Conference misery::feline_v1

    Karen,,,,I'm always in that same predicament.  That's how I 
    ended up with seven. (and feed two strays)   You might want to try
    and put an Ad in the paper to see if you can find the owner. I find
    it hard to believe someone would throw her out in the wilderness...
    but you never know.
    
    I would atleast try feeding her because if she is pregnant she needs
    some good nourishment.  The last one we took in was pregnant but
    lost the kitties and I believe it was because of lack of a proper
    diet when she was out in the wilderness.
    
    Your a sweetie for wanting to take this baby in. Good luck and I
    hope you can catch her so she won't have the babies outside.
    
    Sandy
    
    

	Karen, if she's white, she may be either a lilac or chocolate point.
	Very pretty baby!  She could have run off, so I second the idea of
	putting an ad in your local paper.

	Hope you can find her owners, but if not - enjoy her :^}

	Sandy, who can't resist those big blue eyes!

    Karen-
    
    Looks like you will have another cat! :-)  
    
    The poor little thing, to be so hungry to peer through the
    door.  That's how I got my last one....she was peering through
    my door this past fall.  It took less than a week for her to
    decide she wanted to *own* us!  Please give her something extra
    for me.....I would be glad to donate food for her.
    
    Lynne

    Also, it could be she has been abandoned due to her being pregnant.  I
    hate it, but there are some people that don't want to be bothered by
    a pregnant cat.  I vote for taking her in and feeding her.
    
    Sandi and the Storm Troopers
    
    

    
    	re: .4
    
    	Exactly.  The momma and kittens at the BK in Hudson are
    	perfect example.
    

    Most of the cats mentioned in the previous note are a result of
    someone dropping off a cat during the first heat.  
    
    

    Thanks for all the replies.  I've already decided I'm going to feed her
    if I see her again.  I've got one more house on the street that I'm
    going to go to tonight and see if they own her (they just moved in a
    couple of weeks ago).
    
    I'm also feeding the kittens and cat at Burger King.  I ate there the
    other day - ran over to Shaws - picked up a couple of cans of cat food
    and fed them.  I don't know how people can be so cruel...
    
    I'll let you know how things turn out with the kitty.
    
    karen
    
    

      One of the more astonishing things we've discovered over the past 10
    years or so is that almost HALF of abandoned dogs and cats are purebred
    animals. We've got 10 dogs, and 5 of them are purebreds...3 Beagles, a
    Dachshund and a Yellow Lab...and all of them were discards...
    
      It wouldn't surprise me if this Siamese were a throw-away... I just
    wish I could be the one to decide the FATE of jerks that would abandon
    an animal that has lived in total dependence on them for years. What do
    people like that think will happen to the animal? A cat or dog can't
    stop by the local deli and pick up something to go!! They sometimes
    starve, get hit by cars, etc... Unless someone like us happens to be
    around who'll take them in and care for them and love them, their
    prognosis is usually very grim.
    
      At least I'm happy that this Kitty found someone who cares!! It's
    nice to know that there are many of us who DO care....at least some of
    these poor creatures are rescued...
    
    
     John Mc

    John, that is exactly what these excuses for people are thinking when
    they discard their pet.  That suckers like us will feel bad for them
    and take them in.  They try to rationalize that something good will
    happen to the animal before something bad does.  Unfortunately, it
    doesn't always turn out the way they planned, but guess they feel what
    they don't know, won't hurt them.
    

    I guess this is good a place as any to put this, I've been fumming
    about it for two weeks so ..
    
    One of my husband's customers had female kitties, Tabatha and Calli. 
    When he and the girlfriend split up we just thought that she had taken
    the cats.  I had been to their home and these kitties lacked for
    nothing - were well taken care of, etc.  So Richard was making a call
    on these people the other day and ran into the "lady" and asked about
    the cats. (Richard just loved these two little ladies and would play
    with them every time he was up their way).  Her reply was "Well, I just
    knew that I couldn't find them a home so I took them up to the Ranger
    Station and let them go in the field."  Richard is telling me this with
    tears in his eyes and says to me "God Giudi, I just wanted to slap her
    silly - why did she tell me the truth, how could she have done this".
    
    Now to the other extreme:
    
    A friend of my mom's who is 70+ years old had a beautiful Siamese girl
    named Pandora.  Mrs. Emmerson who has a heart condition developed a
    severe allergy shortly after she got Pandora but kept thinking that she
    would out grow it.  Finally after going to several specialists and
    through many tests she was diagnosed with Asthma as well.  She was told
    that the medication for the allergies would not be at all good for her
    heart condition and that she should find a home for Pandora as soon as
    possible.  She told the good Doctor  "I"ll take my chances with the
    medication until I find her the proper home" and so she did.
    
    Pandora was adoped by Mrs. Emmerson's hairdresser (they lost their
    Siamese 6 months ago) - she is being spoiled to death by 2 little girls
    a new set of parents and a golden retriever who has become her best
    buddy.  Bless you Mrs. Emmerson and people like you.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Giudi
    

     re .9/.10
      I absolutely cannot understand how some people's minds work!! It's
    almost inconceivable to think that someone can simply discard a loyal
    and dependent friend like a styrofoam coffee cup!! I would rather
    starve myself than stop feeding my kids. They only ask for some
    affection, a place to live, and some care. What they give in return
    cannot be purchased with any amount of money. If one of mine got lost
    I'd have nightmares thinking about what was happening to it. Even
    during the two weeks that we fed Lukey before we brought him into the
    house, I used to be thinking "Jeez..I hope he doesn't get into some
    sort of trouble now...just before he's gonna be taken inside.."
    Luckily, old Luke was pretty slick, and he's now the ultimate "fat-cat"
    and lives like a king...he even goes out in the fenced-in dog yard and
    plays with the pups in total safety now...and eats..and eats...and eats
    some more..
    
      I guess we don't look on our kids as 'animals' though, whatever that
    means.. My crew are my FRIENDS...and I simply couldn't abandon a friend
    like that!! 
    JM 

    Guidi, is there any hope that reconnoitering up at the "ranger station"
    (dunno what that is but it sounds like the woods) might turn up the cats?
    

    Karen:
    
    This incident happend about 4 months ago.  When Richard asked Tom, some
    time back, about the cats, he told him that she had taken them so
    Richard just assumed everything was ok.  So when he was up there on
    business he just happened to bump into her and got the bad news.  These
    people live in Sacramento and the Ranger Station is up a ways from
    there.  We're in San Francisco and Richard gets up there every other
    week on business - the Rain has prevented him from tromping out in the
    field - but I dont' have a good feeling about it.  My only hope is that
    they made their way to the Ranger's dwelings and that they were taken
    in.  I'm having a hard time dealing with this - the poor kitties had
    been stictly in-door cats before they were dumped.
    
    Can something like this be reported?????
    
    Giudi

    I think maybe so.  In some places abandoning domestic pets is
    a criminal offense.  It's the next best thing to dumping her
    in a field grrrr.
    

    RE: purebred cats
    
    A cat that has the siamese pattern is not necesarily a purebred
    siamese cat.  The siamese pattern is a recessive gene and is carried by
    many, many domestic cats.  That is why apparent siamese kittens can be
    born to parents of other colors and patterns.  The siamese pattern is
    apparent in other species too, like rats and sheep.  Just wanted to
    clear up a misconception that I have seen mentioned in here quite a
    bit. 
    
    Jo

    Karen, you just reminded me that in San Mateo county we will probably
    see an increase in the number of pregnant animals that will be
    abandonned now that PHS's anti breeding ordinance has passed.  It is
    going to be a long summer. :^(
    
    Jo  

    If she dumped them there, then maybe it's a place where other
    "people??" are dumping their cats as well.  I'm going to talk to
    Richard tonight about this possibility.  From what I understand it's a
    very large area, fields and woods - so God only knows.  I couldn't ever
    print what Richard said to her and for her sake I hope he never sees
    her again!  Sounds like she never even tried to find them a home or put
    them in a shelter.
    
    Giudi

      Re .15
    
       I know...my point was simply that inhumane, mindless, idiots don't
    necessarily throw away mixed breeds...stupidity isn't selective...
    
      Also...some of the color standards of the Burmese, for instance, are
    not all that distinctive. Some of the grey Burmese look very similar to
    the average, grey, mutt-cat....so there is some difficulty in
    identifying "purebred" as opposed to mixed breed animals...
    
        JM

    sick sick sick...I'd like to dump her in the Grand Canyon and
    watch her try to survive.   It get's so frustrating sometimes...
    
    Sandy

    re: pregnant siamese - I have a fishnet and have-a-heart that I am
    very willing to loan out if it would help you catch her.
      Nancy

    Re. 18
    
    The *color* standard for a blue Burmese may not be that distinctive from
    a blue mixed breed cat, but that is exactly why breed standards are not
    based on color.  A breed must be distinctive in it's individual
    features, i.e. head shape, ear placement and set, eye shape, set, and
    color, body length, coat length, so on and so on.  It is these body
    features that set the breeds apart, not their color or pattern.
    
    I am just trying to make the point that not every short haired pointed
    cat is a Siamese, not every long haired pointed cat is a Himmy, and not
    all blue short haired cats are Russian Blues.
    
    I guess you could say that this is a personal pet peeve of mine after
    having spent the last several months dealing with the Peninsula Humane
    Society and their anti-breeding ordinance.
    
    Not trying to start a rathole here...
    
    Jo

      Re .21
      
      Hey, Jo...no biggie!! I've seen something on the ignorant ordnance
    that you mentioned... And I agree with you...
    
      MY only point is that around HALF of the animals abandoned by the
    irresponsible jerks around the world ARE purebred animals...so one
    shouldn't be surprised to see animals that certainly COULD be purebred
    abandoned. In fact, if you visit almost any 'pound' in the U.S. you'll
    see that about half or more of the dogs incarcerated there are
    full-blooded and sometimes even complete with papers. 
    
      As for the Burmese reference...what I was attempting to point out
    here is that to the average person, the Burmese is not readily
    identifiable as a purebred. Of course, to anyone who's raised or bred
    this elegant breed, they have very distinctive identification
    characteristics. I venture to guess that the Maine Coon Cat would also
    be difficult to identify to the average person..except for it's size..
    
     JM

    
    Not that I'm a religious fanatic, but I think in the end these people
    who abandon pets will get what they deserve.  If you have seen the
    movie "GHOST", remember those little gremlin creatures?  Get the
    picture?

    John,
      Where do you get the figure that "half" of the abandoned animals
    are purebred?  I'm just curious since the figure for purebred animals 
    put down is only about 2%. Perhaps that simply reflects a much higher
    adoption rate for purebreds.  
    
    re: GHOST - I've resolved to be a VERY good girl after seeing what
    happened to the bad guys!  A GREAT movie.
    And the cat had a decent part too.
    

      Re .24
      MSPCA had some figures about a year back in one of their magazines
    that said this...seems many folks BUY purebred puppies and kittens, and
    to their astonishment they don'e REMAIN babies..and the do have bodily
    functions....so the owners cannot cope...and to the shelters they go..
    
     I have seen some shelters that seem to support that..in fact I've
    gotten three of my purebreds...2 Beagles and a Dachshund...from
    shelters....and the Dachsy and one Beagle had papers...
      
      I'm not sure that this statistic would hold up everywhere...but I've
    talked to folks from Cape Cod...and they say that if anyone wants a
    dog, they should go to the cape immediately after Labor day, and they
    can find just about any breed of dog known for free. Numerous people
    take a puppy to the cape and keep it for the summer...when they leave
    to go back to their homes, the dog is simply let loose and abandoned.
    I'd be surpirsed if numerous cats didn't receive the same treatment...
    
    JM

    John is right. We get a fair number of purebreds at the Nashua shelter.
    My first dog, a Toy Fox Terrier, came from the Nashua shelter and he
    has papers. (His release is a long story!)
    
    We had an Abyssinian (sp?) come in last week with a litter of 5
    kittens. The kittens aren't pure, but the mother is gorgeous. She, and
    her kittens, won't last long, I'm sure. 
    
    Mike

    Mike, 
    
    Do you mean that the Aby won't last long because someone will adopt her
    or that she doesn't have much time left?
    
    Also, since you are familiar (what an understatement! :^}) with
    shelters, do most of the shelters in your area contact the rescue
    organizations when apparent purebreds come in?  Do you have any
    contacts for purebred cat rescue organizations?
    
    Jo

>    Do you mean that the Aby won't last long because someone will adopt her
>    or that she doesn't have much time left?
  
    Our animals do not have time limits! They are kept indefinitely as
    long as they're healthy. I meant she'd be gone soon because she's so
    unique and beautiful.
    
>    shelters, do most of the shelters in your area contact the rescue
>    organizations when apparent purebreds come in?  Do you have any
>    contacts for purebred cat rescue organizations?
    
    I don't know what other shelters do, but we do contact the breed rescue
    clubs. I know we have club names/numbers for dogs but I'm not sure
    about cats. I could TRY to remember to check this out, or you could
    volunteer to call the shelter yourself to check (603-883-8512) and
    offer a copy of a list of clubs if you have one. 
    
    Thanks,
    Mike

    Mike,
    
    I am out here in California.  I am doing this with a couple of the
    shelters out here for my breed.  I am afraid that the cat fancy wasn't
    as fast at figuring out about rescue organizations as the dog fancy
    was.  It is a whole new ballgame for us.
    
    I can give you the name and contact person for the National Birman
    clubs and that way if you ever get an apparent Birman in your shelter
    you could call them.  Would that help?
    
    Jo

    I'd like to think about a breed rescue organization for Scottish
    folds.  I think the Scottish fold fanciers is probably a good place
    to start.
      Nancy

    Here's a real stupid question - what exactly to the breed rescue
    organizations do?  Do the shelters call them to come get the dogs
    and then they place the dogs?  Do they have to pay the shelters?
      Nancy

      Re Mike... I know what you mean with the Abby's....I've threatened
    Julie that I was gonna BUY an Abby or a Burmese.....but then some poor
    little stray in distress falls out of the sky...so I guess I'll just
    have
    to keep wishing..5 cats 'n 10 dogs is about all we can handle and still
    give 'em the proper care and attention..
    
    
      About the breed rescues.. I think they do vary some with what they
    do, but most of them do things like set up temporary adoption homes, do
    placements, pick up and treat animals from their specific breeds that
    are in distress, and have placement services. I think that most of them
    do a tremendous job with their breeds...I knew of one lady who was
    boarding something like 12 Golden's for the rescue at one time...
    
      Anyone know if there's a Dachshund Rescue around Mass???
    
      John Mc

    re. .29: Yes, thanks Jo.
    
    Mike

    Mike,
    
    There are two national Birman clubs.  I can give you the club names and
    the contact person's names now, but will have to look up the addresses
    and phone numbers and get back to you.
    
    Sacred Cat of Burma Fanciers (CFA affiliated)
    President - Julie Collin
    Secretary - Ed Rindfleisch
    
    National Birman Fanciers
    President - Janet Wolf
    Secretary - Ummmmmm ;^)
    
    Most breeds do not have local regional breed clubs.  Most breed clubs
    are national in scope.  In our region, we do have a local Birman club
    which I founded with some friends from the breed.  Do you also need a
    picture of a Birman to help you identify one?
    
    Jo