Cat Chat Feline Forum

Hi all,

Sorry for the initial post, we're not sure what to do.

Our neighbours have moved to France and "forgot" to take their cat - I'm really angry, I don't get how people can just do that.
I would have taken it in, but we have a cat already that's a few years old and the two don't get on. The new people in the house have allergies to cat hair, so the poor thing is now abandoned and just crying at doors, and is a stray.

We've been feeding it, and trying to set up a shelter in the shed. It is a hungry little thing, but not interested in the shelter. I'm also not sure the proximity of having this cat in our garden mixing with our cat.

So, what do we do? The local cat protection aren't taking anymore cats. No one locally wants ownership of the cat. I really feel sorry for the little fellow. I don't want it to come to harm.....any advice?

Ooh really, some people - how can you 'forget' a cat?

If you are happy to take on another cat and you are just worried about your own cat's response, perhaps this will help.

Our darling boy Tommy just turned up one day. At first he was just another hungry stray. Our own cats hated him and he would hiss at me when I put food down for him. Long story short, he slowly edged his way into our lives and became the lovable cuddle-bunny that I will always remember. The other cats came to accept him and respect him. If they were squabbling (girls eh?!) he would stroll in and just look at them - it would all go quiet.

You can't forget to take a cat with you when you move it's a deliberate decision to leave it behind and is down right cruel. As you can tell it makes me angry as well.

If you are willing to give it a home it is possible with the right course of action they could learn to co habit, they might even become friends. At the moment your cat has its own territory and the other cat is an invader. You however are the ultimate boss in the territory and if you decide another cat can come in, your cat will eventually learn to accept it.

I currently have 3 cats and over the years have had to make introductions when one has passed away. While any visiting cats will be seen of the premises (mine seem to have learnt to use the catflap as an offensive weapon, actually batting into the face of the intruder and they do seem to pass the tactic down through the generations, I recently saw my younger girl come hairing in, turn around and rise up on back paws to use both front paws to hit the cat flap at the intruder following her, its no wonder I seem to go through so many flaps), i have never really had a problem introducing a new cat to the resident one, there may be the odd hiss and growl, but as long as I am saying they belong here then it is just a case of working out the pecking order.

If you have a spare room you can give over to it then it would be worth a try, make sure you go through all the normal introduction steps, exchanging scents, getting each use to the idea the other is also in occupation, then feeding with in sight of each other but kept apart before full on contact, it can take several weeks. If you haven't got a room then try putting old towels in the shelter that you could then exchange to inside so your cat gets use to the other cats scent in the house.

You could always try and see how it goes. Keep the cat listed as a stray on the Cats Protection waiting list, (or any other local cat charity), if it goes well then you can let them know you will be keeping them, if not at least he will have been safe and warm over the weeks until they can fit him in. You might also want to enquire if they would be willing in the mean time to at least get him checked over at a vet and neutered if need be, I am thinking that anyone who would just leave a cat behind probably didn't care enough to get them neutered either.

I hope it all works out well.

This is the third example I've heard of this in the past week...

Are you comfortable with giving the area you live in, just in case there is someone near you reading who knows of or might be able to offer a shelter place/home? Also a description/photo of cat and any details (such as neutering/temperament etc) that you know of. But please do do a home check if you rehome privately

Good on you for caring about this poor cat and as for the previous 'owners' (read 'censoreds') I hope their central heating breaks down and their pipes freeze and they can't get a plumber, AND there's snow on the way hope it spreads to their corner of France, beaucoup de sale neige, quel dommage, mwhahhahaha....

Don't pull any punch's will you Lilith!

LOL I won't, and if I could personally ram a nice big icicle up their ...(oops sorry mods) I would - oh and there's the Mistral in France even if pas de neige, ah le wonky toit le dodgy estate agent told les petits porkies about, tiens, ici le Mistral, BOOM...CRAC...PAF!!! Ah quel dommage, pas de tuiles, pas de toit!

Les chats Francaises, avoid ces salopes! Spray on leurs hubcaps and doorframes!

Well, half of me is spitting feathers in fury at the 'bleepety bleep bleep' owners who moved and left their cat (there is no excuse, it's a cruel, heartless thing to do), and the other half of me is peeing myself with laughter at Lilith's posts!

Because I foster, and because I have a bad habit of falling for and agreeing to take on the 'hard to home' oldies, all of mine have had to go through the phase of introductions to the resident mogs. As has been said, it's very much do-able, as long as you go through the proper introductions procedure - I've only had one failure and at least ten successful integrations, and the one that failed was due to the fact that the incoming cat was very much a 'one person' cat who wanted an owner to themselves and tried to chase all the other cats away. The lovely Baxter, bless him, is now lording it over his dad in a home of his own, and much happier for it.

The Cat Chat advice page on introductions is excellent:

http://www.catchat.org/index.php/new-cat-introductions

If you really cannot keep this cat, then yes, it would be a good idea to post the area you're in and try all the local rescues until you find one that can help.

Thank you so much for caring about this poor cat, who must be wondering what the heck is going on, where his bed's gone and why nobody loves him.

einriba wrote: Sorry for the initial post, we're not sure what to do.

Hello einriba, can you post an image, and if possible google map location? I can then share around various social media etc...

(you don't have to give me your address! Just the postcode/area, and an image of the fuzzer)

Please only publish the first part of any postcode at the most. Don't publish the google map location. This gives info to the people who collect cats for dog fights. It's really best to go through a rescue that will do a homecheck.

Marla wrote:This gives info to the people who collect cats for dog fights

....what a world

I know

I agree with comments re people moving & leaving family members behind! Lilith pray for karma in a big way. And I hope the kitty is able to stay with you Einriba as he is obviously been cared for albeit experiencing some anxieties & wouldn't we all if we were abandoned! I had years at boarding school as my folks were OS - know what abandonment feels like Vivian

Hi all,

Thanks for the comments. I agree. I think it's disgusting to leave any animal behind.

We've actually started some scent exchange in the house. I had the little chap in our kitchen last night as the weather was terrible. It was sat at our door crying. So I brought it in, dried it off, and fed it. My son was sat with it playing with it for a while too. It settled down on his lap after about 30 - 40 minutes of fussing. I put the towels near where our cat rests and rubbed it on doors etc to get some of the scent around the house.

I set up a shelter for it in the garden with some food, blankets, pillows etc. It spent the night there last night. I was glad to offer it some shelter. I'd love to have brought it in to the house, but with us all asleep and no way to separate the cats, I thought it was too risky.

The little fellow actually met our cat by accident last night in the kitchen. They looked at each other, then carried on with what they were doing!

It's a girl, a tortoise shell. I've no idea if it's chipped or other vet visits, or age. We've only recently moved here (start of the year) ourselves. I'll get a photo later. If it works out though I think we'll keep her. I hope she gets on with our little girl and that we can do it. The animal rescue centres here are unable to take any more cats. So I'll be looking after it in the short term....

oh, it's the West Devon (PL19) area....

That sounds really promising!

'Our' stray, Felix, sometimes spends the night on a chair in our kitchen. Even though he and Bob don't like each other it is almost as if Bob understands the reason (really bad weather) and they tolerate each other for the night.

I look forward to seeing some photo's.

Oh good on you!

I was hoping she might accept some shelter, that's great. You probably know this, but if she starts carrying on like this -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEb29AFgmwY

Means she's NOT spayed and she can be mated. It's going to be difficult, of course, keeping her in and away from the toms, but once she's over her heat she can still be spayed, even if mated. Cats' Protection ought to supply you with a voucher, at least, if this needs doing. I do hope not, but as has been said, the 'owners' don't sound very responsible.

I do hope she settles in with your own cat - I'm so pleased to hear

Lilith wrote:Oh good on you!

You probably know this, but if she starts carrying on like this -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEb29AFgmwY

Ah, she's not that friendly. I think she was just glad of some attention, food and warmth.

That sounds like quite a promising update. I really, really hope it all works out - she sounds like a lovely little thing! Bless you, for all your efforts.

Hi Einriba a tortie I really hope you keep her & please check re speying. They can be such hussies. Harper was speyed & Erina the vet told me she was about to come into season. She seems to have settled with you & your family. Vivian

Here's a photo of the stray (the kids have named her "Russel" for some strange reason!). Hard to get a decent shot as she was searching for food and affection so wouldn't sit still, and wasn't interested in the camera at all.

https://s12.postimg.org/vxsowupb1/IMG_0058.jpg

And just so our cat doesn't get jealous, here's our permanent resident (she adopted us as her humans - another stray that ended up on our doorstep smelling bacon sandwiches!):

https://s12.postimg.org/mm40w49hp/DSC_0278.jpg


For some reason I can't post images - keep stating size unknown! So I've had to use links instead.

Just gorgeous (both of them!!). How could they leave her behind!! Best of luck integrating, it sounds like things will go well and I’m sure she (Russel ) will be so grateful for all you’ve done for her. Give them both a snuggle from me xx

Such pretty pusses, both of them! Give them both a fuss from me.

Aww - another two for the Naughty Tortie club, they're gorgeous!

Your first girl is very like my Tess who died nearly 10 years ago, always mourned. She was a dark tortie tuxedo.

Sweet girls and Russel's so lucky to have found you

Russel? Lovely photo's of lovely kitties.

I nearly ended up with another kitten myself today! Not so much a moving neighbour as a moving cat, and from the same place as we got Purdy. Watch this space - I may still ......

Agree with all previous posts - gorgeous & Russell's found her fur ever home me thinks 4. Vivian

Oh no! Poor thing
I too think it has been a deliberate action, unfortunately. What kind of morons would do that? A cat is a family member, you cannot just leave it behind! If they didn't want him with them in France, at least they could have tried to find him a new home with people who would have taken good care of it...
Btw, Russel is fabulous! And so is your domestic cat ^ ^