Home offered to a long haired monster! (Sorted)

[Janeyk]

Glad to hear this is now sorted, we'd love to hear updates if you can pop a thread in Cats Stories 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I hope that you succeed with the poor girl and that she comes to know love and kindness which it sounds she never has before...............loads of good luck 

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

Ummm.. i have to say that taking on any breeding queen or stud on its own let alone with 5 (or more) other cats.. is a recipe for disaster.. and i will be amazed is this puss cat turns round.. The breeder in my opinion has been very irresponsible and it all sounds very dodgy to me..

But i wish you lots of luck.. and maybe i will be proved wrong

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Hi, Sarah

You need to PM Lottie (Team Svartalheim's) as she breeds Norwegian Forest Cats, which as you will know are closely related to Maine Coons and often the breeders know each other and mix in the same circles. She can certainly look up any details you'd like to know.  The circumstances you describe don't sound very 'professional' to me in terms of devotion to care and love of the breed. Sounds like a total cowboy to me in fact. 

By taking on an ex-breeding queen that has had no domestic life experience you are taking on a big committment that's going to test you. Google articles on taming feral cats for guidance - that's not to say your puss is feral or even semi-feral, only that it lacks the the same interaction and confidence that a normal domestic has. 

Good luck... 

[bunglycat]

All i can say is -just give the cat some time and thank goodness you have her now to give her a loving home .
She will be scared for a while if she hasn''t been properly socialised , but with a lot of patience i am sure she will come round .
Good luck and i am sure there will be more people on here to give advice .

I agree with getting a feliway asap too .

Whats her name ?
Looking forward to seeing pics too when its convenient.

[Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ]

Congratulations on your new addition. I hope with some love, time, patience and slow inroductions she becomes a happy member of your home

Not sure if you already have one in place because you have a multicat household but a Feliway plug in may be good to get in situ asap. It can take up to a few weeks to kick in so if you plan to get it I would suggest doing so ASAP. Its available from Pets at Home and vets but is much cheaper online. It replicate cat pheromones and makes them feel happy and safe (if you google feliwai you will get a much better explanation then me). It should help calm her down initially and hopefully help with the introductions.

Good luck...you're in the right place here with lots of help and advice on hand.

[lillylau]

Hi if you are lucky enough to get a ragdoll please dont let it outside even if you think it is safe ragdolls dont defend them selfs the way another cat would and would get really hurt lots of luck in your hunting

[Cooper & Peanut]

Poor baby....I'm so glad you've rescued her. She'll now know what it feels like to be loved and wanted!

Have you thought of a name for her??

[Yvonne]

Hello Sarah and     to Purrs

I am pleased that you have welcomed this girl into you home.  Do not worry about her being skitting that is quite natural at this stage it is very early days for her, it is only day one at the moment hopefully within a couple of weeks she will be a different cat.  With a lot of care and affection she will be like a new cat in no time at all.  Get your twelve year old to get down to her level and stroke and talk to her.

Good luck   

[princessmaizie]

You haven't done anything wrong, in fact you coming along is probably the best thing thats ever happened to this poor girl. 

I really hope she settles in with you soon, what's her name by the way?

[fleabag155]

We were told she hadn't been used for breeding for a year or so, so I guess she wouldn't be on the list. I did ask how many litters she had had and there was just a shrug - apparently they breed at least one litter each year. We were actually told this particular cat was 10, but when we got home and checked the website, there was a pedigree tree  of the cat, showing she was born in 2003, so is in fact only 7.  The other two cats available were 10 0r 11 or 12 ish!  That seemed a bit old to me.

We were given no paperwork whatsoever.

I've since checked the uk Maine Coon Cat Club site, and the cattery isn't there. I just presumed the two registration bodies I had details of were enough to verify her bonafides.  It looks like they may be based in the USA.

I knew I should have gone with my hunch, but after a 3 hour drive  and with the prospect of another 3 hours home, not to mention an excited 12 year old, I rather relied on the old 'stop seeing problems where there can't be any' reasoning. Wish I hadn't now. Still, its not the poor cats fault......

We understood this was a well known, long established, highly prestigious business.   Don't know about the cat, but I feel dirty!

[princessmaizie]

That poor girl, it sounds like she's had an awful time.  I'm glad for her she's found a loving home with you.

This woman does not sound like a registered breeder, as far as I'm aware a queen must be on the 'active' list to breed if any kittens produced are to be recognised by the breed society.  If she was given to you un-neutered I would suspect the breeder is not registered.  Were you given any paperwork with her?  If the woman didn't even know her name I think I can guess the answer!  Also every breeder I've ever heard of contracts the new owner to return the cat to them should it not be feasible for them to keep the cat, this attitude of 'it's your problem' sound's, as Bunglycat says, like back street breeding.

I'm sure someone with more experience than me will be along soon to advise!

I hope she settles in soon.

[fleabag155]

This was supposed to be one of the original importers of Maine Coons into the UK, breeding them for over 25 years. She is registered with the CFA and the TICA, and I have checked and the cattery name is on their lists, but that seems to be the limit of the information they will supply.

The cat is still hiding at the back of the transport box and  not going anywhere. I can reach in and stroke her, but get no reaction whatsoever.

IN the lady's favour, she was very kind to give us a small bag of the dry food the cat is currently eating, because it wasn't the same as we give ours, and also some litter and a block of frozen meat, so we could get things as close to normal for the poor girl as possible. She  also suggested some deodorising wipes to help remove the cattery smell - we were warned a bath would not go down well!

Sarah

[bunglycat]

Sorry to say -but that sounds like a back street breeder and definately not right at all.
Poor cat  .
Hope you get on ok , but that sounds like its going to take a lot of time to calm her down and gain her trust .
I would also take to a vet first opportunity to get her checked out .

That womans attitude is bad to say the least !

[Zenith (Liz)]

That really doesn't sound right at all.

Do you know the breeders prefix?  If so contact the body they are registered with to see if they've had problems with her before and to report her also. 

I'd try and get your girl to the vet for a checkup ASAP,  I cant say i think much of this breeder

I vaccinate my three indoor cats, I know it's expensive but maybe you could set half to be vaccinated at the beginning of the year and the other half 6 months later?  Some vets agree with vaccinations every other year but mine recommends every year

[fleabag155]

Thanks for all replies and advice everyone

Well, we have a new resident!  Totally not what I had in mind - but just what my other half has always wanted - sort of!!

My husband has always longed for a Maine Coon - not something likely to happen on our budget! However, we have found a retired queen free to good home, providing we get her neutered.

I'm not sure it was the right thing to do - at 7 she is much older than I had in mind, and she seemed incredible skittish and uptight and fearful when we saw her.  Apparently she doesn't like the entire toms even being in the same room as her, let alone in the same pen. I could hold her, but she wouldn't let my other half stroke her, although  there was no spitting or hissing,  She has been kept in a shed with  indoor pens, so is not used to a home environment.  Think we may have bitten off a bit more than we thought. If I've taken on a pig in poke ( or should that be cat in poke??)  please be honest and tell me! Also, which surprised me, there was no contract or written pledge to have her neutered, and we were firmly told that if she didn't get on with our existing chaps, it was definitely our problem "Once she goes, she goes!"

Anyone have any hints??

I was really surprised at how detatched the breeder seemed - she didn't know the age of the cat and couldn't even remember her name, or any of the other.s names. I've never been to a breeders before, is this normal - a way of dealing with the inevitability of saying goodbye to the cat at somepoint? Is it just me being sensitive - I know these cats are a business, but it seemed so impersonal, as if they were  no more special than a bag of home grown veg you might sell at the garden gate.  I know some of you are breeders - can you put me on the right foot about this, I'd really appreciate it. To be honest, it left a rather nasty taste at the back of my mouth!!

Thanks again

Sarah

[Liz]

If you get a cat from CP it will already have been vaccinated and as you have a multi household would think injections would be a very wise thing to have done

I know the cost of vaccinating a multi household as we currently have 5 forever fosters - 4 ferals and one with a few shredding issues form 2 different rescues and all are injected at our cost so the charities can spend money on the more needy ones plus 47 others mainly ferals but all injected every yeatr along with their Program Plus injections and all are wormed every 3 months = we also have 2 Border Collies aged 3 and 2 who also get everything including kennel cough should they ever have to go to doggie borstal - I have a wonderful cat sitter but she costs a lot in bribery for the cats!

Most vets recommend injections for multi households especially for those who have indoor/outdoor access

I hope you consider the onjection angle - we afford it by never leaving home

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I believe that if you OKed by one CP then the others will honour it and possibly other rescues too.

  to Purrs  too 

Wondering whether Celia xxxx hell forgotten name, ( Hammond?) would have anything for you, we also have cats needing homes in that section and if willing to travel you may find someone there.

[fleabag155]

thanks for the welcome and help everyone!!

on subject of vaccinations, we used to cover everyone, however, once we reached 7  residents, it became prohibitively expensive. All our people have always used a cat flap and roamed the neighbourhood to the degree that they wanted, and I have to say that, wither living in East London or here in Kent, it seemed to make no difference whatsoever to their  health and wellbeing whether we vaccinated the,m or not. The age range covered two month old kittens to 19 year old codgers. The one advantage we did think vaccination gave was a regular, yearly vet check up, but to be honest there's rarely a year goes by without a visit to the vet for something or other , is there?!!

Back to the cat search, we have a CPL home visit booked for tomorrow, which I hope will be a formality (although my Persian prince is currently suffering the extra intensive attention of a comb just in case!) , and then we can range more widely. We went to the Bredgar shelter today, but couldn't find anything. There seemed to be very few cats, and those there all wanted to go in pairs or were single cat household only. It was very disappointing.
Am I right in thinking an approved visit by one branch will be good enough for all CPL branches? Or will we need a visit from any branch we want to adopt from.?

Still looking for a pure Persian or Maine Coon really......

Incidentally, I'm in Sittingbourne, ME10, which seems to fall just outside the boundary for the East Kent shelters and also misses the London catchment area too.

Feels like finding the right cat  means  I'm jumping through more hoops and going through more stress than getting no1 son into secondary school!!!! 

[Cooper & Peanut]

we never vaccinated Possum cuz she only went outside to pee & poo! She died of kidney failure, so, glad we never bothered!

We've had Cooper & Peanut vac'd cuz the RSPCA did it, but we're not sure if we'll continue next year...

[Mark]

Paddy with Folkestone CP branch is 'part persian' (moggy  ) LH black cat http://www.folkestonehythe.cats.org.uk/index.asp?m=gallery&id=3

I'm not sure about the vaccination issue. My vet thinks it is important, although I wouldn't vac any cats with kidney issues again. I am thinking of skipping Alice's (she is around 14) as she never goes out - I'm not sure about Kylie as she is always seeing off other cats. If she got into a fight and caught something, I would never forgive myself.

[Cooper & Peanut]

Well, which ever furbaby gets to live with you, they will be very lucky by the sound of it!!

Welcome to Purrs Sarah! 

[Tiggy's Mum]

  to Purrs Sarah (thought it would be a bit rude to call you fleabag!)

Sounds like you have a lovely home to offer, I really liked the way you refered to the potential new resident as 'someone' - gaining crazy cat lady status by the second there! 

Hope you find the purrrfect family member soon enough, not sure whereabouts in Kent you are but here's a link to rescues in both East and West Kent

http://www.catchat.org/adoption/kentw.html

http://www.catchat.org/adoption/kente.html

[fleabag155]

Hi

We would love to home a long haired male adult cat, perhaps Persian or Ragdoll or Maine Coon. We'd like a big boy, colour doesn't matter, but someone maybe 12-18 months minimum age up to about 3 or 4.  We like to cuddle and play and we can easily be twisted around someones  paw!

We can offer  free run of the house and a cat flap leading to an enclosed garden,  ( although the fences are 6 foot  high so exploration is possible!)with the added entertainment of 4 chickens to tease. We live in Kent,  a quiet 21 house cul de sac, and all our neighbours slow right down when driving past  our house so the raod isn't really an issue!

The human occupants here  are two adults and a 12 year old boy, all of whom are nuts about animals, but especially cats.

We currently have 5 other felines - a Persian, a long haired ' moggie' and 3 DSH. They range in age from 2 years to 12 years. They have all been neutered, and all come from rescues. We have previously provided accomodation for another Persian, 2 Birmans and a range of DSH  residents, again, all have come from rescues apart from  one, who was  purchased at the pet shop because he was so clearly in need of veterinary help. (Pet shop closed by the RSPCA as a result)
I don't know if the following would be a problem, but we do not vaccinate our pets, although we never hesitate about seeing the vet if we need to.

Please let us know of any candidates who might find us acceptable home providers. We can't wait to get cuddling and brushing!

Thanks
Sarah