(Topic ID: 13379)

Cats and pinballs... :-)

By Angyalpor

12 years ago


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  • Latest reply 12 hours ago by Rdoyle1978
  • Topic is favorited by 196 Pinsiders

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There are 5,179 posts in this topic. You are on page 33 of 104.
21
#1601 5 years ago

Baxter checking out the collection

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35
#1602 5 years ago

I have recently lost my Gato. I put her out on New Year's Eve at 2:00 AM. When I went out at 4:00 AM to let her in, she was nowhere to be found. I haven't seen her since.

In honor of Gato's life and what she meant to me, I present to you:

A Gato Story
How a Black Cat Stole My Heart and Taught Me to Love

I am not a cat lover. I have good reasons for that. During my second year of college, my girlfriend, her room mate and I would meet each evening for dinner. Both were good cooks.

Before dinner, the room mate would feed the cat, the male long-hair yellow and white cat, Roscoe. The food that went into this evil creature was disgusting and smelled awful. What came out the other end smelled even worse. For some unknown reason, the cat litter box was placed next to the dinner table and next to where I sat. Guess when the cat decided it was time to use the litter box. Right, during the eating of my tasty home cooked meals. I hated that cat. It wasn't friendly and it ruined my dinners.

Several years later, my girlfriend bought me an Abyssinian cat. I never warmed up to the cat. It was always in the garbage and wasn't very friendly. My girlfriend got the cat.

Thirty some odd years later, I was gardening in my backyard when a black cat strolled into my yard and sat her butt down on the ground. It was curious, even interesting, but I thought nothing more of it at the time. It just sat there watching, eventually getting closer and closer and finally ONTO MY back porch. This cat had some nerve! I didn't WANT a cat so I completely ignored it - for three long months. There was no petting, no food and no water, no nothing. I wouldn't even look at her. If it had been a male, it would have been chased away immediately. Feral males are disgusting. They spray everywhere and, after Roscoe, I had bad vibes about male cats.

The cat would catch her own food and bring it back to my back porch to eat it. She officially 'moved in' and decided this was the place for her. After three months though, three months (!) of this strange relationship, I finally gave in and bought her a bag of cat food. That was a sad day in my life - imagine ME actually paying good money for cat food!

I called her 'Gato', the Spanish word for 'cat.' It stuck.

Gato, the year she decided to make me hers:

IMG_0060 Small (resized).JPGIMG_0060 Small (resized).JPG

I taught her some tricks. Some were meant to keep here safe. She had to sit, wait and look at me at the sliding back door before she was allowed inside. I didn't want a cat under foot. I could hurt her. When in her cat bed, I would cover her with a 'blanky' and whisper. "Go to sleep Gato!" She would put her head under the blanky as if she was going to sleep. Then she got a Gato Goodie. I taught her to lean backwards and 'meow' when I would meow. I called this trick the 'back-breaker with report!' Of course, she got a Gato Goodie for such an awesome trick. I got an idea after hearing her on the roof. I put some food in the rafters and she would jump up to claim her prize.

In her later years, she was no longer able to perform such feats of gymnastics. When it was time to eat, I put her food in a dish and held it up. She would sit up and touch the dish with her paw. Then I would spread some food on the ground and she would sit up again before she was off to find the food on the ground. It wasn't exactly hunting for her food, but I think it was more fun for her to seek out some of the food than just having it handed to her. Most of the food ended up in her dish. I put the dish up on the window ledge where it was easier for her to get to instead of the rafters.

It's been more than fourteen years now since Gato plopped her butt on my landscaped yard. Gato was as good a cat as a cat could be. She was only allowed into my bedroom when I slept. For a while, she wouldn't pester me to try to get me up. She waited until I got up. She did all of her 'business' outdoors so there was no litter box and litter to buy. She was very healthy, saving me from expensive vet bills.

The last few years she has decided that she wanted to be fed three times a day, breakfast at 4:00 to 5:00 AM, lunch at 10:00 to 12:00 and dinner at 10:00 to 11:00 PM. She yowled, 100 decibel yowling! I finally learned to let her out when she wanted out.

Gato was part mystery and part miracle. Vets here in Tucson say that outdoor cats have a two year lifespan. I live only a block away from the Pantano wash and a lot of predators use this wash to travel. They often make their way into my neighborhood and back yard looking for food and water. I have seen skunks, raccoons, javalina, hawks coyotes and rattlesnakes. My neighbor's small dog was killed by a Red Hawk. So, it is a small miracle that she managed to live this long. She was totally bonded to me. She wouldn't go anywhere near another person or animal and she was a wonderful companion for an old bachelor who doesn't interact with a lot of people. How did she live so long? She must have more than 9 lives!

The last pictures I have of Gato:

DSCF3673 (resized).JPGDSCF3673 (resized).JPG

DSCF3674 (resized).JPGDSCF3674 (resized).JPG

I keep telling myself that nothing much will change in my life, but, of course, it will. I'm not ready for another pet - maybe someday, but there won't ever be another Gato. It's going to be lonely here at Pecos' Palatial Pinball Parlour. I will miss Gato, truly, and that is something for someone who didn't like cats.

#1603 5 years ago

Oh no. So sorry. I had a cat for 22 years. When she finally passed I cried for days.

#1604 5 years ago

Pecos , sorry about Gato. She sounds like a sweet cat the won your heart.

14
#1605 5 years ago
IMG_3273 (resized).JPGIMG_3273 (resized).JPG
#1606 5 years ago
Quoted from Pecos:

A Gato Story

Alan, thanks for the moving story, very sad you have lost your beloved Gato. I have a similar story on how I was adopted by a stray, and they do capture our hearts.
You and Gato are in my thoughts and prayers!

#1607 5 years ago

I love my cats, but when they are on my pinball machines I call them little bastards

#1608 5 years ago
Quoted from Ricochet:

I love my cats, but when they are on my pinball machines I call them little bastards

why ?

... are they playing better than you !?

#1609 5 years ago
Quoted from RipleYYY:

why ?
... are they playing better than you !?

... maybe

18
#1610 5 years ago
FB_IMG_1546618243210 (resized).jpgFB_IMG_1546618243210 (resized).jpg
#1611 5 years ago
Quoted from Pecos:

I have recently lost my Gato. I put her out on New Year's Eve at 2:00 AM. When I went out at 4:00 AM to let her in, she was nowhere to be found. I haven't seen her since.
In honor of Gato's life and what she meant to me, I present to you:
A Gato Story
How a Black Cat Stole My Heart and Taught Me to Love
I am not a cat lover. I have good reasons for that. During my second year of college, my girlfriend, her room mate and I would meet each evening for dinner. Both were good cooks.
Before dinner, the room mate would feed the cat, the male long-hair yellow and white cat, Roscoe. The food that went into this evil creature was disgusting and smelled awful. What came out the other end smelled even worse. For some unknown reason, the cat litter box was placed next to the dinner table and next to where I sat. Guess when the cat decided it was time to use the litter box. Right, during the eating of my tasty home cooked meals. I hated that cat. It wasn't friendly and it ruined my dinners.
Several years later, my girlfriend bought me an Abyssinian cat. I never warmed up to the cat. It was always in the garbage and wasn't very friendly. My girlfriend got the cat.
Thirty some odd years later, I was gardening in my backyard when a black cat strolled into my yard and sat her butt down on the ground. It was curious, even interesting, but I thought nothing more of it at the time. It just sat there watching, eventually getting closer and closer and finally ONTO MY back porch. This cat had some nerve! I didn't WANT a cat so I completely ignored it - for three long months. There was no petting, no food and no water, no nothing. I wouldn't even look at her. If it had been a male, it would have been chased away immediately. Feral males are disgusting. They spray everywhere and, after Roscoe, I had bad vibes about male cats.
The cat would catch her own food and bring it back to my back porch to eat it. She officially 'moved in' and decided this was the place for her. After three months though, three months (!) of this strange relationship, I finally gave in and bought her a bag of cat food. That was a sad day in my life - imagine ME actually paying good money for cat food!
I called her 'Gato', the Spanish word for 'cat.' It stuck.
Gato, the year she decided to make me hers:
[quoted image]
I taught her some tricks. Some were meant to keep here safe. She had to sit, wait and look at me at the sliding back door before she was allowed inside. I didn't want a cat under foot. I could hurt her. When in her cat bed, I would cover her with a 'blanky' and whisper. "Go to sleep Gato!" She would put her head under the blanky as if she was going to sleep. Then she got a Gato Goodie. I taught her to lean backwards and 'meow' when I would meow. I called this trick the 'back-breaker with report!' Of course, she got a Gato Goodie for such an awesome trick. I got an idea after hearing her on the roof. I put some food in the rafters and she would jump up to claim her prize.

In her later years, she was no longer able to perform such feats of gymnastics. When it was time to eat, I put her food in a dish and held it up. She would sit up and touch the dish with her paw. Then I would spread some food on the ground and she would sit up again before she was off to find the food on the ground. It wasn't exactly hunting for her food, but I think it was more fun for her to seek out some of the food than just having it handed to her. Most of the food ended up in her dish. I put the dish up on the window ledge where it was easier for her to get to instead of the rafters.
It's been more than fourteen years now since Gato plopped her butt on my landscaped yard. Gato was as good a cat as a cat could be. She was only allowed into my bedroom when I slept. For a while, she wouldn't pester me to try to get me up. She waited until I got up. She did all of her 'business' outdoors so there was no litter box and litter to buy. She was very healthy, saving me from expensive vet bills.
The last few years she has decided that she wanted to be fed three times a day, breakfast at 4:00 to 5:00 AM, lunch at 10:00 to 12:00 and dinner at 10:00 to 11:00 PM. She yowled, 100 decibel yowling! I finally learned to let her out when she wanted out.
Gato was part mystery and part miracle. Vets here in Tucson say that outdoor cats have a two year lifespan. I live only a block away from the Pantano wash and a lot of predators use this wash to travel. They often make their way into my neighborhood and back yard looking for food and water. I have seen skunks, raccoons, javalina, hawks coyotes and rattlesnakes. My neighbor's small dog was killed by a Red Hawk. So, it is a small miracle that she managed to live this long. She was totally bonded to me. She wouldn't go anywhere near another person or animal and she was a wonderful companion for an old bachelor who doesn't interact with a lot of people. How did she live so long? She must have more than 9 lives!
The last pictures I have of Gato:
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
I keep telling myself that nothing much will change in my life, but, of course, it will. I'm not ready for another pet - maybe someday, but there won't ever be another Gato. It's going to be lonely here at Pecos' Palatial Pinball Parlour. I will miss Gato, truly, and that is something for someone who didn't like cats.

Sorry Dude, but you're a cat person now! They sure do have a way of getting under your skin. You caught a really good action shot of her leaping at the end of that video, perfectly captured! So sorry for your loss...

#1612 5 years ago

So sorry you lost your cat. Nice story. Hope you one day find another cat to keep you entertained. They make great companions.

#1613 5 years ago

Sorry for you loss @Pecos, lovely story and cats can be great companions. Soul mates can come in all shapes and forms, Gato chose you and I’m glad you accepted her in your life.

18
#1614 5 years ago

I don’t think he’s quite asleep.

99177388-DED9-466E-93B7-001610CADCFE (resized).jpeg99177388-DED9-466E-93B7-001610CADCFE (resized).jpeg
#1615 5 years ago
Quoted from Electrocute:

I don’t think he’s quite asleep.
[quoted image]

Hit the start button, he'll wake up.

18
#1616 5 years ago

She wasn't on / around my current project pin but this was taken at my work shop!
Just thought it was a neat pic.

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13
#1617 5 years ago

LOL, I took a similar pic awhile back.

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#1618 5 years ago
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#1619 5 years ago
Quoted from Atari_Daze:

She wasn't on / around my current project pin but this was taken at my work shop!
Just thought it was a neat pic. [quoted image]

That’s really awesome! Very surreal (purreal?), calming and mysterious at the same time.

15
#1620 5 years ago

Bella's favorite..

IMG_20181228_113348736 (resized).jpgIMG_20181228_113348736 (resized).jpg
16
#1621 5 years ago
Quoted from Deerlakes6:

Bella's favorite..

What beautiful markings on her!

Here is my other feline inspecting the new Motordome cab and bb I've been working on.

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10
#1622 5 years ago

Munsters Kitty
munsterskitty (resized).JPGmunsterskitty (resized).JPG

#1623 5 years ago
Quoted from DCFAN:

Munsters Kitty
[quoted image]

OK, I’m in on Munsters because of the cat!

22
#1624 5 years ago

New kitty in our family Pojo. Very interested in Rockolas Worlds Series.

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19
#1625 5 years ago

Sadie cat is a pinball cat, as shown earlier, easy score. Now the Bubbs cat, scared easily by pins, this was only obtained by putting a toy on top of the Cyclone head. I was aiming to hide the toy from him, but he jumped on and got the elusive shot!

bubbscyclone1 (resized).jpgbubbscyclone1 (resized).jpg

bubbscyclone2 (resized).jpgbubbscyclone2 (resized).jpg
19
#1626 5 years ago

Caught red handed!

IMG_20190116_161814 (resized).jpgIMG_20190116_161814 (resized).jpg
27
#1627 5 years ago

Time to put him in the box!!! hahahahahah.

black_cat_in_box (resized).jpgblack_cat_in_box (resized).jpg
#1628 5 years ago

Has anyone's cat ever gone missing and you found it in a pin days later? It wasn't a pin but my favorite cat, I think he was autistic because he hated to be touched, was missing for 4 days and I went looking for something in a drawer and he there was the cat. To this day I cant figure out how he got in there. He didn't make a sound nor did he poop in the drawer. He has since decided he wanted to live with the neighbor down the road and refuses to come back to my house.

#1629 5 years ago
Quoted from zr11990:

Has anyone's cat ever gone missing and you found it in a pin days later? It wasn't a pin but my favorite cat, I think he was autistic because he hated to be touched, was missing for 4 days and I went looking for something in a drawer and he there was the cat. To this day I cant figure out how he got in there. He didn't make a sound nor did he poop in the drawer. He has since decided he wanted to live with the neighbor down the road and refuses to come back to my house.

may be your fault, as you didnt let some free credit on the pin !!!

16
#1630 5 years ago

Rocket! enjoying the rays

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#1631 5 years ago

Cats love to follow the sun rays through the day!

22
#1632 5 years ago

Hi all!

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19
#1633 5 years ago

Amazing how there eyes change color.

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23
#1634 5 years ago

Bootz the cat-(BTC)-With her LED's installed !!.......Lol

Kirk's Pics 003 (resized).JPGKirk's Pics 003 (resized).JPG
16
#1635 5 years ago

Bootz again-half pissed off it appears !! What pinball when you have me !!.....2012 stopping me from working on my EM-Bally-COSMOS machine-rebuild project.

Kirk's Pics 002 (resized).JPGKirk's Pics 002 (resized).JPG
#1636 5 years ago
Quoted from dmacy:

Hi all!
[quoted image]

... that profile!

#1637 5 years ago

You should see her in person. She is gorgeous, but very shy.

32
#1638 5 years ago

My rescue kitten Luna. I found her when she was about 6 weeks and 1 1/2 pounds. Her nose was covered in blood and a broken toe. She was too friendly to be feral. Some one must have dumped her on the side of the road. She is 5 months old now and is my pinball repair buddy.

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21
#1639 5 years ago

My cabinet swap is going REALLY slow since Floyd found a new place to take a snooze.

IMG_0052 (resized).JPGIMG_0052 (resized).JPG
23
#1640 5 years ago
3199C896-9FBF-4F1A-B858-BA8827C27743 (resized).jpeg3199C896-9FBF-4F1A-B858-BA8827C27743 (resized).jpegD18C4C41-F507-450B-AD52-1DE1AC6E6E64 (resized).jpegD18C4C41-F507-450B-AD52-1DE1AC6E6E64 (resized).jpeg873BF82C-96B7-4646-8191-9A96749B941D (resized).jpeg873BF82C-96B7-4646-8191-9A96749B941D (resized).jpeg
#1641 5 years ago
Quoted from dmacy:

[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

So Floofy!

25
#1642 5 years ago

My buddy Hobbes is in ICU. Had a severe urinary blockage . I feel like a bad cat parent because he seemed absolutely fine until last night. Poor guy. They put in a catheter and will get lots of fluids in him to flush out the bad stuff. Hopefully that will work and surgery won't be needed, or else I may have to sell a game.

poor hobbes (resized).jpgpoor hobbes (resized).jpg
#1643 5 years ago

Awwww. Poor Hobbes. I'll keep him in my thoughts and prayers.

#1644 5 years ago

My old boy Smokey had to have that done once. He bounced back and lived another decade. We’ll be thinking of Hobbes for ya!

#1645 5 years ago
Quoted from SilverUnicorn:

My buddy Hobbes is in ICU. Had a severe urinary blockage . I feel like a bad cat parent because he seemed absolutely fine until last night. Poor guy. They put in a catheter and will get lots of fluids in him to flush out the bad stuff. Hopefully that will work and surgery won't be needed, or else I may have to sell a game.[quoted image]

Hoping the best for y'all. For some reason male cats seem to be more susceptible to urinary tract issues and a lot of it comes down to their diet. Talk with the vet about that, though I'm assuming the subject has probably already come up. My aunt had a Burmese male that had cystitis and it was resolved by changing him to a particular dry food (I think it was the original Science Diet way back in the day.)

Richard

#1646 5 years ago

Take good care of Hobbes.

#1647 5 years ago
Quoted from someotherguy:

Hoping the best for y'all. For some reason male cats seem to be more susceptible to urinary tract issues and a lot of it comes down to their diet. Talk with the vet about that, though I'm assuming the subject has probably already come up. My aunt had a Burmese male that had cystitis and it was resolved by changing him to a particular dry food (I think it was the original Science Diet way back in the day.)
Richard

Yes, after Smokey had his hospital visit we switched him to a “urinary tract” formula. He never had another problem. Science diet makes one as does Purina ones brand. Smokey preferred the purina brand actually. And yes according to vet it’s the males that have it the worst.

#1648 5 years ago
Quoted from Phat_Jay:

Yes, after Smokey had his hospital visit we switched him to a “urinary tract” formula. He never had another problem. Science diet makes one as does Purina ones brand. Smokey preferred the purina brand actually. And yes according to vet it’s the males that have it the worst.

I have two males that have had urinary problems. My vet prescribed Hill's prescription diet c/d cat food. It is quite expensive and you can only get it through prescription. My one cat hated it so with vet's approval we switched to science diet urinary tract formula. Have not had a problem since and you can also get science diet formula in wet food. SD is still high priced but no prescription required and seems to get the job done. Best of luck to Hobbes.

#1649 5 years ago

Best wishes for a speedy recovery for your baby.

#1650 5 years ago
Quoted from SilverUnicorn:

My buddy Hobbes is in ICU. Had a severe urinary blockage

Wishing the best for Hobbes -- those urinary obstructions can pop up fast so do not be too hard on yourself. Looks like a urinary catheter was passed/obstruction was freed and that is the important part.

Quoted from someotherguy:

For some reason male cats seem to be more susceptible to urinary tract issues and a lot of it comes down to their diet.

Urinary tract issues can be a challenge in cats -- in both behavior and physical forms.
Prescription food diets can help reduce crystal/stone formation (male cats are prone to obstruction due to a narrow diameter urethra) as well as add in components to help reduce urinary inflammation. They are pricey but can make a positive difference with some cats.

Increased water consumption can be a good way to try and keep urinary tract issues away -- dilution is the solution to pollution. More water in flushes out the bad stuff more often. Sometimes feeding a canned food can increase the water intake or using one of those fancy running water bowls has helped get more moisture in the system.

Hoping for a speedy and uneventful recovery for Hobbes!

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