The Emancipation of Mimi

[RaspberrySwirl 20]

HAHAHAHAHA!

I read this once, Lisa. The back end of a girl cat looks like an upside down exclamation mark and a boy looks like a semi-colon. When they are really small.

The nuts are right under his little butt-hole (indelicate I know but hey you asked).

PS - We've never fed any of our cats canned food.

Yeah, our vet told us that canned food is a big no-no. We've been feeding ours Science diet dry kitten mix. He loves that stuff. And his fur has been so so much shinier than it already was after we switched from Purina to SD.

He's a little spoiled brat but he's my little spoiled brat. ^.^

On topic: Mimi is so adorable.

I need to convince D. to adopt another cat or two.

omG what's wrong with canned food?

Man, I'm such a sh!t cat mommy

Nothing too bad. No worries

It's just alot of excess water (and usually, alot of #######) and it isn't very good for their teeth.

[mercy 1]

There is some debate over the whole canned food/dry food thing. It can be argued either way really. From what I've read canned food is actually better because of the high water content, and dry food is just as full of fillers and #######. That said, I feed mine dry food because it's easier(don't have to worry about spoiling, can leave it out all day) and because canned food grosses me out

[ajames79 0]

This thread is great!! *giggle*

buttholes!

[TracyTN 237]

I agree about the canned food. Its not terrible, but better for their teeth to have dry. Of course, you're probably unsure how much water she's drinking so it may not hurt for her to have some wet.

I feed mine Science Diet, too, but its a bit more expensive. Purina One is a good dry food that isn't too expensive. Iams and Nutro are also good, but again, a little more $ than Purina.

[Fandango 1,440]

thanks everyone...I really appreciate all the good advice

Any other tidbits you think of for a newb cat person would be appreciated also

[de_sjiem 0]

Just thought you'd like to know that Mimi is likely a girl since she is Calico type coloured... its rare for a male to have that kind of colouring..

Oh! And also that she let you pet her tummy is a really good sign since most cats wont let you do that unless they really trust you.. since they are showing their most vulnerable side when they show you their tummy...

[Marilyn. 340]

I fed my cats dry food but about once a week for a treat I fed them canned tuna..... (tuna is a whole lot cheaper then canned cat food )

[TracyTN 237]

Just thought you'd like to know that Mimi is likely a girl since she is Calico type coloured... its rare for a male to have that kind of colouring..

Oh! And also that she let you pet her tummy is a really good sign since most cats wont let you do that unless they really trust you.. since they are showing their most vulnerable side when they show you their tummy...

de_sjiem is right on both counts. I forgot that about calicos!

[ajames79 0]

Wow again..I didn't know that about calicos.

I feed my cats the Purina Indoor formula stuff. They seem to like it. It isn't the most expensive but it also isn't bright orange when they decide they need to up chuck in my house.

Wet food I give as a treat. Probably once a week. But I share one of the little pouches between 2. Grace and Sarah live for that. They go nuts. I also have done the tuna thing too. Mostly when I eat tuna they get some.

BUT...for Christmas I got one of those LitterMaid Elite systems. So far I really like it. (not had it for 24 hours yet) It is supposed to help with the oder and for lazy owners ( ) We will see how it goes!

[Ladylethal 12]

What I read is: if a cat has EXACTLY 3 colors, and ONLY 3 colors, it's a female. Male cats NEVER have 3 colors, it's either more or less.

Notice that cats that look like have 3 colors might have more.

[Marilyn. 340]

What is a Calico Cat?

Contrary to popular belief, a calico cat is not a specific breed of cat. It is instead an unusual pattern of coloring that can occur in many different breeds, including Manx, Persian, and Domestic Short-Hair cats. To be considered a calico cat, a cat must be tri-colored, with patches of white, red or orange, and black fur. Some breeds have rules as to what percentage of the cat's fur must be white for it to be called a calico cat.

Calico cats are nearly always female. This is due to the genes for the orange or black color being on the X chromosome. Female cats have two X chromosomes, while male cats have an X and a Y chromosome. Therefore, the mother cat passes the X chromosome on to her kittens, while the father passes either the X or Y chromosome, thus determining the kittens’ sex. To be a calico cat, the kitten must have an X chromosome that has the orange color and an X chromosome that has the black color. Male calico cats are genetic anomalies, with XXY chromosomes and are sterile and extremely rare.

A calico cat has sections of different colors in its fur. Usually the calicos with more white fur also have larger and more distinct patches of color. If the orange and black fur is mixed, the cat is called a tortoiseshell. Tortoiseshell cats, or "torties," as they are commonly known, have little or no white fur.

A variation on the usual calico color pattern is the "dilute" or "pastel" calico cat. This type of calico cat gets its name from the fact that its color pattern is a "diluted" or "pastel" version of the typical colors. A dilute or pastel calico cat has a pattern of buff or cream instead of orange and "blue", a slate gray color, instead of black.

Throughout history, many cultures have considered the calico cat to be lucky. At one point in Japan, a calico cat was thought to bring good luck in the house and to protect sailors on their ships. The calico cat was adopted as the Maryland state cat on 1 October 2001 because its colors of black, white, and orange are the same as the Baltimore Oriole and the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly; the state bird and insect, respectively.

[Fandango 1,440]

Wow how exciting! Thanks guys!

[rebeccajo 14]

A long time ago, we had a cat with similar colors to Mimi and he was male. Our vet was amazed and said he was very rare.

[TracyLuis 0]

LisaD...I really love your story....just LOVE it!!! I am a huge cat person, and I would have done the same for a stuck cat. But I know that not too many non-cat people would have even bothered.

You're not just Mimi's hero(ine)...

[Ladylethal 12]

I never had a calico cat and I've always wanted one.