Reptile & Amphibian Forums

when I saw the new CatFancy at my vet's, I realized that the cat who's stolen my heart is a Siberian. I have one question I can't seem to find an answer to, at least, not yet. he carries his tail arched over his back, a bit like a squirrel. is that Siberian or just him? I know it isn't important, I'm just curious about his quirks. I've learned about most of them today through Google searches, but nothing about why he carries his tail over his back. it lays relaxed strait up his spine, the last two inches curled up. he only does this when he's walking, the rest of the time it's like normal tails, strait out or wrapped around feet.
oh, and he adores vitamin E. it might as well be kitty treats or catnip as far as he's concerned. he gets excited if one of us rattles the bottle, and licks up all the E from the opened capsule and looks for more. any idea why? other than a lack of something in his diet? we feed him and our other cats Friskies and 9Lives.

Hi! I can't answer your specific Siberian questions, but wanted to let you know we have a Breed Section on the boards. If you go to the bottom of the main page where all the boards are listed, they have an A to Z breed diretory and you can talk to others with Siberians (and maybe breeders).

I hope you've cleared giving him Vitamine E with your vet. You probably have, but just want to make sure... As a rule, people food and drugs are a no-no and can affect them differently that they affect us. Some are deadly (like aspirin).
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Tammy and Pookey
(Stanley 8/91 - 8/07)

Hi There,

I have no doubt that your cat is beautiful, but purebred Siberians usually come from a breeder. Your baby is just as special though!

One of my cats carries her tail over her back also and I believe this means that the cat has a double-jointed tail. The vast majority of cats, whether purebred or mixed, are unable to do this. My kitty is a female black DSH and she is just adorable.

Take care and feel free to post a picture of your special one if you have one!

Regards,
PHKitkat

thanks, it's true, he isn't a purebred...or if he is he may have come from a mill. he and two siblings were found lost and starving and brought to our neighborhood cat safehouse and I purchased him from them. he has all the traits of an SF cat, but wouldn't show because of a heavy lower jaw and a slight cross bite. he's a grey and white, saddle over face and back, white knickers. those just kill me. looks like he's got 18th century pantaloons on.
I'm technically challenged-seem to break every scanner I get, even when I don't touch it! so it will be a time before I get my photos online...would love to do so...
never occured to me that he may be double jointed. too funny.
he's such a character. I'm so glad we chose each other.
I'll call the vet soon about the vitamin E.

Hi There,

How nice of you to adopt this special rescue! I believe that rescued pets are the best and that they never forget their tough times. They are forever grateful and the most loving pets you can get.

You are right, your baby could be a purebred from a mill, but he sure does sound beautiful from your description. You might even consider showing him as a household pet in a cat show. Anything goes in that class and it's a lot of fun besides.

I know nothing about scanners but if you can ever figure it out, I would still love to see a pic

Take care,
PHKitkat

I have had to quarentine myself from rescue missions...I want to take them all home! lol...
yes, he is a beauty. the huge ruff around his neck, "Egyptian eye liner" eyes, tufted ears, fluffy tail that falls over his back like a squirrel and pantaloons...if I have any quibble he's marked grey and white, but love is blind! but he isn't alone. we've been rescuers all my life and long before I was the twinkle in my dad's eye...I just lost one rescue cat, a brindle calico, Topaz, to skin cancer, and I still miss her. I still have 3 rescue kitties, and the SF, "Andy", is with us because of one of the others! we have two "field" cats-they came out of the fields, one starved and both terrified, both with pasts we don't like to think about. we have socialised both of them, a feat that was not easy in either case. the first one, a tiny kitten when we first met, is the mirror image of Andy. they have pretty much the same dark gray marks-but each one has a gray spot on the shoulder opposite of the other one, and Buzz (He used to purr about as loud as a cat possibly can) is short haired. Buzz is a closet siamese. the only way you can be sure is the red backlight in his eyes at night. I got Andy from the rescue mission to rescue us! Buzz was so full of energy he needed a pal, so we got Andy, part for his character, part for the mirror image effect. the other field cat, Leo, is a Morris look-alike, but I'm biased, I think he's much better looking than Morris!
needless to say, I can't help setting food out for strays, and occasionally one worms their way in. right now 3 boys is all I can handle...and more than I really want, but once they've caught me, they're here for life.
Cornelia

He sounds like a beauty and my be a cousin to Smiggle! She was dumped as a kitten at the farm up the hill from us. We were thinking she may have some Norwegian forest cat in her. They are loves, and also huge treat mongers. My mother's NFC wants his treats on the kitchen table,and has them when my Dad takes his pills in the morning. He is addicted to Good Life treats.Smig eats almost any kind.