A good kitty
on July 11, 2013 at 12:01 amI think it’s these past few strips in particular that whetted my appetite for rendering Indiana University better as a setting. You can see a stone fence/wall behind Joyce in the first few panels here and a wider, fuller view of the area in the strips prior. This is the sidewalk on Third Street, upon which the characters in Dumbing of Age often walk to math class.
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The best way to attract a cat to you is to act uninterested.
Better yet, be allergic.
I have always wondered about that. I love cats but they always seem to prefer my less loving or allergic friends. Even my own cat
Cats can’t stand being ignored. If you pay too much attention to them (most cats, not all), they feel crowded and run away, but if you ignore them, they often come to you. So this is why cats find it suddenly imperative that they need attention from people who are allergic, terrified, or trying to read/draw/use the computer.
I love cats and when I have time to pet my cat, Bill Murray is always otherwise occupied, but the minute I sit at my computer or try to read a book, he won’t stop trying to crawl into my lap.
I really hope that “Bill Murray” is the name of your cat.
Yup! Bill Murray is the name of my cat, not to be confused with the real Bill Murray.
Good. Because otherwise, your previous comment sounds really weird.
I see nothing wrong with it…
I’m so used to his name, I forget about it, but yeah, it does create confusion.
And interesting-sounding sentences — “Dang it, Bill Murray hacked up a hairball again,” “Bill Murray, stop trying to mount Phineas,” “Bill Murray ate a fly,” “Bill Murray stop trying to jump up in my lap when I have no pants on! You’re clawing up my thighs!” etc. XD
My sister’s boyfriend was allergic to cats, but he didn’t mind petting our cat. (It was a pretty mild allergy.) I joked about this once, citing Portal’s “go ahead and rub your face all over it”. He proceeded to rub his face all over it.
When I got my (then) 2yo cat from the Animal Shelter more than 20 years ago, I chose him because he, unlike the other cats there, actually went up to me to be patted.
I had a roommate who did that and BOY HOWDY was that cat a brain-case. I prefer cats who do not guilt trip me for daring to take my full attention away from them for 5 minutes.
Your roommate always went up to you to be petted? Huh. Interesting relationship.
The thing with cats, their basic body language and ours are a nearly opposites, so a human acting human-friendly is threatening to them, while a human acting human-disinterested is inviting closeness. Dogs will learn OUR mannerisms. Communicating with cats requires learning theirs.
1. Wide eyes: To a human, excited/happy. To a cat: Alarmed/aggressive
2. Smiling with teeth: To a human: Friendly/happy. To a cat: Overt threat (“this is what I’ll bite you with”)
3. Pulling your head away: To a human: disgust/reluctance. To a cat: “I trust you enough to show you my throat. Cuddle up, buddy!”
4. Narrowed eyes: To a human: distrust/disapproval. To a cat: “I’m super relaxed/trusting around you and don’t feel a need to watch your every move if you get close (despite that you are 8x my size).”
I’ve had cats all my life, or rather they’ve had me. There is truth to the saying cats love to jump on those who don’t want them to. I’ve seen it happen so many times. I had a landlord who was terrified of cats-not allergic. Every single time he arrived at the apartment for my cat would hide behind a chair, and when the landlord walked in….wham. My cat first stalked, then pounced, landing on whatever available serface-arm, leg, butt, that he could hit. Hard to keep a straight face, pry the cat off and put him in the BR. After 3x the landlord would not enter the apartment, I never figured out why he didn’t just call first so I could (maybe) put the cat in the bedroom. hehe.
Cats will approach almost anyone, when they feel like it. That’s the key here. When they feel like it.
no idea why that hot link popped it there.
For once, Danny and his facepalm speak for us all.
Truly, this is a momentous occasion.
To cats, staring straight in the eyes is a sign of aggression.
Can you honestly say Joyce isn’t being aggressive?
She needs to GRAB DEM MANKS and look at dese feets nom nom nom
JUST LOOK AT ALL THAT DETAILED BACKGROUND!
In panels 3 and 4, someone is playing with the Power Booster Rod. Joyce is too single-mindedly focused on pursuit of her victim to notice.
Space is overrated!
Originally posted:
January 25, 2005