Conference misery::feline_v1

    BTW---> one more thing....We'd like a petite kitty, so if the mom was
    small, or it's almost a year & still little, that would be great!
    
    Thanx again, 
    Bon

    Bon, not to open up a rathole but I was wondering why you don't plan to
    spay your female until you get a new kitty?  Spay now before she goes
    into heat.  I have friend and have known of several others who spayed
    after their girls went in season and tissues were left behind after the
    surgery.  My friend now has a cat that goes in and out of "psuedo"
    heats and the vet is going to be performing exploratory surgery soon. 
    It hasn't been fun for her, her husband, the cat, or the neighbors who
    can hear her screaming thru the walls!  And we are also talking about a
    strictly indoor cat here.
    
    Just some food for thought.  I hope you find the perfect kitten soon. 
      

       Bonnie,
      Whether a girl of boy depends mostly on the individual animal's
    personality...not so much on the sex.
    
      We have 3 girls and 2 boys..and they ALL get along together. Our
    first one was a girl, and she has gotten into a bit of a "snit" every
    time a new kid was brought in..but this was only a lot of hissing and
    posturing from a distance of about 10 feet, and in a week it was all
    normal again...now we find any of them sitting/sleeping together and/or
    lieing with their legs around one another licking each other's heads.
    
      I also understand the "petite" thing.. Tow of our girls are very
    small...and they are also "unique".(NO!! YOU CANNOT HAVE EITHER OF
    THEM!! ;-))  "Cookie" is a charmer....small, white, except for a black
    spot on the back of each ear(about the size of a quarter...and black
    "leggings" oneach back leg..and a black tail.... What a peach she is!!
    Petite, with that "cutsie" fact, and she LOVES to sit beside me when I
    eat anything on the couch--like chicken or roast beef, and "steal"
    little tidbits. She's also an Oatmeal Cookie freak..
    
    
      Keep searching until you find "THE" kitten....she/he WILL come along,
    and you'll know when you find the "RIGHT" one!!
    
      Good luck!!
    
     John Mc

    Bonnie-
    
    I know of 2 barn kittens that are small, very unique looking, litter
    box trained, people trained and other animal trained.
    
    Unfortunatly they do not have any shots or Felv test.  If you were
    interested in these kittens, maybe we can work something out where
    we get the kitten tested, ect, and you can pay for the tests and shots.
    (Seeing that you want to pay something for this anyway).The vet we'd 
    use is very reasonable.
    
    THese two kittens are about 4-6 months old, I don't really know.  both
    female,  one is mostly black w/ some cute white markings (just like the
    recently neutered dad) and the other is an adorable grey mactabby and
    white.
    
    They are in Westboro, MA.  And if you chose one, and it didn't work 
    out, the kitten would be more than welcomed back.
    
    If you interested, please contact me off line....
    
	PLease no flames here....we are working at getting ALL the
    	`dropped' off cats fixed.
    
    	Michele 234-4678 (DTN)
    
    
    

    Re .4 - Mactabby & white, just like my Pepper!  :-)
    
    Framingham Humane had 7 kittens last week, and Kitty Angels
    in Tyngsboro had 2 turned in by a non-noter this week, I
    believe.
    
    Lynne

    re: spaying - If you think you might get a male I HIGHLY recommend that
    you get your cat spayed prior to bringing in the new one.  You can't 
    always tell when a cat is in heat and there's too many unwanted kitties
    in the world to risk bringing  in more.
    
    BTW - even if your cat is indoor only you should have her spayed.  The
    fluxuations of hormones are a stress that she needn't endure.  She'll
    be healthier and happier spayed.
    
    Just my $.02  (I have Friends of Animals low cost spay applications -
    if you're interested please contact me)
      Nancy DC
    

    Hi Bon!! What are you doing in here. (just kidding! ;^})  I am just
    used to seeing you in that "other" notesfile. :^)
    
    So, you are looking for another kitten?  Great idea to get a playmate
    for Tabitha.  But, I have to add my two cents to the spaying.  The
    longer your cat remains whole, the more the risk that she could end up
    with different cancers of the reproductive system.  Also, she will be
    less territorial to the newcomer if she is spayed.  This could make the
    transition much easier on all of you, the new kitten included.  If you
    do the spay now, and then wait a few weeks for Tabitha to heal, then
    you will be right in the middle of the prime kitten season and there
    would be lots of little ones out there looking for a good home.
    
    Oh, thought of another reason for spaying.  Letting an cat go through
    seasons without being bred will also increase the risk of the cat
    getting pyometra.  Having dealth with 3 pyometras in my queen's last
    year, I can tell you that you don't want to have this happen to your
    cat. We almost lost one of our girls, because she had toxic levels of
    bacteria in her blood from the pyometra, but she wasn't showing *any*
    outward signs of illness.  Pyometra can be really hard to detect. 
    Kaitlin had to go through a "toxic spay" which was quite dangerous and
    very costly.
    
    Vaccination age: Do you mean that the kitten must have had all it's
    shots, or just that it be old enough to vaccinate?  A kitten can get
    it's first shots at 6 weeks, earlier if it was abandoned and never
    received colostrum from it's mother.  Shots should be given in a
    series, to guarantee immunity.  I usually vaccinate all my kittens at
    6, 9, and 12 weeks.  So, vaccination age could mean 6 weeks (old
    enought to start shots) or 12 weeks (should have had all it's shots
    already).
    
    Jo

    I also do a 3 shot series at 6,9,12 weeks and I won't let any
    of my kittens go before the series is completed.
    

    Thank you ALL for the great advise & replies!!
    
    I've decided to put things off for a month or so, until AFTER Tabitha
    is spayed. I guess I just never gave that part of it much thought. I
    had always planned to spay her, but didn't realize that procrastinating
    could lead to so many problems for my litle sweetie. I feel kind of
    guilty, cuz I consider myself to be one of those moms who takes the 
    VERY BEST care of her little muffin. Believe it or not this is why I
    have been so chicken of having the spay done...I don't want her to
    get a boo-boo ;*(!! I know it won't hurt her that much, but I just
    feel sorry for her. Yes...I know now, it will save her in the future
    from having to go thru worse stuff.
    
    Last night the little hell raiser woke me up @ 3:00 AM & I've been
    awake ever since.....so a new kitten is NOT on my priority list today!
    ;*) Just kidding, but I wasn't last night!!
    
    So....again, I thank all of you & I've taken the advise I asked for 
    I wish I could just run out & get me a little cuddle bug for my baby,
    but I know I have to make sure I do what's best for my kids!
    
    Jo---->Hey there!! Thanks for the age info. I was wondering if it would
    ever be too early to have the kitty tested forr Leukemia, because here
    I am looking for a kitty as young as 8 weeks, & it MUST be tested
    before I get it home. I wasn't sure if 8 weeks was too young & there-
    fore I should be looking for something a bit older....but..I'm quite
    clear on all of this now!
    
    Thanx again....*SO* MUCH!!
    Bonnie, Dave & Tabitha

        Oh, boy!! If she woke you up now, you'd REALLY go into orbit if 
    she comes into heat!! She'll keep you up all night for over a week if
    that happens! 
        My little Cookie is not spayen, because she tested positive for
    FeLV when she was a kitten, and one thing about that dreaded disease in
    that a trauma such as surgery COULD trigger the disease...so we elected
    to not spay her so as not to take any undue chances with her life.
    However, we have ahd to "adjust" to her bi-monthly week of wailing and
    chirping like a demented cricket for a week. She is so pathetic when
    she has her 'time' that we alternate between chuckling at her and
    feeling sorry for her. She 'flirts' with all of the cats and even all
    of the dogs when she's feeling 'available'....and it REALLY confuses
    our bigger dogs when this 5 pound cat sidles up to an 80 pound dog and
    makes a concerted attempt to 'seduce' him!! 
    
       So...to make life MUCH easier, spaying is THE thing to do...
    
    JM

    Bon,
    
    Actually, I didn't realize that you were talking about what age they
    could have the test done too.  I use the Felv and Fiv blood tests on my
    cats.  Therefore, they have to be big enough to draw blood from without
    causing them any problems.  I don't draw blood from any of them until
    they are about 16 weeks.  You could probably do it earlier, I just
    prefer to wait.  8 weeks seems a bit young for blood drawing (personal
    opinion alert) to me.  If the kitten is that young, consider a saliva
    or tear test for Felv instead.  I don't know if the FIV test is
    available in the saliva and tear form yet though.
    
    Don't worry about the spaying.  Your cat will be fine within a few days
    of the surgery.  Laci had to have surgery yesterday, and she is up and
    around today.  I can tell she is still a bit uncomfortable, but she is
    alert and mobile.
    
    Jo

    re: 3:00 AM.  You may find that getting another kitten takes care 
    of that problem too.  Instead of trying to get you to play at 3:00 am
    she'll play with the kitten.  Sometimes two cats are easier than one.
      :-)
    

    Thanx again, Jo.
    
    John.....I'm so sorry to hear that your cookie has leukemia, :*(
    the poor baby! It's good to know about what a great daddy you are in
    giving her such a HAPPY life! Should we call you St. John? ;*)
    
    Bonnie

      Re .13
    
      I don't think she HAS Leukemai...just that she tested positive for it
    when she was a kitten. Sometimes this occurs in kittens, and when the
    adult cat is tested the result is negative. And even in the adult cats
    the positive test is sometimes only an indiction that the animal ia
    simply a "carrier" of the disease...which MAY mean that she/he can
    transmit it to an un-infected cat...but then, it may mean she/he simply
    has it in here blood and CANNOT transmit it. 
    
      The reason most people are not willing to have an FeLV+ cat around is
    due to the fact that there IS a greater RISK involved. Since we already
    had a cat the was a positive, we were willing to take Cookie...the risk 
    was already there. So far though, everything has been fine. I really
    doubt that I'd have been ABLE to not take her in any case...once I saw
    her she had me!!
      
       You'll know what I mean when you find your next one...there isn't a
    way to really explain what I mean....you'll walk into the room or area
    where she/he is...and you'll "sense" something...and then you'll see
    her/him...and there will be some sort of electricity or contact....and
    you'll KNOW "THIS is the ONE"! 
    
       I can be sitting watching T.V. and think  "Wonder where Cookie is?"
    And withing a few seconds she'll hop up behind me and put both feet on
    my shoulder and rub against my ear....no words...but definitely some
    sort of communication... It's the mysticism of the feline I guess...
    
    JM

      Re .13
      
      Re the "sainthood" bit... 
    
      We have a number of "problem"?? animals,...I.E. a three-legged cat, 2
    FeLV+ cats, a dog who was run-over and had both front legs BADLY broken
    and damaged, a Beagle who had heartworm, three breast-cancer
    operations, various infections, most of our other 9 dogs had various
    degrees of abuse and/or neglect.... 
    
       BUT...do you REALIZE what these animals give US in RETURN for a
    little bit of kindness, some warmth and love, a place to sleep that's
    soft, clean and warm, regular meals of nutritious food?? It truely
    amazes me that these animals are SUPER affectionate, NEVER have tried
    to hurt anyone or any of the other animals in our house!! (Oh sure,
    they sometimes PLAY a bit rough, and one time or another one gets a 
    scratch or bloody spot where the teeth got too snappy, but NEVER any
    true agression. And the small bloody scratches are the reason for the
    "klip-stop" people to be in business. 
    
       These animals GIVE so much that it's astounding. My wife and I are
    probably still SANE because of them. Not ONCE have I come home that
    they all aren't there to greet me...wagging tails & bums from the dogs,
    and the cats sidling up and ruuubbbing against me..some of them
    vocalizing in small muurrrrps of joy...and expecting to be picked up
    and hugged... Why, the enormous tension and stress of the typical
    DEC-Day simply drains away and a sort of happy, peacefulness takes
    over... All we give them is returned a thousand times and then some. I
    just wish I had the ability to take a thousand animals....there are so
    many in need. 
    
      Sainthood?? Nah!! I HOPE it doesn't come across that I'm looking for
    some sort of PRAISE for having these kids....because that is not why I
    constantly refer to them....it's more like I'm so darned happy and
    proud of my kids that I simply have a tendency to rave about them a
    lot...hope everyone understands that... I'm really PROUD of my 'herd'!!
    
      John McD
    

    
>      Sainthood?? Nah!! I HOPE it doesn't come across that I'm looking for
>    some sort of PRAISE for having these kids....because that is not why I
>    constantly refer to them....it's more like I'm so darned happy and
>    proud of my kids that I simply have a tendency to rave about them a
>    lot...hope everyone understands that... I'm really PROUD of my 'herd'!!
    
McD,

I'll bet you have a wallet full of snaps too....however, you and your spouse
are still tops in my book!

					D
    

    Gee....Ya don't say?!?! ;*)
    
    Thanx for setting me straight w/ the felv thing, John.
    
    Bon

        Re .16
    
       How 'bout a BRIEFCASE full??  ;-)
    
       If anyone's ever around LKG-1....and have a half-hour or so to kill,
    drop in....It amazes my co-workers how fast I can pull the photo
    envelopes out...
    
      JM
    
    

    Re .18 - J McD,
    
    Isn't it amazing how everyone reacts to pet pictures??  (Smiles)
    
    vs baby pictures??? (Groans)
    
    Lynne - who_has_the_whole_crew_in_her_pocketbook
    
    

      Re .19
    
       Absolutely.. I love seeing other folk's "kids" too...Amazing how 
    cute pups and kitties are..no matter whose and what they are...
    
      JM

    Come along to the feliners do next week and then you can show
    *EVERYONE* your pics! The customs guys always give me a funny look when
    I'm traveling - I have framed pics of my cats in my suitcase to
    decorate my hotel room! They must think I'm going to be away for weeks!
    I miss my cats soooooo much when I am away!
    
    Lisa plus PR&F.
    

    Hey John.  I think we understand :-)  I just love coming into the
    house and being greeted by 8 cats or so.  It keeps me sane!
    
      Nancy