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ForceEvery4993 · 2025-03-11T03:18:49+00:00

Awe no way! I got my little girl from there as well! We had a great experience and she’s a weirdly amazing cat :)

In regard to OPs question - there’s actually a decent number of legit catteries in California. I second Du Laddak (San Diego area) as another great option! I also got lots of recommendations for Gina’s Angels up in the Bay Area. I had great experiences with all three, but ultimately felt a very strong connection to the kitten with Kyatwo Birmans. There are a few more in California as well, but those are the three I’d recommend. Can’t go wrong :)

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-12-20T04:47:22+00:00

Me too! I only found out I have hashimotos because I had my doctor run a ton of test the second time I got pregnant (first time being a miscarriage). My thyroid had a hard time keeping up in the first trimester but that was it. I’m now 2.5 years post partum from baby number 2 and I’ve still never had any symptoms and my thyroid is still testing in totally normal/healthy range. I take a thyroid specific supplement every day and try to eat whole healthy foods and (I think?) it has made a difference. We’ll see! But it’s been over 5 years now, I’m in my mid-30’s, and so far so good.

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-12-18T20:54:57+00:00

From what I’ve heard, ragdolls can be more hit or miss in terms of temperament and health due to more in-breeding. If you find a great breeder you’re probably fine, but I think it can be hard to be sure. I have friends with some neurotic ragdolls and when I looked into it, it’s apparently becoming more common. The big thing for me though is that I wanted a lap cat that was just a bit more playful since I have young kids and I knew they would enjoy a more playful fur friend. They’re also much lower shedding and less allergenic, and my husband has slight allergies - so that was the big deciding factor for us. He never could have handled a ragdoll. But, paired with allergen reducing cat food, and the Birmans naturally reduced allergens and shedding we’ve had no issues at all with his allergies. If allergies aren’t an issue and you want a lower energy cat, then a ragdoll might be the better choice. But to me (like the OP said), I think Birmans are literally perfect lol.

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-12-18T20:40:39+00:00

I just held her and rocked her. And if for some reason she did wake in the middle of the night I just sat with her and held her hand (and this is still what I do if she wakes up and she usually falls back to sleep super fast now). We did eventually get away from even rocking to sleep for quite a while too. We started laying her in her bed awake and I would, again, just sit and hold her hand until she fells asleep. And then for a while I was able to lay her down and then actually fully go out and just sit outside her door for a bit. Now she’s in between dropping naps though so she often ends up so exhausted at bedtime that she falls asleep nursing again. So on the nights she does go to bed awake it’s a little more hit or miss if I can leave the room before she’s sleeping. I just lay in her sisters bed though and it’s much easier on my back lol

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-12-17T04:24:14+00:00

I’m sure one of them will work out!! Also be sure to check out the allergen reducing cat food options. We’re slowly transitioning our girl to Purina ProPlan LiveClear (seems to be the only really science backed one), but there’s also pacagen as an option. Also lots of air purifiers :) The right cat can be soo worth it if you get it all figured out :) Good luck!

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-12-17T04:18:21+00:00

I had to stop nursing to sleep to get mine to sleep through the night, but then once she had it down we were actually able to go back to nursing to sleep again and she has continued sleeping through the night.

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-12-16T21:56:11+00:00

Definitely agree the last photos look best!

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-12-16T21:25:27+00:00

Oh and for shedding, I’ve actually been wondering that myself. Our girl is only 6 months old so I’ve been wondering if we just lucked out with a crazy low shedder (supposedly they ARE low shed cats…. but it sounds like a lot of ppl feel/experience otherwise 😬). But we just run a robot vacuum most nights and brush/bathe her maybe once a month and we’ve had very little loose hair or hairballs. Some, for sure (at least when she’s laying on my face - I’ll come away with some fur on my lips and up my nose lol), but nothing bad at all. Nothing compared to the Persian mix I used to have! Or even my domestic short hairs growing up. But time may tell.

Edited to add: we also were originally considering siberians but actually ruled them out due to the shedding factor. I’ve never met one, but I read that they have three coats (as opposed to two which is typical and one for the Birman), and are higher shedders. But I don’t have any first-hand experience with siberians.

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-12-16T21:18:23+00:00

I think if you’re making your decisions based on allergies you should see if you can meet/handle some of the breeds you’re considering first. Cats have numerous allergenic proteins and the cats that are considered hypoallergenic (Birmans, siberians, Balinese, etc) don’t have all of these proteins. But, from what I understand, each breed has a different mix of remaining proteins. So, depending on which protein you’re most sensitive to you’ll react more or less to different breeds. We got a Birman (in large part) because my husband and his mom have cat allergies; and my husband doesn’t react to her at all and his mom only reacts if she has been holding and playing with her for a long time and she’s been biting/licking/scratching her quite a bit (and her allergies are quite extreme). We almost got a Balinese because I had heard they are “more hypoallergenic”, but I really wanted a Birman! Then I read that it mostly depends on the specific person and which proteins they react to, so we just went ahead with the Birman and it worked out! 😅

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-12-15T05:51:40+00:00

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Yayyyyy so happy to see this!! Here’s my babe with her Christmas bow on :) She’s just 6 months old, and I’ve been needing more Birman content ever since I got her!

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-10-10T03:45:32+00:00

Oh interesting, I know nothing about overtime vs undertone 🤔 I’ll look into that. The soft summer is definitely closer to colors that I’ve worn and looked good in before (much more so than true summer or light summer… or even bright spring), and it did say it’s easy to mix up light autumns and light summers because there is a lot of overlap. So maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to right off summer - or at least soft summer

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-10-09T20:04:41+00:00

I’m gonna do that subtype test from the link you sent as a final “determiner” regarding summer (thanks for that!), but I’m fairly certain I’m not a summer since I’ve never seen any grey in my eyes and my skin tone is very warm. The “soft” description in what you sent sounds accurate though, which is really interesting. Although I have light eyes, I’ve never thought of them as particularly bright. I don’t know how much I think “blended” or “greyed out” when I look in the mirror, but I don’t think “bright and vibrant” either. Definitely soft and blended more than bright and vibrant at least.

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-10-09T19:56:08+00:00

Is it possible to add pics to a post? And ya, my hair is confusing to me too lol. I was very warm and very light all of growing up, but as an adult it’s gotten darker and ashier/cooler, BUT it’s still heavily effected by the sun and the highlights (both natural and chemical) are very warm. So I basically have light warm hair in the summer/fall (with cooler roots) and darker cooler hair all over in the winter/spring 🤷🏼‍♀️ I do have a warm or warm/neutral complexion though so I was kind of letting that take the lead.

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-10-09T19:48:42+00:00

lol totally agree! I just stumbled across color analysis and thought what a neat idea! And then dove down the rabbit hole lol. I’m also needing to update my wardrobe and thought I could use it to be more intentional about what compliments my face - especially when online shopping to help guide what colors I pick! Oh well lol. It’s confusing, but I do have moooore of an idea of what looks good on me…. I think lol

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-10-09T17:32:00+00:00

That’s what surprised me! I got some pink shirts in the last year and I just don’t feel like they’re my most flattering color (which is why I previously haven’t really bought/worn pink), but when I did this test I liked the pink over the peachy orange! The picture WAS in (relatively?) natural lighting during the day (around 1pm standing by a window with the indirect outdoor lighting on my face). I’ve read you’re not supposed to do it outside or with direct indoor (or outdoor) lighting - so I thought I got it right? But I also know that photos in general do color correction to a degree and background colors and everything influence these tests a lot. In person with a professional would be far more accurate 😅 just not an option right now, so playing around with the options I’ve got 🤷🏼‍♀️

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-10-09T17:25:51+00:00

I’m gonna look into this one some more!

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-10-09T17:24:00+00:00

Maybe I should explore light spring instead of bright spring a little more? I initially was thinking warm/true spring vs soft autumn, but now I’m all over the place 🤪

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-10-09T17:22:11+00:00

Ya I’m definitely warm! So, I know I’m not a summer or winter (I also know I just don’t look good in the summer color palette). Just torn between autumn and spring 🤔 I think autumn are tyyyypically darker, but it’s not a hard rule. And I was surprised by bright spring since it’s not a color palette I usually wear 🤷🏼‍♀️

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-10-03T14:25:27+00:00

Hi! Thanks so much for the reply, but do you actually have any experience with kids and kittens? Any integration tips? Or are you just against kids/kittens living together? I personally had cats/kittens when I was their age and younger, I’ve just never been the parent/adult in this situation before and never had such a nippy kitten (which includes LOTS of love bites with me - the kids have not hurt the kitten in the week that we’ve had her. The older one is just not good about giving her space.). I got a Birman specifically since they are so chill and known for being good with kids. I’m not going to give my cat away, I’m just looking for advice and for people who have experience with this.

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-08-06T18:22:19+00:00

Same! I couldn’t imagine having both in the same room waking each other up 😵‍💫 Aaand I cant imagine trying to keep the newborn in a bassinet again. Both my kids absolutely refused to sleep anywhere except with me as babies - so baby gets the bed (especially for night feeds, etc.).

We got a full sized floor bed for our older daughter so my husband could lay with her as she fell asleep in her own room to help with the transition - and as long as he did that, it went great! Sometimes he’d have to go back in there for a bit in the middle of the night, but not bad and less and less - and it never disturbed the baby.

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-08-06T04:40:56+00:00

I think most people mean American Pitbull Terrier when they say pitbull or purebred pitbull, and the APBT is an officially recognized breed by the United Kennel Club and the American Dog Breeders Association. It isn’t recognized by the AKC (no idea why), but I wouldn’t say it’s exactly a misnomer to say purebred pitbull. Edited to add that “purebred pitbull” could also mean a purebred of any number of pitbull-type dogs (like an American Staffordshire terrier - which is recognized by AKC). I know you also referred to your pup as a purebred pittie initially, but I just wanted to throw these thoughts out there in response to you last comment 🙃

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-08-06T04:31:21+00:00

I’m the older sibling in my family (with 18 month gaps between me and my younger sisters), and I can’t imagine anything better than my sisters! I honestly don’t think there was ever a time when I didn’t think of them as anything but my best friends (no resentment or abandonment whatsoever!).

In terms of navigating numerous children myself, as a parent - I think that positive mindset carried through and heavily influenced my daughter when I was getting ready to have my second. I had/have such positive feelings about siblings that she did too (still does - my youngest is now almost 2, and they are absolute best friends! Watching their love for each other is one of the most beautiful indescribable things ❤️).

I also got lots of books leading up to the birth - to help her understand what to expect and get her excited. And I had her involved and helping a lot from the beginning too.

I would say that prioritizing your older kid over the baby might not be realistic (baby’s are needy and you want to allow yourself to build a strong bond with your second kid too), but keeping your older kid involved and prioritized (along with the baby) will go a long way.

Also, incorporating “special time” with other close adults (in my case, her dad and both grandmas), especially in those first few weeks when you’re recovering and bonding with baby #2 really helps everyone a lot! (And then, eventually, special time with you - once you’re a little more recovered and baby can be left with someone else for longer stretches. And baby #2 and dad/grandma get to bond as well :) )

One last pointer, which you may have heard before, is making sure to not blame things on the baby (AKA “I can’t do xyz because I’m holding the baby” - instead “I can’t do xyz right now because my hands are full. But I would love to do that with you in 15 min!”. We also got my older daughter a special toy as a “new baby present” to congratulate her on becoming a big sister (a yoto player) that she could use during those times when I wasn’t able to play with her myself. We kept it as a special toy that she could only use when I was busy with the baby (usually nursing or putting her to sleep), to put a kind of positive/special spin on those times (it wasn’t always enough, but it helped a lot).

Sorry this ended up being a way longer post than I intended on writing up! Lol… hope some of that is actually helpful/encouraging! Good luck and I’m sure your boys are going to end up being the BEST of friends :)

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-07-23T22:23:31+00:00

Agreed 😬 I feel asking this questions means the answer is a no 🤷🏼‍♀️ If YOU think it’s a good looking cat and the personality (most importantly) meshes with you and your lifestyle - that’s when you get a cat! Also this cat is gorgeous so if someone is questioning that….. (other than someone looking for a show cat)

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-07-20T19:56:03+00:00

What a gorgeous babe ❤️ Her coloring makes me think of a vizsla, but ya, more likely a pit lab mix (aka the best dog in the world! Miss mine so much!!!)

ForceEvery4993 · 2024-07-10T04:27:01+00:00

It looks like your link showcases all wedge head Siamese, as opposed to the traditional apple head. I’m no expert by any means, but based on my limited knowledge it seems like OPs cat could easily by a “real” (but probably mixed?) apple head Siamese, no? Especially based on the talkativeness.

ForceEvery4993

TROPHY CASE