Houdini-- who everyone thought was a HE....
 

Is a SHE...

Verified today. The owner had problems with sexing him/her,
the Vet had problems when he/she was small...

And now today, taking him/her in for her/his 3rd CORE vaccine booster... there were NO testicles...no other external signs of being a male!

So she is getting spayed next Wednesday!

We are in a confusion whether to keep the name.
He/she came to it and accepted it first day at our home.
Houdini was a feral outside cat only... so getting this kitten used to a home was a challenge.

But over time, he/she has been very nice and learned homelife quickly and easily! I really don't want to change the name at this time.

Two options present themselves:
A friend suggested:
Houdinita -- meaning cute Houdini ( a Spanish derivative)

Hubby suggested Houdinia (sounds like a flower...LOL) more of a classical Latin name.

I've been calling him/her Houdeen...lately...so this might work.

I want a name somewhat different from Oreo and Weezie.

In a way I am relieved. I thought to pick a female from this litter, and only accepted this kitten because of its exceptional personality. The Vet and tech there both said he/she was wonderful to get the blood work and handle. And I agree, Houdini is a special sweet thing! :rolleyes: :confused:

Any thoughts?

You'll want something real close to Houdini since she already knows that sound.

Maybe Houdi (Hooty)! My oldest son has a black and white female cat named Martini. :)

Hooty is cute! That might work.

Thanks! Kitty.

Oreo, Hooty and Weezie...has a flow to it

Houdini is a hoot sometimes...so that seems appropriate.
I'll start using it here and there. I did notice that secondary sexual characteristics are missing. Her/his head is small still,
and he/she is thin and dainty looking. Also temperament is gentle and not typically male.

This is rather embarrassing...I've always known the gender of my cats without a problem. I wonder if this indicates some genetic flaw or something. I suppose this will show up when the spay is done.
The external equipment is much smaller and less female than Weezie or Oreo are. ?????? Or our other females. We've had 90% female cats.

The vet couldn't contain his humor. He asked me if I had a transgender change done on Houdini! LOL I feel like a real dummy.:rolleyes:

keep her name
 

I think I would keep her name the same, after all houdini was a trickster, and a magician. She fooled every one, so her name fits! Your he being a she is maybe why she should keep the name! have fun with her, pets are such a treat. ginnie

I'm chuckling, because we RARELY call our cats by their real names anyway. We refer to them by their names, as in "Where's Cindy?" But either we stupidize their names (we called Ivy "Ivy McBivey", we call Cindy "Sidney", we call Peach "Peacherooni" or "Squeaky") or my husband calls them whatever comes to his mind. Nothing bad, but he'll call them Charlie Brown, or some nonsense thing like, "Hey, what do you think you're doing, you Hindu carpetbagger?" (true story)

LOL!! :D I can't believe there's someone else who makes up other names out of the original name!! I do it all the time. Poor Tigger....it's a wonder he even knows his real name. I call him Tiggerooni.....or just Roonie......or Roonie Doodle......or DoodleBug.....or spoonie-roonie......well, you get the picture! :o:o

I call Gracie GracieLu or just Lulu. Panda is Panda Bear.

:o:o:o:o

LOL I have to laugh. I call Weezie, DaWeez, Weeziedeezie, and the Weezo. (she makes a sound...like weeeeeoooooo when she is excited and playing or if you ask her if she is hungry etc).
Hubby calls her The Weasel because when she was young she was long and thin like a Weasel.

Oreo is just Oreo....but sometimes we call her oooooouu..oou...because of the sound she makes when she wants to go outside.

Houdini has been, Hoodeen, and Houdiniweenie so far.
I call Weezie also baby, and Houdini baby. I guess I won't be so guilty about Houdiniweenie now. I think it is the WHO sound she likes. But I've noticed that when I call Weezie! Weezie! Weezie! in short eager tones to get Weezie to come, Houdini ALWAYS comes. :rolleyes: I used to call Tippy--- Tippppeeeeeee! with a rise in tone, and Oreo always came to that call!

Tippy was alternately called TippyToes, and Tips.
And hubby used to call Sheba, Pork Chop and the Big Bag of Protoplasm. :rolleyes::rolleyes: I always thought this was unfair. I had called her at times, Sheebs, and Sheebeeweebee.

I guess tone of voice and emotion is what they all sort of respond to. I use a special tone with the cats, sort of like baby talk...simple, higher pitched. That way they know we are talking to THEM and not doing human stuff. Houdini is really a love bug, and loves attention and petting. Weez is less petting oriented, and fussy about her "fur" getting mussed up. But lately I've noticed she lets us pet her more. We had a cat decades ago that died of cancer of thyroid. She was loving like Houdini is too. Our son just adored her when he was a baby, and she was so patient with him. It is so nice having Houdini like that again!

Cindy (actually Cinnamon Cindy) is a Himalayan, and she has one of those faces that looks grumpy all the time, even when she's not. She'll be purring away while I pet and massage her, all the while talking baby-talk voice: 'You're the bad kitty, yes you are, you're the bad, bad kitty.." and my husband sits there saying "No she's not, no she's not!"

She doesn't care what I say as long as I'm touching her and talking baby-talk.

And he should talk! He calls them Mutthead, Blockhead, Furball, etc. When he roughs up their hair, he calls them Phyllis Diller. Obviously he hasn't seen HER in a while.

LOL Sounds like your hubby is similar to mine! My hubby has a very "droll" sense of humor. And I am glad you mentioned...
FurBall... That one he has used too, mostly for Oreo! I just can't remember them all. Pork Chop was his favorite name for Sheba.

He has taken to calling Weezie, The Otter, because of her shape.
She is very "substantial" in the back 1/2 of her body...and thin in the head and chest. Like a bowling ball with a head!
Otters are just large weasels after all...both belong to the Mustilid family! :rolleyes:

This thread is cracking me up! :D:D:D I don't feel so "cat ladyish" now. :o I talk to my cats all the time and they talk back to me. Especially if I ask them "are you hungry?". They all know what that means and they always answer me.

I'd think there was something wrong with somebody who didn't talk to cats

this is hilarious :D
I agree that it's important to stick to a very similar name to avoid confusion...I like Houdi or or Houdishe;)

Talking to cats (and them talking back their way :) is one of my greatest joys!

Reminds me of a funny story. I was at a friend's house a few years ago, and her cat was sitting on one end of the sofa grooming herself, and my friend's mother was sitting on the other end of the sofa. Her mom looked at the cat and said, "My, you're getting scraggly-looking!"

The cat stopped grooming, looked at her, calmly walked across the sofa, and bit her on the arm.

Maybe you had to be there.

We are thinking of keeping the name.

I think it will take time to get her used to anything.
Next Wed is her operation, spay.

I am gravitating to Miss Houdini ( sort of like the movie Driving MISS DAISY ). The Vet thought she was
very very dainty for her age. And she is very well mannered and gentle. She taps her toys tentatively, and she taps us very carefully. Soft paws always. She is becoming long and thin.

Hubby jokes now about Weez being the Virgin Queen! She looks matronly already. And Houdini is so slight and dainty?
Miss Houdini? Not much playing roughhousing today with Weez...must be the vaccine slowing her down. But Houdini did play our stick game with me...so gently and tentatively. The Vet called with her blood work for the spay, we did it yesterday, and all systems are GO. ;)

I expect hubby will do his Houdinia thing (he had a bunch of Classical Latin in high school). He always does what he wants anyway. He'll call her something else I bet as she grows up.

Thanks for all the suggestions! ;)

Today should be the day for the little girl to become a woman. I pray hooty is doing fine, and you can take her home in no time.

Yep.... leaving soon. Had to fast her which is always hard for
them to understand!

Actually Houdini will become a neuter I think since her baby factory will be gone. That is how we explained it when our son was young! LOL

The vet did agree to let her home today and not keep her overnight, depending on how she reacts to the anesthetic.

I'll be leaving at 8:15 -- soon.

Thanks for the support, Dej.

She'll do wonderfully. No matter what the procedure it's always hard to have anything done "medically" to our pets. Let us know how things went! :hug:

Thanks Kitty. When I took her in this morning, the tech explained how it is done.

They give a sedative in the back leg muscle...and the cat calms down and gets sleepy. The anesthetic itself is a gas mixture with ketamine and some other ingredients. I thought she said BuCat, or something similar. They will call me today, when she can come home..depending on when the surgery actually happens.

I am getting Houdini chipped too. It is now very affordable and it will ease my mind if she "disappears" someday.

Houdini was more difficult to CATch today. But she did not cry in the car, and was not trembling. (not like hysterical Weezie).

Sigh.... I'll be glad when this is OVER!

I hated the car ride......:o......especially when I drove. I'm sure I looked ridiculous to other drivers as I tried to drive and talk to the poor kitty in the cat carrier on the seat next to me. :o

Dr. Pierre called and it is all over and Houdini is fine.

She can come home after 4pm. All the expected female equipment was present inside her. He said her uterus was just beginning to swell so she may display some "heat" behaviors for a while. (I don't see any yet here however).

He is sending some pain meds home with her (the Cat Practice did not with Weez last year).

I have to laugh Kitty, because I sing along with my car music and sometimes bounce around some... I don't think anyone around here cares! They are all on their phones or texting, in fact! ;)

I am so relieved this is over--- been eating way too much comfort food this morning too! :rolleyes: Hubby brought some scones the other day, and well, they are gone now!:o

I'm so relieved it's over and she's fine.

Both of my female cats got FAT after they were spayed. Seems to be the pattern around here.......:o:o.

Great to read that everything went well.

Just curious... when cats are desexed here they get a little tattoo inside their ears. It's like a tiny little circle of dots. Do they do that there?

They mark the ears here various ways for ferals only.
Some get a notch, others a shaved edge (humane society in our state). Houdini's first owner showed us the shaved cartilage. She didn't like it. But I've heard the notch type can look too much like a fight scar.

I've not heard of home owned cats with owners getting marked.
They do encourage chipping now...which is a small computer chip in shoulder blades for ID if the cat is lost. I think most or all rescues etc wand cats nowadays here.

It might be a policy in other states in US. Tattooing is a good idea.

Sometimes vets use a tatoo mark on the actual incision site, so when they shave their little bellies you see a mark already there. Since the kitties are now being spayed so young, they are growing up with such little scar tissue or scaring that its hard to tell sometimes.

One of Jacks problems was that the humane society neutered him at just less than 6 weeks of age! thats insane! I know they want to control the pet population, but we are creating a society of urinary troubled kitties. Poor things. Its good to have it done between 5 and 6 months of age, not weeks!

Glad Hooty is all done, and almost home. She will be wobbly and groggy.

wow... 6 weeks? That is so young! Just a baby.

The microchipping is an excellent idea. I think the database is connected to our state government these days so that if a cat (or dog) is lost outside the area where they live then they're able to be tracked.

Actually, all cats must be registered with local govt. council here in my area. It used to be just dogs. Problem is that the council sends out a tag that's supposed to be worn on a collar. My cat (really was my daughter's cat) will not wear a collar so I don't see the point in registering. (she is desexed and chipped). Microchipping is not mandatory yet, but it's getting cheaper and cheaper so most people do it.

I think the council runs a free day or a discount day (not sure) in a local park here and the qualified people set up a couple of tents and people can go down and have it done there and then. On the other hand, regarding registering, I think big brother wants to know how many cats live in the area I guess. Lots of councils here are pretty anti-cat because they can kill birds and other wildlife. I hope the day never comes when we all have to build cat enclosures in our yards to keep them contained. I do understand their point but ....

Hubby and I are bringing her home around 4pm. This vet is on a very busy difficult street to navigate during rush hour. In the mornings it is not so terrible as the traffic is going east. But in the afternoon the Westbound traffic is awful...so hubby said he'd drive us and carry her to the car for me.

I have a darkened bedroom which is a hold over from my working midnights years ago. When Weez came home she had pupils super dilated and was crazy...didn't know who hubby was, and was in general hallucinating etc.
I just kept her in there with me and she rested okay that way until night time.

We'll try Houdini that way too. I guess it depends on the drugs used. She was done at 10am, so hopefully she will be a bit over it by now.

She was much less active after her 3rd CORE shot (2 days she refused to play with Weez). That is the only vaccine I'm getting for her, other than Rabies in June. On Dr. Mercola's new Vet series of YouTubes with Dr. Becker, is the "father" of humane vaccines for pets. He said the CORE shots are important and safe these days.

Speaking of Weez, she is looking all over for Houdini and crying now. Doesn't understand where Houdini went. I took a little nap before lunch and was awakened by Weez's crying. She doesn't vocalize much unless excited by food, or some activity or toy or other thing.

Houdini is taking this event much better than Weezie did! What a difference!

She did lose almost a pound though from last week, when she was weighed and had the blood work. She is really looking skinny now! Weighing just in at a little above 5 lb.

She is not acting psychotic like Weezie was. The vet sent home
6 syringes with .1 ml buprenorphine in them for pain. But when I asked how to know to give it, I got a vague answer back. It is given buccally in the mouth, under the tongue (if possible).

Weezie did not get pain meds at all from the special cat vet!

Everything is calm here now, even no hostility from the other two cats (when typically coming home from the Vet can arouse much hissing).

I am so relieved, and also happy to have found this new Vet for Oreo. He is light years better than the cat specialty place! ;)
Taking Houdini there has been so much better and they took thoughtful care at Dr. Pierre's!

So how is Houdini this morning? I hope she (and you) had a restful night.

Thanks for asking, Kitty:

She slowed down around 8pm and hid in her tent (which is mostly a play area). So I took that as a wearing off of the pain
control. So I gave her one of her doses of pain medication.

She followed me upstairs and wanted to play the "stick" game.
This is where I have a stick under the covers and move it around and she studies it. I used to do this often when she was tiny when she got overwrought playing. It sort of hypnotizes her in the end and last night she was asleep in 5mins flat. She stayed with me for about 3 hrs, and we both fell asleep. I got up around midnight and she and Weez were looking for trouble, so I played "stick" again down here, came online and then went back to bed. She is eating a bit more today, no vomiting, no over working the incision site, and seems alert and watching things as usual. She is not having the psychotic reactions Weez had last year, and her incision is much much smaller too. Looks like better technique too. So I am now very glad I didn't cave for Oreo to have that surgery back last fall at the Cat Practice!

Dr. Pierre is sooooo much better!

Weez is happy to have her back too. Today Weez was lying on her back, feet in the air near where I was playing "stick" with
Houdini-- looking coy and cute and watching her friend play who returned to home! We also got two more stuffies from the free jar at the Vet's, filled with catnip. Weez has appropriated them already!
I kept one in Houdini's cage, and I think it helped calm her, as she does not cry in the car with a toy to keep her company. I hope this works this summer on vacation! Weez carried on almost the whole trip last July! ugh!:p

I have to say Houdini just has this wonderful personality. The tech at the Vet's also commented on it. She was easy to handle, didn't get hysterical, and took everything well. So far so good.
I'll be keeping an eye on her closely today too.

Houdini continues to improve:
 

Here she is grooming next to my monitor.

The screensaver was on, so I accidently got a nice photo with
a butterfly from upNorth last summer on it.

Her bib is shaved from last week when they took blood for the prelim surgery screening. And she is still a little underweight, from the fasting and stress.

She seems more calm (if that is possible), since the operation.
Normally she will not sit in this spot. Oreo and Weez dominate this location.
The second photo has a different screen saver photo on it.
Hubby was getting her attention to help me get some photos ;) .

She's such a beautiful cat! Love the white whiskers against the black fur. Panda has long white whiskers too. I'm glad she's doing well. Don't worry....she'll plump up before you know it!

Thanks Kitty.. you know sometimes I look at the photos of Houdini and she has this "devilish" quality. In life she does tend to watch you alot. She is a big watcher in fact.

She really is not as severe as she looks. I sometimes hear my disturbed mother's voice in the back of my mind, saying fearful things about Houdini. If my mother were here she'd be spooked and complaining about "that evil cat". My mother was very ill most of her life and hated cats...thought when they looked at you they were "up to some thing like attacking you etc".

But Houdini in person is so lovely. Dr. Pierre calls her "dainty".
Yesterday she came and lay down next to me in bed for a brief time during the day, and put her little head in my hand. She is also very soft with her paws, on us, and while playing. I've never seen a cat like this with her feet. Houdini is SO POLITE. So sometimes the photos--like these make her look "harder" than she really is.

Love the avatar of Weezie! :)

I don't think Houdini looks severe at all. In fact, I was just thinking how "dainty" she looked in that second photo with her front foot positioned just so.....looked like she was posing!

I agree...Houdini is adorable :) and Weezie is soooo like my first ever cat, Nelson ...always playful mischief in those eyes ;)

Weezie is sooooo different from Houdini! LOL She is certainly unique too! She missed Houdini terribly and it was only until 4pm same day! Today she was trilling for Houdini, to come and play some. Yesterday she was so proud to fit into her old spot on the CPU...She just loves it there and since she lost a bit of her "substantial-ness" on the new food, is more spritely too. Houdini is spooked by the vibrations and sounds it makes and does not linger in that spot, unlike Weez who will nap in there for hours.
Weez has returned to her fetching play daily. She loves black twist-ems and brings them to me, and will retrieve 20+ times some days. I think she thinks they are like the cords around the computer...which she was always into when a kitten. She will sometimes bring me a twist em to play and dump it right on a nest of cords next to me where the big battery/APC surge protector is. I'll ask if she "is ready?" and she gets into a certain position and squeals an answer. Houdini watches avidly and does not understand the fetch too well. But she will bring me a toy to start the game, but does not retrieve more than once or twice. I have some business cardboards along the wall leading to the room here (which is an add on "office")..and when Weez was a kitten she shredded the plastic holding them--that was a big game/toy. I used these for when I gave speeches, to groups, etc as support for teaching aids. Well over time Weez created tunnels between them, to run thru and when Houdini came she became more attached to these 3 white cardboards. They now play hide/seek, and run thru between them..every day sometimes knocking them down and jumping over etc. I don't have the heart to move them now. ;)

Oh, you don't think Houdini looks "frightening" sometimes?
I think that is why she was not picked by the first person who went to that litter for adoption. She is certainly the "handsomest" of the 4 kittens and the sweetest. And then again maybe it is my childhood haunting me ... my mother was always vocal about cats leaping at her wanting to try and tear her throat out. We left our first two when we were married with her when we went upNorth once for 2 weeks... that was a BIG mistake. ugh!
And I could never have a cat when living at home! She was of course totally irrational! :rolleyes: The Ukranian lady who watched me after school, had a fluffy tabby which I adored though.:p

I have this other photo of Weez from January this year, taken in low light, without a flash...so it is a bit orange. But it is also cute, and playful too. And her substantial behind is more substantial than it is today too! ;)

Here's a pic of Tigger trying to fit into his box. He makes himself fit even though it looks uncomfortable! :p

And here's Miss Panda.....in all her "daintyness"!! :rolleyes:

Oh, that is cute. Yes, they do love the boxes!

I still have the flimsy one that the latest cat bed came in (the crocheted one). Both Weez and Houdini love it. It is from a coffee maker and pretty small. But Weez loves the smells from that gal in Wisc from Ebay. Every box that has come from her (4 now) has some mystical attractant about it! The first one was heavy cardboard, and Weez started squealing as soon as I brought it in the house! She was only 3 months old or so then.

I assume you've seen Maru's YouTubes? He is in Japan, and has some funny box videos.