Possibly adopting a Persian cat...

[Honeyplease]

A friend of a friend is desperate to re-home her Persian cat, she's just had a baby and the cat is stressed and weeing on all the baby's things constantly. Friend says that new mum has taken to shutting the cat out in the rain to "teach him a lesson" 🥺 I feel dreadfully sorry for him.

We have a dog and a cat already (who gets on fine) and also a 6 year old and a 2 year old who are respectful of the animals but can be quite loud.

I've been told that the Persian cat lives with a 4 year old and a dog and is fine with both of those but has taken a dislike to the new baby. He also has access to outside but mostly stays in.

I feel like he could slot into our family no problem but I'm wary of taking him on in case he doesn't settle, or continues to wee on things. I've seen a picture of him and he's a small fella but he has quite a flat face and very grubby eyes, also looks like he needs a good brush. He's 4 years old.

Any advice very much welcome. Pros/cons etc?

Be careful, if he has breathing problems he could be in pain/ discomfort and in need of an operation. This could be very expensive. I would get him - or get your friend to -checked out by a vet and make sure he is fully insured before you take him on.

If he is very matted, you can have the vet put them to sleep and shaved. This is about £160. If he is not used to being regularly groomed and won't let you do this, his fur could be a nightmare to try to keep on top of. 90% of looking after a Persian is daily grooming of the fur/ fluff.

FYI, they can't look after their own coat so are completely dependant on you.
Your friend has been torturing this animal by locking it out in the rain. Its coat could be in a bad way. We

We had to sign papers from the breeder to promise this would be an indoor cat which, I believe, is standard.

I've fostered several Persians. They are definitely on the higher maintenance end of the spectrum in terms of higher vet bills and grooming needs. I wonder if a busy family home is the best outcome for this kity who has been neglected and needs extra tlc. Suggest a quieter home with someone who has experience of the breed.

Once knots are removed from the coat, regular grooming will prevent further knots and matting, assuming the cat is semi okay with being brushed. Mucky are common with the breed due to the squashed face.

No one can advise if he will fit with your family or if he will or won't continue to pee, that will only be found out if you try.

We rehomed a rescue when I was younger and one of our existing cats didn't like him and started spraying inside, he never did stop, was very frustrating.

This cat sounds like it could be a walking vet bill. I have had a cat with a wee problem, it took a lot of time and expense to sort out and if it is stress because of a baby, your home with a dog and children may not be a good fit. I wouldn't volunteer to take a cat with a known wee issue in to a house with small children. With a rubbish owner I bet the cat hasn't had worm and flea treatments or vaccines. I know 'crispy' breathing Persians can lead long, happy lives but again the rough breathing could be a sign of something very wrong.

I think she needs to take him to the vet - if my cat gets stressed like this he gets stressed induced cyistis and male cats can have their bladder explode as the inflammation can block the tube. It is solvable by giving 1 anti inflammatory pill each day. There are also some stress supplements the vet can recommend.
Also she doesn't want to assume its because of the baby - my cat started weeing on things and I assumed it was because we were packing to move and got him the anti inflammories - but he got very sick and turns out he was stressed as he had in infection in his tooth bless him. After some meds he is no longer peeing on things inside - there is also a spray you can get with cat happy hormones you can spray yourself around and then they don't pee there.

I've got 2 cats which I've had from kittens and get on well together, I've also taken in 2 strays. First stray started sleeping in the garden and it was a slow introduction to my existing cats, went fine. Second cat was rehoming a stray that got dumped at our vets. This went horrendously, partly because I thought my 2 would be fine, they took the introduction of a new cat inside the house "their territory" incredibly badly. Cat had to be returned after 2 months as every attempt at introduction escalated and they just would not tolerate each other. Cats do wee everywhere when stressed, mine do it if they smell dogs on something but apart from this are fine, so it could be the cat stops weeing once neutered / away from stress of new baby. If you do rehome, ideally the cat will need a few weeks in its own quiet safe space, and very gradual, gentle introduction to the existing animals. Also make sure you neuter beforehand, regardless of the sex of your existing cat, an unneutered introduction is a recipe for disaster. Cats protection also run a home to home scheme, so if you don't want to keep it long term you could foster while you find a proper long term home for it. I wouldn't leave it where it is, that owner sounds dreadful. No excuse for treating an animal like that, no wonder the poor thing is stressed.

That poor cat. Please adopt him and take him away from your awful friend.

My Persian rescue is the sweetest cat, she spends the day following me around and likes to pop up on work calls. She’s also very very playful (at 6 ish years old) and shouts at us if there isn’t enough entertainment. She’s on the windowsill at the moment, sizing up the birds. Luckily for them she’s an indoor cat!

Compared to my robust moggy though, she’s a very high maintenance (aka expensive and time consuming) cat! She has dental issues, which are common for the breed. She’s lucky that her face isn’t too flat, but she has developed asthma and needs to be given an inhaler 2x day- not sure if that’s breed related or bad luck. She needs her eyes wiped with a cotton pad every couple of days, and I brush her daily to keep on top of her coat. It only takes 5-10 minutes if the coat is in generally good shape. She gets groomed every 3-4 months to keep her belly and butt short and low- maintenance.

She’s absolutely worth it and her care fits right in to the day, but something to consider.

@radioactivekumkuat your sound just like Cheddar. She once came home with a Robin in her mouth. I could t believe it. It had been taunting her for ages. To this day I have no ire how she caught it. She's not a jumper or climber, and is very sweet but dim. 😂😂

Make sure you take him to a vet to get this checked out before you bring him home. If it's anything infectious you dont want it being passed to your other cat.

Overbred sadly with these breeds with short snouts. Our ragdoll rescue is the same with dirty eyes because the tear ducts are too short because skull is too small/flat. Will be annoying for him but unlikely to cause any vet bills really we've had ours for two years and he makes this noise but hasn't needed treatment (or rather there's no treatment the vet can offer). Just go slowly bathroom a good idea. Then scent switch between the pets. And remember rule of one litter tray for each cat plus one.

It’s great of you to be worried about the cat. The absolute best thing for the cat would be to be taken in by a reputable cat rescue, who can place it with an experienced suitable foster placement or new home, somebody who has the right circumstances & can commit to keeping the cat long term no matter how long it takes to settle. The cat couldn’t handle 1 baby, so going to a home with multiple loud young children and pets is going to be even worse. A change in home or any circumstances is extremely stressful for cats. Hopefully you can do some research & find a good rescue to take it so it can get settled somewhere suitable x

I'm glad other people are coming along to say be cautious.

A neglected Tom cat with breathing difficulties who finds babies stressful shouldn't go and live in a house with two small children and other animals.

I find on here people are very quick to say "oh, you have to have him!" without actually thinking about anyone's best interests long-term.

Thanks everyone. We decided not to adopt the cat as we have some concerns about his breathing and we are not in a position to foot big vet bills.
I am super disappointed but know it's the right decision.

Have a rethink. He can be insured for as little as £24 a month medical insurance for pets and that should cover all vet bills. You could also speak to a local vet to ask about breathing in Persians. My ex NDN adopted a Persian and had no issues with her and had other cats and a dog!

Good decision @Honeyplease . As I said previously the owner should approach a Persian specialist rescue and see whether they can help her .

No experience with Persians but when a cat moves house it’s recommend to keep them inside for at least 2 weeks. A spare room would be ideal for the cat to start in but if you don’t have one maybe a study or otherwise yes bathroom, or your bedroom? When we moved we had our 2 cats in our bedroom for the first few days, with a litter tray. Which I realise some people will find gross but we kept it clean and tidy and it’s only temporary to help them settle. Then gradually allow access to the rest of the house for the cat to explore. Best of luck 😍

Surely if a cat is already wheezing, it would be counted as a pre-existing condition and therefore not covered by most reputable insurers?

@Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain OP won't be covered by insurance as it's a pre-existing condition.

St Francis is closing. I think Strawberry is the only other one

Oh no! 😢

Bathroom or your bedroom with a little box. Be aware there very well may be accidents as he settles in. It’ll be a big adjustment and to just be kind to him as he does settle.