Hi everyone! (Intro: bit long)

seagull

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Hi everyone,

Although I have been reading on this site for a few months, I registered only this week.
Because I like the atmospere on this board I decided to register and maybe post a few times myself.

Let me start by introducing my cats and myself.
At present I share my appartment with Wampie, Buddy and Chivu.
All three are orange tabbies.
Wampie is a 2-year old spayed female and the mother of Buddy (1 year, male, neutered) and Chivu (7 months, all-male)
Wampie and Buddy used to be my sister's cats. They came to stay for a week, when my sister went on a short trip.

During that week, Wampie gave birth to a litter of 4 beautiful red/white kittens. BTW, her pregnancy was a small detail my sister had forgot to mention, not that it would have made a difference


Because you don't move a mom and her new-born kittens, we decided that all cats could stay with me, untill the kittens were old enough.
Unfortunately the kittens didn't do too well and even with much effort from both the vet and me, Chivu was the only one to survive.
Anyway, this all happened 7 months ago, and they're still with me.
My sister didn't really want them back and I didn't really want to give them back, so that was it, basically.

The three of them go very well together. They play a lot and I have never seen them fight. Really fight, I mean, with hissing and howling.
Although, when the two boys are very active, mum sometimes steps in.

Not being mine originally, Wampie and Buddy already had their names.
I don't like "Wampie" very much (the name, not the cat), but because she reacts very well to it, I never tried to change it.
Buddy doesn't listen to anything
, so I usually call him "grote vent", which means something like "big guy" (he weighs 6 kilo, which according to my converter, equals 13.2 pounds).

Chivu was named after Christian Chivu, the captain of my favourite soccer team, who's abilities to kick are not limited to the ball.
As a kitten, my Chivu would kick his littermate(s) fanatically to pursuade them to make room for him. Even when he was still blind and the smallest, he always succeeded.

So, after much about the cats, maybe it's time to say a little about myself.
I am a 41 year old female.
I have lived with cats all my life, my parents had cats before they had kids.
Before Wampie, Buddy and Chivu there were Bran, a Somali/British shorthair mix, and Jorn, a Norwegian Forest.
I got them as kittens (13 and 16 weeks old). Jorn had to be put down in 1998, at age 11 due to Kidney disease, Bran in 2001 at age 14, due to Kidney Disease and Cancer.
After Bran I needed a time-out as far as cats were concerned. I was afraid I would treat a new cat as a replacement and blame him for not being Bran and that just wouldn't be fair.
When my sister showed up with Wamp and Buddy I had just been considering getting cats again. Preferably two older ones that needed to be together. Perfect timing on her part


My nickname, Seagull, comes from a joke I shared with a collegue who works at one of our Operating Companies.
He used to call me a Corporate Seagull, because in his opinion, whenever people from Corporate were visiting , they'd "pick" at a few things, scream a little and then they'd leave, never to be heard from again.

As you may have noticed, I am from Amsterdam (NL) which means, among others, that my native language is not English.
So please don't be too upset if I use a wrong word or don't always find the correct tone.

My ideas/opinions on some of the main issues I have come across the board so far are:
Declawing: Dead set against it. Fortunately, a non-issue in my country, because it is illegal. I don't even know the Dutch translation, or if we have one.
Neutering/spaying: In favour, but not too early. In the Netherlands it is common practice to neuter a male at 9 months, unless he starts spraying or being aggressive.
Since Chivu is just adorable and stays indoor all the time, he'll get his 9 months. maybe even more. I had Buddy neutered at 6 months because I was afraid he might mate with his mother.
When I learned that Buddy might still be able to do that for another 4 weeks after being neutered, I had Wampie spayed as soon as Chivu could do without her for a day.
Indoor/outdoor: No preference, it depends on the situation. I live in an appartment building, so my cats are kept indoors. The balcony is the best I can do for them and then only if I am at home. They don't seem to mind, not even Wampie who could and would go out often, when she was living in my sisters house.

Hope I haven't bored you too much.
Thanks for putting up with me and letting me tell my story.
Patricia
 
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seagull

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Thanks Daniela,

I have tried to attach a photo my 3 red monsters.

Buddy is the big guy on the left, Wampie is on the right and Chivu felt he could best defend his brother and mother from the back.

Patricia
 

valanhb

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Welcome to the site! What beautiful red babies you have!! I enjoyed reading all about you and your cats.
We have quite a few members here whose native language is not English, so don't worry at all about that. Your post was worded very well!

I look forward to getting to know you and your cats on the board!
 

jenng

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What beautiful babies! They're all so adorable!
Welcome to the board!
 

harrythecat

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Thanks for sharing the story of your feline family. I really love that photograph as well, they look so sweet all cuddled up together!
 

yola

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Patricia - welcome!!! What a lovely collection of red cats you have!!

I love the story of how your nickname came about - corporate seagull - that made me smile as I can relate to that from the days I worked in a head office!!!

I love Amsterdam - I live in England but have only been to Amsterdam once (shame on me). My favourite restaurant there is (I hope I've got the name right), the Blue Albatros? It specialises in fish and has the most wonderful atmosphere with fishing nets hung across the ceiling. Is it still there?

Hope to see pictures of the 3 red babies soon!!
 

nunny

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Hello Patricia!!!
I love your cats!

I know you said you're only steppin in for a few times, but I hope you post here a lot!!

As I am not an English Native-speaker myslef, I can tell you that I probably make a lot of spelling mistakes, and no one ever gives me a hard time for it!! so I hope you feel right at home, like I do.

And by the way, I think its amazing that they made Declawing illegal in Holland. I salute you, and I hope many countries will follow.


WELCOME!!!
 
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seagull

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Thanks everyone for making me feel welcome.
I have just bought a PC for home use, so I'll have lot's of opportunities to post (before I had to abuse my PC at work)

nunny - Yes, I am very happy as well about declawing being illegal here. I is not mentioned specifically, but it is implied in the law that says that it is illegal to perform any surgery on any animal unless there is a medical need.
This includes not only declawing of cats but, cutting of tails (dogs/horses/sheep) and ears (dogs)as well.

Yola - Blue Albatros doesn't ring a bell, but there is a Seafood restaurant which is called just "Albatros".
I have never been there, but I have heard positive stories.
Except for London, I have never been to England either. But I have seen all episodes of Cold Feet. Does that count
?
 
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