The Conservative Cave
The Bar => The Lounge => Topic started by: Mike220 on August 15, 2010, 01:50:55 PM
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One of the bad things about working at an animal shelter is you can get attached. Today I joined all my co-workers by taking someone home with me. His name is Mason, and he's an 8 year old Maine Coon. Family that had him before had gotten him as a kitten then dropped him off when they had a kid. He'd been here about 2 weeks and was going on the euth list. I told my boss if that happened to let me know and he'd go home with me. He's an older guy, quiet and mellow. Perfect for where I live.
He hid under the bed for about 10 minutes when I first got him home, but now he's sitting beside my desk chair looking at me like "Pet me, ****er."
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_PzK3jVFJHA8/TGg2NcYnv6I/AAAAAAAAA1w/jzYe4rW1Rdw/s400/IMG_0277.JPG)
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_PzK3jVFJHA8/TGg2f321UvI/AAAAAAAAA10/wrwai1sS5Dc/s400/IMG_0271.JPG)
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Cool cat!
Wish I wasn't allergic to them.... I wouldn't mind taking one home with me, but I'm more of a dog person.
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One of the bad things about working at an animal shelter is you can get attached. Today I joined all my co-workers by taking someone home with me. His name is Mason, and he's an 8 year old Maine Coon. Family that had him before had gotten him as a kitten then dropped him off when they had a kid. He'd been here about 2 weeks and was going on the euth list. I told my boss if that happened to let me know and he'd go home with me. He's an older guy, quiet and mellow. Perfect for where I live.
He hid under the bed for about 10 minutes when I first got him home, but now he's sitting beside my desk chair looking at me like "Pet me, ****er."
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_PzK3jVFJHA8/TGg2NcYnv6I/AAAAAAAAA1w/jzYe4rW1Rdw/s400/IMG_0277.JPG)
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_PzK3jVFJHA8/TGg2f321UvI/AAAAAAAAA10/wrwai1sS5Dc/s400/IMG_0271.JPG)
Mike I was going back and forth about reading your post, I finally got up the courage to check it out-----Thank God a picture of your ***** and not what I thought it was.
These Maine Coons --I have 2--are fascinating. The only house cat that is indigenous to America. Their history is remarkable and goes back to Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution.
You choose well Mike, you will find your cat will have perhaps 2 dozen sounds that you will learn to recognise for their needs. A pure breed Coon never meows unless they are alerting you to danger.
But, they can become Velcro cars and drive you nuts as they follow you every where.Good luck taking a shower as they will beat and scratch on the bathroom if you close it.
One thing, keep that cat in the house as the chance of it's being stolen is high. Because they are the largest domestic cat in the world because of their size, they may come home dragging a full grown wood chuck or the neighbors small dog.
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Maine Coon's are so lovely! We had a stray Maine Coon in Phoenix that had kittens with another stray. The mama cat hung out on our patio a lot and gave birth to her kittens in our bedroom. One of the kittens looked just like his daddy. It was so much fun housing them until they were old enough for homes.
I'm sad that the family had to get rid of their cat because they had a baby. I'd cry if I ever had to give my cats away.
You are so nice taking in an animal like that. There is no way in the world I could work in an animal shelter. Our home would be full of cats and dogs.
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Hello little friend.. how cute.... :heart:
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Here's a few more.
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_PzK3jVFJHA8/TGhvQLKPgvI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/sfUF5lKNEMI/s400/IMG_0278.JPG)
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_PzK3jVFJHA8/TGhvNjWdB8I/AAAAAAAAA2U/744HTS5khuQ/s400/IMG_0282.JPG)
Vesta, he's definitely an indoor cat. The previous owners had him declawed (bastards) so he won't go outside.
EC, my girlfriends sister has been doing that with a couple litters of kittens. They had 11 at one point. They're keeping one (the first one they found) and have been adopting out the others. I think they have 3 left. On top of the three adult cats they already had.
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And he makes a great lap cat.
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_PzK3jVFJHA8/TGhys99uazI/AAAAAAAAA2s/-jarI1auYHE/s400/IMG_0285.JPG)
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And he makes a great lap cat.
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_PzK3jVFJHA8/TGhys99uazI/AAAAAAAAA2s/-jarI1auYHE/s400/IMG_0285.JPG)
Check out the whiskers on a Coon they are the longest in the demostic cat family.
My male is about 2 1/2 years old, weighes about 20 pounds, the female is 2 years old and weighs 18 pounds.
Coon cats do not stop growing until they are about 5 years old.
Ever see a cat with a sense of humor.? Both will lay in front of my puppy and wave their tail in the air. The puppy will go and try to grab the tail, and the cats just roll over on their backs as the puppy tries to drag them around. They will walk past the pup and with claws with drawn slap him in the face, he will chase the cat but then it turns around and the cat is chasing him.
I have seen my cats head butt the pup, lick his ears and rub on him.
Weird watching the interaction between the cats and the dog, I cannot think of why anyone would send a Coon to a shelter, for any reason.
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Awww what a sweet looking cat how could anyone be so crule to give him up after so many years
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Glad you took Mason home with you Mike!
He's huge....how much does he eat? :o
According to the vet, my Puffer is part Maine Coon. She's all fur though, very small body underneath it all, and such a dark chocolate brown, she looks black except when in direct bright sunlight.
She has a much different personality than her two littermates who look nothing like her, rather aloof until she decides she wants attention....or when it's going to storm. She's also the "alpha" cat over the other 3.
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Holy Moly Mike! That is one big cat!
Congratulations!
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Glad you took Mason home with you Mike!
He's huge....how much does he eat? :o
According to the vet, my Puffer is part Maine Coon. She's all fur though, very small body underneath it all, and such a dark chocolate brown, she looks black except when in direct bright sunlight.
She has a much different personality than her two littermates who look nothing like her, rather aloof until she decides she wants attention....or when it's going to storm. She's also the "alpha" cat over the other 3.
He hasn't eaten too much so far. He still doesn't seem to sure about everything, but he's starting to settle in ok. About 15 pounds would be my best guess at this point, so yeah, he's a big one but that's about standard for a male Maine Coon.
He seems happy to be out of the shelter, which is nice. He slept in bed with me until I fell asleep last night, then at some point crawled under the bed to sleep. Hopefully today I can go out and get him a bed that I'm going to put in the back corner of my closet when he wants to get away from it all.
He's having such a hard life now.
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_PzK3jVFJHA8/TGlfzO2HU9I/AAAAAAAAA3M/hjXmadUHlWY/s400/0816001052.jpg)
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He hasn't eaten too much so far. He still doesn't seem to sure about everything, but he's starting to settle in ok. About 15 pounds would be my best guess at this point, so yeah, he's a big one but that's about standard for a male Maine Coon.
He seems happy to be out of the shelter, which is nice. He slept in bed with me until I fell asleep last night, then at some point crawled under the bed to sleep. Hopefully today I can go out and get him a bed that I'm going to put in the back corner of my closet when he wants to get away from it all.
He's having such a hard life now.
Puff lays on M whenever he falls asleep in his chair. She will either sleep on his legs or just lay across his chest. She gets on the bed at night with us, but doesn't ususally stay all night, and will either go under the bed, or in a chair beside the bed. In the winter, even with all that fur, she's the first one to get under the covers!!
Of the four, Puff's the one who tends to go off by herself the most. She hates visitors, and has ripped a hole under the box springs on the bed in the guest room, as her personal hiding spot. The doorbell will send her flying up the stairs. RB and her husband always come through the garage or the back porch and so do T's friends, and soon as she hears them, she will "stealthily" navigate her way from where ever she is, to get upstairs into her hiding place. The only stairway up is in the back hallway by the garage door, so it's sometimes a challenge for her. As often as RB is here, Puff has just gotten to the point, this summer, where she will stay around when RB comes in. T was back home for a month, before she would even be in the same room with him.
Mason will like a place to "hide". Did you know he's on the internet?
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Big cat. I don't mind cats. Got a very pretty bluish/gray one right now. But I'm definetly more a dog person. Cats have left a lot more scars on me then dogs...
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Puff lays on M whenever he falls asleep in his chair. She will either sleep on his legs or just lay across his chest. She gets on the bed at night with us, but doesn't ususally stay all night, and will either go under the bed, or in a chair beside the bed. In the winter, even with all that fur, she's the first one to get under the covers!!
Of the four, Puff's the one who tends to go off by herself the most. She hates visitors, and has ripped a hole under the box springs on the bed in the guest room, as her personal hiding spot. The doorbell will send her flying up the stairs. RB and her husband always come through the garage or the back porch and so do T's friends, and soon as she hears them, she will "stealthily" navigate her way from where ever she is, to get upstairs into her hiding place. The only stairway up is in the back hallway by the garage door, so it's sometimes a challenge for her. As often as RB is here, Puff has just gotten to the point, this summer, where she will stay around when RB comes in. T was back home for a month, before she would even be in the same room with him.
Mason will like a place to "hide". Did you know he's on the internet?
Debk, are you by any chance talking about the picture of the cat looking out the window at the street.??
Mike, save your money I have spent buku bucks on pet beds and most of them ignore them. Your cat will find his own hidie hole.
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Debk, are you by any chance talking about the picture of the cat looking out the window at the street.??
Mike, save your money I have spent buku bucks on pet beds and most of them ignore them. Your cat will find his own hidie hole.
Vesta....the cat in the window in this thread? That's Mike's Mason.
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Did you know he's on the internet?
I know he's on our website still. Where else?
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I know he's on our website still. Where else?
Woodland? is the website?
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What a great cat! Bless you for adopting him, Mike. How in the world would a Maine coon end up on a euth list? They're in huge demand. I had a beautiful silver Maine coon girl from when I lived up there. She was just drop dead gorgeous.
I also wouldn't bother with a purchased bed. Cats will just ignore it completely. Same with toys, usually. If you spent money on it, it gets ignored. It's like they know.
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My cats don't have a bed either....unless you count ours. :whatever:
Our 4 are all 5 years old, and none of them play with toys, except for Skyy and her "feathers".
You know those feather clumps....it's a small felt ball at the bottom and 5 or 6 brown/black feathery things attached? They are at the pet store, Walmart, Target, etc. She will bring one to me, and wants me to throw it. She races after it, sit's next to it and tries to look uninterested, does a couple of licks to herself.....then picks it up, and brings it back to me and lays it right next to my hand. And will sit there until I throw it again, and it starts all over again. It's like playing fetch with a dog. She will do it for about 15-20 minutes, if none of the other cats are around. If one of the others show up, she stops and won't go near the feathers. It's like she doesn't want them to know she fetches the feathers. :lmao:
The only other "stuff" Skyy plays with, is some type of wrapper that makes noise. She will get in my wastebasket in my office and pull of the printer ink cartridge wrappers to play with, or get in the bathroom wastebasket, and pull out soap wrappers or the plastic bag thing that disposable razors come in. It has to have some shape to it, and crinkle-type noise. She especially likes to find them at night, and play with them in the bedroom when we are sleeping.
Bailey and Puffer "play" with toilet paper. If they can't get it to unroll in a pile on the floor....they will "fang" it enough that it comes off the roll in skinny strips.
Bailey and Jazz will "play" with critters that have the misfortune to find their way into the porch. Lizards (blue-tailed skinks) and little frogs are their favorites...and the most frequent visitors. They usually find at least one small field mouse every fall. They don't kill them....they will "bat" them around with their front paws to each other, until one of us finds them doing it...then one will grab the critter in her mouth, and go running....usually to under our bed. :thatsright: I've only found one partial lizard in the bed and I found a frog that was tucked under the corner of the rug in our room the hard way....by stepping on it. :censored:
People who say "cats don't have any personality"......are the ones who don't live with one. :-)
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What a great cat! Bless you for adopting him, Mike. How in the world would a Maine coon end up on a euth list? They're in huge demand. I had a beautiful silver Maine coon girl from when I lived up there. She was just drop dead gorgeous.
I also wouldn't bother with a purchased bed. Cats will just ignore it completely. Same with toys, usually. If you spent money on it, it gets ignored. It's like they know.
It's a country shelter. People want dogs. If they want cats, they want kittens for their kids or a younger adult, not an 8 year old. Occasionally we'll adopt out an older cat, but that's rare. We had a Norwegian Forest that a lady drove up from Killeen to adopt. Usually if they get out of here it's by a rescue group, but we had no takers this time. So now he's mine.
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And he makes a great lap cat.
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_PzK3jVFJHA8/TGhys99uazI/AAAAAAAAA2s/-jarI1auYHE/s400/IMG_0285.JPG)
Buddy, you just went up a few notches in my book. :hi5:
Thats a beautiful cat you got there. Maine's are one of my fav's. See if he likes to swim. (I'm not kidding)
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Buddy, you just went up a few notches in my book. :hi5:
Thats a beautiful cat you got there. Maine's are one of my fav's. See if he likes to swim. (I'm not kidding)
It wouldn't surprise me. My girlfriend's sister's Maine been known to jump in the shower while she's in there.
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Woodland? is the website?
No. It's Noah's Ark. (http://www.noahsarktx.com/)
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No. It's Noah's Ark. (http://www.noahsarktx.com/)
I saw this one, and thought it was Mason... I didn't open it yesterday. http://www.woodlandsonline.com/clps/clitem.cfm?adsid=287591
Odd there would be 2 Maine Coon's in Tx, both 8yo, at the same time, online looking for a new home. ... :(
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I saw this one, and thought it was Mason... I didn't open it yesterday. http://www.woodlandsonline.com/clps/clitem.cfm?adsid=287591
Odd there would be 2 Maine Coon's in Tx, both 8yo, at the same time, online looking for a new home. ... :(
It sucks. When the gf inherits the family land, she wants to do rescue. Mainly horses, but definitely dogs and cats as well.
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It sucks. When the gf inherits the family land, she wants to do rescue. Mainly horses, but definitely dogs and cats as well.
Jazz is a "rescue" cat. We got her and her sister for my daughter when they were about 8 weeks old. I couldn't believe how much we went through to get them, or the expense! Their "foster" mother even checked out my daughter's apartment. Those 2 "free" cats, ended up costing about $400!! :o
The other 3 are litter mates, that I got from the animal shelter, when they were about 6-7 weeks old. They had shots and were spayed, and $120 for the three. They were with their 3 brothers and Momma. One male and Puff looked like MC twins, the other 4 were tuxedos, like the Momma. Skyy and Bailey look so much alike, Skyy has a wider blaze on her nose, and Bailey's white goes all the way around her neck. Otherwise they are almost identical. If I could have, I would have taken all of them, I was so glad when I went to pick up the girls, they told me all had been adopted.
Jazz and Cleo came to live with us when they were a year old, daughter's husband had a big lab that does not like cats, I think my son in law doesn't like cats. :uhsure: Cleo never fit in with the other's and was rather destructive. She went to be an "only child" with a friend of my son's two years ago. She is perfectly happy with her "new momma", and my four were perfectly happy when she left! Me too!!!
I know people want "pure" breeds ( I had 4 Westies), but the animals at the shelters need homes too....the older ones, just seem to know they are lucky to be adopted.
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Deb, I had a girlfriend once with a Manx she named Jazz.
I became convinced at that time that the longer a woman stays unattached, the more cats she accumulates.
:bolt:
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Deb, I had a girlfriend once with a Manx she named Jazz.
I became convinced at that time that the longer a woman stays unattached, the more cats she accumulates.
:bolt:
I had 2 cats when M and I started dating, he hated cats. Almost 12 years later, when the last of the two, suddenly went into kidney failure, he told the vet to do whatever she needed to, to make Sabrina well. She couldn't really do anything, turned out Sabrina, who was a couple weeks shy of 19, basically only had one kidney. The other one had never developed correctly. It was very traumatic to lose her, after that many years, and he took it almost as hard as I did.
I got the girls, about a month later. I had planned to get only 2, but how could I pick between 3 sisters? :uhsure: He was out of town, I called him....and he was the one who said to get all 3. He won't admit it, but he's as attached to them as I am. Bailey is usually wherever he is, and Puffer is nearby. They only come around me if he's not around for them to lay on, or if it's storming, Puff's with me. (it's a kindred spirits thing - we're both afraid of storms) :lmao:
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You did a really good thing, Mike. I love dogs very much, but I will have to admit that cats, generally, hold an extra-special place in my heart. It was a very good deed to save Mason, and it looks like he's giving you the full cat-love treatment in return.
That's too bad about the declawing; living indoor/outdoor is such a better lifestyle for a cat than indoor only. Yes, more dangerous, but if cats could conceptualize and talk I'd bet they'd say it's worth it: trees, birds, field mice, meeting other cats, and space, space, space. Like you said--the bastards. Declawing is mutilation, pure and simple. I'd rather accept some ripped furniture along with my cat than declaw him or her. I'd like to ask people who declaw their cats if they'd cut off their toddlers' hands so they don't break anything. If you'd accept your kid breaking some lamps or knickknacks, then you ought to be willing to accept your cat creating some bare patches on your carpet. I mean, bg freaking deal---is it worth mutilating your pet and forever cutting him off from an outside life?
Sorry, I really just wanted to compliment you on your good deed and then went off on a declawing tangent.
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You did a really good thing, Mike. I love dogs very much, but I will have to admit that cats, generally, hold an extra-special place in my heart. It was a very good deed to save Mason, and it looks like he's giving you the full cat-love treatment in return.
That's too bad about the declawing; living indoor/outdoor is such a better lifestyle for a cat than indoor only. Yes, more dangerous, but if cats could conceptualize and talk I'd bet they'd say it's worth it: trees, birds, field mice, meeting other cats, and space, space, space. Like you said--the bastards. Declawing is mutilation, pure and simple. I'd rather accept some ripped furniture along with my cat than declaw him or her. I'd like to ask people who declaw their cats if they'd cut off their toddlers' hands so they don't break anything. If you'd accept your kid breaking some lamps or knickknacks, then you ought to be willing to accept your cat creating some bare patches on your carpet. I mean, bg freaking deal---is it worth mutilating your pet and forever cutting him off from an outside life?
Sorry, I really just wanted to compliment you on your good deed and then went off on a declawing tangent.
I hear and understand your tangent.
My bitch is with docked ears on dogs, this is worse then declawing a cat.
I have no problem with docking their tails at birth but the ear thing is horrible. I have seen these poor dogs with the metal brace and wrappings after having their ears done and it makes me want to slap the owner. Poor thing.
My daughter in law is a big time diabetic and when she got a cat she had the cat declawed. Her vet told her that because of her health she would declaw the back legs also. She refused and a year later got another cat that she did not declaw----What her first cat went through was enough for her to ignore her health and never do that again.
Tail docking at birth is about like having a male baby circumcised, they don't remembered but the ears and claws will put a hurt on the poor animal. They will be old enough to remember the pain.
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You did a really good thing, Mike. I love dogs very much, but I will have to admit that cats, generally, hold an extra-special place in my heart. It was a very good deed to save Mason, and it looks like he's giving you the full cat-love treatment in return.
That's too bad about the declawing; living indoor/outdoor is such a better lifestyle for a cat than indoor only. Yes, more dangerous, but if cats could conceptualize and talk I'd bet they'd say it's worth it: trees, birds, field mice, meeting other cats, and space, space, space. Like you said--the bastards. Declawing is mutilation, pure and simple. I'd rather accept some ripped furniture along with my cat than declaw him or her. I'd like to ask people who declaw their cats if they'd cut off their toddlers' hands so they don't break anything. If you'd accept your kid breaking some lamps or knickknacks, then you ought to be willing to accept your cat creating some bare patches on your carpet. I mean, bg freaking deal---is it worth mutilating your pet and forever cutting him off from an outside life?
Sorry, I really just wanted to compliment you on your good deed and then went off on a declawing tangent.
I would love for him to be able to be an indoor/outdoor cat, but alas it's not to be. Gf's cats are that, and they seem to be healthy and happy. But at least he has a two story house to explore, at least when my roommate isn't here. He seems to be pretty content just sleeping at my feet in bed most of the time.