Advice Needed About Cat Coming From Collector

[Desley (booktigger)]

i would go and see her first, the RSPCA might have overexaggerated the situation.

[Millys Mum]

Please take out insurance as soon as you can, often these peoples animals are ticking timebombs and you just dont know what you are getting. It often happens they are inbred and problems crop up 

Theres a 14 day period that you cant claim for illnesses on so the sooner the better 

If theres any question over health when you see her cats prepare yourself.

[Jennifer]

Oh, no! Please don't think I feel that anybody with a lot of cats is automatically a collector, I just didn't really want to state that the lady has been told by the RSPCA to get rid of some cats as she has far too many for her flat, especially as they are all indoor (and balcony) cats. I will happily disclose more information in PMs if anybody wishes, but I'd rather not air someone elses dirty laundry in a public topic without their permission.

Edited to add: Also, I'm being diplomatic when I say "at least 10" because I get the impression from her emails that there are about double that.

[Gillian Harvey]

There may be cats in the group you are thinking of adopting from who would rather be 'only' cats, but there may be others who enjoy living in a group - your'e only going to know by visiting them in their home as much as possible and watching how they interact with each other, you will soon get an idea of any that prefer their own space. Definitely don't take the descriptions at face value - I'm sure the owner isnt going to mind you spending some time there to allow you to make the right choice - if it was me I'd want to see a routine day there, including feeding times etc. As Sabrina says, you may indeed be able to spot one that would really benefit from being taken out of the group.

And I'd like to add, just because someone has a multi-cat household, doesnt mean they are a 'collector' ! Thats a bit of a derogatory term I feel - although justified in a few cases I'm sure.

I live with 10 cats, but have lived with more at the same time and mine certainly don't want to 'get away' from each other (with the possible exception of Harry and Jasper - but thats another story LOL!) and neither of those two show any signs of wanting to leave home after a year of getting to know each other! My cats seek each other out to sleep with, they wash and groom each other and live as a close knit group and they have always done that and seem to enjoy it.

[Sabrina (Auferstehen)]

Some cats do better on their own and if this lady has 10 + and hasn’t been able to give each the attention they need then maybe 1 cat on its own will blossom (though it might take time) and very much enjoy human company.

If you can’t afford two now then don’t take on two, maybe some day in the future you can adopt another cat into your family when you’re positive you can afford another one.

[Jennifer]

Hi. I'm possibly (if landlord says yes) about to acquire a cat from a home with too many. The woman means well, but can't stop collecting cats, and I get the impression that there's at least more than 10 in the premises.

I've asked for personality descriptions for the three that are available and apparently none of them are too friendly towards other cats -- I'm not taking this at face value as I can imagine any cat, even friendly ones, wanting to get away from cats when living with that many in a small space. I think they're all indoor cats as well. I believe they're litter trained and in reasonable health, but I can't be entirely sure. Two of them are unspayed, which is worrying to me but I'm unsure if there have been any unneutered males there recently, and one is spayed. She's already managed to pass a few on to other people.

So, basically, what am I letting myself in for? Am I right in assuming that in a colony of that size, the cat's 'people' personality hasn't come out yet and wanting to be away from the other cats is not an indication of being cat-unfriendly? Would a single cat react badly to being taken out of a huge group, would it be kinder to take on two cats instead of one? (I can't really afford it but we'll look into our funds in more detail if it would be.) Or is it really not going to make a difference?

I don't want to say too much because I'm planning to direct the lady here if she can't find homes for them herself, but I'm not saying anything against her - I understand how things can get completely out of control even when you're trying to do the right thing - but it must be a stressful situation for the cats as well and I really want to make sure I know the best way to (possibly) go about this.