Between a two-day cat show, birthing kittens, and getting ready for older kittens to go home, it has been a hectic and busy April. And it is not over yet! On April 27th, my Aunt Carole will be arriving from California for a visit. On May 2nd, (my brother, Michael's birthday) John, Aunt Carole and I will be spreading the rest of Mike's ashes on our farm where the old homestead was located and placing a stone to mark his resting place.

Spring is kittening season and boy do we have a few kittens of various ages around here! Having all of these kittens around and giving them their first two vaccinations, brings me to a warning to all of our subscribers, to become a bit more educated about the vaccine your veterinarian may be using on your cat. Here, we only use Merial 3-way vaccine on our cats. It has fewer "Vaccination Site Sarcomas" than other brands of vaccines. Quite often veterinarians will not use the Merial brand as they are almost three times the price of other vaccines on the market. However, we believe "the safer, the better" and we ONLY use Merial brand vaccines. So, I ask all of you to print out the article below (once it takes you to our website) and have a discussion with your veterinarian about the brand of vaccine he/she uses, and how often they intend to vaccinate your furball.

There are five viral diseases that cats are commonly vaccinated for:

• herpes (rhinotracheitis) - the 'R' in FVRCP
• calici - the 'C' in FVRCP
• panleukopenia ("feline distemper") - the 'P' in FVRCP
• feline leukemia - FeLV
• rabies

PLEASE NOTE: We ONLY vaccinate for the three CORE (necessary) diseases: Rhinotracheitis (herpes virus), Calici Virus, and Panleukopenia.

Please do not vaccinate for FIV, FIP, Bordetella, Giardia, or Chlamydia.

Additionally, when reading this article about vaccines, please follow the link contained in this section for information on Convenia. Some veterinarians are over-using this medication and using it for issues they should not. Your cat's health could be at risk!

The other article is an exploration of how the color of a cat may affect their behavior. We have always believed that the cats with "red" fur are a bit fierier - same as a red-headed woman. lol However, there are always exceptions to the rule!

Vaccines: Stop Over-Vaccinating our Cats

By: Lisa A. Pierson, DVM

A vaccination is a preparation of microorganisms (pathogens), such as viruses or bacteria, that is administered to produce or increase immunity to a particular disease. There can be no disputing that vaccines save lives but they also have the potential to cause serious side effects which will be discussed on this web page.

Before we get started on this discussion, it is important to understand that there is no single vaccine protocol that fits every situation and every person's individual comfort level. There are many factors involved in the decision-making process but at the core of each decision is:

1. a risk/benefit analysis and
2. consideration of the duration of immunity (DOI) information that is available to us.

This web page discusses vaccine protocols that are within my comfort zone but may not be the readers'. It is also important to understand that a discussion involving FVRCP (herpes, calici, panleukopenia) and FeLV (feline leukemia) vaccination is separate from one discussing rabies vaccination. This is because rabies vaccination is legally required in many areas of the world.

Does Coat Color Predict Feline Behavior?

Holistic Veterinarian

Our companion animal's coat colors, once only the concern of breeders, have now become the focus of research for other characteristics, including behavior. You may have heard reports that white coat color has been linked to deafness in both dogs and cats. Others have suggested a connection between coat color and aggressive behavior in some dog breeds. Now there's some evidence of an association between feline behavior and coat color. But it is there really anything substantial to this claim?.

Did You Know?

Cream Puff lived for 38 years and 3 days. The Austin, Texas owner also owned the previous old-timer record holder - Granpa Rexs Allen, a Sphynx, who lived to the age of 34 years, 2 months.

Bob Walker and Frances Mooney have continually spent time and money removating their southern California house to suit the needs of their cats with 140 feet of elevated walkways that have been constructed to allow the cats to pass through walls and play over head. To view their home visit: www.thecatshouse.com/

Cats and humans have been associated for nearly 10000 years.

"Cat said, 'I am not a friend, and I am not a Servant. I am the Cat who walks by himself, and I wish to come into your Cave.' " ~ Rudyad Kipling, from the "Just-So Stories"

Litter Box

A decision will be made around May 2nd, on which kittens will be availalbe to new homes. We believe Sugar is pregnant by Diggie. Look for an announcement on our FB page, for her due date!

For more information, please visit our website . Review the pages under the Placement tab and if you would like to be considered for one of our Persian kittens, please fill out and submit the on-line Application.

Visit us on our Facebook page.