FULLTIMING WITH CAT/S WAY....NO WAY ????

[Bruce and Bunny]

    
            I'm curious, why do you call your cat devil cat?


   The devil cat doesn't like any thing but her food dish.  she was born in a shelter in Michigan and we think she has a mean gene.  She it NOT a lap cat and doesn't like to be touched.  Every one wants to pet her and we have to warn them don't touch the cat.
Bruce          

[gillsr1]

   
            I'm curious, why do you call your cat devil cat?


   The devil cat doesn't like any thing but her food dish.  she was born in a shelter in Michigan and we think she has a mean gene.  She it NOT a lap cat and doesn't like to be touched.  Every one wants to pet her and we have to warn them don't touch the cat.
Bruce          

We had one of those, she was just plain born that way, not a cuddler, didn't tolerate anyone under the age of 5 yrs to touch her at all... would accept a stroke or two or not and it wasn't guaranteed she wouldn't bite or scratch...she lived with our family as a loved member for 13 yrs until our oldest finally told us it was time to let her go... she had a thyroid condition that was starving her in spite of how much she ate and at that time there wasn't a kitty medication for it...  She was always treated gently and with love, but she was always an unpredictable, "mean" kitty... :)  she did make us smile a lot though...

[w/j miller]

Bruce

Wow!! She is the devil cat.  Our is not quite that bad. She doesn't like small kids, and she will hiss and bite if she doesn't want you to touch her. But mostly she does that with people that don't live here. She won't let you hold her, but she will sit on your lap, or cuddle up to you on the bed. But, is she wants you to pet her and you don't do it just right she will grab your hand with her teeth. I am always cautious when I pet her. I don't think our cat has a mean gene, but a dumb gene. 

Jo Ann

[w/j miller]

Jo Ann, yep, we got the laid back cat you are looking for!  Sorry, she's our grandcat.  You are right, we have 2 Lay-z-Boy chairs and love them, as does Patches.   Greg

Lucky... That's the best kind of cat.    We love our chairs too. When I had my knee surgery we brought one in the house and I slept in it. With the ratchet system the foot rest reclines higher than any of our chairs in the house, and yet you can sit with your back reclined or straight up. 

Jo Ann

[Hut]

I don't usually like cats much, but that devil cat ^^^ looks like it deserves some respect.  

 

[Don W]

Devil Cat looks like she did not want her picture taken either!

[Big Greg]

Debbie, not sure.  Patches took a few weeks to be comfortable outside when we had her a few years ago.  We have to get a harness and leash, probably when we get to Benson tomorrow, we shall see.   Greg

[Fred A.]

We seen to be drifting away from the subject a little so I'll add a funny story.

A couple years after I was discharged from the Army, we visited a civilian employee I worked with at Fort Leonard Wood. While we were visiting, her cat came to the door and she let it in. Just a few minutes later, it wanted out. She let it out. I asked why the cat goes in and out. She explained that the cat was an indoor cat until just recently. Since she has been letting it outside, the cat comes in the house to use the litter box.

Fred

[JimB]

Cats have personalities, just like people.  There are crotchity people who seem mean to the outside world, but still have family and friends who love them... just like some cats.  We have been fortunate that the three cats who have been a part of our family have been friendly and social.  The first cat was picked by our daughter when she was just 10 years old.  Having a 10 year old kid around a new kitten means that cat is going to get a LOT of human attention.

Molly the cat could have been a greeter at Wal-Mart... even people who don't like cats were drawn in by her friendly face, huggable body (she was a BIG girl), and friendly personality.  She picked us.  We "dated" for a year before her owners officially allowed us to adopt her.  It's a very rare situation that one gets to know an animal so well before you get the opportunity to adopt her.

And then there's little Izzy.  We made four trips to the shelter before making that commitment.  Well, Joan had made the decision the moment those two laid eyes on each other.  I spent the next three trips trying to convince Joan that we wanted a more "mature" cat.  One needs to know what battles to pick, and this was one I wasn't going to win.  This poor little girl had never been out of a cage, so we were able to introduce her to a big ol' world.  And, our traveling ways.  She has no issue with traveling in the truck or boat and is very content living in the house, RV, or boat.  I think we are very fortunate that she travels so well, Joan thinks it's because of the way we "raised" her.    Izzy is incredibly sweet, but is shy around strangers.

Before my sister passed away, she had a cat that was nasty from the tip of its tail to its whiskers.  He would bite, scratch, and hiss at anything and everybody.  If it walked by you, you had to watch it all the time to know if you had to pull back your leg to keep it from getting whacked by this unpleasant feline.  The cat was reasonably decent with her, but she had plenty of scars on her arms from trying to hold and pet it.  It even had a foul expression on its face.  My brother-in-law tried to care for the cat after my sister died, I feel mostly in memory of my sister.  Eventually, he had to have it put down because it was uncontrollable and destructive... something I would have done much sooner.

So, you can see that a loving home isn't a guarantee of a loving cat.  But, a loving cat REALLY helps make a house a home... and it doesn't matter whether that home rolls, floats or just sits.  The original question of "can you full-time with a cat" to me is really more of "Can you live with a cat?"  Finding a place for a litter box and food/water bowls is just an excuse... and any excuse will work.  It really comes down to: do you want to share your life with a pet (dog, cat, bird, pot-belly pig, etc, etc)?  If you enjoy that interaction, the shelter you live in can work.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

[dandg]

Well said, jim b!
I agree 100%.
Gerry

[Bill Teetz]

Here is how you travel with multiple cats.

Bill

[Nolan]

Love the mulltiple cat picture.   

My last cat hated my Mom and my wife. (JoAnn)  At that time JoAnn was just my g/f.  But the cat hated her.  When my Dad and Mom came to visit, my cat would attack her ankles when she walked by.   Did the same to JoAnn.  Never attacked any other g/f in the past.  Never attacked my Dad.  Well when JoAnn moved in, the cat came to like her.  Would go to sleep on her lap.  Would pay more attention to her over me.  Never did make piece with my Mom.   

[Hut]

Here is how you travel with multiple cats.

Bill

Cute Overload!

[bttheis]

We take our cat and dog with us when we '"anytime". Last year our cat Emma started riding loose in the backseat of our truck. We carry her to the truck in a crate and let her loose once we are moving. We also use the crate to transport her to and from the trailer. When we are setting up she is put out on the table or someplace in the shade until we get the slides out. She travels very well and will get back into the crate when asked. We wouldn't leave home without her. If we did Toby, a 9LB rat terrier, wouldn't have anybody to wrestle with.

Bill

[w/j miller]

Another nice kitty. I'm so jealous. Our cat would have none of that. She is afraid of everything and hates her carrier.