*rub* Zap! *ouch!* Dad, you're shocking me!

[lhg0962]

Dear Cinder,
My name is Butter and I'm going to go ahead and admit it..... I'm a cat. But we have something in common. My mudder shocks me all of the time! I love her a bunch and all she has to do is say "Butter, Butter, Butter" in this real sweet voice, and I just come running, no matter where I am. But she has got to do something about this shocking stuff. She kind of mumbles under her breath when it happens cause she feels so bad about it, but it is constant. She says she gets shocked everytime she gets out of her car too. It's a Jeep, just in case that matters, and I LOVE to sleep on the warm hood. I have given her a nice set of paw prints all the way across the hood and up the windshield too. She is a real Clemson Tiger fan, so I thought she wouldn't mind some "paw prints" on her car.
I've only lived in this house for three weeks now. See I heard about these people who would take in all kinds of stray animals, and they ended up letting me inside too! Of course I didn't leave for over a week, and it was really, really cold outside so my new mom felt really sorry for me.

Anyway, about the "shock". The first time my mom pets me after she has been outside in the cold, she sends shocks through my nose and into my brain! She always rubs my head first. I really love it, but the shocks are not a good thing at all.

If you figure out the answer to this problem, please let us know. No offense, but we have some big, clumsy dogs in this house, and no way could we put buckets or bowls of water around. They would go swimming in them, or at least duck their heads in. They love the water and I can't imagine why.

Hope you have a good weekend, Cinder, and please say a prayer for me. My mom is going out of town overnight and leaving me with that other cat, Mimi. Can you believe it? She hates me. Hope we survive.

Butter, the blue eyed, "shocked a lot" cat

[Karen]

Hey, Cinder-pup, reading your account of the various results brought an idea to mind. What about bowls set around with damp towels in them - they'd be way less messy if they got knocked over, and would still be pretty wet, If you wanted to be extra cautious, you could put em in cheap plastic containers with holes punched into their lids, making it very unlikely they'd be spilled, broken, fallen into, or, if stepped on, they wouldn't cause any harm. Ziploc makes those pretty cheap ones you can get in the food-store - and if you don't have lots of spare dish-towels, or old towels hanging around, you could use papertowels or sponges, but I bet they'd dry out faster. The other option is hanging plants so that old Kat couldn't get to 'em to use 'em as litter pans!

[Angels3]

Cinders, after your latest report re the zapping problem, we are reaching into the bottom of the barrel (no water) here Down Under to come up with a (no cost) solution.

So everyone's a bit awkward around the bowls of water scattered around the house. As you say:

'There were a couple more sites tried, but each fell out of favor after one of us (Dad, Boots Kat, or me, Cinder Dog) either fell into it, pushed someone else into it, or dropped someting into it.'

Our first suggestion was that you all might go to ballet classes & learn to be graceful in your movements. But that probably wouldn't work.

Our second suggestion is that you head the zap off at the pass...Dad's paw, that is. Is there a rubber glove around the house...like for washing dishes? Or can you beg, borrow or steal one from White Coat? Dad can slip the rubber glove onto his patting hand & break the circuit when touching your fur. So, no zap.

The old rubber glove trick might work, & it would be a prettier sight than you, Kat, Boots & Dad taking ballet lessons.

[Phred]

Seems like us *gurls* like the plantz ideas. Dad's not a *gurl* so he's not too hot on the plantz thingies. Somethin about 'nother mouth to have to 'member to feed...

Now the *boxed* water in plastic tubs, with lids, might have sum merit - what'cha think, Dad? Oh. He's still a little shy 'bout water that gets too far away from a sink.

Danz lessins? I don't need lessins - I danz every time someone gets close to me! But Dad! Him and a danz lessin are about as likely as you are to have snow tanite!!

Now that rubber glove fix... Dad can get lotz of 'em at the Fire Station! Dad wantz ta noe if the rubber glub woul make it hard ta pik his noze? Well Dad, YOU asked an' I dunno - so's I hadda ask the Group. Wait; I noe tha anser - course it woldn't be a problem. All ya gotta do is put tha glub on the Pet pettin' hand-paw and don't put a glub on the noze picker! hehehe... gotta send this afore the Ol' Two-Legger sees THAT one!!

Anyway, we're goin' home to oil down Stray Dog's dinner an' slip it to him

[Angels3]

Cinders, you're one smart dog figuring out how your Dad can have one gloved hand for patting & another hand to do OTHER THINGS. I read that there's a culture somewhere, where people only ever eat their food with one hand because the OTHER HAND is kept for doing OTHER THINGS that are of the nose picking type. (No! It's not Australia.)

I get the feeling you're sometimes trying to hint that your dear old Dad is none too bright in the brain compartment...compared to you, that is. Well you could help Dad out on this one. Get one of those big marking pens. Print on one of Dad's hands..'For patting', and on the other one 'For OTHER THINGS'. Then he'll know which one to put the glove on. And we'll all know which hand not to shake when we meet him.

[Phred]

Hey Butter, and all you other *Zapped!* Furkids~

Tell your Hoomins that when they take their shower baths, which work a lot better than sit-downs, if they don't turn on the ceiling air sukker and leave the baffroom door open - all that beautious *steem* will flow all over the house and kut down on the Zappies.

But be reel careful not to *bump* inta the baffroom door an move it in close to the shower door. Me, Kat, an the Smokey Kid all came inta the baffroom to check out Kat's Krunchie Bar Snak Tray while Dad was takin a steem stand-up 'fore he went to a Bowl Party on Sunday. Well, sumbody *bumped* the hallway door an it swung rite up to the shower door. Dad was trying out our steem up the house trick and dint have the air sukker eatin' all the wet steem - so's it was a lil' bit foggy inna baffroom. And Dad takes his looker glasses off when he does stand-ups. So, I guess you could say he wasn't seein' all that well when he slided open the shower door and klimbed out to grab his towel. That's about when he noticed were us FurKids had left the baffroom hallway door. Well, akshoely he noticed AFTER he banged his headbone inta the door. Wow! Such language in front of lil' baby doglets...

But I'm pleezed to report that the steem shower did a great job of cuttin down the Zaps! for a day or so. Now it's rainen like krazy, so thingz otta be pretty zap-proof inna house for a few more dayz.

Now if he'd jest 'member to bring home sum rubber glubs, we'd be reely safe!

/s/ Cinder, Kat & the Kid

[Angels3]

[
Now if he'd jest 'member to bring home sum rubber glubs, we'd be reely safe!

/s/ Cinder, Kat & the Kid

[/B][/QUOTE]
Cinder, your Dad just needs 1 glove for his patting hand. Maybe you could tie a piece of string around one of his fingers before he goes to work. All day he'll look at that piece of string & it'll remind him that he has to bring a glove home.
You & the Smokey Kid & Kat are doing a great job looking after your Dad. But take care what you do with the doors. He does seem to stumble about a bit when he's not wearing his glasses.