The CAT room!

I am getting cinder neutered on the 23rd... is this the right thing to do, I feel sooo bad but he is an indoor cat

CLady: I believe that a responsible pet owner will spay and neuter her pets. I'm pretty sure that you're doing the right thing. On the other hand, I'm against declawing . . . and I still say that even though my couch is shredded! LOL

Declawing? Spaying? Neutering?

Poor scared kitty.

I need to make an appointment to spay my new girl, Sally. She's the perfect age now . . . where's the phone . . . gotta get that done!

Crazi, it is essential. Until you experience it, you have no idea what a house is like with an unneutered tom in heat. Tom cats are always in heat, by the way, once they are mature. The right age is somewhere around 9 months, but you will probably be able to tell without a calendar.

My tomcat was neutered at 6 WEEKS old, roger. The vet said the younger the better, they recover faster. Don't wait, crazie. Unneutered tomcats can develop bad habits such as spraying, etc., that can continue even after neutering.

Neutered tomcats are also much calmer and less inclined to get into fights.

My Paddy was neutered when I adopted him, and to my regret we did have him declawed, and I feel so guilty to this day. He still scratches on the rope posts as though he had claws, poor baby. I would never do that again, I think it's so cruel. If the poor thing ever ran out the door he wouldn't be able to defend himself, although, knowing Paddy, he has no problem with that, my right arm looks like I've been in a war zone, because I insist on playing with him when 'HIS HIGHNESS'[/i] doesn't want to be played with.

CL, by the way, you're definitely doing the right thing, don't even hesitate!

Paddy was already neutered by the rescue centre (their strict policy) which saved me the trauma of taking him. Yes, an unneutered tom cat is not a pleasant house guest.


He was curled up asleep in the bathroom sink again this morning and then likes to play with the water from the tap. He doesn't mind if the sink is we, he'll still sit happily in it

One of my friend Nicole's four cats is not neutered yet. It's a female and I really don't want to call Nicole when Schira is in heat! That cat is noisy!

I felt very sorry for Nisse and Mysan when we had them back from the vet's after their operation. But since they are male and female, there was absolutely no other way.

In Germany, you can have their ears tattooed at the same time. So it's easier to get them back should they run away and if they are picked up, the people at the shelter can see that they are neutered. So Nisse and Mysan have tattoos - just like BigDice and me! :-)

Urs, the tattooing is a great idea. Did they try to match the cat tattoos to yours and Stefan's? LOL

Roger, we had an unneutered tom and it was hell. I think it was harder on our, at the time, 8 year old sun. He asked what neutering was and I explained about the cat's testicles being removed. Matt looked at me with huge eyes and said, "But Mommy, he'll be so embarrassed!!" Much to our dismay, the cat continued to spray for quite awhile. If a cat is older, those old habits die hard.

Eva is right about the age for spaying and neutering. Six weeks is perfect for both males and females.

I'm leaning more and more toward getting a kitten. I know myself well enough that if I go looking, I will not have the strength of charater to come home empty handed.

As for adapting, I'm really not worried. Cats are remarkable little characters and I've heard stories that seem unbelievable except for the fact that I've seen videos. One that I will always remember is of a cat who had made friends with a wild bear. The domestic cat lived near a national forest and had found the bear. they slowly became friends and developed a close and loving friendship.

Cats have some kind of sense for other animals and humans that is, in a way, magical.

Diane, I cannot even look at newborn kitties, I KNOW I would take them all home and we'd be in the same spot as we were before. That was the motivating force behind Rae getting her own place.

Paddy is very happy being alone though, and I hear that's especially true with tom cats.

Urs, the tattoo is a fantastic idea for the kitties. I remember I put a neck band on Paddy when he was little, with his name tag and phone number ...
well he would have no part of that, he HATED having the neck band on, and more so that it tinkled, haa haaa ... we ended up taking it off, the poor thing was miserable.

Diane, just go get the kitty, you'll be sparing a little furball from who knows what, giving him/her a fantastic home and loving parents ... ok?

In Australia, or where I live, anyway, cats are registered by local councils. If they're not neutered the charge is considerably higher.

Diane, no, the kitty tattoos are just boring numbers and letters! I prefer tattooing the cats to implanting an ID chip. Everyone can see the tattoo, but for the chip you need a device to read it.

Msolga, you have to pay charges for cats in Australia? In Germany, it's only for dogs and a lot of dog owners complain that it's not fair.

Yes, urs, they have to be registered with local councils. It's not that much .... something like $10 per cat, with a limit of 2 (maybe 3?) cats per household. My council is a city one, in Melbourne. However, it may vary from state to state & in country areas. The rates for un-neutered cats & dogs is considerably higher than for the neutered ones.

My Flatty has recently taken to strange sleeping behaviour: He likes to sleep as close to my head as possible! This morning I work up with a sort of feline tiara gracing me head! Any cat psychologists out there who'd like to venture an explanation of why he's suddenly taken to doing this?
(And he's not exactly tiny, either!)

What a nice picture, msolga! I am sure you two looked very graceful :-)

A limit of cats per household? Hmmm, we don't have that, either. In some cases, it would surely be good, though...

Olga

Wassamatta you?

It's a Flat-cat-hat. Flatty knows that winter is on the way - and it can get bloody cold. He's just getting ready early, that's all!

On Sydney, cats are not registered with the council, but they are microchipped. Possum's ear will show up his (or maybe my) name and address.

a sort of living Russian hat for the coming winter

Rosie insists on her head near mine but never ever comes on the bed with us since she was tiny (and then she insisted). Watching TV she'll curl up with her little wet nose pressed tightly into either my neck under my chin or my cheek.

Paddy is barred from the bedroom following 2 'accidents' on the duvet when he was little - I was under the d*** duvet the second time and am NOT risking that again thank you! Why the duvet? He never sits on my knee as he's Daddy's little boy - he sits on his lap buttering him up shamelessly.

We don't have to register cats here but they are both microchipped.

Misti, I will postpone getting a kitten until we return from Europe. I wouldn't want to leave the poor little thing so soon after we brought it home. But yes, I'm thinking of kitties more and more--I'm slip slidding right into letting a kitten take over our home.

Urs, the pounds here register and charge for both cats and dogs, which is a good idea. Part of the charge is for spaying or nuetering which is done at the pound and for any shots. It helps with the expenses of running a pound (shelter).

Limits on how many cats or dogs allowed per owner is an excellent idea. I think as some people age and enter dementia or senility, they seem to want more and more animals. Loneliness makes lots of sense to me; but the cats suffer terribly. Some of the scenes I've seen on TV have truly been disgusting.

I am such a gonner--thinking about soft furry little bodies, purring, racing around the house then stopping instantly for a nap, then making the rounds again at top speed. The smell of sweet little kitten breath. Oh yes, I've lost it completely....