Tortoiseshell cats are named for their distinctive coloring – a combination of patches of black, brown, amber, red, cinnamon and chocolate. The size of the patches varies from a fine speckled pattern to large areas of color. The term “tortoiseshell” is used for cats with brindled coats that have few or no white markings. Cats of this coloring with larger areas of white fur are called calicos. Sometimes, these colors present in lighter versions such as lilac or cream. Torties with this lighter coloring are called dilute torties. Occasionally, the typical tortoiseshell colors are also seen in a tabby (striped) pattern, and these cats are sometimes referred to as “torbies.”
Tortoiseshell cats are almost exclusively female. Tortoiseshell and calico coats are the result of the interaction between genetic and developmental factors. The occasional and very rare male tortoiseshell cat is the result of a genetic mutation.
In addition to their distinctive coloring, torties also have a reputation for unique personalities, sometimes referred to as “tortitude.” They tend to be strong-willed, a bit hot-tempered, and they can be very possessive of their human. Other words used to describe torties are fiercely independent, feisty and unpredictable. They’re usually very talkative and make their presence and needs known with anything from a hiss to a meow to a strong purr. These traits are stronger in tortoiseshell cats than in calicos – it seems as though these traits are somewhat diluted with the addition of more white to the color scheme.
As of the writing of this post, I share my life with Amber*, and those of you who’ve followed this blog for a while have gotten to know her in her Amber’s Mewsings posts. You will soon be able to read all about Buckley in Buckley’s Story – Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher. The photo above shows Buckley in the front, Amber behind her.
Prior to Amber and Buckley, there was another tortie in my life. Virginia was the first office cat at the animal hospital I managed. She was my introduction to torties, and my love affair with this particular type of cat began with her. She, too, had the “tortitude” I so love about these particular cats.
Do you have a tortie or calico in your life? Does she have “tortitude?”
*Sadly, Amber passed away on May 13, 2010, after a sudden, brief illness. I now share my life with Allegra and Ruby, two tortoiseshell cats who have their own columns here on The Conscious Cat, titled Allegra’s World and Ruby’s Reflections.
Photo ©Ingrid King, all rights reserved
Hey Jay, brand new Machine Head http://youtu.be/2jGZJxnJk-4
Ooh! ANd one for everybody!
Before there was metal, there was Cream…..http://youtu.be/Cqh54rSzheg
That link for one went straight to my bookmarks 🙂
Here’s something I came across a week or so ago that is really different, at least for me.
I am not sure what it would be classed as;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q6skxRLnsI
Mr. Shanks “Not the Sharpest knife” Garrow has a lovely new trick the last few days. Every morning when I feed them, I toss the empty cans into a plastic grocery bag (I re-use them as garbage bags, easy to grab and toss into the dumpster on my way out to work) He’ll stick his head through one of the handles to see what they’re getting that day. When he realizes his head is stuck inside a bag, instead of simply pulling his head out, he tries to climb through the hole. He’s just big enough now that he can get his front legs through easily enough, but it catches on his tail and back legs. He then dashes madly around the kitchen with a bag of empty cans clanging after him until his back end works its way through. I was thinking he’d learn after the first time or two, but sadly, it seems Shanks might be on the lower end of the learning curve, bless his heart. I guess I’ll have to get in the habit of keeping it up somewhere. He’s growing like a weed, and I’d hate to see the day he actually gets stuck like that.
Some day, when I’m over the trauma, I’ll tell you the story of Princess Pearl, and the little shopping bag with handles, her neck, and cutting open the underneath lining of the couch with a box knife in order reach her and remove the bag…
Ugh, sounds awful Harry!
We adopted our kitty Sophia this September. She is declawed and probably between 1-2 years old and dropped off on our porch. She was so skinny and very hungry. Needless to say we fed her and she would not leave our porch, crying in the window and everything. It only took 3 days for my husband to agree we could keep her. She is so loving and energetic. Follows us all over the house. Greets us at the door when we get home from school and work. She plays fetch with a crumpled up piece of paper(never had a cat that did that)
We are so in love with this little kitty and feel very blessed she found us.
Sophia sounds like a real sweetheart, Sarah. I’m so glad she found you!
Aww, she sounds like a sweetie. I’m glad you took her in. Feel free to post pics on the FB page….we here in tortie heaven love pictures! And welcome!
Hello, folks, you newer people don’t know me except by reference, and you regulars haven’t heard from me for a while, but I am the infamous Bernadette who has two torties who are not at all like other torties–unfailingly sweet, congenial, affectionate, and never, ever even growly. Cookie is 19 and Kelly is 17, my special seniors.
Cookie has been struggling with renal failure since the summer, and took a bad turn on Christmas Eve. She’s recovering slowly, but her tortitude is more lust for life so if she’s going to pull through, I’m just the supporting cast doing the dirty work of sub-q fluids and yucky pills!
Other than the Tortie Girls, I have five black cats, all related. I took in their mom from a neighbor who never had her fixed, her adult children were her sixth, and final, litter. It’s a long story why they all still live with me, related to the difficulty of adopting out black cats, but they make great art and photo subjects, and they have taken excellent care of my seniors as they grew older, including Cookie. Kelly’s another story.
Anyway, what I wanted to add was information on finding low-cost spay and neuter near you. I keep current information on websites where you can do a state or zip code search to find the clinics nearest you, and locally I hand it out with local information. But since I’ve seen this topic come up in various ways, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to post the three websites in three separate comments so Ingrid doesn’t have to approve them all. Keep it in hand and pass it out to anyone you think may be able to use it, rich or poor, clueless or informed, I don’t ask, I just give it to them.
Here’s the first site: http://neuterspay.org/. Enter your state and it will give you a list of all the low-cost clinics in the state. You can also check if you just want information on feral cats only.
This one has information on reasons for spay/neuter along with a clickable list of states at the bottom of the page. http://www.lovethatcat.com/spayneuter.html
This site has a questionnaire about your needs and may even point you to financial assistance. http://www.spayusa.org/search/default.asp
Pass it along! I’ve used it myself. I’m semi-retired from 30 years of rescuing cats, and I’d hate to see the need to fit 13 cats into my little house again!
So glad Cookie is doing better.
I don’t think I would do well trying to give all that doctoring to mine.
Tried with Pumpkin and he disappeared for 3 days and with Stir I ended up giving blood.
Cookie uses her Tortitude fight to get well vs terrorizing you crew. So much better. And with that we know she will get better.
Bernie called a little while ago. She wanted me to let everyone know that she’s reading the posts here, but just doesn’t feel up to responding. She knows we’re all thinking about her and appreciates everyone’s good wishes and thoughts and prayers.
And….metal moment of the day……If you are scared of creepy clowns DO NOT click on this! BTW, it’s Monkey music, for those of you who are new or returning….Monkey music means DO NOT CLICK if you’re not a metal fan lol
http://youtu.be/NMThm9juhwI
I like the music – video so-so but then clowns don’t do anything for me.
I will look at their other stuff
Ugh, Princess Peach actually left marks yesterday! I was petting her, but apparently I wasn’t petting her “right” because she hauled off and bit me. As I was pulling away her fangs left scratch marks. I showed them to my co-workers, and every single one of them commented “OMG, that’s a huge cat!” I guess having had her for going on 12 years, I don’t notice how big she is. She’s actually very slim, I can feel her ribs when I pet her, but her head is about the size of a baseball, and her paws are big enough that my forefinger and thumb miss encircling them by almost an inch. She only weighs about 10 lbs, but being slim, I guess she’s still a pretty big cat. She’s long haired too…..maybe a bit of Maine Coon in there? She doesn’t have that Maine Coon shaped head though
SABERTOOTH FANGS though. Must be part Tortie. 🙂
LOL true Jay….either tortie or Bengal Tiger, there’s some kind of fierce ancestry there
I’m very curious, because my Two Face and Batman have both gone into heat one after the other, but do cats get annoyed when that happens?
Batman was the first to go into heat and would get attacked by Two Face whenever she meowed too loud or rubbed up against her, and now that Two Face is in heat it’s the other way around. Is this common?
Sounds like normal “in heat” behavior. And it sounds like it’s way past time to get them spayed and neutered! You may end up with a bigger feline family than you had counted on.
They have an appointment for Saturday. We weren’t too concerned about it when we got them, but there’s now a male cat in our building that’s driving them insane, so it’s a must.
What Ingrid said….time to get them fixed!
It has actually always been a must, but my mister and I have been a little short on cash. Now that we’ve set some aside, everything should go well for my poor girls :S
I’m in the same boat. Waiting for my tax return to get Shanks fixed. My company is pretty good about getting our w2s right away, and I do turbo tax online. Plus both of my girls are fixed. I’m just hoping I can get Shanks done before he learns to spray
I hade a blue point siamese mix, October was his name, who always sprayed in his litter box. I’d usually go searching around my apartment to see if he sprayed anywhere else, but he was really good at keeping it in his litter box. I never really understood why haha. Cost me a ton of money on litter because I had to frequently change it out, but it was waay better than risking him spraying the couch.
Thinking of Bernie today
as am I. I read her posts on FB yesterday and she doesn’t seem to be doing well at all. I’m worried about her, but don’t know the words to say to her. I am not very well versed in situations like this and am afraid I might say the wrong thing as she is so fragile right now. Please do let her know that she is on my mind and in my heart.
Me, too.
Betty, I don’t think there’s anything anyone can say other than letting her know we’re thinking about her. Her FB post yesterday just ripped my heart out.
I know, Betty, I’m just completely at a loss. I hope that Steeler gives her hell and that reminds her of the important job she has, Tortie Servant.
I feel so sad for her. I can’t even imagine what she must be going through, the only thing I can do is tell Jay to send hugs, and tell her how sorry I am
I talked to Bernie tonight and it was a hard day for her.
I told her that there was nothing I could say that would make thing change or make it better but just being there for her (as you all are) is what we can do (and will ). And reading your post Betty you know what I mean.
She has read all the post and is grateful to have such good friends. And Steeler has been well behaved but that will change tomorrow when THE CAT COMES FIRST attitude kicks in. For that we are grateful that Steeler is there.
I’m so glad Bernie has Steeler. My first cat Feebee literally saved my life when I was going through a very dark period in my life. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if I’d still be here. Knowing that this little guy was depending on me to care for him kept me going.
Bernie is in my thoughts and prayers every day.
Well that is another thing. One cat, jumper eats everything in sight. Such a moocher. He will even eat the younger cats food. Jumper gets the 7+ food and the other cat gets the Science diet adult food. But Jumper, unless I put her dish upstairs will eat all of her food. So I worry that she is not getting enough food. My wife says Eve does eat. I am just at work so I don’t see it.
Something I’d suggest, try to get them on Grain free food, it’s much better for them. A lot of people here will have different suggestions, but I tried many grain free foods, and was finally able to get them to eat Taste of the Wild dry (after mixing it with their normal food for a while) and Wellness Wet
Ah, I’ve trained you well, grasshopper 🙂
I recommend grain-free canned food for cats. No dry food at all, or at the very least, a grain-free variety. You can find a lot of information on species-appropriate nutrition for cats in the Feline Nutrition category on this site.
Ingrid, I can totally tell the difference! Peaches ate meow mix for most of her life, she’s huge, but that’s just her breeding, I think….she may have a little Maine Coon cat in her. her fur is so much better now, Monkey, when I got her I thought she was short-haired, but her fur is so long and lush now, and Shanks is so glossy black and gorgeous, the grain free diet has done wonders for them all. Peaches NEVER throws up anymore, and she used to be an almost daily puker
Paul, it sounds like you’re making progress! You said your wife can get Eve to come out when you’re not home. This makes me think there are two possible things going on: Eve may have had a bad experience with men in the past, and it may take a while for her to trust that you’re not like her past experiences. However, since she did come up on the bed and let you pet her, I think it may perhaps have something to do with your energy. Since I know absolutely nothing about you, I’m taking a wild stab at this! It may be that you have a louder voice than your wife, perhaps you move faster than your wife, or you simply have a stronger energy. Cats are so sensitive to energy, sometimes even the pitch of a voice can make a difference.
One feline behavior expert recommends reading childrens’ books to cats who are afraid or hide under the bed. The reason for this, according to him, is that we naturally modulate our voices when we read a childrens’ book out loud. I’ve never tried it, but thought it was an interesting suggestion, and it popped into my head when I read your comment.
If you think this is totally off the wall, simply disregard :-)!
I don’t think that’s off the wall! (Or, maybe I am off the wall.) But when our aggressive tortie is in the room with the black cat, I’ve taken to doing exactly the same. I didn’t know “experts” had recommended it; it just seemed like the right tone to take. “But the Momma Tortie’s Meow Mix was tooooo cold. Then the little black cat tried the baby Tortie’s Meow Mix, and it was juuuussst right…”
Tell that to Pumpkin who will eat it even if too cold, too hot or just right.
That’s why it’s called a “fairy tale” (tail?)
Paul, the other thing I’d add is to get down on the floor with Eve. Towering over a cat makes them feel threatened – and even at 5’6″ I’m enormous to a cat. But down on the floor, making eye contact and blinking – not staring – that makes a strong statement to the cat that you’re not threatening. That was what eventually broke through to our frightened barn cat rescue.
Yep, Taz and Kasey especially like it when I get down on the floor.
If Kasey is in the room and I get on the floor, she is there inside a slow count of five.
Pre-rescue, Kasey did 8 years “hard time” in a compressor facility, few were nice to her and no one got on the floor, so I think having “her person” get on the floor at her level is a still a novelty after 3 1/2 years.
Also try singing to them. Even if you have a terrible voice, the rythm seems to relax them. I’ve used singing (badly) to tame several ferals. Just sit near the food bowl and sing (NOT METAL! lol) Song’s I’ve found that are helpful; Patsy Cline’s “Walking after Midnight” Bon Jovi’s ” Dead or alive” Even Poison’s “Every Rose has it’s Thorn” Otis Redding’s “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, but skip the whistling as it TOTALLY ruins the mood” Anything soothing and repetative works
But Steeler likes the whistling.
Yeah, but Steeler’s wierd lol
So I am new to this site and was hoping for some help.
I got two cats from the shelter about a month ago. One, a female 2 years old, is a Tortie. The other a 9 ear old male is a Short hair domestic. Black. When we brought them home the Tortie, Eve, would come sit very close to me but was very afraid. The Black cat, Jumper, Walked around like he had lived here for his whole life. We have two floors. As it stands now Eve stays upstairs under the bed most of the time. Late at night she comes out and jumps up on the bed to be pet. She never comes out in the daylight. The Black one stays downstairs. Never goes to the second floor. When Eve does come down to eat and use the litter box she runs right back upstairs and under the bed. Well it has been two months now. What can i do to socialize her more. I really don’t want a cat I can’t even see.
Help. Thanks
Did the two cats live together at the shelter, or was being at your home the first time they met each other? Even if they previously got along, being in a new environment can change things. You may need to separate them completely and do a very gradual introduction. If you’re not familiar with the process, here’s a good article on how to do that: https://ingridking.com/2011/08/15/cat-to-cat-introductions/
Greeting Paul, having both a Black cat and a Tortie puts you tops in Harry’s list. He is a Black cat supporter and who doesn’t love a Tortie. Ingrid, Bernadette and Harry are our “Cat Experts” her and will give you great advice.
Jay is very kind, but there’s nothing I can add to what’s already said by Jackson Galaxy, in the article Ingrid referenced. Full disclosure – I have a black cat, and a tortie, that totally don’t get along, and we have to keep them separated. (But haven’t given up, even after two years. We’ve started the new year reintroducing them again – for about the 30th time.)
Harry – saying you have a Tortie that doesn’t get along with other cats is like saying you know a Lawyer that stretches the truth. Whoops – wrong reference 🙂
We all know Torties are usually not social cats but have to be THE HEAD CAT.
Thanks. I did forget to mention that the Black cat has been front paws declawed. That said I have seen Jumper swat Eve in the head a few times when she has hissed at him trying to get to the litter box. Once again last night Eve jumped up on the bed several times waking me up to get patted and then she fell asleep at the end of the bed. Of course it was pitch black in the bedroom. So yes I have a second cat that I have not technically seen in days….LOL. I guess it will just take time. She is a beautiful cat though and very sweet. Never bites or scratches at anything. Like the furniture. My wife can get her to come out when I a not at home and my wife says that Eve loves to play with her little toy catnip filled mouse. I can;t get her to do anything except run under the bed. A bit frustrating.
Oh and yes both cats were in the same room at the shelter and seemed to get along just fine with each other.
I have a tortie and a tuxie who hate each other, but with the help of a black kitten and some Reiki drops recommended by Ingrid, my household vibe has totally turned around. Monkey (the tortie) and Peaches (the Tuxie) still don’t like each other, but Shanks (the black kitten) gave hyper playful Monkey someone to play with, so she leaves Peaches (11 years old and grumpy) alone. Plus a combination of “Bully Remedy” for Monkey and “Peacemaker” for everyone else in their morning wet food for a couple months REALLY changed the vibe. Monkey has recently started harassing poor old princess Peach again every now and then, so, as I gave my “Bully” away to a friend who badly needed it, I’m going to have to buy another bottle. Peacemaker is sufficing in the meanwhile.
Before you scoff, I was a skeptic too, but It was at the point where they were rolling around on the floor yowling and seriously trying to hurt each other, I would have had to have gotten rid of one of them, and I love them (Even Peaches, mean as she is) both, so I decided ANYTHING was worth a try, and I bought them. To my surprise, it worked! From what I’ve read it doesn’t work for everyone, but anything is worth a try. They have essences for almost any problem you’re having.
Kasey problem tomorrow.
Today is my last day of a 2 week “stay-cation”.
Tomorrow I will head back to work and I can tell by the demeanour that Kaey likes it that I am home all the time and thinks that this is a permanent arrangement
She may be the “Warrior Queen” but companionship and attention are still very important 😉
How did Kasey survive the first day back to work, Glen?
Kasey did quite well.
She seemed to slip into routine when I got ready to go and gave her some treats along with the usual “departure routine”.
This is good because I like it that she is attentive and affectionate (with people, anyway) but doesn’t pine away since there are times I have to, or want to go somewhere. It would be tough if she took it badly.
She does wait for me at the door at 5:30, though; don’t know how she tells time.
“We” received a laser toy for Christmas.
Don’t worry, I am well aware of the eye hazards and use it accordingly.
The reactions were unpredictable;
Morgan; our smallest, most active cat, is afraid of it. So I don’t use it around her.
Taz shows mild interest and will take a swing at it, occasionally, IF it is within his reach.
Kasey, when awake and on her feet, prances after it like a kitten, a side on her I have not seen, doesn’t happen all the time but when it does, it is funny to see.
I am still trying to decide if it is fun for them, or frustrating because there’s nothing solid to get a hold of.
Stir and Steeler consider that just a red dot. If ya can’t kill it – why bother.
Yeah, I think it was just a novelty at first.
Her interest appears to be fading.
I was surprised she showed any interest, she is definitely of the ” If ya can’t kill it – why bother” persuasion.
I mean she normally, actually looks at the other cats with disdain when they go chasing a bug; not a worthy opponent by any means, lets go after the dog!
Allegra loves the laser. She generally reacts to light moving – even the reflection of the sun off a piece of jewelry on the wall or ceiling will catch her interest. Ruby also loves chasing the laser – she’s not very discriminating, she’ll chase anything that moves.
It is frustrating for them because they can’t catch it. One way to get around that is that after you play with them with it, let them chase a “real” toy. Sometimes, it even works to just direct the laser to a real toy at the end of the play session. That way, they can actually “catch” something, and it satisfies their hunting drive more than just chasing a red dot.
I’m laughing at your comment “Taz will take a swing at it IF it is within reach.” That sure sounds like him, based on how you’ve been describing him!
Taz got his name because he was the most frantically active kitten I have ever seen.
It seemed for the first 6 months, he rarely slept and was constantly in motion, usually FAST, but not very graceful, motion.
The one day, when he was about a year old, he was running around and suddenly stopped and fell on his side in an uncharacteristic dignified and restful position and he looked around as if to say “what just happened?”
It was adulthood starting to kick in and he started to settle down (with some relapses) 😉
Yesterday I tried the laser on Frankie. He was like Kasey and pranced around on it and would try to wrap his paw around it. You could hear his claws digging into the carpet trying to hold it. And being a kitten will probably not lose interest Tabby will go for it sometimes and Pumpkin turns into a kitten and 20 plus pounds of cat will be leaping and chasing that dot.
For a cat that looks like he can barely walk we have seen him jump over Stir when whe is at the food dish and actually go a few feet into the air and come straight down on Stir during a suprise atack.
I know I wouldn’t want him doing that to me so I can imagine how 11 lb. Stirfry feels.
Someone came by the adoption event today, looking for a tortie. Said his last two had been, and he couldn’t imagine having any other sort of cat 🙂 (Of course, all that’s in the center today is three brown tabbies and a longhair grey and white…)
Don’t you have a tortie named Ruby in one of your foster homes, or did she already find a home?
Ruby was adopted a couple of weeks ago. We have four torties in various places in the rescue, just none that were there today. I gave him our postcard with the web address, and hope that they’ll look. So much of adoptions is chance…
YAY….Go Ruby!
Happy New Year to all. I have a beautiful torite we adopted from the Humane Society named Mimi. Hot tempered, feisty combined with extreme unpredictability make her an absolute delight. We have another cat (also from the Humane Society)…a large male orange tabby = JohnJohn. Although he was with us originally, is physically larger and male, there is NO doubt in our home who is the alpha cat.
I am happy to have found this Tortie Fan Site, some people do not appreciate Mimi or her tortitude. Oh well, they are missing out on one of life’s true pleasures!
Mimi definitely sounds like she’s got tortitude to spare, Beverly! Feel free to post photos of her on our Facebook page. I think everyone here would agree with you that people who don’t appreciate tortitude don’t know what they’re missing!
Mimi sounds like a typical tortie, which is a good thing. Although my sympathies go out to JohnJohn as his world (and yours) will never be the same now that you have tortitude in your home.
Am anxious to see pictures of her as well as all the other torties whose owners have found this board, and the exisiting torties, and………well let’s just say I love pictures of all the furry babies torties and otherwise.
“We have another cat (also from the Humane Society)…a large male orange tabby = JohnJohn. Although he was with us originally, is physically larger and male, there is NO doubt in our home who is the alpha cat.”
Yeah, I know all about that.
Taz is a 22 pound big orange guy.
Kasey is a 15 pound tortie (somewhat over weight and can’t jump due to pre-rescue injuries) but there’s no doubt who is in charge.
NOTHING on four legs in this house will willingly take on my “Warrior Queen” 😉
Nothing on 2 legs either. 🙂
Welcome Beverly
Glad you found us. And we all understand Tortie.
LOL…so true, they ARE missing out! And welcome, btw
Sad news to report
An agent went to Heaven on New Years Eve at 9:30pm
Bernie’s son Eric crossed over.
His suffering has ended and we all miss him terribly.
That’s just unspeakably tragic, Jay. Please give Bernie a huge hug from all of us Shubins. I can’t imagine what she’s going through.
I will.
She is glad her Tortie family is here for her.
That’s just devastating. My heart goes out to Bernie and her family. There are no words.
It just doesn’t seem fair. I will never comprehend how the “bad” people walk this earth for years upon years, and the “good” people who sacrifice and give to others are taken too soon.
Bernie doesn’t deserve to go through what she has this past year.
Please express my sincere sympathy and condolensces to Bernie.
It’s just not fair.
I don’t know what to say except 25 years ago we went through multiple losses in the span of a few weeks. Everyone’s experiences and needs are different, in my case, I found taking pleasure in little day to day things and good memories helped a bit.
I offer my condolences. Please remember to take care of yourself.
Jay, please give her a hug for me
Happy New Year, tortie family and friends! May the new year bring lots of happiness, joy and peace, along with purrs and cuddles.
Thank you for making this site such a wonderful community!
And I would like to bring you a message from Brooke, my tortie:
“I don’t really give a cat’s a** if you have a good year or not. Just keep my bowl full, and no one will get hurt. PS – you’re not going to be out late tonight and be too tired to feed me at dawn tomorrow, are you? No matter, I’ll bite you awake.”
Ah yes, the tortie version of New Year’s wishes!
To all my family here, Jay and I wish you all a Very Happy, Safe New Year. May the blessings of a new year bring happiness and health.
I would also like to wish everyone and their loved ones a very safe, happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Thank you for being here.
I just found one 2 days ago(well she found me)
I am sure everyone here would like to read mare about this. 🙂
They always find us.
Picky cats but they always know where they belong.
I am on vacation this week and while I was slowly getting some breakfast together, I had the TV on.
Kasey doesn’t usually acknowledge the TV, Morgan is our TV watcher and sometimes, it scares her and she scoots away.
There happened to be a holiday movie marathon on and by chance, the show was medieval/fantasy c/w mythical monsters.
I was surprised that Kasey was watching it quite intently with great interest and no sign of concern.
Perhaps she was thinking; “A worthy opponent, where can I find one, in a minute or two, I’d have that dialling 911 and yelling for momma!” 😉
Actually, Glen, what she was thinking was, “Uncle Morris! I haven’t seen him in ages.”
This explains why those mythical monsters are extinct.
Torties came along.
Kasey is probably thinking “they tasted like chicken – wish there were more”
Crazycatlady, that is more than I could have done. Wow. A whole litter. I like that ‘mama’ was scoping you out before deciding to show you the family. How smart is that.
Here is a sad update on my county. Because I obviously need to get some spay/neuter going on here, I called the Human League (in PA) and they have a 4 mo. wait. I then spoke to a woman in a rescue organization and after talking to her came to the conclusion that the Humane League is not so humane. Instead of spending all this money on people to care for the animals and instead of charging such high fees to cities, they should put more effort into spay/neuter. The story is that in my county at least if the cat is more than 2 lbs the city will not pick that animal up and take it to a shelter. Maybe if its a tiny kitten they will come and get it. Maybe not. So you can either take it in or watch it die. Why won’t the city pick up the kitties? Because the Humane League charges the city a huge amount for the luxury of dropping of cats! Some cities or towns have no compact with the Humane League so no pick-up. Other places do have an agreement but its interpreted in certain ways. Basically the life and death of animals has turned into politics. It’s sad. If instead of leaving cats to go feral and to mate they started to take all cats and put the money they do have into spay/neuter they would go much farther. Ok so maybe I don’t know what I am talking about and I’m wrong. But meanwhile, I have two kitties I was nice enough to adopt and I won’t be able to do anything to spay/neuter until January. I’ll have to drive pretty far to get a reasonable cost under 200 per animal because the HL has a 4 month list. Luckily the lady I spoke to at the other rescue has a vet who will do everything for each animal for about 100 dollars.
So now we know why some people just end up with gazillion pets. They decide to help a cat by adopting it but can’t afford that initial spay/neuter and no one is there to support that adoption and the consequence of it. Not that anyone else is responsible to help me but gee….what if its dead winter and cat babies are on the doorstep! So do we stop to think, well, I cannot afford the spay/neuter so let’s just leave them there to die. And then if they die, what if you are charged with cruelty because they are on your property.
It is insane!
Maria, where in Pa are you?
I am in Lancaster County and Bernie and Bernadette are close to Pittsburgh.
I am in Lancaster City. :]
I am up near Ephrata near Mt. Airy (the big mountain – waiting for Bernie’s comment)
Nice to know you are so close and Pa just added 1 more Tortie lover to CC.
:]
That seems like an extremely high fee for an animal association to charge for spay/neutering.
Our local SPCA charges $30 for cat spaying (unless pregnant or in heat) and $25 for cat neutering. Upon occasion they have a full day of spay/neutering for 25 cents. Obviously they can’t offer that very often, but it does give many a chance who can’t afford the other rates to have it done.
There is another association that offers lower cost services as well as an independant vet that discounts his services.
Is there a veterinary college anywhere near you that may offer lower priced services?
We recently moved into a house where we discovered a tortie lingering around our home, I found out she was the recent tenants pet and they just threw her out when they moved! I was severly angered by this. We took her in our home, her name is reese cup( I think she looks like shes covered in chocolate and peanut butter). She is a fairly large cat. Two days of having her in our home, we were sitting outside and she was with us, she jumped a fence and returned with a little black kitten only a couple days old, we let her take it inside and within the hour she brought 3 more. I love cats so much and since i watched them grow up we decided to keep them all. they are now around 10 weeks old. There are three male kittens and one female. A black kitten named ozzy, an orange and white kitten named pudgy, an orange stripped kitten named garfield, and the female kitten is solid black her name is mawguai( she reminded me of gizmo from “Gremlins”). They all have very distinct personalities, and i love them all like they are my children. Our tortie most definatly has tortitude, she has to be the sassiest cat i have ever had. I love her to death, she is my best friend<3
Bless you for taking in that entire family. I love the name Reeese Cup for a tortie, how perfect is that, along with your description! Feel free to post photos of the entire family on our Facebook page, we’d love to see them!
I second wht Ingrid said, you were so very kind and thoughtful to take in the momma tortie and her babies. I can only imagine how wonderful your life is now with all these furry babies in it. I’m anxious to see pictures of them as they sound adorable.
Just bear in mind with the babies 10 weeks old that momma tortie will have already been in or soon be in heat again and unless you want another houseful of furry babies should get spayed as soon as possible. In many places now as soon as the babies weigh 2lbs. they can be spayed and neutered also. I know it gets expensive but in many towns and cities there are places like the SPCA, Human Society and some independent veterinarians that do low cost spay and neutering. Momma is the first one that needs it though.
Will be looking forward to reading about your adventures in tortitude as well as growing baby stories. Welcome.
Thats great you were able to take them all in. I imagine they are getting pretty entertaining with activity right no, at their age.
It sounds like she wanted to check you out and when things were good, brought the whole family over 😉
I just saw Reese Cup’s photo on the Facebook page – she’s gorgeous! She has the most unusual markings of any tortie I’ve ever seen!
Welcome Crazycatlady (CCL).
Love the pic of Reese Cup and so glad you took in her family.
I did the same with my Tortie – she just had them months after she found her home with me but still a great package. Hope to hear more about your crew.
For Christmas my sister gave me a book on cats.
It is Bad Cat
244 not so pretty kitties and cats gone bad by Jim Edgar
Why is it then when I pick up any book on cats I almost never find a Tortie but this book has about 25% Torties. Even the cover has a Tortie
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?rlz=1T4PRFA_enUS430&q=Bad+Cat+244+not+so+pretty+kitties+and+cats+gone+bad+by+Jim+Edgar&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=17680938951270406653&sa=X&ei=RwH6TsHNGqrZ0QHy6eC1Ag&ved=0CFIQ8wIwBg#
(Cough, cough) Rhetorical question, right??
(I have this book, too… I think I’ve received at least two copies of it. Do you think someone’s trying to tell me something?)
Guess so
And I was looking for ours in there.
Must be a book called “REALLY Bad Cats” out there. 🙂
“Must be a book called “REALLY Bad Cats” out there”
Uh-huh. It’s still in press. Every time a publisher’s agent goes in to see Stir, he runs out screaming.
I haven’t seen that, is Kasey in the book?
I don’t recall her signing a photo release form 😉
Glen, she is waiting for the Movie deal.
Haven’t seen any cats in the book that look as fierce as ours.
oops, I seem to have become a juggalo because I know some ICP lyrics I guess it’s safer to be a family member
From my Tortie Girls and Mimi and her children and from me, Happy Holidays everyone!
Good Morning everyone
Hope ya all had a wonderful night.
Wishing you all a Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas & Happy Saturnalia.
I am spending my day with Bernie and just came back from her family’s dinner. Had a wonderful time. A lot of you all on CC were mentioned (all of it good) and our Torties were mwntioned ( we tried to think of good things – Hard to do with Stir & Steeler)
Went to see Eric at the hospital and he was resting. He looks better (needs to work on his shaving) and with all our prayers will make a speedy recovery. Really want to see him get out of there soon and home with family to get real rest.
Jay, thanks for the update. I was a little fearful after Bernie’s last update but this gave me hope when I read it last night. I guess he’s still at UPMC in Pittsburgh; I’m glad. I hope your prediction of a speedy recovery comes true!
I posted 4 pictures, in order, Cat, Buster, a scary looking Wilhelmina and a side view of her near a window.
Not sure what happened on the facebook page. I did post photos and they show up in the albums but whatever I wrote on the wall disappeared. So my three cats are there to see.
I’d like to wish my tortie family and friends a safe, joyful and peaceful holiday weekend! I’m so grateful to all of you for being here all year long, sharing stories of your torties and your lives. You turned an ordinary blog post into a very special community.
Just want to wish everyone and their furry babies a very happy and safe holiday season. My best gift this year was when I found this site and all the wonderful people that come here.
🙂
We all feel the same way.
At last night’s adoption event, we adopted out the most interesting cat, to a great family (who is why you should NEVER make snap judgments based on reading an application, but that’s a story for another day). The cat was listed in our materials as a tuxedo. She had a white chest, white boots, and a white bowtie on her mouth: http://lostdogrescue.org/cats-adopted/13083/chanel
But…. in the middle of her back, were two quarter-sized orange spots. I crossed out every where it said “tuxedo” on her records and wrote “calico.” (Much to everyone’s amusement.) I’ll post some photos to the CC facebook page later today.
Aw, she’s cute!
Hey my family here. Let me take this one moment to wish you all a very Happy and safe Holiday Season. You too Harry and Julie and Rachel and Michael and Sabrina and Brooke and Piper and May and Pearl and Henry.
May Good Blessings come to you all.<3
Bernie, may 2012 give you rest from your troubles, and the peace you deserve. I hope that you find some time this holiday for yourself, and Steeler. The best advice I ever heard, I read on an aircraft safety card: Put your oxygen mask on, before attending to others traveling with you.
Wild Child. I hope you have your crystal skull vodka and are enjoying it tonight. I am following all of you on her and I can only say “You go girlfriend” and you will help or get to that 10000 post before Jan.1 2012.
I bought the Crystal Skull Vodka for my son Josh for Xmas. Hope he likes it.
I went to the local Humane League site near my Mom and will have $20 put on a Tortie or Black cat towards the adoption fee. My present to a little one getting a Forever Home.
Going to bed now, it’s been a long day.
What a nice thing to do, Jay (the donation toward the adoption fee – not that the Crystal Skull Vodka doesn’t sound festive ;-)!)
What Ingrid said! That’s an incredibly nice thing to do, Jay.
That’s awesome Jay! And I’m sure your son will like it…I sure did! lol
Oh yeah Berns, it was good! Not that I remember a whole lot…I tried it straight, but I just really don’t like straight vodka. It was really smooth with OJ though, couldn’t even tell it was there
Hey my CC family. I thank each of you for your kind words of condolences. You know you have a special place in my heart.
Ingrid, I can’t remember if I’ve ever posted this before, but you know that band “The Agonist” with the crazy chick who screams and death growls? This is her totally accapella rendition of Swan Lake. She did every part, recording and layering her voice over itself…..it’s beautiful, totally unlike her “normal” stuff, and will lure you into a trance….at least it does me. Neither Peaches or Monkey seem to care about it at all
http://youtu.be/vsrkEmFUR4c
And, for me, Jay, Monkey and the other hard metal lovers….this is Monkey Music, but still shows off her vocals really well
http://youtu.be/TjCIlZbCzdw
She has at least a 4 or 5 octave range, yet she chose metal to express her art instead of the typical Celine Dionne or Toni Braxton type stuff. I love her for that. And her band isn’t shabby either. I’m not really sure what’s holding them back from having Billions of fans like Slipknot. Maybe it’s her polital-ness….Monkey loves her voice. Usually when I’m playing their albums Monkey will be jaw-rubbing the speakers. She madly loves Alyssa White-Gluz’s sweet voice
The Swan Lake thing is beautiful – she does have a pretty voice.
She’s really amazing. Not sure why she’s not more popular….every time I meet a new metal fan friend on facebook and link one of their songs, they say; OMG, why have I never heard of this band?! LOL…..I have over 1200 FB friends, I’m turning fans onto her slowly but surely
I wish I knew someone with music expretise, I’d love to know how many octaves her range is, but I know nothing about that kind of stuff, I just know she’s REALLY good! lol
This year I will probably have to take my manx for acupuncture. There is a vet near here that does it. Manx cats get all kinds of issues with their hind quarters because of the missing tail. I think that if the older cat gets use to Wilhelmina and Buster she will probably try to be a mommy to them but so far she sort of lets them be but doesn’t really interact with them. The first week when we had the kittens Cat was just snarling at them quite a bit but slowly she sort of just resigned herself to the situation and now she is almost back to normal. It really affected her appetite, going to the bathroom, mood, everything. What really helped was the Wahl electric massager. She has always loved that thing and if she hears it comes running to get a back rub. When she was all stressed out about the kittens we gave her lots of extra massages and this seemed to calm her down a lot.
I love hearing how massage works for Cat to help her be less stressed. I’m a Reiki Practitioner and have had good results with that for stressed cats, and I love hearing that massage works for Cat. I’m also a big proponent of flower essences, and a couple of people here can attest to the effectiveness of one in particular, appropriately named Peacemaker, when it comes to multicat household “issues.”
She hears that massager and no matter where she is she comes running. This is how my husband trained her to come to bed at night when he whistles. The massager is in the bedroom. I have done kinesiology on dogs – my friend’s – but also besides the accupunture i will probably do some on Cat.
🙂
I’m intrigued with kinesiology, I can’t wait to her how that worked on Cat.
That’s really cool. And as Ingrid said, I can attest to the Reiki essences. I was a total skeptic, I bought them in desperation because nothing else was working and I was going to have to get rid of one of my cats. They were fighting to the point of rolling on the floor yowling and mauling each other. The same week Shanks came, I got the drops and started lacing their food, bully remedy for Monkey and Peacemaker for Peaches and Shanks. The intro for Shanks went so smoothly…He and Monkey are BFFs……Peaches and Monkey never fight anymore……Peaches still hates everybody, but she’s old and cranky, that’s just her way, but nobody actually fights anymore
:] Since I got so many nice responses I will condense into one post. Hope that is ok!
Yes, a might fancy name for a little cat. So far she seems to be taking it ok. I don’t know how to post pictures here but if there is a way, let me know. The other kittie is a boy. His name is buster. The very first day we had them they were really dirty and smelly and no sooner were they in our yard then we had to go and give them a bath. Within a day or two we realize they had fleas and we had to deal with that. In order to avoid chemicals we use diatomaceous earth (very carefully and only tiny amounts in food so as to avoid any in the air getting into those tiny lungs). The fleas got to our older furry cat. Her name is just Cat. She’s a 13 year old manx, also was a stray who ‘appeared’ on the window sill! Right now the fleas are either gone or super under control and everyone is clean and healthy. The boy kitty’s name is Buster. Generally we are calling them Willie and Buster but for fun we do call Willie ‘Veelhaillmeeena’ just for fun. She is very much the pretty girl cat and he is very much the rough and tumble boy. It could have been the other way but this is how they are. He is brownish and I sometimes call him Buster Brown. He is stockier and has greenish eyes and she is tortie with gold eyes and a few pale tan markings and some darker gold here and there. He was just so small compared to her that we assumed it was another litter. Shorter legs, fatter face, rounder face actually. Her face reminds me off something egyptian or siamese. At first I thought she might have some siamese but she is so black overall. Lianimal that is amazing that so many kinds of babies come out of one moma kitten. The trick now is to avoid kittens since we have these two kitties and they are a ‘set’ so to speak. We are not sure of the exact age but we’ve had them for about 2 months and they might have been 5 or 6 weeks old then. I am guessing that soon someone here will need to be spayed unless we want kittens. I wish we could move to a more rural area. In that case I would not mind one litter but we are in PA, a medium sized city and are renting a house. We probably cannot let that happen. I certainly would not ever want to give up any kittens to a pound under any circumstances. My husband and I agreed the day we found these that we would keep them because otherwise we would have had to find them homes ourselves and make sure the homes were good. Not easy to do even with one kitty.
Maria, you can post photos on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/consciouscat – we’d love to see your babies.
Sounds like it’s going to be time to spay/neuter very soon, or you may have a larger family than you bargained for!
🙂 Look for pictures tomorrow.
Actually the belief that they should have a litter of at least one heat before they are spayed is an old wive’s tale…the earlier they are spayed or neutered, the less health problems they have later in life. they can spay neuter as young as 8 weeks old now!
Anyway, I wasn’t done posting, but I wanted to get that spay/neuter thing out there right away, it is SO important, both for the health of your cats, and for the animal shelter cat population, because, although you may try to put your kittens into good homes, it’s likely that at least some of them will end up being surrendered to an already overcrowded shelter and put to sleep. Plus, for every cat you give away, a shelter cat doesn’t find a home.
It’s awesome, I think, that you’re going for non-chemical alternatives for flea control….my cats never go out, but Monkey was a TERRIBLE escape artist at first…plus she has terrible flea allergies…one bite and she’s half bald and scabby (that’s how I got her) I used Frontline….Monkey was fine with it, but poor old Peaches got bleery eyed and drooly and was walking into walls…NOT cool!
When the flea thing first started we had to use frontline but we never did repeat treatment since the cats do not go outside. Well I am going to make appointments for both kitties to get fixed in January. We definitely don’t want more kitties or to prevent other ones from finding homes. I can’t imagine what sort of mess my kitties were in before they ended in my yard. They still act as if they want to eat people food so it makes me wonder how come they are so well adjusted given the sorry state they were in. I will post pictures tomorrow. By the way Wilhelmina has of course figured out the most comfortable places to lounge. Yes. She is sort of like a little princess. And she is sooo in charge of Buster!!
Maria, I am just now getting caught up on the posts and saw this. Knowing you are in Lancaster city – just take Willie and Buster to the Humane League on Rt 30 (call first for an appointment) and tell them you want 2 feral cats fixed under the TNR (Trap Neuter Release) program. It is only $10 each and that includes rabies shots. I did that with the feral I took in last month – Frankie…….
They test for feline leukemia and will tell you the cat will be put down if it is found but when i told them if Frankie had it I would not want him hurt they assured me that I could still keep him and they would just tell me the results. Hope this helps you out. Contact me if you need more info. On FB look me up. http://facebook.com/JayDavenport1956
Plus you can see pics of my kits AND STIRFRY
I have a tortie girl who was sort of thrown over the fence into our yard and we ended up keeping her. She was so young, probably too young to be separated from mama but she has done fine. She’s a very affectionate kitten and I can see what you say about a strong personality. Right now it just means she insists on nuzzling and she loves dripping water and wants to play with it. She also sometimes comes if we call her or follows us around. Since it is such an unusual and unique name, we named her Wilhelmina. It’s a bit elegant and yeah she doesn’t have a pearl necklace to go with; however, willy works as a day name in a pinch. So far she does sort of have a very svelte body type and graceful ballerina look to her. When she was thrown over the fence, a little boy cat was with her and we kept him too but we suspect he is of a different litter. He seemed even younger than her and different markings and body type, your typical tiger stripe but long hair. They are both very cute and loving and we kept them. There was a kittie explosion in the area and we didn’t want them to be put to sleep. Our original cat has finally learned to tolerate them in her old age even though she has not actually adopted them yet so all should be well.
That’s a mighty big name for a little tortie, Maria – I love it! I’m glad to hear she’s doing so well. She’ll probably rule your household in no time!
Welcome Maria! You and your family were wonderful to take in the 2 orphaned babies. What is the little boys name?
You would be surprised how many different colored babies a single mother cat can have since each baby could have a different daddy. Years ago I had a kitty that had 2-3 litters a year for 11 years (that was like 40+ years ago before I knew enough to spay/neuter). There were a few times that she would have some of her babies one day and the rest of them the next. Some were sometimes smaller than the others, almost like they were preemies. I just concluded that they were conceived after the rest of the babies. I may be wrong (so someone please correct me).
If you get a chance we also love to see pictures of everyones furry babies.
Now that you are the mother of a tortie, your life will never be the same – and I mean that in a good way 😉
Good to have you here Maria! Your kits sound adorable! I don’t know the biology, but what Betty says is true…I’ve taken in a few pregnant strays, and they had kittens of every size, shape and color within the same litter. My first Torti, Hatchet, had one giant black one, I laid him on my hand the day he was born, his little chin resting on the end of my middle finger, and his little booty was resting on my wrist…he was short haired. His littermates were another short haired not quite as big orange tabby, a medium sized Grey long hair, and a teeny little white short haired girl with blue eyes
Welcome, Maria! Lianimal is right – it’s amazing what can come out of one momma cat. I’ve done rescue now for almost 7 years, and have seen a lot of newborn litters. Especially where a tortie is involved – the genetics are all mixed up (no surprise). I’ve seen so many litters that were two black cats, a tortie, a calico, a dilute calico, and a grey cat… and then, there’s the white mother cat that kept birthing white kittens… white kitten, white kitten, white kitten, white kitten, BLACK kitten. Good grief! The way it works, a litter can have several different fathers, and can be conceived days apart.
Yesterday About 2:30 AM I started hearing my neighbors’ (SWEET LOVABLE OMG I LOVE THIS DOG SO MUCH!) Pit Bull Yipping outside my window. I thought she was loose and just having fun barking at my cat in the window, so I tried to go back to sleep, but every time I’d get back to sleep my cat would jump on me and I’d wake up, After about an hour and a half I started wondering why Bay Bay was still outside my window, so I went out and found that she was dragging her chain which was wrapped around my porch rail WHich was chained to a cinderblock, and since it was about 3;30 am I couldn’t see how to get the dog ubndone, but I couldn’t leave her there in the cold rain….I knocked on her owner’s door first, then I beat on it because i was pissed. It wasn’t that cold, but it was raining, and wrapped up as she was around my railing, she had no shelter. If it’s less than 70 degrees and you’re wet, you’re cold! I coulldn’t bring her in because my cats are scared of her, so all I could think to do do was let her loose so she could go lay down in her doghouse and get dry and warm
So I turned her loose…but, this is disturbing as hell, she was still loose when I went to work this morning
That is SO not cool! Bay Bay Would never hurt a soul, she’s such a sweetie But that doesn’t mean someone won’t sho
ot her because of the way she looks! People hate pitbulls for no reason
That is just really sad. Sounds llike a story that will not have a happy ending (for the poor doggie). I hope I am wrong.
Me too, but I’m afraid you’re not. She’s such a sweet dog. Her owners really DO love her, but they’re young and ignorant and don’t know any better. But they’re also arrogant and think they know everything, so they get offended or just plain blow you off when you try to tell them anything. Bre will say stuff like; My grandma’s dog was outside it’s whole life. At least we let her in.
They’re so hard-headed
I would also like offer my condolences.
To all my friends here on CC. Most of you know that my husband has been institutionalized with end stage altzheimer’s disease for a number of years. He has had not memory of me or family for several years now. He also suffered from many other illnesses.
God was merciful yesterday and took him home. I laid him to rest today at the National Veterans Cemetery of the Alleghenies. He is now at peace.
I’m so sorry, Bernie. Even though he is now at peace, this can’t be easy for you. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
Bernie, I’m not sure whether to be sorry, relieved, or – I guess – both. I know that this has, and continues to be, a very difficult time. Our thoughts remain with you.
Bernie, so much to bear. I am so sorry, even if it was a blessing in his condition, that your wonderful relationship has come to an end. I would have been honored to accompany you since the cemetery is a short distance from my home, but I will think of you and him when I pass.
I wish you strength and love in this holiday season. You are always in my thoughts.
I was not aware of you also having this struggle Bernie. Please accept my sincere condolences for you and your family.
Bernie,
My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
I lost my father when I was 20 to Alzheimers and Parkinsons and while it can be a blessing that they are no longer trapped inside their bodies it doesn’t make it any easier. My father was bedridden and my mother and I took care of him for 11 years, since I was a little girl of 9. It was tough but I’m glad we did it. I take comfort that my mother (who passed in 08) is up in heaven with my dad and he is no longer confused about who she is. The strange thing is that eventhough he couldn’t remember her, he always knew who I was. I never understood that.
Alzhiemers is a brutal disease and it’s so hard on the families. I wish I could give you a hug but a virtual one will have to do ((hug)).
Berns I’m so sorry
Oh my goodness, I’ve started Metal-gate at work! lol….I took “we wish you a Metal XMas and a Headbangin’ new year” to work, and played everyone the Alice Cooper song. A couple weeks went by, another friend who is usually in a different room came in to work with us and wanted to hear a couple of songs…….I said “Okay, if no-one objects” All of a sudden the two most cantankerous women in the room started in with; “I REFUSE TO LISTEN TO THAT AGAIN! It’s
offensive…Sacriligious was mentioned….lol….I was all….wth? They’re CHristmas songs with a metal twist….they’re mostly really good…..Even Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, hard as it is, is funny. The only one that might be a little disturbing is Silent night, and I would have skipped it, because although I personally like it, I know most people wouldn’t….lol
Sacrilegious? Wow, that’s a bit of a stretch, isn’t it? It’s just a different interpretation of these songs. I bet they wouldn’t object to the many country music interpretations of the same songs, would they? I can understand that it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, though. A friend of mine who loves metal (we go to shows together) hates the metal Christmas cd’s. She likes her Christmas music traditional.
As for the Silent Night version on that cd – yeah, I can’t do that, either…lol…I have to skip past it. But I wouldn’t listen to the rap version of that song, either, so again, it’s a matter of taste.
Wanna hear something funny? Tracy, the main one who was protesting…..dialed into a Christmas station, was listening for about an hour, then asked; Lynn, who is this? I said; That’s Ronnie James Dio, my favorite song on my Metal Xmas CD!
I actually enjoy Silent Night, It starts out not so much, but as it speeds up toward the end, it almost hits genious…but that’s just me…I like the screamers and death growlers. I think Rudolf the red nosed reindeer on the bonus CD is Hilarious! It’s sung (screamed) by this guy http://youtu.be/V-sYWaOrLdI My friend Barb (the one from the other department) who is a soft spoken little cute petite blonde in her 50s, and very religious, listened to it, thought it was great, and even let out a death scream; “RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, HAD A VERY SHINY NOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!” That shocked and cracked up the whole room lol
Wait….It just clicked….there’s a rap version? lol…GOT to check that out!
Kasey turns “non-typical” at the vet.
I am off on vacation until Jan. 3rd and I decided to take Kasey in to the vet to have the cyst on her chin checked.
She’s fine, this is just something I like to do periodically, the vet said if she was his cat, he would leave it as is and only do something if there was a change. He will look at it again when she has her May 2012 check.
Anyway, they LOVE her at the vet.
She behaves very well there.
She let the Vet. Tech. do all the checks including temperature without the hint of reaction and even rubbed and bumped the Tech.
The Vet. was able to easily check her out and got some bumps, too.
The staff at the Vet.’s thinks she is “cute & sweet” ; they need to poll the other animals in the house 😉
Jingle Bells sung by animals
http://llerrah.com/jinglebellsanimals.htm
http://www.simonscat.com/Blog/2011-12-14/Simons-Cat-in-Fowl-Play-/
Happy Hanukkah to all our Jewish friends (especially our favorite foster failure family in Va.) 🙂
I just adopted a tortiseshell from a Humane Society. She is so adorable, and she definitely has tortitude. She always snuggles as close to me as she can when she is on the couch and when she decides to jump on my bed at night, she lays her paws on my arm. If I happen to turn, she goes to the other side. LOL. She also purrs for a good 10 minutes til she is ready to snooze.
Your new tortie sounds like a sweetheart, Terry!
Way to go Terry. What is her name.
And welcome to the group.
Awww, she sounds sweet! Congrats on your new family member! Hopefully she’ll turn out to be one of the sweet ones who just has a big personality, like my Monkey
I got my first tortie from the humane society also! Actually she selected me as at the time they weren’t so overcrowded and had a cat room where the kitties that were old enough and able could just walk around freely, climb on things and play. There were places for potential adopters to sit and get aquainted with their prospective “children”. I just sat there looking around and there came the most beautiful year old tortie who claimed me.
I’ve been adopted by a little tortoiseshell neighbor cat. Have no idea where her “official” home is, but I know she’s got one (although she has no collar, she’s obviously never missed a meal). She seems pretty taken with me — shows up at my house every morning, scratches frantically at the patio door when she sees me moving around in the kitchen, and won’t stop meowing until I go sit on the patio with her. It’s pretty obvious by her behavior that she’s been abused at some point in her life (she loves having her head and neck petted, but will NOT tolerate me touching her back or hindquarters). She’s a strange little cat, but I’ve found myself looking forward to her visits, and buying cat food & treats at the grocery store lately — even though I own birds. LOL
Sounds like she’s working her way into your heart. Your home won’t be far behind 🙂
Actually, this morning she brought a friend! A little half-Siamese with blue eyes. I have NO idea what’s up with those two — if the other one is a mate, an offspring, or just an acquaintance. They were both sitting on the patio like they’d known each other all their lives. The “friend” has a collar, though, so I know he/she has a home somewhere . . . or has the word gone out that there’s a new diner open in town? LOL 😀
Uh oh. They’ve got your number 🙂 – word has gotten out!
Well, how do you like them apples? Didn’t see the furry little ingrate today at all except from a distance, as I drove down the street one block over from my house. She was sauntering around without a care in the world !!! And there I was this morning, all worried that something might have happened to her . . . fickle little thing!
It’s all part of her bigger plan…
It looks like you have been chosen by the tortie to be a new mommy. Being chosen by a tortie is indeed a very high honor as they don’t choose just anyone. She also trusts you enough to introduce you to her friend/baby/mate.
Also just because the new kitty has a collar doesn’t necessarily mean she has a current home. A feral cat that hangs around my house has a flea collar on her, but a kind neighbor put it on her to help with the fleas. It could also mean that she does have a home, but it may not be a good home and the tortie is hoping that you will take them both in to avoid the oncoming cold weather and possible abuse she is going through.
In either case, thank you for feeding them and giving them some needed attention. 🙂
Oh, they definitely get attention all right, and canned food too! I must be nuts, but I’m even thinking of fixing up a little “cave” type shelter against my house (this particular spot is protected also by thick privet hedges). I can’t physically take her inside because she would certainily kill my birds, but I CAN make it so she’s got a comfortable, warm, safe place close TO the house! What harm would a couple of warm blankets and a little food and water do? Why, none at all ! 😀
I think your idea of a nice shelter for her sounds great. Nice warm blankets, food and protection from the weather is all a little tortie could ask for…well that and some good scratchies and petting 🙂
I think that’s wonderful of you to create a safe, warm space for her (or them, in case her friend joins her!) outside.
I am also a lucky chosen human of a tortie, and your story is so cute!
But… Providing food and shelter for a feral cat can do no harm… Except encourage them to breed in the area and create more feral cats. A neighborhood I used to live in had at least 40 feral cats hanging around because there was one person who would not stop feeding them. If you are going to take the responsibility of feeding them, you should probably consider spaying/neutering them, too. Many Animal Control offices offer the service for free to reduce feral cat populations. They ask you to trap them and release them.
Thanks for being the light in the life of one more awesome kitty!
Good for you on befriending that Tortie. They seem to pick us and can sense that right person to adopt.
As for being a “strange little cat” – well she’s a Tortie. That says it all.
And quite a few here were abused cats ( Steeler and Kasey are examples) but with much love and attention will come around and start to trust again.
And it seems like she has picked your house to live.
I had a tortiseshell for 15 years and she died suddenly in November 2010. I was heartbroken so I waited to get another one. In August I just happened to stop by a shelter near my home and there was a tortieshell cat that looked exactly like my old cat. The shelter workers told me that she was left there in a box in November right around the time my old cat died. It was love at first sight, I took her home the next day. She’s a real sweetie, but she does have attitude. I couldn’t be happier, I think I will always favor tortoiseshell cats.
I’m so sorry about your sudden loss of your tortie, Melissa, but I’m glad another one found you. It sure sounds like it was meant to be. They are very special cats, aren’t they?
Melissa, sorry for your loss of your Tortie. And it seems like fate stepped in when that other Tortie was dropped off at the shelter. Things were meant to be.
I can not imagine not having a Tortie (But Stirfry says only 1 – and get rid of those other 3).
Awww, sounds like the newbie was meant to find you. What’s her name? And do you have pics?
Her name is Milkshake, I have a picture but can’t figure out how to upload it.