Cats Living Together

Melly Boy is an only child and as much as I would love to have lots of cats, I understand his needs and I just don’t think he would cope with a feline friend.  He is king of the castle and I know he would not welcome a newcomer trying to take attention away from him.

Another one of our volunteers has 6 cats who all cohabit the same house quite peacefully.

At Cats Protection, we are often asked to help rehome cats when a new cat is introduced to a household and it doesn’t work out.

There are hints to why this can be a problem, when you look at our cats ancestry.  Our domestic cats share ancestry with African Wildcats, which can still be found in North Africa today, and these wild cats are solitary.  African Wildcats are very territorial and protect their area to ensure that they have enough food and resources.

So, our domestic moggies can have similar behaviour, however, in some cases they can live very well together.  These cases tend to be where the cats perceive themselves to be in the same social group, and where there are sufficient resources to avoid competition.

So, if you have a cat or cats, and want to introduce a new cat to the family – what do you do?

Firstly, I would think long and hard about this.  Just because cats have lived together before, doesn’t mean that they will do it again but it can work and handling the introduction of a new cat in a managed way can mean the difference between success and failure.  Cats Protection have produced an Essential Guide which will help talk you through the process of introduction as well as give you some great advice on how to spot trouble, and deal with it quickly and efficiently.

King of the Castle AKA Melly Boy

Introducing our new fosterer, Kate

Here is a little update from one of our new fosterers, Kate.

A phone call from one of the Camberley Cat’s co-ordinators, Chris, signalled the arrival of my first foster cat for Cats Protection,Tia.

Tia had been taken into the local vets by her owners because she was urinating around the house, outside the litter tray. They hadn’t been able to change her behaviour and decided to have her put down. The local vet recommended that Cats Protection got involved and the owner left Tia with the vet until I could collect her.

She’s a beautiful tabby grey pedigree type, probably a British Blue.  Anxious and initially shy, over a few quiet days in my studio at the end of the garden it was clear that Tia was an affectionate little lady. She used her cat litter consistently and didn’t once urinate anywhere else, so whatever was causing this stress-related behaviour was no longer evident. She is quietly friendly and enjoyed some playtime, even venturing out into the garden briefly. At 8 years old, she is more difficult to rehome than a younger cat. After 2 weeks of living with me she was collected by the Cats Protection Newbury as they had a found a wonderful forever home for her.

Gorgeous Tia

 

Next came along the lovely Blackie. Blackie was a stray, tomcat with beautiful long-haired black coat. First thing was for him to be dashed off to the vets to be neutered. He then came to stay with me for a couple of weeks before staying at another foster home, and then on to a forever home with a new family. He’s a great family cat, confident and cheeky and chatty too.  He loves people-time and was immediately affectionate and forward with me. He is certainly an outdoor cat and likes to explore, so it was hard to keep him indoors.  

Blackie is settling in well with his new family and although he was initially nervous of the toddler, he was very pleased to meet him.

Beautiful Boy Blackie

 

The Success of Mr Chips & Living with FIV

Meet Mr Chips!  He came into rescue as he was living rough in a back garden for over two years.  It took nearly 6 months to catch him as he was so nervous!  During that time Cats Protection supported the family feeding him, by giving them food to keep him going.

Once we had caught him, we took him to the vets where a blood test found him FIV positive along with a mouthful of bad teeth and coat full of knots—bless him.   

It was a blow for him to be diagnosed with FIV but that did not mean we could not help him back to health and find him a home.

So the dear boy was neutered (more complicated as his testicals had not descended), full dental make-over and a de-matting (as he was really badly matted, he did recieve quite a harsh haircut!)   All the medical treatment  went very well and we hoped someone might offer him a home and after not too long, he caught the attention of a very nice lady and he has now moved into his wonderful new forever home.

Since moving into his new home, he has come on in leaps and bounds.  He now enjoys cuddles, sitting on laps and strokes and even likes to lick his new owner!

We are so happy that this lovely fella has found a new forever home.  All too often, cats with FIV are overlooked and perhaps it is because people are unsure and afraid of the unknown.  

While there is no cure for FIV, when symptoms arise, they can usually be treated with drugs.

FIV cats cannot mix with cats who do not have the virus so they usually have to be only cats living indoors.  Partly this is to stop the spread but also to protect the FIV kitty from secondary infections

That said, FIV positive cats can live long, happy and healthy lives and we are sure the wonderful Mr Chips will too!  You can find out more about FIV here