Seeking an orange baby

lisasha3 · Jan 22, 2006

Not sure if this is the right thread for this, but I suppose it will get moved if it needs to be. As kitten season approaches us, I will be searching (again) for a little orange female baby. I have looked for the past 2 years unsuccessfully and I'm going to try again this year. I know that female orange babies are rare, but with that said both my daughters keep telling me that we need to add orange to our little clan. They already have a name picked out - Tiger Lily.
The reason I'd prefer a female is because my other 4 are females and 1) I hesitate to have a little guy at this time because of a neighborhood Tom in the area that's already marking my door

and I don't want to add the scent of a male to my home that would possibly encourage further marking outside and possibly inside. That and 2) as dumb as it may sound - my girls and I are going for "girl power" and as there are 7 of us females already, we just thought it fit to add another.
Anyways - as I said, I'm having trouble. I tapped into every single adoption agency and foster home in my area in the past and am wondering the best way to get a little one. All mine are rescue cats, so that's what I usually go with, but some of the purebreds out there are absolutely beautiful too! We love the longer haired exotics - but there are many other breeds that are just as beautiful. I guess my underlying question is - would I have better luck going with a purebred? and if so - where can I get info in my area? and what type of breed would be apt to have orange females?

Thanks!!

menagerie mama · Jan 22, 2006

Oh I wish you coiuld come to our area! We WISH we didn't have so many orange kitties around here!!! (Not that we don't love orange kitties, but it's hard to find homes for orange kitty after orange kitty) When we trapped last year, 4 of our 8 were orange, and we rescued a litter of kittens, all orange except one tortie! Orange seems to be our lot in life around here. Good luck in your search, and IMO, please stay away from pet shops (I know you didn't mention it) and I would love it if you could adopt a moggie!

lndscpsam · Jan 22, 2006

I wish you ALOT of luck!!! A vet just told me the other day that almost ALL orange tabby's were males. JUst like calico's are females. So, it seems to me you've got your work cut out for you. What about petfinder.com? You might have to search around the country, but if you really want an orange girl it would be worth it. Keep us posted on how you do please. Good luck!!

icklemiss21 · Jan 22, 2006

I too have a soft spot for orange kitties, I seen a cat called Doodles the other day in the adoption centre at the pet store and he looks just like Bumps but more orange than beige... I was in love... especially as we call Bumps Noodles and Noodles and Doodles would be too cute. But my BF said no more cats.

We always have loads of orange cats in the shelters here too (and I fall in love with everone of them)

A quick look on petfinder and I seen a few in Mass, not sure exactly where you are or how far you want to travel though. But doing that I fell in love with a cat called Sushi from Milford, Mass... http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/...?petid=4940474

I am surprised there are so few orange kitties there!

lisasha3 · Jan 22, 2006

Thanks guys!
I have looked on petfinder (almost every day....arrggghh) and will continue to do that.
And I will stay away from pet stores - always have. (Wish I could just walk in and open all those cages in there and save them all.....

)
Love adopting rescues, but the problem is not a lack of orange babies, it's a lack of orange baby girls so I guess I was curious if in this case - purebred would be easier. Obviously I'd prefer a rescue - they need the help....

I was sooooo close last year - 2 orange females - sooooo rare - walked into the local shelter as they were both being adopted.

I'll keep trying the local rescues and foster care.

kaleetha · Jan 22, 2006

I'll keep an eye out at the shelter here... just curious... is Montana too far?

lisasha3 · Jan 22, 2006

Hmmmmm. Not sure. How far is Montana from Mass???

ollyextra05 · Jan 22, 2006

Perhaps you should visit your "favorite" local shelter, and let them know you are looking for an orange baby. I know many shelters will let you put down a deposit and will call you when they get the specific breed/ breed-mix of dog you're looking for, I'm sure they'd do the same for your request.
Also, sometimes the petfinder listings aren't completely up to date, especially with kittens that come and go pretty quickly in most shelters.
I'd reccomend calling and visiting in person to get an accurate gauge of the "orange baby" situation at your local shelter.

Good luck!

zak&rocky · Jan 22, 2006

I got Rocky at second chance animal shelter in Brookfield, Mass. They don't have kittens right now, but you can apply for one right online. Diane is the contact person there. I have seen orange females there before. They are hooked to petfinder. The website is secondchanceanimals.org
They have tons of kittens come kitten season.

BTW orange females are not as common as male oranges, but they do happen, especially if the genes for orange are strong.

lisasha3 · Jan 22, 2006

Thanks!!
I'll do it now!

lndscpsam · Jan 22, 2006

Where in Mass are you? I'm in Minnesota now, but grew up in Attleboro, Mass. My brother and parents are still there. I could ask them to check around for you.

beckiboo · Jan 22, 2006

I think 70% of orange cats are male, so your odds are fairly good that you will get an orange girl. I had a lovely orange foster girl named Jill last year. I would call the rescues, but visit the shelters and humane societies in person. As already mentioned, sometimes kittens don't make it to Petfinder, because they are adopted so quickly.

kaleetha · Jan 22, 2006

Originally Posted by lisasha3

Hmmmmm. Not sure. How far is Montana from Mass???

*laugh* We are most of the way across the country.... I'm in Missoula. You could plug it into mapquest and see how far apart we are.

I was just wondering cause if I did find a kitten (chances are probably slight) we'd have to get it over to you.

lisasha3 · Jan 23, 2006

Originally Posted by Lndscpsam

Where in Mass are you? I'm in Minnesota now, but grew up in Attleboro, Mass. My brother and parents are still there. I could ask them to check around for you.

Actually I'm in Western Mass. Massachussetts is so small though any town in Mass is close enough

.

Thanks for all your help everyone. I've kinda been doing all that now - looking on petfinder, adoption applications and phone calls into most adoption organizations and foster care and weekly visits to the shelters. It sounds like I'm on the right path and I should just continue doing what I"m doing. I'll start getting my phone calls in now for this year (I've found that most agencies I have to call again just to say - Hey - kitten seasons here. Keep your eyes open for me please.)
The only thing that would change my mind about this is if I could find an exotic breeder with a orange babies close to me. I just love the exotic faces!!

They are so precious!! Anyways, I've kinda been looking at that as well.

tari · Jan 23, 2006

Are you willing or able to take in a kitty with special needs?

There's a 4-month-old female orange tabby with cerebellar hyperplasia (CH) near Chicago who badly needs a forever home. Here's a link to her information and some pictures on the CH Kitty Club website:

http://www.chkittyclub.com/pages/nee...cky/index.html

Cats with CH are healthy, and can lead full lives, but have a disability that causes them to have motor skill problems. They're wobbly, walk with a funny gait, and have heads that bobble a bit. CH in cats is similar to cerebral palsey in humans...it's not a degenerative disease.

CH kitties do take a little extra work...some additional clean-up perhaps and a few concessions to their disability. They should also never be declawed because they need their claws for balance. There are pay-offs, though. They tend to be especially sweet and affectionate. And they don't jump up on your counters! (Well...they might if the opportunity presents itself, but it's not easy.) There's also a Web group of people who have these special kitties...the CH Kitty Club...who are all wonderful folks and would be more than happy to give you any advice or guidance you might need.

I have a CH baby, Forest, who I fell in love with about two years ago. I can't imagine not having him now. He's been worth every effort, and he always reminds me that some of the best things in life aren't "perfect".

Massachusetts and Illinois are a bit of a distance apart, but if you're interested and able to adopt her, I'm sure we could arrange a transportation chain to get her to you. The CH Kitty Club has been able to do that with some other cats who found their homes out of state. (I'll even volunteer to drive the first leg of the trip!)

rubsluts'mommy · Jan 23, 2006

Don't forget Upstate New York (you, know the rest of the state, with all those trees! People do seem to forget about it). I lived there nearly two years and that's where I adopted JoJo, my orange girl. In Syracuse, actually. The Humane Society there is where I got her. I also adopted my black and silver boy from a local rescue. They are not on Petfinder, to my knowledge, and may have an orange girl. I can send them a letter (yeah, old fashioned letter... don't have an email for them). I need to send them recent pics of Jack. They do TNR as well as fostering for a rescue. Jack was a recent addition to the house. Maybe they have a girl for you.

Here's one rescue in the Syracuse area: www.kittycorner.org

I recommend to anyone to get one of their tshirts. I picked up a business card of theirs and keep it on my fridge, even though I no longer live there. their logo is a recycle triangle with a cat in the middle and the phrase: "100% Recycled Cats" Which I think is so darn cute. I'll get a shirt myself as soon as I have the money.

But call them and others, if they don't have one, they can at least help lead you in the right direction. And they're only about a half a day's drive from West Mass (I think). Don't rely on petfinder for a kitten... as Kitty Corner says on their site, kittens change so fast, plus they get adopted before adults tend to (just like adopting humans... babies are more desirable than older kids), so call around. A little legwork will pay off.

Amanda

tari · Jan 23, 2006

Originally Posted by RubSluts'Mommy

their logo is a recycle triangle with a cat in the middle and the phrase: "100% Recycled Cats" Which I think is so darn cute. I'll get a shirt myself as soon as I have the money.

That's just adorable!!

As the owner of three recycled cats, I've got to order one!

rubsluts'mommy · Jan 23, 2006

Originally Posted by Tari

That's just adorable!!

As the owner of three recycled cats, I've got to order one!

and the proceeds go to help the cats they have. definitely well worth the money.

Amanda

lisasha3 · Jan 23, 2006

Tari - little Ducky is beautiful, but you're right - Illinois is a bit of a haul. I'm going to try to stay within a reasonable driving distance if I can. If my luck doesn't pan out though and I need to look further, I'll keep this little doll in mind. She is a cutie!
RubSlutsMommy - Thanks for the syracuse info. You're right, that's not that far from me. (a few hours - not days). I'll look into it!

cagnes · Jan 23, 2006

I found a few beauties... I don't know if any of them are in your area.

Seeking an orange baby

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