Meow

[Byll]

Our Maine Coon and Ragdoll were purchased. They were to be the extent of our cat family.

Then 3 more came to live with us, from litters of two outdoor cats, owned by neighbors. These outdoor cats decided that our back patio was their home. The neighbors do not believe in neutering or spaying their outdoor pets... We placed about 20 of the kittens from those outdoor cats but those three, no one wanted - so we gave them a home.

Last year, we surreptitiously had the feral pair neutered, after a few more litters. We were able again to place most of the kittens, but 4 remained. The humane league euthanizes feral cats (even though these grew up on our back porch), so we kept them. We also found a homes for the parents...

If you are counting, we have 9 cats. For what it is worth: Velvet, Crystal, Avalon, Magenie, Pepe, Tootsie, Seven of Nine ( If you are a Star Trek fan, you will get that...), Caramel, and Rainbow share our home. Yep...way too many. But the cards are dealt, and the cats will continue to have a home. They give back to us much more than they take...

Best to all.
Byll

[mutepointe]

Here's a cat quiz. I didn't take it, I barely read parts of this thread. I'm a dog person. I thought some of you might like the quiz.

http://encarta.msn.com/quiz_63/meow_the ... _quiz.html

[kkrell]

I have only one cat. At one point I thought about adopting another but I think my current (1 year old, mostly deaf) cat would kill me and the other cat. She hates all other cats, all dogs, and all living things other than me and herself.

And she's not so sure about YOU.

[kkrell]

I live with many, both on and off the premises.

http://www.worldtrad.org/BooCupid5.jpg
http://www.worldtrad.org/CoralLap.jpg
http://worldtrad.org/LP-Cats/LP-Cats.htm

[Charlene]

None now.

When I was first married 21 years ago, we went to visit my sister-in-law. Her cat had kittens and she insisted that we take one. When we picked out the prettiest one, she made us take one of the plain black ones too. So we had Scooter, the pretty one, and Pepper, the black one. But one night Scooter didn't come home.

My father had been feeding the neighborhood cats since his dog died, so at that time he had 3, and my parents gave us Sammy, who looked like a long-haired siamese with blue eyes to keep Pepper company.

When my father died in 1995, he left behind 5 cats - Hista, Charlie, Rebel, Smokey, and Tigger. Smokey and Tigger were Sammy's brother and sister, the others were from a different litter. We took them because they were several years old and the pound would have just killed them. So for a while we had 7 cats. One litterbox, and noplace to put another. Not fun. But inside of 3 years Rebel died, then Hista, then Smokey, then Charlie, then Sammy. Pepper lived to be 18, so did Tigger.

Then we got our dog Petey, who was a free puppy that my daughter kept seeing the sign for as she came home from school. Petey is 8 now, 97 pounds, and would love to have a kitty for a squeaky toy! (Don't panic - we would never let him do that!!!!)

I like dogs better than cats, although Petey is a bit bigger than I really wanted. I don't want an ankle biter yippy dog either though. Just one that won't pull me over when it's time to go on a walkie.

[jkwest]

we have two.

callie and cakes.

[cowtime]

KInda sucks being alergic to kitties when one works in the field of veterinary medicine... lol

One of the Drs at the vet clinic where I worked for many years was alergic to them too. He was a large animal vet. On rare occasions when he had to see a cat, by the time he got out of the exam room he need a dr as much as the cat.

I have no cats. Only dogs. I like it like that.

[chas]

We have two; Mowie, the one playing the piano in my current avatar, is probably headed for the litterbox in the sky in the next several months. He's had a good life, with very compliant humans for his last 12 years.

The other is a cat of very small brain, very sweet but very poorly behaved. Her humans are not nearly so compliant, although they're the same humans and treat her the same way.

[anniemcu]

6, for now. We've had as many as 13 at one time.

The current roster is :

Harold - AKA "Old Man" - 19yo, once big yellow tabby who has always been the sweetest guy. Was an excellent hunter, but now stays pretty close to home. Looks like bloody hell, as he is skinny, ratty furred, and deaf as a door post. Still sweet as ever. He's the patriarch of the clan. Adopted from the parking lot at a place where huby used to work.

Apollo - AKA "Squidge" - 6 or 7 yo great big male black and white long hair who survived an awful attack a few years ago, and still has a 'leak' on one cheek. Sweet, talkative, but not too fond of anything resembling brushing. Adopted from the horse barn.

Lace - AKA "da bitch" - 5 or 6 yo small female calico that walks like she carries a huge pair, and acts like it too. Likes to bait you in to pet her and switch to shredder mode. Adopted from a barn on a farm where eldest found her, starving, mom dead.

Seamus - AKA "Moose" - 4 or 5 yo huge yellow tabby, excessively sweet, a yakker, and runs on about a 6 watt bulb. He's pretty sure he's actually a dog, and we agree. Wags his tail constantly. Adopted from the streets of a town nearby.

Val - Val Halen, actually - AKA "Bob" 3 or 4 yo bolero jacketed short tailed black and grey tabby with white socks. Chirper and toe polisher. Fun to watch run. Adopted from the same street, actually.

Artemis - AKA "Mauvine", "Grey Girl" "the Silver Streak", going on 2yo gorgeous silver-grey long haired female who loves to be petted while she eats. (so do Bob and Seamus) Adopted from a fellow whistler after the flooding last year.

The ladies are the main hunters, which tends to be true, we find.

Most of them like the dog, who loves them. Seamus is still not sure, even after 3 years or so. (The dog has never done anything to warrant that caution, but Seamus did come from the streets in town, so probably suffers PTSD.) Lace will rub back and forth under the dog's legs, and most of the others will go up and rub up against his front legs. It is fun to watch him react.

[Caroluna]

None now

My husband and I always had cats during the 16 yrs of our marriage before kids. We called them our "practice babies". Then when Kevin was born, he had lung problems due to being premature, and he was severely allergic to cats. We had to find a new home for the two who had been our companions the whole time my husband was in grad school. I still miss them!

When Kevin was a few years old we had him allergy tested again, and though he was still severely allergic to cats, he was not allergic to either dogs or birds. So we made the switch

Not quite the same thing-- can't get a hundred pound German shepherd to sleep in your lap-- much as she'd like to

Our latest avian companion is an insectivorous bird rather than a seed-eater, and she shows some very cat-like behaviors-- stalking, pouncing, chasing. In fact we have some kitty toys in her cage which she enjoys attacking.

But it's not the same

So I really enjoy looking at the cat pictures and hearing the stories. <sigh>

[Sandy McLeod]

After we had been married for a few years my wife said, "Let's get a cat." I replied, "We can get a cat after we get a house on the beach."

Our first cat was a very aggressive Siamese we named Neko, followed by Mei Ling, Tai Pan, Rameses (an Abby), and now Kouji, Qi (another Abby) and Tora. They have all been great boat cats, sure footed, smart about the sea, and (with the exception of Neko) well mannered and even tempered.

Neko would chase seagulls without a thought about the boat not being underneath him and both my wife and I have gone swimming to save him several times. After one excursion into the wet a neighbor anchored nearby suggested we staple him to the deck, which was teak.

We never did get that house on the beach.

Sandy

[Walden]

One cat here.

[Innocent Bystander]

Here's a cat quiz. I didn't take it, I barely read parts of this thread. I'm a dog person. I thought some of you might like the quiz.

http://encarta.msn.com/quiz_63/meow_the ... _quiz.html

Not bad. Shame it perpetuates the myth that cats hunt at night. Cats are crepuscular, not nocturnal. They hunt in twilight.

[avanutria]

We live with one and a half, but we don't own any. Other people own them.

Here's one of them, our full-timer.



He's Elbie at our house but Lawrence at the other house, but he's never gone long enough to BE at the other house. He doesn't have two different coloured eyes. He just likes to pose in odd lighting.

Here's the other: Jester at our house, Lucky at home:

[Jerry Freeman]

He doesn't have two different coloured eyes.

Gosh, Ava. You're typing with a British accent.

Best wishes,
Jerry