oh, heheheh.... Weezie is named for two reasons.
1) I was reading a book at the time with a character Weezy, short for Louise BTW....

2) when we got her home last January, she was the only kitten left in her litter, because she was very timid. Tippy had suddenly died, not long after Sheba (24) passed in Oct 2010... and I was so upset, and there were NO kittens anywhere....etc etc. Well, Weez never meows... when we brought her home, she went ...
Weeeeeeoooooo instead. If I asked to play she'd squeal and go wheeeeee... She still does this, but a bit less. It took a week to name her. So in effect she named herself. She only weighed one pound and a half, and was the second smallest runt in that litter.
I wanted to call her Teeny... but hubby said NOPE... "think ahead" And now a year later she is ginormously huge... She is all black and shiny with huge eyes...just like a Bombay breed. She is quite spectacular now. She is semi feral, with a outside daddy and inside kitty Mom. She is less demonstrative than Houdini, but she seems very devoted, and comes when called, etc. She is more independent now, but when little and younger was very attached to me. Now she has Houdini, and both seem happy and enjoy each other! Took him 2 weeks to make friends.

We have discovered a new dry food....My son recommended it.
Weez has lost a bit of her "fundamental back end" on it too.
It is Blue Buffalo Wilderness for cats... grain free. The formula is reflective of new research coming out which you can now find on the net from Vet schools. Cats develop intestinal inflammation from grains and carbs in general they can't digest them. This formula uses sweet potatoes instead and not in high amounts. It is 40% or so protein.

All 3 of ours, including the mysterious ill Oreo, who is outliving the cancer diagnosis, (which we now wonder if it is legitimate), eat this new kibble heartily. It is not the main food, as they get chicken, shrimp, turkey on occasion, and canned food too.

To raise a cat to be the best they can be, they have to have a kernel of tameness. I won't adopt a wild cat. I want a pet who can learn and participate in our home, play, and manage our vacation home on the island. So they have to enjoy being held, not be hissy spitty, over little things, things like that. Weez was very very timid, and no one wanted her. But timid is okay, may not get into scrapes outside or upNorth, so I don't mind timid.
She took endless attention and rewarding for doing a "good job" at anything. She does fetch but doesn't jump much. Houdini jumps runs, climbs, and fetchs a little, but is the exact opposite.
Weez does like to hunt but we have not seen her kill anything, and does not eat the prey either (unlike Oreo is known to do).

They all have very different personalities, and some of that core behavior appears inherited IMO. So don't feel like a failure with your last cat. It was probably a core thing going on there.
Cats love to be paid attention to...even if you don't realize it.
The more you put into them, the more you get back that might surprise you. I don't know why Houdini is so different from his litter mates... they all lived outside in a dog house with straw on the owners back deck. Each time I get a new cat (ours tend to live a LONG time--so it is not often), I get the feeling, it was predestined in some way. A woman preceded me at Houdini's house, and she took a cute female and disdained him. And really he was the "special one"...so it seemed we were destined too. Each situation was involved with pain, or grief, or changing one's mind, or whatever. But in the end, that cat always turned out "special".

Good Morning MrsD:

Thanks for the kitty details - I'd say you have some very lucky cats!

The trio of Weezie, Houdini & Oreo sound so well adjusted and complimentary to each other. Good thing you opted out of the 'Teeny' name - they never get smaller

So true, they all have distinct personailities, traits, habits. I've found that pure-breds invariably share a blueprint with their breed - sure there must be exceptions, but among the pures I've had multiple times, one would almost think they're cloned - I suppose with mixes, you get a little of them all

Excellent info about the low or no grain foods - I believe there is some validity to this. We've had many cats live seemingly long and healthy lives (several to about age 17) on 'regular' foods, but not a bad idea to look in new directions. We've never had a cat live to 24, that is absolutely impressive!

I still think about the feral cat I could not help But I think in reality, she was so disconnected from humans for so long, that she probably has the die set pretty strongly. I tried for almost 3 months with her, no improvement. She spent most of 'my' waking hours under my bed or furniture. Even put boxsprings on the floor etc and she always found a place to hide. I know such cats seek a high or low spot, just instinct I believe. Strange thing is, when I went to sleep, I'd hear her come 'out' into the house and she'd spent most of the night doing normal cat things. I think the fundamental trait of a true feral cat is they're fine with other cats, just not people?

I love the two I've taken on sooooo much I adopted them in early August, both are almost the same at 3 years. It's a long story, but I obtained them from a woman who bought them both from a breeder and this owner could no longer keep them because of allergies in her teenage children. I can assure you, I give them a pretty good life since I work at home they're like my own kids!

Hope all this 'cat talk doesn't run everyone away - I'll stay on subject from here forward

Take Care, JB

I love reading others' cat experiences.

There is a guy on Animal Planet that rehabilitates cats for people. There is one episode where he really fixes, a fraidy cat who is aggressive even! That one took time, but he did a good job. There is also an author who has written some books with stories on cat weirdness..Twisted Whiskers is one.
http://www.amazon.com/Twisted-Whiske.../dp/0895947102
An interesting read, and she has others now.

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/my-cat-from-hell/
I've watched a few of these. I have mixed feelings about him.

I do think that cats more than dogs have risky gestation.
Cats need taurine (dogs make their own). So if the mother is lacking enough taurine for the kittens, they die at birth, or are even resorbed as fetuses! Some can be born with neuro problems, and Weez for example was the 2nd runt...and I do see she is not as "sharp" as Houdini.And I have always thought Weez couldn't see too well. She still rarely looks out windows and is full grown. Houdini's home, while outside, had great food and a caring human to provide for the pregnant mom cat. All of her cats (and she had MANY and they were splendid with wonderful fur and were very healthy looking.) So if a kitten is born and manages to survive but is taurine deficient? Well, it just won't be 100% normal IMO. Cats do tend to let fear overwhelm them, and when that happens, we have to step in and dilute that with training. But if the nervous system is faulty and broken, training is not going to be very successful IMO.
I praise all the time, when they are doing what I want. And I give a treat, when they are extra good. (like taking medicine, coming home from Vet, traveling in the car on vacation, etc.).
I really praised Weezie all the time when Houdini came when she was quiet and just watching him. She got the message...and is careful with him still. I am very careful when I pick a kitten. I choose temperament over appearance. Oreo was very depressed when we adopted her, for about 2 weeks. And all I heard from hubby--- "You picked a DUD, this time" !
Well, she came around and turned out to be the smartest cat ever, and loves HIM particularly and watching them together is amazing...esp outside. Even people walking by comment on them! When he is outside, she is with him always!