Itty Bitty Kitty Committee

[rmncwrtr]

I know there are a few cat people here I found this blog about a place that fosters kittens from the Tacoma Humane Society. If you are looking for a kitten, check it out. Some really cute kitty pictures, too. If you know someone who is wanting a kitten or who might know someone who wants one, please pass along the url to them. Thanks!

[G-spotter]

[John Frieh]

Dont be fooled! They may look cute but those little bastards will run around all night and bring the ruckus on tu casa!

[builder206]

...kittens from the Tacoma Humane Society...If you know someone who is wanting a kitten or who might know someone who wants one, please pass along the url to them. Thanks!

 

Not wanting to disagree but rather complement the original post, I got two 12-year-olds from the Seattle pound a couple years ago. Kittens are adopted a lot easier than older cats. These two guys have proven to be great housecats, very low stress, mellow, still playful, and real nice pals. The pound had them for 3 months before I got them and I assure you, a lot of people passed up on a terrific pair of cats. Kittens are fun and it can be a bummer to get cats that realistically have only a few years left, but it is excellent karma to be kind to old cats.

[sobo]

I tend to agree, b206. All of the cats that have shown up on my doorstep/windowsill were older cats that must have been thrown out by someone else, and they have each proved to be very cool cats, indeed.

 

Not wanting to piss on your post, Mel, but old cats need lovin', too (self included).

[rmncwrtr]

No offense taken. We ended up with an older stray, too. She came with our last house and we brought her with us when we moved to the new house. She's an awesome cat who is a total love.

 

But around Christmas time people do buy kittens (notice I wrote kitten, not cat above) so figured I'd plug these ones since kittens do grow quickly and can be harder to place once they are bigger as mentioned by builder206 and in the blog itself.

[sobo]

We've run into the same "phenomenon" at Easter. Parents go out and buy bunnies ("Oh, isn't it cute? Little Johnnie is sooooooo going to love it!"), only to have them show up at rabbit "dumping grounds" 3 or 4 months later when it's no longer a "bunny" but a full-fledged rabbit, and they realize they never learned enough about lagomorphs before making their ill-informed purchase.

 

Shelters are full of 'em... (so's our house... )

[rmncwrtr]

Yep.

 

And I'm probably going to end up with a Russian tortoise come May or June, but that will totally be my own fault.

[G-spotter]

We've run into the same "phenomenon" at Easter. Parents go out and buy bunnies ("Oh, isn't it cute? Little Johnnie is sooooooo going to love it!"), only to have them show up at rabbit "dumping grounds" 3 or 4 months later when it's no longer a "bunny" but a full-fledged rabbit, and they realize they never learned enough about lagomorphs before making their ill-informed purchase.

 

Shelters are full of 'em... (so's our house... )

 

Bunnies are tasty, though!

[sobo]

And I'm probably going to end up with a Russian tortoise come May or June, but that will totally be my own fault.

I just blew my Snipes Mountain amber out my nose.

 

Some neighbors that moved away a year or so ago got a rabbit for their kids. The husband borrowed my plans, built a hutch, and put it in their backyard. They knew my wife was into rabbits as pets and rabbit rescue volunteerism, so they invited us over to come have a look at their new pet.

 

We showed up, and my wife, ever the kind-hearted soul, oooed and ahhhed over the rabbit. When we got back home, the first thing I said to her was, "In a week, that rabbit's either going to be dead, or it's going to be ours." She tended to agree, but (obviously) wouldn't tell them that.

 

Sure as shit, five days or so later it had a botfly infestation (maggots growing under the skin), and the neighbors came looking for us after they had tried to perform "surgery" at their kitchen table and botched it. The rabbit was a mess, with a gaping knife wound on it's hind quarter and a squirming patch of skin under the wound. They had tried to pull out the pupae with tweezers, and several of the sacs had ruptured, spilling their guts into the bunny's bloodstream.

 

We all piled into their rig and drove to the vet, on a Saturday evening, no less. We were supposed to be going somewhere that evening, I don't remember where, but we missed it (this is a common theme in my wife's rescues of the less fortunate - see Mel's "Turtles" thread in this forum).

 

The vet said that the surgery was going to cost $600-$700, with no guarantee the rabbit would survive. The neighbors said, "Put it to sleep." Having spent several years with my betrothed, I knew what was coming next...

 

So, $687 later, we had a new rabbit, and neighbors that were too afraid to look us in the face anymore. The neighbors have since moved away, and the rabbit, Allie, fully recovered and is the funnest one of the warren. She's extremely energetic and playful, and cracks us up with her antics when it's her turn out of the pen.

 

So yeah, I know what you mean when you say, "...will totally be my own fault."

[rmncwrtr]

Oh, boy. You and my hubby. Poor guys work so hard and we wifeys blow it on four legged creatures. But we love you for it :kisss:

 

We spent something like 2K on my glowing Hyper-T kitty earlier this year with all the tests, isotope treatment and followup, but it cured her so was worth it. Her brother has the same thing, but not as bad as she was, so hubby put his foot down (only for now, I'm hoping) about getting him the radioactive treatment.

[kevbone]

I love cats. Way better than dogs IMO. When I got married 4 years ago……my wife had a cat she has had for 10 years. He is amazing. She has lived with this cat (Marcelo…..who is a big Garfield) all over the country. Main, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Boulder, San Diego and now Vancouver. He was our child until we actually had a child, then Marcelo became a cat again. Weird.

[minx]

my poor hubby never complains about my vet bills. i don't even want to think about what % of our annual income the horses spend at the vet. Heck it was $800 when our dog had an abscessed tooth and he's a "small" animal.

 

on a side note...rescue one of the kittens!

[sobo]

...He was our child until we actually had a child...

 

They're called "furkids" by some. Seems to fit...

 

Agree with you on the cats v. dogs sentiment.

1. They know they're better than dogs.

2. They easier to take care of than dogs.

3. They bury their shit, instead of, like dogs, letting you step in it/hit it with the lawn mower.

 

...i don't even want to think about what % of our annual income the horses spend at the vet...

For 2006, for all quadropeds combined, it was close to 4.6% (thank you, Quicken...)

 

We spent something like 2K on my glowing Hyper-T kitty earlier this year with all the tests, isotope treatment and followup, but it cured her so was worth it...

Glad to hear Spirit is still doing fine. My worst year at the vet's was for my old Himmy sealpoint Trango. He contracted CRF, and vet bills, trips to WSU Vet Center, meds, etc. amounted to something like $5k over ~18 months. He was a real solid cat, and I sure do miss him.

 

Bright side: I was dating my future wife while I was pouring $$$ into Trango. She remarked some years after his death that her seeing me looking after him, administering his meds, giving him subQ injections, and generally spending untold sums upon his care gave her the to say "Yes" when the question came up. I guess she knows a soft touch (read: sucker) when she sees one...

 

Which reminds me... we need a Latte Update from carolyn...

[Winter]

cat's rule. purrrrr.

[pope]

 

Ooops. Wrong thread.

[Sherri]

 

Ooops. Wrong thread.

 

I'll say! Nothing "Itty Bitty" there.

[denalidave]

I love cats. Way better than dogs IMO. When I got married 4 years ago……my wife had a cat she has had for 10 years. He is amazing. She has lived with this cat (Marcelo…..who is a big Garfield) all over the country. Main, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Boulder, San Diego and now Vancouver. He was our child until we actually had a child, then Marcelo became a cat again. Weird.

I'm not much of a cat guy but we just lost one that thought he was a dog. When my wife brought him home he was all skankie and covered in mites. His eyes were still closed when we got him and he modeled after our black lab when they opened. He'd follow that dog everywhere, even on walks with us. If you threw the frisbee he try to swat it out of the air too. Then he go munched by the coyotes at about 3 am and it did not sound good for Scrappi, although it was over quickly... He was a fisty little bastard though!

[rmncwrtr]

Aw, Denalidave, sorry about losing your Scrappi. Sounds like he must have a great cat!

[denalidave]

Yeah, he was a cool cat but a trouble maker too...

[sobo]

Our cat Phydeaux thinks he's a dog, too. Comes when you whistle, goes on walks, lets the kids use him as a pillow, etc. Here's a recent pic of the Dread Pirate Cat Phydeaux...

 

Yes, that's pronounced "fi-do", as in the ubiquitous dog name. As I said, he's a cat that thinks he's a dog. But he deserves so much more high-falutin' spelling...