If cats had jobs, and thus an income, as well as the ablity to talk on the phone, do you think that they would be easily talked into buying things by telemarketers? Please choose one of the following, and elaborate as desired:
a. Yes, because they’re not too bright
b. Yes, because they have poor impulse control
c. No, they’re too smart to be taken in
d. No, they’d probably be too tight-fisted
Oddly enough, on the other site on which I’m conducting this poll, 75% of people responded with the same yes/no answer- of course I won’t tell you which unless someone asks later.
Congratulations on putting the M and P back in MPSIMS. I have thought about this long and hard, and consulted with my cat before posting.
The real wrench in the plan is that the cat has his own job. Now, if it wasn’t the cat’s own job, let’s say he was spending my money, the answer would definately be B, poor impulse control. Even without the ability to talk on the phone, Gryffin (our cat) has already initiated the purchase of a new couch, duvet, and seat covers based on his expressions of distaste for the old ones. Also, he continually demands a new supply of cat toys. He clearly considers most material goods to be completely disposable based on his whim.
However, since we’re talking about the cat’s own money, I’m going to go with D, too tight-pawed. Cats are miserly when it comes to their own posessions. Sure, they might bring you dead birds, but I’m fairly sure it’s because they are confident you don’t want it.
I’d say c and d, because cats are both smart and thrifty.
Smart enough to, as they say, get three hots and a cot without having to give much of anything in return (but still get lots of lovin’ in the process)…
And thrifty enough to not waste most of what they hunt down and kill, even if they’re fed inside the house as well. The only time cats don’t seem to eat what they kill is when they bring it to you, and that just shows how polite they are into the bargain.
At least I think cats are polite… call me Pollyanna, but it would be like a knife in my heart to think that (like delphica said) cats only bring you tasty dead gifties because they ain’t good enough for feline consumption. (God, it can’t be true… can it??)
But anyhow, no way would cats be suckered into buying things over the phone.
Except maybe if the Alaskan Salmon Express Company called, or the Modern Kitty Mail-Order Toy Company…
My cats have NO impulse control. Something wiggles? They attack it. They don’t want to come over to see you and let you pet them? Just wiggle your finger around the corner of your leg then make it “dissappear”. You can see them trying not to come over. But sure enough, 10-15 seconds later they just can’t STAND it anymore and they come running over to see where the finger went.
e) It would fail because of cats’ innate desire to refrain from doing anything anyone else wants them to do. (Although I suppose a clever telemarketer might succeed by insisting that the cat not, under circumstances, buy this product…)
Why on earth would a cat answer the phone? That’s YOUR job. The cat is very busy making sure that all surfaces in the house are suitable for sleeping. It’s very important work - perhaps someday you might discover that you have a mattress phobia and thus must sleep on the dresser or on top of the microwave or inside your sock drawer - and the cat must make sure that these places have been tested and approved as sleeping areas. The cat cannot be interrupted for something as unimportant as answering the phone. Therefore, the answer is “e,” none of the above.
Let’s look at the flipside of this poll. Would cats make good telemarketers?
There would have to be some equipment changes. Without opposable thumbs it would be tough to pick up the phone (do I hear headsets?), and their paws would make dialing tough. But I think the Americans with Hairballs Act (AHA) would drive telemarketing firms to use voice-activated dialers, so it could be done.
Felines would make excellent telemarketers. Given their inherent desire to play with their food, they would string a customer along, lulling them into a false sense of security and then WHAM, you’ve bought new windows. Plus, who could resist that purring. “No, I don’t want to change long-distance…” <Puurrr-rrrr-rrrr> " No really, I’m happy with…" <Purr-urr-urrrrrrrr> “Oh, allright, sign me up.”
I suspect they’d answer the phone, but before they could place any order they’d become totally enraptured with the springy phone cord thing and – POOF – the whole afternoon is spent.
Well, it really would depend on which of my cats answered the phone.
Mr. Kitty is well-meaning, but sometimes not too bright. He’s eage to please, so I’m sure his credit card bill would be filled with useless purchases and then I’d have to file bankruptcy for him and he’d cry and tell me he’d try harder next time and if I could just buy him a hamburger today, he’d gladly repay me next Tuesday. [sub]anyone get that reference?[/sub]
However, if Annie answered the phone, she would probably lull them into the false sense of security pcubed mentioned and then figure out a way to reach through the phone and bite them. She’s loving, but fierce. I’m pretty sure we’ll all be living under her regime of terror someday.
My cat actually gets telemarketer calls, and he never wants to talk on the phone. I’ve asked him. I doubt it’s because of embarrasment due to a lack of interest, because he’s willing to lick himself in public- you know, in -that- spot. I figure he just doesn’t care.
My cat is home all day, and not once has he answered the phone for me. Such things are beneath him. Furthermore, if he were to stoop to picking up the phone for a mere telemarketer, I sincerely doubt that he would condescend to actually buy anything from them. So very vulgar indeed.
Ah, I think it is more akin to the four year old boy who tries to convince Dad that what Mom wants more than anything else in the world for Mother’s Day is a Super DeLuxe Hot Wheels set. I think my cat brings me dead beasties because he strongly suspects I will share them. Thus, he gets the cuddle points for bringing Mama a gift (yes, the cat calls me “Mama”) and also believes he will enjoy the fruits of his labor. This is why is he always so disappointed when I dispose of said dead items by shutting them up in the trash.
Oddly enough, I HAVE gotten telemarketing calls for my cat. (That’s what happens when you fill out coupon surveys in his name.) I did get a big laugh out of a telemarketer when I explained it once.
I agree with missbunny. Cats simply can’t be bothered to answer the phone to begin with.
Now the funny thing is the next time you get a telemarketer calling you and saying, “hello, may I speak with the man or woman of the house?” you should call for your cat and say, “here kitty kitty kitty. I am sorry, but he doesn’t seem to want to come to the phone at the moment and he doesn’t want you to call here ever again.”
An interesting and worthy question. Of my three cats, one wouldn’t answer the phone, because she wouldn’t buy anything anyway “how gauche - buying something on the phone” (answer D). Another would buy anything because she’s eager to please and suffers poor impulse control, but luckily she can’t manipulate the receiver (answer B).
The third, the one who I believe could pick up the phone, would just string the telemarketer along, purring in an interested tone, asking pertinent questions and doing calculations, then crush their hopes just as they were planning what to do with their hard-earned commission (answer C). Bless him, he takes after his mummy.
I did indeed, that would be Wimpy.
As to the OP. Definately B, my cat Loki has absolutely no impulse control whatsoever. He be buying whatever they had before the marketer had even finished his script.
IF he could be pried away from his usual activity of rendering boxes in to little chunks of cardboard covered in cat slobber.
