old lady needing a retirement home (Sorted)

[heather sullivan]

Wow keeping over 100 cats - must cost a small fortune in food, litter, worming & defleaing (and air freshner)

[Janeyk]

Blimey, I hope it's a big house 

Well I'll move this to sorted now then thanks.

[rosivandam]

Catastrophe Cat rescue, is run b,y an amazing woman, she has over 100 cats, but they all live in her own home and even though she aims to find them forever homes most of them stay with her and she is happy to have them all.

So even though technically she is in a rescue, I think it is her forever home due to her having a wood fire, sofas and windowsills to sleep on, which a standard rescue would be a pen. She is in a home x

[Janeyk]

Is she in a rescue then or has she found a permanent home?

[rosivandam]

Flump was kindly taken on Catastrophe cat rescue, as she was not happy and unable to settle even after the kitten, Heidi was rehomed.

I miss her dreadfully but apparently she is ruling the sofa and is being pampered as she should be but the girls there.

I am very grateful to you all for your help, but Flump just was not impressed with me and obviously couldn't forgive me, but she is happy now and that is what matters.

Rosi x

[Janeyk]

Any news please?

[Janeyk]

Flump is a bed cat, however after destroying my matress and getting a new one delivered today i cant put her back in her favourite area, and dont want to lock her in the airing cupboard as thats her second favourite. i will ask my husband if we can clear a cupboard (they are huge) and put a stair gate on it, she too lazy to jump.

if she behaves in there then i shall see about supervised time with baby. but if she starts growling again then im afraid it will not work out. i do not want my son growing up afraid of animals, and her to become hated for something she cant control but the guilt of having her outside is killing me, even though hot water bottle is changed every 6 hours and am going to put a heater in there if it gets colder.

but addressing the comments about no attention on her, and not being loved anymore is wrong, because if anything she had more fuss made of her when the kitten arrived and with the baby she was fine and had same level of love as pre-baby. the kitten was in the kitchen all along, apart from once when she managed to sneak out into the front room without me knowing. but the kitten wasnt fussed over, only when flump was upstairs.

i will persevere, fingers crossed, but i hope i dont have any repeat proformances of the last few days

I really hope that you do manage to sort things out Rosi, there's also lots of info here on the CC page (I've posted on there too):

http://www.catchat.org/links/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=28&MMN_position=35:35

but if not you have the info re contacting rescues I gave you, best of luck!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Growling is natural and its cos she is scared of the unknown and you need to gentley remove her from what she is growling at, have you got an old pillow cos these act as good barriers when removing a cat, I use one with Lupin, at first he went manic at me with the pillow but now he knows it doesnt hurt him and has learnt to move slowly infront of the pillow and away from the door I am trying to stop him getting through.

Your baby wont be scared of her growling cos will not understand but you need to keep Flump away from the baby at present until she has settled in the rest of the house.

It does sound that the kitten was the thing that upset Flup and as JS said this is misdirected agression.

When I said about Flump not feeling loved, that was from her view not yours and just the bringing in of the kitten for example which she will be able to smell on you will be enough for her to feel unloved.

You really must be patient and not expect things to change overnight.

[rosivandam]

Flump is a bed cat, however after destroying my matress and getting a new one delivered today i cant put her back in her favourite area, and dont want to lock her in the airing cupboard as thats her second favourite. i will ask my husband if we can clear a cupboard (they are huge) and put a stair gate on it, she too lazy to jump.

if she behaves in there then i shall see about supervised time with baby. but if she starts growling again then im afraid it will not work out. i do not want my son growing up afraid of animals, and her to become hated for something she cant control but the guilt of having her outside is killing me, even though hot water bottle is changed every 6 hours and am going to put a heater in there if it gets colder.

but addressing the comments about no attention on her, and not being loved anymore is wrong, because if anything she had more fuss made of her when the kitten arrived and with the baby she was fine and had same level of love as pre-baby. the kitten was in the kitchen all along, apart from once when she managed to sneak out into the front room without me knowing. but the kitten wasnt fussed over, only when flump was upstairs.

i will persevere, fingers crossed, but i hope i dont have any repeat proformances of the last few days

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I agree with the last two posters and it needs to remembered that things take time to change back to a normal pattern, not days but months.

From the cats point of view, she has been made to share her house with a baby, then a kitten and put outside, she doesnt understand why you are punishing her so badly and dont love her any more.

She previously felt loved, had a safe home and then suddenly BAMM it all changed.

She needs to feel loved and wanted again, feel safe and secure and that the baby is no threat to her.

Feliway takens a couple of weeks to work and needs to be on all the time.

I would recommend that Flump is allowed her own suite of rooms and as someone said to exchange the babys scent from blankets  etc to where Flump is so she can get used to it. She should be allowed supervised only time in a room where the baby is safe, she will start to accept the baby if given enough time.

If you really care about Flump, you need to give this a few months to settle and also give her lots of love so she doesnt feel excluded.

[JackSpratt]

I agree that if Roxy is the type of cat who demands her own way and her "nose is put out of joint" then this is likely to be a passing thing and she'll mellow out again. But in the mean time is there anyway to have separate areas for the cat and child in your house? Just for a little bit of time to ensure Roxy can feel a bit calmer. Has she a favourite area?

[souffle]

It sounds to me as if this may just be temporary until the stressful episode with the kitten and the baby - all taking your attention from her has passed.
It isn't cold just now and if she is a cat who goes outdoors anyway then I can't see any harm in you installing a cat flap in the shed and having a cosy bed, toys, litter tray food and water out there until, if necessary, you find a new home. Still fuss her and cuddle her - even get yourself a shed chair! She could come in supervised when you are maybe cooking etc and get a cat net for the pram so the little one is safe.
It is really hard for cats to understand change and they don't do things from spite as they don't have such human emotions. They can only express themselves in catty ways and this is her telling you she is upset. It affects all animals that way - new things that upset their routine. You may well be able to gradually diffse the situation by supervised access and one to one time with her then one / two with the baby. Try putting a cloth with him then adding it to her bed so she gets used to his scent. We had this with the dog when we got the kittens. He started weeing indoors  but we gradually introduced them and now he is fine and back to normal.
I know also how hard things are with a young baby to care for and also this to deal with but you are strong and you can sort it out one way or another. She will be harder to home with this medical condition and also her history and you would clearly rather keep her so I hope things work out for you all. Whatever it is if your decision is made from love it will not be wrong x

[Janeyk]

I will ring up the rescues and ask to go on their waiting lists if thats the only option that is available. i have avoided the rspca because i have been told they are having to put to sleep th eoverflow, are there any that you would reccomend? or warn against? thanks
rosi

I would check when you ring the rescues up that they will assure you Flump won't be pts.

[rosivandam]

yeah am trying but she seems to be attacking my son's smell now if that makes sense. she seems to of forgotton that it was the kitten she had issues with and not my little boy. Luckily she didnt hurt Jackson just shook him up a fair amount but is ok today.
gosh its getting more and more difficult

[JackSpratt]

I wasn't having a dig, I was just confused as it was relevant to mention on one site but not another - I was unaware the kitten went to another home. It's just a theory, but if your old girl only started her aggressive behaviour with your little one when the kitten arrived it's possible it's redirected aggression. And the thing is, the kitten has been in your house so Roxy now has to register that he or she no longer is. No amount of cleaning will get that through to her instantaneously - and it sounds as though she's quite a territorial lady.

I totally understand why you're worried about your little one. Did she actually hurt him?

Rosivandam and Jack Spratt Full story in future please, it would save unpleasantness.The remark about kitten made my blood boil, it is totally misleading until you hunt on other forum for full story.

Not sure why I was mentioned in this - the only way I'd know the full story is what I've read online, same as anyone else.

[rosivandam]

Interesting that the new kitten arriving isn't mentioned on here but is on another cat forum. Is there a reason for that?

 Rosivandam and Jack Spratt Full story in future please, it would save unpleasantness.The remark about kitten made my blood boil, it is totally misleading until you hunt on other forum for full story.

The kitten has now been rehomed to a friend with another cat, she would of taken Flump however Flump doesnt appreciate other animals as previous incidences and the kitten has shown.
there was no nastiness meant about excluding the kitten from the information i honestly thought that i had included it in the original  message. for that i apologise. Flump is my baby and not the kitten. I was looking after the kitten as a half way house because it was not being killed by some imbeciles due to her being blind in one eye.

The kitten went yesterday afternoon, and i cleaned the house, fabreezed it and put the feliway plug in in every room for half an hour. i was trying to get rid of the smell, so she wouldnt react again. But she went straight for my little boy again. i have put her back in the kitchen for now, but she may have to go back outside due to having to use the highchair at lunch time.

To JackSpratt, i have actually rang the vets this morning again and asked them the question about kidney issues, but they took bloods from her at the check up and they said it would of shown then, it would of showed signs on the bloods then.

i will try again later with flump, but her reaction earlier wasnt promising
please do not think me a horrible person, i have always wanted a cat, and flump is my princess for all her attitude, and i did hope deep down that there would be an improvement with the kitten gone, but it hasnt. and now i feel like i have let 2 animals down. i'm sorry, but i am out of ideas.

I will ring up the rescues and ask to go on their waiting lists if thats the only option that is available. i have avoided the rspca because i have been told they are having to put to sleep th eoverflow, are there any that you would reccomend? or warn against? thanks
rosi

[Teresa Pawcats]

Interesting that the new kitten arriving isn't mentioned on here but is on another cat forum. Is there a reason for that?

 Rosivandam and Jack Spratt Full story in future please, it would save unpleasantness.The remark about kitten made my blood boil, it is totally misleading until you hunt on other forum for full story.

[Janeyk]

Hi and welcome, sorry you're having to rehome your cat that must be hard.  Which area are you?

A few things come to mind, if she is diabetic then may be the blood sugar levels aren't right which may affect her mood?  If that's generally ok, have you tried a behaviourist to see if they can help?

If however, you still feel it's best to rehome your cat then you would need to contact rescues in your area as they will do proper checks and find the most suitable home, you'll find a list of rescues in your area if you click on the map :

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

Rescues may be full so you'd need to ask to go on a waiting list or they may do Direct Homing where your cat stays with you until a suitable forever home is found.  Best of luck.

eta: one other thing I forgot to mention, if you adopted Flump from Cats Protection then usually it's their policy to have the cat return to them if for any reason the cat needs rehoming, some other rescues are same so it would be worth checking any adoption papers - if you have them.

heya, i really appreciate your help, but i have gone through cat chat adoption and exhausted all of the hampshire phone calls, surrey wiltshire and dorset. i have even done essex. i am out of ideas and who to call. i cant keep her with me atm, just because she is in the shed and isnt fair.

i didnt get her from cats protection, she was from a vets surgery and i have rang them up and there policy is that she will have to be put to sleep. thats what i am hearing alot and i cant do that.

It sounds as if you've really made your mind up about rehoming Flump so what I would suggest then is to get back in touch with the rescues, there's a long list I've given you (see above) and if they all say they are full then ask to go on a waiting list. 

Unfortunately you'll just have to persevere and be patient but at least you'll know you've found Flump a new loving home, at least that's the best thing you can do now for her. 

She's also suffering a condition which I know is likely to make it even harder to rehome her therefore it's really important that the right home is found, someone prepared to give her all the care she needs. 

Until a home is found wouldn't it be possible to let her back indoors and have her in one room? it's probably upset her if she's suddenly been made to live outside.

[JackSpratt]

Interesting that the new kitten arriving isn't mentioned on here but is on another cat forum. Is there a reason for that?

The toileting can be a way of showing unhappiness in terms of her "not liking" something but it is also a way that cats try to mix scents. And when you say she sat on your son was she sat full length on him?

To be honest, I'd be seriously considering getting her a blood test done - toileting in inappropriate places when a cat has diabetes can be linked to kidney issues sometimes I think.

[Yvonne]

Hello and     to Purrs

So sorry that you need to rehime Flump

what area are you in ?

[rosivandam]

she had her check up at the vets last monday and she is healthy, her level of required insulin has gone down so there is nothing wrong with her, and when she is ill she shows her belly and become lathargic, this isnt the case this time.

basically she pood in my son's cot, which was out of the ordinary but i tried cleaning it up i put my son on the bed whilst i was doing it, and whilst i was doing it, she ran on the bed started growling then put her claws either side of my sons head and just lay on him, still growling. so i know its very unusual for this to happen, but it has and then after i had rescued jackson, she got locked in the bathroom, as soon as i opened the door she ran into my room and peed all over my mattress, have had to replace that.

i understand what you are both saying but she is healthy she is doing this out of spite, she can be like this from time to time, typical woman who likes to get her own way. when i got married she didnt like my husband and used to pee on his feet. she isnt happy at the moment. but i cant risk her doing this to my son. he is only 6 months old and he is only going to get more mobile and i fear her more stressed.

the vets have reccommended rehoming her, because they know Flump very well. i took her on intending to not have kids until she would technically be 22. if she was around it would of been unlikely. i had full intentions of being the retiremnt home for her, and she is my princess. but my princess cannot stay when she is causing all these problems.

is there anyone who would have the time and patience for a massive character that just needs to chill out in a quiet home?

[CatGirl]

Perhaps she isn't well,she can't tell you can she? Be a good idea to get her checked by a vet.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

13 is not old just the start of middle age, have you had her checked by the vets concerning her diabetes?

What is she doing that makes you say your son is not safe? How old is your son?

[rosivandam]

heya, i really appreciate your help, but i have gone through cat chat adoption and exhausted all of the hampshire phone calls, surrey wiltshire and dorset. i have even done essex. i am out of ideas and who to call. i cant keep her with me atm, just because she is in the shed and isnt fair.

i didnt get her from cats protection, she was from a vets surgery and i have rang them up and there policy is that she will have to be put to sleep. thats what i am hearing alot and i cant do that.

[Janeyk]

Hi and welcome, sorry you're having to rehome your cat that must be hard.  Which area are you?

A few things come to mind, if she is diabetic then may be the blood sugar levels aren't right which may affect her mood?  If that's generally ok, have you tried a behaviourist to see if they can help?

If however, you still feel it's best to rehome your cat then you would need to contact rescues in your area as they will do proper checks and find the most suitable home, you'll find a list of rescues in your area if you click on the map :

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

Rescues may be full so you'd need to ask to go on a waiting list or they may do Direct Homing where your cat stays with you until a suitable forever home is found.  Best of luck.

eta: one other thing I forgot to mention, if you adopted Flump from Cats Protection then usually it's their policy to have the cat return to them if for any reason the cat needs rehoming, some other rescues are same so it would be worth checking any adoption papers - if you have them.

[rosivandam]

 

My name is Flump. i am a 13yr old tortie.

i need alot of extra care because my previous owner over fed me and as a result i have developed insulin dependent diabetes. i need a special diet and insulin injections 2 a day.

my owner loves me so very much, however the last 2 days i have decided that i do not like her 6 month old son, and have been very nasty to him. however previous to my nasty episode i have been as good as gold.

Right, sorry cant write it like that naymore, as i am crying to much. basically Flump needs to go to a good home, i can drive her wherever she needs to go, but she cannot be in the house with my son anymore. I cant explain how much my heart is breaking, as i rescued her a few years back and i feel like i am letting her down, but my son just isnt safe anymore and he is my number one priority.

please if anyone can help me and Flump out i would be forever in your debt. the reason why this is urgent is because i am having to keep her in the shed (dont owrry hot water bottles, food water, litter tray and blankets are in there with her). as i cant risk her temper.

because of her reaction to my son i dont think it suitable for her to go to a home with young children or with other animals, just as she is a grump

please please consider flump, she is a beautiful cat.
my email is rosi.jackson@hotmail.co.uk email me any questions and i will get straight back to you. (i havent been sleeping for last few days)

thank you