[Jack23]

Here is a tale of how to give your life a complete, if only temporary change. Very briefly stated it's like this: Go to the animal shelter near you and get an adult cat, and 3 month old kitten and a barely weaned 6 week old kitten. But before you do it I suggest you spend a month working on your own physical condition. Yer gonna need to be in top shape. Trust me on this.

But lemme give you the back-story:

8 years ago, almost to the day we were visiting relatives up in rural North Central Texas. we were leaving for home the next day and it was a crisp cold morning, what I call a "bluebird" day. Bright blue skies and little to no wind. We were sitting out on the front porch watching the birds and other critters and up from out of the woods 50 yards away comes this orange and white cat. He was a little banged up but very friendly. Seemed well used to people because he let everyone hold him and pet him and he couldn't seem to get enough. I was guessing that he hadn't been on the run for very long. MY SIL went in and got him some food and he nearly gnawed the bottom out of the bowl he was so hungry.

He continued to hang around after he ate. My SIL began making noises about us taking him home with us. Now here is where I need to point out that I've never been a cat person. Not ever. My daughter keeps cats. My wife's family all keep cats. They are all great cats. Always. But every time I tried to have a cat it was a killer or psycho cat etc. I've been happy with dogs.

Anyway I let myself be talked into it. I know, I know. But you don't know my SIL. As it turned out he was great. Very low maintenance. NO bad habits at all. He even liked me. It turned out to be the best relationship I've ever had with an animal.

He was orange and white and we named him Frito. Turned out he was FIV positive (Feline version of AIDS). He came down with Gingivitis back in June after 7 1/2 years and with no immune system he couldn't shake it off and we had to put him down. I've never been so devastated by the loss of a pet. My wife feels the same. He was a good friend...more like a child. Very good natured with kids and adults alike. Never bit or showed any aggression.

We had lots of travel plans through the rest of the year so we decided to wait until after the holidays to see about another cat(s). Last Monday we made our move.

We found a beautiful Silver/gray/blue main coon mix, 3 years old. Calm affectionate and drop dead beautiful. We liked that he was an adult and past all the kitten nonsense. We named him Duke. Still we missed the kitten years of Frito and often speculated about how cute he must have been as a kitten. We wanted the kitten experience for sure. I liked this guy though because he was a big strappin' "man cat" and he suit me right down to the ground.

So that left us unfulfilled in the kitten department. My wife sees these tiny tiny little white kittens in one cage and the shelter lady said they were seal point siamese. The mama cat had had them inside the walls of an abandoned house. The one she wanted was a little male. The runt of the litter. They were all in the litter pan and this little guy was on the bottom trying to get out from under all the others. My wife asked to hold him and then we had two cats. He is a cute little booger. We named him Dink.

I saw another cage with a litter of kittens in it that were 3 months old. The lady handed me a Silver gray male and then we had 3 cats on our hands. We named the silver guy (one of the most beautiful cats I've ever seen) Cody.

So now, a week later here we are. Duke is very laid-back and more or less above it all. He pays no attention to the little ones except to hiss at them if the get too close.

Cody and Dink get along for a while until Cody gets too rough and we have to separate them. But Dink is getting bolder and more aggressive and able to take care of himself every day.

for all his heart and courage and willingness to fight back Dink is still just too small to keep cody from hurting him. Cody is only playing. He shows no hostility or anger of malice at all but plays with Dink the same as his stuffed mouse. We have a crate that we take turns putting the little ones in until Dink gets a little bigger. Sooner or later these guys will have to sort out their relationship but we will wait until things equalize some first. Meanwhile they are together several times a day for meals and grooming etc. We let them be together until Cody gets too rough. Sometimes it goes for an hour or more. We think they will eventually get along.

If we have been missing the CAT EXPERIENCE well, we ain't missin' in any more. But we knew going in that it would go something like this and we were prepared.

We found out through our experience with Frito that we absolutely love the great feeling we get from saving a good animal from a cruel painful and early death. From now on when we need a pet it will be a rescue only method of acquirement for sure.

We haven't had the tv on for 4 days. I haven't been to the range in over a week and...and...and my wife hasn't been shopping for over a week!?!? All this cat wranglin' requires all hands on deck for a little while longer. But we're all havin' a good time with it....

As John Denver would have said...."FAR OUT!" I don't recommend this for everyone but it's all fittin' our bidness pretty well. Now that we are older we are more attuned to the home-body type activities and believe me this is all that.

[BigChuck73]

Originally Posted by Jack23

Here is a tale of how to give your life a complete, if only temporary change. Very briefly stated it's like this: Go to the animal shelter near you and get an adult cat, and 3 month old kitten and a barely weaned 6 week old kitten. But before you do it I suggest you spend a month working on your own physical condition. Yer gonna need to be in top shape. Trust me on this.

But lemme give you the back-story:

8 years ago, almost to the day we were visiting relatives up in rural North Central Texas. we were leaving for home the next day and it was a crisp cold morning, what I call a "bluebird" day. Bright blue skies and little to no wind. We were sitting out on the front porch watching the birds and other critters and up from out of the woods 50 yards away comes this orange and white cat. He was a little banged up but very friendly. Seemed well used to people because he let everyone hold him and pet him and he couldn't seem to get enough. I was guessing that he hadn't been on the run for very long. MY SIL went in and got him some food and he nearly gnawed the bottom out of the bowl he was so hungry.

He continued to hang around after he ate. My SIL began making noises about us taking him home with us. Now here is where I need to point out that I've never been a cat person. Not ever. My daughter keeps cats. My wife's family all keep cats. They are all great cats. Always. But every time I tried to have a cat it was a killer or psycho cat etc. I've been happy with dogs.

Anyway I let myself be talked into it. I know, I know. But you don't know my SIL. As it turned out he was great. Very low maintenance. NO bad habits at all. He even liked me. It turned out to be the best relationship I've ever had with an animal.

He was orange and white and we named him Frito. Turned out he was FIV positive (Feline version of AIDS). He came down with Gingivitis back in June after 7 1/2 years and with no immune system he couldn't shake it off and we had to put him down. I've never been so devastated by the loss of a pet. My wife feels the same. He was a good friend...more like a child. Very good natured with kids and adults alike. Never bit or showed any aggression.

We had lots of travel plans through the rest of the year so we decided to wait until after the holidays to see about another cat(s). Last Monday we made our move.

We found a beautiful Silver/gray/blue main coon mix, 3 years old. Calm affectionate and drop dead beautiful. We liked that he was an adult and past all the kitten nonsense. We named him Duke. Still we missed the kitten years of Frito and often speculated about how cute he must have been as a kitten. We wanted the kitten experience for sure. I liked this guy though because he was a big strappin' "man cat" and he suit me right down to the ground.

So that left us unfulfilled in the kitten department. My wife sees these tiny tiny little white kittens in one cage and the shelter lady said they were seal point siamese. The mama cat had had them inside the walls of an abandoned house. The one she wanted was a little male. The runt of the litter. They were all in the litter pan and this little guy was on the bottom trying to get out from under all the others. My wife asked to hold him and then we had two cats. He is a cute little booger. We named him Dink.

I saw another cage with a litter of kittens in it that were 3 months old. The lady handed me a Silver gray male and then we had 3 cats on our hands. We named the silver guy (one of the most beautiful cats I've ever seen) Cody.

So now, a week later here we are. Duke is very laid-back and more or less above it all. He pays no attention to the little ones except to hiss at them if the get too close.

Cody and Dink get along for a while until Cody gets too rough and we have to separate them. But Dink is getting bolder and more aggressive and able to take care of himself every day.

for all his heart and courage and willingness to fight back Dink is still just too small to keep cody from hurting him. Cody is only playing. He shows no hostility or anger of malice at all but plays with Dink the same as his stuffed mouse. We have a crate that we take turns putting the little ones in until Dink gets a little bigger. Sooner or later these guys will have to sort out their relationship but we will wait until things equalize some first. Meanwhile they are together several times a day for meals and grooming etc. We let them be together until Cody gets too rough. Sometimes it goes for an hour or more. We think they will eventually get along.

If we have been missing the CAT EXPERIENCE well, we ain't missin' in any more. But we knew going in that it would go something like this and we were prepared.

We found out through our experience with Frito that we absolutely love the great feeling we get from saving a good animal from a cruel painful and early death. From now on when we need a pet it will be a rescue only method of acquirement for sure.

We haven't had the tv on for 4 days. I haven't been to the range in over a week and...and...and my wife hasn't been shopping for over a week!?!? All this cat wranglin' requires all hands on deck for a little while longer. But we're all havin' a good time with it....

As John Denver would have said...."FAR OUT!" I don't recommend this for everyone but it's all fittin' our bidness pretty well. Now that we are older we are more attuned to the home-body type activities and believe me this is all that.

I just quoted the longest post in history. Where is my prize??

[Jack23]

Originally Posted by BigChuck73

I just quoted the longest post in history. Where is my prize??

I have been on the internet for over 15 years. Can you take my word for it that this is nowhere near the longest post in history? I was in kind of a rush when I wrote that, you should see me when I really get wound up.

[Adjuster]

Good on you and your wife for taking in the new guys and sorry to hear about Frito.


/

[DustyJacket]

I know what you mean.
New Years day we adopted a rescue Dachshund. Been at the puppy mill 7 years having kids.

She loves my wife.
She loves my daughter.
She tolerates the big dog.

She hates and fears me. I've been bitten three times. She has escaped once. And shes peed and pooped in the house on cold days.

My life is certainly different.... this is my bed. Notice, there is no room for me......

[Inyo Tim]

Originally Posted by Jack23

He was orange and white and we named him Frito. Turned out he was FIV positive (Feline version of AIDS).

Sorry to hear that about Frito Jack23, but the rest of your post made me feel good. It was good of you to give those kitters a home. It won't take Dink many weeks to catch up and be able to take care of himself.
I took my cats down for their yearly shots and the vet warned me that FIV was here in town, and there was no shot for it. He said keeping my cats indoors and away from ferals was about all I could do.

[RenoF250]

Originally Posted by Jack23

Here is a tale of how to give your life a complete, if only temporary change. Very briefly stated it's like this: Go to the animal shelter near you and get an adult cat, and 3 month old kitten and a barely weaned 6 week old kitten. But before you do it I suggest you spend a month working on your own physical condition. Yer gonna need to be in top shape. Trust me on this.

But lemme give you the back-story:

8 years ago, almost to the day we were visiting relatives up in rural North Central Texas. we were leaving for home the next day and it was a crisp cold morning, what I call a "bluebird" day. Bright blue skies and little to no wind. We were sitting out on the front porch watching the birds and other critters and up from out of the woods 50 yards away comes this orange and white cat. He was a little banged up but very friendly. Seemed well used to people because he let everyone hold him and pet him and he couldn't seem to get enough. I was guessing that he hadn't been on the run for very long. MY SIL went in and got him some food and he nearly gnawed the bottom out of the bowl he was so hungry.

He continued to hang around after he ate. My SIL began making noises about us taking him home with us. Now here is where I need to point out that I've never been a cat person. Not ever. My daughter keeps cats. My wife's family all keep cats. They are all great cats. Always. But every time I tried to have a cat it was a killer or psycho cat etc. I've been happy with dogs.

Anyway I let myself be talked into it. I know, I know. But you don't know my SIL. As it turned out he was great. Very low maintenance. NO bad habits at all. He even liked me. It turned out to be the best relationship I've ever had with an animal.

He was orange and white and we named him Frito. Turned out he was FIV positive (Feline version of AIDS). He came down with Gingivitis back in June after 7 1/2 years and with no immune system he couldn't shake it off and we had to put him down. I've never been so devastated by the loss of a pet. My wife feels the same. He was a good friend...more like a child. Very good natured with kids and adults alike. Never bit or showed any aggression.

We had lots of travel plans through the rest of the year so we decided to wait until after the holidays to see about another cat(s). Last Monday we made our move.

We found a beautiful Silver/gray/blue main coon mix, 3 years old. Calm affectionate and drop dead beautiful. We liked that he was an adult and past all the kitten nonsense. We named him Duke. Still we missed the kitten years of Frito and often speculated about how cute he must have been as a kitten. We wanted the kitten experience for sure. I liked this guy though because he was a big strappin' "man cat" and he suit me right down to the ground.

So that left us unfulfilled in the kitten department. My wife sees these tiny tiny little white kittens in one cage and the shelter lady said they were seal point siamese. The mama cat had had them inside the walls of an abandoned house. The one she wanted was a little male. The runt of the litter. They were all in the litter pan and this little guy was on the bottom trying to get out from under all the others. My wife asked to hold him and then we had two cats. He is a cute little booger. We named him Dink.

I saw another cage with a litter of kittens in it that were 3 months old. The lady handed me a Silver gray male and then we had 3 cats on our hands. We named the silver guy (one of the most beautiful cats I've ever seen) Cody.

So now, a week later here we are. Duke is very laid-back and more or less above it all. He pays no attention to the little ones except to hiss at them if the get too close.

Cody and Dink get along for a while until Cody gets too rough and we have to separate them. But Dink is getting bolder and more aggressive and able to take care of himself every day.

for all his heart and courage and willingness to fight back Dink is still just too small to keep cody from hurting him. Cody is only playing. He shows no hostility or anger of malice at all but plays with Dink the same as his stuffed mouse. We have a crate that we take turns putting the little ones in until Dink gets a little bigger. Sooner or later these guys will have to sort out their relationship but we will wait until things equalize some first. Meanwhile they are together several times a day for meals and grooming etc. We let them be together until Cody gets too rough. Sometimes it goes for an hour or more. We think they will eventually get along.

If we have been missing the CAT EXPERIENCE well, we ain't missin' in any more. But we knew going in that it would go something like this and we were prepared.

We found out through our experience with Frito that we absolutely love the great feeling we get from saving a good animal from a cruel painful and early death. From now on when we need a pet it will be a rescue only method of acquirement for sure.

We haven't had the tv on for 4 days. I haven't been to the range in over a week and...and...and my wife hasn't been shopping for over a week!?!? All this cat wranglin' requires all hands on deck for a little while longer. But we're all havin' a good time with it....

As John Denver would have said...."FAR OUT!" I don't recommend this for everyone but it's all fittin' our bidness pretty well. Now that we are older we are more attuned to the home-body type activities and believe me this is all that.

We lost two cats in 2012 so we recently got two more from the pound. They are almost full size, play like kittens but don't make messes. Our oldest cat really seems to like them. He has handed off alpha status to the larger of the two new cats. Lets him push him out of the way to eat and everything.

Glad you are having fun with yours.