Hello, this is my first time on the kitty boards, I am waiting on approval for a Open RNY with Dr Shina in Louisville, Ky. I have 3 spoiled rotten felines that are 7 months old. One long haired calico, one long haired white persian with blue eyes ( my baby ), and one short haired calico. My 24 yr old brother has decided he wants a calico kitten, he would love one of my girls, but he ain't getting them. Any body here in Ky, fairly close to the Elizabethtown area, know where I can get a calico kitten? He tried the pound but they didn't have any kittens at all....Thanks and God Bless Angela

I've never posted on this board before (usually post on the TMB) but I have to share this with all my fellow cat lovers. I made a toy for my kitties the other day and they LOVE it!! Actually they go insane over it - even grumpy old Tinks who is 8 years old. It's really easy and safe and for those of you who have 3 dozen forgotten cat toys under the furniture- it's cheap! I've since made one for all my friends with cats. This is what you need: 1 sock (white works better) 1 pair of googly eyes 1 hot glue gun 1 red sharpie 3 pieces of gift wrap tissue (the loud crinkly kind) cat nip Directions: 1. Place a cassette case or a piece of cardboard inside the sock 2. Line the top of the toe up towards you (where the sew line is) 3. Pull the sock very taunt (knot it if you have to) 4. Put hot glue on the googly eyes and apply them under the toe line in the sock (you'll want to really put a lot of glue all the way to the edges of the eyes so that the kitties can't get them off and choke on them) 5. Draw a mouth with the red sharpie 6. Use your imagination if you want to add hair, a nose, eyebrows, etc... 7. When the hot glue is dry remove the cassette case (or cardboard) from the sock. 8. Sprinkle cat nip onto each piece of tissue paper, wad it up and stuff it in the sock 9. Tie off the sock 10. Let the fun begin! My brother insists that it looks like a giant sperm in drag but the cats don't seem to care!

Before I had my "kids" I would have argued that cats have their natural instincts and should be able to fend for themselves outside. All my cats before now have been indoor/outdoor cats...... The two cats I have now are different than any other animals I've ever had. I got them as babies and they both have been fixed and front de-clawed. They are healty animals....very healthy!!!! They've never been outside and I simply prefer to keep them that way. I'm happy in knowing that being inside I can watch them closer and know they stand less of a chance in getting hit by a car a mauled by other animals. They get to "look" outside in the windows - but the only time they will be allowed outside is when I take them for their check ups. They get plenty of "running" but chasing each other around the house.....trust me - they play hard!!!! They are well fed and I can control what they're eating by keeping them inside as well. I'm happy with my decision and could very well see that I would keep other cats inside as well!!!

When I was a pre-teen, we had an indoor-outdoor cat of unknown heritage. Poor thing, she wa**** by a car, and I vowed to never have outdoor cats again. A couple years later, my mother bought me a Persian from an established cattery. All the cats I've had since have also been from catteries, so they had been socialized around both humans and other cats since birth. They've also all been strictly indoor cats. Fast forward to this week. I have two neutered males, ages 12 and 10. We get a lot of regular outdoor feline visitors, since we have catnip plants in the garden. One caught our attention - a pretty, friendly, purry little black & white girl who started visiting in the summer. Since late autumn, she'd been staying around for most of the day, and seemed to be losing weight. Cold weather hit, and she was still spending the night on our porch (we finally set up a sheltered area for her to get out of the wind and rain). None of our neighbors knew who she belonged to, and canvasing the neighborhood with her photos in hand didn't turn up any results. No "lost cat" ads in the newspapers, either. We took her to the vet a couple days ago - she had flea dirt but otherwise a clean bill of health. She also had a visible spay scar. The vet estimated her age at under 2 years (very little wear on her teeth). No microchip or identifying tattoo. So now we have three cats. The vet visit was Monday; it's now Thursday. She was isolated from the other cats until Wednesday morning. Problem #1: It seems obvious that she didn't come from a multi-cat household. She's clearly not happy with the presence of my boys - when she seems them, she hisses, growls, and sometimes lunges at them. As I said, all of my cats have been socialized with other cats, and previous introductions of new cats have gone fairly smoothly (a little hissing, the usual jockeying for position in the hierarchy, but no real drama). My boys haven't been hostile or even hissy towards her, and seem bewildered and a bit scared by her behavior. What's the best way to deal with outright hostility? I know it'll take time for her to get used to this new situation, but is there anything I can do to help her out? Problem #2: My cats do NOT go outside. Period, end of discussion. Our new girl kept me awake all last night, alternating hissing at the boys (who were sleeping on my bed) with howling by the back door. Tough dearie, you're not going outside again except in a carrier. How do I help her adjust to being an indoor-only cat? There are plenty of toys lying around, and lots of windows, and strategically-placed bird feeders that attract a crowd all year long. There are a lot of good climbing places in the house, and good cubbyholes for hiding. She hasn't howled by the door in the daytime - right now she's sleeping by a heater vent, looking quite cozy. We'll see what she has to say tonight! (I'm waiting for my insurance work to be submitted for approval - this extra stress isn't helping... )

My baby girl Bella (she is a Manx), has officially been trained to go into the "kitty bathroom" (see below) by herself without my help!!! Kitty bathroom: We have a large closet underneath the stairs that is the designated kitty bathroom. Their litter boxes and air cleaner are in there. We had a doggy door cut into the door and now I can keep it closed - and they just go in and out of their bathroom. My Siamese babies Cisco and Bay were ok, but Bella was scared of it. Now - she goes! Yeah! Just thought I would share! I feel like a proud momma who has finally potty trained my child! Laura