Yet Another Cycling Forum
Random Musings => Miscellany => Where The Wild Things Are => Topic started by: Martin on 21 April, 2008, 03:41:11 pm
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as yACF seems to be Probably the Most Useful Forum in the World;
10 mins after burying our old (15) black cat last month (croaked whilst I was Up the Uts :() the boys demanded one (each; but that's another battle)
I really like tabby/white (our old 5 year old one got squished) but torty considered. Preferably not before September and after summer hols as can't be doing with catteries
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Cats Protection
You get them serviced, polished, neutered & chipped. Soon it'll be kitten time and they'll be knee-deep in them. Give them a donation in exchange - they do good work.
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But try not to get a feral one. They're often asked to clear barns by farmers, and feral cats of a few generations (i.e. a few years; they breed like rabbits) can run away at the slightest provocation and/or shred your worldly goods. Ask about the kitten's origins.
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that's my worry with the CPL; Mrs Zoom went to the RSPCA once and it was very scary; they were trying to put people off or palm them off with rescue cats which were on crack; it was an open day and she just went for a look see and they more or less told her to piss off.
Would much rather get a surplus one from someone I knew or at least knew it was from a good home.
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It's fine. Ours came from CPL and they're just lovely. Kind, well-behaved and affectionate :)
As RZ said, common sense applies - but then it should anyway. Even kitties from "good homes" can have FILV or cat flu, or behavioural problems.
CPL are a bit more switched on than RSPCA - RSPCA will put animals down if they're poorly or can't be homed quickly; CPL will mend them and make sure they're fit to rehome*
*edit: our Small Fat Cat was terribly ill when CPL rescued her and her bro, and the repair bill was many, many hundreds of pounds - apparently.
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Thanks; there are a couple of CPL nearby (and near to farms) we'll check them out,
I can tell we will walk out with the first ball of fluff we clap eyes on.
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Can I put in a recommendation for the Battersea Cats and Dogs Home?
Montezuma came from there and they are quite, quite lovely. If the moggy's not A1 tip-top perfect, they'll tell you as much. Otherwise, it'll come with a chip'n'pin, all it's shots, V5 form, 12 months MOT anna big bag of cat nosh.
Beware, though - the Cats section is packed full of broody lesbians :)
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All of our moggies have been rescue cats (all from CPL apart from one who got squished).
The latest two are brothers and it's the best thing getting brothers (or sisters), they keep each other company, get on brilliantly (but still play-fight) and also they've stayed kitteny for much longer than previous only-cats.
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The latest two are brothers and it's the best thing getting brothers (or sisters), they keep each other company, get on brilliantly (but still play-fight)
Ours are bother-and-sister, and they real-fight.
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our old one was a (sort of) rescue cat that had gone from pillar to post courtesy of my brother's first wife and her assorted friends even having run away and got run over; it was 2 when we got it and quite jumpy but he did settle down and become loveable; we (and the boys especially) never bonded with it like we did with a kitten; it was just The Cat. I think it's important to do so.
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Beware, though - the Cats section is packed full of broody lesbians :)
CPL volunteers are usually the stereotypical "mad catwoman"; crazy hair, vast bosom, somewhat round in build, wearing a thick ribbed jumper (covered in cat hair) and wellies. They tend to keep their home addresses secret at first, because otherwise people keep leaving boxes of kittens on their doorstep :-\
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+1 for multiple kittens - two cats are less work than one, because they'll entertain each other when the humans are busy. And cat-interactions are great fun to watch. Even my grumpy old Bearcat, who hates 'most everything, is a happier and chirpier beastie when the other cats are about for her to scowl at.
(I think that n+1 applies to cats as well as bikes, though.)
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+1 for multiple kittens - two cats are less work than one
but twice as much in vet's bills, food, jabs, catteries, weekend auto-feeders; and once the boys have got bored who's going to feed them?
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Economies of scale. Filling 2 bowls with biccies isn't really any more bother than 1; take both to the vet or their jabs together - saves time, saves consultation fees.
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Soon it'll be kitten time and they'll be knee-deep in them.
*squee!*
+1 to two kittens. They'll chase each other down the sofa. :thumbsup:
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I don't know where you are, but I have to recommend this place
http://mayhewanimalhome.org/
They are very straight with you if an animal has any behavioural probs etc. And you can have a little online browse of the cats available at the moment, as they are pretty good about keeping their site up to date. Like other good places, the cat also comes microchipped/neutered/MOT'd etc.
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I'm not sure where you are, or if this is any help, but my colleague is looking for homes for 5 beautiful kittens (2 x black and 3 x tabby)
Feel free to PM me if you might be interested.
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I'm not sure where you are, or if this is any help, but my colleague is looking for homes for 5 beautiful kittens (2 x black and 3 x tabby)
Feel free to PM me if you might be interested.
ooh ooh; Jpegs?
(checks your profile, Shropshire, maybe not)
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The Blue Cross are also excellent for rehoming Cats and Dogs. I'd use them for my next mog(s), but none of the Blue Cross centres seems to rehome cats in London (or at least not the Croydon part of it anyway).
I got my old cat from the Blue Cross in Burford, and the amount of info they had on each animal was impressive. They detailed the history where they had it, and what sort of environment the animal needed etc. Do a google for the Blue Cross website, and see if they have a centre near you.
Some of the CPL groups appear to be similar, although they do seem to be more dependent on lots of volunteers, and hence aren't as centralised as organisations like the Blue Cross, and Battersea.
Once I've got the house reasonably sorted out, I'll be off to find some little furry buggers, although I like pre-owned adult cats, they're probably better off to be left by themselves than kittens would be.
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k-day approaches (the boys will expect one the minute we get back from holiday). As a visit to Cats Protection is looking increasingly like a visit from the Scientologists I've scanned the local papers and ads in the pet shop; loads available but they all want money for them :hand: this strikes me as a Bad Thing as they are breeding them speciallly (as if there anren't enough anyway).
Very worrying BBC news article this a.m about puppies being offered for sale in very poor health :(
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Yes- you'll often find that cats from private sellers and shops have all sorts of health problems. Plus, you have to ask why they are selling them when the CPL and others have cages full of them needing homes.
People wanting to find good homes for kittens for free is a different thing of course
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As a visit to Cats Protection is looking increasingly like a visit from the Scientologists
How so? The CP just want to make sure that they are rehoming the cats they are responsible for to a suitable home, and not to a bunch of crack-addled alcoholics with no cat food.
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If you live in a farming area, try asking farmers.
My parents live on a farm and they were adopted by a cat who just happened to be very very pregnant, my mum couldn't see any point in trying to sell the little blighers so she advertised in the vets and pet shop, all went very quickly, we were lucky to get Lord Dashworth....
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As a visit to Cats Protection is looking increasingly like a visit from the Scientologists
How so? The CP just want to make sure that they are rehoming the cats they are responsible for to a suitable home, and not to a bunch of crack-addled alcoholics with no cat food.
I'm sure it will be OK (and I'll show them the bank statements for our last tranche of vet bills if not) just that looking at their website Cats Protection (http://www.cats.org.uk) it all looks a bit intimidating.
and also; we want a kitten; not an outcast, they all end up as cats after 6 months anyway but it's important to do the bonding thing; my gut feeling is that they will have a lot of rescues they are keen to rehome.
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Ach, home visits are fine, there's not much point in them re-homing an elderly cat that just wants a quiet life with a young family of several after all!
And as you've had cats before it'll all be fine.
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crazy hair, vast bosom, somewhat round in build, wearing a thick ribbed jumper (covered in cat hair) and wellies.
Oh. Oh dear..... My destiny clearly awaits....
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and also; we want a kitten; not an outcast, they all end up as cats after 6 months anyway but it's important to do the bonding thing; my gut feeling is that they will have a lot of rescues they are keen to rehome.
They'll bond just fine
ours were rescued at about 18 months old, in a fairly poor state, and spent 6 months being brought back to health. The little fat one has spent the whole morning hanging round my neck and purring, and now is trying to go to sleep on the keyboard :)
The home visit is fine too - unless you have no garden and live on a main road, when they may be a bit fussy.
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the bonding we need is from our kids :-\
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CPL or RSPCA are the places to go, though I'd make an exception round here - I'm close to the Battersea Dogs and cats home.
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I know what Martin means though, if you look at the CPL or Battersea websites, there are long forms full of questions, discussions of suitability, home visits etc etc. It does all sound like a lot of faff, even compared to ten years back when we adopted Tali from the Blue Cross.
I think we filled a form in when we picked him up, and I paid them a donation (more than the minimum requested, since I think they do a very good job), but it wasn't particularly onerous. Having said that, I think that when we picked him up, it was something like our fifth or sixth visit, and it was a 70 miles round trip, so we were clearly reasonably serious about it, and willing to spend more than the minimum amount of money!
I suspect that these organisations have a very poor view of people who want dogs and cats, since the reason they exist is because a lot of people are clearly incapable of looking after these animals, it's guess that it's bound to colour your views, and make you want to check new homes out as much as possible.
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After Lamb Chop, our elderly cat died from wonky kidneyosis, we got our new kitties from Croydon Animal Samaritans, a small charity. It was always going to be rescue cats (we'd wanted a kitten for ages, but Lamb Chop didn't play well with others so we didn't dare subject her to that). After a brief email exchange about suitability, foster lady came around for a brief chat and to check we weren't planning to eat them. To be honest, I'd have gone elsewhere if they hadn't exhibited due diligence. A couple days later we popped around to see a potentially suitable couple of kittens. An hour later they opted to follow us home.
Anyway, they were neutered, vaccinated, and chipped. Actually, The Honeymonster had one vaccination to go, so we had to sign a form saying we'd do that, and return it with the vet's signature to confirm. And another form to say that if there was any problem we would return the kittens to them and only them (and that we wouldn't sell them). The were open about their history (La-La was a serial bed pooper, but her original owners didn't want a litter tray out all the time, and The Honeymonster had taken a literal taste to the horrible family child). Oh, and the bout of explosive diarrhoea they'd both had was described in Tarantino-esque detail.
As I say, they didn't hold anything back, and the foster lady's main concern was evidently owners who wouldn't dump them at the first sign of trouble. I was almost expecting to be sprayed with shit and then have my limbs bitten off when we finally visited. We were fortunately disappointed.
So, we now have the Two Kittens of the Apocalypse. And they're great. Other than when they re-enact famous battles of WWII at the bottom of the bed at 4am. Which is every morning.
I wouldn't ever get a cat or kitten from a newspaper ad or a 'breeder'.
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This thread is useless without pics.
Pleeeeeeeze?
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Oh Ian, you have made me larf!
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Now look what you lot have done!
#1 son and I have been to a cat refuge today. Only looking of course. ::-)
14 week old Trevor is now playing happily in the kitchen and making himself generally at home at Brush Towers. ;D
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Well Basil, I think you have a duty to get yourself over to the gratutitous cats thread (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=144.new#new) and let us all see!
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Well Basil, I think you have a duty to get yourself over to the gratutitous cats thread (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=144.new#new) and let us all see!
OK. Only a mobile phone pic. (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=144.msg93768#msg93768)
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Having got the family hols out of the way we finally visited the National Cat Centre which is handily only 6 miles away yesterday; quite an emotional experience seeing all those poor 12-17 year old cats staring pleadingly at you (IMX taking on of those would be like buying an old Rover car). We picked up the only pair of kittens they had and had to be crowbarred away from them (hair too long apparently); home visit next week after which it will probably be a twice weekly trip until we get the right pair. Quite noticeable just how much bigger boys are than girls.
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the lady from Del Monte she say yes; going to choose two on Friday; they don't half lay on the guilt trip about a donation....
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Fair exchange really - they'll be vaccinated & chipped etc. That'll save you the sharp end of £100.
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I was going to give £50 each anyway; she said they needed to be fed at 12.00 precisely every day to which Mrs Zoom replied she'd be at work, and keeping them in until 5-6 months old ??
called in at the centre's open day on Sunday; suffice to say anything that wasn't frothing at the mouth or showing its arse had been reserved including all the kittens. Friday is kitten day that's when the vet releases them; a bit like Bluewater on Boxing day.
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Presenting Star
(http://www.fotothing.com/photos/19f/19ffb2de771dfb377eb32aba05b5005f.jpg?ts=1221238390)
(http://www.fotothing.com/photos/ee5/ee5bc1acf24fc5ae4795a500b582f8c4.jpg?ts=1221238886)
and Blaze
(http://www.fotothing.com/photos/27f/27f8472cf41cd63314dafe23d4699d82.jpg?ts=1221238482)
(http://www.fotothing.com/photos/73e/73ef6984c6c9ee67406c551668ace026.jpg?ts=1221238853)
(http://www.fotothing.com/photos/ef8/ef89ad0eaa449df5e9dc9173f30ef117.jpg?ts=1221239538)
:)
Of course just as we were about to leave the Cat Centre a family who fell in love with Blaze at the Open Day called in to reserve her as they were only released today :'(
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That's one pretty kitty :)
[Or even 2]