Know how you can approximate the age of a cat? By the scratches

[CatWoman]

on your hand/body.

I finally picked up little Cat-Trina this past weekend.

She is currently isolated in the den. I'm sleeping in there with her in order to "bond".

It's so funny -- the other cats keep sniffing at the door.

Whenever I open it, they all run like they as sooooooo busted :D

Anyway, we were trying to speculate on Trina's age -- she is less than a year. I think she's about 6 months. Lots of energy, and wants to play, play, play.

My hand is gnarled and full of scratches.

She loves to grab my hand and just go for it.

I went thru the same with the other cats when they were kittens -- only Female went for my feet. :D

Cat-trina:

[Arugula Latte]

1. Ahh. She's so beautiful.

I love those markings.

She's definitely worth getting scrached over. I've gone through that w/ my kitties, as well. I always wonder if, at the time they're kicking the hell out of my hand, they really think they've got some wild prey there, or if they know it's just a game and they just pretending.

[matcom]

2. i measure it by

the tenderness of the meat

[CatWoman]

3. you're just trying to provoke me

and hijack my thread at the same time.

You goddamned fink!!!!!!

I'm not biting!!!!!

[matcom]

4. too late

:P

[GOPisEvil]

15. To the Mattsignal!!!!

:P

[matcom]

17. if you insist

[GOPisEvil]

20. I do!

:P

[sasquatch]

5. It's so rare that older cats will play rough with humans

My cats though when they were kittens wouldn't use their clwas when they played with me.

[SoCalDem]

6. Such a pretty one :)

Lucky her !

[CatWoman]

8. Yeah, Mr. and Mrs. Ulysses rescued her

they found her eating garbage that was piled up on the porch of an abandoned house near them.

She's such a lap kitty -- very affectionate and loving.

She's an excellent replacement for Trinity. They have the same temperment.

It was so funny when I picked her up.

Their dog, Scarlett, couldn't stand her.

I think Scarlett is jealous of both the new baby and an additional cat :D

[zanne]

7. She's so cute.

She must be really proud of that tail.

[CatWoman]

9. Male and Female both have tails like that

and they are Turkish Angora/Turkish Angora mix.

[tatertop]

10. look at those colors!

[Steph13]

11. Check their teeth..

..that's what the veterinarians do. You know she's not going to still have her baby teeth, but if they're still small adult teeth, you know she's pretty young. If they have some tartar on them.. a little buildup, you know she's not THAT young anymore (over 2 yrs old). If they've got TONS of tartar & not in the greatest shape, she's probably older. That is.. if you can get close enough to look at her teeth... :P

P.S. She's gorgeous btw!!! I have a short hair calico.. gotta love those colors!

[davsand]

12. You need to make that cat a wrestling dummy.

Seriously. Take a few of your old socks and stuff one sock with the rest of them so it makes a "sausage" looking thing. Put a pill bottle with a bead (or little rock) in it down in the toe so it will rattle and make a noise when it is played with. Just tie the top in a knot to keep it all together.

When kitty grabs you, give her the sock instead. Do it gently and without making a big deal of it, and before too long she'll love playing with it. If she's into catnip, you can stuff some of that in the sock too...

I make one for my cats when they first come home with me and they usually end up chewed up and mended several times over. They love them because it lets them wrestle and play fight (important parts of cat behavior, really) and it keeps you from getting shredded. After a while with it, you'll see your cat actually climb on top of it and try to "kill" it with that same bite they use on the back of their prey's neck.

She's a pretty baby--enjoy her!



Laura

[KT2000]

13. Great idea

thanks for the tip.

Beautiful kitty Catwoman!

[Bridget Burke]

14. Thanks for the info on the "killing bite"....

One of my cats attacked a closed bag of catfood in that exact way. Now, I'll often leave the bag out until he "kills" it--tears a hole with his teeth for early snacks. Then the food goes into the feeder-bowl.

His ferocious attacks kinda destroy the credibility of his "poor elderly declawed indoor kitty who will starve unless I get that expensive moist food" act. (He's also a friendly biter--unless he goes after your foot!)

(Both cats were declawed before I got them.)

[Blue Diadem]

16. Thanks for the tip! We're currently dealing with a 4 month old

that can be a terror. :scared: I don't dare bend over when he's around or else he's on my back attacking my hair. He's a nose biter too...all lovey and then chomp! We have the small toys but they don't seem to satisfy him so a larger one is a wonderful idea.

[Blue Diadem]

21. Just wanted to let you know your idea worked beautifully!

My granddaughter and I made one after school. I had an old sock and had some left over fiber stuffing. We partially filled an empty prescription bottle with some rice for the noise and added some catnip before we tied the end. I cross stitched eyes and grabbed a thumb full of sock and stitched them for ears.

Needless to say the little kitty is very happy. He tossed it and rolled and kicked and bit it.

Thanks again!

[davsand]

22. I'm so glad to hear it worked out--that toy never fails.

In all my years as a cat fan, that toy has nver failed with my cats. Some play with it more than others, but it really is, by far, the favorite. I have often thought I should market them, but I really think it is the smell of the familiar person on the sock (yes--even after it is washed!) that the cats attact to at first. You just can't create that family smell--ya know?

Your kitty is very lucky to have a family to make toys to play with...

Enjoy your kitty!


Laura

[LisaL]

18. Mine don't scratch, don't bite, and don't meow. They are

persians. I would be better off having cat pillows-at least that would save me money on vet bills, and i would get about the same effect out of them.

[Blue Diadem]

19. She's beautiful!

Love the name too.

I feel for ya..I'm sporting a few scratches of my own. Still wearing 3 rather large deep ones on my knee from kitty sliding down it with his claws after a failed attempt to jump on my lap from across the room.