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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

The litter tray

I can fit another cat in, can't I?

91 replies

thecatneuterer · 11/09/2013 14:33

Celia wants me to take another cat as he's going to have trouble getting a home and the centre is of course bursting at the seams. His name is Simon - scroll half way down the page to see him: www.celiahammond.org/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=9&MMN_position=16:16

He's such a sweetie. Come and tell me 21 cats isn't too much ... :)

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TheWinterOne · 27/09/2013 10:16

I'd love to take on more cats. We have two and I really had to work on DH to adopt winter girl. I'd doubt I'll be able to win him around again - even though both are wrapped around his fingers.

I've always wanted a black cat too.

As for sink shitting - there must be something going around (and I can understand why Simon may do it as he's had a bad start before the rescue) but winter male has taken to suddenly shitting in the bath. Well on two occasions...

thecatneuterer · 27/09/2013 11:54

Cozie he seems pretty laid-back (to tolerate being washed and blow dried he must be really).

Zebra - there are no timescales or deadlines exactly. But I suppose the closer it gets to my going away the less sense there would be in taking him. And it's great that your friends have some CHAT cats which are being worshipped.

Winterone - yes I've had others that have occasionally shat in the bath. I always assume that it was because for some reason or another none of the litter trays were up to standard. At least it's easily cleaned. And I hope you can bring your DH round to the idea of saving another poor, homeless, abandoned black kitty .... (may be piling on the pathos might help?:) )

And Zebra the idea of 'catneuterer towers' keeps making me grin. I'm thinking of making it the official name of my house and getting one of those name plate things made :)

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cozietoesie · 27/09/2013 12:21

Probably had so much happen to him in his (long) life that he's not easily fazed any more. On reflection, I'd bring him home for the four weeks.

RightsaidFreud · 27/09/2013 16:22

Just caught up on this story, he looks like such a lovely fella, and what a wonderful person you are catneuterer to take in so many lovely kitties. Must be so great to have such a large cat family!

TheWinterOne · 27/09/2013 18:45

Well, after reading this thread my yearning to take in another feline kicked in to overdrive. So I went to look at my local cat's protection website and they have 2 gorgeous black boys on there of 13 years.

They also have black kittens but I think I'd like to house an older cat if I could as I know kittens are easier to home. The only issue I do have is both mine are relatively young so I'm not sure how a 13 year old would fit in. Winter girl (the younger of my 2) is barely 6 months. Oh and I obviously will have to work on DH.

I've spoken to him and he hasn't exactly said no...then again he hasn't exactly said yes either. He's just raised his eyes and said "Another?" and left it at that.

cozietoesie · 27/09/2013 19:00

That's a 'Yes' really.

TheWinterOne · 27/09/2013 19:12

Haha I hope so Cozie. I'm going to press him about it over the weekend to see if he can give me a definitive green light but he does like to keep me on tender hooks with decisions.

timtam23 · 27/09/2013 21:52

Winter I think your DH has no chance! Mine was the same (see the "Garage found a kitten..." thread) - the creature won him round within days and now they are inseparable, kitten is usually to be found asleep on DH's feet or in his armpit

Catneuterer I'm sure Simon would love a few weeks at home with you and the other 20 , I wish I lived closer to London, I'm sure over the next few years we'd be able to rehome a CHAT cat.

ZebraOwl · 27/09/2013 22:39

I cannot tell you how pleasing I would find it if you were to make Catneuterer Towers your official address. It would be beautiful. ZOMG, you could have personalised stationery printed up with that on & everything!

Mmmph, it all sounds very tricky. Perhaps you could ask your neighbour how they feel about cat-coiffing & poo-picking & if they're on for it take him in & (unless it seems he'd do better going back to the centre while you're away) leave him at Catneuterer Towers with the others? The work you do is truly inspirational-incredible & whichever solution you settle on, Simon's a lucky chap to have found you.

Winter - would a bit of emotional blackmail work on your DH? Am sure the Cats Protection people would be able to advise you about which cats would be happy to join your household - good luck persuading your DH to agree.

Yay for black cats though: tomorrow I need to join Instagram so I can send CP a gazillion pictures of my darling Jinpuss to (hopefully-maybe) use in their National Black Cat Day promotional materials. Cos he's incredibly gorgeous & I think it is only right to allow the world at large the chance to appreciate that fact. Yes.

thecatneuterer · 28/09/2013 20:51

So Simon the manky cat is the new resident of Catneuterer Towers and so far it's going very well. As he's such a laid-back cat I'm introducing him by keeping him in the spare room for a couple of weeks (rather than the normal dog crate introduction technique).

The second he arrived he went to 'kiss' the two normal residents of the spare room (normally the door is open but they just like to stay in there). One was happy to nuzzle him back and the other hissed a bit, but she'll come round. He then sat on the bed by the window to have a bit of a look outside and then went to eat, followed by lots of strokes and purring. So all in all, it couldn't be better.

He's already looking much healthier. He only needs the baths a couple of times a week now (that's going to be interesting:) ).

I'll post photos soon.

And winter I'm thrilled you're working on your DH. When you said there are two 13 year old black cats for rehoming did you mean as a pair or by coincidence there are two the same age?

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cozietoesie · 28/09/2013 20:55

Excellent. Well done Simon and TCN.

thecatneuterer · 28/09/2013 20:58

Oh and I forgot to say, he might not need the second op on his wound after all.

As I said it had been a very large and messy wound on his back which had been full of maggots. After the first op to close it up some skin sort of pulled up and has given him what looks like a small penis stuck on his back . The vets now think that it's really only cosmetic and it won't matter if we leave it.

I just hope the other cats don't pick on him and call him names ....

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cozietoesie · 28/09/2013 20:59

I think he might heal/improve more quickly if he's happy. That often seems to be the way of things.

cozietoesie · 28/09/2013 21:00

I'm not even going to think of the various nicknames he might be entitled to now!

RandomMess · 28/09/2013 21:10

Wow, 21 cats. I wish I could foster but with the dcs and resident cats it would be hard to keep them indoors for several weeks etc. still it has given me something to think about. Do the shelter help you with the feeding costs? At what point do they stop being foster cats and become residents...

Tabby1963 · 28/09/2013 21:24

catneuterer - I have two tabby boys and would love to increase my cat family. However, I don't want to upset them by bringing in a new cat. I did this years ago when I had a black female. I brought in a tiny kitten (had been abandoned) and my female took it very personally and moved out to another family. She did come back eventually, but I would hate this to happen with my boys, cats can be so sensitive.

thecatneuterer · 28/09/2013 21:36

Random. All my cats become 'my' cats. They're not strictly speaking foster cats at all really. But I only take what are regarded as more or less 'unhomeable' cats for various reasons.

No the charity don't help with food but I do get vet treatment free from the clinic's in-house vets, but that's mainly because I'm a volunteer for the charity and partly because some of the cats would have come under the 'long term foster scheme' (info here: www.celiahammond.org/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=8&MMN_position=14:14)

Tabby yes cats can be sensitive. But I really think that unless you have one of those cats that really hates other cats, and as long as the cat you are introducing isn't one of those either, then as long as you do the introductions carefully and give it time it usually works out fine. I know that other posters often say it's best not to upset the status quo, but from what I've seen it does seem to work out eventually.

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thecatneuterer · 28/09/2013 21:37

Oh and random the charity does help with the feeding costs for short term fosters if necessary.

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RandomMess · 28/09/2013 21:40

I really think my cats would get the hump massively, they are very people orientated. Perhaps I could foster kittens...

Hmm still have the problem, how do you keep them in?

When I am older and on my own

thecatneuterer · 28/09/2013 21:46

To foster kittens you need a spare room really that you can keep shut.

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RandomMess · 28/09/2013 21:53

When I am old I shall wear purple and foster cats

ZebraOwl · 28/09/2013 22:45

Oh but this is splendid news about Simon The Now-Less-Manky Cat! I hope he settles down well (& isn't teased by the others) & that seeing to his shampooing isn't too traumatic for any of you.

random - you could have a purple coat with lots of pockets for the foster kittens to snuggle up in...

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TheWinterOne · 29/09/2013 12:52

TCN: There's 2 13 year olds there separately. I'm not sure how an older cat would fit in to our dynamic though with having kiddies and two young cats. I'd really love to rehouse an older one though.

They say a way to a man's heart is through his stomach so I'm cooking a cracking roast today and I hope that'll sway him towards a yes. :)

QuietTiger · 29/09/2013 18:56

theCatneuterer - honestly? 21? How is that any different to 20, especially if they are shy?! I used a similar argument with my DH when our 2 "ferals" moved into the house from the farm sheds - I quote:

"Darling, 9 cats is NO different to 7 - besides, they are so timid you'll never know they are here".

Of course, the minute they moved in, they hogged the sofa and never move off.

thecatneuterer · 29/09/2013 19:57

Winter I think as long as the new cat doesn't actively dislike other cats it should be fine. The two young cats have each other to play with so they shouldn't bother the oldie too much, and your children are already used to cats so hopefully they'll know how not to annoy them. As long as your oldie has somewhere safe feeling to retreat to if necessary, like an igloo bed in a quiet place, I'm sure it will be happy.

Quiettiger It's that sort of thinking that's led to me having 21 in the first place! Once I got past five I kept saying to myself 'what difference will one more make?' Will I still be saying that when I get to 50? It's a worry...

Simon is still doing well and eating loads. The first shampoo is scheduled for Tuesday. Yikes.

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