To want to rehome our bloody miserable cat?

[user1473509591]

Okay so he's 5, and he's just an awful, kid hating cat. It's not so bad during the summer, he's perfectly happy to spend days at a time sleeping outside and just coming home for food. But during winter, obviously, he wants to come in more. Now, my kids are 2 and 5 and are naturally curious. They're not rough (although my eldest used to be which is probably why he's quite cautious of kids now) but the kids just have to walk past him and they end up being scratched. Our house is tiny, we've set up a little bed at the top of the stairs separated by a gate for him but the stupid effing thing insists on trying to sleep in the living room, the busiest room in the house. I can't be sympathetic if he's going to be a bloody idiot. He cant sleep in our room because I'm mildly allergic to cat hair, and I don't want him in the kids room. I don't really know what to do with him, he really doesn't seem to suit a house with young children but whenever I even consider rehoming him it's met with outcry from family and friends. I had to give our dog to my mum when our daughter was about 9 months old because she would just pee everywhere and would nip and growl at my daughter when she started moving so I think they just think I'm crap with pets when in reality, the only reason why he's still here is because I won't give him to just anyone!

[ocelot41]

Course you aren't user.

[dementedma]

We have always had cats but had to rehome one once. Found him an older single man who was desperate to have a pet and it all worked out fine.
Some time later we returned to charity to be matched with a teeny weeny cute little kitten....we ended up with this!

[RepentAtLeisure]

I foster for Cats Protection and have seen black cats with attitude rehomed when the right person came along. This is not a good time of year though unfortunately - more cats tend to be reported when the weather gets colder and fewer people are looking for a new pet, but it's something to consider if you can't find a suitable home within your social circle. Ask your local CP branch if he could go to a home fosterer for some TLC. It comes down to whether they have the vacancies.

[previously1474907171]

You have rehomed a dog for nipping, and now your cat is scratching your children. Think about this, pets tend not to attack unless provoked.

You really should not have pets and children. If it had been one pet that didn't get along with them I would think it may have been a highly strung pet, but it seems that the children have at some stage tormented the pets and I don't blame them for reacting.

Please do the right thing and find a good home for the poor cat.

[lljkk]

I have met many psycho kitties who attack for no reason. I live with one. I often wonder what happened b4 we met him to make him so grumpy. But he is much better than used to be; we have wrought a miracle so far. Our other cats you can wear like a scarf & carry like babies.

@demented, that's not a cat, that's an elephant!!

[yesterdaysunshine]

Demented is a fibber: that cat came from a safari park not a cat re-homing centre!

[Ta1kinpeece]

Have not RTFT
but have had random cats (including the one I found on the compost heap) over the last 30 years
including bringing up kids

Please rehome your pets to places where they will be happy
it may be that a future pet will work in your family
but your current animals are not happy

let them live where they will be happy
live without animals till you work out what will fill your gap

[Starwarsorbaby]

Cats can be vicious, but so can humans. There's some truly ugly people posting on this thread.

Op, I hope you find a suitable solution.

[2kids2dogsnosense]

Demented

That is one impressive cat!

[MaddyHatter]

good lord, sometimes cats just do not like small noisy humans!

I've got 2, one is a loving little nutcase who'd sell his tail for love, the other one loathes everyone except me and the kids are under strict instructions not to touch her, EVER, and i tell anyone who comes in the house not to touch her either, because she WILL bite.

Should i give up both because one is grumpy and antisocial?

OP, ignore the silly drama llamas. You aren't a bad owner.
I second the suggestions to get the kids to feed him, play with him (with wand/fishing rod type toys under supervision) and also to offer plenty of places for him to retreat out of the kids reach.

[MaddyHatter]

Oh, and he likely wants to be in the living room because its the hub of the house and very important territory wise.. so give him space to claim in there :)

[Ta1kinpeece]

user
Please do not feel guilty

we "had" a cat that we called "thief" - we did not know she was ours till she got cornered under the dining table several months after we realised we had an interloper
I rehomed her with a colleague

stinky malinky compost cat was a different case
she was dead when she arrived and our cats tolerated her for the ten months she lived

but you have to have a shit free home

[2kids2dogsnosense]

I have met many psycho kitties who attack for no reason. I live with one. I often wonder what happened b4 we met him to make him so grumpy.

Possibly nothing. Our present two cats are 3 yo litter brothers, neutered at 6 months. One is affectionate (on his own terms). The other is an evil sod and has been from kittenhood. (There was a third - we like three, very sweet but not terribly bright - very sadly he was run over three weeks after his operation.)

He fights any other cat that comes within range, attacks dogs, slaughters all sorts of wildlife (including a stoat - do you know how big and vicious those buggers are?), and savages us at random (i.e. - somedays he will come in and cosy down; other days he will come in and as he is walking past you, suddenly decide to launch himself at your leg, biting and scratching. When he has put you in your place he will sort of dust off his shirt and go for a lie down. Wherever he wants . . .

Funnily enough the three we had before these (all queens - torties) contained an Evil One, too - and she was the smallest of them all.

[RestlessTraveller]

Do your cat a favour and find him a lovely new home.

Do the world a favour and don't get anymore pets.

[19Hannah]

Cats are awful get rid 🙈

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Has he been neutered?
Has he got a high shelf?
Cat tree?
So the kids play properly with him using feather /fishing rod type toys?
Do you use Feliway?
Has he got a tall scratching post?

If a cat is swiping and hiding under furniture it's usually because it feels threatened,it needs to be up nice and high to feel secure.

The fact he's happy and relaxed once your kids are in bed should give you a clue!

[dementedma]

He is a big bugger, and very heavy. And such a softie! A grand cat required a grand name so we named him General Jericho Jones. Jerry to his mates!

[foursillybeans]

Sounds a difficult situation and if you can find a way to get the cat happily rehomed to an adult only house that would be best. If not then have you tried making a hideaway home in the lounge for the cat. Fully enclosed iyswim. Can just be made from a cardboard box?

[2kids2dogsnosense]

Demented

Our CuddleCat would lie on his back in our arms like yours does - the BadBugger would have disembowelled us if we even attempted to pick him up.

He came in covered with oil one time and I had to wash him. Not an easy task. I still bear the scars . . .

[Boisderose]

I don't particularly like my cat. She's unfriendly and slinks about trying to avoid everyone. If calling your animals names mean you shouldn't have pets then I'm buggered. I regularly mutter under my breath about my dogs (greedy and idiotic), horses (a massive ballache generally), cats (unfriendly bastards), guinea pigs (bitey stinkers). They are all well looked after though as I'm not a complete bastard.

[bumsexatthebingo]

Sounds like normal cat behaviour to me. They are hunters and if they are crouched hiding under a table and spot something small moving (a child's hand picking up a toy) they will pounce! You need to teach your kids to be careful around the cat when it's behaving that way. Do you play with they cat a lot with toys you can throw or fishing rod toys it can pounce on? Some cats need to play a lot past the kitten stage and if they aren't getting that stimulation that can become very pouncey. Playing with toys is a good way for your kids to interact with the cat from a distance as well. I would avoid laser toys though as they seem to wind cats up. Get the children to give treats and gently stroke the cat when it's calm. Ywbu to rehome the cat rather than teach your children how to behave around it.

[Sallystyle]

I was all set to be sympathetic to you but anyone who repeatedly calls their cat stupid and a bloody idiot needs to not have pets.

This made me howl with laughter.

I call one of my ferrets a psychotic twat. I'm sure she doesn't mind. My dog is often called a smelly bastard. They are fine about it.

I hope you find a solution OP that doesn't involve rehoming it, or if you do I hope the cat finds a loving home.

[queenofthemountains]

Don't most people call their animals names? I tell the cats to shut up and piss off everytime they yowl for food and the gerbils are known as the little inbred bastards.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

No, I call my cat ' my precious prince'

[Ta1kinpeece]

All my cats have / have had names,
I just do not put them on a page that gas full google search

Tonka cat was a legend of the first order : DH and I still miss him viscerally 8 years after the 19 years we had with him

Psycho sis (of tonk) was my familiar for 17 years. I stil have her skin to stroke 10 years later

Thief was rehomed
Haddock went back to her original owner

Compost lived and then died

since then we've had

Blob - we were her 5th home in 16 weeks .... it will impact for life
LUmp - his dad was his grandad and it shows, lovely but so, so thick