Conference misery::feline_v1

    Because of the collar on the cat, I would try to put up posters about
    the found cat at local supermarkets and other business areas where 
    the cat was found.  Just maybe, someone is looking for their cat
    and might see the notice.  Try putting an ad in the newspaper, that
    sometimes works well.
    
    Good luck, Nancy

    Ruth -
      Sounds like your cats are coping just fine with the new addition.
    
    I agree about putting up signs but I caution you not to put too many
    details on the posters.  You have to have some way of insuring that
    the person who claims the kitten really is the kitten's owner.
      There are alot of sick people in this world.
       Nancy

    Actually, three cats are not much more work than 2.  An dit sounds like
    your guys are doing rather well in terms of introductions (no blood on the 
    ceiling).

    Ya - its when you jump from 4 to 10 that it gets to be a bit much.
    
      ;-)
    
    Nancy DC

Thanks for the encouragement.  Only problem is my baby expected in November so
I'm not too keen on taking on another cat -  My mother is putting
increasing presssure on me to find another home for it, or she won't look after
them when we go away.  

Also, last night, little Charlotte was really attacking Henri and Sophie - now
I could understand if it was the other way round, but I'm beginning to feel
really guilty.  

We've taken her to the vets today to get her checked up and we're putting up
a notice.  I'm still really torn as to what to do.  She's making Henri and 
Sophie's life a real misery!  I'm frightened they might leave if it goes on 
much longer!  It's such a pity because she's got such a good nature and is very
loving and affectionate.....and she's only a baby after all - just protecting
herself no doubt!

    Where Charlotte is still only a kitten, maybe what you see as
    *fighting* and her attacking the other ones, is actually just playing. 
    I think where the other two are older and bigger, they would put
    Charlotte in her place if she was really hurting them.
    
    I remember when I brought Thunder home, she would go after Lightning
    who was at least three times her size.  When Lightning had enough, she
    would *sit* on Thunder.  DejaVu loved having the *baby* around.  It
    gave her someone to play with besides mean,ole,nasty Lightning. (only
    kidding Lightning).
    
    I wanted only 2 cats and am now up to 4.  Still hanging in there with 4
    cats and 1 *large* dog.
    
    I say keep her.  It already sounds like you love her.
    
    Sandi at catmax,catmax,catmax.......
    
    

    Cats DO have to work out the dominance heirarchy and that may be
    what's going on here.  They'll work it out sooner or later.
      Hang in there.
       Nancy DC

Well Charlotte went to the vet and had a check-up.  Everything's fine with her
and the vet said she was a really good-looking kitten, and that she was
probably around 5 months old.  When asked about spaying, she said the only way
we'd be able to know if she has been spayed is if she has kittens!!!?  I find
that hard to believe - there must be some way of knowing, surely?

I can see now that attacking Sophie and Henri is definately her form of playing.
She's so determined I've never seen anything like it.  If you dangle a piece of
string in front of her she'll grab it and then just won't let go and her eyes
get a kind of psychopathic look to them!

The other two are still hissing at her, as she does to them, but occasionally I
think that they are beginning to accept each other.

But I'm still not sure whether I should keep her.  Of course I want to, but I
don't think it's sensible at the moment.  The vet said that we had done enough
and that she 'speaks a different language' to our 2 because she's from Hackney!!
She gave us the number for the Cat protection league who she said would easily
find a lovely home for her.  Kittens are in great demand here at this time of
year.  But the number's still on the kitchen table waiting to be phoned.  I'll
just miss her sooo much - she's such a character, but I can see from other notes
that having a baby means that you should be taking less on, not more!  The 
problem is not only keeping 3, it's what to do when we're away.  I think I will
phone the protection league, but at this rate I'll probably keep unconciously
'forgetting' the number at home!

Thanks for hearing me out!

[Ruth, Henri, Sophie and Charlotte]

    re: spay - sometimes the vet can feel the scar from the incision.
    The other way to know is if she goes into heat.  Obviously you
    should keep her inside at least until you know for sure. 
      The only way to be absolutely sure would be for the vet to
    operate on her and look.  No point in putting her through that.
      Nancy DC

    I hope you can find a place for Charlotte.  I took in a stray last
    May that brought me up to 3 cats.  It is a little extra work but
    not that much extra and she has been pretty healthy so I haven't
    noticed much of an increase in vet bills, except for annual shots.
    
    If your mother won't take on the 3rd cat and you still want to keep
    her you may be able to work out an arrangement like I have.  I have
    a friend at work with 2 cats that I exchange cat care duties with.  
    She travels off and on with her job/vacations etc. and I don't travel
    quite as often but the arrangement seems to work out very well for
    when I do take a little vacation.  The cats know her and hers know
    me so we feel pretty comfortable with each other's animals.
    
    Wishing you luck,
    
    Jan

This weekend I bucked up the courage and took little Charlotte to the Cat
Protection League.  It was one of the most difficult things I've had to to,
as the night before she was sooo affectionate.  She sat in my lap, purring none
stop for absolutely hours, stopping occasionally to look deeply into my eyes
oozing love and affection.

Next day I cuddled her all the way to the house belonging to the CPL chap.  He
was an old man who was obviously retired and was doing it for the love of cats.
I counted around 7 in his house, which was very modestly decorated and had seen
better days.  I immediately felt that she was in good hands, but that didn't 
make it any easier as I had to stop cuddling her and put her in a cage.  
Charlotte immediately started growling at the other cats, obviously very
confused at her predicament.  She's a very strong character and won't let any
other cat's mess her around, but she just LOVES humans, and I just hope that
she still does after the awfull thing that I had to do to her.

Thankfully he was going to the cattery very soon afterwards.  He said it would
probably take 1-2 weeks to find a home, and that he only accepts owners who
don't live on a main road and who don't both work, so I know that wherever she
ends up she'll be looked after well.

I cried all the way back, but I think it was for the best.  In 8 months time
when the baby pops out, I think I will have made the right decision.

It DID occur to me, though, that it was other poeple that had a great
influence on the decision, mainly my mother and other relations 
("You're not really thinking of having another cat are you - with the baby 
due..?"), and I feel a bit bitter about that, as I resent such strong 
interference in what is, after all, my own life.  My husband wanted to keep
Charolotte as much as me.

Anyway. Here's to Charlotte.  Have a wonderfull life my dear, god knows you
deserve it!  ...and just remember that you were once loved... very much.

[Ruth]

    Ruth -
      It sounds to me like you did the absolute best you could for her.
    And I sincerely hope that the decision to do that really was yours.
    Is the Cat Protection League a "no-kill" shelter??
    
    I'm sure that she'll find a good home.
      Nancy DC

Nancy,

Oh absolutely!  The whole point about the Cat Protection League is to protect
the cats and keep them until they find a home.  Otherwise there would have been
absolutely no question, I would have kept her no matter what anyone else thought.

Apparently kittens are hard to find this time of year so the man at the CPL was
quite confident that she wouldn't be in the cattery long.  I asked how the
league was financed as it must be quite expensive to keep cats in catteries
for long periods of time - and he said he wondered that himself sometimes (that
probably explains his modest living standards).  He said that they were a 
charity and raised money through fayres, book sales, raffles, draws etc. etc.
Needless to say I left him with a donation that would cover Charlotte's stay
for at least 2 weeks.

[Ruth]

    I'm glad to hear that.  Please stop worrying, I'm sure Charlotte will
    be just fine.  Maybe you can call him back in a few weeks and see if
    she'd been placed.
      Nancy DC

    Just before I went on holiday for 2 weeks (back now) I got a call
    saying that Charlotte has been found a home.  It is with a young couple
    who have a 3 year old daughter.  That means that she was only in the
    cattery for 2 days.  I feel sure that she's now in good hands.
    
    [Ruth]

    It's good to hear [ok, "read"!] that Charlotte found a home!
    
    Hobbes, Calvin, visitors, and ed