Gutterball
Location: Barrington, Rhode Island, USA
This is Gutterball at around three weeks old. I found him in a gutter, and he was a cute little fuzzball - hence the name! Here he is exploring my favorite pair of shoes. He was so unbelievably tiny! Today he is a rambunctious two year old and follows me everywhere I go whenever I return from college. One of his favorite activities is sneaking up and jumping out at me from dark corners - he gets me every time!
Let’s bowl, Let’s bowl, let’s rock and roll!
he’s the cutest gutterball I’ve ever seen!
Hey, I love Grease 2!
This kitty is one of the cutest. Looks like he’s saying “Ewwww, stinkey shoes!”
YES! I went hunting for and found this Youtube clip about a month ago when my friends and i went to the coolest bowling alley ever. The Milky Way in Jamaica Plains, Boston.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30YB8Nk3B5o
I have never seen Grease 2, that was fun!
at least that is better than saying “I’ve never seen Road House 2″- most people don’t even know the movie exists.
T
Yes, it exists, god help us all they made a sequel…
You’re kidding…right? Please tell me you’re kidding. gggrrrrooooaaaannnn
shes so cute but she looks a little cute and funny holding on to the shoe!:)
Gutterball is so cute and i love the name:)
He’s got some pretty big shoes to fill
What a sweetie!
Let me nuzzle him before Huddy’s Mama shows up
But I think this little guy is more of a strike than gutterball.
Boy, would I love to find this in my shoe! Cute beyond belief!
What a beautiful color coat! and so shiny. *melting*
Too cute for words. *Picks him up for cuddles and kisses and quickly puts him back* before my cuddly loves to kiss Molly sees and is TERRIBLY HURT as only a cat can be
What a look on that cute kitten face!
I don’t have a link but on the local Detroit news this am they advised that Jerky Treats and Pounce chicken treats are being recalled as well! If I can find a link I will post soon!
A~
My that cats just a cute little thing is’en she or he
Amy in MI.
There is a link to some recalled DINGO Chicken jerky treats at:
http://cats.about.com/b/a/257815.htm
Here is a link also to a list of Dry catfood that doesn’t contain wheat gluten:
http://cat.about.com/b/a/257813.htm
Hopefully, this will help some of you figure out what to feed your furbabies. I know it is confusing to me. I just thought I’d share what I found with my TDK friends.
Sorry about the second adress. That was what was listed and it worked earlier. You might try just going to their original site and click on the first listing. Once there, you can scroll down thru all their topics. It was listed. The site address is
http://cats.about.com
Excuse me again. I forget that when I list a site here, that it takes me directly to it. Forgive me, it is MONDAY. lol
Once you hit the address, just scroll thru the topics. Click on the title “Dry catfoods that contain no wheat gluten” and it will give you a list of foods.
so your the one that made my baby sick
Diane in WA,
So sorry, that your baby is sick. Surely, you don’t think I had anything to do with it. I was just passing along some info that I thought might be useful to everyone. I LOVE cats.
Amy in MI,
I posted a link to some of this and a link to some safe dry catfood but it disappeared and hasn’t shown up. So keep an eye out for my reply to your post.
This kitty’s got sole
Groan…
I have a serious question and hope for some quick answers.
I am extremely allergic to cats. Exposure will induce an asthma attack. In any event, I love cats.
This weekend I found one in a pet shop that I would love to have. It occurred to me - what if I wore a surgical mask?
I am willing to take antihistemes and I am willing to wear the mask.
Would the mask work? I have a call into the allergy doctor - but he has not responded.
I am interested in any ideas or experience you TDKers have. If anyone would know - I’m sure one of you has tried it. And I can’t believe I did not think of this before
THank you very much.
have you gotten the shots? I have a friend who was very allergic, but loved cats. Then there are always cats that have “different” or no fur. Like Rex.
It helps, too, if you bathe th cat regularly.
I have a friend who was in the same boat, but adopted the cat anyway, and then had to return her to the Denver Dumb Friends League. We gave the kitty a bath, but the antihistimines did not work for her. I suggest trying out the meds with a friends cat or at the shelter (if they will let you) before you commit to an animal. You don’t want the pain of returning an animal you are alergic to.
Charles, I can certainly sympathize with you having had cat allergies myself at one time. In your case, because your allergy sounds severe, and you certainly don’t need to be risking an asthma attack, I wouldn’t take the chance that you might not react to a certain type of cat because of its hair since what triggers the reaction is actually contained in the cat’s saliva and it’s too dodgy a proposition because allergies are nothing to fool around with. However, for a lot of people the shots can be very effective, but the problem can be finding an allergist who’s willing to give them to you because, unfortunately, their attitude is often just get rid of the cat if you already have one, and certainly don’t get one, if you don’t. But don’t give up. My brother has two cats and takes the injections and they help a lot, although the only allergist in that particular practice who was willing to give them to him was the one who had five cats and was allergic himself. As far as the mask is concerned, you would probably have to wear it constantly and that doesn’t sound like a very practical solution. There’s just one more thing that I would mention and it’s that there’s been a study done that indicates that black cats are more likely to produce an allergic reaction than other colors since cats can have certain traits that are color-linked and the problematic element in cat saliva turned out to be one of them. Anyway, I wish you luck and I hope you’re able to get a cat because it sounds as if it would be really lucky to find a home with somebody like you.
Charles, best of luck to you. Be very careful. You might also think about asking a vet. They may be able to recommend an allergist that would be willing to work with you. There are several new allergy studies showing great results from exposing people to small, controlled amounts of the offending trigger. I personally know people that have been able to get over a cat allergy, but you have to be very careful. Especially if your allergy is severe. I don’t support medicating in the long term, but occasionally that does turn out to be the right answer. Allergies are just your immune system over-reacting to a stimulant. For some reason, something benign has been classified by your system as a threat and you need to find a doctor that is willing to try ad help your system find the correct balance again. Eliminating a cat doesn’t actually solve the problem of an allergy to cats. The allergy is a sign that something isn’t working correctly. It’s an unfortunate side effect of living in such a sterilized world. Our wonderfully designed immune systems don’t really know what to do. I wish I had a real answer for you Charles, but the best advice I can give is to ask a lot of professionals a lot of questions and do a lot of research. You are not alone. The answers are out there.
I suddenly developed a severe allergy to cats when I was about 21 and was unable to handle or even be around cats for years. I finally started getting allergy shots (for all my allergies - tree pollen, grass pollen, dust mites, molds, weed pollen - as well as cats!) In addition to the shots I was also taking antihistamines and using a corticosteroid nasal spray (and continue to do so now) After having the shots for about a year, I was able to hold and stroke cats to my heart’s content. HOWEVER - my allergist (who was also allergic to cats and had one himself) advised me NOT to get a cat because he feared that the constant exposure would be too much. Additionally, the allergy only affected my sinuses - I did not get asthma attacks, which are more dangerous - so the injections still might not help enough to allow you actually own a cat. I doubt that you would be able to stand wearing a surgical mask all the time - I know I can’t even bear it when I do the dusting!
I agree that you need to consult with your allergist, and then see if - once you have been on an intensive course of treatment for a while - you are able to be around cats belonging to others. If that seems OK - i.e. you are fine when you are in a house with several cats, or are able to stay in a house with a cat for several days, then you might consider trying one of your own. But you would need to be prepared to have to give the cat up, so you might want a backup plan - i.e. someone who would be willing to take the cat.
On the other hand, the good news is that, even after living in the UK for 8 years where I’ve been unable to get ANY allergy shots I have remained mostly free of cat allergy symptoms (in spite of all my pollen allergies returning - even with the antihistamines and nasal spray). We have owned a cat now for nearly 6 years and it is fantastic! Maybe you need to move to England!
To answer the question about the mask the feline allergen is small enough to go through a surgical mask so it would not help. For more information on allergies you may want to check out this site http://www.allerpet.com/info/site.htm. This is NOT an endorsement of this product. I’ve actually never heard of it before, but the information on their site appears to be accurate about allergies. With asthma there is no sure-fire way to prevent a serious attack if you own an animal you are allergic to. You do need to consider that risk. There are also other medicines available now for asthma besides the antihistamines. If you don’t feel like you are getting enough information from your allergist, you may also want to consider a pulmonologist (a lung doctor.)
If you are still considering the cat, there are allergy techniques but some of them are extreme. As others have said the allergy shots can be sucessful. If you live in a medically advanced area, they may even be able to use your cat’s allergen to make your serum. Keep the cat out of the bedroom as bedding and linens will attract the allergen. A weekly bath given by someone who is not allergic to the animal may help. Furniture with minimal cushions and stuffing will keep down allergens. Funiture should be high enough off the floor to clean under several times weekly. Wood floors (laminate, vinyl, ceramic) are better than carpet. A whole house HEPA filter system, or at least a room size HEPA Filter will help to keep the allergens down. A vaccum with a HEPA filter or a water vaccum (such as a Rainbow) helps to eliminate more of the smaller particles. Once a year have a company come out and clean out the air ducts. Wash up right after playing with kitty to keep particles away from face.
I have significant allergies and mild asthma and employed all of these (except the bed one, the cats finally won that fight. So the linens are laundered weekly instead). They helped in our household. Good Luck!
I was incredibly allergic to cats when I was growing up (similar symptoms to you). When my dog died I couldn’t stand being without a pet - it was just to quiet. I couldn’t get a dog because I worked long hours so I decided to get a cat. I spent about 45 minutes with the cat I fell in love with and didn’t get even a running nose. I’ve had her for 3 and a half years now and find that I am not allergic to her or the other little kitten I recently adopted but to every other cat on earth (I still pet even one I come across). I would suggest that you spend a little time with the cat and see how you react. You might also want to talk to you doctor about singulair (I probably have spelt it wrong). It’s a lot stronger than a regular antihistamine and does not have any of the sleepy side effects. If you have asthma and allergies your doctor will probably not have any problem with giving you a prescription. Otherwise - if you and this cat are meant to be you will be ;>
Some cat breeds are known to be good for allergy sufferers.
Cornish/Devon Rex, and Sphynx are the ones I know of.
Good Luck!
I also am allergic to cats. I take medication and use Advair to control the asthma. Talk to your Dr. I did, and I am so glad to have them in my life.
Has anyone ever heard that Ragdoll cats are good for people with allergies. I had a neighbor who got one because he was allergic to cats and the Ragdoll breed didn’t bother him. Could be he had a different type of allergy. My 2 cents worth.
friends / family allergic to cats have tried giving the cat distilled water, changing the dander that most are allergic to. Most have had success.
Linky ->
http://www.reuters.com/article/consumerproducts-SP/idUSN0136346020070402
It appears that pet food makers need to stop importing wheat gluten (any maybe other ingredients) from China. If the country they are importing from does not have the same standards as we do, then it should be illegal to use it.
It’d be nice if we’d quit doing business with China. They’re not the world’s most socially responsible country.
…and Andi is today’s queen of understatement!
It wouldn’t surprise me if it turned out that China is doing this deliberately to see how easily they could infiltrate our food supply. First pets, then humans.
BTW, the US is the world’s #1 EXPORTER of wheat. What the HELL are we doing IMPORTING wheat gluten from China anyway?
Inquiring minds want to know…
Importing is cheaper. Our domestic products cost too much.
I’d rather pay more and be sure my babies are safe. Iams isn’t exactly cheap, either. I always associated that brand name with quality–fortunately I never used it much as my babies love Friskies
Here’s to that. I’ll pay any price to know my kitties are safe. I think sometimes we need to remember to buy/use from our own country first.
Can anyone buy anything today that is not made in China? For years I wouldn’t buy made in China products, but today it is nearly impossible to follow my convictions. It does save a lot of money, because unless the product is absolutely necessary I wait until I find it made in USA, Canada, or anywhere but China.
Would you believe that I heard that the companies are also importing corn from China for these foods? CORN?? With the amount we produce HERE??? I am not normally into protectionist economic measures but I am all for a law stating only American/Canadian origin foods may be in pet food sold in the USA.
Cost of labor, dear. Labor here is pricey because of union contracts. Why do you think so many agriculture outfits hire illegal aliens under the table — it’s cheaper!
At least China isn’t bombing other countries, the way socially-responsible U.S. is…
Now, THAT makes sense to me, Mary!!!!
Bloomberg moved this around 2 p.m. central time, names the Chinese company:
U.S. FDA Stops Imports From Chinese Company in Recall (Update1)
c.2007 Bloomberg News
(Adds company products in sixth paragraph.)
By Nancy Kercheval
April 2 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration stopped imports from Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. Ltd., a Chinese manufacturer whose wheat gluten tested positive for a substance found in pet foods linked to animal deaths.
At least four pet-food manufacturers have pulled some of their products from U.S. shelves, including Menu Foods Ltd., which initiated the recall of 60 million cans of dog and cat food March 16. The official death count stands at 16 although the FDA has received more than 8,000 complaints.
The import alert was issued March 30 to detain shipments from Xuzhou Anying without physical examination, the FDA said. The company’s wheat gluten was found to contain melamine, a substance used to make plastic kitchen utensils and fertilizers.
“This firm’s products have tested positive,” said FDA spokesman Michael Herndon in an e-mail. “This is the only firm with positive samples.”
No one answered the phone at Xuzhou Anying, located in Pei County, Xuzhou, Jiangsu province. There was no option to leave a voice-mail message.
In addition to wheat gluten, Xuzhou Anying, founded in 1995, produces protein powder, zinc oxide, rice protein and carrot, garlic and ginger products, according to the company’s Web site.
PetConnection.com, a Web site that is tracking the recall, has received reports from owners of more than 2,900 pet deaths from food-related kidney failure.
Nestle SA’s Purina Pet Care Co. recalled Alpo Prime Cuts and Gravy wet dog food March 31 after it learned from the FDA that one of its 17 facilities received contaminated wheat gluten from the same company that supplied Menu Foods.
The FDA identified the originator of the wheat gluten as Xuzhou Anying, said Purina spokesman Keith Schopp. Mid-February was the only time Purina ever received any product from this company, he said.
Menu Foods produced its contaminated pet products between December and March, said company spokeswoman Sarah Tuite, who declined to name the supplier. Del Monte Co.’s pet products division used the suspected wheat gluten in the last three months, said Mary Sestric, who also declined to name the supplier. Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. spokeswoman Amy Thompson didn’t return a call.
*Swoops in from the airport, drops Gutterball in the backpack, goes home and goes to sleep*
you mean dropped her in her bowling bag?
ahhhh but alas she was already taken, too cute to pass up, and when you get home, oh my it’s just a bowling ball, for Gutterball now lives in Az. Who was the swooper? Why Wiley Coyote but Wiley is nice and wants to protect little Gutterball. Is that enough of my silleyness for one morning? She is a precious little kitty, I’m glad you saved her from the gutter she could have been washed away she is so tiny.
How are you feeling, HM? Any improvement? Hope good news.
*kisses to paulajeanne* Thanks for asking, hon.
I’m ok, still about the same. I went to WrestleMania this weekend so I must be feeling a little better, right? lol
I go back to the doctor tomorrow to talk to a specialist and set up my first round of MRIs.
Dear Huddy’s Mama,
Glad to hear you are doing ok. I’m sending good thoughts your way and hoping everything works out for you. If you get to where you can’t carry that backpack of yours, your friends here at TDK will help you carry it. We’ll all get you a rolling backpack with a handle and bring the daily kitten by for you to cuddle.
Who was at WrestleMania. One of my daughters used to watch wrestleing, I was forbidden to say anything was fake and was to refrain from refering to their outfits as “Man Panties”
Everybody was there. The usual cast of miscreants.
Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Edge, Matt and Jeff Hardy, John Cena, Bobby Lashley, Donald Trump, Umaga…………..EVERYbody. lol
My running joke here at work is when people find out I like wrestling, the first thing they tell me is “You know it’s fake don’t you?”
I respond with perfect shock:
“What???? Fake??? Liar!!” and walk away.
BTW my fave wrestler wears jeans. I don’t like the tights or “Man Panties” either.
I wonder if Steve Austin still has his three cats (Larry, Moe and Curly)—they were featured in a calendar for Purina a few years back…
From what I can gather, yes he does.
Hey Huddy’s Mama. Are you the one that went to Wrestlemania? What Happened ? Who got shaved? Have to know?
Love WWE!
Yes I’m the one who went. Undertaker retained is undefeated streak at WM. McMahon got shaved. Ken Kennedy won the MITB match. There was a diva match, but we were out getting beer and autographs at that time - lol. Cena retained by defeated HBK.
Oh! somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing and somewhere children shout;
Such a site is The Daily Kitten — tiny Gutterball has his tongue stuck out!
Opening day of Major League Baseball and March Madness finally ending, both on the same day! There IS a God!
Time for me to start tormenting Astros fans all over the city.
The Astros have fans???
Yes, the Hunter Fan Company has a contract to provide air-movers in the fan boxes!
OH, you mean THOSE fans! My bad….
The fear of bad baseball players:
Astro-phobia!!
Yes…and they are a sick lot.
What do Michael Jackson and the Houston Astros have in common?
They both wear one glove for no apparent reason!
Hahahahahaha!!
JCL
That IS funny!!!
“Y’all take care, and don’t furget to clean your paws before — and after dinner.” — The CatWrangler from Louisiana
Meow Boo
How sweet! Isn’t it amazing how the kitties find us? My son was adopted by a kitty when he stopped for a soft drink on his way home from work one night.
He’s a darling! Love his dark grey coloring and fluffy fuzzy fur.
Speaking of fur, did you see yesterday’s Mutts online?
http://muttscomics.com/art/dailyarchive.asp?month=3&date=18&year=2007
Whom among us has not been there (besides Charles)?
Just had a visual of that happening at Brandi Lee’s house
OMG… and I have balls of unattached fluff with only ONE!!!
Yes its true and then add the dogs …the german shepard lost and entire dog on the carpet LOL………..
When we had the three cats and the dog we would refer to how many times we had to empty the vacuum canister as how many puppies it had. As in “Woo, I vacuumed today and the vacuum had 5 puppies”
that’s what my house looks like right now.
Yes we also have fur tumbleweeds in our house.
I agree with you Ginny, about Mutts comic strip. My Gidget sheds some really large furballs. I swept up some the other day about the size of rats! lol
I can’t WAIT for that to happen. Scratch hates to be brushed and gets matted like crzy. i try to work them out a bit when she’s not paying attention, but after about 3 strokes of the brush she figures something is up. It can’t be comfortable.
I have a friend with a VERY puffy gray persian. Her name may be “Angel,” but she turns into a demon when it comes time to brush her. I was at my friend’s house and when Angel came out, everyone couldn’t help but howl with laughter! Angel had her head fur, and a tuft on her tail (like a poodle), but the rest of her was clean-shaven! Apparently, the mats had gotten so bad, and Angel protested about the brush so much, that she had to be anesthetized and shaved! We all (after recovering) said “poor thing,” but my friend said that Angel is happier without her fur (or, at least, without the mats)!
LOL!
thankfully I have gotten rid of the carpet in all but 2 rooms of the house so it is easy to sweep up. My furniture is vinyl, so again, easy cleanup. I keep a blanket over the couch that gets washed regularly to control the hair.
I have an area rug in living room and a sisal rug in cats bedroom and that is it. My beautiful furniture is covered in sheets which I shake out daily this time of year. Even with no carpeting I still have to vac once a day, and now until shedding slows up I do it twice daily. What a chore and the minute I finish I see another fur-bunny hopping across the floor. I only have 16 shedders and most are brushed daily, can’t even imagine what would happen with more.
I honestly think we should get together and start an industry utilizing cat fur. Gosh, we probably would make a fortune in the spring of each year.
I have seen the cat hair sweaters!
I haven’t knitted in years, but have been wanting to take it up again. Darn, I don’t know anybody with a spinning wheel.
There actually is a place that does that! http://www.vipfibers.com. Couldn’t resist putting in my 2 cents worth. Just been lurking around…
OMG That is TOOOO FUNNY!
I’m sure they are making a killing too!
Psychomama, very interesting. Someone with the expertise is doing some good recycling and earning a living too. Looks like a very well thought out organization. I have bookmarked the site to see if they work with mixed cat hairs.
I know a fiber artist in NC who has an angora bunny, a long haired cat and boards a sheep nearby to get her fibers. Awesome website, psychomama. Thanks! And welcome!
Glad to have been of help!
Looks like he was caught by surprise. “Who? Me? I wasn’t playing with your shoe, I swear!” Uber cute.
Exactly, Mayra! You couldn’t pet this little guy - you’d never want to stop?? Hug him for us…and keep him away from people with backpacks!
OMG, what an adorable little fuzzbutt, and what a look on his little face! He says “won’t you take me home and love me!”
I sure will.
So cute - that’s one Gutterball I wouldn’t mind getting!
This food recall is getting more confusing by the day. I’m starting to run low and just don’t know what to get. The eternal Girl Scout that I am, I have an emergency pack for my kitties and am going to use the crunchies from there for now. Also considering buying a chicken or making other stuff at home like some of the recepies that I’ve seen posted on this site.
The store I buy from (Trader Joe’s) is not in the recall, but STILL took all their pet food off the shelves so they could test it themselves. I really enjoy buying from such a responsible company.
Wow, that is very responsible. There is a Trader Joe’s by me so I think I’ll stop by. Thanks Jennifer.
What a darling little fuzz! Cutest gutterball I’ve ever seen, and the very first one to purr! Lucky YOU, to have such a fuzzbutt for a pal.
I just checked the Purina website, NO kitty food involved. I buy Fancy Feast for my little girl Tansey and I’m low too, need to get more today. Of course, her favorite ones have the sticky gravy that is the culprit in those other pet foods. We just keep watching her very closely.