Hello all,
I'm very sadly looking for a home for either or both of my cats, Cleo and Hesse. Unfortunately they have not settled in to the arrival of our baby who is now 6 months old, and Cleo has begun attacking Hesse and they just can't live together anymore :-(
I will post about them both and perhaps the person that may be able to offer a home for one of them, would be able to determine which cat might suit their home best, as it may be that just rehoming one will solve the problem.
I have posted on here looking for advice, on vicky halls forum as well, but it unfortunately looks like rehoming is now going to be the best option.
So who are they??
Cleo and Hesse are black and white shorthaired moggies who came to us seperately. Cleo came first- as a 9 week old kitten. A friend had 'bought' her from a gumtree ad at 6 weeks old (I know!) and didn't have a clue what having a kitten involved. So, as I fostered kittens, she made her way to me at 9 weeks old when my friend decided she'd had enough. So a bit of a rocky start but this didn't bother Cleo! Hesse was from one of my foster litters, I've never kept a foster kitten up until it was very evident that Hesse is very much a mummies cat and just wanted to be with me!
Both cats have really just tolerated each other, not really interested in each other, up until our new baby arrived, when unfortunately Cleo became very unsettled and started attacking Hesse, who then started stress peeing because of this. The attacking is constant now, and baby is 6months old, with no sign of this behaviour settling.
Cleo
Cleo is a very lively cat, super friendly with a group of adults, and always comes out to see visitors, UNLESS they happen to be children. She is a quiet cat who barely meows, but is very playful and loves games of fetch and catch! She loves to meet new visitors to the house and clamber over them for attention-she's not so much a lap cat as a 'roll all over you for attention and then run off' cat! She is a grazer who has no specific food preferences/dislikes etc. She is black with white socks, bib and face patches, sleek short hair.
She would not do well in a home with young children or other animals. That said, she has started to accept our wee girl, and comes up and headbutts her, rolling over, is VERY tolerant of the baby grabbing her however; she can be playful aggressive and I wouldn't trust that she wouldn't swipe out at a young child. She is easily spooked, ever since our house got burgled, and occasionaly will spend time hiding away from a noise that only she seems to hear. She takes a good while to settle in to a new environment, so the person offering a home would need to understand that when under stress, she turns aggressive and wants to hide. This is NOT normal behaviour for her, she is NOT an aggressive cat but this is the beahviour we have been seeing towards our other cat. She has become aggressive when going to the vets, and when staying with relatives whilst we are on holiday-only when out of her comfort zone. Once given time to adjust to her new environment, she is back to her usual friendly self.
She is a lovely natured cat, it's just such a shame that the stress of the new baby has affected her so much.
Hesse (will answer to anything though!)
Hesse is the complete opposite of Cleo, a big fluffy shorthaired lazy lump (still not fat though!) of a lapcat! Hesse loves nothing more than snuggling in, especially lying on feet under the covers. She is a mummies cat and craves attention, she will follow me about the house and is VERY nosey! That said, unlike Cleo, when visitors come, she likes to keep herself to herself. Otherwise she does not like to be shut in a room away from the goings on, and will very loudly let you know if you've trapped her in somewhere by mistake! She LOVES food and will eat EVERYTHING going- so watch your plate! She is super affectionate in a gentle way and has never bitten/swiped at us (she's too lazy to attempt the effort involved!) She is quite particular about her litter tray and has had a couple of episodes of cyystitis with litter brand changes, and unfortunately, due to the stress of being attacked daily, she is stress peeing in any comfy corner. Again, this isn't normal, just her response to the stressful situation. She doesn't seem to bothered by the baby, she doesn't particularly like young children, but what animal does?! She isn't petrified of them like Cleo is. She isn't particulary bothered by other cats either, but she is petrified of dogs so couldn't be rehomed to a home with a dog.
Both cats are neutered, microchipped and need access to outdoors, although they are not yet used to free access.
I'm soo sad to be posting up for a new home for them, but I've come to the decision that it is for the best.
If you need any more info, please let me know.
I'll post some pics up shortly
m xx