miane coon

"Mary" wrote in message news:dQOYb.18120$%

If you want to avoid getting your heart broken by the early death of
your cat, why not forget about "pure bred" cats and adopt one of the
lovely long-haired (etc.) cats currently in your local no-kill
shelters or on death row at your local SPCA? Get a young adult that
has been in a no-kill shelter for several months and you have a cat
that is guaranteed to have good bathroom habits and to be wonderfully
socialized by the volunteers who love them up every day.

Heartbreak is watching these cats die every day while people PAY for
in-bred cats that die young.

He was our first pedigree cat we had a ginger tom who we got as an
abandoned kitten he died 5 years ago at the age of 13 we still have a
female tabby whos is 18 but sadly she has cancer of the colon and the
time is getting close to saying goodby

"Mary" wrote in message news:dQOYb.18120$%

If you want to avoid getting your heart broken by the early death of
your cat, why not forget about "pure bred" cats and adopt one of the
lovely long-haired (etc.) cats currently in your local no-kill
shelters or on death row at your local SPCA? Get a young adult that
has been in a no-kill shelter for several months and you have a cat
that is guaranteed to have good bathroom habits and to be wonderfully
socialized by the volunteers who love them up every day.

Heartbreak is watching these cats die every day while people PAY for
in-bred cats that die young.

He was our first pedigree cat we had a ginger tom who we got as an
abandoned kitten he died 5 years ago at the age of 13 we still have a
female tabby whos is 18 but sadly she has cancer of the colon and the
time is getting close to saying goodby

"Mary" wrote in message news:dQOYb.18120$%

If you want to avoid getting your heart broken by the early death of
your cat, why not forget about "pure bred" cats and adopt one of the
lovely long-haired (etc.) cats currently in your local no-kill
shelters or on death row at your local SPCA? Get a young adult that
has been in a no-kill shelter for several months and you have a cat
that is guaranteed to have good bathroom habits and to be wonderfully
socialized by the volunteers who love them up every day.

Heartbreak is watching these cats die every day while people PAY for
in-bred cats that die young.

He was our first pedigree cat we had a ginger tom who we got as an
abandoned kitten he died 5 years ago at the age of 13 we still have a
female tabby whos is 18 but sadly she has cancer of the colon and the
time is getting close to saying goodby

So sorry you lost your cat.

Like other have said, go check out the local shelter and rescue groups. It
never ceases to amaze me what beautiful cats end up in shelters. We adopted
a gorgeous long haired calico last September. She is a sweetheart. I don't
know why her people dumped her but she was found outside as a stray by a
worker with the local rescue group. She is well behaved and a real purr
monster. Will she live to be an old lady? Maybe not but she'll have a good
home in the meantime.

W

"den" wrote in message
om...
Our Maine Coon boy died very suddenly in January just under 5 years
old the cause was found to be cardiomyopathy We where not aware of any
problems with the breed until it was too late. Thanks to lots of info
on the internet.

We are not really prepared to take the chance with another Maine Coon
it would be to heart breaking if it happened again
although we are not ready for another cat we have talked about
Norwegians and Siberians is anybody aware of any problems with these
breeds ?

So sorry you lost your cat.

Like other have said, go check out the local shelter and rescue groups. It
never ceases to amaze me what beautiful cats end up in shelters. We adopted
a gorgeous long haired calico last September. She is a sweetheart. I don't
know why her people dumped her but she was found outside as a stray by a
worker with the local rescue group. She is well behaved and a real purr
monster. Will she live to be an old lady? Maybe not but she'll have a good
home in the meantime.

W

"den" wrote in message
om...
Our Maine Coon boy died very suddenly in January just under 5 years
old the cause was found to be cardiomyopathy We where not aware of any
problems with the breed until it was too late. Thanks to lots of info
on the internet.

We are not really prepared to take the chance with another Maine Coon
it would be to heart breaking if it happened again
although we are not ready for another cat we have talked about
Norwegians and Siberians is anybody aware of any problems with these
breeds ?

"den" wrote in message
om...
Our Maine Coon boy died very suddenly in January just under 5 years
old the cause was found to be cardiomyopathy We where not aware of any
problems with the breed until it was too late. Thanks to lots of info
on the internet.

The first clue that HCM in cats might be genetically linked was discovered
in 1993 in a family of Maine Coons -- but the actual genetics haven't been
determined yet. In one case, a MC died of HCM at a year old. There was no
evidence of HCM when the kitten was examined at 3 months old. In another
MC, the disase developed at 6 months. Apparently, the disease can develop
at any age without any prior evidence of heart disease.


We are not really prepared to take the chance with another Maine Coon
it would be to heart breaking if it happened again
although we are not ready for another cat we have talked about
Norwegians and Siberians is anybody aware of any problems with these
breeds ?

HCM can develop in any cat but its reported most frequently in the DSH (that
doesn't mean a higher incidence - there are just more DSH than any other cat
in the general feline population), followed by the domestic longhair. The
strongest evidence of a genetic link is in Maine coons followed by American
Shorthairs and Persians. OTOH, HCM is uncommon in the Siamese, Burmese, and
Abyssinians. HCM has also been documented with increasing frequency in
Ragdolls.

Pedigrees don't mean much and aren't a guarantee that HCM or any congenital
defect, doesn't run in a particular line since the breeders fill out the
papers themselves. Unless you're actually present at birth, there's no way
of knowing with any degree of certainty if the kitten actually came from the
parents that the papers say it did. I'm not saying all breeders
manipulate pedigrees, its just that its very easy to do and virtually
impossible to catch without DNA testing.

If I were you, I'd seriously consider a naturally bred DSH. I think they're
inherently stronger and healthier than pedigrees. After all, they've
survived for millions of years without all the breeders' "improvements".

I'm sorry for your loss.

Best of luck.

Phil.

"den" wrote in message
om...
Our Maine Coon boy died very suddenly in January just under 5 years
old the cause was found to be cardiomyopathy We where not aware of any
problems with the breed until it was too late. Thanks to lots of info
on the internet.

The first clue that HCM in cats might be genetically linked was discovered
in 1993 in a family of Maine Coons -- but the actual genetics haven't been
determined yet. In one case, a MC died of HCM at a year old. There was no
evidence of HCM when the kitten was examined at 3 months old. In another
MC, the disase developed at 6 months. Apparently, the disease can develop
at any age without any prior evidence of heart disease.


We are not really prepared to take the chance with another Maine Coon
it would be to heart breaking if it happened again
although we are not ready for another cat we have talked about
Norwegians and Siberians is anybody aware of any problems with these
breeds ?

HCM can develop in any cat but its reported most frequently in the DSH (that
doesn't mean a higher incidence - there are just more DSH than any other cat
in the general feline population), followed by the domestic longhair. The
strongest evidence of a genetic link is in Maine coons followed by American
Shorthairs and Persians. OTOH, HCM is uncommon in the Siamese, Burmese, and
Abyssinians. HCM has also been documented with increasing frequency in
Ragdolls.

Pedigrees don't mean much and aren't a guarantee that HCM or any congenital
defect, doesn't run in a particular line since the breeders fill out the
papers themselves. Unless you're actually present at birth, there's no way
of knowing with any degree of certainty if the kitten actually came from the
parents that the papers say it did. I'm not saying all breeders
manipulate pedigrees, its just that its very easy to do and virtually
impossible to catch without DNA testing.

If I were you, I'd seriously consider a naturally bred DSH. I think they're
inherently stronger and healthier than pedigrees. After all, they've
survived for millions of years without all the breeders' "improvements".

I'm sorry for your loss.

Best of luck.

Phil.

"Meghan Noecker" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 19:14:17 GMT, "Mary" wrote:

Heartbreak is watching these cats die every day while people PAY
for
in-bred cats that die young.


Excellent post. I won't be getting another cat for awhile. I have 3,
and they'd kill me if I got another. But I plan to get most, if not
all, of my future cats and dogs at shelters.

Good for you. I have never purchased an animal because my father was a
big advocate, so I learned young. He actually placed an ad in the
paper and took anyone's unwanted animals. The plan was to get them
medical care and resell them for the cost of the care. What happened
was we had a regular Noah's arc of creatures, but in the singular!
Huge great danes with behavioral problems, tons of puppies and
kittens, even a Mynah Bird. A nasty neighbor reported him (there was a
three-dog rule in city limits) and he had to shut it down. But we had
puppy pens in the basement and I got to play with a different puppy or
kitten every day! I'll never forget what it was like when everyone was
out in the big back yard playing.


Both my first and current shelties came from rescue. The first was
probably a year old and considered a problem in the neighborhood.
Bored shelties will get into trouble.

Ha! You bet they will!


I went to the shelter with a friend of mine last week, and she is on
the waiting list for a particular cat. He's a big boy, 14 lbs, not a
Maine Coon, but a nice looking shorthair black and white cat. Very
regal looking. Somebody else has him reserved, but they haven't had
their appointment yet, so they may choose not to take him. If so, my
friend is next in line.

I hope she gets him!



There are a lot of nice animals, whose only crime is to not be
wanted.
And with the adults, you can usually tell what you have in terms of
behavior. And like you said, if they've been there awhile, they will
be housetrained and socialized.


Man, my little Cheeky had been at the shelter for 4 months, and I know
part of it is inborn temperament, but she does every thing but make me
martinis. The most loving, funny, smart and gentle little cat. I
feel blessed.

"Meghan Noecker" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 19:14:17 GMT, "Mary" wrote:

Heartbreak is watching these cats die every day while people PAY
for
in-bred cats that die young.


Excellent post. I won't be getting another cat for awhile. I have 3,
and they'd kill me if I got another. But I plan to get most, if not
all, of my future cats and dogs at shelters.

Good for you. I have never purchased an animal because my father was a
big advocate, so I learned young. He actually placed an ad in the
paper and took anyone's unwanted animals. The plan was to get them
medical care and resell them for the cost of the care. What happened
was we had a regular Noah's arc of creatures, but in the singular!
Huge great danes with behavioral problems, tons of puppies and
kittens, even a Mynah Bird. A nasty neighbor reported him (there was a
three-dog rule in city limits) and he had to shut it down. But we had
puppy pens in the basement and I got to play with a different puppy or
kitten every day! I'll never forget what it was like when everyone was
out in the big back yard playing.


Both my first and current shelties came from rescue. The first was
probably a year old and considered a problem in the neighborhood.
Bored shelties will get into trouble.

Ha! You bet they will!


I went to the shelter with a friend of mine last week, and she is on
the waiting list for a particular cat. He's a big boy, 14 lbs, not a
Maine Coon, but a nice looking shorthair black and white cat. Very
regal looking. Somebody else has him reserved, but they haven't had
their appointment yet, so they may choose not to take him. If so, my
friend is next in line.

I hope she gets him!



There are a lot of nice animals, whose only crime is to not be
wanted.
And with the adults, you can usually tell what you have in terms of
behavior. And like you said, if they've been there awhile, they will
be housetrained and socialized.


Man, my little Cheeky had been at the shelter for 4 months, and I know
part of it is inborn temperament, but she does every thing but make me
martinis. The most loving, funny, smart and gentle little cat. I
feel blessed.

"den" wrote in message
om...
"Mary" wrote in message news:dQOYb.18120$%

He was our first pedigree cat we had a ginger tom who we got as an
abandoned kitten he died 5 years ago at the age of 13 we still have
a
female tabby whos is 18 but sadly she has cancer of the colon and
the
time is getting close to saying goodby

I see. I forgot to tell you that I am really sorry you lost both your
Maine Coon and your lovely ginger boy. I have a special love of
tabbies, and your poor little girl is very lucky to have you caring
for her. Be sure to come here and talk to us. Nobody here will ever
say "it was only a cat!" as we all know they are family members to
anyone with a heart.

When you are feeling low, go visit a no-kill shelter, and just get to
know the kitties a little. What you need more than anything is a
sweet, fun, affectionate darling that will be so grateful to you he
will love you forever. You will be surprised at how the young adults
are at these places. It is not like the pound where everyone is crying
and screaming and barking. The animals are pretty packed in, but they
are loved and socialized. The shelter owners can tell you all about
them, where they were found, what they are like. You can know what you
are getting, to a degree. One cat will come to you or look at you or
lean into your hand when you pet him, and win your heart.