A Very Great Quantity Of Excellent Cats

[TheShellBeach]

New thread.
Continuing the adventures of all our cats, the well-behaved and the less well-behaved.

Shady is a big boy!

Shady and his Lady!! Lovely start to the weekend.

Paper love, I’m so sorry you’ve been abused so badly by life. In what universe could any of it be your fault?!?

Sorry to be tough but you’re too tired and beaten up to think straight.

All you’ve done is give DDs love and security. Some might say that was superb, I venture to suggest.

The horrible, horrible thing is that sometimes love ain’t enough. It really isn’t, no matter how much we wish. Or try. Or SS tell you. No one tells you how many adoptions are ‘cancelled’ but it’s at least half.

Wild young’uns do have quite a bit of fun, DDs will have a blast for the next few years. Don’t worry about them too much. They’ll develop their own survival tactics, which you’re well out of.

I’m full of admiration and pride to call you my friend. Shout if you need anything.

I would like to send my respects to
Magnificent Matt and the Dog. They love you to bits, like we do.

Shady is not a cat, Bonfire, he is a panther!
I had to retrieve Matt from across the road the other day and really struggled to hold him. Especially with him squirming and struggling in my arms because clearly it does his street cred no good to be seen being carried in.
I was so tired this morning he came to shout for breakfast at nearly 11am, to my shame, I'm just grateful I have a cat who loves his sleep almost as much as he loves his food. Having made biscuits on my boobs, he is now lying on my chest, rubbing his head against my face. Socks has just come in out of the rain.
My lovely Lana, your friendship and your support means so much to me. Thank you.
Keep the kitty pics and stories coming everyone. They cheer me up no end and I'm spending far too much time on MN than I should but my concentration isn't good enough to watch much TV or read a lot.

Shady is undoubtedly a big (and very handsome) chap. And quite possibly part panther too 😁.

My poor little Tobias is sneezing away at the mo. No idea what's up with him - could be allergies, a kitty cold, no idea. Otherwise seems fine in himself, so going to leave him a few days to see how he gets on before giving the vet a call (unless something gets worse of course).

Shady is built for comfort, not for speed.

Poor Tobias.

House Panfa you got there bonfire, he looks about the same size as Leroy.

A word of warning though - you might think it's your back that'll give out, but watch your shoulders. I've had to have physio on my shoulders 3 times since we had Leroy, every time the injury was caused by picking the fat black fucker my li'l cherub up 😱

Bless that little lad, Leroy’s just a helpless puff of fur.

That’s odd Yes. Sympathy 💐 too cos NDN has steroids in her shoulders too, where tiny Hazzy rests his frail
frame.

Havelock hates being picked up
and NDN yells at me if I do, but how are you supposed to
return him
home when he won’t go cos attached to a chicken next door? He’s lovely and fudgy to hug.

DH seems to have accepted that we will probably get another cat at some point, because he brought Emerald's carrier into the house and stored it (he had been going to give it to a cat rescue place).

Neither of us is sure about getting another cat, but if we do, I think it will have to be an elderly male (like Linney and DH).

I have looked on the Cats Protection website and all the cats they have for adoption can only allegedly live as the only cat in the house.

@Allergictoironing how did you manage to get Tobias, bearing in mind you already had Girlcat?

And can anyone advise me on how you tell if your cat would like a new pal? It is so hard to tell!

And can anyone advise me on how you tell if your cat would like a new pal? It is so hard to tell!

I can only advise you of reasons why I (and my mum) chose not to. In our cases the cats came out of their shells as singletons. More confident, more lively, more relaxed, more affectionate, although there was initial puzzlement for both. For Mum - her cat's health improved massively both with his over-grooming and eating habits.

Watch closely, give it a little time and you'll find your answer (((hugs)))

If I may, I would like to introduce Cat number 5 of the Pasta Tribe, now known as Lasagna. We met him last Monday and since he was at the same rescue all our others are from, the rest was history. He's had two failed rehomes (one major allergy among the adoptive family, one rejection by incumbent cat - who to be fair is quite a traumatised boy - and a further two visits where he wasn't picked. So that was that.

He's in DS' room while we start the introduction process and is already eating well, purring, using the litter tray, sitting on the lap and head butting everything and everyone. Our current four are pretty easygoing characters and we know how to do introductions so this will be it - forever home.

In the photo he is talking to Rigatoni, who is on the other side of the door wanting to take it all too quickly as usual.

Lasagna is very handsome! I love that you have named them all after pasta. My first tribe were named after alcohol, it's fun to have a theme 😁

Lasagna is a cutie. And it sounds as though he has already settled in quite well.

@Allergictoironing how did you manage to get Tobias, bearing in mind you already had Girlcat?

I went to the rescue I got Boycat & Girlcat from, which is an independent rescue run by a pragmatic lady with much common sense! For a "small" rescue, they have loads of cats, and as well as the usual strays and hand ins also tend to take in cases other rescues can't cope with e.g. feral colonies (my first pair were from one of these) and multi-cat hoarder households.

Once cats have been there a little while, she puts them in with others she feels they will get on with e.g. my Tobias had a harem of 5 girls plus one little disabled boy that all lived together in a very big caged area with options for dividing parts off, various different sleeping places etc., so they are able to stay socialised with other cats. Obviously some are very determendly only cats, but the majority she gets living OK with others.

@Allergictoironing your rescue sounds exactly like the one I support - pragmatic, sensible, fully focused on cat wellbeing rather than on rigid rules. My rescue lady is also brilliant at socialising cats and helping the really traumatised ones settle, and working together with another rescue she managed to trap and rehome an entire feral colony on the grounds of the NHS trust where I work - I have one of those cats.

It's often the little independents that do the job best.

@pointythings don't suppose you're in Kent? Could be the same place if you are.....

@Allergictoironing nope, Suffolk. But in a way it's good to know there are more rescues with a sensible attitude!

I suspect Matt was happier as Only Cat, and probably Socks would have been too. They tolerate each other but I have to watch Matt doesn't bully her, steal her food, chase her off when she tries to come in etc. They might stalk each other occasionally but don't really play together or cuddle together.
Matt also eats the dog's food, given the chance, and blocks the back door or the top of the stairs or whatever so she can't get past. Only very occasionally will the dog chase Matt or Socks off, and that's usually if they get too close to her food. I don't know why 9/10 times she will watch Matt eat it but occasionally flies at him. And 9/10 times Matt growls and hisses at the dog and might smack her with his paw, but on the odd occasion the dog has a go back Matt flees!
Overall, I'd say Matt has the upper paw, but it's no bad thing that the dog out him back in his place occasionally.
I wouldn't have chosen to have another pet with Matt but inherited both Socks and the dog from dd1.

@Papergirl1968 it's interesting, isn't it? I got my first two (Tortellini and Fettucine) as a bonded pair and they are still close even though Tortellini is a reserved and aloof lady and Fettucine is a peoply softie. Then I got Rigatoni and Cannelloni as a pair because they are brothers.

And yet they all get on and cuddle up with each other in mix and match combinations sometimes whilst at other times they get on each other's nerves.

I think Lasagna will find his place in the mix, we will take it slow and supervise. He's a very easygoing friendly boy.

I suppose I need to think about how to introduce Walter and Benny. I have a feeling it's going to be ok. Walter is very laid back, and Benny is a confident, playful little thing. I will start off with them separated, but it's hard in this house, so hopefully that will be short lived. Here he is, watching Moana 😂

@coastergirl when I introduced my two younger ones they were 5 month old kittens. We kept them apart and scent swapped using blankets etc. for the first 48 hours and then had a supervised introduction on the landing with 3 of us monitoring. Because that went so well (one tiny growl from Fettucine) we did the same thing for longer the next day and they were just so chill about it that we let the youngsters downstairs under supervision the next day (4 of us on hand). And they never looked back.

But they aren't all the same, and some take longer. Lasagna saw Rigatoni through the open door and started a really enthusiastic approach (fully friendly body language) and Toni was so startled he just backed off.

But his tail wasn't bushy at all, which is hopeful. We're going to give it 48 hours and then try a face to face.

Walter is 9 and Benny is 10 weeks! Think I'll see Walt's body language and take it from there. He does a good bottle brush tail if he's not happy. He's mostly fine with other cats, including a couple of NMCs who wander in and finish his dinner. Benny is also very used to other cats, dogs and small children (allows himself to be carried like a baby and put in bed by a 4 year old). I can't wait to meet him.

Benny is so cute! 😻
I love your cat's names, @pointythings
Naming a pet is a big responsibility.
Matt was already called Matt and it suited him so we kept it, Socks was already called Socks and she does indeed have white socks. Ddog was already called Venus but people sometimes mishear and think it's Penis - like anyone would call a pet that! So now I say Venus - and add, like the tennis player and the planet (or the goddess), for clarification!
Previously, Siamese cats from my childhood were called Blue because he was a blue point and Kym after a cat in a Joyce Stranger book, and a NMC who moved in was given the name Blackie by my young niece, although he was actually black and white.
I used to work for the police and a police dog called Digger had to have his name shortened to Dig because Digger could be easily misheard as the N-word.

I have to agree that Benny is extremely cute! Walter already had his name. I was going to change it because it was my grandad's name, and unfortunately my family are not cat fans. They surprised me and said to keep it, and it really does suit him. Everyone comments on how much they love it.