Conference misery::feline_v1

    re: base note.
    
    Okay, Cin, here goes  ;-)
    
    FIRST OF ALL, IF YOU *EVER* LET FIRE TELL FROSTY ABOUT THOSE KIND
    OF ANTICS, I'LL HAVE TO CALL THE, UM, er, the,...<them>!  So there!
    
    Is your note an invitation for me to discuss Frosty's diapers.
    Now, mind you, these are MACHO diapers, so no snickers (just 
    Hershey's with almonds, please)  [oh, it has been a l_o_n_g week]
    Seriously, I am still waiting for some Stud Pants to be available
    from a vendor at a cat show.  Meanwhile, I had to special order
    Preemie size Pampers from Brigham and Women's Hospital.  I am 
    going to great trouble to play Pavlov and get Frosty to learn
    that when the diaper is put on (...struggle...squirm...), then
    there is BABY FOOD and CUDDLING and RACING_AROUND_THE_HOUSE, etc.
    I'll let you know if it ever works, sigh.
    
    So far, he doesn't spray at all.  Well, he *is* only about 
    9 months all, but his first-born are on the way...  ;-)
    My main concern now is that I don't want him getting my
    younger females in the family way just yet, so I cannot let
    him run around when Coo and Kosh are around, which is all the
    time unless I lock them up when it is Frosty_Time.
    
    When I move next summer, I will set up some special cat quarters
    for all the warm fuzzies, so I will eagerly be watching the replies
    to the note about designing catteries.  or mini-catteries.
    
    Even at the tender age of 9 months, even though he doesn't spray,
    ...does his urine ever have a STRONG odor.  Phew!
    
    And Frosty is the sweetest thing around, a REAL shoulder cat.  I
    hope and pray that things won't get out of control.  Perhaps I'll
    just have to get a decontamination suit from one of the nuclear
    plants to put on so that I can play with him!
    
    Suggestions for now/future are welcome!
    
    	P
    
    p.s. what is "hardward cloth" ?  a typo?  I'll want to visit your
    facilities someday before I design mine.  And any others in the
    area.
    

    When Crunch was whole, we had the standard local femmes problem
    (received a beautiful set of abycoons from Basrah, who pushed the cover
    off the wall furnace and ducked through the gas flame to get to Crunch.
    Every smell scorched Aby?)  Fortunately Crunch never sprayed, but he
    did learn to open doors. We lived in an old house, almost every room
    had two entrances.  We did end up having to put slide locks on almost
    every door to keep Crunch from opening it. 
    
    We actually had more problems with the females "losing their literbox
    training" while in heat than we did with Crunch spraying.
    
    Dave

    I'll have to say that I've been EXTREMELY lucky in regards to my
    boys habits!  Echo (my 3 1/2 yr old red persian) does not ever spray.
    He also had coat to the floor, and tends to have oily scalp, so
    I do keep him clipped down, like Fire (I like to call it a "lion"
    cut!).  His black and white son, Double Stuff, is 10 months old,
    and does smell occasionally, but mostly only when I take him to
    a show, and we stay overnight somewhere.  I guess he likes to make
    sure that these strange surroundings smell "good".  Blech!  Luckily
    he and Dad don't try to "compete" while at home!   I do have a third
    (O.K. so I have a thing about boys!) fellow at home, a solid black
    male, O'Reilly, just over 1 year old, who also does not spray, but likes to
    create a "homey fragrance" when we travel.  He is now a Grand Champion
    and is retired from showing, (and spraying!).  One thing I have
    to say for him is that he is VERY CLEAN!  He always manages to look
    like he was just show groomed.  Double Stuff, who has a full white
    ruff down to the floor, is MR. Pigpen himself!  Naturally, with
    all that white hair in front, he likes to drag it through anything
    he can find that will turn it yellow, or gray.  Sometimes he gets
    so messy looking that he could pass for being a calico instead of
    a bi-color!
    	So, all in all (or is that ALL-IN-1??? ;^) ) I feel very fortunate,
    and have my fingers crossed about the boys and their habits.  I
    do have to say, though, Cin, if you EVER get tired of wiping down
    those walls, you can alway send Fire to California for vacation!
    He's an OUTSTANDING fellow!!!!

    RE: .1
    
    There was an article in Cat Fancy about 1 to 2 years ago about a
    Siameese breeder in New York City that has a lot of antiques and
    expensive oriental rugs. She diapers her males gives them free run
    of the house, no accidents to date (of the article). 
                        
    Deb

    Deb,
    
    If you (or anyone else) happens to have a copy of that article
    on diapering cats, I'd appreciate a copy at MLO5-5/E76.
    Also...any suggestions about the breakable antiques???
    I keep a few under plastic museum-type covers, but for the
    most part I have just "baby-proofed" my house, and am resigned
    to the occasional broken ___.  That latter, breaking things,
    is of course not restricted to males!
    
    Thanks, 
    		P

    I used the "Stud Pants" on a white persian male who had to be the
    world's greatest sprayer....what a mess!!!
    
    The pants did hold the spray inside the pants, but can you imagine
    what it made the cat look and smell like when I took them off!!!
     
    
    They were literally sopping!!!
    
    cin
    

    I am now fortunate enough to have my own stud cat Birman, Kalliste.
    He is now about 10 months old and is acting very well.  His first
    litter is due on August 3rd.  Anyway, we have found that as long
    as he stays in our bedroom and we don't bring the girls into the
    bedroom, he won't spray.  When he is running loose in the house,
    he likes to spray the sliding glass door in the kitchen.  Pretty
    easy to clean up but who wants to.  I find that the stud pants work
    great.  Of course, you have to treat him like a toddler and grab
    him every time he walks by and stick your fingers in to see if he
    is wet (yuck).
    
    A friend sent me the cutest pair of stud pants and a pattern so
    I could make more.  The pants are cream colored with little blue
    kitties on them.  They have snaps that snap just over the hip and
    have elastic legs and an elastic waist.  Sounds like huggies.  They
    also have a tail whole.  I use feminine napkins in them.  You just
    flush 'em when they are dirty.  I also wash the pants every day
    or two just to keep them from smelling.  So far they haven't made
    him messy.  I don't leave them on him all the time tho.  Only when
    he wants to come out for a visit.
    
    We will be building quarters for him this summer so any suggestions
    on what to build would be appreciated.
    
    One thing I have noticed about the boys, they are real lovers. 
    And I'm not talking about their relationships with the girl kitties.
    My boy is so sweet.  I always thought stud cats were mean for some
    reason.
    
    Jo