Getting a cat

[SaintsManiac]

Just to lodge the point, we have the sweetest, most loving calico girl. She is a teddy bear. Truly one of the all time best cats we've ever had.

Calicos are so beautiful. Nice to know they aren’t all mean!

 

[mom2rtk]

Just to lodge the point, we have the sweetest, most loving calico girl. She is a teddy bear. Truly one of the all time best cats we've ever had.

Same here. Sweetest lump of cat ever. Of course she's 19 1/2 so maybe they all are at this age!

My vet did say that calicos tend to be fiesty, and that the fiesty ones tend to live the longest. So maybe that's it.

 

[kymom99]

Same here. Sweetest lump of cat ever. Of course she's 19 1/2 so maybe they all are at this age!

My vet did say that calicos tend to be fiesty, and that the fiesty ones tend to live the longest. So maybe that's it.

I’ve had 2. Unfortunately the first only lived to 7 but the second lived to 14. Kidney failure both times.

 

[mom2rtk]

I’ve had 2. Unfortunately the first only lived to 7 but the second lived to 14. Kidney failure both times.

Mine has kidney disease and likely won't last much longer. It's been a great run. Unfortunately kidney disease is just way to common for cats.

 

[Mango7100]

Same here. Sweetest lump of cat ever. Of course she's 19 1/2 so maybe they all are at this age!

My vet did say that calicos tend to be fiesty, and that the fiesty ones tend to live the longest. So maybe that's it.

Calicos definitely have the reputation for being spicy...seeing a pleasant calico is a nice surprise ha ha! That being said, I had a calico for 18 years who hated every single living thing except my husband and I. I still had to wear electrician gloves when trying to get her out of the cage whenever she needed to go to work with me.

The calico coat pattern is a sex linked pattern, so male calicos are XXY and are sterile.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Here’s my beautiful and meanie Alice:

 

[mom2rtk]

We took Gramdma (as we affectionately call her now) out to enjoy the great outdoors for a bit last month when the weather was still nice.

Enjoying the Great Outdoors by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I have to mention that this thread kind of reminds me of when I had my first child. I had both my children at a later than typical age, so most of my peers were already parents when I was pregnant. I heard so many horror stories about traumatic births, colicky babies, teething nightmares, projectile vomiting and pooping, and endless sleepless nights. I gotta tell ya I was prepared to go through 3 days of pure torture to give birth to a life-sucking monster. But I would love that little monster, I was assured of that!

Then I had a quick and easy delivery and a laid-back baby. Both times. Sure there were a few issues here and there, but instead of early motherhood being the most difficult time of my life it was the easiest (granted I was a stay at home mom with only the house and baby to worry about).

I'm so glad to be given notice of all of these potential issues that may come with my cat because it allows me to prepare. If I end up with a wild cat that chews through all my electrical cords, climbs my Christmas tree, eats my plants, destroys my furniture, claws my carpets, tears down my curtains, pees and vomits all over the place, covers my home in cat hair, and needs constant expensive medical care, I can't say the DISers didn't warn me! And I'll deal with it the best I can and love the cat the way I would've loved a colicky, difficult baby just as much as I loved my easy ones. But maybe I'll get lucky and end up with a cat with none or (more realistically) few of these issues. Either way, I'm prepared!

It's always good to be prepared, right? I was going to ask if you could find a private shelter near you. If you could work with the shelter owner, explaining your issues and questions, maybe even having the owner come visit your home to see the environment and to get to know you and your daughter -- that could really help with finding the right cat for your family. Once the shelter owner knows what to look for, it will be much easier for them and for you. No shelter owner wants a cat returned, so they really do work hard to make sure that adoptions go well. Our shelter owner has been great -- we're still in communication with her over 7 years later! She loves to hear how the cats are doing and to see photos. And we loved having someone to go to with questions about their behaviors and medical histories. Just a thought...

 

[LSUmiss]

Mine has kidney disease and likely won't last much longer. It's been a great run. Unfortunately kidney disease is just way to common for cats.

Yes . All of my cats have died from kidney disease or cancer .

 

[LSUmiss]

Here’s my beautiful and meanie Alice:
View attachment 536153

Aww she is pretty though!

 

[aggiedog]

My vet did say that calicos tend to be fiesty, and that the fiesty ones tend to live the longest. So maybe that's it.

That's funny. My sweet calico is definitely the alpha cat in the house, even though she's the tiniest. She brooks no dissent from the other cats.

We also have a totally neurotic calico we've nicknamed "Edward Scissors Hands" and another who is mildly neurotic and dumb as a post but does love to be near us. They do come in all personalities!

 

[mom2rtk]

That's funny. My sweet calico is definitely the alpha cat in the house, even though she's the tiniest. She brooks no dissent from the other cats.

We also have a totally neurotic calico we've nicknamed "Edward Scissors Hands" and another who is mildly neurotic and dumb as a post but does love to be near us. They do come in all personalities!

Great name! And I know exactly what you mean. We have a neurotic cat as well, so I know the type. Jumps at the crinkle of a plastic bag. Not the calico though. Steady and in charge her whole life.