On Mon 05 Sep 2005 03:02:11a, Margaret Suran wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>
>
> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>> Our kitties...
>
> *Text snipped*
>
>>
>> These are our "kids"!
>>
>> http://groups.msn.com/WaynesGang/shoebox.msnw?albumlist=2
>>
>
> Wayne, Thank you, you have a beautiful family. Isn't it difficult to
> take care of five cats? Do they all get along? Do you let them go
> out of the house, or are they inside cats? I hate to think what your
> veterinarian costs are, as well as their food bills. But I know that
> it is all well worth it. Until my husband died, we always had three
> cats in our small NYC apartments. Now I only have Tandoora. MS
Thank you, Margaret! We've only ever had two cats at a time until about 9
months ago when we adopted the twin boy tuxedos. Their mother and sister
had been carried off by a coyote. About 4 months later we rescued Popie,
the third tuxedo, and like an unplanned pregnancy, we were not expecting to
have a fifth cat. Popie had been "on the street" her entire short life,
and we just couldn't let her stay there. I have to admit that it takes
more effort to manage 5 cats than it does 2, but we've adapted our routine.
Five bowls of canned food in the morning, then five again in the evening,
and keeping their dry food dish topped up to match 5 appetites! Because of
our different work schedules, I do all the food and David maintains the
litter boxes. There is, of course, more vacuuming and more scrubbing, and
more general straightening up, as the 5 are more rambunctious, especially
with 3 of them being under a year in age. Luckily they are all very
healthy and go to the vet only for their annual checkups. They've all been
neutered/spayed and have had all their shots. We stagger their visits to
vets, which helps on costs. Millie, our only longhair, goes to the groomer
every 3 months for a trim. We can no longer afford to buy the "super
premium" food as we did for our first two, but they seem to be doing fine
on 9-Lives and a good grade of dry food. Their eyes are bright and their
coats are shiny. They are all indoor cats, allowed outside on the patio
only when we are with them. I have never owned a cat that was allowed to
go out on their own, as I have a mortal fear of losing them. Introducing
each new kitten to the group had its own challenges, but as they became
acquainted, they are all now fast friends. They play together, groom each
other, and sleep together. Millie, being the "dowager queen" sometimes
stays to herself, but she always did. Life is good!
Do you have a picture of Tandoora? I'd love to see her. If you don't have
it on a website, perhaps you could e-mail it to me.
Have a wonderful holiday!
--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________
My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four,
unless there are three other people.
)