Whaaa? Is Twinks sleepwalking? Should have put Bob in her mouth and ran.
Gotta give her credit for figuring out how to open the aquarium’s cover. Attaway T.
You know, if Randie would feed Twinks better, Bob might have a more peaceful life.
Wanna solve the Twinkie problem? I know where a river is. And I can get you a bag…
Animals allowed to run free by their owners are, sadly, no longer under the protection of the owners. They are not “owned” animals when roaming like this. Doesn’t Twinkie belong to BB? It’s been so long, I’ve forgotten. (For as much as a cat can belong to anyone.) Cats are going to roam, I understand this. And Twinkie is the same way, except he’s also a jerk. (Some animals can be jerks, you know.) But it’s sad when the owner doesn’t at least try to control their pet, and it’s the pet that too often pays the price.
I’ll be quiet now because owners who do not care for their pets is something that really peeves me. And this is a comic, not a soapbox.
Pete, you said exactly what i was feeling. Twinky has gone from “oh that’s kind of funny that he’s always finding a way into Randi’s” to INCREDIBLY annoying and WHY is his owner NOT able to keep ANY sort of control over him??
There is a cat that I dubbed “stupid cat” who seems to think it can live at my house. It clearly has an owner, but that owner lets it out and it comes into my yard and freaks out my dog. Cat owners who make no effort to control their animals tick me off.
I don’t know, I think things are getting a bit literal here. Before we start calling the juvenile authorities for that Dennis Mitchell kid and indicting Sergeant Snorkle for assault, let’s remember, as Pete says: This is a comic.
I can see that animals out there running “uh-muck” is a sore point with some of you. Pooping dogs running about willy nilly… cats who infiltrate houses and scoop fish from fish tanks… It’s a sore point, non? (there is some truth in comics ain’t there?) Well, I blame the owners. B.B. is Twinkie’s rightful owner… and Randie has every right to march up the hill and confront said Beebs. Kicking the cat, however good it makes you feel, is not nice.
Jude: It’s nice to know that a comic strip can rile people up!
When good, comics (indeed all humor) makes people think. Acts may be exaggerated, but they are not completely false.
It should not be surprising when web-comic forums become soapboxes. Jude, check my handle {lol}.
Jude… Pete also implies that your neighbors’ territory claiming cat should be killed and offers up a bag for river disposal. Pete also advised folks yesterday to ALWAYS spay or neuter your neighbor’s annoying cats and then give them the bill. Pete is not appearing to be a voice of reason, at least on this topic.
Yeh, I’m a literal guy and I try give words their just value. English was not my first language so I have a lot of appreciation for words’ ability to convey thoughts and emotions. When something is named it gains a personal connection. There was a discussion the other day on how folks eat sadines and anchovies. Whole or with their heads cut off, on pizza or straight out of a can. Those fish don’t have names, Bob does and gains friend status. Sadly, Twinks has a name too only her status is persona non grata.
Meem, lighten up. Cats are territorial, and are legally allowed to roam. Your dog has to be be fenced in or tied up, while the cat you call “stupid” can hop on your fence and amuse itself all it wants. Ours is a free country…for cats. Don’t be one of those crazies that shoots cats with bb guns, or sets them on fire, or puts firecrackers where the sun doesn’t shine, or goes to town with duct tape, or any of many other heinously evil actions. Just embrace cats, love them one and all, and maybe teach your dog to do the same.
The best cartoonists are ones who entertain wildly, while provoking thoughtful debate. Cha-CHING!
stick: Why should Randie be required to “feed Twinkie better”? She can barely afford to feed herself. Annoying, free-spirit BB claims the cat is hers, yet assumes little responsibility. No justice in this world. 😉
brig… Me? I am being nice. I love cats.
I’m not the one calling them “stupid” nor the one offering help in killing them.
ahem…..(clears throat and pauses for blame-passing effect)
And, while I don’t condone cats eating peoples’ goldfish, if they do, so be it.
Nice to see there’s a discussion going.
Maybe if Twinks has kittens she’ll get some sympathy food and cheer.
Just as with people, if animals are treated well, they behave well.
I work at pet smart in “sandoon city” and we do get alot of irrisponsible people coming in
and buying fish for there cats to “play with”. I dont like it and I think that it’s cruel.
And yes, cat owners should be made responsible for there cats.
squidman… As you work with pets you obviously know that cats are “obligate carnivores.”
That means they are not just meat-eating carnivores, but strictly need meat to live.
Dogs are omnivores and can get by on just about anything, grass, plants, dog kibble, scraps, whathaveyou; cats, however, not only want meat, but need it to survive.
As for feeder animals. I had a roommate with a boa constrictor. Snakes will not eat dead food, it has to be fresh, as in actively moving about for them to snap it up and chow it down. While the snake was around he went through lots of feeder mice and was getting up in size for feeder guinea pigs. A friend also had an oscar fish and kept a spare tank of feeder goldfish on hand, although the fish also liked to indulge in crickets, lizards and, yes, stereotypically, worms. Again, carnivore pets prefer and sometimes only accept live food.
OK, Cats don’t need fresh fish if there’s enough meat in their diet, so I’ll give you that one. But as you work in a place called “sandoon city” there have got to be charter fishing trips around where people pay up to lure and hook fish (ouch), pull them out of the water (suffocation), sometime smack them with a bat (ouch), pose and take photos with them (putting them near death as they stop thrashing about), and then throw them back in the ocean. Your call, more humane, or not?
Stick: you can take this conversation all the way to bonking cows on the head for our insatiable need for hamburgers… but I’d like to STEER the conversation back to cats and their freedom… (sometimes I crack myself up)… anywhoo….
brig… your steer joke is funny.
Yah, twinks is quite free and r’s place doesn’t seem to be cat proof.
Maybe r can talk beebs into giving more meat to twinks (needed to live) so she’ll leave bob alone (survival instinct).
As twinks talks in your comic, maybe you can do a bob point-of-view comic from inside the aquarium, with bob talking to twinks outside. Maybe they can even talk back and forth?!
squidman: I’m wondering if that’s any different or more cruel than people buying crickets to feed their iguanas, or mice for their snakes. Cats, by nature, want to eat fish, and they also love to play with their food first. It’d be downright unnatural for them to do otherwise.
From the comedy quote section in the front of today’s paper:
“In one iPad game for cats, animated fish appear on the screen until your cat bats them away. Yeah. The game is called, “How to scratch up the screen of your $600 iPad.”
Stick: Since English is your second language, I’ll assume you don’t get the nuances of our cultural humor. If you did, you would have recognized both of my harsher comments – about spaying all neighbor’s cats and drowning cats in a river – were exactly that: cultural humor and NOT meant to be taken seriously. I apologize for giving you the wrong impression.
Oddly, I do NOT blame Twinkie for going after Bob The Fish. Twinkie is a cat; that’s what cats do. Like the old story of a coyote taking a scorpion across the river as a favor, only to be stung halfway across, dooming both of them. The coyote asks, “Why did you do that? Now we’ll both die in the river”, the scorpion replies, “What did you expect? I’m a scorpion.”
Despite the gallows humor I gave, I place the majority of blame for wandering pets upon the shoulders of the owners. Our cat would get free at time – we have five children, so it was inevitable – but we would keep him inside as much as possible. Eventually he learned (Yeah, cats can learn. Who’da thunk?) to stay in the yard. And we’ve a dog who even at ten still likes to bolt from the house and explore for ten or fifteen minutes. We always go after her, catch her and tell her “NO!” in no uncertain terms. THAT’S why I don’t like irresponsible owners and do not blame the animal. Nor would I kill a pet except out of mercy to that pet or to protect my family during an incident.
Stick-figurer, we have a leash law that applies to all animals. Dogs, cats, doesn’t matter. Owners must restrain their animals at all times in my city. Therefore it is not legal for the cat to be in my yard, but unless it’s bitten someone animal control won’t take it because the shelters are too full.
Pete… I agree… Pets are like kids… you have to take responsibility for them… lest they run “uh-muck”… leash the little buggers! … and pets, too!
I’m not sure if I stated that people can talk to the animals, the animals talk back, but are not heard… and sure, animals could talk to other animals in this strip.
E of O: Yah… but I don’t know that I would actually sponsor the whole “cat food-play”… like when my cat brings a bird into the house… cat is immediately removed from bird, and bird is let go or disposed of. We also have no bird feeders in the yard. That would just be cruel.
I understand cultural nuances well, and am always intregued by new ones, what with our society’s many varied and shifting cultural influences. I am a cat lover (figurative, not literal, thank you), however, so could not help but take some of your disparagements personally. Apology accepted.
Meem…
Wow, I honestly have never heard of a city, town, village or campground that had a leash law for cats. I did see a lady at a McDonald’s recently who had her little energetic kid tethered by a leash attached to a monkey strapped to his back. Was pretty amusing seeing him scurrying about under the constraints of that line. Back to the topic… I guess an apology applies to you as your burg seems to be the exception to the general free cat rule.
brig…
Yah, I agree that bird feeders would be cruel to both the birds and your cat if made to watch but not chase. Plus, bird feeders tend to have lots of random seeds sprayed about and/or saved/buried by birds which result sunflower plants taking root and sprouting.
Yah, I think that animal talking angle may have legs for both Twinks and Bob, as well as Charles and whomever.
I have had the occaisonal mouse and bird brought into my place(s). No, not appreciated.
Whaaa? Is Twinks sleepwalking? Should have put Bob in her mouth and ran.
Gotta give her credit for figuring out how to open the aquarium’s cover. Attaway T.
You know, if Randie would feed Twinks better, Bob might have a more peaceful life.
Yeah, it’s cruel, but…
Wanna solve the Twinkie problem? I know where a river is. And I can get you a bag…
Animals allowed to run free by their owners are, sadly, no longer under the protection of the owners. They are not “owned” animals when roaming like this. Doesn’t Twinkie belong to BB? It’s been so long, I’ve forgotten. (For as much as a cat can belong to anyone.) Cats are going to roam, I understand this. And Twinkie is the same way, except he’s also a jerk. (Some animals can be jerks, you know.) But it’s sad when the owner doesn’t at least try to control their pet, and it’s the pet that too often pays the price.
I’ll be quiet now because owners who do not care for their pets is something that really peeves me. And this is a comic, not a soapbox.
Pete, you said exactly what i was feeling. Twinky has gone from “oh that’s kind of funny that he’s always finding a way into Randi’s” to INCREDIBLY annoying and WHY is his owner NOT able to keep ANY sort of control over him??
There is a cat that I dubbed “stupid cat” who seems to think it can live at my house. It clearly has an owner, but that owner lets it out and it comes into my yard and freaks out my dog. Cat owners who make no effort to control their animals tick me off.
I don’t know, I think things are getting a bit literal here. Before we start calling the juvenile authorities for that Dennis Mitchell kid and indicting Sergeant Snorkle for assault, let’s remember, as Pete says: This is a comic.
I can see that animals out there running “uh-muck” is a sore point with some of you. Pooping dogs running about willy nilly… cats who infiltrate houses and scoop fish from fish tanks… It’s a sore point, non? (there is some truth in comics ain’t there?) Well, I blame the owners. B.B. is Twinkie’s rightful owner… and Randie has every right to march up the hill and confront said Beebs. Kicking the cat, however good it makes you feel, is not nice.
Jude: It’s nice to know that a comic strip can rile people up!
When good, comics (indeed all humor) makes people think. Acts may be exaggerated, but they are not completely false.
It should not be surprising when web-comic forums become soapboxes.
Jude, check my handle {lol}.
Jude… Pete also implies that your neighbors’ territory claiming cat should be killed and offers up a bag for river disposal. Pete also advised folks yesterday to ALWAYS spay or neuter your neighbor’s annoying cats and then give them the bill. Pete is not appearing to be a voice of reason, at least on this topic.
Yeh, I’m a literal guy and I try give words their just value. English was not my first language so I have a lot of appreciation for words’ ability to convey thoughts and emotions. When something is named it gains a personal connection. There was a discussion the other day on how folks eat sadines and anchovies. Whole or with their heads cut off, on pizza or straight out of a can. Those fish don’t have names, Bob does and gains friend status. Sadly, Twinks has a name too only her status is persona non grata.
Meem, lighten up. Cats are territorial, and are legally allowed to roam. Your dog has to be be fenced in or tied up, while the cat you call “stupid” can hop on your fence and amuse itself all it wants. Ours is a free country…for cats. Don’t be one of those crazies that shoots cats with bb guns, or sets them on fire, or puts firecrackers where the sun doesn’t shine, or goes to town with duct tape, or any of many other heinously evil actions. Just embrace cats, love them one and all, and maybe teach your dog to do the same.
Sorry, but kicking a cat should not make someone feel good. A dog on the other hand…
Beetles… People only really start thinking when opinions are given contrary to their own.
The best cartoonists are ones who entertain wildly, while provoking thoughtful debate. Cha-CHING!
stick: Why should Randie be required to “feed Twinkie better”? She can barely afford to feed herself. Annoying, free-spirit BB claims the cat is hers, yet assumes little responsibility. No justice in this world. 😉
Be nice, Stick.
Empress: Thanks, for the kudo (blushing)… and I am about to make things real interesting for our problem child soon. Keep reading!
brig… Me? I am being nice. I love cats.
I’m not the one calling them “stupid” nor the one offering help in killing them.
ahem…..(clears throat and pauses for blame-passing effect)
And, while I don’t condone cats eating peoples’ goldfish, if they do, so be it.
Nice to see there’s a discussion going.
Maybe if Twinks has kittens she’ll get some sympathy food and cheer.
Just as with people, if animals are treated well, they behave well.
I work at pet smart in “sandoon city” and we do get alot of irrisponsible people coming in
and buying fish for there cats to “play with”. I dont like it and I think that it’s cruel.
And yes, cat owners should be made responsible for there cats.
squidman… As you work with pets you obviously know that cats are “obligate carnivores.”
That means they are not just meat-eating carnivores, but strictly need meat to live.
Dogs are omnivores and can get by on just about anything, grass, plants, dog kibble, scraps, whathaveyou; cats, however, not only want meat, but need it to survive.
As for feeder animals. I had a roommate with a boa constrictor. Snakes will not eat dead food, it has to be fresh, as in actively moving about for them to snap it up and chow it down. While the snake was around he went through lots of feeder mice and was getting up in size for feeder guinea pigs. A friend also had an oscar fish and kept a spare tank of feeder goldfish on hand, although the fish also liked to indulge in crickets, lizards and, yes, stereotypically, worms. Again, carnivore pets prefer and sometimes only accept live food.
OK, Cats don’t need fresh fish if there’s enough meat in their diet, so I’ll give you that one. But as you work in a place called “sandoon city” there have got to be charter fishing trips around where people pay up to lure and hook fish (ouch), pull them out of the water (suffocation), sometime smack them with a bat (ouch), pose and take photos with them (putting them near death as they stop thrashing about), and then throw them back in the ocean. Your call, more humane, or not?
Squid guy… oh, that makes me sad.
Stick: you can take this conversation all the way to bonking cows on the head for our insatiable need for hamburgers… but I’d like to STEER the conversation back to cats and their freedom… (sometimes I crack myself up)… anywhoo….
brig… your steer joke is funny.
Yah, twinks is quite free and r’s place doesn’t seem to be cat proof.
Maybe r can talk beebs into giving more meat to twinks (needed to live) so she’ll leave bob alone (survival instinct).
As twinks talks in your comic, maybe you can do a bob point-of-view comic from inside the aquarium, with bob talking to twinks outside. Maybe they can even talk back and forth?!
squidman: I’m wondering if that’s any different or more cruel than people buying crickets to feed their iguanas, or mice for their snakes. Cats, by nature, want to eat fish, and they also love to play with their food first. It’d be downright unnatural for them to do otherwise.
From the comedy quote section in the front of today’s paper:
“In one iPad game for cats, animated fish appear on the screen until your cat bats them away. Yeah. The game is called, “How to scratch up the screen of your $600 iPad.”
–Jimmy Fallon
Stick: Since English is your second language, I’ll assume you don’t get the nuances of our cultural humor. If you did, you would have recognized both of my harsher comments – about spaying all neighbor’s cats and drowning cats in a river – were exactly that: cultural humor and NOT meant to be taken seriously. I apologize for giving you the wrong impression.
Oddly, I do NOT blame Twinkie for going after Bob The Fish. Twinkie is a cat; that’s what cats do. Like the old story of a coyote taking a scorpion across the river as a favor, only to be stung halfway across, dooming both of them. The coyote asks, “Why did you do that? Now we’ll both die in the river”, the scorpion replies, “What did you expect? I’m a scorpion.”
Despite the gallows humor I gave, I place the majority of blame for wandering pets upon the shoulders of the owners. Our cat would get free at time – we have five children, so it was inevitable – but we would keep him inside as much as possible. Eventually he learned (Yeah, cats can learn. Who’da thunk?) to stay in the yard. And we’ve a dog who even at ten still likes to bolt from the house and explore for ten or fifteen minutes. We always go after her, catch her and tell her “NO!” in no uncertain terms. THAT’S why I don’t like irresponsible owners and do not blame the animal. Nor would I kill a pet except out of mercy to that pet or to protect my family during an incident.
Stick-figurer, we have a leash law that applies to all animals. Dogs, cats, doesn’t matter. Owners must restrain their animals at all times in my city. Therefore it is not legal for the cat to be in my yard, but unless it’s bitten someone animal control won’t take it because the shelters are too full.
Stick: Love that Fallon quote! Made me chuckle!
Pete… I agree… Pets are like kids… you have to take responsibility for them… lest they run “uh-muck”… leash the little buggers! … and pets, too!
I’m not sure if I stated that people can talk to the animals, the animals talk back, but are not heard… and sure, animals could talk to other animals in this strip.
E of O: Yah… but I don’t know that I would actually sponsor the whole “cat food-play”… like when my cat brings a bird into the house… cat is immediately removed from bird, and bird is let go or disposed of. We also have no bird feeders in the yard. That would just be cruel.
Pete…
I understand cultural nuances well, and am always intregued by new ones, what with our society’s many varied and shifting cultural influences. I am a cat lover (figurative, not literal, thank you), however, so could not help but take some of your disparagements personally. Apology accepted.
Meem…
Wow, I honestly have never heard of a city, town, village or campground that had a leash law for cats. I did see a lady at a McDonald’s recently who had her little energetic kid tethered by a leash attached to a monkey strapped to his back. Was pretty amusing seeing him scurrying about under the constraints of that line. Back to the topic… I guess an apology applies to you as your burg seems to be the exception to the general free cat rule.
brig…
Yah, I agree that bird feeders would be cruel to both the birds and your cat if made to watch but not chase. Plus, bird feeders tend to have lots of random seeds sprayed about and/or saved/buried by birds which result sunflower plants taking root and sprouting.
Yah, I think that animal talking angle may have legs for both Twinks and Bob, as well as Charles and whomever.
I have had the occaisonal mouse and bird brought into my place(s). No, not appreciated.