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Since you're in New York City, I would contact North Shore Animal League America in Port Washington, Long Island. You'll probably have a bit of a wait to get them in, but you've waited over 5 years already. NSALA is a true no-kill shelter. The other place I'd recommend in your area is the...

As long as they're fixed, have access to shelter and a food source they should do fine. I'm a great believer in indoor-only cats, but some cats never adjust to the indoor life and are happier living outside. They can live a longer life indoors, but is it necessarily a better life??? That's the...

I like to give my patients access to a heat source. I use a regular heating pad, the inexpensive ones you can get at any drug store. Wrap it in a thick towel and set it on low - never higher. Make sure the cat has room to get on and off the pad as he chooses to. Remember to have him FIV/FeLV...

The easiest way to resolve the issue is to have the cat neutered. This should help with the spraying behavior, as well as render the cat non-reproductive. If the cat subsequently goes into heat, you know that there are female reproductive organs and can get the cat spayed then. (I'm betting...

At our shelter they recommend a long and slow introductory process. I'm a barbarian, I open the door, pitch the new cat in and go to dinner. They'll work it out. Probably the shelter's way is less traumatic, mine is quicker (but generally a LOT louder). They're grumpy for a week or two, then...

Put out 'stinky food', not just dry food. Rent a hav-a-heart trap and set it out with some of the stinky food inside. Print up a flier with two good clear pictures of the cat, front and side view. Include relevant information: Age, gender, spay/neuter status, distinguishing marks or scars...

If it wouldn't be a financial hardship, I'd just go ahead with my plan to spay and neuter the cats. Most places regard dogs as property and protect the owners from that point of view. Cats are not classified in the same way. What this translates to in practical terms is: "You lets your cats...

Have they checked her nasal passages for polyps?

Last August I got a call from one of our volunteers about a cat abandoned in a local trailer park. I took a drive over with a can of stinky food, a flashlight and a cat carrier. An hour later, after crawling under the most funky trailer that ever existed, I emerged with cobwebs in my hair and...

If your cat tolerates the Tapezole you can manage the condition medically for years. I've never liked the drug myself, as I've only ever seen one patient that tolerated it well for any significant length of time. Generally the signs of not tolerating the Tapezole are vomiting, decreased...

Color code them with collars. We often get swamped with several litters of identical kittens. We'll give each litter its own color collars, with a tape band on the collar that is blue or pink, so we can tell litter and gender at a glance. Then we write their names on the collars so we can...

I tend to be a barbarian. I pitch the new cat into the house and go out to dinner. As long as there are no spurting arteries or severed limbs in evidence I call it a good introduction. Since I do so much rescue most of my cats can't be bothered to react to a new cat in the house. This week...

My abject apologies. I was giving my best advice to answer the original question, which I interpreted as: "What would be a good family pet?". I am new to these forums and did not realize that coloring outside the lines was discouraged here. My bad.

What I'd recommend is to take the kids to a local shelter and find your newest family member there. A free-range shelter is especially great for interacting with the cats and letting your cat pick you. I've wanted a ragdoll for years, and always end up instead with a cat that really needs a...

At our shelter last spring and summer we averaged 75 to 100 cats and kittens PER DAY surrendered to the shelter. This is starting about mid-April and finally tapering off in mid-August. Our off season average is 15 to 20 per day. In 2007 we euthanized 60% of the kittens abandoned at the...

I have always wanted a Ragdoll. Whenever I have space in my menagerie, I always think, "Ok, now I'm contacting Ragdoll Rescue and getting that Ragdoll." Inevitably, some poor sad sack unadoptable cat will be dumped as soon as this thought flashes through my brain, and there goes my Ragdoll...

Also, don't forget to check out North Shore Animal League America. They're in Port Washington, Long Island. This is a bit of a drive from Yonkers, but not bad if you cut over the Throg's Neck Bridge and pick up the Cross Island Parkway. They're an incredible no-kill shelter and if you don't...

I would recommend getting the cat spayed. You can do this through your veterinarian. Otherwise you'll own 9 cats by this time next year (assuming 2 litters/year and 4 kittens/litter). By February 2010 you'll have +/- 36 cats. And so on, and so on. Spay her. She'll be happier, healthier...

Gotta love a happy ending!

Ok, I think I get the idea. Hello everybody! I guess I'm the new kit on the block.