Advice on re-homing Mothers cat (possibly with us)

houseboatdream

Hi

I could do with some advice and thought where better than my fellow MSE'rs.

My Mother has Alzheimers and will be going into a Care Home (hopefully before Christmas). She has a cat, a lovely female that she got from the RSPCA about five years ago. We dont know how old the cat is, vet thinks about 7 -8. The cat is a house cat, but not by her (the cat's) choice. Due to my mothers illness she will not let the poor cat out and this has been the source of numerous arguments over the last five years. She had cats before and they always went outside. Milly obviously wants to go out and has climbed out of the window a few times!

Anyway, I am not sure what to do about the cat. I have unusual living arrangements! My "family home" is in France, where my husband and our dog live. I am currently working in UK but soon ie within a year I will be out in France too, not all the time but say 9/12 months. Whilst I am in UK I can have the cat with me but I would then need to take it to France at some point.

The problem is our dog (Cairn Terrier, 3 years old, girl) HATES :mad: cats. The house in France is such that it would not be possible to keep them apart. However, we do have a massive dry barn and outbuildings (and lots of mice). It could be cat heaven, however I am not sure how I could manage the transition from house cat to outside cat and if this is fair on the cat.

Husband wonders if we should just ask RSPCA to take the cat back, but the shelters are overflowing with cats and I would hate for her to be pts. I should also say that I do like cats and have had several in the past but have had dogs only for last 12/13 years and I do have previous very bad experience of a terrier and a cat confrontation, not this terrier thankfully.

spike7451

DON'T ring the RSPCA as they will more than likely euthanise the cat if they take it.
If you have to give the puss up,I'd look on Purrs as the may be someone there who can help.they have a FB group here;

https://www.facebook.com/groups/91388455703/

As well as the website;

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php

And the is plenty advice here;

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/board,43.0.html

Good luck.

Spike.

ljonski

well first of all thankyou for looking after the welfare of the cat.And im sorry for the health of your mum. You have plenty of time to sort this out and you will find that a healthy cat is very adaptable to its circumstances.
I don't see any problem with the cat living with you for the first year.If it is allowed out , then i am sure it will be happier. This gives you plenty of time to rehome or take it to France if necessary. I don't know about quarantine arrangements , but i suspect it will be difficult to get the cat back into the country if it leaves the Uk. I was thinking at one point to take it to France for a short time to see how it gets on, but maybe this is not possible. I don't think the RSPCa would take the cat anyway and besides it would be better for the cat if it goes straight to another home. Keep us informed of any developments .ljonski

Fire_Fox

Not all branches of RSPCA euthanise right left and centre, Mikey the cat with the entirely paralysed back half was an RSPCA cat. Your mother likely signed a contract with the RSPCA to return the cat if her circumstance changed. You might ring them to *ask* whether they can rehome the cat or if they are happy for you to via another rescue. The RSPCA may be able to put the cat on their waiting list and website, then rehome directly from you to a new home rather than you just handing her over. That way it doesn't cost them anything, but they get the rehoming donation.

houseboatdream

Thanks for your responses.

I am currently thinking of us having the cat. Hubby says it is up to me :rotfl:usual bloke response! We pretty much knew from day one when she got the cat five years ago that one day we would be "lumbered" with the cat - sorry that is really the wrong word, as both of us are real animal lovers. I think our hesitation is our terrier.

Ok, so can you cats lovers advise on this scenario - I can have the cat here until early March (currently renting in a place with permission for pets due to dog). I may have to move in march and was just going to go to an "executive room let" for the last few months so save a few more pennies. In March I take cat to France. Im not worried about the rabies rules, its just the same as a dog, our dog goes backwards and forwards, she has a passport. The cat just needs a rabies jab and a passport, it only takes three weeks to get it.

From the past I recall that you should keep a cat inside for ??? a month?? to stop it running away. I wont be able to do this, it will have to become an outdoor cat straight away. I've had outdoor, stable cats before as I used to have horses and a smallholding (years ago). These cats had a great life, and one of them was an ex- normal house cat.

thanks for the input.

Fire_Fox

Why can't you keep the cat indoors? You really need to keep the cat confined for at least two weeks, just one or a few rooms if necessary. The cat needs to settle in the environment and see that as 'basecamp' more than it needs to bond with the humans. They can actually learn about the local geography by looking out of the window which helps them not get lost. If you let it out from day one and your house smells like a hostile dog there is little chance the cat will return to you IMO.

Given that the dog is not cat friendly you will need to do slow introductions probably over a period of weeks - scent swapping, seeing each other through a window or glass door whilst eating, switching rooms, cat or dog in a crate whilst the other is loose in the room ... Stable cats can have a great life but they are bred and raised to that, it's not fair to change an indoor only cat to an outdoor only cat. If it doesn't work out what are you going to do? Why not just rehome the cat whilst in the UK? You have time.

Dumbe

houseboatdream wrote: »

Thanks for your responses.

I am currently thinking of us having the cat. Hubby says it is up to me :rotfl:usual bloke response! We pretty much knew from day one when she got the cat five years ago that one day we would be "lumbered" with the cat - sorry that is really the wrong word, as both of us are real animal lovers. I think our hesitation is our terrier.

Ok, so can you cats lovers advise on this scenario - I can have the cat here until early March (currently renting in a place with permission for pets due to dog). I may have to move in march and was just going to go to an "executive room let" for the last few months so save a few more pennies. In March I take cat to France. Im not worried about the rabies rules, its just the same as a dog, our dog goes backwards and forwards, she has a passport. The cat just needs a rabies jab and a passport, it only takes three weeks to get it.

From the past I recall that you should keep a cat inside for ??? a month?? to stop it running away. I wont be able to do this, it will have to become an outdoor cat straight away. I've had outdoor, stable cats before as I used to have horses and a smallholding (years ago). These cats had a great life, and one of them was an ex- normal house cat.

thanks for the input.

Please do not just put the cat outside straight away. She needs to bond with her new territory.. If you arrive and dump the poor thing straight outside then she will not return ...

Please please keep her in for at least 2 weeks ideally longer, surely there must be at least a bathroom or bedroom with a door she can be kept in.

I would suggest trying with the dog, long process of scent swapping and very gradual introductions and you might be surprised..

Some dogs hate cts but defend their cat !!!

Please please if you can't get the cat and dog to tolerate each other then rehome her yourself it's not fair to take an indoor cat and make her live outside 24x7 farm cats are bred for what you are proposing ..it would be cruel to expect one to change at 7 years old .. The ex domestic cat you knew may be an exception but I would not recommend what you are proposing.

~Chameleon~

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Why can't you keep the cat indoors? You really need to keep the cat confined for at least two weeks, just one or a few rooms if necessary.

I don't actually agree with this. Having moved properties several times over the years, each time with a whole plethora of cats (& dogs) I've never felt the need to keep them indoors and have never lost a single one to wandering off or becoming lost. Cats naturally stay close to home whilst exploring their environment and the first place they run if spooked is back to the familiarity of home.

I'd say the OPs cat would probably settle better in the barn if she had familiar items and smells around her, such as her bed, blankets, OPs clothing etc and was re-introduced to outdoor life again over the next 6mths before moving abroad.

If, however, you feel it might cause stress to the cat by taking her to France then it would be better to rehome her now than in 6mths once she's adjusted to yet another new home environment.

houseboatdream

Thanks for the views everyone.

It is a difficult one and the jury is still out in this household. It seems the balance of your opinions is that the cat may be better off being re-homed here and I think I will disucss this with rspca. You are right, i did find the handover certificate yesterday and Mum has agreed to tell rscpa if she can no longer look after the cat.

I just want to do the right thing and knowing how all the rescue places are overunning with abandoned animals I thought if we could make it one less then we will. Same problem in france of course.

Re confining the cat - our house in france is completely open plan (except bathroom of course) but Hubby will not allow cat to be shut in bathroom for a fortnight and anyway its got no windows to look out of (obscured and velux).

thanks

Roz_V

houseboatdream wrote: »

Thanks for the views everyone.

It is a difficult one and the jury is still out in this household. It seems the balance of your opinions is that the cat may be better off being re-homed here and I think I will disucss this with rspca. You are right, i did find the handover certificate yesterday and Mum has agreed to tell rscpa if she can no longer look after the cat.

I just want to do the right thing and knowing how all the rescue places are overunning with abandoned animals I thought if we could make it one less then we will. Same problem in france of course.

Re confining the cat - our house in france is completely open plan (except bathroom of course) but Hubby will not allow cat to be shut in bathroom for a fortnight and anyway its got no windows to look out of (obscured and velux).

thanks

Handing back to the RSPCA doesn't necessarily mean the cat going to a shelter. As you have time, they may be able to rehome whilst the cat stays with you, I'd definitely ask...

Dumbe

The cat won't mind if she has no window to look out of for a couple of weeks while she acclimatized. .. A lot of people use a bathroom , laundry or spare room to let their cat get used too when they move..

Why not try it and see how the dog and cat get on , you can always rehome in France if it doesn't work out ...

Hope everything works out for you. Xx