Feel a bit sorry for one of the women I spoke to today

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Excellent news Julie ... so pleased you were able to give this lady advice and stop her using OTC flea treatments (these products should be banned!!!).  Can't fault her for using it ... again she was doing the right thing by getting a treatment - even if it was the wrong type.

I'm sure this lady will be fine with her new furbabes and she's obviously not scared about asking for advice.

[Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ]

I agree, I think its wonderful that she took these two on and came to look for help when she was unsure.  I was just a bit upset that people were suggesting she maybe rehomed them.

Glad Julie as able to ascertain that the cats are ok and was also able to offer some helpful advice.

The guy in my street who took over the care of a stray when the previous carer moved had no clue about cats and wasn't feeding her enough and hadn't flead her etc. I had a chat with him and gave him some cat care info...the little cat is doing wonderful now

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

She did sound like a nice lady but clueless about cats.  I ran through a few basic care issues with her (stopped her from using THAT flea treatment which she was buying at Sainsburys). She said she was concerned because the cat was 'walking funny' with a sort of swagger and wondered whether she may have a leg injury.... but then she said the cat leaps over a 4 foot wall without breaking step. 

Some people just worry when dealing with something outside their usual experience. They need reassuring. I asked her some pretty intensive questions about what the cat was/wasn't doing and nothing rang alarm bells. I didn't even think it was worth me jumping in the car and taking a look myself. 

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

TBH the fact that this lady contacted the CP and was prepared to put any treatment on her credit card speaks volums to me.  She obviously does care for them and like Mark said she appears to be a good person ... she obviously cares more for these little souls that have only been in her care for a short time much more than the previous owners who were happy to walk away and leave them.

I think these kitties are lucky to have found her and I think they will be much loved and cared for 

[Mark]

I think she knows now that she can call us for guidance. Julie spoke to her today and it seems there was nothing really wrong. Most cat's tails go up when you touch their back near the tail. To be fair, this lady rescued these cats in the true sense. She wasn't looking for cats but stepped in to prevent potential PTS - I think she is a good one; just not educated about cats. She is feeding them and they have a huge garden apparently - it could be a lot worse.

I agree there isn't exactly a waiting list for middle aged & elderly cats - they are only taken on by real cat people. Most just want cute kittens.

[Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ]

I agree that when you take on a pet you should be able to afford vets visits etc but I guess not everyone factors in unforseen circumstances or thinks about insurance for cats.

This lady clearly loves these cats and is obviously concerned about their health and is aware that she is kind of letting them down because she cannot afford a trip to the vets so she turned to CP for help/ advice.  I think suggesting rehoming is a little drastic though, especially given the situation at the moment with pretty much all rescues fit to burst. Has she checked if her vets could set up some kind of payment plan for her? I know she doesn't have much money in general but £10 per month would be better than the whole lot in one go. I know some vets do offer payment plans so it would be worth asking (for the sake of the cats and the owner).

[Mark]

Could you advise her to get them on a rehoming list, Mark?

I guess I could but the last I heard, our list was closed - obviously it changes from day to day depending on how rehoming goes. I think she ios fond of them. At least she knows now that we don't pay vet bills.

[Shirley]

She sounds a lovely lady but, obviously, is not in a position to look after them full time-we all know how expensive it is to look after our furries! Could you advise her to get them on a rehoming list, Mark? Hope the little one will be ok.

[Janeyk]

Poor woman she obviously cares a lot about them, hopefully it's something minor.

[Mark]

I also thought that as Kylie had one soon after I got her. Hopefully Julie will be able to get to the 'bottom' of it 

[blackcat]

Yes, I was thinking abscess also Sam. Sounds like the previous owners are not the caring sort - if they were only moving to Ireland (though why you would need to do that on two day's notice is beyond me) then they could easily have taken their pets with them.

Hope it is only a minor worry and that it can be handled with home-treatments. I have found bathing with salty water and regularly expressing an abscess (to keep the wound open) works if you get onto it quickly. Keeping them indoors at night, of course, reduces the risk of this sort of health issue. So a bit of advice on preventative care would also be useful for her I think.

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Ahhh bless her.  Fingers crossed it's nothing serious .... it may be a "bite on the bum" which is making kitty flinch (start of an abcess).

[Mark]

She is early retired due to ill-health and is disabled. Around xmas, her neighbours told her they had to return to Ireland at 2 days notice. They told her they would give their 2 cats to the RSPCA but she was frightened they would be PTS (word is getting around) so agreed to take care of them even though she hasn't had cats before - she said she couldn't bear the idea of them being killed 
Anyway, she wanted help with the cost of getting vet to look at one of them as it is acting a bit strange and flinches when you touch its back near the tail. I told her it could be anything and we couldn't give veterinary advice. I suggested she try the PDSA - I asked if she received housing benefit or council tax benefit. She said she got neither as she still had a mortgage she was struggling to pay. She also said getting to a vet would be a problem. I told her without any treatment, a call out +consult would cost around £50 (it is a different branch of my vet) She said she wasn't even sure anything was wrong. She was wondering if someone that knew cats better than her could have a look and advise if a vet was necessary (she said the cat was eating normally but spending most of its time curled up in the garden) She said if need be, she would put the £50 on her credit card to make sure the cat was OK but if any treatment was needed, it would be a problem.

Anyway, I phoned Julie (Pinkbear) and she has very kindly offered to take this one on as Deal is fairly close to Sandwich.

It is true what the woman said;  that if she rented, she would be able to get all kinds of help, but as it is, she can't get any. She said she had £3 in her purse 

Just thinking about this as I am typing, the people that dumped the cats on her should help with the cost?

If she can't cope, maybe she should think about getting them on a list for rehoming.