Typical "Shelter" Kitty?

Following the death of our beloved Amaretto from diabetes (he had the
disease for 11 years, and tolerated all of our ministrations and those
of the vet exceptionally well) and kidney failure, we adopted a new
kitty, who we named Pemberton. "Pemberton" was the middle name of my
maternal grandmother, and a name that I have always liked--even though
my grandmother died very shortly after I was born--I only met her
once. Pemberton won us over very quickly--just a little cutie--a short
haired American tabby with yellow eyes to die for, and the cutest
orange patch on her nose!! She and Alino (Amaretto's surviving blue
point brother) get along fairly well despite the age difference--Alino
is just over 16 years old now and becoming quite the "senior
statesman", taking his frequent naps in the luxury of his new day bed,
getting up to eat when he likes and use the litter box. He is not
into play nearly as much any more due to his age and the onset of
arthritis (which is being treated with twice daily Cosequin and a St.
Joseph's children's aspirin every three days). Pemberton is now just
over a year old, and adores to race around the apartment and play with
anyone or anything whenever she can!! However, some of her behavior is
rather odd (at least to us), and has been described to us as "typical
shelter kitty" behavior. I just thought I would see if anyone else
has seen these sorts of things in their kitties, adopted from
shelters. BTW--Amaretto and Alino both came to us from a
breeder--Amaretto at 2 days old, and Alino at age 3 months. Pemberton
was adopted from the North Shore Animal League here in NYC, which
sends animals up for adoption to our local PetCo every other Saturday
for possible adoption to local patrons.

(1) Pemberton ADORES to eat. She weighed only just over 4 pounds when
we first adopted her in April. Today, she is just over 11 pounds!!!
She gobbles down food like a maniac--and only wet food too--she does
not like dry food and will only eat it if it has been mixed with her
wet. Don't know where Pemberton is hanging out in the apartment? Just
pop the lid off a can of her Friskies Salmon Dinner, and she will
magically appear at your elbow before you can even start to spoon the
stuff into her bowl!! She even likes to stick her nose into the spoon
and start munching before everything is out of the can too!!VBG
Amaretto and Alino both had healthy appetities (Alino still does,
especially for his roaster chicken breast every afternoon), but
Pemberton just eats like crazy--and always wants more!! She will even
cry for food in the middle of the night, or pounce on my husband to
wake him up so he can feed her if her bowl happens to be empty or
nearly empty. We have taken to simply stirring up the left overs in
her bowl in the wee hours, so that she does not get a fresh can on
demand at all hours!! We assume (but do not know) that she was
probably in competition for food with other kitties at North
Shore--and just had to be first in line as soon as the can was opened
in order to get her share?????

(2) Pemberton has an unusual attraction to running water, especially
water faucets, and drains. Whenever I load the dishwasher, she is
always next to me at the sink, watching every move with fascination!
She will even walk into the wet sink and sit in it after the dishes
are gone! Take a shower? Pemberton is usually sitting right up on the
rim of the tub, watching every move with intense interest. She does
not seem to mind getting splashed a bit either. Once the shower is
over, she will walk into the wet tub and stare at either the drain or
the faucet, once again with extreme interest. But oddly enough, she
rarely drinks water--only will take a sip if you put an ice cube in
the bowl so she can play with it and have a sip!! We assume that
Pemberton was probably "bathed" in between visits to PetCo and other
stores where she was "on display" for possible adoption????? She
certainly had clean fur and a very nice "shampoo" odor when she
arrived at our apartment for the first time.

(3) Pemberton plays and runs with incredible energy, jumping on things
and chasing around like mad. We call it the "see if you can run
around the apartment without letting your feet touch the floor" game,
and she is VERY good at it--much better than either Amaretto or Alino
ever were. But, once she is tuckered out, she just drops and
sleeps--anywhere!!!! Having been cat owners for so many years, we have
any number of comfy sleeping spots all over our apartment--day beds,
kitty rounds with heating pads on the base, scratching posts with
little hide-aways, etc.... but Pemberton usually ignores them. One is
more likely to find her asleep (sound asleep) on the floor, on top of
the couch back (not on a cushion), or on top of a printer or scanner!!
And she sleeps very soundly too! As I write this, she is asleep on
top of the scanner next to my computer, and even the sound of this
typing is not bothering her at all!! Not sure where this behavior
comes from, but perhaps it is again from some form of "competition"
with other kitties at the shelter before she came to us????? I rather
doubt she had access to comfy sleeping spots at the shelter, whereas
Amaretto and Alino have never known anything else than cushioned,
heated or just cozy sleeping spots!!

TIA for any replies!!

Peg

"Peg Caldwell-Ott" wrote
TIA for any replies!!

Peg



I think they are all different.

My shelter cat is different. She weighed 7 pounds when I brought her home (a
slim, "oriental build" gray tabby girl who had a litter of kittens at the
shelter,
1-2 years old) and she has never weighed more than 7/3/4 lbs. She is not
very interested in food, and just picks at it.

She had a lot of good-natured energy when I brought her home and
strettttttched first thing, on her side on the floor when she walked out
of the carrier. That night she chased her tail on the bed while I read.
She is the kind of cat that always looks like she is smiling at you.

Still, she ran from both of us, and still does, except in our bedroom or in
my office or the guest room--she sees the third level as her "territory,"
I think. The odd thing is she loves attention and petting, and if you chase
her and catch her she blisses out and cannot get enough petting.

She is very polite and mannerly--it is as though she is grateful to be here
and
worried about upsetting us. She comes and cries plaintively if he throws up,
as though she is worried about making a mess. On the other hand, she loves
to attack and destroy toilet paper rolls, and regularly captures and kills a
rubber snake and brings it to me with lots of howling and great pride in
her hunting prowess, lol

Gracie is very smart and has such an expressive face--she is personality
plus, but has impeccable manners, like a little lady. She's the most
affectionate cat I have ever had and becomes even more so over time.

I agree with Cybercat. They are all different. My shelter kitty
enjoys eating, but isn't as agressive about it as Pemberton sounds.

My shleter kitty has been with me for 2 1/2 years and still stretches
more than any cat I have ever had [he is the first one from a sheter]
and he was only at the shelter for 5 days before I adopted him!

He is the most polite kitty I have EVER had! His manners are better
than most children that I have seen. If I sit down at the breakfast
bar for cereal in the morning or lunch - he LEAVES the room and
doesn't come back until he hears me cleaning the dishes!

He understands which furniture he is allowed on and which he is not.
He seems to be very grateful and wants to do the right thing all the
time.

Some cats will eat all that you give them, whether they need it or
not. You probably need to start cutting back on his food supply.
Overweight cats get into all sorts of health problems, just like
people do.

On Sep 27, 5:05?pm, "cybercat" wrote:
"Peg Caldwell-Ott" wrote

TIA for any replies!!

Peg

I think they are all different.

My shelter cat is different. She weighed 7 pounds when I brought her home (a
slim, "oriental build" gray tabby girl who had a litter of kittens at the
shelter,
1-2 years old) and she has never weighed more than 7/3/4 lbs. She is not
very interested in food, and just picks at it.

She had a lot of good-natured energy when I brought her home and
strettttttched first thing, on her side on the floor when she walked out
of the carrier. That night she chased her tail on the bed while I read.
She is the kind of cat that always looks like she is smiling at you.

Still, she ran from both of us, and still does, except in our bedroom or in
my office or the guest room--she sees the third level as her "territory,"
I think. The odd thing is she loves attention and petting, and if you chase
her and catch her she blisses out and cannot get enough petting.

She is very polite and mannerly--it is as though she is grateful to be here
and
worried about upsetting us. She comes and cries plaintively if he throws up,
as though she is worried about making a mess. On the other hand, she loves
to attack and destroy toilet paper rolls, and regularly captures and kills a
rubber snake and brings it to me with lots of howling and great pride in
her hunting prowess, lol

Gracie is very smart and has such an expressive face--she is personality
plus, but has impeccable manners, like a little lady. She's the most
affectionate cat I have ever had and becomes even more so over time.

In article ,
says...

(1) Pemberton ADORES to eat. She weighed only just over 4 pounds when
we first adopted her in April. Today, she is just over 11 pounds!!!
She gobbles down food like a maniac--and only wet food too--she does
not like dry food and will only eat it if it has been mixed with her
wet. Don't know where Pemberton is hanging out in the apartment? Just
pop the lid off a can of her Friskies Salmon Dinner, and she will
magically appear at your elbow before you can even start to spoon the
stuff into her bowl!! She even likes to stick her nose into the spoon
and start munching before everything is out of the can too!!VBG
Amaretto and Alino both had healthy appetities (Alino still does,
especially for his roaster chicken breast every afternoon), but
Pemberton just eats like crazy--and always wants more!! She will even
cry for food in the middle of the night, or pounce on my husband to
wake him up so he can feed her if her bowl happens to be empty or
nearly empty. We have taken to simply stirring up the left overs in
her bowl in the wee hours, so that she does not get a fresh can on
demand at all hours!! We assume (but do not know) that she was
probably in competition for food with other kitties at North
Shore--and just had to be first in line as soon as the can was opened
in order to get her share?????

Be careful. We had been free feeding for the longest time when we
adopted Cosimo. He was a big kitten to begin with but he blew right up
because he'd out-eat the other two cats.

My first cat Randy used to have his nose in the bag of food, or be
waiting by the bowl as the food fell out of the dish.


(2) Pemberton has an unusual attraction to running water, especially
water faucets, and drains. Whenever I load the dishwasher, she is
always next to me at the sink, watching every move with fascination!
She will even walk into the wet sink and sit in it after the dishes
are gone! Take a shower? Pemberton is usually sitting right up on the
rim of the tub, watching every move with intense interest. She does
not seem to mind getting splashed a bit either. Once the shower is
over, she will walk into the wet tub and stare at either the drain or
the faucet, once again with extreme interest. But oddly enough, she
rarely drinks water--only will take a sip if you put an ice cube in
the bowl so she can play with it and have a sip!! We assume that
Pemberton was probably "bathed" in between visits to PetCo and other
stores where she was "on display" for possible adoption????? She
certainly had clean fur and a very nice "shampoo" odor when she
arrived at our apartment for the first time.

That's typical cat behavior. Many cats have an incredible attraction to
found water. Randy used to actually get in the shower with me. He wasn't
a pound kitty though.

(3) Pemberton plays and runs with incredible energy, jumping on things
and chasing around like mad. We call it the "see if you can run
around the apartment without letting your feet touch the floor" game,
and she is VERY good at it--much better than either Amaretto or Alino
ever were. But, once she is tuckered out, she just drops and
sleeps--anywhere!!!! Having been cat owners for so many years, we have
any number of comfy sleeping spots all over our apartment--day beds,
kitty rounds with heating pads on the base, scratching posts with
little hide-aways, etc.... but Pemberton usually ignores them. One is
more likely to find her asleep (sound asleep) on the floor, on top of
the couch back (not on a cushion), or on top of a printer or scanner!!
And she sleeps very soundly too! As I write this, she is asleep on
top of the scanner next to my computer, and even the sound of this
typing is not bothering her at all!! Not sure where this behavior
comes from, but perhaps it is again from some form of "competition"
with other kitties at the shelter before she came to us????? I rather
doubt she had access to comfy sleeping spots at the shelter, whereas
Amaretto and Alino have never known anything else than cushioned,
heated or just cozy sleeping spots!!

At a year old there's still boundless energy. In fact most cats don't
start to really get out of the kitten stage until almost 2 years old.

After all three other cats were gone we adopted Angie. She was 3.5 years
old when we got her and she's still got quite a bit of energy but you
can tell she likes her naps.

In article .com,
says...
I agree with Cybercat. They are all different. My shelter kitty
enjoys eating, but isn't as agressive about it as Pemberton sounds.

My shleter kitty has been with me for 2 1/2 years and still stretches
more than any cat I have ever had [he is the first one from a sheter]
and he was only at the shelter for 5 days before I adopted him!

He is the most polite kitty I have EVER had! His manners are better
than most children that I have seen. If I sit down at the breakfast
bar for cereal in the morning or lunch - he LEAVES the room and
doesn't come back until he hears me cleaning the dishes!

Angie sits next to me and waits patiently for me to finish a bowl of
cereal. I leave her 1tbsp of milk and that's our morning ritual.

She's a little odd though. For example if we order pizza and you have a
slice in your hand she'll try to grab it. But if you offer her a piece
of meat from it, or some cheese she'll just walk away.

We suspect her prior owners were college kids. There's one other
behavior which supports that suspicion. She loves the smell of pot. If
someone lights up a joint outside she'll run to the window.

Bubba came from the pound, and he has his quirks.

He refuses to go outside. At all. I took him out in the
yard a few days ago and he wiggled till I put him down
and then he headed straight for the door to get back inside.

Quite the reverse from most cats, I think.

He must have had a bad experience outside before he wound up in the pound.

He absolutely *hates* all other cats. He either hisses
viciously, or more usually runs away & hides.

It was pretty funny to everybody but Bubba to see a 25 pound
ex-tomcat chased under the couch by a tiny little 6 week old kitten.

Interesting that Pemberton did the "attack the toilet paper" thing
with us too, but has since tired of the game--thank goodness!!. She
also seems to know which toys are hers and which toys are Alino's!!
Odd too--Pemberton has never vomited--yet!! VBG

Peg

On Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:05:00 -0400, "cybercat"
wrote:


"Peg Caldwell-Ott" wrote
TIA for any replies!!

Peg



I think they are all different.

My shelter cat is different. She weighed 7 pounds when I brought her home (a
slim, "oriental build" gray tabby girl who had a litter of kittens at the
shelter,
1-2 years old) and she has never weighed more than 7/3/4 lbs. She is not
very interested in food, and just picks at it.

She had a lot of good-natured energy when I brought her home and
strettttttched first thing, on her side on the floor when she walked out
of the carrier. That night she chased her tail on the bed while I read.
She is the kind of cat that always looks like she is smiling at you.

Still, she ran from both of us, and still does, except in our bedroom or in
my office or the guest room--she sees the third level as her "territory,"
I think. The odd thing is she loves attention and petting, and if you chase
her and catch her she blisses out and cannot get enough petting.

She is very polite and mannerly--it is as though she is grateful to be here
and
worried about upsetting us. She comes and cries plaintively if he throws up,
as though she is worried about making a mess. On the other hand, she loves
to attack and destroy toilet paper rolls, and regularly captures and kills a
rubber snake and brings it to me with lots of howling and great pride in
her hunting prowess, lol

Gracie is very smart and has such an expressive face--she is personality
plus, but has impeccable manners, like a little lady. She's the most
affectionate cat I have ever had and becomes even more so over time.

"Peg Caldwell-Ott" wrote in message
...

Pemberton has never vomited--yet!! VBG

They pick their moment.

Response from T :

We suspect her prior owners were college kids. There's one other
behavior which supports that suspicion. She loves the smell of
pot. If someone lights up a joint outside she'll run to the
window.

Sure, someone outside, huh? ; )

No, seriously though, I thought all cats had a predilection for plants
in general. Or is that an entirely catnip concept?

--
-Lost
Remove the extra words to reply by e-mail. Don't e-mail me. I am
kidding. No I am not.

"Matthew" wrote in message
...

"cybercat" wrote in message
...

"Peg Caldwell-Ott" wrote in message
...

Pemberton has never vomited--yet!! VBG

They pick their moment.


It is usually about 4 am when you have only have about 3 hours of sleep
and you have to get up in an hour

hahaha! This week, ten minutes before I needed to leave for an appointment,
Gracie made a little howl, jumped onto my briefcase, knocked it horizontal,
and threw up copious amounts of liquidy vomit onto it. She had gotten into
the plant in the bathroom. I finally trashed the plant.