Conference misery::feline_v1

    Could be a Russian Blue......
    
    or a mix thereof.....
    
    L-

    Excuse my ignorance please, but what is a Russian Blue?  I've heard of
    them once or twice in this file.  Are they a good cat?  As if there is 
    a such thing as a bad cat.  
    
    I have to go shopping tonight for Lucifer's stocking and presents. 
    After all he is part of the family now.  I just hope they little
    fuzzfaces stay out of the catnip I bought for them.  I have it hidden
    in what I hope is a kitty proof cabinet.  
    
    Kim

    You would ask when I don't have my "Kitty" book
    at work!!! :-) :-)
    
    Anyone have the textbook description?
    
    They are very people oriented, and friendly.
    
    I have Korats, which are similar in looks, except
    they have green eyes, and a longer, more pantherish
    type body.  Also very people oriented & friendly.
    
    He sounds like a sweetie....
    
    Lynne 

	Here's the description I have from the _Encyclopedia_of_American
	Cat_Breeds_:

	(I haven't put in a long essay on the origins of the RB).

	"As pets they are quiet and tend to be individualistic.  They have
	silvery voices which they use only when they have something to say,
	not just to hear themselves talk.  They are gentle and shy but 
	loyal to their owners.  They have good senses and are fast and well
	coordinated and love to play.  This is a cat that requires little
	care, and is a loyal, lovely and graceful breed.

	The head of this breed is broad across the eyes due to wide-set
	eyes and thick fur.  The top of the skull is flat and long.  The
	ears are rather large and wide at the base with the tips more
	pointed than rounded.  The skin of the ears is thin and trans-
	lucent with very little inside furnishing.  The outside of the 
	ear is scantily covered with short, very fine hair and leather
	usually showing through.  The ears are set far apart, as much on
	the side as on the top of the head.  The eyes are set wide apart
	too and rounded or oval in shape.  The neck is long and slender,
	but appearing short due to the thick fur and high placement of 
	the cat's shoulder blades.  The nose is straight and medium in
	length without a break and the chin is level.  The cat's body
	is fine-boned, long, lithe and graceful and the legs are long
	and fine-boned.  The paws are small and slightly rounded.  The
	tail is long and tapering from a moderately thick base.  The
	coat is short, dense, fine and plush.  The double coat stands
	out from the body due to the density and it is soft and silky
	to the feel.  The color is an even bright blue throughout with
	no white anywhere.  Lighter or lavender shades of blue are pre-
	ferred.  The guard hairs are silver-tipped, giving the cat a 
	silvery sheen or lustrous appearance.  The nose leather is slate
	gray and the pads are lavender pink or mauve.  The cat's eyes
	should be vivid green."

	The book also states that the Russian Blue is a natural breed,
	i.e., not man-made.

    Lucifer matches that description except for his eyes.  They are a vivid
    gold not green.  Could he still be a Russian Blue?  I don't know much
    about cat genetics.
    
    I can't wait to get home to the little furball.  Happy Holidays
    everyone.  

    I forget the beginning of Leon's story;  i assume you've already
    registered him as "found" with a found ad in the paper and at
    local shelters (but with some info missing, so whoever tried to
    claim him would have to tell you this info so you could be sure
    Leon was theirs.)
    
    One thing that I have noticed when I was at shelters adopting
    my babies is not only the appalling number of homeless cats,
    but how many of them are exceptionally beautiful, apparent
    purebreds, etc.....
    

    Lucifer was with Cindy Kennelly for two weeks.  She's the woman who
    found him.  I believe she listed him as found.  I do know she put a
    collar on him with her telephone number asking his owners to call her. 
    No calls came in.
    
    He's doing okay.  But I think the holidays really startled him, or he's
    starting to show signs that he was abused.  Since Christmas eve I can't
    pet him.  Every time I try I get bitten or clawed.  He's using my
    bathtub as a litter box and I'm having a hard time to break him of
    this.  Finally he has thoroughly beaten up the other two cats in the
    house.  I'm not sure what to do.  My two females (they're fixed) have
    no front claws their previous owner did that.  So know they don't have
    any protection and Lucifer has all of his claws.  No fair fight that's
    for sure.  If the door is open he tries to go out.  So far we've
    managed to keep him inside but I'm not sure how much longer that is
    going to last.  Any suggestions?
    
    New mom going crazy.......

    .7
    
    My Persian is using the bathtub also.  He has a litter box right beside
    the tub but will not use it.  If anyone has any suggestions on how to
    break this unpleasant habit, please let us know.
    
    Never fails...  The bathroom is immaculate for planned company and
    Furfie Purrsalot decides it's time to goin for relief.  Of course, he
    doesn't let me know so I can clean it again.
    
    Also, even though there is no 2-legged men in our house to blame, we
    have to leave the seat up because Furfie insists on drinking his water
    from the toilet.  (Couldn't believe the language from my daughter's
    mouth during her middle-of-the-night trips to the john those first
    weeks that Furfie lived with us!)
    
    -glenda 

         The only way I've gotten Midnight to stop using the bathtub is to
    keep about an inch of water in it.  Yes, it can be a pain (I have to
    duct-tape the drain so the water doesn't drain out), but it's better
    than having her do her business in the tub.
    
         As for drinking out of the toilet ... well ... that doesn't seem
    like too healthy a thing, considering what gets flushed down it
    (remnants and germs will remain, even after a good flush, and if you're
    using one of those things that makes blue water, I doubt that's any
    good for her).  Can you get her to drink out of the *sink* instead, if
    a bowl is out of the question?  The sink is a lot easier to keep clean,
    and doesn't have as many of the germs as toilet water does.
    
         Just some ideas ...
    
    					- Andrea

    I talked to Kim about her problems with Lucifer.  I suggested that
    she take him to the vet to be sure this isn't being caused by
    a physical problem.  From our discussions it sounded as if 
    Lucifer was fine for the first few days he was there and then
    his behavior changed.  I also mentioned that aggressive behavior
    is a classic trait of an unneutered male and suggested that would
    probably help alot.
    
    There are other notes in here about "Kitty jail" for the aggressive
    cat etc, but I'd rule out physical causes first.
      Nancy DC
    

    As for the drinking out of the toilet bowl bit, I think they like the
    challenge of it.  My Josh had a real defeated look when he accidently
    slid in one day and got his feet wet.  Now I set containers by the hot
    air vents for humidity purposes, and he drinks out of those.  It must
    be the novelty of it because he has a perfectly fine water bowl of his
    own.  Try putting a disproportionately b-i-g bowl in the bathroom and
    closing the toilet seat.  You may be able to retrain the little fluff
    ball.
    
    Lorraine