Conference misery::feline_v1

    I also prefer cats to kittens because you can tell what the cat's
    personality is, but you cannot tell how the kitten will turn out.
    Also, for a working person, a cat is more easily trusted at home
    by himself as he will probably sleep, eat, look out the window,
    maybe play a little; but a kitten has boundless energy and 
    can get into trouble when left alone - or even right in front of
    your eyes.
    
    Except for one kitten, all my cats came to me as either young adults
    or in advanced age. Yes indeed, as cute and charming as a kitten
    can be, I still prefer a cat.
    
    Pat
     
    

    RE .1
    
    You can determain how a kitty turns out if you raise him/her.  A
    good home - a good kitty.  A kitty that grows up without love with
    be a problem kitty, just like a human baby.  Although, kitty's and
    all other domestic animals with working parents have to be left
    alone for a while while we are out working for their food and toys
    will have time to find out what they like doing and without us around
    all the time to guide them will get into a little trouble, but they
    all grow up and calm down a bit.
    
    It's great that their are people that prefer to adopt a full grown
    kitty over a baby -- there are so many out there w/o home...
    
    
    Linda

    RE:2
    
    I assumed that the kitten was in a good home and being aised with
    love when I said "you don't know how the kitten will turn out." 
    Kittens, like people, have different personalities, and while 
    they are "good kitties", they demonstrate various characteristics. That's
    one of the MANY reasons that make cats so fascinating. 
    
    Some people want a cat who loves to sit on a lap; some want
    a cat who prefers to stay in a room with him/her but not a 
    lap cat; some want a really quiet cat; some want a cat that 
    follows you around the house; some want a cat that "talks";
    different people want different  personalities in their pet, and
    these characteristics are not always evident in kittens but
    appear as the kitten matures. When adopting an adult cat, there 
    is a better chance of getting the characteristic you want.
                                                    
    

    re .2
    my Mozie was a year old when I took him in after the neighbors who
    ignored him and then moved and abandoned him left. He is an
    extrememly affectionate cat; the only problem, if you can call it
    that, is that he wants to be picked up and cuddled more hours
    then there are in the day.
    Abbey we raised from a kitten and he is a hell raiser and often
    a bully.
    My point is that I think that a cats tempermant is pretty well
    ingrained from the beginning based on the temperments of the mother
    and father cat who pass on the temperment.
    I do prefer the older cat whose personality is developed.
    

    
    I think kittens are the cutest and for that reason I would want
    another.  But then that feeling in the pit of my stomach comes back
    when I think of how my first kitten Taboo died and how I almost lost
    Mielikki by a similar occurance, strangulation, though I had taken
    every precaution.  When I got Ishtar I was constantly worried and
    kept telling myself that as soon as she got a little older she would
    be safe.  So far, I've been lucky.
    
    If I get another feline child, my SO wants it to be a kitten, for
    all the reasons most people want them.  But I don't know if I can
    go through any more close calls.  Plus I see all these throw away
    cats advertised and I feel like I should save a life and adopt one
    of them, because they are so much harder to place.
    
    But I can certainly understand the desire for a kitten...Mielikki
    was so cute when she fit into my pink fluffy slippers...now she's
    errr plump. :-)
    
    Sharon
    
    

    Lightning and DejaVu were both 6 weeks old kittens when I got them
    (5 years apart).  Their personalities are drastically different.
    
    Lightning loves to held and cuddled.  She gives kisses and hugs.
    She will lay on her back for hours waiting for someone to nitice
    that her belly needs scratching.  She sleeps under the covers.
    
    DejaVu hates to be held but demands to be petted.  She wants to
    play with her toys (and you) for hours.  She will throw herself
    on the floor but can't remain there for more than 30 seconds.  She
    sleeps on top of the covers.
    
    Two very different personalities even though they were raised in
    the same household by the same people.
    
    I LOVE their differences.  No clones for me.
    
    
    Sandi (Lightning's and DejaVu's mom)
    
    
    

    I'll take cats over kittens, too.
    
    Don't get me wrong--the sight of a little kitten reduces me to a
    baby-talking idiot, and I love them without question.  But a cat--!
    My Billie "found" me when she was about 8-9 months old, and I loved
    her on sight.  Now, 10 years later, she is as sweet as ever, and
    full of life.  She plays more, and is so affectionate.  She is also
    a "chirper"--she sounds as if she is part bird.
    
    Kittens kind of wear me out--you know how they tear around.  For
    the long haul, I'll take a cat.  If I was in a position to, I'd
    go to the nearest shelter and take home about 3 nice adult kitties
    to spoil rotten.
    
    Good Memorial weekends, everyone,
    
    Jane

I just adore all fur generators...but my three current cats came to me 
at approx. 7 months old each (9 and 1/2 years apart) and I admit I've
enjoyed each one even more than I would have a tiny kitten....more
distinct personalities on 'em when they have some experience.

However, if I had the space and money......I'd take lots of older
cats and lots of kittens because the mixture keeps everyone lively....
especially me.

				D

   My vote is for adopting adult cats, for all the reasons mentioned
   in .0 and .1, although I have taken in both kittens and adults over
   the years.

   For many years I had three Siamese cats -- Alfie, Alice, and Junie
   -- which I had from the time they were kittens. I enjoyed them so
   much I vowed that I would always have Siamese cats and always get
   them as kittens. Then came Nikki.

   Nikki was a 2- to 3-year-old white, shorthaired cat who showed up in
   my backyard one Sunday morning in August some years ago. She was an
   ordinary-looking cat and if she were a kitten, I doubt I would have
   chosen her if I had been looking for one. But, as an adult, it was
   her sweet and affectionate nature which got my attention right away.
   I made some serious attempts to find her owners; when that failed I
   made some half-hearted attempts to find her a new home. But she had
   such an engaging personality and seemed so grateful to have found a
   good home that I couldn't part with her. After Nikki I decided that
   I would only adopt adult cats, and I would consider non-Siamese.

   The next cat to join my household was Fuzzy Wuzzy, a "Heinz 57"
   type. At this time my 16-year-old Junie was an only cat and he
   needed a companion. I had been occasionally checking the "Free"
   column of the local newspaper for any ads for an older female
   Siamese. Instead, one day on the front page of the newspaper was
   a picture of a Shetland Sheepdog with her three puppies and three
   abandoned, 6-week-old kittens she had taken under her wing. All
   were at the local dog pound. Since I only randomly bought this
   newspaper, I took it as a sign from above that at least one of
   these animals was meant for me. When I called there was just one
   kitten left; even though he was not exactly what I had planned on,
   adopting him seemed like the right thing to do.

   Junie was very happy to have feline company again but now both Junie
   and Fuzzy needed someone their own age to play with. A year later I
   found 12-year-old Misty, a female Siamese, in the "Free" column; a
   year after that 5-month-old Cubby, another "Heinzie", arrived. Now,
   with two young cats and two old cats, the feline household is in
   harmonious balance.

   After having had kittens and cats, I still would *prefer* to adopt
   an adult cat the next time I'm looking. Kittens are cute, but....
   I guess I just appreciate the qualities that older cats have. The
   real personalities seem to emerge after they've become adults.

   Also, I am not opposed to taking in a cat with medical or emotional
   problems, as long as they do not have contagious, terminal diseases. 

   Linda

    I'm not sure if this is the right file for this. I have adopted
    full adult cats before and agree that it is not until a cat reaches
    about a year old that a cat feels the need for a bond between their
    two legged mums and dads with the unusual can-opener apendage.
    
    I currently have 3 cats that I purchased as kittens and feel that
    you have no idea of the personality until they start losing some
    of the kitten ways. Unfortunately, I named all my cats within
    2 to 3 days of obtaining them. Here are the disastrous results.
    
    VENOM
    
    Sydney Silver Abysinnian - male - 5 years Old
    
    Habits: Loves to sleep with me at night, chases his tail (extremely
    hazardous down a spiral staircase), preens me regularly, loves
    to "mother" kittens and runs helter skelter if it looks like he
    could be in the middle of any altercation.
    
    Aliases: Thensome-Vensome-precious-pussycattum (yes, I really call
    him that!), Vennimouse and Snookums
    
    SIROCCO (conjures up a willowy, breezy gentleness - don't be fooled)
    
    Brown Tortie Burmese - Female - 3-1/2 years old
    
    Habits: Goes out on regular search and destroy missions and insists
    on bringing home proof of this pastime, lets all other cats know
    their place and sees that they stay within her imposed guidelines.
    All other cats may eat when she has finished (and only then).
    
    Aliases: Ewok-the-Blockhead, Rocky (Rambo would be no match for
    her) and VERY occassionaly Bunny-bum.
    
    NEFERTITI (Effi)
    
    Black Cornish Rex - Female - 1 year old
    
    Habits: Chases anything that no-one else can see, catches (and eats)
    cockroaches. None of this is hardly in keeping with an aristocratic
    name.
    
    Aliases: Thick-head and Dirty Little Girl
    
    If only I'd had a crystal ball on Day One with my now adorable adult
    "bubs"
    
    Alison

    hmmmm..  I" found Pookie whne she was 9 years old,, I go her from
    a breeder that wanted to  find her a good home. Happy came to
    us when 7 days before her 6th birthday.Both of them are such
    little loves.Don't get me wrong,, kittys reduce will reduce me
    to a "marshmallow life form..but ICOULD NOT IMAGINE being
    without "the kids.. Pookie is older more sedate.. just wants
    to be made of. Happy .. well she still has baby kitty mannerisms.
    hmm... I have nicknames for them as well
    
    Pookie.. little honey-bunny, pookums.. mummys precious pookie
    Happy..  sweetie-pie, little lovey,happy-cat , owl-puss
    and Pookie calls her Chubbs!!!aka chubbo!!
    and yes Happy has names for POOKIE,, HMMM.. OLE CRABBY CAT,,
    GROUCHY PUSS,,etc !!!!! :*)
    Regards
    Kate

    My first kitty (Lucky) we bought as a kitten and raised.  She lived
    to a ripe 19.5 years.  My next kitty I bought when we bought our
    first home last November.  Niniane was a bundle of boundless two
    month old energy when we bought her home.  Four months later, we
    adopted Charm, who is 7 years old.  All are/were Siamese.  The adoption
    was flukey as I had wanted another Siamese kitten.  But I saw the
    ad and thought, "OK, maybe this kitty is for me."  She was.  Charm
    is a love.  Friendly, cuddly, not too keen on being picked up and
    held, but if you sit down she's in your lap.  Very talkative.  I
    have conversations with her and I'd swear she understands what I'm
    saying!  She's much calmer than Niniane, but will chase and rough
    and tumble with her.  I think Niniane's made her feel younger.
    I can't imagine life without her.   I encourage anyone who is thinking
    of adopting to think of an older cat.  You can't beat them for true
    companionship and love.
    
    Mary-Michael, Niniane and Charm

    My two "eldest" have not adjusted to the multiple-cat household
    we now have.  [Please, no flames:  my hobby of raising and showing
    cats is like "therapy" for me, now that my children are grown and
    gone.  I feel terrible about this, and have postponed it for over
    a year now.]
    
    These two sisters are the MOST affectionate cats I have ever known,
    and they desperately want, and deserve, some humans who will share
    their laps and beds with them, and *only* them...no other pets:
    these cats want sole (dual?) ownership of their human(s).
    
    They don't wreck houses, don't climb curtains, don't want to
    run outside (once every 2 years or so, one of them makes a mad
    dash outside, PANICS, and has to be rescued/carried back indoors),
    aren't fussy eaters...
    			  BUT THEY WANT A PERSON/FAMILY TO CALL THEIR OWN!
    
    Please help me to find a loving home where they will be happier
    than they are now. [Yes, I have spent the past 2 years trying
    everything from treats, slow introductions, and tranquilizers,
    but one of these cats just didn't ever adjust to more that one
    additional kitten...and our Cat_Count is much higher than that now.]
    
    I will supply *lots* of equipment, toys, cat beds, etc., and will
    continue to pay for annual vet visits and shots, etc. if that is
    a problem/concern.  
    
    Sadly,
    	   Pennie_the_Cat_Lady

    
    re.0
    
    I think the majority of people prefer kittens because they like
    to watch them grow up (just like people prefer to adopt a baby rather
    than a 10 year old child).
    
    Personally I don't mind (cat or kitten) although my three kids were
    kittens, when I lived with my parents we adopted 2 older cats who
    were equally as loving/loveable.
    
    
    Sharon T (UK)