| Paw Colors | Points |
|---|---|
| Grey | 0-49 |
| Red | 50-149 |
| Orange | 150-299 |
| Green | 300-599 |
| Magenta | 600-1499 |
| Purple | 1500-4999 |
| Blue | 5000-9999 |
| Brown | 10000-24999 |
| Black | 25000+ |
After 4 years of togetherness and a lot of stress, I have decided to separate my 2 cats, ages 10 and 9. They never had a good relationship, and now the younger one always cringes around the bully and has anorexia issues. I was pressured into adopting the “bully” as a very young stray, maybe 6 weeks old. At the time, I was seriously ill and barely able to work, so she didn’t get the training she probably needed. Her other issues are destructive scratching, occasional inappropriate urination, and defiance to any discipline I try to impose. She was an only cat until she turned 6. With all of her issues, is there any hope for her with anyone else? She’s very cute, healthy, and sweet in a manipulative way, but she has a lot of baggage.
Keywords: aggression
Answers to this question
7 Answers
4
If you were to leave her at a shelter, she would not likely be adopted out simply due to her age, regardless of any other issues. It would not matter even if she were the sweetest, most well-behaved animal on the planet. Older cats simply do not get adopted out from shelters with any reliability. Even young adult animals are hard to place, once a cat is out of its cute little kitten stage (think two or three months old) it’s pretty difficult to find homes. Cats prone to litterbox lapses are especially difficult to place and when adopted out are often brought back only days or weeks later.
If you truly wish to re-home her, try to find a dedicated cat rescue organization that uses cat foster homes rather than shelters. They are usually better at finding good homes for cats than a general animal shelter. Otherwise try to find a home for her yourself (ask neighbors, friends, family members and other people you know) or take her to a *no-kill* shelter with the realization that she will likely spend the remainder of her life there in a solitary cage or as part of a group of unadoptables.
If possible you might want to try to find a way to keep both cats but in separate areas of the house. Do not feed them in the same area, get them separate litter boxes, etc. and put some physical barrier between them (i.e. put up a gate to separate the upstairs and downstairs or close a door between areas of the house). Some cats just don’t get along with other cats but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to keep them both.
Comments to Answer
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Your answer has the realism I was looking for. I had never researched relinquishing a cat until today, and it's apparent that it's no quick and easy solution. I am very concerned for Cookie's safety, as I have witnessed some disturbing attacks recently. It is heartbreaking to see her so sick to her stomach and beaten down emotionally. I only wonder what goes on while I'm at work. The other problem is that I live in a small 2-bedroom apartment, so while I can provide separate stations, they can't help but interact frequently in the common areas. Thanks for your thoughtful answer, I really appreciate it.
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Sadly telegramsam has spoken the reality. Shelters are so overwhelmed these days with people losing their homes in this economy. Her age and her issues pretty much make her unadoptable unless you can find a rescue that will deal with problems.
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I know it seems extreme, but until you can rehome one of the cats, have you tried confining one or the other in one of the bedrooms during the day? While you're at home you can break up any fights but when you're out it might be best for the other cat's safety if it were physically separated from the "bully". You can always alternate them out on who gets put in the spare bedroom. It's not ideal but cats sleep during the mid-day hours mostly anyway and it's better than letting one cat beat up on the other. Best of luck trying to re-home your cat, it is not an easy thing to do responsibly and I applaud you for trying to do right by your cat instead of dumping her outside or at a kill shelter like so many people do with unwanted animals.
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All cats have a chance at being adopted. Not all of them are fair chances, but everyone has a chance. Most shelters&rescues are over-populated with cats, and an older cat is the least interesting to most people. If you’re trying to find a good home, ask around local vet offices. Normally vets know of people(safe, good people) who are looking for an adoptable cat. Do not advertise “Free to a good home” in local papers; a lot of times people advertise there puppies “free to a good home” and the puppy-mill people pick them right up(in this case–a kitty-mill). It’s best to know or have a good reference of the people you are selling/giving your cat to.
If worst comes to worst and you do have to put your cat in a shelter/pound, make sure that it is a no-kill! Normally–and probably in your case– the cats who aren’t adopted quickly will be put-down if not in a no-kill shelter.
Sadly–as Telegramsam stated– your cat will not have a very good chance of being re-homed in a shelter. Your best bet is to–as Telegramsam said again– a dedicated rescue organization.
I hope all works out well with this kitty of yours!
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Thanks to all of you for your input.
My younger cat is still sickly, drinking a fair amount of water but still barely eating. The vomiting is mostly under control. I can’t afford to take her to the vet but I did get good online advice from a vet on home care. When I went back to work today, I set her up in her own room so she can heal and deal on her own. She is 9 years old and a Maine Coon. There’s a possibility that the vomiting could be coming from chronic renal failure. I hope not - I’ve been down this path once before.
Until I have a clearer picture on what is going on with Cookie’s health, I’m just going to keep the cats separated. If, God forbid, something is seriously wrong with Cookie, I would want to keep Lulu, as she did well as an only cat.
The saga continues. Say one for us!
Comments to Answer
1
I hope Cookie isn't sick but reducing her stress levels will help her if she is. If she's suffering from kidney issues your best bet is to switch her to canned food because of the higher water content, which will keep her well hydrated and support her kidneys better than any dry food would. Best of luck with this unfortunate situation!
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The reason your cat is vomitting is because it had something bad in it’s stomach and eat some grass to get it out.Then it vomitted the bad stuff out.don’t worry.Soon it will stop.
Or it is old.
Comments to Answer
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Actually, I took her to emergency last night on the advice of a vet. She was dehydrated from limited fluid intake, although she had stopped vomiting. She was diagnosed with acute gastritis and put on an IV all night. The vet ran a mini-panel and found her liver and kidneys are OK, but she has a high white cell count and potential issues with her pancreas. Only time and further testing will tell. I did buy some cat grass the other day, but the other cat is eating it. Oh well.
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I think there is always hope for cats. As there are different kinds of people that like different types of cats. Some like aggressive cats. So there will always be hope for that cat. For turning her to adoption inform the towns vet and he will make advertisements about that cat.
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i think that you should keep your cat. it sounds as if this cat is not long for this world and that you have had it a long time. despite its many -er- problems, i think that you know how sad you would be if you got rid of this cat. some possible problems could be illness, so hopefully if you get a yearly check-up, the vet can check it out. and maybe, since the cat is old, it has just become a pain. (as so many humans do) but none of what i have told you is distinctly helpful. i would continue doing what you are; seperating the two. possibly it would help to put this cat in a room that is not used often. whatever you decide to do, and however uneasy you may feel about keeping this cat, never forget: a cat is a cat no matter how misbehaved.
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