      Tag lost or not installed.
  53. News for nerds. Stuff that matters. by twos · · Score: 0, Troll

    I would have to say that this story meets none of the above slogans.

    What's next? The Martha Stewart section on how to bake brownies in your PC case? Jezzzzz!

    Wake me when /. has somthing interesting.

    --
    Phear The Phat Penguin
    1. Re:News for nerds. Stuff that matters. by sexecutioner · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well, guess what, if someone had modded a computer case to cook brownies in then that would be pretty fucking cool.

      I know, I know, don't feed the trolls.

    2. Re:News for nerds. Stuff that matters. by Ayrehtek · · Score: 1

      Something similar has been done before.
      How to fry an egg on an Athlon XP

    3. Re:News for nerds. Stuff that matters. by flatt · · Score: 1

      I think you might be surprised how many nerds own pets or are at least considering getting one.

      While I agree it isn't the most on-topic of articles, articles like this are cool once in a while.

  54. Wow by andreyw · · Score: 2

    While I found the "Felis Catus" section on Dan's Data very entertaining, this hardly qualifies as *NEWS.* Heck, it was *exactly* a year ago when I read that page.

  55. "Dan" got a cat... by Shabbs · · Score: 1

    ...cuz it's the only pussy he'll see.

    --
    Mark
  56. cat5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    nevermind the purebreds, I prefer the crossover ones!

  57. For those who *really* love cats by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who can't appreciate a few good recipes?

    http://www.ooze.com/ooze13/cats.html

  58. What about this cat? by r0d3nt · · Score: 1
    --
    You are not root, go away.
    1. Re:What about this cat? by SmurfButcher+Bob · · Score: 1

      Bah, my calico would eat that thing for lunch.

      No, the worst cat I have is our latest, another stray that we picked up. Completely white, with one blue eye, one green/yellow. A total teenager.

      We get him fixed, and he's been home for a week. I roll in from work to find he's been clipped by a car. So, wife gets home right behind me and... off to the emergency vet we go (bear with me...)

      At the check-in, the receptionist needs to know the cat's name. I say "Doesn't Matter".

      "Yes, it does," she explains, "I need to know the cat's name."

      "Doesn't matter!" I reply, more deliberately than before. The vet, meanwhile, overhears us and starts in our direction.

      "Look, sir, I have to have a na..." I cut her off, and started waving my hands wildly in the air. "Well, if you can find a way to spell THIS (my hands waving)... otherwise, it's Doesn't Matter."

      The vet took a glance at the cat, saw the blue eye and said "Just write down Doesn't Matter. The cat's deaf."

      Anyway, he's now a semi-permanent fixture next to my keyboard. All the real-estate I gained by swapping out my old CRT 2nd monitor for an LCD has been lost, and the little bastard likes to stretch while he's sleeping to hit various keys. And you can't really yell at him for it... no, really, you can't. You can call him anything you want, all you want - it just doesn't matter. The neighbor sets off a quarter-stick - 3 cats bounce off the ceiling, and one deaf white one sleeps right through it. Which is good, really, because he's 11 pounds of pure Godzilla when he's awake, and he follows me everywhere, forever presenting me with mostly dead frogs, mice, and an occasional rabbit.

      --

      help me i've cloned myself and can't remember which one I am

  59. Tuna-BCFH by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "I know there's one way to make a cat your instant friend: feed the fucker tuna. It's like a drug to them. Plus the cat gets nice and muscular too."

    I feed mine the neighbourhood dogs.

  60. Question for the taxonomists. by FeriteCore · · Score: 1
    Why is this critter refered to various places that seem likly to get it right as:
    • felis catus
    • felis domessticus
    • felis silvestris catus
    • felis silvestris

    Sometimes felix is substituted for felix, but this draws protests.

    felis silvestris sounds like it can't decide which cartoon it is in.

    Is this like the brontosaurus/apotosaurous business?

    1. Re:Question for the taxonomists. by Justus · · Score: 1

      I'm certainly no taxonomist, but when I took a course in zoology, the preferred name was Felis sylvestris catus. Of course, even then, some people used sylvestris and others used silvestris essentially interchangeably.

      The Straight Dope suggests that this derives from the wild-type progenitor, Felis sylvestris lybica. Honestly, you could probably get away with any of them but the second.

    2. Re:Question for the taxonomists. by WalksOnDirt · · Score: 1

      Felis domesticus is the common domestic cat. Felis catus is the European wild cat. At least, that's what I've always read in the past.

      --
      a,e,i,o,u and sometimes w and y (at be if of up cwm by)
  61. so often i find myself saying... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    my god, humans are strange creatures.

  62. A much better star trek song by YoJaUta · · Score: 1, Funny

    Take care young ladies and value your wine
    Be watchful of young men in their velvet prime
    Deeply they'll swallow from your finest kegs
    And swiftly be gone, leaving bitter dregs

    Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
    Bitter dregs

    1. Re:A much better star trek song by adamjaskie · · Score: 1

      Heading out to Eden
      Yea brother
      Heading out to Eden
      No more trouble in my body or my mind
      Gonna live like a king on whatever I find
      Eat all the fruit and throw away the rind
      Yea brother, yea

      --
      /usr/games/fortune
  63. In other "news" by Rui+del-Negro · · Score: 1

    - The USA prepares to invade Iraq
    - AMD is rumoured to be working on a 64-bit chip that runs x86 code
    - Microsoft releases Windows 3.1
    - Hitler invades Poland
    - Columbus bumps into new continent while looking for India
    - Giant comet hits the Earth and causes mass extinction

  64. Dating by vlad_petric · · Score: 1

    ... with HOWTOs, trubleshooting and changelogs, and, um ... hardware upgrades!

    --

    The Raven

  65. Meow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Figures that people online at 9PM on a Friday are looking for a little pussy!

  66. Re:hur hur hur no1 EVAR has sex after marriage dur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dude, quit being so defensive. Just because you're married doesn't mean you have to inflict your bad mood on everybody else. (And the tongue matters more than the pecker anyway.)

  67. Does the cat run GNU/Linux? by gabbarbhai · · Score: 1

    If not, mod the post as Flamebait -1.

  68. "Smell Bad" by Thu25245 · · Score: 1

    Yeah, funny how the review said Cats don't smell bad. Maybe they don't, but the houses they live in do, no matter how often you clean the litterbox.

  69. Spend money on a kitten? by redsilo · · Score: 1

    Aren't they completely expendible? Don't get me wrong, I like cats, but they're, well, cats, not people.

  70. Sombrero cat by Chris+Carollo · · Score: 2, Funny

    I can't resist, I just love this picture so much.

    We have two cats, Felix and Oscar. Yes, they live up to their names perfectly.

  71. cute cat, but... by nusratt · · Score: 1

    dude, that's some uuuuuuuuuuuuggglly furniture.
    Those plaid chairs gotta go, man.

  72. How many?-Kat Karma. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    "What's strange, is the cats outcomes has been reflective of the state of their namesakes." ..."Name your pets wisely!"

    I've named mine "fanbelt". Should I be worried?

  73. DON'T DO IT! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Speaking as someone who lives with a cat, please, oh please, take my advise and DON'T DO IT!

    First, they act all cute until you fall madly for the blasted thing. Then, it's all over for you. The cat will run your house with a iron paw. You think that computer keyboard is for YOUR use? Guess again - it's real purpose is for the cat to walk on.

    You think you can sit down and read a book? Guess again - the real purpose of the book is for the cat to lay on.

    Avoid my fate! Get the graphics card!

  74. More tips... by Raptor+CK · · Score: 2, Funny

    1) Power management via catnip. Use just a little of the stuff, and you will bring your kitten into a low power suspend mode. Heat dissipation won't change much, though.

    2) Compatibility. Kittens are initially incompatible with additional kittens, resulting in cowering, hissing, and the occasional scratch. This will normally go away, and lead to mutual cooperation, with two kittens working together being far more destructive than two kittens working individually.

    --
    Raptor
    "Procrastination is great. It gives me a lot more time to do things that I'm never going to do."
  75. Bunny by phorm · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I used to have rats, which make decent pets, very smart and loyal, but many people dislike the tails and they aren't all that cuddly (though they can ride on your shoulder). Sometime after my last rat went to rodent heaven, I've gotten myself a cute little dwarf bunny. She's less independant than a cat, can be kept in a bunny case (but it's better to litter train her), and is getting used to travelling (recommend that you let her sit on your lap because they slide around the cage otherwise).

    In short, bunny is more friendly than your average cat, and happily sits on one's lap during computing sessions. However, I would recommend caution in letting one near cords, as from what I've heard they tend to look like bunny-treats to a hungry rabbit.

  76. Spend money on a computer? by reverius · · Score: 1

    Aren't they completely expendible? Don't get me wrong, I like computers, but they're, well, computers, not people. ...

    Oh, yeah, we -definitely- shouldn't spend money on -anything other than people-... only people should be bought and sold. wtf?

  77. Kitten available in MA! by kistral · · Score: 1

    Aha, what good timing. I just found my very own kitten mewing outside my window, couldn't have been more than a month old. Unfortunately, my lease doesn't let me keep animals, so I gave it up to the animal rescue league. I think it's still available. If you're in the Worcester MA area, email me at kitten AT waymouth DOT org to adopt it (free).

    obCutePictures

  78. absolutely without a doubt on topic: by JVert · · Score: 1

    More journal entries please.

  79. It could happen by Sebadude · · Score: 1

    The stuff is out there.

    All you need to do is create the space. We will fill it. That's what geeks are for.

    --
    Eh.
  80. some cat breeders are and some are not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Some cat breeders are and some are not. I did research it as you suggested and found a whole list of cat be damned for profit cat breeders at
    http://www.pedigree-cbs.org/at.html

    The following appears there:

    Saturday (06-07-2002) 7:30 pm I decide to give Adrian a call and ask for a refund. Upon reaching him on his mobile, I said, Adrian, your cat is sick when I brought her and I wish to make a refund. At this, he starts with a bunch of excuses and then when I stress the refund request. He promptly changes his tone and says, I dont like to talk about this, and I dont want to talk to you, go and make a case! At this he hangs up. I am sure by now you are quite clear about what has happen here. As a cat breeder, I find him to be very irresponsible in caring of the cats. When I brought the cat, she was caged together with 3 other cats. As far as I know, cat flu is contagious to other feline and so is the ringworm fungus. Cat flu if left untreated can lead to death in cats. It seems that the well being of the cats is not important to him and his idea is to sell the cat quickly and make a profit. With regards to the following up, he claims that he is very concern with the cat new home and I have never received any phone call from him enquiring about the cat. If he is as good as he claims, Im sure he know that the cat is sick and have flu. To think of it, no wonder he keep saying that cats can be stressful in a new environment and may catch flu. As a businessman, I find him to be very unethical. He knowingly sold off a sick cat infected with ringworm (which can be spread to human!) and down with cat flu. But I must also add that he is a very good with words as he made me believe that it is normal. He is very unscrupulous, as he knows that once I exceed the 24 hours, I cant return the cat to him. Therefore, he told me to call him first and not go to the Vet first until I speak to him. If he does not know that his cat is sick, then I strongly suggest that he dont sell cats. Another Pet shop in Frankel Ave, which I went to, warned me which animal is sick and will refuse to sell them. Bottom line, if you are a breeder, I shall warn you of his method of business. If you are a potential customer, beware. The only person in my opinion who should purchase any animal from him is Vets or pet experts as he is very good with words. If you are from any agency, I would strongly suggest that you make a check at his farm and ensure that he does not start off any epidemic with his method of selling sick animals. Every time, I have an itch,
    I would wonder if its the ringworm. It is a very cruel act that he neglects the animal well being by leaving the cat sick. It is very irresponsible that he did not quarantine the sick cat and left her with other cats. If I am an irresponsible owner, I would have thrown the sick cat out of the house, and cause more strays and help spread diseases. It is very rude of him as a person to hang up the phone. He does not strike me as someone that can take care of a business and let alone the animals at his farm.

  81. Cats are great. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I love cats. With salt. And if you sew the furs together it makes a nice rug.

  82. Obligatory... by TechniMyoko · · Score: 1
    But does it run Linux?

    Imagine a beowolf cluster of these.

  83. Confused - reading for context by geminidomino · · Score: 1

    Is a cat with the one-blue-eye allele or whatever, also going to be deaf?

    1. Re:Confused - reading for context by SmurfButcher+Bob · · Score: 1

      Sorry... I was trying to not be long winded :)

      It basically seems to be related to having a white pigmentation (NOT albino... albino is completely different). Best summed up from the site that taught me about it -

      "Congenital deafness in dogs and cats is primarily of the hereditary sensorineural form associated with white pigmentation genes, although acquired forms of deafness are possible. Highest prevalence is seen in white cats, especially those with blue eyes, and the Dalmatian, with many other dog breeds affected to some extent. This deafness results from degeneration of the cochlear blood supply at age 3 to 4 weeks, presumably resulting from suppression of melanocytes by the white (cat) or merle or piebald (dog) genes",

      and

      "Deafness prevalence (unilateral and bilateral) in mixed breed white cats was 17%, 40%, and 85% for zero, one, or two blue eyes, respectively."

      (source)

      So, eyes can be a strong indicator (depending on why they're blue) since they'll indicate an environment in which the deafness can occur.

      --

      help me i've cloned myself and can't remember which one I am

  84. OK Ya'all, Try This WIth Your Cat by Greyfox · · Score: 2, Informative
    You know how your cat likes catnip right? Try valerian root sometime. Yes, the stuff smells nasty, kinda like gym socks that smell so bad it takes your breath away. It will drive your cat even more insane than catnip will. So much as opening the bottle and letting the cat smell it will result the cat rubbing up against the bottle and eventually trying to take it away from you. By force.

    I put a couple of unopened capsules in my cat's refillable catnip mouse and that thing now gets a lot more play than it used to. I'd suggest being careful not to let them OD though. It is technically a drug and if that's not enough, a valerian spill in your house could result in you having to move out (It smells that bad, seriously.)

    As an added benefit a couple of capsules of the stuff before bed will help you get to sleep a lot more gently than Nyquil will.

    --

    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

    1. Re:OK Ya'all, Try This WIth Your Cat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      a couple of capsules of the stuff before bed will help you get to sleep a lot more gently than Nyquil will

      Although you may find you wake up with terrible kitten breath.

  85. The Cat User's Manual by The+boojum · · Score: 1

    This has been done before. Google for one of the many copies of the "Cat User's Manual". I like the original better, actually.

  86. Choose your carefully... by macserv · · Score: 1

    Having opened several of this article's links in tabs, I suddenly noticed that my tab bar was peppered with tabs proudly displaying:

    "Cat Fanciers' Ass..."

    Something about the short "A" sound in all three of those words still has me cracking up. Perhaps it's related to Goatse?

  87. So ... Anandtech finds a year-old piece by Dan ... by tdelaney · · Score: 1

    ... and someone feels the need to post it to slashdot.

    Mickey (the kitten in question) is now a good looking, well-grown cat.

  88. Second-Level Slashdotting by CdBee · · Score: 1

    Amusingly, though.. despite many Slashdotters having already seen this review, one of the review pages for a cat breed to which it links has been slashdotted !

    Have we seen second-level slashdotting before? Normally its just the page we link to that goes under.

    --
    I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
  89. Re:Laser Pointer ? CAREFUL! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't get the laser ANYWHERE NEAR the cat's eyes.

    I've found they'll go for any light that moves, including sunlight reflected off a watch face, torch beam, etc. These alternatives are probably better for the little poppet anyway.

    Our cats go mad for the mouse pointer on the laptop screen. Steer the pointer off-screen and they'll take a peek round the back of the LCD panel to see where it went!

  90. Anime Sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    no comment

  91. Felis Catus? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Shouldn't that be Felix Domesticus?

  92. One removed Slashdoting. by Catmeat · · Score: 1

    I noticed that although the review site survived the Slashdot effect intact. The link to the low-bandwidth Geocities site about the breed that eat's small dogs is deader than a dead thing.

  93. Soviet Kitten Masters by Dogtanian · · Score: 0, Troll

    I for one look welcome our new soviet kitten masters.

    Soviet Kitten Masters? Here they are!

    (Don't actually know what this sounds like; I haven't got the soundcard set up, unfortunately).

    --
    "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
  94. Grills by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "grill shape"

    Other types of tasty grill that might be worth a try include:

  95. Delphion.com gives popup in Firefox! by antispam_ben · · Score: 1

    I got this popup, apparently from going to the patent link:

    http://www.delphion.com/assets/homepage_unk4_pop?0 1

    This is the very first popup I've seen in about two months of surfing with Firefox:

    Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win98; en-US; rv:1.7) Gecko/20040707 Firefox/0.9.2

    Okay, just to make this on topic:
    http://mindspring.com/~benbradley/grat_cat.jpg

    --
    Tag lost or not installed.
  96. New Cat by NiTr|c · · Score: 1

    How strange that I just got a new cat and now there's a slashdot article about cats. The universe is telling me something, I swear. The only problem so far is that I have absolutely no idea what to name the new kitty...So i've taken to calling her "hey you" for the time being. I hope that one doesn't stick as a name. How embarassing, all the other cats will pick on her in school.

    --
    Try actually thinking for yourself. It's quite refreshing.
  97. Uber-kitty Mod by kyoko21 · · Score: 1

    So will we see any future articles that will show us how we may mod our newly acquired kitty cat? Over-furrying techniques? Super-chilled kitty cats? Neon-lights attachments?

  98. Cats are so cute. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I love it when the cat has been outside eating cockroaches all night and then it comes inside to present you with a cockroach-leg laden hairball at the breakfast table.

  99. Correction: by Alsee · · Score: 1

    In Soviet Russia cats aquire you.

    -

    --
    - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
  100. Energy Drinks for Cats! by Dogtanian · · Score: 1

    Cats need taurine, which tuna does not provide them. Taurine deficiency causes nasty diseases and eventually death.

    My first thought on reading this was.... "Taurine; isn't that the stuff they put in Red Bull?"

    However, anyone willing to feed Red Bull to a cat is obviously braver than me; I don't know about the effects of the taurine itself, but I doubt a hyper-caffeinated moggy would be pleasant to live with. YMMV.

    --
    "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
  101. Re:Laser Pointer ? CAREFUL! by numbski · · Score: 1

    I have a powerbook that uses the Plasma Tunnel Screensaver. It's an OpenGL tunnel...that never ends. It's swirls, changes color, moves this way and that...

    Anyway, my fiancee at the time (now wife) brough her cat into the relationship before we got our second one, and her cat hates me. Well, one day I left my Powerbook on the floor and forgot about it. We left the house, came back to find the cat staring VERY intently at the laptop screen. Ducking, dodging, moving forward, moving backward...

    She was trying to see where the tunnel went! Holy cow I about died. I've since set it up on my iMac as well. It's hilarious. One of these days she'll find out what's at the other end. ;)

    --

    Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).

  102. Another Kitten Abstrcat....Abstract by LoganGD · · Score: 0

    Want some more useless html on kittens ?!? Check this out. Very funny :D

  103. computer people and cats by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hey,
    I think generally, guys don't like cats as much as girls. But I think among the male computer geeks, there is a higher percentage of guys who like cats than the general male population.

    What do you guys think? Why do you think this is?

  104. I call bullshit! by Gordonjcp · · Score: 1
    The fact is that cats that allowed to roam free have an average life expectancy of 3 years as opposed to 15-18 years for indoor only cats.


    That is the stupidest thing I have read on /. in at least six hours! I would like to see what, if any, proof they have of this blatantly untrue claim.

    1. Re:I call bullshit! by Siriaan · · Score: 1

      Yes, it is wrong; STRAY cats have the short life expectancy. My guess is that a pet cat that is allowed to roam at times probably has a life expectancy identical to the one who is never allowed outside (singularly cruel in my opinion).

  105. Didja search for "pussy" or what? by Graabein · · Score: 1

    So, MBCook, just how did you happen to come across this little gem then?

    --
    And remember kids: Never trust a computer you can actually lift.
  106. Cat Toys by Macgrrl · · Score: 1

    Many years ago, I used to play in a White Wolf game with a Bastet character. I used to take a different 'toy' every session for my character to play with. One week I took a oil/water bubble toy along (like a sand timer in reverse with a mill wheel in the centre).

    I had been sitting watching for some time, and went to turn it over when I noticed the household cat sitting opposite me also intently watching the bubbles rise trough the toy.

    --
    Sara
    Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
  107. How is it MY responsibility? by obsidianpreacher · · Score: 1

    I find that just plain irresponsible ... it is YOUR cat going into someone else's backyard and messing with stuff. How would you feel if I came over to your backyard and purposefully killed all the fish in your pond or crapped in your kids' sandbox? You'd probably be pissed as hell, and rightfully so. So own up and take some responsibility for what your property does to someone else's backyard ... I (or anyone else) shouldn't have to clean up after your (or anyone else's) cat/dog/whatever.

    FWIW, I'm not the AC posting everywhere else in this thread, but I just find it ludicrous that you think it's somehow MY responsibility to keep tabs on YOUR cat.

    --
    topreacher@signature.slashdot.org 1% rm -rf sig
    1. Re:How is it MY responsibility? by hesiod · · Score: 1

      > So own up and take some responsibility for what your property does to someone else's backyard ... I (or anyone else) shouldn't have to clean up after your (or anyone else's) cat/dog/whatever.

      And dammit, I shouldn't have to clean up after all those damn deer and raccoons. It's someone else's problem!

      > I just find it ludicrous that you think it's somehow MY responsibility to keep tabs on YOUR cat.

      And I find it laughable to suggest that someone else can, or should keep tabs on an animal at all times. Animals shit. They don't take to the toilet well, so it happens outside, usually.

      > How would you feel if I came over to your backyard and purposefully killed all the fish in your pond or crapped in your kids' sandbox?

      If YOU did it, rightfully mad. If your pet did it, I'd be pissed, but not at you.

      This doesn't even touch on the idiocy of claiming that you "own" a pet. The whole notion is an attempt to assert control over things you do not have any right to control. I consider pets to be like family members, but don't expect them to act human-like, lie you seem to.