For those of you who have gotten kittens from us and did not have the chance actually to visit our home, we thought you all might like to see where your kittens are raised. Above is a picture of our home. We bought this home and the 18+/- acres in December of 2007 when my husband, John, (and I guess me also) was transferred to Columbus. We live in a very small, rural community about 45 minutes east of Columbus. The acreage affords us the privacy and solitude from the hustle and bustle of city life. Additionally, it provides us the opportunity to have all the critters that share our lives (both tamed and wild). The property has a large number of trees which are home to varied wildlife: deer, an abundance of different birds, squirrels, raccoons, groundhogs, turkey vultures, butterflies, and much more. We are blessed to have found this place.

We are introducing a new section called "Cat Peeves" this month. This came about because of a new kitten owner that I feel was REALLY taken advantage of by her new veterinarian that she went to for the very first time. I was so angry when she told me what happened that I thought that I should share this with you so that we can all be better informed and hopefully not get taken advantage of when we are new pet owners. If YOU have a "Cat Peeve", please email me at Newsletter and tell me your story and it might just be in an upcoming issue of our Newsletter.

Cat Peeves

Recently, one of my kitten buyers got her new kitten which was shipped to her. She was a first-time pet owner and had never gone to a veterinarian before - so she had no experience or knowledge about interviewing a new veterinarian to check about policies, prices, and personality fit. This is not her fault, she, like many of us, figure that "they" (the veterinarian) is the professional and that they all practice the same. She brought her new kitten in for its first check up, and her total bill was over $350!!!!

What could have cost this much? Well, the veterinarian charged for the following: fecal examination (for worms and other parasites), office visit, antibiotic medicine (Amoxi), and Terramycin (an eye ointment), an eye stain test (the name of which my veterinarian had never heard of), and another charge on the bill we could never figure out. Evidently, when examined, this kitten had some excessive tearing from its eyes that the veterinarian wanted a closer look at. He stained the eyes and found what looked like a scratch on the lens (we are not sure how this happened as it could have occurred when the kitten was shipped, or our new puppy could have accidently scratched the kitten, but the point of this story is the excessive charges for services). The veterinarian prescribed Amoxi and Terramycin ointment for the eye scratch and to come back in 5 days for a re-check.

I want to share with you what Amoxi and Terramycin ACTUALLY costs: Amoxi drops- $10 - $14; Terramycin ointment- $10 - $14 these prices are what the veterinarians actually pay for the medicine. What my new kitten buyer was charged was almost $50 for the medication, nearly $100 for the eye stain (a similar test I had to have done a few years ago and cost less than $50 - even accounting for inflation it should not have cost over $100 which is what my new kitten buyer was charged).

Additionally, the kitten had already had a fecal done, plus it had been wormed on two different occasions - there was NO need for this veterinarian to do another fecal test on this kitten - yes, the new owner brought in the kitten's health booklet which clearly reflected the dates and medications used to vaccinate and worm the kitten so the veterinarian was aware of this.

I had my veterinarian's office review the bill and was told that it is not their policy to worm an animal if it shows that it has already recently been done. They had no idea why the eye stain cost so much and had not heard of this particular type of stain testing. They also stated (and I totally agree and understand) that different veterinarians in different areas charge differently for office visits, medication, etc.

The long and short of this story is that as consumers we have to ASK questions and know that any doctor, whether it be a human doctor or a veterinarian, is NOT an expert on everything and that they all charge differently, have different office policies, and different "bedside" manner. It is always best to call a potential veterinarian's office before your first visit to ask about the following:

1. The cost of office visits (whether they offer what is called a "brief" exam or only do "exams").
2. When doing surgery - do they charge one cost for the surgery, or charge for EVERY little item that is used in the surgery (which adds up very fast) in addition to the surgery itself, plus the use of technicians or other personnel used during the surgery.
3. Whether or not it is their policy to repeat tests or do tests (like the fecal) on animals that already had these procedures done in the recent past and the cat's health record book clearly reflects that. Some veterinarians have a policy that they always do a fecal test on any new client - that is their policy, and that is okay, but you need to be aware of this before hand.
4. What type of vaccines are they going to inject your cat with (i.e., Modified Live (MLV) or Killed vaccine), what their vaccination protocol is (i.e., 2 -3 vaccinations for kittens with the last vaccination done at 16 weeks of age), and where the injection site on the cat will be. Additionally, what type of Rabies vaccine do they use (if your state requires that). From the research that I have done, it is recommended that if a cat requires a Rabies vaccination, then the yearly vaccine is recommended over the 3-year vaccine.

There is no harm in shopping around for an office that fits your budget and talk to the veterinarian(s) and support staff in an office to see how they treat you, and what they charge for things, BEFORE having to take your pet there. When a veterinarian says that they are going to do an individual test or give a particular medication - it is okay to ask why they are performing the test or why the medication is needed and what are the alternatives. It is no different than having your medical doctor explain why they are recommending a particular medication or test for you.

It is important to remember that not every veterinarian is the same, they have different treatment philosophies and personal manner - it is up to you to find a veterinarian that fits you, your pet and your needs.

It is up to us as consumers to be better informed about what we are being charged for and the medical necessity for it. My new kitten buyer has now found a new veterinarian that she is happy with and is not price gouging her.

Did You Know?

Famous cat lovers: Marie Antoinette (Angora cats), Pope Benedict XVI (Chico, a black and white domestic short hair), Charlotte Bronte and her sisters, George Burns (called his cat "Willie", reportedly because "when you tell the cat what to do, there's always a question of will he or won't he.", Lord George Byron, Raymond Chandler (black Persian, Taki), Sir Winston Churchill (marmalade cat, Jock), Jean Maurice Eugene Clement Cocteau, Charles Dickens, Alexander Dumas, Albert Einstein, T.S. Eliot, Robert Goulet, Ernest Hemingway, Robert E. Lee, John Lennon, Charles Lindbergh, Louis XV, Henri Matisse, Freddie Mercury, Sir Isaac Newton, Florence Nightingale (Persian, she owned more than 60 cats in her lifetime), Nostradamus, Francesco Petrarch, Edgar Allan Poe, Queen Victoria (Angora), Renoir, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Sir Walter Scott, Dusty Springfield, Martha Stewart, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, Andrew Lloyd Webber, H.G. Wells, Vanna White.

Some notable people that did not like cats: Napoleon Bonaparte, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Hitler.

Cat's hearing stops at 65 kHz (kilohertz); humans' hearing stops at 20 kHz.

The world record according to Guinness Book of World Record of the cat with most toes belongs to Jake who has 28 toes with 7 on each paw. Cats with more than 5 toes on each toe are called "polydactyl" cats. This is a genetic (inherited) trait - Hemingway's cats are said to be polydactyl.

" Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow. " ~ Jeff Valdez

Litter Box

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.

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