Some of you may already know that we recently welcomed a new addition to
our household - a 14 week old Russian Blue kitten. Normally this breed
is characterized as quiet and shy. But Luka (the name is the Russian
variant of Luke) is an exception to the rule. This critter is totally
fearless and has the kinetic energy of a pinball machine.

This makes for interesting experiences in the kitchen. I usually have
my hands full when I am trying to follow a recipe, chopping veggies,
stirring a sauce, and watching items on the stove. Now I also have to
contend with this small grey thing clawing his way up my pants leg, like
a pole climber at the lumberjack olympics. Or the small grey thing
jumping into the sink. Or sticking his nose into my prep bowls (maybe
he misread one of Cindy's cookbooks, and thought that the bowls
contained "mice in place").

Yes, we isolate him in the guest room when he gets too wild. But we are
also trying to teach him good manners, so isolation is not the ultimate
solution.

Later this week, we have to send in the CFA registration document, with
his complete name. Normally such names include the cattery of origin
plus some silly frufru. Like "Kitandkaboodle's Precious Little
Darling." Our guy's complete name is going to be "Velva's Luka Get Off
The Table."

This weekend I posted a new pic of the varmint in a rare quiet moment.
Here's my sous-chef and sous-chat:

<http://julianv.zenfolio.com/p689493425/?photo=545797169>

Obfood: There's a Penzies catalog next to Cindy on the couch.

We had Labor Day dinner at the home of some friends. The menu was "hobo
packs": burgers, sausages, and veggies, wrapped in aluminum foil and
tossed on the grill. Just like at scout camp. For dessert, we made
baked apples with the same technique. Not bad at all.

--
Julian Vrieslander

"Julian Vrieslander" > wrote

> Some of you may already know that we recently welcomed a new addition to
> our household - a 14 week old Russian Blue kitten. Normally this breed
> is characterized as quiet and shy. But Luka (the name is the Russian
> variant of Luke) is an exception to the rule. This critter is totally
> fearless and has the kinetic energy of a pinball machine.
>
> This makes for interesting experiences in the kitchen. I usually have
> my hands full when I am trying to follow a recipe, chopping veggies,
> stirring a sauce, and watching items on the stove. Now I also have to
> contend with this small grey thing clawing his way up my pants leg, like
> a pole climber at the lumberjack olympics. Or the small grey thing
> jumping into the sink. Or sticking his nose into my prep bowls (maybe
> he misread one of Cindy's cookbooks, and thought that the bowls
> contained "mice in place").

(laugh!)

> Yes, we isolate him in the guest room when he gets too wild. But we are
> also trying to teach him good manners, so isolation is not the ultimate
> solution.
>
> Later this week, we have to send in the CFA registration document, with
> his complete name. Normally such names include the cattery of origin
> plus some silly frufru. Like "Kitandkaboodle's Precious Little
> Darling." Our guy's complete name is going to be "Velva's Luka Get Off
> The Table."
>
> This weekend I posted a new pic of the varmint in a rare quiet moment.

Thank you for the story, you've got a little maniac there. Very cute.

nancy

"Julian Vrieslander" > wrote in
message
...
> Some of you may already know that we recently welcomed a new addition to
> our household - a 14 week old Russian Blue kitten.

Beautiful kitten! Well-taken pics too.
<sigh>, I remember those climbing-up-the pants-leg days!

"Steve Wertz" > wrote

> On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 12:05:34 GMT, Steve Wertz wrote:
>
>> The other two cats are my girlfriends...
>
> Uh, let me rephrase that. They're my girlfriend's cats.

That apostrophe makes all the difference.

nancy

I was hoping that this would be about an Asian restaurant as well.

--Bryan

In article

..net>,
Julian Vrieslander > wrote:

> Yes, we isolate him in the guest room when he gets too wild. But we are
> also trying to teach him good manners, so isolation is not the ultimate
> solution.

Kittens are Superballs by nature. ;-)
He'll settle down a bit in about 6 months or so.
In the meantime, a few noisy kitten toys should help.

A turbo chaser and 1/2 dozen belled chaser balls have been helpful with
Squirt. He's about 3 months old now. He gives some of the others a
hard time and is totally fearless. They have accepted him and his mom.
Cleo is funny. One will hiss at her and she'll just rub them with her
head. I've never seen a more mellow little girl!

Pic: Squirt the day after being adopted. He was a feral that
showed up in the driveway with his stray mom.
It rained heavily the day after we brought them in
and we are pretty sure he would have drowned in the
minor flooding:

http://i16.tinypic.com/68clna9.jpg
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article >,
"Chuck (in SC)" <> wrote:

> Mine help me make spagetti last night.. (that was the food part of
> this post..)
> I thought I was the only one who would put the chairs for a better
> viewing of "cat tv"..
> Here's tuxedo napping at window
> http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=4lr6q68

Snooze ball. ;-)

> And my little girl... with her tounge out just a little..
> She's the one who likes to help her daddy in the kitchen..
> http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=6cfci7p
>
>
> Chuck (in SC)

Nice Close up! I love Tiger cats.

Here is the best Close up I've ever gotten. This is Selene:

http://tinypic.com/23szlvr.jpg
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article >,
Steve Wertz > wrote:

> On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 01:18:47 -0700, Julian Vrieslander wrote:
>
> > Some of you may already know that we recently welcomed a new addition to
> > our household - a 14 week old Russian Blue kitten.
>
> This gives me a reason to try out my new scanner. This is my
> [almost] Russian Blue, "Psycho", back in 1995 or so. The other
> two cats are my girlfriends, all unrelated to each other.
>
> http://i18.tinypic.com/6arxagx.jpg
> http://i9.tinypic.com/4qne32h.jpg
>
> ObFood: I think I'll have another float for breakfast...
>
> -sw

Great group of picks Steve!

Did not know you were a kitty person. :-)
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article >,
Steve Wertz > wrote:

> On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 12:05:34 GMT, Steve Wertz wrote:
>
> > The other two cats are my girlfriends...
>
> Uh, let me rephrase that. They're my girlfriend's cats.
>
> Got it? Good.
>
> -sw

ROFL!!!
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Julian Vrieslander wrote:

"Velva's Luka Get Off The Table." Fabulous!! All cat owners can relate!

My daughter had a fuzzy black cat stuffy that she liked to leave on the
kitchen table, counter, etc... I can't begin to count all the times I
hollered at that thing to "Get down!" before realizing it wasn't one of
the live ones.

<it didn't help that its command response time was about the same as the
live ones, either>

Omelet wrote:
> Pic: Squirt the day after being adopted. He was a feral that
> showed up in the driveway with his stray mom.
> It rained heavily the day after we brought them in
> and we are pretty sure he would have drowned in the
> minor flooding:
>
> http://i16.tinypic.com/68clna9.jpg

Just beautiful I can't have cats I am allergic to their dander

Omelet wrote:
>
> Here is the best Close up I've ever gotten. This is Selene:
>
> http://tinypic.com/23szlvr.jpg

wow!

On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 01:18:47 -0700, Julian Vrieslander
> wrote:

>This weekend I posted a new pic of the varmint in a rare quiet moment.
>Here's my sous-chef and sous-chat:
>
><http://julianv.zenfolio.com/p689493425/?photo=545797169>
>
>Obfood: There's a Penzies catalog next to Cindy on the couch.
>
>We had Labor Day dinner at the home of some friends. The menu was "hobo
>packs": burgers, sausages, and veggies, wrapped in aluminum foil and
>tossed on the grill. Just like at scout camp. For dessert, we made
>baked apples with the same technique. Not bad at all.

What a cutie he is! Your other Russian Blue is gorgeous too... they're
just lovely cats.

Julian Vrieslander wrote:
> <snip> kitten antics
>
> Later this week, we have to send in the CFA registration document, with
> his complete name. Normally such names include the cattery of origin
> plus some silly frufru. Like "Kitandkaboodle's Precious Little
> Darling." Our guy's complete name is going to be "Velva's Luka Get Off
> The Table."

Most of our cats (who are never purebred anyway) tend to be surnamed 'Oy
you get off of there' or less formally 'Stop that'.



>
> This weekend I posted a new pic of the varmint in a rare quiet moment.
> Here's my sous-chef and sous-chat:
>
> <http://julianv.zenfolio.com/p689493425/?photo=545797169>
>
> Obfood: There's a Penzies catalog next to Cindy on the couch.
>
> We had Labor Day dinner at the home of some friends. The menu was "hobo
> packs": burgers, sausages, and veggies, wrapped in aluminum foil and
> tossed on the grill. Just like at scout camp. For dessert, we made
> baked apples with the same technique. Not bad at all.
>
> --
> Julian Vrieslander

In article >, "Ophelia" >
wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> > Pic: Squirt the day after being adopted. He was a feral that
> > showed up in the driveway with his stray mom.
> > It rained heavily the day after we brought them in
> > and we are pretty sure he would have drowned in the
> > minor flooding:
> >
> > http://i16.tinypic.com/68clna9.jpg
>
> Just beautiful

Thanks. He's a bit bigger now, I have some pics but need to take a few
more. He's gentled out nicely. He was SO scared the first night but I've
made sure he's never had anything but love/gentleness from human hands.
Helps for kids to have had no access to him yet. He's been allowed to
stay with his mom all this time so she could wean him when SHE was ready.
We guess he was about 4 weeks.

> I can't have cats I am allergic to their dander

You could try one of the specialty breeds:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...=Google+Search

I personally think they are kinda cute. ;-)

It's supposed to eliminate the issue of dander allergies?

They are a bit pricey tho'.

Russian Blues are magnificent cats. Shame you can't have one of those!
Their eye color is amazing.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Omelet wrote:
> In article
>
> .net>,
> Julian Vrieslander > wrote:
>
>> Yes, we isolate him in the guest room when he gets too wild. But we are
>> also trying to teach him good manners, so isolation is not the ultimate
>> solution.
>
> Kittens are Superballs by nature. ;-)
> He'll settle down a bit in about 6 months or so.
> In the meantime, a few noisy kitten toys should help.
>
> A turbo chaser and 1/2 dozen belled chaser balls have been helpful with
> Squirt. He's about 3 months old now. He gives some of the others a
> hard time and is totally fearless. They have accepted him and his mom.
> Cleo is funny. One will hiss at her and she'll just rub them with her
> head. I've never seen a more mellow little girl!
>
> Pic: Squirt the day after being adopted. He was a feral that
> showed up in the driveway with his stray mom.
> It rained heavily the day after we brought them in
> and we are pretty sure he would have drowned in the
> minor flooding:
>
> http://i16.tinypic.com/68clna9.jpg

What a little cutie!

In article >, "Ophelia" >
wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> >
> > Here is the best Close up I've ever gotten. This is Selene:
> >
> > http://tinypic.com/23szlvr.jpg
>
> wow!

"Eye has you under my power! Take me to your Tuna!"
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article >, Arri London >
wrote:

> Julian Vrieslander wrote:
> > <snip> kitten antics
> >
> > Later this week, we have to send in the CFA registration document, with
> > his complete name. Normally such names include the cattery of origin
> > plus some silly frufru. Like "Kitandkaboodle's Precious Little
> > Darling." Our guy's complete name is going to be "Velva's Luka Get Off
> > The Table."
>
> Most of our cats (who are never purebred anyway) tend to be surnamed 'Oy
> you get off of there' or less formally 'Stop that'.


Or "NO!"!

<G>
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article >,
flitterbit > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> > In article
> >
> > .net>,
> > Julian Vrieslander > wrote:
> >
> >> Yes, we isolate him in the guest room when he gets too wild. But we are
> >> also trying to teach him good manners, so isolation is not the ultimate
> >> solution.
> >
> > Kittens are Superballs by nature. ;-)
> > He'll settle down a bit in about 6 months or so.
> > In the meantime, a few noisy kitten toys should help.
> >
> > A turbo chaser and 1/2 dozen belled chaser balls have been helpful with
> > Squirt. He's about 3 months old now. He gives some of the others a
> > hard time and is totally fearless. They have accepted him and his mom.
> > Cleo is funny. One will hiss at her and she'll just rub them with her
> > head. I've never seen a more mellow little girl!
> >
> > Pic: Squirt the day after being adopted. He was a feral that
> > showed up in the driveway with his stray mom.
> > It rained heavily the day after we brought them in
> > and we are pretty sure he would have drowned in the
> > minor flooding:
> >
> > http://i16.tinypic.com/68clna9.jpg
>
> What a little cutie!

He's an itty bitty all right in that pic, thanks! ;-)

But I did not mean to hijack the thread...

Kittens rule.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Julian Vrieslander wrote:

> Some of you may already know that we recently welcomed a new addition to
> our household - a 14 week old Russian Blue kitten. Normally this breed
> is characterized as quiet and shy. But Luka (the name is the Russian
> variant of Luke) is an exception to the rule. This critter is totally
> fearless and has the kinetic energy of a pinball machine.
>
> This makes for interesting experiences in the kitchen. I usually have
> my hands full when I am trying to follow a recipe, chopping veggies,
> stirring a sauce, and watching items on the stove. Now I also have to
> contend with this small grey thing clawing his way up my pants leg, like
> a pole climber at the lumberjack olympics. Or the small grey thing
> jumping into the sink. Or sticking his nose into my prep bowls (maybe
> he misread one of Cindy's cookbooks, and thought that the bowls
> contained "mice in place").
>
> Yes, we isolate him in the guest room when he gets too wild. But we are
> also trying to teach him good manners, so isolation is not the ultimate
> solution.
>
> Later this week, we have to send in the CFA registration document, with
> his complete name. Normally such names include the cattery of origin
> plus some silly frufru. Like "Kitandkaboodle's Precious Little
> Darling." Our guy's complete name is going to be "Velva's Luka Get Off
> The Table."

Julian, I have a Velva cat! Did you get her from
Diana Doernberg in Ohio? My girl's name is Velva's
Vanity Fair, but she goes by Lucy. I considered changing
her name to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. However,
I got her when she was 4 years old - a retired breeder.
She already had a Grand Championship under her original
name and since I wanted to show her a little bit I decided
it would be better to keep the name. Besides LITSWD would
have been too long and I would have had to shorten it somehow.

Lucy is quiet except when she wants food and then she's
loud and pushy (I'm surprised I don't have bruises on my
legs from when she head-butts me while I'm dishing up
the canned food! And she used to be shy but now she's over
that and climbs all over perfect strangers like the guy who
came to give me an estimate on a new furnace.

Lucy is 9 years old now. She's a love. I also have a 12-year-
old ruddy Abysinian, Gaoth Rua.

> This weekend I posted a new pic of the varmint in a rare quiet moment.
> Here's my sous-chef and sous-chat:
>
> <http://julianv.zenfolio.com/p689493425/?photo=545797169>

Luka looks like a beautiful kitty.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

Julian Vrieslander wrote:
> Some of you may already know that we recently welcomed a new addition to
> our household - a 14 week old Russian Blue kitten. Normally this breed
> is characterized as quiet and shy. But Luka (the name is the Russian
> variant of Luke) is an exception to the rule. This critter is totally
> fearless and has the kinetic energy of a pinball machine.
>
> This makes for interesting experiences in the kitchen. I usually have
> my hands full when I am trying to follow a recipe, chopping veggies,
> stirring a sauce, and watching items on the stove. Now I also have to
> contend with this small grey thing clawing his way up my pants leg, like
> a pole climber at the lumberjack olympics. Or the small grey thing
> jumping into the sink. Or sticking his nose into my prep bowls (maybe
> he misread one of Cindy's cookbooks, and thought that the bowls
> contained "mice in place").
>
<snipped for brevity>
>
>
Lovely pictures; thanks for the link

In article >,
margaret suran > wrote:

snip>
> Thank you for a nice post and great picture. What an adorable addition
> to your family. Luka will bring you much joy and much extra work and
> most of all, much love. Please, give give him an extra little pat from
> me. )

He got it, Margaret, then ran off to foment more mischief. He just
knocked Julian's foam rubber brain off the desk and was playing soccer
with it. Phoebe, our elder statescat, is getting used to him. They
will occasionally snuggle together--until Luka catches his second wind.

OB Food: The Early Girl (HA!) and cherry tomato plants are finally
producing ripe fruit. It's only taken 3 months since I bought the
plants. So much for my vegetable crops this year. I think I'll stick
with herbs.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

In article >, "Ophelia" >
wrote:

> Just beautiful I can't have cats I am allergic to their dander

Hi Ophelia,

I'm allergic to cats, too. Although my reactions are usually limited to
sneezes and wheezes, not the life-threatening, turning-blue, trips to
the emergency room stuff.

Cindy is a long-time cat lover, and I like critters of all kinds, so we
made an effort to find a workable solution. We discovered, after
visiting the homes of several breeders, that some types are more or less
likely to trigger my allergies. Oriental breeds seem to be the worst
for me: Siamese, Tonkinese, Birmans. I've read reports that this is
true for other people, too.

I seem to do OK with Russian Blues, perhaps because they have an unusual
type of fur (short, very dense). Our first two RB's, Jasper (recently
departed) and Phoebe (14 and still going strong) could jump and crawl
all over me, without causing a sniffle. I'm having a bit more trouble
with Luka - I was getting some asthmatic reactions when he arrived. But
there may have been some compounding effects from high levels of grass
pollen in the air. The reactions seem to be abating, so maybe my immune
system is learning and adapting.

Phoebe and Jasper came from a European line of Russian Blues. Luka is
from an American line that was bred for a smaller, more slender body
shape. These differences are purely fashione/style issues, dictated by
the prevailing breed standards in various parts of the world and the
tastes of the judges at cat shows. Back around WW2, RB's were
outcrossed to Siamese to improve the robustness of the genetic pool.
It's possible that the current breeders, by selecting out animals with
the slender (more oriental) body type, are also creating cats with more
of the proteins that trigger my allergies.

I'm not trying to convince you that RB's will work for anyone who is
allergic to cats. Allergies vary from person to person, and (as I
found) from cat to cat, too. Even the hairless sphynx cats causes
reactions in many people. But if you really like cats, you might find
it worthwhile to talk to an allergist, and maybe test your reactions to
different breeds.

--
Julian Vrieslander

On Sep 4, 8:03 pm, "Michael \"Dog3\"" > wrote:
> Steve Wertz > dropped this news:9kdyv9e5uwq9
> : in rec.food.cooking
>
> > On Tue, 4 Sep 2007 08:29:06 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:
>
> >> "Steve Wertz" > wrote
>
> >>> On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 12:05:34 GMT, Steve Wertz wrote:
>
> >>>> The other two cats are my girlfriends...
>
> >>> Uh, let me rephrase that. They're my girlfriend's cats.
>
> >> That apostrophe makes all the difference.
>
> > I was having a Jerry Sauk moment. I swear that boy is
> > contagious.
>
> What *is* wrong with that boy? BTW, I was floored that you had a
> girlfriend. For some completely unknown reason I thought you were ***
> like me. <shrug>
> Oh well, my gaydar doesn't work well on Usenet What
> is your girlfriend like? Is she a foodie or do you do most of the
> cooking?

Without decent gaydar you would think that The Bonobos guys were for
sure *** if you saw one of our old (from a few years ago) pre-Sunday
practice breakfasts, one of the ones where none of the girls happened
to show up. You would have put money on it. Four hetero guys just
don't act like that, right? ;-) I come off the least *** seeming, but
only because I am more Oscar than Felix about presentation. The
positioning of the avocado slices is less artistic and deliberate.
Dude, our camping trips are so foodie-centric.

Hey, there's an art coop opening this weekend.
http://www.krishnasastre.com/
You should show up. It's free, and if you do plan to go, let me
know. My nephew is very involved, and I'll be going at least one of
the days. That goes for the rest of you St. Louisans as well.
>
> Michael
>
--Bryan

Julian Vrieslander wrote:
> In article >, "Ophelia" >
> wrote:
>
>
>>Just beautiful I can't have cats I am allergic to their dander
>
>
> Hi Ophelia,
>
> I'm allergic to cats, too. Although my reactions are usually limited to
> sneezes and wheezes, not the life-threatening, turning-blue, trips to
> the emergency room stuff.
>
> Cindy is a long-time cat lover, and I like critters of all kinds, so we
> made an effort to find a workable solution. We discovered, after
> visiting the homes of several breeders, that some types are more or less
> likely to trigger my allergies. Oriental breeds seem to be the worst
> for me: Siamese, Tonkinese, Birmans. I've read reports that this is
> true for other people, too.
>
> I seem to do OK with Russian Blues, perhaps because they have an unusual
> type of fur (short, very dense). Our first two RB's, Jasper (recently
> departed) and Phoebe (14 and still going strong) could jump and crawl
> all over me, without causing a sniffle. I'm having a bit more trouble
> with Luka - I was getting some asthmatic reactions when he arrived. But
> there may have been some compounding effects from high levels of grass
> pollen in the air. The reactions seem to be abating, so maybe my immune
> system is learning and adapting.
>
> Phoebe and Jasper came from a European line of Russian Blues. Luka is
> from an American line that was bred for a smaller, more slender body
> shape. These differences are purely fashione/style issues, dictated by
> the prevailing breed standards in various parts of the world and the
> tastes of the judges at cat shows. Back around WW2, RB's were
> outcrossed to Siamese to improve the robustness of the genetic pool.
> It's possible that the current breeders, by selecting out animals with
> the slender (more oriental) body type, are also creating cats with more
> of the proteins that trigger my allergies.
>
> I'm not trying to convince you that RB's will work for anyone who is
> allergic to cats. Allergies vary from person to person, and (as I
> found) from cat to cat, too. Even the hairless sphynx cats causes
> reactions in many people. But if you really like cats, you might find
> it worthwhile to talk to an allergist, and maybe test your reactions to
> different breeds.

Another thing you can do is to bathe the cat frequently.
I know people with cat dander allergies who live with cats
and find that frequent bathing (of cat) works to keep down
the dander and make them live-withable.

Kate


--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

Kate Connally wrote:

>> Hi Ophelia,
>>
>> I'm allergic to cats, too. Although my reactions are usually
>> limited to sneezes and wheezes, not the life-threatening,
>> turning-blue, trips to the emergency room stuff.

Hi Kate,

I have chronic asthma and the dander stops me breathing
I daren't take the risk and it is a shame because cats always come to me and
look for their wee heads to be scratched)

<snip>


I'm having a
>> bit more trouble with Luka - I was getting some asthmatic reactions
>> when he arrived. But there may have been some compounding effects
>> from high levels of grass pollen in the air. The reactions seem to
>> be abating, so maybe my immune system is learning and adapting.

I do hope so)

>> I'm not trying to convince you that RB's will work for anyone who is
>> allergic to cats.

<snip>

I am afraid to try any more I doubt if my allergy will change at my age
now.

Many thanks for the explanation Kate, it was most interesting)

O

"Ophelia" > wrote in message
...
> Kate Connally wrote:
>
>>> Hi Ophelia,
>>>
>>> I'm allergic to cats, too. Although my reactions are usually
>>> limited to sneezes and wheezes, not the life-threatening,
>>> turning-blue, trips to the emergency room stuff.
>
> Hi Kate,
>
> I have chronic asthma and the dander stops me breathing
> I daren't take the risk and it is a shame because cats always come to me
> and
> look for their wee heads to be scratched)
>

Hmmm, when I was growing-up I was extremely allergic to cats. They'd
scratch me and I'd swell-up. Under the best of circumstances I'd look like
I'd be suffering a perptual bout of hay-fever. Then during the winter of
1988, when I was in college, I was 'forced' to adopt an utterly woe-begon
Seal-point Burmese who had been living in my stairwell. I could ignore her
until there was a foot of snow on the ground and the temperature was below
zero.

So I let her in to my apartment. And I suffered about three weeks of agony.
But it was grim outside for a stray cat, so I suffered through it. I bathed
her and I groomed her and gradually the sympthoms faded. Until the cat
could sleep on the pillow next to my head without incident.

Fast forward nineteen years. I've been adopted by my second stray cat - a
once three-pound, now five-pound shorthair who had been living under my deck
after she'd been abandoned by her previous owners. And for the last two
months the little cat has been my 'shadow' - I work at home so she has not
left my side for more than six or seven hours. Her attitude seems to be
that I'm goddamned lucky she found me when she did and how did I ever manage
to get along without her?

<grin>

And I haven't had a single allergic incident in all that time. So it is
possible to 'overcome' allergies. I did.

MJB

MJB wrote:
> And I haven't had a single allergic incident in all that time. So it
> is possible to 'overcome' allergies. I did.

Lovely story) Thank you for sharing))

MJB wrote:
> "Ophelia" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Kate Connally wrote:
>>
>>>> Hi Ophelia,
>>>>
>>>> I'm allergic to cats, too. Although my reactions are usually
>>>> limited to sneezes and wheezes, not the life-threatening,
>>>> turning-blue, trips to the emergency room stuff.
>> Hi Kate,
>>
>> I have chronic asthma and the dander stops me breathing
>> I daren't take the risk and it is a shame because cats always come to me
>> and
>> look for their wee heads to be scratched)
>>
>
> Hmmm, when I was growing-up I was extremely allergic to cats. They'd
> scratch me and I'd swell-up. Under the best of circumstances I'd look like
> I'd be suffering a perptual bout of hay-fever. Then during the winter of
> 1988, when I was in college, I was 'forced' to adopt an utterly woe-begon
> Seal-point Burmese who had been living in my stairwell. I could ignore her
> until there was a foot of snow on the ground and the temperature was below
> zero.
>
> So I let her in to my apartment. And I suffered about three weeks of agony.
> But it was grim outside for a stray cat, so I suffered through it. I bathed
> her and I groomed her and gradually the sympthoms faded. Until the cat
> could sleep on the pillow next to my head without incident.
>
> Fast forward nineteen years. I've been adopted by my second stray cat - a
> once three-pound, now five-pound shorthair who had been living under my deck
> after she'd been abandoned by her previous owners. And for the last two
> months the little cat has been my 'shadow' - I work at home so she has not
> left my side for more than six or seven hours. Her attitude seems to be
> that I'm goddamned lucky she found me when she did and how did I ever manage
> to get along without her?
>
> <grin>
>
> And I haven't had a single allergic incident in all that time. So it is
> possible to 'overcome' allergies. I did.
>
> MJB
>
>
What a wonderful story! I'm fortunate not to have allergies; I can't
imagine life without a cat or two

In article

t>,
Cindy Fuller > wrote:

> OB Food: The Early Girl (HA!) and cherry tomato plants are finally
> producing ripe fruit. It's only taken 3 months since I bought the
> plants. So much for my vegetable crops this year. I think I'll stick
> with herbs.
>
> Cindy

Just start earlier in the year. <G>

And don't let the kitten near the plants...
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article >,
Kate Connally > wrote:

> Another thing you can do is to bathe the cat frequently.
> I know people with cat dander allergies who live with cats
> and find that frequent bathing (of cat) works to keep down
> the dander and make them live-withable.
>
> Kate

Ditto.

I had a friend allergic to cats that simply bathed her cat weekly.
She started it with him as a Kitten so he handled it ok.

There are also supposed to be dander sprays to help. Google.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article >,
Omelet > wrote:

> In article
>
> t>,
> Cindy Fuller > wrote:
>
> > OB Food: The Early Girl (HA!) and cherry tomato plants are finally
> > producing ripe fruit. It's only taken 3 months since I bought the
> > plants. So much for my vegetable crops this year. I think I'll stick
> > with herbs.
> >
> > Cindy
>
> Just start earlier in the year. <G>
>
> And don't let the kitten near the plants...

Our bums are strictly indoor cats. The tomatoes are strictly outdoor
plants. Luka is running roughshod (roughpawed?) over the African
violets, however.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

In article

t>,
Cindy Fuller > wrote:

> In article >,
> Omelet > wrote:
>
> > In article
> >
> > t>,
> > Cindy Fuller > wrote:
> >
> > > OB Food: The Early Girl (HA!) and cherry tomato plants are finally
> > > producing ripe fruit. It's only taken 3 months since I bought the
> > > plants. So much for my vegetable crops this year. I think I'll stick
> > > with herbs.
> > >
> > > Cindy
> >
> > Just start earlier in the year. <G>
> >
> > And don't let the kitten near the plants...
>
> Our bums are strictly indoor cats.

Same here. (Rott's next door, busy road out front!)

> The tomatoes are strictly outdoor
> plants. Luka is running roughshod (roughpawed?) over the African
> violets, however.
>
> Cindy

;-) I gave up on having houseplants long ago...
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson