Newbie here - need your help, rescued our 4th cat today!

[MichiganCatLover]

Allow myself to introduce...myself.

My name is Krissy, and I'm a 20 year old cat lover living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This morning, I had three cats. This evening, I have four.

We feed our cats strictly Iams, and my husband usually goes to our local Petsmart to pick up a bag. Well, for the past month, he has been whining [and he claims he wasn't a cat person before we married!] about an adorable cat named Bobby in the Luv-A-Pet adoption center [Petsmart works only through animal rescue/humane societies]. My response was always the same:

"Honey, we can't get another. We already have three!", blah blah blah.

Finally, I had had enough of his whining. I went to Petsmart with him, and saw him - and my heart melted. 1 year old, golden tiger striped and white, with no tail. He looked to sad, we just had to get him.

So we brought him home.

He was pretty spooked at first [as our other cats were when we rescued them], but he's really affectionate now. He loves to flop on the bed and stretch, while butting his head under our hand so we can scratch him.

However, what I'm wondering is, does the fact that he has no tail [just a teeny stump - right above his behind - it's cute, actually] affect his ability to jump and balance? I haven't seen him jump on the bed yet - just off.

Also, any advice to rid him of that playful biting that he seems to love?

We're keeping him in our bedroom, door closed, so the cats can have a chance to sniff under the doors, stick their paws under, etc - so they can get used to each other.

Thanks for listening - please post any and all advice you might have!

With appreciation,
Krissy

------------------
4 cats + 1 husband = a happy house!

[MichiganCatLover]

Oh, and if you want to see my existing beauties, feel free to go to:
http://thenightlight.net/uploads/thekittens.jpg



------------------
4 cats + 1 husband = a happy house!

[Gio]

First of all welcome!

I'm not an expect by all means but I don't think that the fact of his tail will prevent him from jumping. Cats adjust quite well. Both my sister and I have adopted cats that lost a limb after an accident. My Prema has 3/4 of her right front leg missing. She sort of knows her limits (she learnt to "break" on big jump in 2 smaller ones) and very high places are off-bounds (causing some frustration when my other 2 cats jump as high as possible to get away from her)but overall she has adjusted very well and, she is forever jumping on and off chairs, my bed... and she is the fastest of my happy family.

My sister's cat lost her back leg right at her hip bone(and her other back leg was also badly broken), when she first got her home she used to drag herself with her front legs when she wanted to get on the bed but the other day when she was running (literally)around with my sister's other cats she jumped on a chair with a perfect jump. My sister was so happy and she called me immediately. And now there is no stopping her.

Both these cats are indoor cats though.

I hope I did not go on too much and that my post my be of some help.

PS I had a look at your beauties, they really are beautiful.


[This message has been edited by Gio (edited May 08, 2001).]

[Pam]

Michigan Cat Lover...Welcome to Pet Talk! First of all let me compliment you on your little ones. They are adorable! You mentioned that Bobby is one year old and I guess technically still a kitten at heart. When we got my second cat, as a tiny kitten, we kept him pretty much away from my first cat on the vet's advice until he could be tested. He was allowed to sniff cat #1 under the door just like you are doing. During that time he was a little devil. He chewed and nibbled and nibbled and chewed on our fingers. I was actually starting to wonder if I could handle him (silly me...he was a little over a pound at the time!) Shortly after being given the freedom to run all over the house and mingle with cat #1 he was absolutely fine. I am far from a cat expert (having actually started my love affair with cats only 8 years ago...those who have had cats all of their life may have much more to add) but I think maybe Bobby's age is playing a part in his nibbling and also being kept apart from the others. Hopefully he'll be just fine very soon. Let us know how you get on.

[nsweezie]

Hello and welcome!
Your cats are too cute.
My cat Scooter used to bite alot when he was a kitten, but as soon as he grew up a little he stopped. My other cat Clyde was the same way, once he wasn't a kitten anymore, he didn't bite, except for what I call "love bites", which is when he will nibble on my cheek in the morning trying to get me up.
So I guess the best thing to do is gently remove your hand if he bites and say no. He should grow out of it.

[Ben E Gas]

Unfortunatly, My cat doesn't understand the loud "OUCH!" I say it all the time. My only defense when he wants to 'play bite' is to have a squirt bottle handy. even then he just tries to bite the water. but atleast it's not my leg.

[margaret]

Your cats are so sweet! And contgratulations to you and your husband for the rescue and for caring enough to take on this 4th kitty! I hope your new one eventually stops the "play bites", or at least the biting becomes less frequent. My second cat does the same thing, although it's not a frequent/constant thing. I've learned to live with it. Like "nsweezie", my cat does it to get me up out of bed in the morning. She's kind of like a snooze alarm because if I ignore her the first time she "bites" me, she'll come back and do it again after a while (I usually get up by the second time because that's all I can take!). Congratulations, again, and thanks for showing the photos! Keep us posted on how things go with cat #4 and the rest of your family!

------------------
~Margaret

[This message has been edited by margaret (edited May 08, 2001).]

[Meow101]

Hello, and Welcome to Cat Talk!! Your kitties are adorable! I'm Mary, Mom of Boogie, my sweet little Domestic Short-Haired Tuxedo. I really don't know about the biting problem (I've never been through anything like that with Boogie) except that it is probably just a phase. I'm sure most kittens (or even some cats) do that when they are young and un-trained. Manx's have the (quite amazing) ability to jump and balance without a tail. I've always liked Manx's, especially because most (I'm not sure if all) are black and white. I hope to see a picture of kitty # 4 soon!!
Good luck with him!
-Mary
Website: http://www.angelfire.com/al3/coolcatband/index.html

[MichiganCatLover]

Hi there, everyone!!

WOW, I have not felt so accepted and welcomed since I admitted to my friend Lisa that I have "Evita" and "Phantom of the Opera" memorized and she told me that she did, too!

One thing I should clarify, though - the cat is not a Manx, he is a domestic short hair who had his tail amputated [maybe it got run over by a car, perhaps?]. He's still the biggest sweetheart! He looks just darling!

We're trying out names: Oscar? Oliver? Ringo?

I guess I spoke too soon with the "will he be able to jump?" thing, because this little guy has been literally bouncing off the bed. As soon as I got off the computer, I walked in the bedroom and he jumped up on the bed [hurray!]. And in the middle of the night, while he was sleeping between the two of us, he proceeded to leap in the air and in to a partially opened dresser drawer! It woke us up, but it was hysterical. You can really start to see this little guy's personality. SO playful! And all you have to do is say "Hi, baaaaaaby!" and he starts purring up a storm. Nevermind the fact that he smooshes his face against ours and rubs against it. It is SO precious!

One thing I was concerned about, though [and Spencer mentioned], when I have been rubbing his belly, occasionally I'll feel something wet. I wonder if his having no tail somehow prevents him from being as dry as his brothers and sister.

Again, I cannot express to you how happy I am to have found you guys. Everyone teases me that I treat my cats too much like little children, and I'll end up being an "old cat lady" when I retire. Bring it on! It is so nice to know that others love their cats as much as I do. They are truly our family - not just furry friends.

Krissy

------------------
4 cats + 1 husband = a happy house!

[This message has been edited by MichiganCatLover (edited May 08, 2001).]

[Jasper's Mom]

Welcome, welcome, always glad to meet someone new, and such pretty babies you have.

Although now missing since March, my sweet kitty Jasper, 5 years old, was rescued from under a truck in a parking lot. His tiny baby tail had been injured so badly that there was almost no flesh or hair, hardly anything on it but bone. He had to have it amputated.

Growing up with no tail has not slowed him down in any way. His balance is great. He also has a tiny (1") stub. When we would pet him from his head, down towards his tail, his tail stub would wiggle back and forth with pleasure. A cat with a tail amputated at an older age might feel off balance a bit, but probably would compensate for it and be back to normal quickly.

When you mention being wet, is that in maybe urine? If that, I don't think so. Their pepe is quite a ways from the tummy. Maybe he likes to lie on some damp area you haven't discovered yet. Being no expert by far, hope someone else has an idea on this.

[cprince]

Hi and welcome! I am relatively new to pet talk as well and only have wonderful things to say about the people here!

I have an outside cat that we rescued that we believe lost her tail in a fanbelt accident (just a theory). Her name is Sugar and she keeps up with the other 14 outside kitties on our farm. I'm sure Oliver/Oscar/ Ringo will compensate just fine! His biggest hurdle has already been cleared - he has a wonderful loving family!

As for the bites, just give him time to chill out in his new home. When my babies get bitey, I just tell them NO! Then I usually get up or put them down (whatever the case) to let them know my displeasure. My babies have basically all grown out of the biting stage. Whew

BTW, in addition to my 15 outside babies, I have 3 outside dogs and 3 inside cats (and no, our name's not MacDonald! )

Congratulations on your newest addition -- your home sounds wonderful and your babies are beautiful! Looking forward to hearing more about O/O/R in the future (picture too!).

[This message has been edited by cprince (edited May 09, 2001).]