# New member in Miami, FL!



## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

Hi my name is Anthony. Long time dog owner and first time cat owner. Just bought my first house and the family dog stayed with my parents, so I decided to adopt a kitten from the humane society. I've never raised a cat before so I've been getting most of my advice from friends, family, and this amazing website.

Her name is Bella and she is 3 months old. The first night I brought her home from the shelter it took her about 15 minutes of inspecting the surroundings and she was purring on my lap. Needless to say she owned me at that point. She follows me everywhere I go in the house and loves to watch me do things when we're not playing with wand toys lol.


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## mferranti (Jun 2, 2013)

Aww, she's a little sweetie!


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

Thanks! Here are some more pics of her...


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

I've found that it's nearly impossible to stop myself from taking a million pics of her lol :wiggle


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

VERY cute!! She is photogenic, too! Great pics. What kind of camera are you using? And it looks like you may have gotten one of those cat trees many of us bought - except yours looks fuzzier! Day 7 for me and it's being totally ignored by my 5 cats!


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## Lotu (Apr 26, 2013)

Cute calico! What is her name? Do you know her history...was she at the shelter w/ mom and siblings?


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

She is irresistible!


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## Luvmyfurbabies (Jun 25, 2012)

Picture with the foot.........ADORABLE!


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## Luvmyfurbabies (Jun 25, 2012)

Oh now I see it's mouse..............still ADORABLE!


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## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

She is adorable! Beautiful face markings. She looks so sweet and playful. Congratulations on your new friend.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

She is gorgeous! I am a Floridian too, I live in Orlando. I love Miami! 

I have to tell you, and don't be offended, but I am always in a panic when I see a kitten with a collar on. My 19 year old daughter almost lost her kitten who was 5 months old at the time to a collar accident. He came into the living room where my daughter's grandmother was and he had the collar stuck around his mouth and a paw was also stuck in it, and he was bleeding. She quickly cut the collar off with scissors. Had she not been home, who knows what would have happened to him. I know so many people that have either lost cats....and mostly kittens, to collar accidents, or near losses. I HATE collars!!! Of course, if your cat is outdoors at all, you need one, and I know they make safety collars (my daughter's was a safety collar, go figure), but I think kittens are so squirly, running around, falling off things, to risky to wear a collar. 

I'll shut up now......I will go away, I just can't keep my mouth shut sometimes. I figured with you being a first time cat owner, you probably don't realize how rascally those little kittens can be. 

She is so adorable!!!!!


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## gizmothecat (Jun 26, 2013)

*awwwww sweet...beautiful pics!*

Awwwww


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

That's a good point about the collar. I've never used one and have never liked the idea for indoor cats who are also microchipped.

What an adorable little one! That Groucho Marx moustache is so adorable, I can't stand it. Your pictures are also very professional looking. You must have a good camera!


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

howsefrau32 said:


> She is gorgeous! I am a Floridian too, I live in Orlando. I love Miami!
> 
> I have to tell you, and don't be offended, but I am always in a panic when I see a kitten with a collar on. My 19 year old daughter almost lost her kitten who was 5 months old at the time to a collar accident. He came into the living room where my daughter's grandmother was and he had the collar stuck around his mouth and a paw was also stuck in it, and he was bleeding. She quickly cut the collar off with scissors. Had she not been home, who knows what would have happened to him. I know so many people that have either lost cats....and mostly kittens, to collar accidents, or near losses. I HATE collars!!! Of course, if your cat is outdoors at all, you need one, and I know they make safety collars (my daughter's was a safety collar, go figure), but I think kittens are so squirly, running around, falling off things, to risky to wear a collar.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much for the advice! Don't worry not offended at all. Being a first time owner the main reason I joined this forum was to gain from the wealth of experience from fellow members! It's a safety collar but after reading what you said I removed it this morning. I would've been worried about her at work all day if I hadn't. :thumb


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

October said:


> That's a good point about the collar. I've never used one and have never liked the idea for indoor cats who are also microchipped.
> 
> What an adorable little one! That Groucho Marx moustache is so adorable, I can't stand it. Your pictures are also very professional looking. You must have a good camera!


Thank you! I followed howsefrau32's advice and removed the collar this morning. You're also right, since she is an indoor cat and is microchipped there really is no need. Haha i'm already learning things in my first thread.

I know right I absolutely love her little mustache! 

BTW i'm shooting with a Canon 5D w/ 50mm f/1.4 lens.


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

Marcia said:


> VERY cute!! She is photogenic, too! Great pics. What kind of camera are you using? And it looks like you may have gotten one of those cat trees many of us bought - except yours looks fuzzier! Day 7 for me and it's being totally ignored by my 5 cats!


Thanks Marcia! I'm using a Canon 5D with 50mm f/1.4 lens.

Not sure if it's the same tree but I got it off Amazon. Here is the link: Amazon.com: 69 In. Armarkat Cat Tree House Condo Furniture - A6901: Pet Supplies


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

Luvmyfurbabies said:


> Picture with the foot.........ADORABLE!





Luvmyfurbabies said:


> Oh now I see it's mouse..............still ADORABLE!


Haha she LOVES that little mouse and is always terrorizing it


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## JungliBillis (Mar 20, 2013)

Awwwww she is gorgeous! Love the face markings and colors. 3 months...I miss those times. My 10 month old brats used to be so sweet. Now they mostly ignore me unless I'm in the kitchen -_-


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

She really is so pretty. I'm glad I didn't offend you. I'm just so paranoid about those things. I think I read either in this board or another cat board of a 3 legged cat that lost a leg in a collar accident. 

So, how are you handling the obnoxious kitten stage? My youngest cat is almost a year old and still, on occasion, climbs the curtains, but other than that, he is starting to settle down. He is so big now that he's having a harder time pulling his big butt up the curtains, I think. He went running for his cat tree yesterday, which is right next to my sliding glass door, he likes to run up it and sniff the outside air as I'm letting my dog out. So he goes running up the tree at warp speed, pops his head toward the door and does a front flip OFF the tree....lucky for me, I was right there watching him and I caught him upside down mid flip. He is a nut. My other two cats are 6 and 10, they rarely move.


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

Lotu said:


> Cute calico! What is her name? Do you know her history...was she at the shelter w/ mom
> 
> and siblings?


Her name is Bella :cat

She was at the shelter with other kittens, but no mother or siblings. As for her history, in her file it says she was found and then turned in because the person was allergic. She was very playful and didn't mind being handled when I first met her at the shelter and I immediately knew she had chosen to own me lol.


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

Jetlaya67 said:


> She is adorable! Beautiful face markings. She looks so sweet and playful.
> 
> Congratulations on your new friend.


Thank you! She's definitely playful and came equipped with a non stop motor lol. But when she's worn out she'll lay on my chest, lick my nose/face and then pass out.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I'm glad she has made her way to such a loving home. I'm always amazed at the so called "allergic" crowd. I know some are truly, truly allergic. But so many who are kind of allergic, if they only give them a chance, be around them, get used to them, many people find that they build up a resistance to them and do just fine. I have a friend who was VERY allergic, she and her 3 kids took allergy shots in order to keep their two cats. After a year or so, they were able to stop taking them, and now, they don't even bother them at all. My MIL was reluctant to let my daughter, who lives with her while she is in college, bring her cat for this reason, but she is getting used to him being there now. 

Well, their loss was your gain. Bella is like her name, beautiful!


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

JungliBillis said:


> Awwwww she is gorgeous! Love the face markings and colors. 3 months...I miss those times. My 10 month old brats used to be so sweet. Now they mostly ignore me unless I'm in the kitchen -_-


I honestly hope she never changes haha. Love the fact that she is a bundle of energy, follows me everywhere and sits and stares intently at anything i'm doing. If she ever does though I have a billion photos and videos to remember this time with.


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

howsefrau32 said:


> She really is so pretty. I'm glad I didn't offend you. I'm just so paranoid about those things. I think I read either in this board or another cat board of a 3 legged cat that lost a leg in a collar accident.
> 
> So, how are you handling the obnoxious kitten stage? My youngest cat is almost a year old and still, on occasion, climbs the curtains, but other than that, he is starting to settle down. He is so big now that he's having a harder time pulling his big butt up the curtains, I think. He went running for his cat tree yesterday, which is right next to my sliding glass door, he likes to run up it and sniff the outside air as I'm letting my dog out. So he goes running up the tree at warp speed, pops his head toward the door and does a front flip OFF the tree....lucky for me, I was right there watching him and I caught him upside down mid flip. He is a nut. My other two cats are 6 and 10, they rarely move.





howsefrau32 said:


> I'm glad she has made her way to such a loving home. I'm always amazed at the so called "allergic" crowd. I know some are truly, truly allergic. But so many who are kind of allergic, if they only give them a chance, be around them, get used to them, many people find that they build up a resistance to them and do just fine. I have a friend who was VERY allergic, she and her 3 kids took allergy shots in order to keep their two cats. After a year or so, they were able to stop taking them, and now, they don't even bother them at all. My MIL was reluctant to let my daughter, who lives with her while she is in college, bring her cat for this reason, but she is getting used to him being there now.
> 
> Well, their loss was your gain. Bella is like her name, beautiful!




Awww thank you and I agree if you truly love animals allergies won't get in the way of that love! I am thankful that it did for the people that turned her in though because it led her to me 

As for her kitten stage i'll admit there was a learning curve for me the first couple weeks with her running everywhere lol. But I had prepared ahead of time for her arrival and kitten proofed my house and bought scratch posts, pads, toys, and a huge cat tree. Plus we run together through the whole house when we play with the wand toys so that burns a ton of her energy off lol.

I'm amazed at how smart she is and how fast she picks up on concepts. She clearly understands what the word "no" means. I only have to say it once in a soft but serious tone and she will stop what she is doing then I give her praise and we play with toys. She loves doing our clicker training sessions and has learned the "sit" command and to come when her name is called. 

Lol I think she is so well behaved because she loves the routine we have. We do a 1 hour play session in the morning before breakfast then I go to work. I come home mid-day to change the litter, feed her lunch, and a 15 min play session. Then after work another 1 hour play session before dinner then bedtime. 

I'll admit sometimes I wish I could go back in time and see if she had bonded with any other kittens at the shelter and take them both. But being a first time cat owner I didn't know to check for that. Sometimes I think about adopting another 3 month old so she can have a partner in crime but i'm so worried about upsetting things. She's extremely affectionate, well behaved, and we've bonded so much that I'd hate to ruin it.


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## JungliBillis (Mar 20, 2013)

_ANT_ said:


> I'll admit sometimes I wish I could go back in time and see if she had bonded with any other kittens at the shelter and take them both. But being a first time cat owner I didn't know to check for that. Sometimes I think about adopting another 3 month old so she can have a partner in crime but i'm so worried about upsetting things. She's extremely affectionate, well behaved, and we've bonded so much that I'd hate to ruin it.


If you are thinking about a playmate, 3 months is a good time to introduce a new cat. The older they get, the harder it is for them to adjust. With proper introduction, I'm pretty sure the two cats will get along fairly quickly. I took home 2 cats from a shelter that knew each other (been in same room) but wasn't bonded. Now they love each other, totally bonded. 

And yes, the dynamic would be a bit different with 2 cats vs only cat, but I personally am happy that my cats have each other. They play fight with each other and snuggle together. And though I complain about them ignoring me, Billi comes and sleeps with me every night in my bed. I'm hoping that after they are over their teenage phase, they will start coming to snuggle with me more 

But I also understand you like having the one on one relationship. So it's up to you, really. I'm just saying if you might consider another cat in the future, it's just much easier to do while younger, FYI.

Enjoy your kitten! :blackcat


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

The upside down one of her playing with her tail.......so adorable! They all are. She is very photogenic! I woudln't be able to stop taking pictures of her either.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

First, let me say, you were born to be a cat owner.....or rather, to have a cat own you, since that is pretty much what it eventually comes down to. The fact that you have already taught her NO, and she is getting it, that is a HUGE thing that will help you so much. My MIL, who is not a cat person, she is letting my daughter live with her while she is in college and allowed her to bring her cat. He was scratching a chair and jumping on her table and I kept encouraging her to teach him NO. I came to find out she was saying "Stop" or "knock it off" or just yelling at him in general and I said to her you need to just say NO, a loud, firm NO, I do it with a clap of my hands. Within days of her doing it, she got it. She was a dog person, she didn't know any better, but its amazing how quickly a cat can learn NO, and how non cat people don't really get that sometimes. I'm happy to say that he no longer scratches her chair or jumps on the table, he has learned. 

I have to agree about getting another cat. This is the perfect time. I waited 5 years before getting another cat....well, that cat sort of found us, he was a stray in my back yard (all of mine found me), but it did not go well at all, and my older cat has never accepted my other cats. Not to say that is the norm, I don't think it is, but I do wish that I had introduced another cat when Beep was younger, if I had, she might not be the way she is now. Two cats are not a whole lot harder than one. When you get to that point where you want to go away for a few days, or longer, or you end up working late, it always makes you feel better when you know they aren't alone. 

But, you have a good thing right now, enjoying your first cat, and bonding with her. My daughter has just one cat and he is so bonded with her. It is so heartwarming to see how much he loves her. She is a college girl and works a lot, so he is home with her Nana all day, but the minute he hears her car in the driveway, or her keys in the door, he runs to the door and she picks him up, and he just purrs. He sleeps laying across her back, he just loves her. There are perks to having both I guess.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I forgot to say this.....(sorry....I talk a lot  ), your kitty has such a beautiful coat! She looks so healthy!


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

JungliBillis said:


> If you are thinking about a playmate, 3 months is a good time to introduce a new cat. The older they get, the harder it is for them to adjust. With proper introduction, I'm pretty sure the two cats will get along fairly quickly. I took home 2 cats from a shelter that knew each other (been in same room) but wasn't bonded. Now they love each other, totally bonded.
> 
> And yes, the dynamic would be a bit different with 2 cats vs only cat, but I personally am happy that my cats have each other. They play fight with each other and snuggle together. And though I complain about them ignoring me, Billi comes and sleeps with me every night in my bed. I'm hoping that after they are over their teenage phase, they will start coming to snuggle with me more
> 
> ...



Thanks for the advice! 

It's definitely been on my mind more and more over the last 4-5 days. I turned one of my spare bedrooms into her personal playroom with cat tree, window perches, wall catwalks, and toys. She loves chasing the wand toy up and down the tree and across the catwalks but I can imagine how much fun it would be if she had a buddy to tussle with as well.

I'll definitely keep you updated on what I decide to do :thumb


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## JungliBillis (Mar 20, 2013)

Awesome! That's so sweet you made a playroom for her.

Here are my babies...they are best friends, as you can see. They've never fought, not even once!


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

howsefrau32 said:


> I'm glad she has made her way to such a loving home. I'm always amazed at the so called "allergic" crowd. I know some are truly, truly allergic. But so many who are kind of allergic, if they only give them a chance, be around them, get used to them, many people find that they build up a resistance to them and do just fine. I have a friend who was VERY allergic, she and her 3 kids took allergy shots in order to keep their two cats. After a year or so, they were able to stop taking them, and now, they don't even bother them at all. My MIL was reluctant to let my daughter, who lives with her while she is in college, bring her cat for this reason, but she is getting used to him being there now.
> 
> Well, their loss was your gain. Bella is like her name, beautiful!


I agree with you 100%. Though I'm definitely thankful that everything happened the way it did because it lead her to me :smile:




howsefrau32 said:


> The upside down one of her playing with her tail.......so adorable! They all are. She is very photogenic! I woudln't be able to stop taking pictures of her either.


Oh man I love that pic too! I have a few more of her rolling upside down on my bed but that one was my fav out of them.




howsefrau32 said:


> First, let me say, you were born to be a cat owner.....or rather, to have a cat own you, since that is pretty much what it eventually comes down to. The fact that you have already taught her NO, and she is getting it, that is a HUGE thing that will help you so much. My MIL, who is not a cat person, she is letting my daughter live with her while she is in college and allowed her to bring her cat. He was scratching a chair and jumping on her table and I kept encouraging her to teach him NO. I came to find out she was saying "Stop" or "knock it off" or just yelling at him in general and I said to her you need to just say NO, a loud, firm NO, I do it with a clap of my hands. Within days of her doing it, she got it. She was a dog person, she didn't know any better, but its amazing how quickly a cat can learn NO, and how non cat people don't really get that sometimes. I'm happy to say that he no longer scratches her chair or jumps on the table, he has learned.
> 
> I have to agree about getting another cat. This is the perfect time. I waited 5 years before getting another cat....well, that cat sort of found us, he was a stray in my back yard (all of mine found me), but it did not go well at all, and my older cat has never accepted my other cats. Not to say that is the norm, I don't think it is, but I do wish that I had introduced another cat when Beep was younger, if I had, she might not be the way she is now. Two cats are not a whole lot harder than one. When you get to that point where you want to go away for a few days, or longer, or you end up working late, it always makes you feel better when you know they aren't alone.
> 
> But, you have a good thing right now, enjoying your first cat, and bonding with her. My daughter has just one cat and he is so bonded with her. It is so heartwarming to see how much he loves her. She is a college girl and works a lot, so he is home with her Nana all day, but the minute he hears her car in the driveway, or her keys in the door, he runs to the door and she picks him up, and he just purrs. He sleeps laying across her back, he just loves her. There are perks to having both I guess.


See you make really great point from both sides. That's why I'm so torn about it at the moment. I'll definitely let you know when I make a decision or if I have any questions.




howsefrau32 said:


> I forgot to say this.....(sorry....I talk a lot  ), your kitty has such a beautiful coat! She looks so healthy!


Haha thanks talk as much as you like you've been a huge help! I've been feeding her a mixed diet of mostly Blue Buffalo Wilderness wet food and some Natural Balance dry food. I've also gotten her used to being groomed every morning.


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## bae (Jul 5, 2013)

so adorable


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

She's just adorable!! I smiled at the picture of her licking her lips with her paws on the "meow" book, smiled even more at the pic of her upside down in her cat gym, then laughed out loud at the one where she's doing a somersault and has caught her tail. Just great photos! She's lucky to have found such a devoted owner - an hour of playtime before work! Wow.


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

You are blessed to take such great photos of such a darling kitty. Well IF my cats listen to the word "no", they still do what they want when I am not around!


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

JungliBillis said:


> Awesome! That's so sweet you made a playroom for her.
> 
> Here are my babies...they are best friends, as you can see. They've never fought, not even once!



Oh man that is so adorable!!! That's exactly what I want for her.

I'm leaning heavily toward adopting another kitty. I am planning on taking a trip to the shelter on Saturday to see any kitties in her age range choose to own me. We'll see what happens


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

bae said:


> so adorable


:2kitties






spirite said:


> She's just adorable!! I smiled at the picture of her licking her lips with her paws on the "meow" book, smiled even more at the pic of her upside down in her cat gym, then laughed out loud at the one where she's doing a somersault and has caught her tail. Just great photos! She's lucky to have found such a devoted owner - an hour of playtime before work! Wow.


Thank you! I can't wait to have a kitten book printed when I get enough photos of her. 

We definitely have fun during our play sessions. This past weekend I built her a 7 foot carpet wrapped climbing pole that goes from the floor to the top of the living room bookcase. She is all about climbing up and down it haha. She also loves the access to new skyway real estate on top of the bookcase.

I'll post some pictures of it and her playroom later :crazy


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