On Sunday 11/7 a gorgeous stray female, almost certainly a Maine Coon, adopted me and made herself my 50th birthday present. My 1st cat, a grey tabby adopted from Angell Memorial in Boston, was my 30th birthday gift from my husband. With 3 neutered male indoor cats and a miniature schnauzer, I wasn't sure what to do about this beautiful lynx-like creature who meowed at my door for 6 hours on Sunday. All efforts to locate her owner having failed, and so I have concluded she was meant for me. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been chosen as this girl's mommie. As the breed characteristics say, she is extraordinarily affectionate, very smart, plays with her drinking water; she is brown mackerel tabby, with enormous green eyes, and dark brown tufts on her ears and feet. Her coat is soft as cashmere, and exactly as described in the breed standard. After who-knows-how-long fending for herself, she is very thin, but healthy, according to my vet. Also, by the appearance of her mammaries, she has given birth not too long ago. A few scabs on the back of her neck and on the sides are possible signs of recent mating, and so I hope she is not again pregnant. My vet checked her out and she's clean for leukemia, feline AIDS, and internal parasites, but advised waiting 5 months to vaccinate and neuter her, not knowing the status of her rabies vaccine. Is it safe for me to have her vaccinated and spayed, once she's gained a bit of weight, or do I really need to wait 5 months? We have named her Mitzi, short for Mitzvah (a g

-- Anonymous, November 11, 1999

Answers

I am sorry no one responded to your question....at least not in this area. I hope your cat is well now and that she was not pregnant, as you had wondered. I do not understand why your vet suggested waiting for 5 months to have her spayed. I can understand waiting for some vaccinations, perhaps, but if she is adult (or, indeed, anything over 4 months old!), she should be spayed as soon as possible. It would be interesting to hear how she is getting on. If you would care to e-mail me privately, I might be able to help more.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2000