The cats continue to negotiate issues of territoriality. Czarina is not quite as aggressive as when she first arrived. She doesn't hiss at Conway unless he comes very close to her, about two feet. With ten heated beds, six litter boxes, three cat trees, food and water dishes in three locations, scratching pads and poles all over the place, and a condo to choose from, actual conflicts are rare. Czarina has shown herself to be a purring machine, and greets me with tail held high and an attitude of adore me . In response, Conway is becoming a tad more willing to ask to be petted. This involves his forgiving me for pilling him twice daily. Last Friday, for example, I came home to find the two cats in the two heated window sill beds in the east living room window. Czarina to the far left and Conway to the far right. Both staring at the other and trying to out-stubborn the other. Both at the same height off the floor, separated by a horizontal distance of three feet. So every morning and night they move from one place to another for napping. Neither has shown much interest in playing with toys, not even Da Bird. It took them about a week to settle the question of who sleeps with me and where. Conway claims the foot of the bed (and my legs), while Czarina gets the head of the bed, where she is near my head and hands. Pet me! Oh, and somebody asked about her eyes? Czarina's eye are green. Her gray coat is very smooth. But I doubt if she has any purebred in her. Declaw and dump a purebred? Hard to believe. The group who rescued Czarina from death at the pound has offered to help me pay her next vet bill, which is her annual checkup. I stopped by the vet's office today to make the appointment, and she visits him next Monday, 7 July, at 9 AM. I get paid 4 July, so this should be affordable. I anticipate having some money left over after the Chapter 13 payment, the auto finance payment, utility and medical bills, and daily living expenses. Meanwhile, the First National bank of Marin, out of the generosity of their hearts, sent me a Secured Visa credit card application, with a modest set up fee of $89,an annual fee of $90, and a required initial security deposit of $200. Sure. If I really had an extra $379 on hand, I'd rather spend it on something important, like a new cat condo for my bedroom, and a cat tree for the Harem. Other then that, I seem to be doing OK. Still fighting a slowly creeping weight gain, but this is a common problem for castrates. My exercise program is now Senior Yoga on Monday morning, weight training on Tuesday evening, and Senior Aerobics on Wednesday and Friday evenings. AA is Thursday (three hours as a phone volunteer at the local Central Office), Saturday, Sunday and Monday evening. I am beginning to really appreciate and enjoy The Eunuch Calm . All E-mail to this screen name is blocked to thwart spammers Reply to harryandruschak AT aol DOT com Honorary Menobabe with golden toenails Honorary Frothing Menopausal Bitch Abject, humble Cat Harem eunuch slave

Hard to believe. Believe it or not, it happens.  There are rescue groups dedicated to purebred cats, & they can sometimes be found at other shelters, too. Czarina (definitely a cool name, & one a regal cat would be proud of!) - gray fur (any silvery tipping/sheen??) w/ green eyes - maybe some Korat or Russian Blue in her... or of course, maybe not.   My cat Demelza - not a purebred by any means, but a cute LH calico - had been spayed & front-declawed, yet was at the shelter; go figure. Good to hear that in general, re: below, things are going smoothly these days. Cathy

I am beginning to really appreciate and enjoy The Eunuch Calm . While I don't envy what you had to go through to get it, I sure envy you that calm.  I could use some right now.   Chakolate

The group who rescued Czarina from death at the pound has offered to help me pay her next vet bill, which is her annual checkup. I stopped by the vet's office today to make the appointment, and she visits him next Monday, 7 July, at 9 AM. I get paid 4 July, so this should be affordable. I anticipate having some money left over after the Chapter 13 payment, the auto finance payment, utility and medical bills, and daily living expenses. Hi Harry, You might not remember me, as I posted for only a short while earlier this year and I don't believe we had any direct interchanges.  But... I'm really interested in this Ch13 thing.  Afraid we might have to go that route as well. I'll be researching it here where I live (in KY), but would like an overview from someone who's been there, if you wouldn't mind. E-mail me, if you have the time & inclination? Thanks, Julie (averaging $30/wk petfood bill but hey! you can't take it with you)          http://www.bobsloansampler.com/ Bearskin to Holly Fork:  Stories from Appalachia     by Bob Sloan          ISBN: 1-893239-21-7

Subject: Re: Negotiating cats From: Julie Sloan This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Date: 7/1/03 10:41 PM Pacific Daylight Time Message-id: < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it You might not remember me, as I posted for only a short while earlier this year and I don't believe we had any direct interchanges.  But... I'm really interested in this Ch13 thing.  Afraid we might have to go that route as well. I'll be researching it here where I live (in KY), but would like an overview from someone who's been there, if you wouldn't mind. E-mail me, if you have the time & inclination? Sure. But really, you will need a good lawyer for either Chapter 7 (liquidation) or Chapter 13 (reorganization). For Chapter 13 you will need a lot of documentation of past expenses to justify them in a budget. So start tracking down every piece of paperwork you will need. Begin with the last three years of tax returns. All E-mail to this screen name is blocked to thwart spammers Reply to harryandruschak AT aol DOT com Honorary Menobabe with golden toenails Honorary Frothing Menopausal Bitch Abject, humble Cat Harem eunuch slave