Conference misery::feline

	Well there is a breed of cat with no fur I believe (and hence
	no dandor).  I don't know what they are called ....

Greg,

I have mild allergies to cats, but do O.K. with siamese. The longer the fur on
a cat, the more my allergies react.  I believe the hairless variety is the
Sphinx cat (?).  I couldn't go for one of those, I like petting a cat too much,
and feeling the silkiness of the fur!  I woke up stuffed up every day, and
finally put a couple of ionizers in the house.  They really help me!

Laura

    I second the suggestion for air filters.  My husband has mild allergies
    to the cats and always woke up with a stuffed nose.  We got a good air
    cleaner and have it in the bedroom, and he's noticed quite an
    improvement.
    
    I heard that Cornish Rex and Devin Rex are supposed to be better for
    people with allergies, but I don't know for sure. I've also heard that
    bathing the cat weekly and rinsing it with distilled water really cuts
    down on the dander.
    
    Greg, from your names choices I guess you are an opera lover.  Why
    don't you get both, - a girl and boy.  That way they would have each
    other for rough housing and to keep themselves company when you are at
    work.
    
    Steffi

    
    
    We'll start with one -- maybe work into a partner!!!  
    
        GJD

    
    What most people are allergic to is the dander, not the fur.
    If the cat is well maintained in that it is brushed regularly
    and doesn't get dry skin (hence more dander in the air), any
    cat should be fine.  First, see what medications might help
    you battle the allergies.  I'm allergic to cats, but a simple
    over-the-counter antihistamine tablet handles my allergy problem.
    (I have 6 cats, long haired & short haired)
    However, that's not to say that *you* aren't allergic to the fur...(8
    
    

    I'm aware of three kinds of purebred kitties that have little or no
    hair:  Cornish Rex and Devon Rex, as already alluded to by Steffi,
    and the Sphynx.  Of the 3, the Cornish Rex has the most hair (it's
    curly, even the whiskers!) and the Sphynx has the least.  All 3
    kinds do have the dander problem, I'm told, but not as bad supposedly
    as kitties with more hair.  The people I've met that have Sphynx
    kitties don't brush them, they wipe them with chamois cloths.  They
    also dress them up in little sweater outfits.  Too cute!
    
    Carl

    I have a choc point siamese - who does get well groomed. A friend who
    normally starts sneezing/get rashes just being near where a cat has been has
    no problem with my siamese. Also as a first timer, siamese are
    incredably affectionate, and occasionally intelligent!
    

    My two cents...
    I am allergic to kitties but live with many!  I raise siamese of
    varying color/patterns so can vouch for them as being short haired and
    fairly tolerable.  
    
    I also own a Cornish Rex.  I did not get him because of the "allergy
    reducing" thing.  What I can say is I react to him MORE! They may have
    less hair but are prone to an oilier coat, more in the feet actually. 
    As for the Sphynx, they have a "sweaty" body.  Chamois are used but
    breeders I know use a wet face cloth daily to "bathe" the cats.
    
    There is no such thing as a non-allergenic cat.  You need to be will
    ing to take a bit of chance.  You can, however, narrow down to the most
    suitable.  May I suggest a purebred?  I say this because with a pure
    bred animal, you know exactly what you can expect the cat to be like as
    far as temperment, length of hair, personality.  With a domestic short
    hair you can't tell what the ancestors were, therefor you won't know
    what the cat will totally develop into.  Some breeds are more active
    than others, some prefer to sleep ON you, others in the chair.  These
    are all things that you need to make a list of first.  Then go to a
    show and talk to various breeders about their breed.  From this you
    should be able to choose exactly what you like.  Also, a good breeder
    should allow you to take the animal and then if it doesn't work out,
    take it back.  Just be sure to let them know this up front.
    Good luck,
    Karen Fallon

    I just have to reply here! I must be really weird, (I know, big
    surprise there, right?) but Siamese kill my allergies! I think of all
    the different kinds of kitties I've handled, Siamese seem to give me
    the most problem! I'm talking about if I have been a total bonehead and
    forgotten to take allergy meds BEFORE heading off to see kitties that
    don't live with me.
    
    Cornish Rex don't seem to bother me though, if that's any consolation.
    ;-) 
    
    I think everyone may be different. Of course it could just be me, but I
    also agree that grooming has a lot to do with how many allergens get
    into the air, which is what bothers the old nose and eyes so much. ;-)
    
    Yonee (remember me? 8-) )

    Hi Yvonne!!!
    We ALL know you're weird, but love ya anyway!  How were you after you
    left my house, I never asked?  Where will you be this weekend?
    Karen

re: dander...

I had heard that for the most part that it's the enzyme's in the cat's 
saliva that folks are allergic to, the dander and hair being carriers of 
that.  So a cat's grooming habits would have to do with how allergy-provoking
they'd be.  Maybe long-haired cats that groom themselves more (lots of licking 
required! :-) might bother someone more, or any other breed where the 
individual cat is more of a neatnick.  Anyway, I agree that baths would help!

-Tanya

    Hi Karen!
    
     Actually, I was OK when I left your house that ight, but since I knew
    I was going to the Pat Brody Shelter with Steffi, Bob and Sandy, I had
    loaded up on allergy meds all day! ;-) 
    
     I also had taken drugs before going to the cat show where I helped
    you, although, it had to have worn off before the end of the day, and I
    wasn't too bad. I couldn't POSSIBLY have been allergic to Wizzer
    anyway! ;-)
    
    LOve,
    
     Yonee

    I have severe allergies and was concerned about owning a cat for the
    first time.  Lady Di is a 6-month old Tonkinese (short-haired cat).  I
    have never bathed her, but I brush her twice a day -- she loves it;
    purrs like a motorboat -- and the only reaction I've had is that I
    sometimes get itchy eyes - maybe once or twice a month!  My asthma
    hasn't bothered me at all (and I just spent 6 weeks out on disability,
    so I spent many hours cuddling with Diana!)  Tonks are like babies, you
    can hold them on your lap for hours.....and extremely intelligent! 
    Find a good breeder of Tonks and you'll never be disappointed again. 
    We're thinking of getting a second one this summer....

My tonk won't stay on my lap for two minutes...she likes to sit right next to
us, or sleep right next to me, but doesn't like to be held at all!  She is
extremely affectionate though!  Maybe her breeder wasn't any good!


Laura

    With any breeder or breed, personalities differ from cat to cat.  That
    is why it is so important to express to the breeder what you are
    looking for.  Hopefully they can then match you to the right animal. 
    Breeds do differ from one to another also.
    
    Spend time with the cat/kitten so you have a basic idea of it's own
    unique personality.  There is no good and bad, only differences! :')
    Karen

    
    
    Well, I did it.  Last Sunday afternoon I adopted a stray from the
    "Save-a-pet" shelter in north suburban Chicago.  He's a black and gray
    tabby, about 3 1/2 years old, 'bout 8 pounds, very friendly, loves to
    be brushed, loves to be loved, loves to sleep with me, eats like a
    horse, talks to me incessantly, wakes me up in the middle of the night
    to get some lovin', and, for the first time last night, is smart enough
    to know that when he's got a hairball to get rid of it should be done
    on the kitchen floor, not on the bed on my quilt.  I was going to name
    him (it) Placido, but there's not much peaceful about this cat, so he
    has been named Domingo instead.  He's my buddy.....  What a hoot!
    
        Greg

    Great news, Greg.  Enjoy Domingo.  (I always enjoy Sundays.;) )
    
    Keep posting stories about him.
    
    Steffi

    
    
    Well, Domingo and I are getting alone famously.  I took him to the vet
    for a thorough checkup last Saturday -- she think's he's a little
    underweight, but if he keeps eating the way he has been, he'll get
    fattened up quickly.  He's an absolute joy.  He stands at the door in
    the morning and let's me know that he's not at all happy that I'm
    leaving for the day.  He's also discovered that he can indeed get on
    top of the refridgerator -- it's nice and warm up there.
    
       Greg

    
    
    We, Domingo and I, had our first disagreement this a.m.  Seems he
    "stepped in it" in the litter box sometime during the night and left
    footprints on my freshing laundered comforter.  Oh, well.
    
    ********
    
    My vet. recommend IAMS cat food.  Does anybody have any opinions on the
    stuff?
    
       Greg -- Domingo's dad

    Greg....for dry I buy both Iams and Science Diet and both are
    very good cat foods.
    
    Love those poopy paws....
    
    Sandy

    
    My three love Iams dry food, but they are not that crazy about 
    the can stuff. They preffer KalKan for canned.
    
    Shaw

    
    
    I bought both some Kalkan canned and IAMS dry last night.  He *loved*
    them both.  I'm giving him an antibiotic twice a day for a little cold
    and it's so much easier to give it to him mixed into the wet food.
    
    He was especially spunky when I got home last night.  If some one would
    have told me, two weeks ago, that I'd could be so crazy about a little
    fur ball link Domingo, I'd have told them they were nuts.  He's really
    starting to show me his personality.  He likes to get up early in the
    morning so, of course, it's required that I get up to.  I get head
    butts announcing that "it's time to play -- pet me".  He doesn't take
    "no" for an answer.  He loves to give me *love nips*, though I'd like
    to figure out how to have him stop doing it.  I don't mind when he
    nibbles on me because he does it very gently, but I'm concerned what
    guests might think or how they might react if he nibbles on them.
    
        Domingo's Dad

    There has been a problem with Iams.  Please send me mail for more
    details.
    
    Holly
    

    My two cats that are a siameese mix have fairly sensitive tummies, and
    Iams was a bit too rich for them. But that is not to say that it was a
    bad food; the rest of the FIRM had no problems with it.
    
    Deb

    Greg,
    
    My cats much prefer Nutra Max to Iams.  The antibiotic you are giving
    Domingo, might be causing looser poops.  I gave Devin some plain non
    fat yogurt when he had that problem.  Devin also liked to get us up
    early when we first got him, but by not playing with him and telling him 
    to go back to sleep, we all get some more sleep.  He also likes to lick
    me alot and then give me love nibbles.  I just move his face away and
    distract him. ;)
    
    Steffi
    
    

    Regarding 702.24    I live in Scotland and IAMS is the only dry food
    readily available.  Can you expand on the problem, Holly.

    
    
    Domingo has gained 2 pounds!  What a big eater!  He and I continue to
    become fast friends.  It's so amazing to think that he was a stray
    because he's so trusting -- he'll bare his belly to anybody he thinks
    will scratch it.
    
    I've come to the conclusion, though, that I need a second kitty to keep
    Domingo company during the day?  What should I look for in a new kitty
    in terms of getting one that, hopefully, will get alone with Domingo? 
    Is there a way to tell with any degree of certainty who will be a good
    play partner for him and who will not?
    
       Greg -- in love with his "stinky kitty"

    
    
    More Domingo tales:
    
      The night before last I woke up to the sounds of slurping.  His water
    dish is way at the other end of my apartment.  How could I still be
    hearing him drink?  He was sitting on the edge of the toilet drinking
    out of the bowl.  Guess I have to either make sure the lid is down or
    that I always flush!
    
    
      Last night he discovered that it is OK to sit on the balcony with me
    while I'm reading even though I'm several stories up.  He never got
    closer than about 3 feet to the edge and was content to sit on my lap
    the whole time.  I still won't let him out there unless I'm out there.
    
      I spend time writing in my journal every night before I go to sleep. 
    I lay in bed to do this (or at least I used to).  He insists,
    vehemently, that he sit right on top of my journal while I'm trying to
    write in it, as if I'm taking valuable loving time away from him.
    
      Domingo-kitty has gotten to the point where he, literally, sleeps
    with his head on my pillow.  The problem is, he snores!
    
      Domingo's Dad  (I love my boy!)
    
    

    Greg,
    
    > He insists, vehemently, that he sit right on top of my journal 
    > while I'm trying to write in it, as if I'm taking valuable loving 
    > time away from him.
    
    The epitaph for my kitty Moon is "Let Me Just Lie On That For You" -- I
    don't have a stone yet, but I knew years ago that it was her motto! 
    She always sat on my fabric for me when I was cutting out sewing
    projects, and she got harder to move as she got older (and became a
    bossy-boots ol' lady kitty): try to nudge her away and she'd lean into
    the push!
    
    Domingo's no fool; he obviously wants to be the object of your
    concentration, and vanity won't permit him to sit idly by while you rot
    your mind with unfeline affairs.  He sounds wonderful!
    
    Somebody in here put forth for us a while ago the recommended formula
    for reading a newspaper with cat(s) in the immediate area: if there are
    X amount of cats, sit on floor with X+1 sections of newspaper arranged 
    in front of you.  Cat(s) will shift to the unoccupied section, because
    you are reading it; you then shift to the section they just vacated....
    
    Works for me,
    Leslie 

    
    
    He, Domingo (or 'mingo, as I've taken to calling him), truly is
    wonderful.  He's a blessing and a gift from <insert deity of your
    choice>.  He eats better than I do!
    
        Greg

    Greg,
    All cats go through an orientation before sharing their homes with us.
    These are some of the basic rules : No lap will be left unattended, any
    activity which takes attention and affection away from the cat is strictly 
    forbidden, humans may be permitted to share the sleeping quarters of cats 
    ONLY IF the humans do not snore, quiet time enjoyed by humans WILL
    INCLUDE cats.  Those are some of the basics.  Sounds like Domingo
    learned his lessons well... : )
    Sarah

    
    
    Well, I've done it.  I got a second cat!  The former boyfriend of a
    daughter of one of my best friends was leaving for college and his
    mother didn't want *his* cat around the house.  So I took him.  He's a
    little over a year old, completely de-clawed, still really a boy (but
    we're going to take care of that on Thursday).  He gray and white and a
    *big* boy.  He's at least 3 pounds heavier than Domingo.  I've named
    him Dmitri (after an up and coming Russion baritone).  He and Domingo
    are getting along reasonably well, thus far.  Dmitri has tried to mount
    Domingo several times, at which point Domingo just goes running. 
    They're both sleeping with me, both eating like little pigs, and both
    are such talkers.  
    
    You might say I'm hooked!  (But, I think Domingo's always going to be
    my favorite boy!)
    
        Greg

    
    That wouldn't be Hvorostovsky (or something like that), would it?
    
    len (who knows just enough about opera to look stupid).
    

    Congrats on your new addition, Greg.  I knew you'd be hooked and one
    isn't enough. ;)  I'm sure Domingo enjoys having Dmitri to play with, and
    visa versa.   If you come out to WRO again, please bring pictures.
    
    Steffi

    
    
    re:  a couple back:  Yup, that's him.  (He's cute, too!)
    
        GJD

    
    
    Well, the boys have been together for almost 3 weeks now, and they're
    getting along famously.  They *love* to wrestle and romp all over the
    house, especially at three o'clock in the morning.  Dmitri is much more
    adventerous than Domingo, but Domingo has picked up some habits from
    Dmitri -- like taking mouthsful of food, placing them on the carpet,
    and then eating them.
    
    I did find something at the pet store the other day that the boys
    really seem to love.  My boys were drinking out of the toilet unless I
    changed their water dish everyday -- they were insisting on fresh
    water, I guess.  I found a dispenser into which you screw a one-liter
    soda bottle that you have filled with water.  The water is dispensed as
    they drink it, but is relatively fresh all the time.  They haven't
    drank out of the toilet lately (at least not while I'm around!).
    
       Greg