My cat understands either/or.

[Shanty Oilish]

Late at night, when I take no prisoners, I let him in for an extra meal. He's undergrown, stunted by kittenhood spent in a dumpster. But I'm not inclined to play with him at this hour.
So he wanders around looking for a good time and I say to him, "Eat or out." He ignores me. I omit the conjunction. "Eat---out."
Immediately he sets to eating that hardtack stuff, which he doesn't like even when he's hungry. But he clearly understands the alternative.
After a while he quits eating. I go to the door and right away he runs back to his dish.
Is he doing abstract thinking?

[short bus president]

1. more likely conditioned responses

to a set of stimuli that have been repeated over time.

My $.02, for the pittance it's worth.

[Booberdawg]

2. Abstract thinking?? All cats are brain damaged!

LOL!

I have 2 cats. They know what I'm saying. They don't always "choose" to listen, however. :) Cats are sooo funny - I get a lot of laughs with them.

My dog is even more fun. His name is Boober - hence my username.

[Rhiannon12866]

3. I have no problem believing that they understand excactly what

you say. Animals are very intelligent. The more you talk to them, the more that they understand. I believe that he's made the association.

You deserve credit for rescuing him and for giving him the nutrition that he had been lacking. My cat spend time in a culvert. It took me a few months to bring her in, all the while feeding her outside. I was just noticing today how shiny she's become.:-)

[Shanty Oilish]

4. I think he is part dog, he's so grateful.

I definitely did him a favor. He was being eaten alive by fleas and worms. He's an adult now, but still the size of a kitten. Looks just like one of the gallery cats...Elad's, I think it is, a tuxedo with a bit of white on the lip. Big soulful eyes and always looking for some way to please me or anticipate me. I think he's my first husband reincarnated :)
This is only the second cat I've ever had, who's been on my wavelength. I like cats but most of them go by "What's in it for me?" and this one behaves like he has answered that question for all time.

[Rhiannon12866]

5. That poor cat! He is a very lucky kitty to have found you

He sounds very sweet, devoted and grateful to you, but a kitty who definitely needs special treatment, considering his terrible start in life.

Perhaps a good vet could give you advice on the nutrition he may need. I am always bringing somebody to the vet and most of my guys, eventually, are on prescription diets. Since they are all rescue, I figure that the least I can do is to feed them well.

My vet, who is into alternative medicine, also has me cook for them. I am not into meat, but my animals get it. I have cooked liver more times than I can count and I cooked chicken and rice, a low-fat bland diet, just tonight, for my dog. Have you tried fresh fish? Most cats love salmon or tuna.

[Shanty Oilish]

9. Diet

I buy a chicken every week or so, and when the kid's done with it, I carefully peel off everything soft, for the cat. Plus I've always got a turkey ham, he's a fool for that. But in the middle of the night, I'm a selfish fiend---even a human would get nothing but the dry stuff from me at 2 a.m.
I've had the little bugger to the vet, she says he is just not going to grow anymore. He loves the outdoors during the day but I guess he understands that at night outside, natural selection is waiting to have yet another whack at him, what with bigger cats roaming around. So at night, "out" means the basement or the enclosed porch, either of which is pretty comfy.
I've never tried salmon on him, but will pick up a can next time I shop. He gets tuna at least once a week, guess that's why he's so smart, they say it's good for the brains.

[Rhiannon12866]

11. Has your vet ever recommended Rebound? Ask her about it.

It was originally prescribed for my dog, but my cat gets a 3cc squirt on every meal. It provides fluids, electrolytes, amino acids and vitamin E. My vet thought it might benefit my cat and, if she got used to it, we could spike it with something else she needed, as she susses out anything foreign in her food and just won't eat.

Fish is great for cats. They don't call it ``brain food'' for nothing. My cat readily ate salmon and tuna before I brought her in, but won't touch fish now. My vet recommended tuna packed in oil. I think her problem with it is that I used tuna to finally trap her and she never forgot the experience. She is an indoor kitty now, and content to be, but, when my vet suggested switching to the salmon-flavored Rebound, which is made especially for cats, I told him she wouldn't accept it. She will only eat chicken or turkey.

My cat also gets dry, available if she wants it, along with tarter-control treats. This is definitely a case of letting the horse out of the barn door, since my little rescued girl needs serious dental work and I will have to traumatize her again to bring her back to the vet.

I would ask about the many prescription diets available, and diet, in general, whatever would keep him healthy. My perfect cat, Rhiannon, was on special vitamins.

As for going outdoors, my cats never have. Rhiannon had been declawed, so it would have been much too dangerous for her, especially since she was fearless. My little rescued girl has had enough of such terrors and prefers to sit in the window. The world is just too dangerous for these little creatures on their own.
:scared:

[radfringe]

6. Cat story

heard this years ago, not sure if it's of the "urban legend" venue or not - but funny anyways

This guy had a cat, and like all cats it would sharpen it's claws on the furniture. When the cat did this the guy would put the cat outside.

Within a couple of weeks, whenever the cat wanted to go out it would scratch the furniture....

[Throckmorton]

7. My cat Andrew is completely Nocturnal.

Sleeps all day in hiding, in one of several nests he has for himself. If you disturb him, he gets snitty, and hides elswhere.

When the sun goes down his is a different cat. A Rubbing, squeaking, purring, love me lump. Its like he has dual personalities.

[pansypoo53219]

8. nocturnal?

they sleep like 20 hours a day. Of course i made my cats sleep with me so i conditioned them to be more diurnal. But Pansy still gets into her psychokittie play mode late in the evening.

[patdem]

10. I had 3 kittens all at once...and I trained them to leave me alone

at night. Only at night when I was in bed when a kitten strode upon my bed to play I would pick them up by the scruff...gently...and place them on the floor firmly...not hard and say no. I had to do this maybe 10 times per night for 40 nights (the biblical time) but they stopped their adventures in my bed and only joined to sleep.

And they used to bite electrical cords...so I would entice them to bit a cord...then tap their noses when they bit...I continuted this till they stopped their attraction for gnawing electrical cords.