The tomcat Trouble is twice the size of his mother and almost three times the size of his sister but he's just a nice gentle fellow. Tomorrow I'm phoning Dr. Wallach to have his BBs removed. Better him than me despite my age but the bride and I made a commitment to neuter all three cats and give them a shot for a long happy life as housecats.



I never knew that a cat could have an orange nose with perfect black trim all around it but Dr. Wallach told me that a domestic short haired cat (mutt cat) could catch some genes like this one did to make him a beauty. Trouble's lips are black and his stripes are amazingly symmetrical from head to toe.



Shiloh (Sweet Babycakes) loves to lay into an unmade bed and go digging for some sleep with a fort around her. I'm thinking with Darwin here that small animals try to protect themselves with cover.



The momcat Mister Mittens is a strange creature at the age of two. She was born on the streets and got through a bad winter last year before becoming pregnant. She's OK with being a house cat but she can be standoffish. If you go to pet her she might lick your hand - and maybe she'll swat your hand with a paw while flashing claws. She won't slash you but you get a message. My son was her first human contact and he can pick her up and she just melts with love. She's spayed now and her belly hair is growing back but she looks out a window or an open door with great interest.

Trouble is a beauty...a genetic winner!

Most likely the tom cat who caught Mr Mittens was a dominant menber of his species...big...pretty...and strong enough to fight off the competition.

Trouble will be fine. I have had 4 males cats...3 altered before they were 1 yr old...6 months...and they didn't manifest any personality differences than what they had prior.

Mr Mittens and Shiloh didn't have any "personality shifts" after their operations. No different.

Wooley, many years ago in Astoria, Queens on Crescent Street (21-80 Crescent) the vets from the Marine Corps League admired a huge tomcat we called "Half Head". That huge tom had one ear, one eye half-closed, and rips and tears all over his body. Some of his face was gone. And he walked with a limp. He may have mated with a bunch of girls but the poor old bastard was torn to pieces and the price he paid to be the alpha cat was enormous.

I'm just happy I was always able to mark my territory with empty beer cans when I was young.