Lucky you to have been 'chosen'! How the best ones find just the right humans at just the right time is a mystery. Does she have a name yet?
Sarah

Sandy, it's like she was meant to be YOUR kitty - her intelligence and how she craves knowledge! She sounds like such a sweet girl. Vocal kitties are always so fun to have around. :)

Like I always tell my kitty when she does some strange new exploring, "Be careful! Curiosity kills some kitties!" LOL

I hope you get to enjoy many years with her, and I'm sure she'll grow to trust you and forget about all of the terrible things that might have happened to her.

Brenda

What fun to have an interesting kitten adopt you! In time she will relax and learn to trust again. And being a cat - on her own terms! Thanks for taking her.

I'm all smiles over this one!

Yes, she will learn to trust you but she will probably always be a little wary. When we adopted Bandit she was cowling in the corner of her cage, not playing like the other kittens at the adoption center. WHen I held her she shook like a leaf and hid her head under my arm. I felt so sorry for her so I brought her home. She shook like that for 6 months. My husband didn't even get to see her for many months as she would run and hide as soon as she heard his footsteps. When I brought her home I kept her in a bathroom for several days and would spend hours with her trying to comfort her. She is almost eight years old now and is just now venturing out when strangers are in the house. We have to keep the basement door open so she knows she has an escape route, if we don't she stands by the door and meows to let us know she is not happy. She does not like to be carried around and will barely tolerate being held when you are standing. But she is a sweety and follows me around everywhere and spends hours in my lap. I shudder to think what she had been through in her first 6 months of life.

Congratulations on your latest addition! :-)

Does your new kitty have a name?

Oh, Sandy! Yes, this little one chose you for a good reason! I'm sure she'll come around. Taking her to the vet will be a challenge though.

If it's a boy, I vote for "Einstein".

:) Mary

LOL! Her name is going to be an ongoing game, I think. DH's Aunt Eva phoned long distance and wants her called Eva. DH hasn't made a proposal but he calls her just plain Kitty. For some reason I have had the song lyrics "Little bitty pretty one" going through my head and was thinking Little Bit or Bitty would fit. It is still up in the air though so if you think of other names let me know. Sandy

Awww, I like that one, Sandy - Little Bit!

We hardly ever call our kitty by her given name, Pookie. It's always You Kitty, She, Nurse Keets, Delicious, The Delish....anything but Pookie. LOL

Brenda

Bitty Kitty now knows for certain what no means. I think she knew before but she was just checking to see if she could push us. We are still contending over who has the kitchen counter. I am terrified she will land on a hot stove burner.
It is interesting to go through the house in the morning to see where she has been. It is obviously her way of clearing the decks for her leaps and I am removing anything she can push over the side. I will have to order a few new luncheon plates to replace the ones I failed to put in the dishwasher in a timely fashion. She hasn't gone down stairs to the basement yet although she stands at the top of the stairs and purtles at me or sits on the banister examining the drop. I will have to show her what is down there. She seems interested in the noise of the sump pump.
When I start to set the table for dinner she parks herself between my chair and DH's chair. If a small plate with token dabs of dinner is not forthcoming she leaps to the back of the table and tries to claim my plate. It's obvious where I stand in the pecking order. Once she is served, she wraps herself around DH's legs in a thoroughly disgusting display of adoration and thanksgiving.
Since she was distressed by the container of balls we gave her I picked up a package of twelve called Midnight Crazies. She was trying to get through the packaging before I could cut the string. The difference between those and the others? These not only have noisy bells inside, they have openings that let her pick them up with her teeth to carry them where she wants them. We can't always see them but she knows where they are.
Life is certainly interesting. Sandy

What great anecdotes from the life of Bitty Kitty, Sandy! LOL @ Midnight Crazies!!! Ohhh, what an appropriate name for kitty toys. :D

More stories, when you get a chance, please!!

Brenda

Hmmmmmm.....who's training whom?........

I'm pretty sure you realize that as long as "dinner dabs" come from the table, Miss Kits will never give up counter/table surfing :) LOL

LOL at the Midnight Crazies too!

I can't take credit for the name "Midnight Crazies". That was the name on the package. I kind of wonder if it was invented by the same guy who named Cosmic Catnip. Speaking of which, a catnip called "Cat Candy" now comes in a very tough plastic resealable bag. You don't even need to open it as it makes a great toy just as it is. Last night I came home with groceries and no sooner got in the door when she was trying to get her head in the bags. Sure enough she found the bag of catnip and it was Joy! Joy! Joy! for the next hour. DH had to get out of bed to see what was going on at 1 in the morning. There is a fine deposit of crushed catnip all over the hallway and living room. I need some new Hepa Filters for the vacuum cleaner. When Cosmic Catnip came in those plastic drums the cat of the moment would try to get it open and sometimes it would be deposited in drifts all over the place. I remember picking up a still closed container out of the pantry one day and finding tooth punctures in the lid.
Today has been quite exciting. She jumped on the printer and sat down on the control panel. The printer beeped and started ticking out a page. You could tell she could feel the paten going back and forth. When it stopped, she got down and examined the paper then jumped back on the control panel and another page began to come out. Thank goodness the catnip bag was close by. I keep telling myself it was an accident her front paw hit the start button.
After dinner she tried to get DH to let her outside. It's way too cold so he let her into the garage and left the door open so she could come back in when she wanted. I was reading when she came back but I acknowledged her. She turned around and went back out. I thought she had a new game going but then she started jumping and doing flips and I realized she had brought in a mouse. DH, Bitty Kitty and I have different methods of catching a mouse. I wait until it is at the joining of floor and wall and jam a broom on it. The tail always sticks out so I can grab it and toss it out the door. That has caused me a problem or two in the past but that is another story. Bitty Kitty totally goes crazy to the point she loses track of just where the mouse is and the mouse soon learns the safest place is under the cat. DH cringes at my method and wouldn't do it that way for the world. He uses a broom as a hockey stick, the mouse as a puck and a trash can as a net. This time DH's method worked and the mouse landed in a snow bank. It took a while for Kitty to figure out the mouse was gone. She has been sleeping soundly for the last hour. I wonder if I could get a mouse in the house at bedtime every night? It used to work with the chipmunks. Sandy

Ohhh, these stories are classic, Sandy! I LOVE them!

My kitty likes catnip a lot, too, but she absolutely adores the scent of Icy Hot. LOL It's probably the menthol in it, but one tiny dab (no chunks, liquid only) rubbed into her favorite blankie, and she's content for hours...well, many minutes, anyway. :D

Good, Bitty girl, pointing out the mouse for Ma and Pa!

Brenda

ROTFLOL Sandy! Wish we had videos of the mouse under the kitty!

DH came up with a new name for kitty, Ginger. I kind of like it and it may turn out to be more appropriate than Bitty Kitty. She isn't fat by any means but her appetite is huge. She was so persistent for more after cleaning her dish while I was cooking dinner I yelled at her for jumping on the counter and stepping on the clean dishes. She has been mad at me ever since. Suddenly the cat that wouldn't let me out of her sight is staying on DH's computer desk chasing the cursor. I wonder how long I am going to be in the doghouse? I expect the next time she hears the can opener all will be forgiven.
That can opener will be opening a can of tuna. I'm glad the price is not much different than cat food. It seems to be a loss leader at the store right now. The only thing she will accept for dinner is Fancy Feast or tuna but she likes roast pork if she can talk us out of it. Small amounts of delicacies such as cheddar cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise are acceptable and butter is in danger of an attack if left out for more than a moment. DH is going to have to get used to cold, hard butter rather than the soft stuff he likes. She is quite adept at removing the lid from the butter dish.
She has managed to reach all the cupboards that are left open and I am using the opportunity to teach DH not to leave the doors open by making him get her down. She has gotten enough confidence that she won't get hurt if she falls so of course she doesn't fall any more. The kitchen beam is old hat now and it is amazing to see her get there in three leaps. She came down by a new way today. She dropped to the top of the fridge and then held on with her back feet and stretched down the front of the door rather than got to the counter. It was amazing how long she is!
The only place in the house that is still without paw prints is the loft in the living room. She is still looking for a way up but there isn't any without a ladder. After seeing the cat's safe area at Zinniachick's house I have been thinking about allowing her up there by building a cat track. Then I would have heart failure when she decides the track is for up not down. Well she just came in and announced it was time to go to sleep so I'll close for now. Sandy

LOL!!! Ginger is a very agile kitty! I always wanted one of those cat walkways, up the wall and all around the living room, but that wish never came true. And Pookie is too chunk-style now, anyway. :D

Pookie's all-time favorite canned food is Walmart's Special Kitty Tuna & Shrimp Entr. She looks like one of those cats in commercials when she eats it, scarfing it down like she hasn't eaten in days. LOL Other than that, she likes Fancy Feast, too.

I'm getting addicted to your Ginger's Journal entries! :)

Brenda

I am in the doghouse now. Two days in a row I have deserted her and didn't bring in any bags for her. So she gave me a talking to with her ears flat and then went to the bedroom to get in DH's closet until I started making noise in the kitchen. That and half a can of tuna soothed her for a while but she made sure I knew I was still on her bad side. LOL! No translator needed for this cat!
I was too tired to bring the groceries in but the garage is cold enough that nothing will suffer if I leave it for the night. Sam's club is the only place I get meat anymore but it seems the grocery shopping gets more time consuming every trip. Tomorrow I'll let her supervise from the roof of the SUV. Just like Snoopy in the Peanuts comic she likes to sit like a vulture taking everything in. DH must have taken his car to the carwash. Last night her paw prints were all over the hood and roof. I didn't think the garage floor was that dirty. A few nights ago I found her inside the SUV looking out the partly open window purtleing frantically. I couldn't see what she was so upset about but then I heard a strange noise. It took a moment to figure out it was one of the battery operated sprayers I found to use instead of those awful hand operated ones. Somehow,(I wonder how that happened)a bag of styrofoam beads had fallen against it and by accident had caused it to start cycling. As soon as I moved the bag it stopped and she make a bee line out of the window and into the house without even checking it out. LOL! I wonder how she is going to take it when I decide to use the Windex. Sandy

Something new everyday to the inquisitive mind! Love your updates Sandy, keep 'em coming!

This morning I was dragged out of a sound sleep by DH who was going on wildly about his wallet being gone, he had no money and he was going to be late to work and where was my purse so he could leave and would I look more for his wallet? I managed to grab a pair of shoes to go to the car to get my purse and no, he could do that faster, it would take me too long. I told him the money was in the zippered side pocket. Five minutes later he is still claiming he can't find any money but $5 and that will have to do. He's back at lunch time saying there is no more than $14 in my purse and still won't bring it to me so I can get it for him and since I didn't find the wallet he's off again. This evening after I had recovered the purse and confirmed there was $108.00 in the side zippered pocket, he came home saying he had to start closing all the accounts. A few minutes later he came back into the kitchen with the wallet. It was behind the folding door of the closet under all the things he had piled onto the shelf inside the closet. Little Bitty Ginger Kitty was sitting on the empty shelf purring and purtleing. Do you suppose...?
Do all husbands do this? Sandy

LOL!!!! Such a naughty (delightful! LOL) kitty!

I can't speak for all, but my DH does it. I can give him specific directions to an object he's looking for, and it could very well be right in front of him, literally, and he will not find it. It's always important that I drop whatever I'm doing and help him, too. If not, a temper tantrum is sure to ensue. :D

I love it when I'm pointing at the object in question, but he refuses to look at me. "It's right THERE!" *looking the opposite way* "No, THERE, hon, THERE!" LOL

Brenda

ROTFLMAO! I haven't had one for a while, but YES, it's the DNA, they're all like that!

But for all of you that do have a "main squeeze", Happy Hearts Day!

Sarah

Ginger kitty is likely younger than we thought. She started talking to us non stop and has been so miserable. She has been rubbing her cheeks against plants, furniture, people and walls. Most of the plants are heavy enough to withstand the assault but I spent a couple of hours cleaning up the contents of a newly opened can of coffee that exploded all over the kitchen floor and into the dish washer. It smells nice but I think I prefer the smell coming from a cup of fresh brew.
She is in heat.
Despite all the vocalization she is no where near as difficult as Pookie was when she hit that wall. Our two boys were in the middle of puberty and of course were just pumping out pheromones at high rates. The combination along with estrus made Pookie crazy. She was literally bouncing off of the walls. The end of everyone's patience though came when she landed with all four sets of claws on Brian's back and despite the leather jacket he was wearing drew blood. We were at the vet's office the first thing the next day. It took Brian quite a while to warm up to Pookie after that. After that experience, Ginger's constant talking and rubbing is no where near as troublesome. She has an appointment at the Vet tomorrow. The one thing that makes her comfortable is being combed. She even lets me comb her tummy fur. I hope she keeps her lovable nature. Maturity can change everything.
To get a vocalization similar to Pookie's check out the link below. Sandy

Here is a link that might be useful: A seriously unhappy cat.

OMG, Sandy!! Poor Pookie, poor Brian....and that poor kitty in the video! Although, I can vaguely remember feeling that way a time or two in my life. LOL

Brenda

The crossed eyes are not a problem! The vet says she is part Siamese so that also explains the long neck, the tightrope walking and the purtling talk. It doesn't explain the white fur with ginger colored markings.
Several things are going on with her, right now. The major thing is the neutering will be a bit later. I'm not sure of the vet's reasoning but since she is not having long periods of heat, we will go along with it.

The next thing, of equal importance is she got a dose of Revolution. This is supposed to take care of things like heartworms, fleas, some kind of tick, ear mites and who knows what else and it is used once a month. It is supposed to be applied to the back of her head. I am not sure we can tolerate just how sick she got. I guess it wasn't so serious as all that but she was obviously miserable for three days so I am wondering if it is worth it. Have any of you used it on your pets? Should we continue with it?

The vet says she did have ear mites so her ears were irrigated again. She seemed a lot less upset about it this time. There were no baleful looks or vocal outrage and no cowering in the corner although she did get down on the bench again. Everyone got through it without scratches this time and they clipped her claws, just in case. Hopefully the second treatment and the Revolution will take care of them.

Once again, I carried her in the mesh softside hamper. It is so much easier than trying to get any cat in one of the regular carriers. I do need to figure out a better closer though. She can get out much too easily. Once again, people thought it was such a good idea for a small pet. I think this must be one of those ideas that lots of people get at the same time. I have never figured that one out but it does happen to me fairly often. Has it ever happened to you?

I guess the next problem to solve will be getting her teeth cleaned. She has some obvious tarter and it must be uncomfortable. Do they give her an anesthetic? Should it be done when she is neutered? How the heck do you brush a kitties teeth? I bought a tooth brush and toothpaste (tuna flavored)but I've never had to do this before. I think it may take both me and DH to accomplish this little task and DH gets pretty stressed trying to do anything like giving medication. This could definitely be a snapshot opportunity.

How come all cats will sit on anything you are trying to read? I'm not sure how it could be genetic but every cat we have had would do it. Ginger now has added getting between me and the keyboard. More often, it is sitting or laying ON the keyboard. It makes such amusing noises and I make some unusual noises as well. She has changed the settings on the screen so often I have given up changing them back. There are three labels for "My Network Places", the icons are now on the left instead of the right, "Desktop and "My Documents" are right under the icons and everything else is scattered all over the place. No more clicking on something without looking on this screen. Half the time I lose most of the task bars, which can be very interesting. Thank goodness for "Computers for Dummies". She doesn't care so long as she can get scratching and head rubs and she can rub against my face, or sit on my hands. And of course there are those delightful noises.
Oh, I forgot about the tightrope walking. The laundry room is a great play room. Not only can you curl up in the freshly dried clothes, you have all sorts of places to hide and climb. Getting to the shelves up really high was fun until you jumped and the rod for hanging stuff was too full. It wasn't much fun getting out from under all those clothes. It's lots of fun to sick your head in the washer while it is filling with water and during the spin cycle you have to sit on the lid. Mom won't let you get into the dryer with the wet clothes even if it looks like great fun. The best thing though, is to climb on the 3 section laundry sorter. While the top of the metal frame is fun it is much more challenging to walk on the fabric walls that separate the bins. Even if you fall you can't get hurt. Sandy

I know I shouldn't post more today but this is so hilarious I can't not tell about it.

Ginger Kitty managed to get out the back door this afternoon when I opened it to get the bowl I left for the stray who has been napping on the Deicer. I didn't have shoes on so I couldn't follow her. I went in to find shoes and a coat and about the time I got my toes into the second shoe on there was this unbelievable noise from the brass covers of the mail pass through in the front door. I stopped to finish putting on the shoe and the the brass covers started making even more noise. I opened the front door and there was Ginger Kitty waiting impatiently for me. She slipped between my legs into the hall, pausing only to give the passthrough one final whack with her paw. She was so smug!

I had noticed her showing great interest when the mailman came every day and once the mail came through the door, she would check out the mail and the passthrough and then she would lose interest. I had no idea she could or would figure out how to use it as a door knocker! This is even more crazy than cats sitting on the newspaper.

I should have remembered FTM's post on ear mites on Feb. 7. I mean I even printed it out so I would remember Chickie's advice about the Revolution treatment. I looked on the internet and see the price is about half what the vet charges. Has anyone had any experience with buying it that way? Thanks for your recommendation Chicky. Sandy

Sandy, I love your Ginger stories, as always! Kitties are so wonderful, if only for their curiosity. :D

I always buy Pookie's flea treatment online through Pet Shed. I place the product right between her shoulder blades, since she can't reach that area when cleaning herself. Could Ginger have gotten some of the medicine on her paw while cleaning behind her head? That might have been what made her sick.

However, when we had our pug Clyde, he would get very sick from ANY topical flea treatment we used - disoriented, walking in circles or standing in corners, throwing up. The vet never did believe us when we mentioned that the medicine was the possible culprit, but nothing else was different in his routine once a month at that exact time. So, although uncommon, it could be possible she might just have a reaction.

I haven't ever tried to brush Pookie's teeth, because I'd like to live to see tomorrow. LOL It's bad enough trying to sneak up on her from behind with the flea treatment. :D

Kisses to Ginger for being such a good kitty! :)

Brenda

Wonderful stories Sandy, keep 'em coming!

We've treated an awful lot of cats and kittens with Revolution and not had any reactions, but any medication has the potential to do that. If she's going to be an inside kitty there's no reason to keep using it once you get the earmites taken care of. And there are other earmite treatments, ask your vet.

Sarah

Heaven help us all when DH sees how much Ginger Kitty has run up at the vets. It's well over $800.00 now. I sure hope this is the end of the most expensive things. The Felaway I paid for in cash as well as the Kitty Toothpaste. I think I will get the Meijer toothpaste from now on. I cringed when I saw the $8.95 price tag. This visit was the most expensive. She got some booster shots and had THE surgery. I spent the whole day totally upset about it. I know it is necessary but I really hated putting her through it. They cleaned her teeth and gave her some antibiotics for her gums at the same time. The followup meds were fairly simple to give to her which is a good thing since DH is pretty bad at assisting. When he held her about half of the meds wound up on me. I finally started giving it to her alone and she was much calmer about it. I like the way the meds came in thin syringes with a plunger without a needle and a premeasured dose. So much easier than trying to get a pill down her throat. I am saving the empties for possible use in the future.
I went to Walgreens late last night and Ginger was waiting at the garage door as always. She checked out the bags and discovered there was nothing for her. Her head came up out of the bag and she just pitched a fit. Her ears went back, she hissed and her back arched. Then she tried to bury the tonic water. I think she was pretty angry. Note to self: always have something in the bag for Ginger.
It has been a week now since the surgery and Ginger is healing rapidly. Stitches come out on Friday. Jumping and climbing were non existent for the first three days. She simply demanded that we pick her up and put her where she wanted to go. On day four she was making modest leaps to counter tops in the bathroom and kitchen but I haven't seen her doing any of the leaps to beams or cupboards yet. She still yelps a bit if we touch her tummy. She starts grooming it right away. It seems to be a very good sewing job. I haven't seen any redness or swelling. I wonder how she will react getting the stitches out? Getting to the shelf in the kitchen window over the sink is a bit awkward yet but she is getting better every minute. She doesn't talk quite as much. I hope she starts it up again. It is so much a part of her personality.
Ginger has something in common with Pookie. When I tease them with a bundle of feathers on a string tied to a flexible pole, they may go after the feathers once or twice but they really are after the string and shortly after that they go for the pole or the hands. Since the string is very hard to see it must be much more difficult to catch. The big difference in their "hunt" is that Ginger never digs in with her teeth or claws. Pookie would use all of them to the point you needed to wear heavy gloves to protect yourself. Her claws were stilettos while Gingers are spikes. Ginger does love to be teased and acts like no one has ever done it before. Spring is coming. The pond temp is 50 degrees. Sandy