I stopped at the ASPCA to see what kitties were available.

[Paper Roses]

I think I'm going to adopt a new kitty. The price has gone down from $150.00 to $65.00. It will be a stretch to find even that much but I would have done so. They had very few available. I can't get myself to adopt a black cat because I have a lot of beige rugs. I also have a certain look they I am seeking. Round face, slightly longish fur, female. Two looked nice but the attendants would not open the cages for me. Quarantined for some reason.

I plan to try another shelter next week, maybe I'll be lucky.

I would like a kitten but they are more expensive.

[liberalla]

1. You could also browse through Petfinder.com

I'm soon to be adopting a new kitty also, and ran across their website. Enter your zipcode and few other specifics and you'll have quite a list to look at, from many different shelters and rescue groups.

[david13]

2. If the cat is more than 3 years old, at some places, there is no fee.

But more importantly, a cat older than 3 is the one who really needs some help. Everybody wants a kitten. But the older cat needs help. Think of the animal, as well as your own needs and desires.
dc

[Warpy]

3. Adopting an adult kitty is incredibly rewarding

In the beginning, you think you've made a mistake because they'll be a little standoffish, especially when their last situation was less than ideal. However, when the switch trips inside that furry skull and they accept you as their new companion, they're astonishingly grateful, something you just never get with a kitten.

In addition, they've generally learned a few words and some manners. You don't have to pick them off the curtains or teach them that electric cords are not playthings.

I'm at an age when I can't consider adopting a kitten. I don't want to risk dying and leaving a companion animal behind. When my present geriatric rescued kitty goes, I'll be catless for the first time in my life.

If I crack, I'll find a geriatric cat on death row to adopt.

[Paper Roses]

12. Hi Warpy, You may remember my post about my adopted kitty

that attacked the dog and then bit me. She was so sweet but not for this house.

I would love to adopt an older kitty and can segregate the dog and cat.I have the dog only 3 days a week, 7 to 6. The problem here is the price. I make no bones about the fact that things are tight. My local shelter still wants $150.00 to adopt. Not unreasonable but I just don't have it.
I keep looking to see if someone is moving and would like to find a home. I have a kitty ready and waiting in California, a stray that found my sister but I can't get her here.

Years ago, my kitties came to the door and introduced themselves as new members of the family.
No visitors for years.

[spooky3]

22. You are 100% right. The switch doesn't go off at the same time for all pets

but it always does at some point, in my experience. I have one now who is a hard nut to crack but after a year I am beginning to see a little softening around the edges! In contrast, I have two others who each made themselves right at home within 24 hours, though one of them continues to engage in weird behaviors that are probably holdovers from the many previous homes he had in his young life, but we've finally discovered some things that work with him (a particular kind of toy and treat).

I have a friend who works with a rescue and fosters cats with terminal illnesses. She gives them the best home they have ever had. It's heart breaking for her when she loses them, but she does so with the knowledge that they had some happiness and the best care possible in their final days. So good on you for considering something similar.

[kestrel91316]

4. I got a GREAT cat for free off Craigslist last winter from a private party.

[liberalla]

7. Your post made me go check out Craigslist!

I'd never thought of that before. I found these two beautiful calico girls, Sugar and Spice: http://tucson.craigslist.org/pet/1500888640.html

This part of the ad seemed curious: "They are sisters and about 4 years old. Have had them since they were kittens. Both girls only have their canine teeth (they had severe gingivitis which ate away at most of their teeth- forcing the vet to remove them) but are able to eat dry food without a problem."


Is it odd that both young cats had severe enough gingivitis as to require teeth extraction, leaving only the canine? Is that a red flag? The identical teeth problems seem odd to me, but perhaps I'm being overly cautious or suspicious.

Other than that, they sound wonderful. Thanks for your input.

[musette_sf]

8. re cats & "gingivitis"

I suppose it is possible that the cats had gingivitis, but I suspect the problem was actually Feline Oral Absorptive Lesions.

This problem is NOT decay -- see the site below.

http://www.mypetsdentist.com/site/view/113044_ToothResorption.pml

I am all too familiar with these lesions as one of my guys had quite a few teeth extracted due to this problem.

HTH

[liberalla]

10. Ooooh, that is some ugly stuff! poor babies...

Thanks for the info. I guess I've been lucky with only needing teeth cleaning on my two kitties.

But, isn't it odd that their dental problems have been identical? That they've had the exact same teeth removed? That's what seems weird to me.

[ginnyinWI]

9. in my experience, calicos seem to have more dental problems.

The one we have now needs her teeth brushed to avoid a lot of tartar. One I know of lost her front teeth due to something or other. I've also heard that cats with orange fur have more dental problems.

Cats really don't need teeth if they aren't eating something like live prey. With cat food wet or dry they tend to just swallow it with little if any chewing.

[musette_sf]

11. In my experience, the calico had less dental problems

It was the brown tabby in my house with the dental problems, the calico had great teeth. They were litter mates. So not so sure on the calico connection here.

[MrsMatt]

13. I don't find the dental problems

to be unusual at all - one of my cats had 5 teeth extracted two years ago (right before Christmas) at age 4. My vet said that some cats are more prone to dental decay, just like people. The doctor said that he'd probably lose more, but was hopeful that Stanley would be able to keep his canines (which will keep his tongue from hanging out of his mouth).

If the cats are littermates, as I suspect they are, they may both be prone to dental disease due.

[Paper Roses]

14. I checked out Craigslist and found some beautiful kittens. The seller wanted $65.00

each. Certainly not a bad price but with check-up, shots and spaying, the price goes up mightily. One of them is just what I want but I will have to pass. Maybe the shelter will find some others to adopt. Here the shelter prices are high, recession or not. The good part is that the kitties are medically tested and spayed. I just can't find the one that speaks to me in a mutual language. Pet owners know what I mean.

[Withywindle]

17. Craigslist can be decent, but I still find shelters are a better option.

I adopted my girl from Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago. I paid $65, and that included medical tests, shots, spaying, microchipping, and a good-sized bag of cat food thrown in.

She wasn't a kitten, though, she was (best guess) 2 and a half years old. Which is good - I wanted a cat who was not too needy and already litterbox trained.

We might still have two decades together - I had a friend who passed away at 42, and she had a 22-year-old cat who outlived her.

[ginnyinWI]

23. my daughter adopted a cat about that same age...

it is now 13 years later and she's still going strong.

Here she is:

[spooky3]

19. have you tried petfinder.com?

[roody]

5. An older cat is a shorter commitment. Something to consider.

[Sanity Claws]

6. Adult cats are great

I adopted an adult cat. In all honesty, it took him longer than a kitten to bond strongly with me but now he is as tightly bonded to me as the kitten I adopted at the same time.

[badgerpup]

15. Putting in a word for the ninja kitties...

Black cats are sweet, loving and intelligent. I've had nine over the years, four of whom are with me now. They're also elegant and beautiful...and if brushed regularly aren't any more of a problem for shedding than any other cat.

[auntAgonist]

16. I see so many kittens offered FREE on freecycle in my area

If there's a yahoo freecycle group in your area you might join and keep an eye on the postings.

good luck :)

aA
kesha

[spooky3]

18. It's great that you are going to adopt, but please bear in mind

that vet bills can be big and unexpected if the kitty gets sick or has a congenital condition no one knows about, so if the adoption fee is a stretch, you may run into problems later. Maybe better to save a bit more first?

[badgerpup]

20. This is true...

I've been VERY grateful that I'm able to handle a part-time job to supplement my SSDI...otherwise my monsters might have been in trouble this last year.
Think I've dropped over a grand this last year for the "Support your Neighborhood Veterinarian" drive that my clowder seems to have been holding...

No major illnesses, thank FSM...but Wimsey's subluxated elbow required X-rays and the services of a vet who was rather expensive (well worth it, and I do not grudge a PENNY of her fee), Finn earned a trip to the kitty emergency room because he came home disoriented, lethargic, and his eyes looked 'wrong' (fever and slight dehydration due to incipient abscess). It was also the year to renew the 3-year rabies shots for four cats; administering the rabies vaccine requires a vet visit; that's a live virus and a very nasty one indeed (I give them their annual 4-way distemper + fe-leuk shots myself).
There are also 16 doses of Cestex (anti-tapeworm med adminstered 4x a year for 4 cats; I have successful hunters and Finnegan especially seems to have an affinity for tapeworms :puke:).

Some abscesses on Riktor, who seems to think he has something to prove. Finnegan apparently didn't run quite fast enough from an encounter with something , because he came home with a chunk missing from his furry little black butt (strangely, it didn't seem to bother him at ALL)...
and most recently, the fracas between Wimsey and Riktor (combination of Riktor's attitude and Wimsey's blocked anal glands).
:nuke: :banghead:

I am MOST grateful for Esme's good sense, good health, unflappability and serenity. I frequently tell her so...SHE stays out of trouble. :hug:

Then, of course, there was the 'start-up' costs for D'Artagnan...adoptive fee, vet visits, fe-leuk FIV testing, neutering (low-cost clinic), his three distemper vaccinations (8 wks, 12 wks, and 16 wks, the last two containing the fe-leuk serum)...and then HE had to go and get a face fungus (all better now!).

I needed a fifth cat like I need a hole in the head,:crazy: but I was down at the shelter looking for Wimsey (who'd gone missing for 2 days), and this kid chose me (and would have haunted me had I refused). I don't regret it...he's a loving, intelligent little guy and ALL the other cats like him (they play with him and don't have a 'personal space' issue with him).

This doesn't include food (and catnip!)...I buy 2 bags of Diamond Active cat every six weeks or so...which comes to about $275 over the year.

Having five cats does add up-and my guys are indoor-outdoor, which exacerbates the issue.
One or two STRICTLY INDOOR kitties wouldn't cost anywhere near this much, and I NEVER intended to acquire so many cats in the first place. :hide::yoiks:

I seemed to have succumbed to 'creeping cats' syndrome. :shrug:

[spooky3]

21. Your heart is just too big for your own good, but your gang loves you for it.

I'm sure the vet appreciates being able to pay off her/his car loan more quickly than planned, too! :-)

I have 50% more cats than I intended also. I guess we just can't help ourselves!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

24. I acquired Kidley when my cousin had to give him up due to a mean landlord

He was about 5 years old at that time a little over a year ago

He meowed till 1AM the first day and remained standoffish for a few days. I invited him to sleep on my bed, but he slept under the bed for a while. He still jumped up on the bed to wake me, though, so I immediately started training him to leave me alone until the radio came on.

Then he started sleeping next to me and giving me the head-bump treatment, but it's only in the last couple of months that he's become a lap cat.

We have our routines. He wakes me up when the radio comes on. I replenish his water and dry food.

After lunch, I comb him in order to prevent matting. He reminds me if I forget.

He gets jealous when I work on the computer and will stand on his hind legs and drum my thighs. He also doesn't like it when I talk on the phone--he starts butting me with his head and licking my arm.

At 5PM CDT/4PM CST he gets his "snack," which is either some scraps of whatever meat I'm cooking that evening or some canned chicken or turkey, with a very occasional tuna treat. I've learned from sad experience that he either doesn't like or doesn't tolerate canned cat foods and that any kind of fish other than tuna makes him really stinky.

At about 11PM, he starts pestering me to go to bed. He follows me around as I set up the coffeemaker for the next morning, put out lights, lock the door, get undressed, wash up, and arrange the bedding and pillows. Then, once I'm in bed, I have to hold my book with one hand so that I can pet Kidley with the other. He starts stroking me with his paw if I don't.

Yes, I am owned.