*** Quoting Ross Sauer from a message to Carol Shenkenberger ***
 CS> It's the *irresponsible* ones you need to be angry at, not Ivy.
RS> I call the irresponsible ones, "abandoners."
RS> Have the cat when it's cute, then abandon it. :-(
RS> Also the abusers, like those 2 &%$# kids in Iowa who broke into a cat
RS> shelter and beat to death with baseball bats more than a dozen cats.
RS> Those are the ones to REALLY be pissed at!
Totally agree.  There are some bad kids out there.  I'm not sure how it 
happened, or if it's just better publicized now, but those are the ones to be 
angry at.
Another one to be angry at:  Parents who by *toddlers* a 'cute little bunny 
(live) for Easter.  Sorry, but Charlotte is just barely old enough to safely 
lift a full grown cat.  The cats suddenly this past week, let her do it.  
Charlotte *knows* not to squeeze. (The cats are 7,8 and 9 years of age 
respectively and Charlotte is 4 so have been about all her life and she knows 
to be careful).  A 'bunny'?  Most of them DIE because they sell little baby 
'cute' ones and the toddler accidently kills them.
On Charlotte?  I would not have a kitten or a puppy for another 2 years.  
Adult animals she knows the limits of, and they know *her* limits.  Shocked 
me silly when I saw 'Face' (8YO female cat) calmly let Charlotte pick her up 
.  Then again, it shouldnt have.  'Face' has been sleeping in Charlotte's 
crib at her feet, ever since I took the rails down (about 2 months now? took 
me a bit to figure out how to get them off).
Need a grin?  Roscoe loves to sit on the dresser just above it, and tuck his 
tail down just within her reach.  (Charlotte *never* grabs tails, just pets 
the with an open hand).  Now and again, you hear this delicate 3 tiered 
'purr' form her room at night.  If you duck your head in quietly, you see 
Charlotte kneeding Face with her toes, petting Roscoe's tail, and using her 
free hand to pet Thom who is standing on the floor trying to convince 
Charlotte his neck needs a little 'scritching'.  (Thom came to us only about 
1 year ago, a rescue kitty from a family where the new baby had a really 
*virulent* allergic reaction to cats and they needed an *immediate* home for 
the 2.  Babe, the other one was delivered to a new home about 6 months ago as 
she did not adapt to the other cats I already had but was purrfect with 
Charlotte)
                                       xxcarol
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