It?s hard to say good bye

[Allen]

I think you have waited long enough and should adopt another miniature Schnauzer. We both know the feeling. Your dog and my cat were always there to give or demand attention. They occupied a lot of our days and nights. Now the house is empty and too quiet. We both loved our pets. It is time to let him go and give some other dog a great home.

I hear ya. If one comes our way, maybe, but we're not going to go and seek one. They don't live long and the heart just can't take another loss like this. I have a 2 acre fenced in yard and have wanted to get 4 or 5 hens to eat the clover and dandelions that sprout up. Now, I don't even want to pursue that. A chicken is not a dog or cat but still, over time, there may come some attachment and they too will die on my watch.

My mother once had a female Golden Retriever too, a beautiful dog perhaps only a year or two old. She also has a 2 acre fenced in yard. My brother paid her a visit and left the gate open. While inside visiting my mother the dog went through the gate and was instantly struck and killed on the highway. A very sweet loving dog that we didn't have long, nor get to know very well.

Getting to cats. Not only do they have different breeds, I've noticed by color too that their personalities differ, the Siamese being the most loyal and "one owner" species of them all.

Where I live we have shelters of course but also have a PetSmart where you can adopt cats. They have a small room you go into and hold them one at a time. You can see which ones may take a liking to you. It's easier than gong to a shelter and the adoption rate is high so the selection changes from day to day. Some shelters, particularly the "no kill" shelters, have on-line sites where you view what they have.

My wife has an aunt who lost her Toy Poodle. They wanted another pet but wanted something way different so as to not think about the loss of the Poodle so they got a grown cat. It turned out that the cat became vicious, would bite them to the point of drawing blood and even attack them while they slept. They ended up taking the cat to the vet to have it put down or see what was going on. It turned out the cat was allergic to the food they were giving it. This was years ago, all is well, and they love the cat. Just an FYI.

Good luck with your new adoption.

[Merc]

5D792A80-6F84-4A7A-8F58-853F6722D4FE.jpgWe adopted a 4 month old male kitten named Beckham last night from a pet rescue known as Homeward Bound of West Virginia. We were taken in by his warm and friendly personality. The attached photos pretty much tell “Hammy’s” story. He’ll be available to come home with us after he receives his final vaccination next week.

F8580970-A9E4-4B92-8924-98A855167C00.jpg2498900F-9CE9-4249-A3CF-44C6279174AF.jpgCBD446CC-37BB-48C8-AD34-A1D8A7EA0BCC.jpg

[Allen]

Congrats. Looks like you did well.

Just another FYI and perhaps you know it. If you let him in and out he will probably "tomcat" some when he gets older, staying gone for long periods of time and coming home all scratched up. If you keep him inside he may "mark" his territory or pee on everything.

Just the nature of a male cat. Getting them fixed early in life helps but doesn't always eliminate the problem completely.

[Merc]

I can think of four neutered indoor male cats in my family who never did that. Hammy will be an indoor cat and was neutered when he was 12 weeks old. It is a gamble for sure. You never know how they will turn out, but we are willing to give him a chance.

[Allen]

Males usually have a more gentle nature around humans. Some never scratch even accidentally.

[Merc]

The cat rescue is actually a group of families in WV. The couple who are raising Hammy are currently hand raising more than a dozen kittens ranging in age from a few weeks to several months. Hammy was only a few weeks old when he was acquired by the rescue and appears to be the oldest kitten there at about 4 months and is the first available for adoption. The rest are in the process of being vaccinated and are scheduled to have neutering surgery at some point in the next few weeks so they won’t be available for adoption for at least another month. It is hard to look around and not to be taken over by the cuteness. The rescuers watch tv every evening while handling or bottle feeding a lap full of really tiny kittens. Hammy is a prime example of what gentle handling at an early age can do.

[Merc]

Hammy turned out to be a great addition to our family. He’s very friendly to everyone he meets and very playful.

[Merc]

What a handsome little guy Hammy turned out to be at six months. Weighs around 10 pounds. The tiger stripes are stunning. He continues to be extremely friendly and still likes to be held. He is more like a dog that follows us from room to room and wants to be a part of everything we do.

148FA1AA-F080-46EB-A3EA-5AC9A387DB10.jpg

[Allen]

My first "best friend" was a tomcat marked similar to yours and had 4 white feet (Boots). It was my grandmothers cat where I was dropped off every morning by my mother on her way to work. I was only 2 or 3 and carried that cat around like a forklift with both my arms stuck out. Being a tom in particular he let me do most anything and waited for me to show up in the mornings. Very gentle and never scratched.

I remember every animal I grew up with (there was a bunch) and miss them all.

[Kragrifle]

Might as well jump in here. A few months ago a little male tabby started following us when I walked Tinkerbell, our 5 year old Bichon. Needless to say , since he kept hanging around I adopted him and at 7 months had him neutered and vaccinated.
He lives in our sunroom but I have been letting him out during the day, bringing him in the afternoon, only feeding him inside. Now two months later he often likes to get a little rough when playing and really doesn?t much like to be held. He is very good inside always using the litter box and never spraying.
Should I keep him inside more in an effort to make him more gentle? Will he grow out of it?
Thanks

[Allen]

He is very good inside always using the litter box and never spraying.
Should I keep him inside more in an effort to make him more gentle? Will he grow out of it?
Thanks

Since he isn't spraying (and having him neutered young helps with that) I would say yes, of course. He will get closer to you and start sleeping at the foot of your bed if you let him. Also, some sunrooms get very hot, some have little to no ventilation or air current.

You might consider installing a pet door to the sunroom in order to keep his liter box (and odors) out of the main house?

As far as being held, some cats don't like to feel "crowded" or restricted. Best for him to come to you rather than you go to him. Remember, that's how you two met in the first place. HE came to you.

[Merc]

The female cat that we lost to cancer in April was a lot like your male cat. She eventually became friendly but play time usually got kinda rough. She liked to sleep on my lap and was not really all that fond of being held early but that changed as she grew older.

Cats begin to develop mentally at a very young age, perhaps within the first few weeks of their lives once their eyes open. They become used the warmth of being with and fed by their mother and the warmth and comfort of being in close contact with siblings. Insert a human at this stage to provide food and warmth and the cat will associate all the creature comforts it has become to enjoy with humans.

My kitten was rescued from a hoarder while he was only a few weeks old and was in bad shape. He was starving and had an umbilical hernia that left a three inch scar once the vet performed surgery. The rescue organization fed him every few hours, nursed him back to health and held him every night until we adopted him when he was 4 months old. Since he was handled and held every day when he was very young, he seeks that same attention from us. Imagine waking up from a nap on your favorite recliner with a 10 pound 6 month old kitten laying on your chest purring in your face.

I would give your new friend some space and show him as much kindness and attention as possible and I think he will eventually begin to associate the finer things in his life with you. Play with a chase toy, feed him, give him treats, pet and brush him and see what effect that has. It could take a long time but will be worth it.

[Kragrifle]

Thanks for the advice!