Cat Spa

January 25, 2007 4:30 PM

Cat Spa[YouTube^*]
^*I surrender
posted by mr_crash_davis (156 comments total)

Oh god I'd place the owner in the same machine , I am such a mean man !
posted by elpapacito at 4:34 PM on January 25, 2007

Disturbing and cruel.

Both of my cats would react the same way -- scared shitless.
posted by ericb at 4:36 PM on January 25, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

W. T. F.
posted by Alex404 at 4:37 PM on January 25, 2007

"best of the web"!?

ARG!
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 4:39 PM on January 25, 2007

This got posted on videosift earlier today and started a voting war with animal lovers and haters on both sides. I voted just for the music.

mmm kitty torture... also my cat would have massive vengeance on me for such hate.
posted by sourbrew at 4:39 PM on January 25, 2007

That's horrible, cruel, and disturbing, and I laughed all the way through. I really don't like cats.
posted by gurple at 4:39 PM on January 25, 2007

This thread is nothing without IMG Tags.
posted by Smart Dalek at 4:42 PM on January 25, 2007 [3 favorites has favorites]

Jesus fucking Christ, what is wrong with people?
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 4:44 PM on January 25, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

If I ever want my cats to start shitting on my bed instead of the litterbox, I will take them to a cat spa.
posted by padraigin at 4:45 PM on January 25, 2007 [3 favorites has favorites]

THAT CAT IS NOT ENJOYING HIS SPA EXPERIENCE.

Sometimes, loving pet owners need to remember that animals don't like the same things humans do. Dog sweaters? Human desires imposed on an animal. Cat Spa? Same thing. It's HUMANS that love being placed inside a steel chamber in which jets erupt from metal grating beneath us as steam increases our temperature to fever levels, but give the animals a break. We have completely different tastes.
posted by Milkman Dan at 4:45 PM on January 25, 2007

I'm a dog person, and I really can't stand cats. That being said, while watching that, I provided anecdotal proof of Adam Smith's theory of moral sentiments by imagining my dog in that thing and how much he would hate it. It makes me think that thing is pretty shitty. I hope that cat gnaws a whole in the jugular of the owner.

And crash, I'm just glad you didn't find a version with a pug in it, you anti-pugite.
posted by dios at 4:46 PM on January 25, 2007

It's HUMANS that love being placed inside a steel chamber in which jets erupt from metal grating beneath us as steam increases our temperature to fever levels

Hey ! I am human and I don't like that !

I mean ok one can test with the kitty on the (barely reasonable) assumption he may not be upset or even enjoy it. Assuming one can do that and FAIL miserably, why didn't they let the kit out ? The cat's behavior was evidently that of being very fucking scared.

WTF is wrong with THAT person, not with people. It's not an animal lover vs animal owner , it's motherfucker vs reasonably sane person.
posted by elpapacito at 4:51 PM on January 25, 2007

Too funny. My daughter said, "Look at that kitty! He's so happy! He wants to get out!" and giggled right with me.
posted by frecklefaerie at 4:53 PM on January 25, 2007

This was posted to YouTube by the person who actually did it two months ago. It's amazing how many people just repost something to get their name on it.

Note that the description for the original mentions that the pet store told them that "cats love it" - and that they even stopped it early.
posted by evilangela at 4:53 PM on January 25, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Is there a loofah cycle?
posted by miss lynnster at 4:54 PM on January 25, 2007

This is better than that cat on acid post from a little while back, but still... poor kitty...
posted by brundlefly at 4:56 PM on January 25, 2007

I realize that the in the end, this thing is harmless. But I feel like whoever put that cat in the washing machine should be put in situation that would scare them as shitless as the poor cat was.

I hope the cat decides to never aim for the litter box again.
posted by punkrockrat at 4:58 PM on January 25, 2007

Elpapacito, what ? You don't like that ? You obviously are not familiar with the Pedestrian Spa Chambers scattered across the West Coast. Entire families line up down city blocks to be part of the spa chamber experience. "The jets are coming!" scream the children. "I can't get out!" scream the men. "It's like an interactive bidet!" scream the grandfathers. And everybody walks home as wet and happy as acrobatic cats.

Hey, as soon as you start describing this video, it turns into a very rhymey Gilbert & Sullivan-like song: Trapped acrobatic hyperbaric-chamber cat, thrashing and splashing like a drowned rat in a laundromat.
posted by Milkman Dan at 4:58 PM on January 25, 2007 [3 favorites has favorites]

delete....

the purpose of a post that shows animal abuse is what? It adds to this community how?
posted by HuronBob at 4:58 PM on January 25, 2007

"And crash, I'm just glad you didn't find a version with a pug in it, you anti-pugite."

A pug would just lie there and hope it drowned him.

"Blessed release!" he would think to himself.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:01 PM on January 25, 2007 [5 favorites has favorites]

Sometimes cats get dirty and have to be washed. I'd rather put one in that thing than do it myself and get scratched all to hell.
posted by nyxxxx at 5:01 PM on January 25, 2007

I had a sweet little orange and white boy cat on my lap as I watched that. I'm really glad he was facing away from the monitor.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 5:03 PM on January 25, 2007

Somebody is going to get you for this, mr_crash_davis. Oh, yes.
posted by cgc373 at 5:03 PM on January 25, 2007

Well, it does solve the age old problem of "how do I clean my cat without getting my eyes/testicles/pancreas clawed out?"

That said, I own a cat, and I'd never put it in that thing. Luckily she's docile enough to stop struggling once we've* actually gotten her in the tub. Apparently, as with humans, the wait is worse than the pain.

*two-person job
posted by Kattullus at 5:06 PM on January 25, 2007

Wow. I'm a vegetarian and consider myself an animal lover, and am surprised at some of the reactions here. Giving a cat a bath isn't fun, no matter what form the bath takes. The cat wasn't hurt, and at least the owner didn't get their arms shredded in the process of bathing their animal.

This is maybe not nice, but anybody who eats meat is much more cruel to animals than this pet owner, in my opinion. I thought the video was funny.
posted by HighTechUnderpants at 5:08 PM on January 25, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

HOLY SHITS DUDE THEY PUT A CAT IN A FAWKING AUTOCLAVE!!!1!ELEVEN!!111
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 5:09 PM on January 25, 2007

HuronBob asks: "It adds to this community how?"

Answer: After sharing the video, community members now have a common point of reference from which to better listen to the more mature members of the community, who will be better equipped to open discussions about how kindness and empathy are both healtier responses to animal abuse. Resources such as PETA and WildSingapore can be linked to, as well as the SPCA.

Just as many emergency response workers use dark humour to alleviate the daily pressures of the job, so to can "animal cruelty humour" be used in a healthy manner. For instance, this community is currently using this video as a unifying device: being able to uniformly laugh about an animal's unfortunate experience at the PetSpa allows them to jointly voice their (almost unanimous opinion) that cruelty to animals is a grave tragedy.
posted by Milkman Dan at 5:10 PM on January 25, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

And let me add that my comment isn't meant to derail to another veggie vs. non-veggie freak-out, I'm just saying that even if you want to consider this animal cruety, get your ire up about something that is really cruel, like dogfighting.
posted by HighTechUnderpants at 5:10 PM on January 25, 2007

Anyone remember Flooze?

Yeah, this idea is about as dumb.
posted by Cyrano at 5:10 PM on January 25, 2007

OK, while I was typing that one of my cats stole an eggroll.

I'm reconsidering.
posted by Cyrano at 5:11 PM on January 25, 2007

I'd rather put one in that thing than do it myself and get scratched all to hell.

Just get a fat, non-circumcised, Critical Mass biking enthusiast to de-claw the little fucker.
posted by bardic at 5:12 PM on January 25, 2007

Little-known fact: Cats can actually wash themselves.
posted by mullingitover at 5:12 PM on January 25, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

Animal abuse. Disgusting.
Oh, and lasting efects? That is a great way to get an animal to switch over to permanent, continuous fight-or-flight.
posted by oflinkey at 5:12 PM on January 25, 2007

I don't need that machine.
posted by radiobishop at 5:12 PM on January 25, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Mullingitover: yeah, just like that stupid "self-cleaning oven" I have, right? As IF. What, I suppose they use their TONGUES or something.
posted by Milkman Dan at 5:13 PM on January 25, 2007

On preview- HighTechUnderpants, I understand your point, but I can be enraged about dogfighting and intensely angry about this at the same time.
posted by oflinkey at 5:13 PM on January 25, 2007

I watched the whole thing hoping the cat would have killed the human that put it in the "spa". I know my cats would have gone right for my jugular.
posted by birdherder at 5:19 PM on January 25, 2007

I don't really get the outrage either. Nothing terrible is happening to the cat, it's getting a (presumably much needed) bath (and yes, cats do occasionally need something other than a tongue bath), and no, he doesn't like it, any more than he likes going to the vet, getting a shot, having his nails clipped, or any number of other necessary things. For pete's sake, don't any of you have pets? Can you not tell the difference between a cat being washed against its will and a cat being tortured? Sheesh. (But that was one baleful glare at the end; I hope the owner gave it some nice treats.)
posted by languagehat at 5:21 PM on January 25, 2007

What happens when you try to put the cat in the machine next time? That's what I want to see. Any cat can be fooled once. But twice.... no, they remember. Oh yes.
posted by jellicle at 5:30 PM on January 25, 2007

nyxxxx : Sometimes cats get dirty and have to be washed. I'd rather put one in that thing than do it myself and get scratched all to hell.

One of the best tricks I ever learned with regard to cats: If you need to wash them, put about a quarter inch of warm water in a bathtub, gently lower the cat into it, let them get used to the fact that their feet are wet, and use a calming voice to keep the kitty relaxed. Then take one of those Big Gulp type cups (which you already have in the tub) and gently scoop up some of the warm water from the basin, slowly pour this over the cat, starting with the back (but not the tail itself.) Keep one hand firmly on the cat, but not forcefully so.

I've successfully washed many cats with this system and rarely gotten more than an angry growl.
posted by quin at 5:37 PM on January 25, 2007 [4 favorites has favorites]

"get your ire up about something that is really cruel"

How about getting my ire up about everything that is cruel...isn't that how things change... ignoring the small stuff ..hmm...interesting way to stand up for what you believe.

It is easy to minimize the effect of something like this on an animal. Watch it again, the cat was terrorized.

I believe that a person's character can be easily judged by how he/she treats those that are weaker/smaller.
posted by HuronBob at 5:38 PM on January 25, 2007

mullingitover: "Little-known fact: Cats can actually wash themselves."

Little-known fact: sometimes cats need help on this from humans. Not often, but sometimes. And as someone who has had to actually wash a cat, and still has some scars to prove it, I can honestly say that, while I wouldn't put my cats in this thing, I can certainly undestand why someone would.

Cats can be vicious while they're being washed. And, given their temperament, you have to remember that cats tend to act miffed about all sorts of things, even things that are good for them.

Prognosis: the cat will be fine, and will get over it in a few moments.
posted by koeselitz at 5:38 PM on January 25, 2007

And I would assume the musical choice was to hide the undoubtedly horrible noises that were emanating from that box. The kind of noises that would guarantee that no cat owner would ever put their pet in such a thing.
posted by quin at 5:39 PM on January 25, 2007

There are degrees of shittiness. Jet-bathing your cat in one of these, I will guess, is shittier for the cat than you scrubbing it in the tub. Cats do have to have unpleasant things done to them once in a while, but this seems gratuitous.
posted by everichon at 5:46 PM on January 25, 2007

poor kitty needs a helmet to keep from bashing his own head in while thrashing about in the spa.
posted by 3.2.3 at 5:46 PM on January 25, 2007

That cat wasn't "miffed", it looked like it was terrified and adrenaline-y.
posted by everichon at 5:47 PM on January 25, 2007

Can't we just put him in there instead?
posted by miss lynnster at 5:49 PM on January 25, 2007

It provides its own agitator. Bravo! (Cat Hater U.S.A.)
posted by WaterSprite at 5:52 PM on January 25, 2007

For all of you saying that cats wash themselves, you've obviously either never had a cat or only had indoor, well behaved cats. Because sometimes they become covered in syrup or flour or shit. Some of them just aren't very clean. I've got a longhair brindle that has dreads under his chin because he can't get to them and I can't clip them without pissing him off.

I even once had a cat that just wouldn't clean itself. It was mildly retarded, I believe. But it just refused to clean itself and if you didn't want to smell shit or fish or whatever you had to wash the animal and it hated that. It also had much sharper and longer claws than normal.

Once that one got fleas and scratched itself so badly before we could get rid of them that her fur was covered in dried blood. After we washed her the bathwater was red from the amount of blood we got out of her.

And the best way to get rid of fleas is to wash them with lemon joy. The soap and the lemon scent kills the fleas.

Cats don't like being spayed or neutered either. I don't see any of you people protesting that as cruelty. I'm sure if you asked the cat which it would rather have happen to it, it's balls cut off or get a little wet, it would choose the latter.
posted by nyxxxx at 5:58 PM on January 25, 2007

Cats don't like being spayed or neutered either. I don't see any of you people protesting that as cruelty.

Christ. Popcorn! Get yer popcorn he-yaa! Fresh popcorn!
posted by Kwine at 6:08 PM on January 25, 2007

This would be so much better with a semi-hysterical Japanese voiceover.
posted by carter at 6:09 PM on January 25, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

i love when people see this and say "omg i'd kill the person who..."

yeah. everytime i see someone do something violent i want to hit them in the face with a brick.

get over yourselves.
posted by jcterminal at 6:12 PM on January 25, 2007

Most cats don't enjoy being bathed, though it is necessary at times. Considering their discomfort when you are there with them, holding them, whispering words of comfort, how comfortable do you think they're going to be in the Cat Spa/Irresponsible Owner's Box of Cruel Pet Terror?

Buy some freaking gloves and meet your own obligations as a pet owner, ffs.

Cats don't like being spayed or neutered either. I don't see any of you people protesting that as cruelty.

Do you let your cats use your straw man as a scratching post when you don't need it?
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 6:13 PM on January 25, 2007 [6 favorites has favorites]

Explain to little ol me how that's a straw man? I just don't understand your point.
posted by nyxxxx at 6:22 PM on January 25, 2007

Waterboarding for cats.

Its OK because 'they' aren't human, and is it just as 'hilarious' when they are?
posted by Binliner at 6:22 PM on January 25, 2007

This is "cruel" and "animal abuse"? it's a shower for a pet.

Surely not exercising proper pet hygiene fits the "abuse" label a lot more closely, and that's certainly the law's view of things. You can see it semi-regularly on your local channels whenever a filthy hovel is found to have 20-30 "pets" living there in revolting conditions.
posted by clevershark at 6:28 PM on January 25, 2007

At least they weren't yelling at the cat.
posted by Astro Zombie at 6:33 PM on January 25, 2007

I have recently read somewhere that, a few centuries ago, they would hang live cats by the tail over a fire and kings and populace alike would laugh their heart out: this kind of show was considered an hilarious delight.

So, it could be said that suffering cats are still used to entertain, but on the suffering cat scale, we are much more civilized.
posted by bru at 6:35 PM on January 25, 2007

Why use this when I have a perfectly good toilet?

I kid... I'd never do that to my baby (who, I should add, is a real sweetheart about getting bathed, even though she hates water -- she might be reading MeFi, you know).

That poor cat... The outrage here, I think, stems from the fact from the cat thinks it's going to fucking die -- at least it looks that way to me. Everichon points out: the cat doesn't look annoyed or angry; it looks absolutely terrified. There will be injured cats from all the thrashing about.

Binliner nails it: It's waterboarding for cats.
posted by LordSludge at 6:39 PM on January 25, 2007

I've washed cats; it's no big deal. It just takes some patience and a little empathy.
posted by 2sheets at 6:39 PM on January 25, 2007

The cat didn't like it, but it isn't cruel. If the cat had been put in there for amusement, that would be cruel.
posted by owhydididoit at 6:41 PM on January 25, 2007

I just don't understand your point.

It's the same thing as HighTechPants' comment about dogfighting; yeah, it's horrible, and I'm disgusted by it, but that's not the issue being discussed.

If you want, I can counter your 'Well, it's not as bad as spaying/neutering,' with "Well, spaying/neutering isn't as bad as boiling it alive." Does that invalidate your observation? No, it just muddies the water by introducing an argument that isn't necessary or pertinent.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 6:42 PM on January 25, 2007

I was told to give my wife a spa coupon for our anniversary.

I'm considering it!

</Borscht Belt>
posted by dhartung at 6:43 PM on January 25, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Say your toddler needs an injection, in the butt. The kid hates injections. Are you folks going to say that you accompanying the child and coo-cooing it while it gets the shot is the same as sticking the kid into some injection-giving-robot-confinement-box?
posted by everichon at 6:48 PM on January 25, 2007

LordSludge writes "Binliner nails it: It's waterboarding for cats."

I'm Dick Cheney and I approve this device.
posted by mullingitover at 6:48 PM on January 25, 2007

Still hate shots, m'self.
posted by everichon at 6:49 PM on January 25, 2007

Buy some freaking gloves and meet your own obligations as a pet owner

Nailed it.
posted by Cyrano at 6:49 PM on January 25, 2007

I just think that if you're going to build a kitty-wash, there has to be a better way than that to do it. Huge jets of water erupting from the floor are guaranteed to freak the living crap out of any cat. What exactly makes this a "pet spa" as opposed to something that can be used to rinse just about anything?
posted by brundlefly at 6:52 PM on January 25, 2007

i am the kind of person who will intervene (nonviolently) whenever i witness what i consider to be mental or physical cruelty, whether against adult, child, or animal (*especially* kids - trust me, you do not want to abuse your kid around me); and yet, this video totally cracked me up. it's a pretty shitty thing to do to a kitty, in truth, and i admit i would get pissed if somebody did this to my cat. but it's water, not acid. no f'ing way this cat was actually harmed by this. you should see my cat when he gets his ears cleaned. you'd think i was sticking a brick up his ass - but five minutes later it's like it never happened.

it's interesting to me - the opinions on this one seem to be split right down the middle.
posted by facetious at 6:53 PM on January 25, 2007

The cat still had its collar on. Who washes a cat without taking off the collar? One of our shelter kitties had a dent in his neck for weeks from where his collar shrank around him when it got wet while he hid outside (before he was caught by the pet police). Leaving the collar on the cat while washing him puts this in the realm of stupidity.

The slick floor and relatively unsupervised setting elevates it to high -- or "first dan" -- stupidity. If the cat had slipped he could have been injured. When the cat started hopping around like a rampaging kernel of Jiffy Pop, why didn't someone turn the machine off?

Besides, it's not hard to wash a cat without the use of large scienteriffic gizmos like this one. Sheesh.
posted by smashingstars at 6:53 PM on January 25, 2007

Are you folks going to say that you accompanying the child and coo-cooing it while it gets the shot is the same as sticking the kid into some injection-giving-robot-confinement-box?

Obviously the second way is SO MUCH FREAKIN' COOLER!
posted by Astro Zombie at 6:54 PM on January 25, 2007

Yeah, if it was a morphine-dispensing ORGONE ACCUMULATING injection-giving-robot-confinement-box signed by William Burroughs, ok, I'll subject myself to it. But no toddlers, and no cats.
posted by everichon at 6:55 PM on January 25, 2007

I started watching that video today, expecting a good chuckle, because pissed off cats can be pretty damn funny. I have washed my cats in tubs and, yes, they didn't like it much. I have also taken them to the vet -- oh, do they hate that -- and they also don't care much for being pilled or having their mouths cleaned. And sometimes I have done mildly stupid things to them for my own amusement, the sort of thing that gets me a lashing tail or a baleful glare. We still get along.

It's possible that I could have made the same dumb mistake as the original cat owner and put a mellow cat in one of these Spas. It's rather less likely that I would have had a video camera along to document the process. And if my cat had freaked out in such obvious terror as that cat did, I would have dropped the camera and taken the cat out right away.

I wouldn't have edited the video in slo-mo and added the music. I wouldn't have uploaded the video to YouTube. I'd feel ashamed that I did something so stupid that terrified my cat, even if he wasn't permanently hurt.

That's why I didn't laugh at a video I had thought could be funny. YMMV.
posted by maudlin at 7:03 PM on January 25, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

mullingitover: I'm Dick Cheney and I approve this device.

Please. Any information you'd gain from this torture method would be unreliable because: dude -- it's a cat.
posted by LordSludge at 7:09 PM on January 25, 2007

smashingstars has stated clearly that this is a hazard to the cat for several reasons.

This is shutting an animal in a box and causing intense stress. Intense stress can be physically dangerous in domesticated animals--and don't give me the "they deal with stress in the wild" argument. The average lifespan of a feral cat is less than a year and this is not a wild cat. If you want Fluffy to be a well-adjusted, healthy cat for years to come, don't do these sorts of things.

Buy some freaking gloves and meet your own obligations as a pet owner.

Absolutely.
posted by oflinkey at 7:17 PM on January 25, 2007

Cats don't like being spayed or neutered either. I don't see any of you people protesting that as cruelty. I'm sure if you asked the cat which it would rather have happen to it, it's balls cut off or get a little wet, it would choose the latter.

Ditto to what Alvy Ampersand said.

Also, cats are spayed/neutered to try to curtail a serious overpopulation issue (most cats will not find homes and will be euthanized; see data below). Whereas cats can be washed without submitting them to some bizarre contraption that seems especially designed to scare the fuck out of them. (And yes, I have two cats and I've washed them before. The trick is to do it slowly and gently and to use mildy warm water.)

From the American Humane Society website (this data is about ten years old, but if anything, the situation has likely gotten worse):

It is widely accepted that 9.6 million animals are euthanized annually in the United States.

Of the 1,000 shelters that replied to the National Council's survey, 4.3 million animals were handled.

In 1997 roughly 64% of the total number of animals that entered shelters were euthanized -- approximately 2.7 million animals in just these 1,000 shelters. These animals may have been put down due to overcrowding, but may have been sick, aggressive, injured, or suffered something else.

56% of dogs and 71% of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized. More cats are euthanized than dogs because they are more likely to enter a shelter without any owner identification.

Only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats that enter animal shelters are reunited with their owners.

25% of dogs and 24% of cats that enter animal shelters are adopted.
posted by mijuta at 7:24 PM on January 25, 2007

I'm sorry, I totally love cats - I'm sitting here with one in lap right now that looks exactly like the one in the machine - but that was some funny, funny shit.
posted by gottabefunky at 7:28 PM on January 25, 2007

Sorry, forgot to provide the American Humane Society link.

http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=nr_fact_sheets_animal_euthanasia
posted by mijuta at 7:31 PM on January 25, 2007

quin writes "put about a quarter inch of warm water in a bathtub, gently lower the cat into it"

My wife's long-haired beast doesn't mind this technique. As long as the water is warm, he's OK. He does get tangles, knots, and poo stuck to his fluffy rear, so he occasionally needs a rinse. We've never given him (or his short-haired brother) a full-on bath, but I don't suspect either would be angry enough about it to actually dismember us.
posted by caution live frogs at 7:34 PM on January 25, 2007

This is better than that cat on acid post from a little while back, but still... poor kitty...

I disagree, this is far worse. The tripping cat was so high it is hard to tell what his actual mental state was at the time. Here, the drug free cat is very obviously panicked and fearing for its life.
posted by Meatbomb at 7:49 PM on January 25, 2007

This device simply cannot be cost-effective. You can buy one all day long, and you can wash your cat in it once, but there's no way you're ever getting the same cat in that thing twice. Cat's are specialists at not going in the box, when it's important to them, and that thing will traumatize any cat enough that it will remember it for the rest of its life.

Seriously, that's one freaked-out cat. It probably will not be the same after that. I've had a lot of cats in my life, and I've bathed quite a few of them. It's just not a big deal. They mostly find it humiliating, but deal with a sort of defeated resignation, more than anything else. I've never had one totally freak out at the idea.
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:53 PM on January 25, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Ah, mr_crash_davis, welcome to the dark side.

If only I could link to your comments when I posted a single-link YouTube kitten video (now deleted).
posted by UbuRoivas at 8:18 PM on January 25, 2007

re: At least they weren't yelling at the cat.

OMG, I don't like cats, but that guy is a maniac. I wouldn't scream like that at anything, let alone a cat. Poor kitties.

(Cat Hater U.S.A.)
posted by WaterSprite at 8:22 PM on January 25, 2007

I was going to criticize a one-link YouTube post about cats, but...

I laughed so hard that I cried.

A++++ WOULD CLICK AGAIN.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 8:31 PM on January 25, 2007

Wow. Reading some of the comments in here, I've just gotta say... UNCLENCH.

I hope all y'all who are up in arms about animal cruelty are busy getting our your checkbooks and writing a big one to the ASPCA (or the WHATEVER-SPCA if you're from Whateveristan) to put your money where your blowholes are.

I cried when I took my cat to be spayed because I knew she didn't understand what was going on and hated it and I can't explain it to her, she's A CAT. I would never put her in the washing machine, but I also know that doing so wouldn't harm her anymore than the pyschological damage done when I have to leave over night. And y'know what? Sometimes, I have to leave overnight. And I come home to find nuggets of joy in my bathtub. That's the price of pet ownership. Cats are neurotic freaks and demand rigorous compliance to their rules, only, they don't tell you what their rules are because they're CATS. So, no matter what you do, at some point your cat is going to freak the hell out.

And if you put your cat freaking out (in a manner that is clearly not hurting anyone) on YouTube, I will laugh. Until I cry.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 8:41 PM on January 25, 2007

I was born clenching, and by Cthulhu I'll die clenched.
posted by everichon at 8:50 PM on January 25, 2007

No tumble dry?
posted by wfrgms at 9:21 PM on January 25, 2007

My favorite part was the very beginning, when they put the cat in this *chamber*, and it just starts walking around, sniffing at the floor, acting reasonably happy with being there, totally unsuspecting of what was coming up. And then the surprise.

But yeah, it was looking pretty sad after it ran out of the will to jump around. I wouldn't bathe a cat unless it couldn't do the job itself.
posted by A dead Quaker at 9:25 PM on January 25, 2007

I love cats, and have been a cat owner.

This YouTube link only justifies my deleted AskMe answer.

That cat isn't in distress. It's trying to get out by folding the fabric of spacetime itself. It's trying to get out so it can kill.

The kitty is just fine. It just hungers for human flesh.
posted by loquacious at 10:11 PM on January 25, 2007

Pants for dogs
posted by strawberryviagra at 10:24 PM on January 25, 2007

More pants for dogs
posted by strawberryviagra at 10:33 PM on January 25, 2007

Jesus Christ.

The cat in this video is in terror. It's most definitely not a kind and considerate way to treat an animal, much less one you ostensibly cherish. Seriously.

You know, it's pretty easy to bathe a cat by hand, anyway.
posted by darkstar at 10:46 PM on January 25, 2007

jellicle: "What happens when you try to put the cat in the machine next time? That's what I want to see. Any cat can be fooled once. But twice.... no, they remember. Oh yes."

Our little baby Cleo is STILL traumatized by my SO's mother, for helping to get her to the vet... one time!

It's been 5 years, and she still cowers in the closet. She knows not to trust "that lady". The sad thing is, does this mean that she's got some sort of Stockholm Syndrome going on with us, since she has no fear of us... in fact, is probably the most damn affectionate cat I have ever freakin' seen?
posted by symbioid at 10:52 PM on January 25, 2007

A testimonial:

The Pet Salon
2101 Greentree Rd.
Scott Towne Center Suite: B-109
Pittsburgh, PA 15220
412-279-5331

May 20, 2004

Dear Andres,

I just wanted to take a minute to tell you what a great job the petspa has done for us over the last year & a half. It has provided a safe method of doing very large dogs as well as cats. We have eliminated the need to have our employees lift large, overweight, or medium dogs into tubs where employees could get injured in the process. In addition, we don’t have to restrain the dog to the tub with a noose – which is a safety concern to us all. Cat bites during bathing have been eliminated – our workmen’s comp carrier is happy. Furthermore, the big bonus is that we saved $15,000 in labor during the 2004 calender year. We want to thank you for developing a safe, unique product that is industrial grade & will for many years to come

Sincerely,
Michael J. Lisk
Managing Member

posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 11:07 PM on January 25, 2007

wfrgms : No tumble dry?

Funny. But lemme tell you the tale of Rapunzel; she was a cat. She shed a lot (hence the name), she was sweet and deeply stupid. And then, one day, she decided that it would be good to sleep in the dryer on a nice warm, just washed, comforter. She died badly.

Short of war, there is nothing that will bring you more quickly into adulthood than burying a beloved pet while your mom stands by, sobbing that she turned on the dryer and ended something that she loved. It's an experience I wouldn't like to repeat.

And now, with a house full of cats, I pat the load down every time I dry clothes.
posted by quin at 11:14 PM on January 25, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Wow, quin; that sucks so much. Pet death stories are the frickin' worst.

.
posted by cgc373 at 11:16 PM on January 25, 2007

from the faq

Does the pet Stress out when inside the Cabin?

Using our unique technology we are able to lower the stress on pets compared to traditional bathing due to the fact that we do not use a restraining system and there is no stranger restraining or holding the pet. Also our unique patented nozzle system will provide a hydro-massage shower that will relax the pet and increase circulation which is very beneficial.

posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 11:16 PM on January 25, 2007

I didn't read the comments. All I can say is that is animal cruelty. Fucking asshole. I don't even like cats and that was painful.
posted by Totally Zanzibarin' Ya at 11:23 PM on January 25, 2007

C'mon, everyone knows that the new touchless catwashes aren't as good as the old fashioned scrubber ones. This thread is nothing without satan cat.

Too funny. My daughter said, "Look at that kitty! He's so happy! He wants to get out!" and giggled right with me.

Well, that's because children are cruel and small-brained.
posted by jimmythefish at 12:04 AM on January 26, 2007

They need boxes like this for toddlers, too. Busy mom just throws the kid in, turns on the machine, has a snack, ignores the screaming and scratching--the kid will forget all about it in a few minutes--and the kid is clean! And happy to get out! Problem solved.
posted by pracowity at 1:06 AM on January 26, 2007

They need boxes like this for toddlers, too. Busy mom just throws the kid in, turns on the machine, has a snack, ignores the screaming and scratching--the kid will forget all about it in a few minutes--and the kid is clean! And happy to get out! Problem solved.


Make it big enough so my youngest can have his dinner prior to the scrubbing and I'm in. Think of all the time I can save from stripping down the kid, wiping hands and faces, cleaning the table, taking apart and cleaning the booster seat, sweeping the floor etc... (he's a bit of a slob when it comes to eating you see)
posted by smcniven at 1:54 AM on January 26, 2007

Ahahahahahahahaha **points, laughs**

Thanks for posting this.
posted by randomination at 1:57 AM on January 26, 2007

Using our unique technology we are able to lower the stress on pets compared to traditional bathing due to the fact that we do not use a restraining system ...

See, that's what I don't get. Aside from the fact that their "unique technology" is closing the animal in an enclosed space -- something the pet carrier industry should have patented, I guess -- I would think a less stressful device would be one in which the critter's body is enclosed, held gently but firmly, and washed, while it's head is free.

I mean, spraying cats in the face with water is a time-honored way of punishing them. What makes these folks think that locking them in a box and then spraying them from all over is not punishing?
posted by moonbiter at 3:20 AM on January 26, 2007

Also, cats are spayed/neutered to try to curtail a serious overpopulation issue

And it's done under general anesthetic, and the cat is generally handled gently and humanely (not to mention that whole thing about not being emotionally attached to their bits the way people are, they care about not being in pain and being able to do what they want to do, not whether or not they have a uterus or testicles).

Those who think this was as stressful as spending a night at the vet getting fixed need their heads examined or must have some pretty bizarre ideas about what vet clinics, speutering surgery and/or cats are like. Cats can and do regularly die of stress, this is not just cruel and unnecessary, it's downright dangerous, not only from all the leaping around and general hysteria, but also because that level of stress can be fatal for a cat.
posted by biscotti at 5:02 AM on January 26, 2007

For those who think this is stressful just consider trying to treat a high stress cat. We had one that needed to be flea shampooed and taken to the vet for medical problems.

We had tried gentle shampoos at home but I didn't have the full leather gauntlets and face mask to protect me. I got elected as the bad guy. The cat would start panting and enormously drooling once she was in the carrier. Eventually she would throw up on the way. After we eventually got home she would make a point of shitting in my side of the bed.

We researched and thought she was being taken to a reasonably humane treatment center. Though I didn't witness her full treatment.

Now, just think what happens at a typical strip-mall pet grooming center that wants to maximize profit and employs minimal wage workers. I can well imagine that the manhandling to control an unruly cat would be much more stressful.

So, I wound up as a bad guy in her experience, but not the really bad guy who did awful things to her.

Is there any alternative to treating a somewhat psychotic cat other than getting a Vet degree?
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 5:36 AM on January 26, 2007

This is "cruel" and "animal abuse"? it's a shower for a pet. Surely not exercising proper pet hygiene fits the "abuse" label a lot more closely, and that's certainly the law's view of things. You can see it semi-regularly on your local channels whenever a filthy hovel is found to have 20-30 "pets" living there in revolting conditions.

Bingo.

I really can't believe so many people are projecting their own fantasies onto that cat. "Ooh, I can tell it's terrified, it's freaking out, it's about to die!" I've spent a lot of time around cats, four of them my own (no, not four at once, I'm not crazy), and to me that cat looked pissed off and (like loquacious said) trying to get out so it can kill. Every day I thank Mother Nature that house cats are small enough that they can't overpower human beings, because otherwise we'd all be toast. But really, seriously: no harm came to this cat. The cat was dirty and happy, then it was wet and pissed off, now it's clean and happy. Like the man said, unclench.
posted by languagehat at 5:51 AM on January 26, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Only in a land of huge creative and entrepreneurial energy could such a device be conceived and built. Only in a land populated by individuals unwilling to accept their personal obligations and responsibilities could it be sold. What a santorum stain of a nation.

It's quite possible I'm reading a little too much in to what was, after all, only a mildly amusing video of a scared cat.
posted by econous at 7:50 AM on January 26, 2007

That shit is just wrong.
posted by PuppyCat at 8:03 AM on January 26, 2007

languagehat : I've spent a lot of time around cats, four of them my own (no, not four at once, I'm not crazy),

/Looks at my four cats

I'm crazy?

/Cat responds

Nah, you're good. Now gimme some food and rub my belly. Oh, and don't listen to the dogs, they've been talking shit about you all week.
posted by quin at 8:07 AM on January 26, 2007

I've spent a lot of time around cats...

And yet you still consider this an acceptable way to treat an animal? I pity your cats.

Unclench, indeed.
posted by darkstar at 8:08 AM on January 26, 2007

OK so here's the question: was this the first time the cat took the 'spa' or does the freakout happen every time? I'll bet that after 10 times or so it just stands there, hunches over in a melancholy Barney Fife pose until it's over, and laments its lot in life until the Porsche Cayenne Turbo pulls back into the mans and it can get back to its horrible life of eating lobster and doing fuck all for the rest of its non-spa time.
posted by jimmythefish at 8:11 AM on January 26, 2007

I am curious, though, to know whether those in this thread who think this is acceptable treatement for an animal would do the same to their child?

And if they consider it rather too terrifying a way to take a shower for their child, why it would somehow be less terrifying for a cat?

Not equating humans and cats, morally...just trying to understand why some people feel this isn't terrifying to the cat, when it obviously is.
posted by darkstar at 8:12 AM on January 26, 2007

Is anyone else hoping that the cat removes that guy's face? A couple of my cats (I have five) quite like water, but not in that way.
posted by No Mutant Enemy at 9:01 AM on January 26, 2007

It's funny because the cat is terrified?
posted by Nelson at 9:03 AM on January 26, 2007

Can someone explain how we know cats prefer hand-washing over the Cat-Spa?
posted by fandango_matt at 10:10 AM on January 26, 2007

Can someone explain why some people insist on washing cats in the first place?
posted by ClarissaWAM at 10:32 AM on January 26, 2007

Can someone explain how we know cats prefer hand-washing over the Cat-Spa?

'Cause, see, it's by hand, and they know you wub them and would never do anything to hurt them... Nah, actually there's no reason to think they do prefer it. They prefer not to be washed at all; if they have to be washed, I don't imagine it makes a lot of difference to them how. The quicker it's over with, the better, and this looks pretty efficient—a lot more efficient than "grab kitty, dunk in water, yowl, bandage self, re-catch kitty, repeat until you've managed to get kitty more or less clean." But I guess a lot of people feel that machine = bad.

Can someone explain why some people insist on washing cats in the first place?

Jesus. At least read the thread before spouting off.
posted by languagehat at 10:39 AM on January 26, 2007

The cat is dirty. They put in a box. The cat is pissed off and it wants out of the box. They take it out of the box. It is clean and pissed off. A few minutes later, it is clean. You people are so fucking reactionary. How can you get so angry at this.

Animal abuse? Is bathing your cat animal abuse? Is scaring your cat for a few seconds animal abuse? Does every pet have a right to be completely happy, content, and dirty, 100% of the time? Christ, some people get angry at the most inappropriate things.

Look. Of course the video is shocking. Cats evolved into their present form due to natural selection: breeding success of the individual cats that produced the most empathy in humans was highly elevated. The cute feral proto-housecats got fed more often, because they evoked the strongest emotional response in humans by begging. Thus, the cat has evolved over the last few thousand years to such a singularity of cuteness, that people are overwhelmed by visceral sympathy at even the slightest "wrongs" directed against cats.

I guess I can't really blame you then... but seriously, fucking "animal abuse"? How about castration and sterilization? Declawing? People who keep hundreds of pets poorly underfed with no sanitation? People who let their young children constantly torture the family dog/cat? Crazy people who set cats on fire/boil them alive/crush their heads? This merits the barest modicum of anger in the face of all these other much more widespread, serious issues.
posted by tehloki at 11:02 AM on January 26, 2007

The cat is dirty. They put in a box. The cat is pissed off and it wants out of the box. They take it out of the box. It is clean and pissed off. A few minutes later, it is clean. You people are so fucking reactionary. How can you get so angry at this.

Animal abuse? Is bathing your cat animal abuse? Is scaring your cat for a few seconds animal abuse? Does every pet have a right to be completely happy, content, and dirty, 100% of the time? Christ, some people get angry at the most inappropriate things.

Look. Of course the video is shocking. Cats evolved into their present form due to natural selection: breeding success of the individual cats that produced the most empathy in humans was highly elevated. The cute feral proto-housecats got fed more often, because they evoked the strongest emotional response in humans by begging. Thus, the cat has evolved over the last few thousand years to such a singularity of cuteness, that people are overwhelmed by visceral sympathy at even the slightest "wrongs" directed against cats.

I guess I can't really blame you then... but seriously, fucking "animal abuse"? How about castration and sterilization? Declawing? People who keep hundreds of pets poorly underfed with no sanitation? People who let their young children constantly torture the family dog/cat? Crazy people who set cats on fire/boil them alive/crush their heads? This merits the barest modicum of anger in the face of all these other much more widespread, serious issues.
posted by tehloki at 11:02 AM on January 26, 2007

/ Can someone explain how we know cats prefer hand-washing over the Cat-Spa?

'Cause, see, it's by hand, and they know you wub them and would never do anything to hurt them... Nah, actually there's no reason to think they do prefer it.

Or maybe, just maybe, the cat isn't in fear for its life when hand-washed. Betcha a video of that same cat being hand-washed would be pretty damn boring. (...or it would have been before the Kitty Spa Incident.)

They prefer not to be washed at all; if they have to be washed, I don't imagine it makes a lot of difference to them how.

Your an idoit. Or maybe you're trolling, as I can't imagine you mean that seriously. Golly, a few flushes in the toilet or a couple minutes in the dishwasher would be fine, too. Heck, a fire hose would be even quicker.

Why should waterboarding intimidate humans? I mean, I take showers all the time, and *I* don't freak out...

The quicker it's over with, the better, and this looks pretty efficient—a lot more efficient than "grab kitty, dunk in water, yowl, bandage self, re-catch kitty, repeat until you've managed to get kitty more or less clean

Have you ever bathed a cat in your life?? There is no "dunk in water", as the water shouldn't be more than an inch or two deep. No water immersion = no fear of drowning. Got it?

Moran.
posted by LordSludge at 11:03 AM on January 26, 2007

Your an idoit.

Moran.

*Giggles*


Why should waterboarding intimidate humans?

Seriously?
posted by Totally Zanzibarin' Ya at 11:31 AM on January 26, 2007

Your an idoit.

Moran.

... I ... erm ...
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 11:36 AM on January 26, 2007

... I ... erm ...

Too subtle?
posted by LordSludge at 11:39 AM on January 26, 2007

What a great machine, Id use it on one my cats, damn cat is part feral, and trying to give her a bath is suicide.
posted by IronWolve at 11:52 AM on January 26, 2007

/ Why should waterboarding intimidate humans?

Seriously?

Seriously. The cat and waterboarding subject are both terrified because they think they're going to die. A cat DOES NOT freak out like that if he's merely annoyed.

But then again, a lot of people don't care about animals. And a lot of people think waterboarding is no big deal -- because, y'know, they're not really gonna die... (Seriously.)

I, for one, call those people "assholes". (Or morans. [sic] Or idoits. [sic] Take yer [sic] pick.)
posted by LordSludge at 12:28 PM on January 26, 2007

"The greatness of a nation is seen in how it treats its animals." --Ghandi

Cat Spa: No wonder our country is so fucked up!
posted by mijuta at 12:47 PM on January 26, 2007

I swear to fucking god this thing is producing more handwringing than that video of Egyptian police sodomizing some hapless fucker with a night stick.
posted by nanojath at 1:00 PM on January 26, 2007

(And PETA sucks because they do nothing to protect children, huh?)

It's pretty simple: Everybody knows that sodomizing a hapless fucker with a night stick is reprehensible. Not so here. Hence the debate.

Now go beat the fuck out of your dog. He needs to know who's boss. Besides, it's funny to watch him yelp and bleed.
posted by LordSludge at 1:19 PM on January 26, 2007

And, having read the dumbest thing I'm liable to this week, I think I'll call it a day.
posted by nanojath at 1:23 PM on January 26, 2007

Actually, "waterboarding your cat" wins the award for the dumbest/most hilarious thing written on MetaFilter this week.

"Why do you keep shitting outside your litterbox?" *blurble burble blurble blurble meoooooww!*
posted by fandango_matt at 1:52 PM on January 26, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

What I would have liked to have seen was footage of them opening the door and taking the cat out. How did they keep it from bolting/clawing the fuck out of anyone who reached in?

Add me to the list of people who would never put their cats into one of these things.
posted by The Card Cheat at 2:17 PM on January 26, 2007

Is the cat definitely terrified? I thought sometimes maybe it was trying to chase the water falling on the walls with its paws. Not that I thought it was having loads of fun in there, just that it might have been somewhat distracted from the unpleasantness, in the manner of a person seeing a shiny thing, etc.

Sincerely,
Challenged in cat whispering

PS: quin, I am so sorry about your cat. That must have been such an awful experience.
posted by onlyconnect at 2:28 PM on January 26, 2007

Is the cat definitely terrified?

No, but let's not spoil LordSludge's sense of righteous outrage. He's having way too much fun accusing us of being Nazis.
posted by languagehat at 2:37 PM on January 26, 2007

Sort of as a counterpoint, I found this heartbreaking. For god's sake, don't put their head directly under the faucet and try to keep it there! At least in the spa machine the cat can determine for itself where it wants to go.

We used to bathe our cats in a big sink as a means of combatting fleas, stinkiness, and shedding. We occasionally (not too often) suffered a few scratches, but the cats -- even the stray cats that we adopted -- generally put up with it. The trick is to start them when they are young so it's not so scary. I mean, if I'd never had a bath until I was 20 years old, I'd be a little freaked out by it, too.

Anyway, as my above comment suggests, I tend to agree with languagehat that the cat's unhappiness here is pretty fleeting. And I suspect that people who don't know how to give their cats a proper bath can inflict similar torture on both their cat and themselves.
posted by onlyconnect at 3:01 PM on January 26, 2007

LordSludge writes "The cat and waterboarding subject are both terrified because they think they're going to die."

Are animals aware of their own mortality? I don't think so, but it's hard to tell for sure.

darkstar writes "I am curious, though, to know whether those in this thread who think this is acceptable treatement for an animal would do the same to their child?"

Man, I would have loved this thing when I was a kid. It's like taking a shower in a big machine, with buttons on it, like a car wash! I loved those automatic car washes when I was a kid. This guy seems to be having a good time....
posted by mr_roboto at 4:00 PM on January 26, 2007

Possible advertising song:
(sung to "Rock the Casbah" by The Clash)

The tabby needed washin'
He rolled in somethin' awful
He was smellin' up the cushions
With that stinky kitty smell

The kitty don't like it
Locked in Cat Spa
Locked in Cat Spa
posted by fandango_matt at 4:18 PM on January 26, 2007 [4 favorites has favorites]

Is the cat definitely terrified? I thought sometimes maybe it was trying to chase the water falling on the walls with its paws. Not that I thought it was having loads of fun in there, just that it might have been somewhat distracted from the unpleasantness, in the manner of a person seeing a shiny thing, etc.

I'm going to assume you're seriously asking this. Yes, the cat is definitely terrified. Do you own any pets? Have you ever been near animals?
posted by odinsdream at 5:57 PM on January 26, 2007

mr_roboto : Are animals aware of their own mortality? I don't think so, but it's hard to tell for sure.

I've often wondered about that myself, but I don't think it's relevant. Animals most definitely can be afraid of something. Whether or not this is related to an understanding of the fleetingness of life doesn't really matter for the sake of this argument.

From my observation, that cat was scared.
posted by quin at 6:03 PM on January 26, 2007

What bothers me about the 'Pfft, it'll forget about it in five minutes' attitude*is that if a cat's memory is so crappy and its perception so immediate, it implies that from the animal's perspective, it's always been in this noisy terrifying space, and as far as it knows, always will be.

*In addition to it being wrong, of course; sure, a cat won't be able to recite pi to the 100th decimal place, but I doubt that cat's next spa experience will begin quite as smoothly as this one.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:19 PM on January 26, 2007

odinsdream, I owned a cat for a decade, and co-owned several stray cats that we took in during that period. All of which received occational baths. Did you even read my other comment?

I've seen my cats act pretty much close to the cat in the spa when it was chasing one of those feathers-on-a-string-on-a-stick toys. I've also seen them act pretty wacked out chasing water from the faucet or in the shower. Because water is shiny. I'm not saying that this cat is having fun, but cats act crazy alot, and I have trouble believing they are always in fear for their lives, or are constantly being traumatized.
posted by onlyconnect at 9:43 PM on January 26, 2007

I have no empirical evidence to back this statement up other than my direct observation of many cats over the last three plus decades, but I think the idea that cats will forget about a traumatic experience in five or so minutes is a flawed premise.

I've seen cats get spooked by something (let's say a running vacuum cleaner) who will remain spooked (let's say by a non-running vacuum cleaner) for many months after.

In another instance, I've seen a cat getting it's claws trimmed, have one cut too short (to the point of pain), harbor a serious resentment at the mere site of a nail clipper for the better part of a year.

I don't know what a cat's memory span is, and don't even pretend to have Science! on my side, but anyone who has lived with them for a few years, and paid attention will tell you that if you were to try the 'Sticking-the-cat-in-the-noisy-box-with-the-evil-water-jets' trick again in a month or two would end up badly hurt by a feline with a determination to escape.
posted by quin at 10:05 PM on January 26, 2007

Do you own any pets? Have you ever been near animals?

Oh, spare me this bullshit. I've had pets/been around animals most of my life. Assuming anyone who disagrees with you must be ignorant and inexperienced is childish.
posted by languagehat at 6:40 AM on January 27, 2007

And yes, of course cats are capable of remembering traumas for a long time. The discussion is about whether this is a trauma, like too-close clipping that causes serious pain, or a temporary nuisance, like a regular bath. Some of us are betting the latter. Obviously, we won't know unless we hear from the person who made the video. Someone want to get them a MeFi account?
posted by languagehat at 6:42 AM on January 27, 2007

Do you own any pets? Have you ever been near animals?

languagehat: Oh, spare me this bullshit. I've had pets/been around animals most of my life. Assuming anyone who disagrees with you must be ignorant and inexperienced is childish.

from languagehat's first comment on this thread: For pete's sake, don't any of you have pets? Can you not tell the difference between a cat being washed against its will and a cat being tortured? Sheesh.
posted by mijuta at 7:28 AM on January 27, 2007

Fair cop, officer.

Also, I just showed the video to my wife, and she also thinks the cat is terrified, and I'm not about to call her ignorant. Clearly, reasonable people can disagree.
posted by languagehat at 7:43 AM on January 27, 2007

Agreed. I don't think the cat is being "tortured." But I do tend to see it more from your wife's side--perhaps because I am teh gay and am all feely and shit.
posted by mijuta at 8:25 AM on January 27, 2007

That cat's not terrified! It's merely pining!

Beautiful, clean fur.
posted by darkstar at 9:31 AM on January 27, 2007

I wouldn't eat a cat washed any other way. It is unhygenic.
posted by HyperBlue at 12:28 PM on January 27, 2007

Clearly the absolute best of the web. Bravo.

Got links to any videos of wings being pulled off flies? Same level of intelligence as "spa" developers/users, and amused onlookers.

Folks enjoying the terror of this poor, stupid cat surely won't mind me doing all sorts of wonderful and mysterious medical procedures on them or their kids, sans clue one as to what's happening or going to happen, perhaps with some mysterious agent beyond your control that may affect something minor, like, oh, your ability to breathe, all within some suitably inescapable enclosure.

Why would we care about your fear?

It's fucking good for you.
posted by fold_and_mutilate at 6:27 PM on January 27, 2007

One thing I've learned is that degrees of sensitivity vary wildly from person to person when it comes to treatment of animals. And people who might be considered on the less sensitive end of the spectrum almost never see anything wrong with their own attitudes. (If they did, they wouldn't have them, to begin with, probably.)

Indeed, I've found it incredible that some otherwise rational, kind people that I know have absolutely no compunction about kicking a cat, for example. And even laugh at the idea that I think they're wrong to do it or would rebuke them for it.

There seems to be a disconnect between people of divergent positions on this spectrum that is not bridgeable by discursive thinking or rational argument.

Oh well.
posted by darkstar at 7:18 PM on January 27, 2007

Just to be thorough, I know there are some people on the spectrum that also think that my attitudes toward eating meat are incredibly insensitive. And they're not likely going to change my mind a whole lot.

This is one of those things where "convincing" someone with reason is almost impossible. It's only intangible pressures that can make folks embrace a different set of mores (e.g., peer pressure, personal experience, etc.).
posted by darkstar at 7:21 PM on January 27, 2007

...and it's gone.

Only a suspiciously soapy set of claw wounds remains.
posted by randomination at 9:48 AM on January 28, 2007

The cat's fear is more a display for invoking empathy (which it does quite well, judging by the out-of-proportion and irrrational responses from people on this website) from humans than it is a genuine "oh god i'm dying help i'm in so much pain getmeout getmeout" human freakout. Why is everybody so keen on anthropomorphizing cats? Yes, they feel pain like we do, but this cat isn't in horrible pain, it's just confused and it wants to get out of the box.

Comments like this one just disgust me. How can you display so much outrage over something so innocuous as covering a cat in water? This is something it obviously does not enjoy, but it is not being maimed, mutilated, and tortured in anything approaching the severity of "pulling the wings off of flies" and random invasive "medical procedures". What provokes you to react so strongly to something that is obviously not a serious case of animal abuse?

Are you constantly wandering the streets in a frothy haze, overflowing with the knowledge that there are actually people who hit and neglect their pets? Or do you only respond to people treating animals in a slightly poor fashion when it has a shocking appearance and it's posted on youtube?
posted by tehloki at 8:39 AM on January 29, 2007

The cat's fear is more a display for invoking empathy...

Whose ass did you pull that out of, again? I mean, really, when an animal expresses fear and desperately tries to get away from the stimulus, consistent with the way virtually all animals do, then its actions are "more a display for evoking empathy"?

One doesn't need to anthropomorphize an animal to know that statement's just absurd on its face.
posted by darkstar at 9:49 AM on January 29, 2007

The cat's fear is more a display for invoking empathy...

Easy to test, I'd think: Put the cat in The Chamber with the videotape rolling, start the machine, then walk away. If tehloki (heh, I had a great cat named "Loki") is correct, the cat will just sit there and perhaps sulk a bit, as his audience is absent. If we cat-empathists are correct in our belief that the fear is genuine, he'd still be freaking out.

I'd bet $1000 that the cat would still be freaking out.
posted by LordSludge at 12:40 PM on January 29, 2007

Double heh...my favoritest cat in the whole world is also named Loki. :)


/me bets with LordSludge.
posted by darkstar at 1:05 PM on January 29, 2007