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DIVA CATS! (And other pets can play too!)

B

B.E.G.

Guest
I know there's a Diva Dogs thread but I haven't seen any for cats, and my two boys don't want to be left out (more like I can't resist showing them off) :smile: I would love to see pictures of other Divas' cats, other pets, and even dogs are welcome ;) (Actually I'm a huge dog lover and my two boys are going to be getting a doggie friend in the near future).

Stealing the template from the Diva Dogs thread (thank you!), and without further ado...

KIPLING & DANTE!
Born: July 9, 2009
I First Met Them: My Bengal breeder saga is a whole 'nother (LONG) story, but suffice to say, after many weeks of impatiently waiting, I met my chubby-wubby boo-boos (yes that is what I call them!) in September 2009 when they arrived in Chicago
They are Natives of: Hmm...well born in Florida, lived in Chicago their first year, currently living in Montana, and hopefully moving to California!
Their Favorite Hobby: Ripping apart Da Bird! They are AMAZING jumpers - I need to figure out if I can get a video up. Eating, snuggles, cuddling in my lap, fighting/playing with each other, and of course, napping.
They Absolutely LOVE: Their mommy :smile: And of course, FOOD. And toys. And their cat tree. They're spoiled!
Profession: Double trouble troublemakers!
My Favorite Thing to Do With Them: Snuggle with them - my portable space heaters :smile:
My Favorite Memory: Oh goodness - I love my boys, but maybe the most MEMORABLE time was their first bath.... oh no wait, I do have a better one. So last March I was in Costa Rica for two weeks and hired a cat sitter to come in and feed them, clean the litter box, play with them, etc. Well a couple days before I'm set to fly home, I get an e-mail from her, telling me that K & D got my FREEZER DOOR open, dragged out half the contents, and merrily pulled them throughout the apartment. Of note: coffee ice cream on the off-white hallway carpet which melted by the time she got there, and the frozen chicken which they dragged all the way to the living room couch!
What we have in common: All three of us are brats
How we Differ the Most: I like baths!

Picture overload!

At 12 weeks, when I first got them (Dante left, Kipling right):

P9270149.jpg


Sleepy kitties - Dante

PA030085.jpg


Kipling at 6 mos.:

IMG_0964-1.jpg


Dante at 6 mos.:

IMG_1131.jpg


Action shots!

KiplingandDante-10Months3Weeks-24.jpg


KiplingandDante-10Months3Weeks-31.jpg


KiplingandDante-10Months3Weeks-29.jpg
 

marge

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
OMG! Those guys are gorgeous!! :D My SIL has one and he is THE coolest cat! :smile:


I have 3 kitties (all mutts).

Bobo is a crooked bobtail long-haired calico kitty that is afraid to come out of the basement after 13 years. :/ She has always been skittish and when the kids arrived it didn't get any better. She will come up at night when I'm the only one up and is a sweetheart.

Sophie is an obese, tiger kitty. She likes to go out and kill anything she can get her hands on. She's friendly but can be grumpy as well.

Phinease is a black short-hair that we "rescued" down the street. He was a stray at 5 weeks old and it took us 3 days, several attempts at climbing trees, and one case of poison ivy before he was ours. :giggle He's a sweetheart except that his heart is definitely outside and he, also, likes to go outside and kill things. :/
 

Mom of Redheads

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
BEG those babies are the most beautiful kitties I have seen!

We are currently "fostering" my BIL's 4 year old gray tabby Nola (stand fro New Orleans, LA). He was living in (you guessed it) NO, LA, and moved to NYC to enter an oral surgery program. His new apartment takes no pets, so enter us.

We have owned cats before, and I have to say, Nola doesn't have a lot of personality. Of course, it took him months to come out from under the bed because our kids won't leave him alone, and it doesn't help that BIL fed him nothing but tuna from a pouch and that we have had to break him from that habit. Also, they left him with us without updating his shots and without leaving us a carrier! Anyway, he's also a meower for no reason! :laugh:

We live on a main street, but BIL understands the risks involved. We will see what happens. Nola has NOT enjoyed all this snow we are getting. It has curtailed his hunting. His tally here in NJ before the snow set in involves a couple of birds and at least 2 baby rabbits!:eek:
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
How are those claw covers working out for you? My kitty is killing me (and my comforter) with her claws, but I can't see her letting me put those caps on her, either.

Hi Rachel,

I know you didn't ask, but ...

Have you tried putting sisal scratching posts near where she normally claws and spraying catnip on it (if she's into catnip - baby cats aren't, and some cats never develop the interest)? Scratching posts come in a variety of materials - and of course all cats are idiosyncratic by definition =P Also, cats prefer tall scratching posts that they can really streeeeetch on. And you can also get horizontal ones ...

We have a few scratching posts on every floor of the house, and it seems to work for us. For an awesome tall scratching post that my cat has used for years without any obvious wear, google "smart cat the ultimate scratching post"
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Of course, it took him months to come out from under the bed because our kids won't leave him alone, and it doesn't help that BIL fed him nothing but tuna from a pouch and that we have had to break him from that habit.

Does BIL know that tuna has no taurine and a cat will go blind on a tuna-only diet? Yikes!
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
I have a tuxedo cat named Sophie:

75636_448651594481_550379481_5307931_6029282_n.jpg


She's 2-1/2. We got her at the shelter when she was 6 months old; her white whiskers just about knocked me out! She's very sweet and a little bit spooky, but a very nice little cat. (And obviously, she loves snow sports!)
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
Hi Rachel,

I know you didn't ask, but ...

Have you tried putting sisal scratching posts near where she normally claws and spraying catnip on it (if she's into catnip - baby cats aren't, and some cats never develop the interest)? Scratching posts come in a variety of materials - and of course all cats are idiosyncratic by definition =P Also, cats prefer tall scratching posts that they can really streeeeetch on. And you can also get horizontal ones ...

We have a few scratching posts on every floor of the house, and it seems to work for us. For an awesome tall scratching post that my cat has used for years without any obvious wear, google "smart cat the ultimate scratching post"

I could have read it wrong, but I'm guessing since the claws are "killing her and her comforter" that cat isn't using either as a scratching post, but having fun chasing/attacking toes, fingers, etc. as they move under a blanket. (As opposed to using furniture as a scratching post.)
 

Mom of Redheads

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Does BIL know that tuna has no taurine and a cat will go blind on a tuna-only diet? Yikes!

I have NO idea. All I know is when they left Nola here 7 months ago, they left with us (in addition to the cat):

litterbox (full of litter, but no extra to fill it)
3 cups dried cat food
2 pouches of tuna
1 bag of hollow kitty "treats" for putting pills in
1 container of strange dried shrimp flakes the cat stuck his nose up at!

That's it! No food bowls, no toys, no extra food or litter, no collar, no cat carrier and as I said even his shots were out of date. I am telling ya, if we ever had to pawn a cat off on a relative, he'd have 3 boxes of stuff to go with him! :noidea::noidea::noidea:

DH's family is very strange re: cats. They all talk to their cats in baby voices and feed them cold cuts or what have you every time the cat walks by and meows. Then, if cat goes out and refuses to come back in, they stay up half the night worrying and checking the door until the cat shows back up again. I have observed this list of behaviors to be consistent over about 1/2 dozen cats, the parents, my DH and both of his brothers.:laugh:

On the other hand, it's probably this upbringing that prompts DH to pet DS#2's new hamster late at night just in case DS hasn't gotten around to it during the day! :hug:
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
Too funny.

I definitely got my love of animals from my dad. My mom - very practical, utilitarian... I get frustrated with her on the topic of animals because in her mind - if it messes up the house, if it costs too much money, etc - you put it down. EEK!

So my parents retired to a farmhouse they inherited and there are plenty of somewhat feral cats running around the area. There are two that latched on to my dad and follow him around like puppy dogs. After much convincing, I got them to have the cats spayed/neutered and given shots. (My mom... "they're BARN CATS!") Anyway, we went to visit and my mom had made such a big deal about how they would never have a cat... I don't know why I was surprised, but my dad had created a bed for them in the garage complete with a heating pad, a heated bowl of water, a gigantic supply of dry food, AND they get half a can of wet food every day. Heh, my indoor cat has never had wet food in her life...

I had to laugh. I don't know why I was so worried about the cats welfare with my Dad around. :smile: This is the guy who when they ran over a duck nest with some farm equipment, he rescued the eggs, bought an incubator... He's so awesome.
 

playoutside

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
BEG those kitties are stunning!

My kitty story is complex. He was a stray that found his way to my sister in NJ last February. He would stay on the porch all night, she thought he belonged to someone until she petted him...all matted and several ticks. So she started offering food and put an old mat out for him to sleep on. We have other cats so she couldn't bring him in, but in April she made a vet appt and that is when his life really changed.

Vet determined he was an unneutered male with a puncture wound next to his eye and tested him for FELV/FIV...he was positive for FIV, so vet recommended just putting him down, his assistants advocated for the cat. We went with the cat. Had him neutered, shaved, dipped for ticks and fleas, vaccinated, etc.

So now I am the happy, proud owner of a million dollar cat! He is a Maine Coon cat who has FIV and in the past 9 months has been treated for Lyme disease (he had 15 ticks on him), Bartonella (aka cat scratch fever), worms. He is food OBSESSED...he eats light food and I measure...yet he has grown from 12.5 lbs in April to 19lbs today! :eek: I tell people he is the size of a small lion.

The original vet said he was feral, I say no way. He is very social, perfectly happy living inside now. He had to have belonged to someone at some point. No idea how he ended up as a stray; hate to think someone just dumped him in the woods.

Today I learned he has stomatitus. He had his teeth cleaned, 6 extracted and will be on antibiotics for 30+ days and pain meds for a week. Fingers crossed that he can beat the stomatitus. The FIV and Bartonella make this a very complex situation. He is currently sleeping, but I fear what will happen when his pain meds wear off. He is a gentle soul, but this has to be awful for him.

He has been expensive to own, but worth every penny. I like to think of him as my only vice beside skiing!

Below is how he looked when he arrived a week after his first vet appt. He looked pretty rough.
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Here he is in late May. Fur returning, eye healing, gaining weight.
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And pretty much how he looks today (maybe a 1-2 lbs lighter). He loves smelly shoes. He may be a dog in a cat suit!
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ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
Amazing what some TLC and a good vet can do! :smile:

Hope he gets well soon.
 

RhodySkier

Certified Ski Diva
BEG, great idea starting this thread! Diva cats need attention, too. :smile:
Your cats are beautiful!

playoutside, what a wonderful story about your kitty. I'm sure he feels very loved. I hope he feels better soon!
 
B

B.E.G.

Guest
Thanks guys! And I love hearing about, and seeing pictures of all of your furbabies! I've always loved any and all furry creatures, but I have a whole new appreciation and love for cats after getting my two - they have BIG rambunctious personalities. Am I allowed to link to a Youtube video here? You have to see them jump - they get serious air!

Marge - I want to see pictures of your three! :smile:

Rachel - The claw caps didn't last long. The boys were just way too active and within about 20 minutes of getting them on (and that was a two-person job let me tell you!) at least one would be off. It just wasn't worth it, and now it's MUCH easier and quicker to just clip their claws every couple weeks. Boys hate it, but it's a necessity and it works. I would give it a try - I can do my boys in about 5 minutes each on my own (though 50/50 on getting scratched).

Bounceswoosh - Great idea about the catnip and scratching posts!

SkiDiva - Sophie is gorgeous! I love love black and white cats. My best friend's family has two - littermates - that are black and white and they are huge, gorgeous, furry boys (named Fred and George, love the Harry Potter reference too :P).

MomofRedheads - lol at your DH's family. I do have to admit to baby talking to my cats too though! Though I definitely don't believe in people food - I'm a bit of an obsessive nut about cat food. The boys get grain-free and several different brands mixed in case one brand gets hit with a recall (Innova EVO got bought by Proctor and Gamble recently and I'm a bit meh about that whole thing). Currently they're on Before Grain, Blue Holistic grain-free and Wellness CORE for dry, and Before Grain wet. I'm pickier than they are :P

Altagirl - Awww your dad sounds like such a wonderful person! That is just really sweet and I'm glad those cats (and ducklings!) have found such a good owner in him!

Playoutside - Goodness, look at the change! He's beautiful and looks sooooo much healthier and happier - kudos to you for taking such good care of him, and I'm so glad he's doing better. What's his name btw? I love Maine Coons, though I am deathly allergic to them - I almost got a Siberian because I read that they were more hypoallergenic, but did an allergy test at a Siberian cattery and spent an hour sneezing and sniffling with tears running down my face. I am horribly allergic to pretty much all cats actually as of three years ago (ugh another long story) but fortunately, except once every 6 mos. or so, I'm not allergic at all to my Bengals.
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
This is a picture of my cat, Oscar, that DH took in 2008:

picture.php


She's 11 years old now. She was diagnosed with small cell lymphoma and given six months to live; 12 at the outside. That was three years ago. She wasn't eating or eliminating; we had the vet do exploratory abdominal surgery, which is how we found out about the cancer. She did chemo for a while, and now just does steroids as needed. Her magnificent tail has gotten surprisingly sparse on fur in the last year, so I'm sure she's slowly losing the battle, but she's still doing very well. I figure as long as she's still willing to climb up her cat tree and look down on us all, I don't need to make any tough decisions.

She is a difficult child, but she is mine and I love her. I think of her as "autistic" - actually, though, she was born feral, and I just don't think she's ever gotten over her distrust of people. She will be purring up a storm, then tense up and lash out with no warning. I was also an inexperienced cat owner when I got her, so I didn't put enough effort into socializing her as a kitten.

As for her name ... well, when I first got her she was 10 weeks old, and the vet said she was "probably" a boy. A few months later, I made an appointment to get "him" neutered ... and got quite a surprising call about it! Oscar was already responding to her name, so that was pretty much that. Oscar the girl.
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I am telling ya, if we ever had to pawn a cat off on a relative, he'd have 3 boxes of stuff to go with him! :noidea::noidea::noidea:

Definitely! I think my pets are usually more up to date on medical stuff than I am =P
 

RachelV

Administrator
Staff member
I could have read it wrong, but I'm guessing since the claws are "killing her and her comforter" that cat isn't using either as a scratching post, but having fun chasing/attacking toes, fingers, etc. as they move under a blanket. (As opposed to using furniture as a scratching post.)

She is killing me with the KNEADING. She is actually less interested playing than any cat I've ever met, but man oh man is she interested in napping on laps, and she can't sit without impaling me at least once beforehand. I'd also like to occasionally be able to drift off to sleep without having to worry about comforter-kneading avoidance tactics. :smile:

Anyways, this is her, trying to look like she didn't spend the 45 seconds before laying down slowly teasing pieces of the comforter that my aunt crocheted for me apart:

4875563265_2712f261d1.jpg


She is pretty much the chillest, friendliest cat ever, though.
 

playoutside

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
This is a picture of my cat, Oscar, that DH took in 2008:

picture.php


She's 11 years old now. She was diagnosed with small cell lymphoma and given six months to live; 12 at the outside. That was three years ago. She wasn't eating or eliminating; we had the vet do exploratory abdominal surgery, which is how we found out about the cancer. She did chemo for a while, and now just does steroids as needed. Her magnificent tail has gotten surprisingly sparse on fur in the last year, so I'm sure she's slowly losing the battle, but she's still doing very well. I figure as long as she's still willing to climb up her cat tree and look down on us all, I don't need to make any tough decisions.

She is a difficult child, but she is mine and I love her. I think of her as "autistic" - actually, though, she was born feral, and I just don't think she's ever gotten over her distrust of people. She will be purring up a storm, then tense up and lash out with no warning. I was also an inexperienced cat owner when I got her, so I didn't put enough effort into socializing her as a kitten.

As for her name ... well, when I first got her she was 10 weeks old, and the vet said she was "probably" a boy. A few months later, I made an appointment to get "him" neutered ... and got quite a surprising call about it! Oscar was already responding to her name, so that was pretty much that. Oscar the girl.

Your Oscar looks just like my last cat...her name was Jake! Got her from a friend who said she was a boy named Jake...looked at about 6 months and realized he was a she! She also had lymphoma for the last 2 years of her life. She lived to be 20.5 years! She also had the personality like you describe...she would suddenly turn from a lovebug to wild. Twice I ended up in the ER with serious puncture wounds on my hands. I hope your kitty continues her fight and that you get many more joyful moments with Oscar.

Here's a picture of Jake when she was 19

picture.php
 

playoutside

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
...

Playoutside - Goodness, look at the change! He's beautiful and looks sooooo much healthier and happier - kudos to you for taking such good care of him, and I'm so glad he's doing better. What's his name btw? I love Maine Coons, though I am deathly allergic to them - I almost got a Siberian because I read that they were more hypoallergenic, but did an allergy test at a Siberian cattery and spent an hour sneezing and sniffling with tears running down my face. I am horribly allergic to pretty much all cats actually as of three years ago (ugh another long story) but fortunately, except once every 6 mos. or so, I'm not allergic at all to my Bengals.

Oops. I was so focused on his medical stuff yesterday that I didn't tell you his name...it's Kittery after the town in Maine. I gave him that name when he first showed up and was living on the porch. Really I call him Big Guy or Lovebug most of the time...because he is both! He is doing great after all his mouth trauma yesterday. He is eating soft food and taking oral meds with no fight. He slept a lot last evening, prob from the anesthesia. Today he is rolling around on his back, purring, rubbing his head against mine. He is giving no signs of the pain he must have in his mouth. He's really a great cat!

Too bad you are allergic to Maine Coons. This is my first one and I'd say it is the perfect family cat. He is so chill and loves company. He's been a very good addition to my home.
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
She is killing me with the KNEADING. She is actually less interested playing than any cat I've ever met, but man oh man is she interested in napping on laps, and she can't sit without impaling me at least once beforehand. I'd also like to occasionally be able to drift off to sleep without having to worry about comforter-kneading avoidance tactics. :smile:

Adorable! I can't help with kitty kneading issues =/ Oscar likes to knead stuff occasionally, but she tends to prefer the bellies of teddy bears! I have a teddy bear with a totally bare belly!


Your Oscar looks just like my last cat...her name was Jake! Got her from a friend who said she was a boy named Jake...looked at about 6 months and realized he was a she! She also had lymphoma for the last 2 years of her life. She lived to be 20.5 years! She also had the personality like you describe...she would suddenly turn from a lovebug to wild. Twice I ended up in the ER with serious puncture wounds on my hands. I hope your kitty continues her fight and that you get many more joyful moments with Oscar.

Here's a picture of Jake when she was 19

What a coincidence! But I don't see the picture ...

Fortunately Oscar's worst has been just breaking the skin a little when I tried to hold her while the vet shaved the long fur on her back legs (we now use scissors; nothing electric). That was through a few layers, though ... 99% of the time there's a barely-visible scratch or nothing at all. It's still upsetting, but not damaging. If she were a dog, I think I'd know what to do, but cats are tough. I wouldn't let a child play with her; I warn adult visitors and then they can make their own decisions. She's not very social to begin with, so if you're within claw's reach of her, it's because you made the choice!
 

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