Your very first kitty experience!

[Kirsten]

Just curious! When did the first feline walk into your life on soft paws? Did you grow up with cats or have you already been an adult when you fell in love with our furry friends?

As far as I'm concerned, I always wanted a kitty! We always had ferals in our backyard, dozens of them with the cutest kittens in the summer, so I spend my time trying to gain their confidence. I was happy when my mother allowed to buy some cat food for them. Seeing these kitten play each summer is one of my happiest childhood memories!

Unfortunately, my parents never allowed to have my own kitty. I always wanted to have one but their answer has always been "no". So I was already 18 when I got my first one. She was a beautiful persian with the name Aysche, but she died from FIP only one and a half year later. But I couldn't imagine a life without cats anymore. I've got my Katz and lived with her for 14 years, and now I'm living with Luna. For me, a house without cats isn't a home.

What's your first experience with cats? When did you fall in love with these wonderful animals?

Kirsten

[Former User]

Well, when I was a little girl, we had a cat, but I can't remember anything else from it except his name, and that he was greyish in colour. I was so young then. After that, I haven't had cats, but dogs

I've always been a cat person though, and so has my fiancee, that's why we have two cute cats here now, whom we love very much. We got them at the end of July this year, and ever since that, they've stolen our hearts completely, they are so adorable! Sometimes little monsters too, but mainly they behave

[tuxluvr]

I grew up on a farm, so there were always at least a dozen barn cats and some pseudo-house kitties around - the entire community of them would rally round the milk pail when my dad would milk the cow. He used to squirt milk into an aluminum pie tin, most of which would be licked off fur because it was more a play event than a feeding.

My childhood companion was a muscular orange tabby tom who lived at least 13 years, then mysteriously disappeared. My mom used him as a fuzzy alarm clock, letting him into the house in the morning so he would run upstairs and wake me.

As an adult, I've had a few cats, but did a lot of traveling, which did not make for the best pet ownership scenario. About a year ago, my spouse decided it was time for an "indoor only" kitty. One of my coworkers had a cat with kittens, and I said I only wanted one if they had a black and white, preferably with tux marks....thinking this was a shot in a million, I figured--what are the chances....then they sent me this picture. The rest, as they say, is history





[ October 14, 2001: Message edited by: tuxluvr ]

[Sia1]

Growing up, I actually was not fond of kitties-I was a dog person to the core. My senior year of high school, however, my sister-in-law's kitty gave birth and I got to help take care of them while she was away. I fell in love with the black female runt (to see her now, you would never think it-she's my chubs!). I went off to college and a year later, I found out the original owners could no longer keep Shadow and Whisper, and for a birthday present, my brother brought them down to live with me. About six months later, my fiancee brought home a little orange tabby girl, whom we named Callie, and it's been heaven ever since. I couldn't imagine not coming home to them...they make my house, a home.

[cr7clark]

When I was a child, we had a few feral stray cats around the house (we lived in the country), but the first cat I owned was a gray and black striped tabby called Tiger. His mom was a stray that came to live with us and shortly thereafter had kittens. Tiger was the youngest, and the runt, and he became my cat. He'd follow me around like a dog, begging for attention. I'd pick him up and wear him around my neck like a great big fur collar, he loved it! We never had him declawed and he was so gentle. Even when we baby-sat four year old kids, the kids could play with Tiger, pick him up, etc. and he would never ever scratch or bite. He got so big, I think he must have been 15 pounds, when he laid on your lap it felt like a ton of bricks! Tiger was an outdoor cat and got hit by a car when I was 16, I cried for days.
I didn't get another cat until I got married, then my husband and I adopted a fluffy pale orange male tabby called Frisky, and he was a playful lover boy. We had to give him to my uncle because we couldn't keep him in our apartment.
When we bought our house in 1984, we promptly adopted four cats and have had cats ever since then, about six or seven of them but we only have Miss Bo now. She's the perfect cat!

[purrley]

When I was really small we took a trip to California to see my grandmother. Someone (can't remember who) had some really tiny kittens which were not quite ready to leave Mom. We had to return home to Utah and my parents let me have one of the kittens. We bottle fed him and he grew up to be a most beautiful Kallie cat (grey & white stripped kitty). We have pictures when I was about 6 or 7 with me and Kallie. I'm now 51 so that was quite a while ago

[Uniqueviking]

Actually it was only 3 months ago! I love all animals with a passion, and then I heard of Beans through some peps. They knew she was being abused (she was hit ) - I said, she could stay here with me until we found a new home for her - 3 hours later she moved in (She was delivered to me in a plastic bag...can you believe it )
When it was time to give her up I simply couldn't - She had already become my "Egyptian princess" as I call her.

A month later I heard of a litter of kittens that needed new homes asap. I thought it was time for Beans to get a lil sis anyway - she needed a companion, coz it was obvious she didn't like to be left alone when I went to work = "Her Naughtyness" arrived - that's Bladie, lol

4 days ago my friend told me about this lil kitten she found on the highway going home from work...a day later Jade moved in with me and my babies and she seems to like it here, lol


...and this was the story how Viking became a cat mommy with 3 furry kids

[NoahsMommy]

I love reading these stories!! Great topic!

I have never been a cat person, can you believe it? My entire family does not like cats...my grandpa used to put nail strips on the block wall that surrounded his yard so cats wouldn't come in!!

Anyway, when I met my hubby I also met his cat, Zeplan. She is a totally sweet cat, something that I wasn't used to. When we got married in May, he said he wanted a kitty. So, in June, we brought home our baby Noah...

I have fallen totally in love with him!! I can't get enough of watching him play and cuddling with him at 4:00 in the morning...

[tuxluvr]

Noah's Mom: My better half was also a "catagnostic" of sorts - always talked about getting a dog...so imagine my surprise when he made a decision to get "me" a cat.
Our kitty has an enormous place in both our hearts. We have both come to appreciate the plusses of sharing the home with a kitty - they are quite easy to keep, all things considered. How can you look at those faces and be anything but happy

[AvaJoy]

The first cat that I recall was named Gussie. I was just a little girl and remember carrying her down the dark basement stairs when suddenly she freaked out and clawed up my face!

Many times, a harrowing experience with an animal at a young age will cause fear in the heart forever, but somewhere along the road to adulthood I must have put it in proper perspective.

I love all animals (and do not eat them), but cats (maybe because I am a Leo and can relate on some level??) reign supreme in my book.

[shais_mom]

My sister and I had cats when I was 5, I had a yellow kitty named Goldust and my sister had a black tiger striped named Blacky. Saddly my sister's cat didn't make it past kittenhood, (won't go into details) and then we got our 1st dog, Sparky, who hated Goldust and vice versa!! So Goldust died at about a year or 2 old. Not a very nice start with cats!!!
I too, was like those who wasn't much of a cat person, my family doesn't really like cats. My sister's boyfriend bought her a kitty for Christmas, whose name is Tangerine Christmas aka Tango, when they first started dating and he is 13 years old now. My parents FREAKED!!! But once I got Shaianne, I started to become more of an animal lover thru and thru. I started thinking about getting Shaianne a playmate and couldn't afford another dog........
Then Kylie needed a home, she was so unhappy, I decided to take her. So I got her in June (5 mos ago)and can't imagine life without her now. She has been a Godsend to me these past 2 mos w/o Shaianne. She is so sweet and loving and such a cuddler. I hate spending the nights away from her, w/o her cuddling with her. The other day I woke up with her cheek pressed against mine, and she was just sleepin' away!!!
I never thought I would have a cat in my life, now I can't imagine NOT having one!!!

[Logan]

All of these stories are so special. When I was 7 and my sister was 11, one of our friends took in a pregnant stray. The mama had only one kitten, and was very sick. The little orange boy came to live with us when he was 3 weeks old. Boy did we beg our dad, who is not a cat lover, to please let us have him. Finally, he agreed. Tigger was literally "H%*& on wheels" for the first few years of his life. He broke things, clawed the furniture, would leave for days at a time, scratched me, etc. He was very much like my Butter, as a matter of fact, but would let you hold him occassionally. AvaJoy, I had the "climbing the face" experience with him too. But that boy was so special. He sucked our fingers, I guess because he had been taken from his mama too soon. In his later years, my dad took care of him more than anyone. He lived to be 18 years old, and I can remember lying in bed, crying on my husband's shoulder when they called to tell me that he had died in his sleep.

[DNova]

Growing up, we always had cats. First it was Tippy and Smoky. Tippy was a marbled black and white tabby, and Smoky was a russian blue that my parents found in a parking lot as a kitten. When I was about 4 tippy died, and my parents wanted a second cat. We got Tony the Tiger then. We had Smoky and Tony until I was about 12, when my father was fed up with their urinating in the basement, but that was because he didn't clean the box enough, which I just recently found out ... so they were given away to other homes. I was really devastated, and lonely in my now petless home. I am an only child so the cats really helped alleviate boredom sometimes. I'm 17 now, and away at college. I've bred hamsters and had a parakeet since the cats, but nothing compares to a cat. So now I'm considering getting a kitten. I live in an apartment that doesn't allow them though so I will have to be sneaky about it

[4 feline house]

Oooh, DNova, I hope you reconsider your idea and think what might happen it you're caught! Please don't think I'm trying to judge you because I have certainly "sneaked", too, but I always had cats in an apartment that allowed pets, but then didn't declare them to escape the larcenous fees most landlords charge. That way, if I was caught (only once - except once more in a no-pets apartment) then the only thing that would happen is that I would have to pay the fees anyway. But if you get caught in a no pets apartment, you will have no choice but to get rid of your cat - Florida laws probably vary from Texas laws, but here you have only 24 hours to get rid of the unallowed pet or face eviction. This is one of the major factors for people, especially students, surrendering their pets to the local shelters. The only time I was caught in a no-pets apartment was when Peaches moved in with us and we decided to keep her, but immediately started looking for another home, so that when we were caught that time there was little the landlord could do since we were going to be gone by the end of the week anyway.

Anyway, just a thought....