Made a mistake and don’t want a cat!

[DontWantACat]

About a month ago, a young cat turned up in my garden (live rural, lots of farms, horses/livery places, therefore always lots of cats), very skinny and obviously been in some difficulty as its neck was missing loads of hair, had healing cuts on it. Definitely not someone’s pet. I put out water and food for it, it wasn’t in great shape and while I’m really not a cat person, I couldn’t see an animal in difficulty without trying to help. Fed it for a week or so and it hung around, got its strength back.

Went on holiday for 10 days and thought it would break the cycle and the cat would move on again. Nope. The minute I got home it was there. Had lost weight again so I fed it again. And I’ve now been feeding it for 2 weeks.

It’s become completely obsessed with me. If it sees me in the kitchen it’s staring in the window/door, it’s sleeping outside the door every night, if I walk outside it’s walking around my feet. If it sit outside it’s rubbing off me and wrapping its tail round me. Or talking to me and doing the blinky eye thing.

But I don’t want a cat! I lost my last 2 pets about 6 weeks ago and I don’t want the responsibility again for a while. I’m also not really gone on cats, and definitely don’t want one in my house. I also don’t want to be responsible for vet bills and such.

I’ve rang the local rescues, they’re full. Shared in groups I’m part of, no takers.

What do I do? Do I stop feeding it? Will it move on?

Lovely animal @C080889- real moody look about her/him!

Aww what a cute little cat that has taken to trying to charm you OP. Not read all the comments so apologies, but do you have a local Facebook group that you can post the cat on to see if they are a missing pet? Or find a local charity that can paper collar the cat, and if no one comes forward they will rehome the cat through adoption? We have rescues in our area that have done this, but I don’t think every area has the same resources x

Find a rescue is the answer, surely?

I was going to say I’ll have her but then I read you’re in Ireland 🙁

OP has tried but they're full .
On an update she's on a waiting list as the cat isn't injured .

As you're in Ireland, I wouldn't hesitate to take up your vet's offer. Vets and rescues will move heaven and earth to find a rescue space for a healthy, friendly cat rather than PTS. It's also easier for them to shuffle cats around or put up a big dog crate with a few days' notice of a PTS deadline from a vet than to have a cat dumped on them with no notice at all.

You will be on the rescues' waiting lists but every rescue in the UK & Ireland is full and most are closed to new intakes unless it's a life-or-death emergency. They will work through the waiting list and an unspayed, pursued female will be higher up the list than most but she will be waiting a while. Mums and kittens, injured cats and PTS deadlines will take priority.

Ah, if her neck is in bits then she's likely to be pregnant. Male cats will bite females by the neck to hold them still while they mate them. Vets or spay ASAP before you have a litter of newborns on your hands.

Ya, I think I need to go back to the vet as well @NotDarkGothicMamaand reiterate how much I really can’t take the cat on. They know me well, brought many of my own animals and random sickly animals I’ve picked up to them and they see me as a soft touch I’m sure.

Cat showed up about 7 weeks ago now and all the back of its neck hair, and some around the sides, was missing, completely bald, and it had big wounds that were scabbed over and healing at the time. I didn’t realise male cats would do that, it seemed a lot more serious though, like it had been caught in something, or even tied up for a long period. It’s actually grown all the hair back now, I cleaned the wounds a couple of times but they’ve healed on their own as well.

Definitely not pregnant now, but it’s only a matter of time I’m sure 😭

Oh for goodness sake. I was all invested and ready to take her in…and now I find out you’re not in the UK

@UnaGatita it's only a short hop to ROI!

Ah stop! That’s so kind, maybe someone from Ireland will see this thread and want to adopt her! 🤞

Haha, so true! And I’m only 15mins from an airport here!

I’m so sorry for your own pet losses. I can relate to that feeling of just not being up to taking on all the responsibilities of another little animal person. I’m feeling quite raw in that way myself.

You’re a very good person, and I hope the right person turns up soon for you and this little cat.

Just want to second this advice - please don’t advertise an animal online, people can be very devious and cruel 😞

Help with spaying costs in ROI:

• CDPA scheme - you don't need to be on a low income to get help for a stray cat. Click through to the form and strays are one of the criteria for support.
• Blue Cross clinic in Inchicore, Dublin - only if you're in receipt of certain benefits.
• Rural Animal Welfare Resources - voucher scheme working with various vets in Cork.
• Local SPCA branches run their own spay and neuter schemes. Google will find your local branch, although it looks like you might know them well already through the rescue work you've done with other animals ❤

Where are you @DontWantACat? I'd take her. I have 3 cats and recently lost my tuxedo boy. I'd travel for her. 🥰

RTFT or at least OP updates, FFS

Ah just seen Ireland. Would you be willing to get her a pet passport if I paid? Happy to discuss privately

If only I had a passport. But I’d have to do the ‘small boat’ method into Belfast and cross the border. Aye, it’s certainly tempting. I can get nowhere near the feral cat my neighbour feeds (v sad about this) and my lifestyle would suit a feline companion.

Thank you so much for this, have just completed the CDPA form for low cost spaying. There is a participating vet about an hour from me, if they can see the cat on a Saturday it might work. I don’t particularly want to take an annual leave day but I’ll see what happens.

Thank you 🙏

Yes, if I’m out of options then definitely! I’ll look into what getting a pet passport entails 👍

Good luck! Let us know how you get on. I know my vets are very accommodating around working hours. I usually drop my rescue cats off around 8-8.30am and pick them up between 6-7pm after a spay.

Not the update that everyone wanted I’m sure but maybe it’s a realistic viewpoint some people have of cats.

Have continued to feed it, got a response from CDPA that they could spay the cat for €60 at a vet 1.5 hour away from me. So that involves buying a carrier, getting the cat in it, 3 hours driving, hanging around for the appointment, and then looking after the cat while it has its procedure. They use a cone so it would need to be inside for a minimum of 3 days. I do not want a cat in my house.

Even with all of that I was considering it, until today. The cat has eaten 2! field mice today alone on my patio, and a baby shrew a couple days ago that I had been happily watching an hour before. I’ve woken up to numerous other dead animals on my doorstep over the last few weeks that have then disappeared so I assume it’s eaten them as well. Won’t attempt to tackle another cat, or even one of the corvids, just the small defenceless animals.

But the final straw… I have just been woken up, and scared out of my absolute fucking wits at 2 in the morning by this cat. Was in bed, and the door started opening. I’m a light sleeper and don’t fully close my bedroom door. Thought it might have been a breeze through the windows in the house on the latch. No… it was the cat. No idea how it got in the house, all windows and doors closed, or how long it’s been in here, I’ve been in bed since 10pm. I ran it down the stairs, couldn’t see it go out the door so had to go through the house again and eventually found it in another room and ran it out the door. It then had the audacity to come back again so I checked a jug of water on it.

I’m done. Food bowls outside removed, thrown the rest of the cat food I bought in the bin. Never liked cats, they’re an absolute scourge to wildlife and the cat will get the jug of water every time it comes here.

If dogs were out killing rabbits and cats like this, people would be up in arms. I tried my best, helped it when it was weak, but my god they’re disgusting animals.

It broke in 🤣🤣

Wtf? Chucking a jug of water over a cat every time it comes to you is animal abuse. Please do not do this. I’m sure if you told a rescue this is your plan they will end up finding a way to take the cat in. What a horrible end to an otherwise kind deed you’ve done.