“the wonderful thing about tiggers is tiggers are wonderful things.”
the clouded leopard is the most ancient type of cat alive today, with all other living cats sharing their genetic blue print. it is from them that today’s species of cats inherited their razor sharp canines, heightened senses, extreme agility and climbing skills. but they are now so rare that little is known about them, including just how many are left in the wild.
what we do know is than that they continue to live high in tree tops like their ancient cat ancestors, using their long tails for balance. and that they, like all cats, are one of the few animals who lack a fear of heights. but unlike a typical house cat that can get stuck up in a tree, the clouded leopard can rotate its paws to climb down head first. (video)
My cats understand and will obey a number of verbal commands, one of which is “go away”. I don’t use it often, but if they’re bugging me and I’m trying to work or doing something that could be dangerous for cats, I can tell them to go away, and off they go – they’ll only keep pestering me if there’s a serious problem they need me to look at.
That said, their idea of a serious problem that requires my attention is somewhat eccentric. Previous instances have included:
There was an unfamiliar car parked across the street
Their water bowl was four inches to the left of its usual position
One of them had puked on the stairs and they didn’t want to walk past it
It was raining
One of them saw a weird bug
These are all very important things that required your attention. They’re doing a good job.
Dogs really aren’t much better. I teach all my dogs the command “show me”. How it works is if the dog needs something but I’m having trouble understanding what exactly they’re trying to tell me, I say “show me” and they lead me to whatever the problem is. Usually they lead me to a real problem (like a toy that got stuck under the couch, their water bowl is empty, etc). But sometimes they want me to fix things like this-
They pulled the covers off my bed and now they want me to put the covers back
They put their ball on top of the ottoman but the ottoman won’t throw it for them
The cat is sleeping and won’t chase them
A flower fell off the potted plant
The cat is sitting in a box and they don’t like it
One of them lost their bandana
The cat won’t take the toy they’re trying to give her
The cat DID take the toy they gave her and now they want it back
blackash26 