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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / May 2006I'm happy I found you! Some ?'s
Hello all! I am a cat lover in Salt Lake City Utah, the proud purr-son of Lovey, a two year old adopted dilute tortie who loves my husband and tolerates me. I am a firm believer in adoption and non declawing; neutering when young, and that fur people are people too (my husband & kids think I'm a little nuts). I adopted a forlorn long term cage resident last year this time, and we had nine months of fun and sadness. Ginger had a very sad combo of wanting to be on or by me and a very unpredictable tolerance to physical contact. As background, I am 52, the daughter of a veterinarian, and have "owned" cats since I was 7 years old. I'm experienced in "cat language" both verbal & non. I learned Ginger's cues, and survived many scratches and a couple of minor bites in the process. Ginger was 6 yrs old and Lovey a little over 1 when Ginger joined our family. They NEVER got along. Although Lovey has our three little dogs whipped into shape, she lived in fear of Ginger. To shorten my long sad story in March of this year Ginger, completely unprovoked, while sitting on my lap jumped up and bit my face, missing my left eye by 1 inch. This was the second unprovoked severe bite in 8 weeks, and it became seriously infected just as the first one had (IV antibiotics & all that great stuff. This bite was so severe it required 5 stitches- even though it was a cat bite, it was a gaping wound on my forehead & the ER decided it had to be stitched). I had Ginger euthanized the next day at Animal Control, after contacting the agency I had adopted her from and they said she needed to be euthanized, she was too dangerous to try to adopt out again. It broke my heart to have to do this - I tried so hard with her and I know she was probably abused / damaged long before she came into our home. So now it's kitten season. My Dad (the vet) suggested I try again with a male young kitten. I have a couple of questions. Should I get 2 kittens to keep each other company and reduce Loveys' stress? Or would one kitten be less stressful? (I have a separate room for the kitten to call it's own, and I do sslloooow intros to the other animals. Is it true male kittens are more loving & bond better? Lovey is a spayed female (spayed at first heat at 6 months old). Thank you in advance for reading this BOOK :-) and any helpful advice. I'm so happy I found cat lovers! Barbara On Mon, 22 May 2006 08:32:32 -0700, sharppointy1 wrote: > Hello all! I am a cat lover in Salt Lake City Utah, the proud purr-son > of Lovey, a two year old adopted dilute tortie who loves my husband and > tolerates me. I am a firm believer in adoption and non declawing; > neutering when young, and that fur people are people too (my husband & > kids think I'm a little nuts). Welcome, Barbara! I'm glad you found us. This is an excellent group of people, and we are all absolute cat-nuts. > again with a male young kitten. I have a couple of questions. Should I > get 2 kittens to keep each other company and reduce Loveys' stress? Or [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > I'm so happy I found cat lovers! > Barbara I'm so sorry to hear of the problems with Ginger. Things like that are very sad, but they do sometimes happen. As to one kitten or two, that depends a lot on Lovey and on your phsyical layout. It sounds like Lovey has pretty well mastered the household, so two kittens might be well within her tolerance. And there is something to be said for adding kittens 2 at a time, so they will have each other to play with and won't always be bugging Lovey. When we first adopted Tabitha (black DLH, about 3 yrs old) she chose Amelia as her surrogate momcat. She spent all of her time with Amelia, which was fine with our other cat, Cleopatra. But Amelia did tend to get tired of all the attention. A couple months later I rescued Samuel, who was about the same age as Tabitha. From that day on, Tabitha and Samuel were play-buddies. Tabitha still came to Amelia for grooming and companionship, but when Tabitha just *had* to play she could go bother Samuel instead of bothering Amelia. As to male or female bonding more closely, I believe that too is more an individual thing rather than a gender thing. We currently have 6 kitties, 4 of them female and 2 male. The one who bonded to me most closely is Harriet (Harri Roadcat). I'm sure that's because we spent our first 7 months together living in a semi and touring the US :) But Samuel, Ranger, and Amelia have also formed extremely close bonds to me. So it's evenly balanced between mail and female here. Dan > Hello all! I am a cat lover in Salt Lake City Utah, the proud purr-son > of Lovey, a two year old adopted dilute tortie who loves my husband and [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > I'm so happy I found cat lovers! > Barbara Hi Barbara, and welcome. I'm no expert by any means, but a couple of things to consider: If you get two, kittens they'll play with each other mostly and won't pester Lovey so much. OTOH, they'll bond with each other, but in the process, with a slow intro like you said, Lovey should learn to tolerate them and hopefully even like them. :-) It would also be nice if you could find a calm, laid-back adult too; they're so hard to place at shelters during kitten season. I think your dad is right, or at least according to my household he is. My boys are very laid-back, very calm and accept new cats readily. My girls are another story. They seem far more territorial and just plain cranky when they're not getting their way. (which isn't too often, LOL) Good luck. And again, welcome to the group. Sherry > Should I get 2 kittens to keep each other company and reduce Loveys' > stress? Or would one kitten be less stressful? (I have a separate room > for the kitten to call it's own, and I do sslloooow intros to the other > animals. Hi, Barbara! I'm far from expert in these matters, but I'd think an important question is, do you have enough room in the house for three dogs and two to three cats to get along comfortably? It seems like dogs are often less territorial with one another than cats, but cats seem to want some sprawl of their own. The related question is, do you have room for 3-4 litter boxes (a rule of thumb with multiple cats seems to be, have one more litterbox than cats, and spread them around the house, not all right next to each other).  Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca > > Should I get 2 kittens to keep each other company and reduce Loveys' > > stress? Or would one kitten be less stressful? (I have a separate room [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > -- > monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully I don't think that's always true; I don't think it's necessary to have 4 litterboxes for 3 cats. I always kept 4 litterboxes for 4 cats; and nobody ever used two of them. So I got rid of one, added another cat in the process; now we have three large boxes for 5 cats. It's okay by them, and they're scooped twice a day. Nobody's complaining yet. Sherry I would keep an open mind on whether males are friendlier than females. My male is friendlier than his sister, but I had another female that was an absolute doll. I'd just go visit kitties and you will find the right one. Theresa > I would keep an open mind on whether males are friendlier than females. > My male is friendlier than his sister, but I had another female that > was an absolute doll. I'd just go visit kitties and you will find the > right one. > > Theresa And it may not be a kitten. Quite often I've seen people go to the local PetSmart to adopt a kitten and leave with an older cat. With good medical care, proper feeding, and great genetic back ground, cats can live into their twenties. So getting an older cat is a great option and you are giving a great home to a kitty who really needs you. BTW, welcome to the group. We are a group of cat servants (ok slaves, but I don't like to admit it) here with an occasional troll. the FAQ for this group is at http://www.angelfire.com/mt/yowie/catfaq.htm It can help explain many of our quirks and make it easier for you to understand the group dynamics of this place. Besides, it's one of the few readable FAQs I've ever found. Pam S. > > I would keep an open mind on whether males are friendlier than females. > > My male is friendlier than his sister, but I had another female that [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > live into their twenties. So getting an older cat is a great option and > you are giving a great home to a kitty who really needs you. I wound up adopting an adult, Mr. Clark, and two kittens, Ding and Rhonda. The adoption group, Advocats, is in both PetCo and PetSmart in the Northern Virginia area. They are quite good, if you are considering multiple cats, of letting you see their interactions before making a decision. Obviously, we weren't sure how an adult neutered male would react to kittens, but it was immediately obvious he was a natural parent. >> I would keep an open mind on whether males are friendlier than females. >> My male is friendlier than his sister, but I had another female that [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Pam S. I'll second that. Molly was 18 months old (approximately) when we adopted her. And a feral rescue who had had kittens. She isn't affectionate with us but is with the kids and neighbors. Go figure. My kitten that I truly adored had died and I needed a replacement. I wanted a "little girl with big ears and a long tail" but wouldn't specify further as any more than that would have just been asking for my Rosie back. Not fair to me or to Rosie's memory or to a newcomer. Molly has all that but is otherwise nothing like Rosie. Molly is mostly aloof as I'd expect in a feral, but is also truly a kitten at heart. Jo Thanks, Pam - it IS a readable FAQ. Tanada <tanada@earthlink.net> wrote in news:FTpcg.538$Sf2.250 @newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net: > BTW, welcome to the group. We are a group of cat servants (ok slaves, > but I don't like to admit it) here with an occasional troll. the FAQ > for this group is at http://www.angelfire.com/mt/yowie/catfaq.htm It > can help explain many of our quirks and make it easier for you to > understand the group dynamics of this place. Besides, it's one of the > few readable FAQs I've ever found. What fun the FAQ is! I think I recall reading it back when I first posted to this group, but I'm not sure. BTW, to the Keeper of the FAQ: some of the links are dead now. (The ones I remember are in the section explaining (as if that were possible!) the First Church of The Porcelain Three-Three. Chak SignatureYou can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake. --Jeannette Rankin sharppointy1@yahoo.com wrote in news:1148311952.696833.116770 @g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com: > Should I get 2 kittens to keep each other company and reduce Loveys' > stress? Or would one kitten be less stressful? (I have a separate room [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Thank you in advance for reading this BOOK :-) and any helpful advice. > I'm so happy I found cat lovers! Try to get littermates if you can. I don't think the gender makes any difference; at least, that's been my experience. Chak SignatureYou can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake. --Jeannette Rankin Hello, Barbara, Welcome to rec.pets.anecdotes! If you have the room and the werewithal to feed three cats, and it seems you do, I would recommend adopting two kittens to be companions for one another. I think Lovey will pass through a period of stress through the introduction of strange cats to her territory, and getting only one as opposed to two wouldn't decrease it by much. But having two young ones smaller than she is hopefully will be less scary/stressful for her than cohabiting with Ginger. (As sad as that was, I'd have to reluctantly agree that you did what you had to, and that she was damaged long before you got her. She might have been one of those cats who needs to be an only cat.) Adult cats accept kittens more readily than they will another adult. Regarding males vs females, my honest impression is that females bond just fine. =o) I am owned by Francesca and Nina, a mother-daughter pair, and they have bonded very well with me. My recently departed male cat spent his life convinced that he was actually my husband, but I feel no LACK of affection from my two girls. Melissa Thank you all for your great ideas! Welcome to the cathouse :-)!!! We, the catslaves, enjoy the company of new servants in our midst. Some do say that boys are friendlier, but it's not always the case; my friend has a male who's the biggest wuss around and runs from company. And our baby girl Brandy is one of the most outgoing cats I've ever known in my life. Our Odessa is a flirt and prefers the company of men; Roxie also is very friendly, though quieter than her tomboy sister Brandy. And our one boy, Stosh, has the manners and appetite of Fred Flintstone. He's far cuter though! Blessed be, Baha >Hello all! I am a cat lover in Salt Lake City Utah, the proud purr-son >of Lovey, a two year old adopted dilute tortie who loves my husband and [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > I'm so happy I found cat lovers! >Barbara Of the two cats I currently have, Nanki-Poo is a Mama's boy. He is very cuddly with me, but usually stays out of sight when anyone else is around. OTOH, Lindy is what somebody here used to call a "love slut". She craves attention, the more the better, from anyone who is around. Cats are like people - each one is different, and generalities seldom apply and almost always have exceptions. Joy > Welcome to the cathouse :-)!!! We, the catslaves, enjoy the company of new > servants in our midst. [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] > > I'm so happy I found cat lovers! > >Barbara My Fin (RB) was the biggest coward I'd ever seen, but that might have been due to the fact that his last people threw him out when he was young. As the years went by, he settled down and realized that not all people were out to hurt him, so he bravely came out when company came over and even warmed up to most of my friends. Rita, however, hasn't met an owner she didn't like. She greets everyone at the door, howling for petting. She even tried to crawl into the cable guy's tool belt! It was hysterical. She loves to sit in the window when I have it open, and seems to be fascinated by thunder and lightning. She's fearless. Jane - owned and operated by Princess Rita >Of the two cats I currently have, Nanki-Poo is a Mama's boy. He is very >cuddly with me, but usually stays out of sight when anyone else is around. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Joy HAPPY DAYS! On Tuesday I adopted an 8 week old black and white male kitten who we have named Yitzak (Hebrew for laughter)! You're all going to get kitten fever....:-) He is of course absoluteley adorable. He was apparently weaned too early (the shelter "assumes" he is 8 weeks and my vet concurred yesterday). So he thinks my nose/nostrils are the perfect substitute nipple. Even though we clipped his wee sharp nails I have an attractive scratch across the bridge of my nose... The last two cats that adopted me were nearly adult and adult, so it's been quite awhile since I have watched kitten antics! The spider or sideways walking; his first view of himself in the mirror in his room - he puffed his teensy little self up and was very fierce. The amazing twisting jumps and the mad dashes at invisible objects....It has been incredibly difficult to tear myself away to work (happily it's summer & I'm only doing ~6 hr/day). My beloved husband the cat "hater" is petting Yitzy just like he does Lovey, crooning "you're a hideous beast" to him, too. Lovey and Yitzy have seen each other twice and it was a hiss -fest supreme. Thank goodness for doors. Lovey is quite annoyed with me and sat on our bed last night telling me in no uncertain terms that I am a complete fool. The dogs (all small) have been hissed at too, and are a bit wary but quite curious about this little black & white pest. Yitzak immediately took to his litter box and the squishy kitten food he gets as a twice a dya trat. He can play full out for 45 minutes before fading. Both the past two nights, he did not cry after I wore him out & fed him at 9:30 - such a good boy! He passed his feLV and FIV tests and was dewormed with no discernable disgusting results yesterday. Planning on an early July snip of his manlieness - I haven't told HIM that yet. The vet's office was bowled over & they all got kitten fever too :-) Hope you all have a lovely day. I'll be the one playing with the baby :-) > HAPPY DAYS! On Tuesday I adopted an 8 week old black and white male > kitten who we have named Yitzak (Hebrew for laughter)! You're all [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > Hope you all have a lovely day. I'll be the one playing with the baby > :-) Yitzy sounds adorable, I hope you're going to post some pictures somewhere, soon. SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera) Cats leave pawprints on your heart. http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk > HAPPY DAYS! On Tuesday I adopted an 8 week old black and white male > kitten who we have named Yitzak (Hebrew for laughter)! You're all > going to get kitten fever....:-) He is of course absoluteley > adorable. <snip> > Hope you all have a lovely day. I'll be the one playing with the baby > :-) Congrats on your new addition! Looking forward to many stories and pics. Best wishes, Polonca and Soncek > HAPPY DAYS! On Tuesday I adopted an 8 week old black and white male > kitten who we have named Yitzak (Hebrew for laughter)! You're all [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > clipped his wee sharp nails I have an attractive scratch across the > bridge of my nose... Awww, Yitzak sounds adorable. It's been a year since I had kittens running all over the house. I don't miss it, yet. However I've got three young adults that are having a great time driving me nuts with wrestling, chase, and other kitty Olympic events. Huey has discovered a taste for flies. He smacks his lips after eating one. Tanada has the LOUDEST cleaning slurp I've ever heard off of a cat and she likes to clean herself less than three feet away from me. Sonya and Huey wrestle all over my legs at night. Qui Gun Kit likes to jump into the middle of them. Pine Cone cries at Mandy's door for her to let him in so that he can lick her face during the night, and can't figure out why she won't let him in. QC has taken up being a teddy cat for Jesse (Amanda's boyfriend's brother) She sprawls over his chest (this is a 23 lb cat now) tucks her head into his shoulders and snores in his ears. Jesse loves it. Can you tell that my house is owned by the owners? Pam S. boasting > Huey has discovered a taste for flies. He smacks his lips after eating > one. Tanada has the LOUDEST cleaning slurp I've ever heard off of a cat [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > a 23 lb cat now) tucks her head into his shoulders and snores in his > ears. Jesse loves it. Can you tell that my house is owned by the owners? I thought Harri was the only noisy washer! Shortly after Harri came into the house the first time, Nancy and I were sitting in the living room watching TV. Harri was curled up on the back of the sofa cleaning herself. Nancy turned down the TV and asked "what's that awful noise? It sounds like someone slapping a steak against a window.". It was Harri washing herself. We can hear her from the next room, she slurps so loud. Nancy still tends to laugh when she hears it, and Harri is NOT amused! Dan > > Huey has discovered a taste for flies. He smacks his lips after eating > > one. Tanada has the LOUDEST cleaning slurp I've ever heard off of a cat [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > Dan ROFL!! We had overnight guests once, and Boots decided to sleep with him, my gosh that surprised me. Anyway, in the a.m. he said, "I couldn't sleep because your cat was on the bed making disgusting slurping noises all night." Sherry > I thought Harri was the only noisy washer! > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > We can hear her from the next room, she slurps so loud. Nancy still tends > to laugh when she hears it, and Harri is NOT amused! LOL! Miranda also makes an amazing amount of noise when she washes (herself or Caliban). But it's a strange kind of 'dry' slurp. Don't know a better way of describing it. Frank used to have vigorous washing sessions on the pillow next to mine early in the morning, and he was a noisy washer, too. I would frequently wake up to his washing (not just the sound, but the shaking bed as well). SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/ Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki > LOL! Miranda also makes an amazing amount of noise when she washes > (herself or Caliban). But it's a strange kind of 'dry' slurp. Don't know > a better way of describing it. Frank used to have vigorous washing > sessions on the pillow next to mine early in the morning, and he was a > noisy washer, too. I would frequently wake up to his washing (not just > the sound, but the shaking bed as well). Tanada has also been known to shake the bed while cleaning. However her favorite spot to perch while slurping herself clean is my printer. She makes slurping, gnawing, clicking, and ticking noises. Pam S. > Pine Cone cries at Mandy's door for her to let > him in so that he can lick her face during the night, and can't figure > out why she won't let him in. QC has taken up being a teddy cat for > Jesse (Amanda's boyfriend's brother) She sprawls over his chest (this is > a 23 lb cat now) tucks her head into his shoulders and snores in his > ears. Jesse loves it. Can you tell that my house is owned by the owners? Wow, you've got quite a household there. Your daughter's boyfriend's *brother* is living with you? Is the boyfriend there, too? And it sounds you've got a kitty to go with each person who lives there, and then some! Joyce > Wow, you've got quite a household there. Your daughter's boyfriend's > *brother* is living with you? Is the boyfriend there, too? [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Joyce Neither is actually "living" with us. But they often spend the night when it is easier than going home to come over early the next morning. Sometimes the house is too small for us all and I fantasize about what it would be like to have just Rob and I and the cats living here, but it isn't happening any time soon, so I try to get over it. Pam S. who actually loves having younger people around, just not 24/7 >> Wow, you've got quite a household there. Your daughter's boyfriend's >> *brother* is living with you? Is the boyfriend there, too? [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Pam S. who actually loves having younger people around, just not 24/7 Sounds like our place. I love the kids, but it would be nice to be able to walk around my own house in my underwear in the middle of the night. Jo >>>Wow, you've got quite a household there. Your daughter's boyfriend's >>>*brother* is living with you? Is the boyfriend there, too? [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Jo Exactly. There are times when I don't want to have to get fully dressed to walk out of my room. There are also times when I'd like the peace and quiet (those that know my motor mouth would die laughing right about now) of a kid less house. Rob and I talk, but we aren't nearly as noisy as the kids are. Pam S. >>>> Wow, you've got quite a household there. Your daughter's boyfriend's >>>> *brother* is living with you? Is the boyfriend there, too? [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > Pam S. I forgot to mention the disappearing food trick. We go out and spend a small fortune on food, only to have it disappear before we can use it. Someday I actually hope to have a corn dog, hot pockets, chips, soda, lunch meat, eggs, milk, bread, and so forth, after buying the stuff. Pam S. grumbling, as always. > Exactly. There are times when I don't want to have to get fully > dressed to walk out of my room. You need a big bathrobe! One that ties in front, or that you can slip on over your head. Then you don't have to put much effort into it, but you will still be decent. Joyce > > Exactly. There are times when I don't want to have to get fully > > dressed to walk out of my room. > > You need a big bathrobe! One that ties in front, or that you can > slip on over your head. Then you don't have to put much effort into > it, but you will still be decent. To me, that quote reads more like a desire for freedom rather than a complaint about the actual mechanics of getting dressed. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >>>Exactly. There are times when I don't want to have to get fully >>>dressed to walk out of my room. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > To me, that quote reads more like a desire for freedom rather than a > complaint about the actual mechanics of getting dressed. I think you're right. Sometimes I'd just like to get away from everyone for a week, but it isn't happening. Last summer, Rob and I spent a few days at a Howard Johnson's in Lumberton North Carolina. It wasn't far from home, but we were alone and able to just lay back, read, watch cable TV, relax and sleep in if we wanted. Pam S. Yitzak sounds adorable, contgratulations on your new baby! =o) Blessed are those with Kittens, for they shall never lack for laugh-out-loud humor. My girls had quite the Greco-Roman wrestling match on the living room carpet this morning, complete with growls. I don't know if it's in the official wresting rules, but that's how my girls wrestle. NB Dan, LOL at slapping a steak against the window regarding Harri Roadcat grooming herself. =o) Melissa > HAPPY DAYS! On Tuesday I adopted an 8 week old black and white male > kitten who we have named Yitzak (Hebrew for laughter)! You're all [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > Hope you all have a lovely day. I'll be the one playing with the baby > :-) Hi and welcome to the group. And welcome to the kitten. You are in for a ride! I have two young cats at the moment, one is 18 months and the other just turned 1. After living with two elderly cats for a long time, it's been a bit of a culture shock, but I love watching their antics. SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/ Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki |
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