Conference misery::feline_v1

I agree to some extent; kittens are probably the most charming
creatures that live, but much of their charm is due to kittenhood
and not individuality. (This doesn't mean they have no individuality;
some are shy, some bold, and a few are precocious enough to reveal
their adult personalities at an early age.)

I've been fascinated to watch the changes in personalities of my
adult (8-year-old) cats. They don't like each other - never have -
but have managed a working arrangement that holds up most of the
time. Chiun was an adult when I got Abigail, so he was Number 1 Cat
for years, but lately he seems to be relaxing his hold on the
title. Abigail used to stay away from peoples' laps if Chiun was
around, but now she'll climb right in there with him, shouldering
him aside sometimes.

Abigail was a very shy, skittish little kitten; as the years have
passed, she's turned her shyness into a prima-donna act that gets a
lot of attention. Chiun hangs around whenever there's company,
being petted and adored as is his due, and Abigail runs and hides
in the basement. Then, much later in the evening, after Chiun has
had to put up with being mauled by visiting children and being
thrown off the game board or yelled at for knocking over the figurines,
Abigail will sneak quietly into the room. All action stops; everyone's
afraid to breathe; they all look at her in awe, as if a unicorn came
to visit. And she looks around, pretending to be embarrassed, and strolls
back to her place on the basement stairs, satisfied that she's stolen
Chiun's thunder again.

Kittens are all scene-stealers, but I've never seen one do it in as
premeditated a fashion as that!

-b

I also prefer a cat to a kitten probably for the same reason as everyone
else - more personality and "maturity".  I like a cat that will come to
you when you call it's name rather than hang a piece of yarn in the air
a few yards away, and then say "come here, kitty, maybe.....".  I like it
when your cat can recognize your voice and your car when it pulls up.
They are more of a "friend" when they are older (and much better listeners!)
Their attention span is longer than 1/4 sec. (also depending on how full they
are).  BUT, when I get a new cat, I like to get it as a kitten and watch it
grown up - the kitten stage is much shorter than the cat stage, so I don't 
mind going through it.  I just have to remember to close all the doors to
the other rooms, cover the furniture, etc.  (My current cat ruined my parents
living room set and they had to reappolster the entire set!)

Nichole

    
    The only thing better than a kitten.....is 2 kittens 
    
    Lynne..mother of 2 and expecting more!
    
    
    
    
    

Kittens are cute, no doubt about it, but I'd rather live with a full 
grown cat anyday.  I got Brat when he was 3 months old, and I didn't 
appreciate his kittenhood at all.  He was very active (especially during 
the wee hours of the morning), very mischievous, and very demanding.  I 
didn't know it then, but he was just being a kitten.  Nevertheless, he 
wore me out, and I can't tell you how many times I almost gave him back 
to the people who gave him to me.

Brat is now 5 years old and the joy of my life.  I pull into the 
driveway, and he jumps into my apartment window and meows hello.  I look 
up and tell him which door to meet me at and he's waiting at the door.  
He devotedly follows me from room-to-room and sleeps with me (better 
yet, he sleeps through the wee hours of the morning now).  He leads me 
through my "stumble out of bed and through the morning" routine, often 
reminding me if I do something out of sequence (like fix MY breakfast 
before giving him his milk).  When he was a kitten, our lives were a 
constant battle.  Now that he's an adult, our lives are comfortable -- 
like an old married couple.      
    
Give me a mature, adult cat anyday!
    

      I second that!!  Lucky at 6 years is a Comfortable cat.  Very
    predictable and will carry on a conversation with us as if he
    really kenw what we were saying.  But alas, our life is about
    to change.  In a 2 to 1 vote it was decided we would get a kitten
    because of all those antics they pull.  There goes the quite life!!
    Hopefully, I will have found one by the time my wife comes home.
    I know some of you are saying "The inn is full", right E.T.? I
    don't want to even start an INN!! ;-)
    
                    Ken 

    Well.  I, too, tend to prefer adult cats.  They are much more the
    individuals.  But.  So many of you seem to think that older cats
    are mellow.  Hah!  You haven't met Tristan!  Tenzing has mellowed
    with age, but at 5� years of age, Tristan is as wild and crazy as
    he ever was as a kitten.  I personally think (and hope) that he
    never grows out of it!!!
    
    Karen, Tristan and Tenzing.

    re: 5
    
    Ken, I'm not sure that anyone really starts in Inn deliberatly.
    It just sort of happens.  With so many beautiful babies around
    to select from, it is SO HARD to say no, when you know what 
    will happen to them if you, and lots of others say no also.
    
    I could refrain from say "The Inn is Full", but if I took other
    babies, I could not give them the level of care that I think they
    deserve.  I can just about do that with 15 (plus to visting cousins).
    I am so lucky to be owned by my gang - they give me more than I
    could ever give back to them in their or my lifetime!  
    
    I'm sure your wife will be thrilled and your whole family
    will have fun.  
    
    Hope your wife is better soon!
    
    E.T.
                                                           

        Don't get me wrong. I love animals and the fact that an
    Inn just sort of happens is what scares me.  I used to have fish
    and started out with 1 20 gallon tank.  Before I got stopped I
    had 12 tanks from 10-50 gallons with loads of fish.  They were
    all so cute, and prolific when you find the secret it's hard to stop
    yourself.  I don't want something like that to happen again only
    with cats this time!!  I know what you are going to say, why don't
    you get 2 kittens so they can keep each other company? ;-) Right??
    Nice try!! ;-)
         We hope to have her home next week if all goes well! and thanks.
                        Ken

    Ken, What a good idea - how did you think of that????  As we say
    in notes, Two is always better than one!  
    
    Just think though, I have made 20-year committments to each of
    my 15 cats (hopefully they will live 20 years), my last 20-year
    committment will run out by the time I am almost 70 years old.
    I won't have to get a new kitten until then. (Unless I replace
    each baby as they pass to an even better place: The Kitty Palace
    in the Sky - better know as Kitty Heaven).
    
    You still did good, Ken, even if you only take one! Taking one means
    that ONE won't be put to death.
    
    E.T.