My sweet five year old (bare) not OT

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Susan M - 22 Dec 2005 04:42 GMT

My son and I were "having a little chat" as he calls it, before I tucked him
in. Somehow we got onto the subject that my dad had taken our cat away when
I was young and that it made me very sad and that I will always take care of
our cats now. As he calls it, he had "water coming out of [his] eyes" when
I told him that story. He was actually crying about the fact that my dad
took my cat away 30 years ago. I felt terrible that the story had effected
him that way and told him that the cat was probably very happy on the farm
where he was taken because there were lots of mice and that I was happy now
to always take care of our cats. He's just a very sweet boy. Of course,
I've inadvertently scarred him for life and its on permanent record on
google!

Susan M
Otis and Chester

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Takayuki - 22 Dec 2005 06:27 GMT

>My son and I were "having a little chat" as he calls it, before I tucked him
>in. Somehow we got onto the subject that my dad had taken our cat away when
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>I've inadvertently scarred him for life and its on permanent record on
>google!

Awww. That does sound like a sad story! If there's anything a child
can relate to, it's the idea of losing an object of affection. That
must be why all children's stories have happy endings! He's a
definite candidate to join the newsgroup and enjoy anecdotes.

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sriddles@aol.com - 22 Dec 2005 06:41 GMT

That

> must be why all children's stories have happy endings!

Well, that's kinda debatable. I never understood why, in so many
children's books/films, something *always* happens to "the mother".
Mostly Disney. Think about it. Dumbo's poor mama in leg chains. Bambi's
mother gets shot. Snow White's mother was dead before the story even
starts. Cinderella didn't have a mother. "Land Before Time", it's the
mama dinosaur.
I remember one of my favorites was "The Steadfast Tin Soldier". I
re-read it recently. No mother in that one, but it is a HORRIBLE story.
Gad.
I"m rambling. I need to go to bed.

Sherry

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Smokie Darling (Annie) - 22 Dec 2005 15:24 GMT

> That
> > must be why all children's stories have happy endings!

You know, I read somewhere that many of the Children's Stories in
existence today, were bastardized from the originals. The stories were
gruesome and meant to warn/teach little kids about certain dangers.
Most did NOT have happy endings. Those were changed in the 1800s
(guessing), so as not to frighten the little ones.

> Well, that's kinda debatable. I never understood why, in so many
> children's books/films, something *always* happens to "the mother".
> Mostly Disney. Think about it. Dumbo's poor mama in leg chains. Bambi's
> mother gets shot. Snow White's mother was dead before the story even
> starts. Cinderella didn't have a mother. "Land Before Time", it's the
> mama dinosaur.

Children were mostly (if not solely) cared for by moms when those films
came out, so it was a "crutch" the writers used. A cheap device to
pluck at heartstrings, but it worked.

> I remember one of my favorites was "The Steadfast Tin Soldier". I
> re-read it recently. No mother in that one, but it is a HORRIBLE story.
> Gad.
> I"m rambling. I need to go to bed.
>
> Sherry

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Susan M - 22 Dec 2005 07:23 GMT

> Awww. That does sound like a sad story! If there's anything a child
> can relate to, it's the idea of losing an object of affection. That
> must be why all children's stories have happy endings! He's a
> definite candidate to join the newsgroup and enjoy anecdotes.

He'd be a candidate except for the fact that he has no love for the cats
themselves. He knows that animals are to be treated with respect but he's
allergic and he's not allowed to touch them. He's young enough that the
hands go directly to the eyes right afterwards. Poor kid. There sits
Chester so glistening and fluffy and my son can't touch him.

Susan M
Otis and Chester

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Susan M - 22 Dec 2005 07:25 GMT

"Susan M" <otis_chester_mom@yahoo.com> wrote in message > He'd be a
candidate except for the fact that he has no love for the cats

> themselves. He knows that animals are to be treated with respect but he's
> allergic and he's not allowed to touch them. He's young enough that the
> hands go directly to the eyes right afterwards. Poor kid. There sits
> Chester so glistening and fluffy and my son can't touch him.

Okay - now that I read that maybe its time that we try it in a controlled
way. Allow him to pet Chester and then grab his hands and go directly to
the sink??? It seems pretty terrible not to be able to pet the cats.

Susan M
Otis and Chester

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Karen - 22 Dec 2005 14:44 GMT

> "Susan M" <otis_chester_mom@yahoo.com> wrote in message > He'd be a
> candidate except for the fact that he has no love for the cats
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> Susan M
> Otis and Chester

What about wiping the cats down before letting him pet and before they clean
themselves again. Just because he doesn't touch them doesn't mean he doesn't
care for them. I mean, they are awfully cute just to watch. I hope that his
allergies lessen as he gets older.

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Debbie Wilson - 22 Dec 2005 15:02 GMT

> > Okay - now that I read that maybe its time that we try it in a controlled
> > way. Allow him to pet Chester and then grab his hands and go directly to
> > the sink??? It seems pretty terrible not to be able to pet the cats.

> What about wiping the cats down before letting him pet and before they clean
> themselves again. Just because he doesn't touch them doesn't mean he doesn't
> care for them. I mean, they are awfully cute just to watch. I hope that his
> allergies lessen as he gets older.

You could always try something like this:
http://www.woofnwhiskers.com/info-store/petal-cleanse.htm
It's a UK product but it seems you can order it in the US (and Canada?)
here:
http://www.allergic2pets.com/

HTH

Deb.

Signature

http://www.scientific-art.com

"He looked a fierce and quarrelsome cat, but claw he never would;
He only bit the ones he loved, because they tasted good." S. Greenfield

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jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt@sonic.net - 23 Dec 2005 00:44 GMT

> You could always try something like this:

> http://www.woofnwhiskers.com/info-store/petal-cleanse.htm

> It's a UK product but it seems you can order it in the US (and Canada?)

> here:
> http://www.allergic2pets.com/

This sounds great. But they're very mysterious about what the "cleanser"
(TM TM - think they've made it clear enough that it's trademarked? LOL)
is made of. Have you used it yourself? I'm just wondering if the stuff
is really safe for pets. I'm a little wary of putting unknown substances
on my cats!

By the way, this is cute: try going to the "woofnwhiskers" site, but
change one letter of the URL, or remove part of the site's name (past
the ".com" part). It gives you a very cute error message.

Joyce

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Debbie Wilson - 23 Dec 2005 08:45 GMT

> This sounds great. But they're very mysterious about what the "cleanser"
> (TM TM - think they've made it clear enough that it's trademarked? LOL)
> is made of. Have you used it yourself? I'm just wondering if the stuff
> is really safe for pets. I'm a little wary of putting unknown substances
> on my cats!

I haven't tried it myself, no. Good question about what's in it - on the
manufacturer's site (http://www.bio-life.co.uk/) it says this:

"Petal Cleanse™ is a surfactant based lotion that removes from the coats
of cats, dogs and other pets, the allergens that cause allergic
reactions in humans."

and on the FAQ:

"Is Petal Cleanse safe for my pet?

...the product is made up of mild detergents, quarternium salts,
glycerine, amino-acids, B vitamins, aloe vera gel, rosemary and lime
flower extracts --- all the ingredients that you find in high quality
natural shampoos, conditioners and skincare products. "

Sounds like a variant of cat-safe shampoo that is a wipe-on version
rather than having to actually bathe the cat?

It has been endorsed by the British Allergy Foundation (Allergy UK)
which is why I wondered if it might be good to try:
http://www.allergyuk.org/prod_calist.html
http://www.allergyuk.org/auk_whoare.html

> By the way, this is cute: try going to the "woofnwhiskers" site, but
> change one letter of the URL, or remove part of the site's name (past
> the ".com" part). It gives you a very cute error message.

LOL - very cute! :-)

Deb.

Signature

http://www.scientific-art.com

"He looked a fierce and quarrelsome cat, but claw he never would;
He only bit the ones he loved, because they tasted good." S. Greenfield

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jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt@sonic.net - 23 Dec 2005 17:32 GMT

> I haven't tried it myself, no. Good question about what's in it - on the
> manufacturer's site (http://www.bio-life.co.uk/) it says this:

I wonder what a "surfactant" is? Off to look it up...

OK, here's what Wikipedia has to say about it:

"Surfactants, also known as wetting agents, lower the surface tension
of a liquid, allowing easier spreading, and the interfacial tension
between two liquids. The term surfactant is a contraction of 'Surface
active agent'."

Well, that clears that up. :)

In any case, it doesn't sound harmful.

> ...the product is made up of mild detergents, quarternium salts,
> glycerine, amino-acids, B vitamins, aloe vera gel, rosemary and lime
> flower extracts --- all the ingredients that you find in high quality
> natural shampoos, conditioners and skincare products. "

I'm not allergic myself, but I do have friends who are, who have to
take drugs in order to come visit me. I thought something like this might
help.

Joyce

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badwilson - 22 Dec 2005 13:27 GMT

Aaawww! That story made me sad too!
When I was a kid, my dad banished my cat to an outdoor only existance
because he couldn't be trained to keep off the table :-( It still makes
me mad to think about it.
Your dad really doesn't like cats, does he?
I'm sure your son will be fine, he's got a lot of empathy and that's a
good thing :-)

Signature

Britta
"There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast." -- Unknown
Check out pictures of Vino at:
http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album

> My son and I were "having a little chat" as he calls it, before I
> tucked him in. Somehow we got onto the subject that my dad had taken
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> Susan M
> Otis and Chester

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Adrian - 22 Dec 2005 14:19 GMT

> Aaawww! That story made me sad too!
> When I was a kid, my dad banished my cat to an outdoor only existance
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> I'm sure your son will be fine, he's got a lot of empathy and that's a
> good thing :-)

When I was six years old, my maternal grandmother's cat was shot with a
pellet gun, he lost an eye. A few weeks later she had him PTS because she
didn't like looking at him with only one eye. I couldn't understand why, I
thought he was still lovely. My grandmother lost a lot of my respect that
day. :-(

Signature

Adrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera)
A House is not a home, without a cat.
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk

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Gabey8 - 22 Dec 2005 20:15 GMT

[[My son and I were "having a little chat" as he calls it, before I tucked
him in. Somehow we got onto the subject that my dad had taken our cat
away when I was young and that it made me very sad and that I will always
take care of our cats now. As he calls it, he had "water coming out of
[his] eyes" when I told him that story. He was actually crying about the
fact that my dad took my cat away 30 years ago. I felt terrible that the
story had effected him that way and told him that the cat was probably
very happy on the farm where he was taken because there were lots of mice
and that I was happy now to always take care of our cats. He's just a
very sweet boy. Of course, I've inadvertently scarred him for life and
its on permanent record on google! ]]

I'm more inclined to believe that he's been imprinted, at a young age,
about why it's important to KEEP that contract we make when we adopt pets,
for as long as it's humanly possible to do so. And that just giving them
away or otherwise getting rid of them on a moment's notice isn't right.

Understanding how sad you were when your cat was taken away from you then,
and seeing how committed you are to being a good pet mom NOW, is sure to
make a huge impression on him. If he has pets, too, I suspect he'll keep
the pet's well-being in mind at all times. And that's called "raising him
right". :o)

Donna, and Captain and Stanley who are glad to hear that there's another
hoomin being raised to spoil kitties

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