Conference misery::feline_v1

    Abysinians have very short coats AND they're cute. Why don't you visit
    a local cat show and try a few out ;-)
    
    
    Lisa plus Pookie, Rolf (an Aby!) and Florence.
    

    Perhaps a Scottish fold (short haired) would interest you.  They're
    not particularly hypoallergenic, but a little allergy medicine and
    some time may allow you to adjust.
      
    ;-)  I just happen to have 4 kittens available.
    

	My husband has asthma, but gets along quite well with our four
	Siamese.  They have short, flat coats, and don't shed much at
	all.  

	It's also been mentioned in here, and I've read it elsewhere,
	too, that an allergy can be controlled by bathing the cat(s)
	regularly.

	Good luck - I think a kitty present is a *wonderful* idea! :^}

	Sandy + 5

Don't know how rare/expensive they are, though...
*DC

    I have allergies, and so does my husband.  Believe it or not, my
    longhairs shed less than my shorthair, because they have no undercoats. 
    We have a Ragdoll and a Birman and both breeds have long, silky coats
    that feel like angora rabbit hair.  They are expensive, though ($400
    for a pet quality kitten).  You didn't mention if price played a factor
    here.
    
    The Scottish Folds have coats like dense velour and are very cute!  My
    neighbor has one, and Buckwheat's coat has never bothered me.  I can
    vouch for Nancy's kittens too!  They are very well adjusted and
    extremely cute.
    
    I think it's very sweet that you want to surprise your wife with a
    kitten.  You couldn't have come to a better place to look!
    
    

    It's not necessarily the fur...it can be the dander or
    the saliva that causes the allergies.  I am allergic
    and have asthma, but my four cats do not bother me at
    all.  UNLESS they lick me, and then I break out in hives! :-)
    3 are shorthaired, one is longhaired, BTW.                   
    
    I suggest a shorthaired kitten that will be an indoor only
    cat and that you give the cat a bath once a month or so.
    
    L-
    
    

    I too am allergic and own three cats at the moment.  First thing, I
    have become mostly de-sensitized to my own and second, a bath on
    occasion will help.
    
    To play it safe, I would stick with a short hair cat.  Mine are
    Orienal/Siamese and hope to have kittens, but not til after Christmas. 
    I am expecting Blue-eyed Whites and Lynx points mostly.
    
    I do know of some people who will have a various assortment of these
    breeds.  Some available now.  Just depends what color and age area you
    are looking for.  Keep us posted!  Perhaps you could take your wife to
    a show and get a feel for what she likes, ie. color of fur, eyes,
    talkative, playful/quiet.  Different breeds have a noticeably different
    way of living and acting. You can narrow it down quite a bit by
    thinking about these kinds of things.  There is a CFA show coming the
    first weekend in Dec., it will be in Danvers, MA.  Where are you from?
    Karen, Ruby, Stinky, Wing and Arthur
    
    PS. There would be nothin' prettier than a Blue-Eyed White Oriental
    with a little red plaid bow on it's neck, sitting under the Christmas
    tree!! (personal opinion of course!) 8'}
    

    As a breeder, I never sell any kittens that are going to be a
    "surprise" for someone.  I always insist the the person that is
    getting the kitten come over and see and pick out the kitten too.
    I don't want my kitten to end up unwanted, or have the new owner
    upset cause they didn't get to choose their own kitten.
    
    Might be fun to tell your wife that you want to do this.  Then the
    two of you could go visit breeders of different breeds and together
    choose a cat that suits both of your needs.
    
    Jo
    

    the Cornish and Devon Rex don't shed. They have only one layer of
    hair- the layer close to the skin, no outer layer. And very soft!!
    Nice personality- looks a little like Gismo. 
    
    Pat
    

I'm very impressed by the responses that I have gotten from
everyone.  There are obviously a lot of knowledgeable and caring
people in this conference.

I guess that I should give you a little background on myself.  My 
wife and I have recently relocated to Charlotte N.C. from Nashua
N.H..  We're both DECie's (I hope that she doesn't read this conference)
and she's down there, while I'm up here for training until Dec. 7th.
So there's no way that she can pick one out if I get it here.  Besides
I know her likes and dislikes, and I'm sure that she'll be thrilled
with whatever I choose for her.  After all, I let her pick out our
new home and I was thrilled (but that's another story, the point is that
we have the same taste).  ;^)

I like Siamese cats, but I've been told that they can be a little
more "moody" than most cats, is this true?  Lisa would like a cat that
is playful, friendly, and talkative.  Color is not the most important
factor, but I'm sure that white w/blue eyes would be a sure hit!
Price is a factor, but considering the joy and happiness that a cat
would bring to her, I'm flexible on that point.  As far as age is
concerned, I'd like to get her a kitten that would be able to adjust
to it's new environment without any hardships. She used to have 
chinchilla's, but she had to get rid of them because of my allergies.
They were "her babies" and she really misses them.  She was a GREAT
"mom"!  She is very attentive, caring, and compassionate (I guess that's 
why I married her).  ;^)

Where can I go to find the kinds of cats that have been mentioned
in previous replies?  I would like to spend some time with any potential
candidates to see if I have any reactions.  Is there a problem with me
getting a cat here and transporting it to Charlotte, or should I wait?
The reasons for me wanting to get it here is because I'm familiar with
the area and I have a lot more resources here (this notes file being one
of them).

Thanks!

Ron
    

    Ron, 
    
    You can find any of those types of cats (well, with the exception
    of sphinx anyway) at a cat show.  In my experience, Siamese are
    wonderful cats.  I think they got a bad rep from the movie "Lady
    and the Tramp". ;^)  [as an aside, fellow noters, I think maybe
    the topic of Siamese being moody or nasty is a good one for the
    Old Wives Tales topic]
    
    One thing to keep in mind when you go to a breeder's house...the
    breeder is going to have a houseful of cats, and if you are allergic,
    you will probably have a big reaction.  Don't hold this against
    the individual kitten that you pick out.  Once home, you will probably
    become desensitized to your own cat.  My husband is allergic to
    cats too, but we now have about 12.  He can handle our cats, but
    not other folk's.  
    
    Jo

Hi Ron,

	I Personally I love surprises, infact I posted a note about the best
b-day present.  I think if your wife likes cats she will be pleased with what 
ever you get her.  I really, really, really wanted a himalayan.  So bad that I
went out and bought a book all about himalayans.  I could probably recite
almost anything on them!  Well, my husband surprised me with a Persian, and
to tell you the truth, I would not trade Gizmo in for anything in the world!
I absolutely love my baby, plus the fact that he was a gift from my husband
made him all the more precious.  I must admit that the day my husband bought
Gizmo, he called me at work to  "feel" me out about Persians.  The surprise is
that he bought the kitten that day. My birthday really isn't until November!
Anyway, I think your wife will love any kitten you get.

	As for traveling with kittens - I just bought a carrier for Gizmo to
bring him to the vet in and other road trips.  You can get them in "airline
requiremnet" sizes if you want to bring the kitten on the plane.


Cindy

    Ron, there will be a cat show in Salem, NH, the weekend of November 3rd
    and 4th.  Come check it out.  You will see all sorts of cat breeds, and
    I will even let you hold my Birman (who incidentally has the markings
    of a Siamese with blue eyes) cat so you can take the "allergy" test! 
    Keep in mind what Jo says is true -- your allergies will worsen in a
    breeder's home or at a cat show due simply to the large number of cats
    in one room.
    
    The advantage to visiting a cat show is the breeders are right there at
    your service to answer questions.  Some even have kittens for sale,
    though most will not sell them directly out of the show hall.
    
    There are directions to the cat show in note #1093, maybe in the 2nd to
    last reply I think.  Once you have your breed choice narrowed down, we
    can help you choose a good, responsible breeder with kittens available.
    
    
    --Roberta
    
    

    Don't spoil the surprise...don't let her know what your doing. 
    I think its' great.   Now does anyone know my husband...well I
    have always wanted a persian and my B-Day is comming up soon.
    Only kidding...he keeps saying "NO MORE"....but were up to five.
    
    I'm sure she will be thrilled with what ever type of kitty you
    get her.  You sound like a wonderful hubby!!!
    
    Sandy
    

    There is also a show on Nov 4th in Plymouth and I'll have at least one
    of the two cats I have left to sell.  (Yes I sold 2 over the weekend to
    a deccie and her daughter!!)  Personally, I'd be willing to work out a
    trial period with you to determine if you can adjust to the cat.  Of
    course the location makes this a bit of a problem, but perhaps there
    are other breeders who would be willing to do the same for you. 
    
    I also happen to know of a woman who breeds Scottish folds and lives
    in New Jersey (I believe it is).  Her name is Sue Stevens and her cats
    are magnificent if the ones I"ve seen are any indication.  Beverly
    Hardacre (a fellow fold breeder) has three of her kittens and I would
    be happy to get information about Sue for you so you could contact her.
    NJ is a little closer to you than Boston.
    
    I am looking forward to breeding the Stevens folds into my lines when
    Angel is old enough.  (Angel is a silver tabby straight ear and Beverly
    has a stevens fold - folded ear, red and white male - the kittens
    should be gorgeous!)
      Nancy

    If your interested in a white kitten, I have a Copper-eyed white Exotic
    Shorthair kitten available.  About 3 1/2 months old now, and ready to
    go.  
    
    An Exotic Shorthair is a persian cat (squished in face) with short
    hair.  My husband, who is allergic, doesn't seem to be bothered by the
    exotics.
    
    Send me mail or give me a call if your interested in seeing her....I
    live in Fitchburg MA.
    
    purrs...
    cin
    
    BTW, this kitten is the daughter of the famous Stripees, and brother to
    Cattyshack's Dirty White Boy fondly refered to as DWeeBs.