Bodyguarding Cat Tara

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Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

Bodyguarding Cat Tara

Cats have the greatest bravery in the animal world.
And even your small house cat can engage itself for your family members if she feels like it.
A cousin of mine had a cat that would defend his pudel, his German shepherd dogs and a fellow cat.

And today I came across this YT-video that seems to become famous.

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 15 2014 10:03:03

rombsix

Posts: 7808
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

Video:

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 15 2014 14:48:16

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

Thanks for the actual URL!
I had taken it from a google link and checking it first ain´t easy from here.

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 15 2014 16:27:54

cigany

Posts: 83
Joined: Jan. 30 2008
From: USA

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

That cat is awesome! However, the most fearless creature in the animal kingdom happens to be the honey badger. It's been known to attack lions and rhinos. Very funny video:

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 16 2014 14:39:59

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

True about the honey badger!
( I remember a movie with a pilot stranding somwhere in Africa, and annoying such a badger. The badger bit into his boots and wouldn´t let go until the guy took of the boot. Then the badger would keep following the one-booted limping guy over days. hehehe

Crazy beast!)

Another similarly couraged animal BTW is the badgers cousin, the glutton. It shys away wolve packs and confronts grizzlies when it is about prey.

Though cat´s bravery stays very remarkable, you beat me to it: What zoologists summed up about the cat family accurately quoted was that they are most efficient in fight and hunt.
This way it should be put correctly now.

Thanks for the correction!

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 16 2014 15:51:17

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

Nice honey badger vid! Now I know why they gave Tyronn Mathieu, the NFL safety, that nickname.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 21 2014 16:13:10

Pgh_flamenco

Posts: 1506
Joined: Dec. 5 2007
From: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

I've had cats most of my life and people have no idea how loyal they can be.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 21 2014 17:26:32

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

In the Germany of 40+ years ago and likely in much of the world still there used to be a wide-spread stereotype that went like: "Cats do not bound with men. They might be loyal to buildings but will not connect to a person".

Only one of so many examples that show how blind people can be notwithstanding thousands of years worth of possible observation and understanding.
And that is just the moderate blindness in the modern West.

Over here in the Middle East any sensible mind can only despair over the superstition-driven rigid detouched, ignorant and cruel being. It is beyond words.
Not to mention its victims.

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 21 2014 18:30:29

Pgh_flamenco

Posts: 1506
Joined: Dec. 5 2007
From: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

Ruphus, you are so right about this. Cats do bond with specific individuals and those bonds are as important to them emotionally as they are to any person. I had to cat-sit my parents’ cat for the last five years of his life and he ended up staying with me for about two years during that time. Toward the end of his life I was driving him back to my parents' place and noticed tears in his eyes and on his cheeks.

There are so many anecdotes that I could refer to that I have to wonder why people choose to remain ignorant about this sort of phenomena.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 21 2014 19:03:07

Leñador

Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

My girlfriends cat has a clear preference for me, and I don't even feed it. He follows me around, sleeps between my feet, whines when I leave. I think it's cus she just kisses and cuddles him and I actually wrestle and play with him, she says it's a boy thing. lol

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 21 2014 19:36:37

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Pgh_flamenco)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Pgh_flamenco

Ruphus, you are so right about this. Cats do bond with specific individuals and those bonds are as important to them emotionally as they are to any person. I had to cat-sit my parents’ cat for the last five years of his life and he ended up staying with me for about two years during that time. Toward the end of his life I was driving him back to my parents' place and noticed tears in his eyes and on his cheeks.

When I moved to Heidelberg to study WT I had to leave my cat to my girl-friend of that time. And she triumphed thatt now finally she would become the cats darling while the cat would distance itself from me.

Already experienced with tight friendships with cats I answered that such would not happen / me staying of same relevance to the cat. She wouldn´t believe.
But whenever I would turn up in the coming years you could clearly see that I was still no.1 for the cat.

I still regret to have left behind this pet of mine, ... deceived it if you will. I know, he never understood why only I left.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Pgh_flamenco

There are so many anecdotes that I could refer to that I have to wonder why people choose to remain ignorant about this sort of phenomena.

Some points ( that you probably know of already):

#
The damning of all animals with lentil-formed iris as demoniac by the Catholic Church, and especially of cats as alleged assistants of witches. The cat burning epoche appears to have penetrated other major culture spheres too, and it sustains globally to these days.

#
Cats communication is basically different from human. This leads to misunderstandings which again make awkward observers assume deviousness and ungratefulness.

#
A survey from years ago revealed that many people, especially unathletic ones envy cats for their outstandingly elegant nimbleness. ( Right how stupid and self-related can humans really be.

)

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 22 2014 0:22:39

Graham_B

Posts: 283
Joined: Jul. 10 2007
From: Leigh, Lancashire, UK

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

Never forgetting that these wonderful pets are actually efficient and ruthless predators that kill hundreds of millions of non-pest animals and birds every year

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 22 2014 7:42:13

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Graham_B)

... And that there have been made studies that revealed how birds compensate for the killings of cats with repeated breedings within a season.
They will even compensate for nest robbings through corvids unless those were heavily over populated.

Weird thing in my direct ambience here is that there is no place with nearly as much singing birds like in a gated community nearby, which in the same time is literally crowded with both cats and corvids.
Go figure, on layman stereotype.

Ruphus

PS:
And while cats are the most efficient hunters in the animal world, they differ from each other. Some are eager to hunt, others could care less as long as you feed them. I have even seen a stray cat that was not fed yet harmless like a spoiled house cat in the same time.

PS2:
Better not to forget what we owe to cats. Their keeping our domiciles free from rodents was substantial contribution to our well-being since settlement.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 22 2014 8:39:44

Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Graham_B)

We have a Bengal who is extremely sociable with us and people he knows. He talks freely and will answer you in conversation. He adores our lurcher and will tolerate all kinds of abuse from her, including being chased (which he loves), being stomped on and gently nibbled. If you know lurchers, you will know that this relationship is quite rare.

He is also a ruthless killer of mice, and rats as big as him. Rather than just trophies, he eats them. Unfortunately the odd bird is also amongst his prey. Fitting a bell works but it wakes us at night when he is up and about.

Bengals are more like dogs than cats in their social skills and intelligence. He is quite small (as a runt) but has the heart and courage of a leopard. Rather him than the idle, fat nylon cats around these parts.

Until we got him, I was ambivalent about cats but not anymore.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 22 2014 8:41:32

edguerin

Posts: 1589
Joined: Dec. 24 2007
From: Siegburg, Alemania

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

Yeah, some cats are dogs

As to the original vid, I was wondering how anybody could point their camera at the kid, at the dog, then the cat, and not drop everything to rush in to help the kid....

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 22 2014 9:26:02

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

I thought them to be stationary. And the kid was picked up instantly.
-

Many think dogs would be more intelligent than cats. But that is grounded on dogs behaviour being more analog to our repertoir.
Seen from pure brain work capacity, cats have more neurons ( dogs 160 mio, cats 300 mio).

The two are hard to objectively compare and seem rather on par the more you observe them.

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 22 2014 9:57:23

Pgh_flamenco

Posts: 1506
Joined: Dec. 5 2007
From: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to edguerin)

quote:

As to the original vid, I was wondering how anybody could point their camera at the kid, at the dog, then the cat, and not drop everything to rush in to help the kid....

The vid was taken with a surveillance video camera.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 22 2014 12:08:48

cigany

Posts: 83
Joined: Jan. 30 2008
From: USA

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

Speaking of loyalty and intelligence, this cat waits for it's owner at the train station:

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 22 2014 16:39:02

hamia

Posts: 403
Joined: Jun. 25 2004

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ruphus

In the Germany of 40+ years ago and likely in much of the world still there used to be a wide-spread stereotype that went like: "Cats do not bound with men. They might be loyal to buildings but will not connect to a person".

Only one of so many examples that show how blind people can be notwithstanding thousands of years worth of possible observation and understanding.
And that is just the moderate blindness in the modern West.

Ruphus

Quite shocking to find out that the Germans were capable of such prejudice and stereotyping. Who would have imagined it?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 22 2014 19:20:08

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to hamia)

quote:

ORIGINAL: hamia

Quite shocking to find out that the Germans were capable of such prejudice and stereotyping. Who would have imagined it?

I thought you would have known already.
After all in your neck of the woods many of the people like to raise their arms and utter "Heil Hitler!" the minute they hear that one comes from Germany, stupidly assuming their faible for the holocaust to be appreciated.

Out of all you mentioning the pillars of backwardedness like prejustice, indifference and detouchment; that takes the biscuit!

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 22 2014 20:02:24

hamia

Posts: 403
Joined: Jun. 25 2004

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ruphus

quote:

ORIGINAL: hamia

Quite shocking to find out that the Germans were capable of such prejudice and stereotyping. Who would have imagined it?

I thought you would have known already.
After all in your neck of the woods many of the people like to raise their arms and utter "Heil Hitler!" the minute they hear that one comes from Germany, stupidly assuming their faible for the holocaust to be appreciated.

Out of all you mentioning the pillars of backwardedness like prejustice, indifference and detouchment; that takes the biscuit!

Ruphus

Your English is taking the biscuit! Normally I manage to decipher your meaning but this time I'm stumped!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 25 2014 2:57:03

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

I said that you, coming from the deliberately most uneducated and unworldly region of the planet, should not wonder about anything other than how to change something about the backwardedness at home.

If needed I can splice the above into three short sentences, if it be easier for you to get it.

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 25 2014 8:36:03

Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

quote:

After all in your neck of the woods many of the people like to raise their arms and utter "Heil Hitler!" the minute they hear that one comes from Germany, stupidly assuming their faible for the holocaust to be appreciated.

Just to clarify your language. Are you saying that the Holocaust is a fable i.e. a myth or legend?

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 25 2014 10:05:35

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

Just the opposite!
I am critisizing that in the moslem world no small number of people ( specially on the country side) will make the Hitler greeting when they hear that you are coming from Germany. They do not mean it ironically. In fact with their antisemitism they feel grateful to the Third Reich for its holocaust.

And they will be looking irritated when you declare your disgust about such behaviour. And when you start dismantling their objections and absurd idea about the person of Hitler or about alleged advance in the TR or the ethnological Nazi myth on Aryan descent BS etc. you can see that it is unheard content to them.

Ruphus

PS:

Having said that, Iranian officials have just days ago distanced themselves from Ahmedinedshad´s denial of the holocaust. Which I think to have been a due and positive move, and maybe the first alike in the official moslem landscape.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 25 2014 10:45:17

Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

OK, it was the way you constructed the sentence.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 25 2014 11:12:03

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

I would be interested to learn how the semantics of that sentence actually come accross.
( Understanding that, could help me with syntax in the future.)

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 25 2014 11:38:37

Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

quote:

I would be interested to learn how the semantics of that sentence actually come accross.

I'm not sure I can. I think you mean that in their minds, the Holocaust was a positive event and should be appreciated as such. The fact that you are German means that they expect you to feel the same way.

That's the best I can do.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 25 2014 12:12:51

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

You misunderstood me.
What I asked for is to kindly hear from you ( native speakers ) what appears to be semantically given in this sentence:

quote:

After all in your neck of the woods many of the people like to raise their arms and utter "Heil Hitler!" the minute they hear that one comes from Germany, stupidly assuming their faible for the holocaust to be appreciated.

Thank you!
-

One thing in advance I think should be corrected might be "... the minute they hear that one comes from Germany ..." which I guess should be "is coming from Germany".

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 25 2014 14:18:15

Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

quote:

One thing in advance I think should be corrected might be "... the minute they hear that one comes from Germany ..." which I guess should be "coming from Germany".

Nope, "comes from" is correct. It is the word "fable" that is confusing. It can mean something talked of in glorious terms, amongst other things. In this case you might say "... assuming stupidly that their fabled Holocaust is to be appreciated."

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 25 2014 14:21:45

edguerin

Posts: 1589
Joined: Dec. 24 2007
From: Siegburg, Alemania

RE: Bodyguarding Cat Tara (in reply to Ruphus)

Actually the German word "Faible" should be translated with "liking for" or "penchant for".
The English "fable" is equivalent to the German "Fabel".
So it's semantics rather than syntax.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 25 2014 16:02:16