Don't Know What To Do - Venting

[TooManyFelines]

I apologize for the long email and complaining. I pretty much know this situation is hopeless and there aren't any solutions to this, except for the obvious ones.

Because of a relative's illegal activity resulting in his arrest, we ended up taking in his 4 cats. We already have 4 of our own, so this completely sucks. The only alternative was to let animal control take them, they keep them for 72 hours and euthanize if they are not adopted in that time frame. Their shelter is up to their eyeballs in cats and kittens and these four are 5 and older, and one has diabetes, so they would not have had a chance.

We were hoping to privately re-home them, but that has been a complete flop. People are trying to give away cats, not adopt them. And the cat people we know have full houses already. No kill shelters in our area are completely full and not taking any more, they refer to animal control.

Doubling food, litter and vet expenses and having to buy insulin for the diabetic cat and shoot her every 12 hours is bad enough but now, a few months after taking them in, we have fighting resulting in bites. Most of this is instigated by our 13 year old male who hates having these intruders around.

The most recent fight resulted in a puncture that had to be treated by the vet and I am sick of this situation. We have an open floor plan and can't effectively separate everyone. We've tried the pheromone stuff you plug into your outlets, no effect. We've tried giving extra attention to everyone, no results.

So, we are trapped and since these kitties are not very old and still possible have years and years left, it does not look like things will improve for a long time.

I am sort of hoping someone here might have suggestions we haven't tried yet, but I am pretty sure there is nothing much we can do, except animal control and terrible guilt, or putting up with it indefinitely.

 

[Willowy]

That stinks .

Can you divide the house somehow? Upstairs and downstairs, half-and-half, etc.? Screen doors work for that. I know a fair number of people who have their homes divided to keep their dogs and/or cats separated.

 

[Kieka]

Can you build a catio or enclose an existing patio area? If your area is temperature doesn't drop too bad, you could move some of the cats out there or rotate the groups in and out.

If you don't mind sharing your (general) location maybe someone on this site would know of a rescue in your area with space.

 

[TooManyFelines]

Thanks so much for the suggestions. We have a small open plan rancher, so no upstairs/downstairs and no way to easily divide the house.

We have the bite victim secured in our bedroom, but he is not happy about it and going stir-crazy. He is used to having the run of the house. We do have an enclosed porch, but it is still air conditioning weather here (in the 90's) and too hot still for them to stay out there for more than an hour or 2. And it gets to freezing and below in winter. The best solution other than finding good homes would be to get them to all get along, but that seems somewhat unlikely at this point because they initially got along okay but things have deteriorated a lot. I know some people have had great results with the pheromone stuff and was hoping for the same, but it didn't work.

We are about an hour from a major city and I checked with the rescues there as well, same situation as in our small city. The brick and mortar rescues are full and the private rescues are foster people who have their hands full with the existing number of kitties. We are in the South, many, many unwanted animals due to people not spaying/neutering, plus dumping animals for various reasons, and resulting full shelters.

 

[FeebysOwner]

You can create separations with DIY storage shelves (some are up to 12 feet high, if necessary) that you can hinge together, even with something as simple as zip ties. That makes for some mobility in terms of moving/adjusting them. The bottom sections can even be covered with cardboard that can be zip-tied to the shelves as well (just use a screwdriver to create holes in the cardboard in order to zip tie them).

How about places like Next Door Neighbor web site - some times those sites are harboring "ghost" caretakers. I know that is how I found a couple in my neighborhood who PM'd me to say they could help when I needed it. It's worth a shot. Also, if anyone responds to you, ask them (probably privately) if they volunteer with other caretakers/centers that they could contact. At least in my neighborhood and surrounding area, there was a 'network' of them.

 

[LannyLC]

I think it was kind hearted of you to take the 4 cats. You want to prevent a shelter experience. But I honestly don't think you can manage 8 cats biting one another in an open environment. Not fair to you or the cats. I think you have to find other homes for the floofers. What about putting an add on Facebook and asking all your friends to re-post to their pages? I have a neighborhood Facebook page where we post stuff to help one another with anything from babysitting to pet rescue to car rides.

Sounds like you're out in the country an hour from the next city. Is there a church nearby where you can ask the pastor to put an emergency notice in your bulletin? Create a poster with a plea for help and stick that poster up everywhere you go. Reddit also has subreddits for cat rescue so you could ask there. Of course few people will take 4 cats so they may need 2, 3 or even 4 separate placements. And I'd check out Jackson Galaxy youtube videos and even email him because there is an answer to your problem, we just have to find it. Hang in there and god bless you for caring the way you do.

 

[TooManyFelines]

Feeby's, thanks for the suggestions. We have several local cat rescue/tnr people who've kept an ear out for potential good homes since July, but nothing so far. Too few good homes for way too many needy cats.

 

[TooManyFelines]

Lanny, thank you. We are close to the small city where the shelter is located, but an hour away from the large city. We are in a neighborhood subdivision, not the country. Don't do facebook, we do have a neighborhood next door page. But there are never any responses when someone tries to place a pet. Most people we know, including our neighbors, are our ages (pushing 60 and 70, respectively) and are letting attrition reduce the number of their pets, instead of taking in more. That is what we were planning to do as well. So much for plans.

 

[LannyLC]

Ohhh, yes, I understand. My goodness, what a situation. We'll all do some thinking on this one...

 

[Purr-fect]

I dont have any suggestions other than those proposed.

But thank you for taking in the cats.

 

[TooManyFelines]

I talked to the vet today and she said we could try a small dose of prozac so he will calm down and not provoke the other kitties. I am not quite on board with it because it can cause anorexia and he is already so upset by the "intruders" that he forgets to eat, so he has lost weight since we've taken them in and shouldn't lose anymore. But if nothing else works, we'll try it.

We can't supervise 24/7 so for now he is restricted to the bedroom until his injury is healed up. The other kitties are scared of him because the vet put a little red mesh shirt on him to keep the bandages in place and last night the sight of him resulted in lots of puffy tails and hissing and running away as quickly as possible.

 

[Kieka]

I talked to the vet today and she said we could try a small dose of prozac so he will calm down and not provoke the other kitties. I am not quite on board with it because it can cause anorexia and he is already so upset by the "intruders" that he forgets to eat, so he has lost weight since we've taken them in and shouldn't lose anymore. But if nothing else works, we'll try it.

We can't supervise 24/7 so for now he is restricted to the bedroom until his injury is healed up. The other kitties are scared of him because the vet put a little red mesh shirt on him to keep the bandages in place and last night the sight of him resulted in lots of puffy tails and hissing and running away as quickly as possible.

My girl gets really anxious about her space too. I was already giving my male CBD for arthritis so I started giving her a small amount to see if it would mellow her a smidgen (with vets agreement of try it and see what happens. I can’t pull her and the CBD is oil so I just add a drop in her meals). It really is amazing what just taking the edge off a little can do in terms of their own peace of mind. Rocket was so tightly wound that she was attacking the boys (who she’s known her whole life) and refusing to sleep so she could pace windows looking for other cats outside. It’s nice to see her relaxed again. I really do just the smallest amount needed to just take the edge off. She’s still a brat and gets in moods but it’s not constant. Prozac might have the same effect in tourney case.

 

[FeebysOwner]

The shirt probably also makes him smell differently. You can try rubbing the shirt with towels that have first been rubbed on the other cats - to 'exchange' scents. Or, you could try putting a dab of vanilla extract under the chins, at the base of their neck (by the spine) and at the base of the tail (again, on the spine not the underside of the tail!) of all of the cats to make them smell the same. Cats recognize each other by scent.

There are a ton of calming products on the market that you might consider trying - you might have to experiment a bit - not all work on all cats. Beside the Feliway sprays/diffusers, there is also another called Bach Rescue Remedy, which are drops you can rub into a cat's ear to help soothe them. A lot of people use these to help calm their cats before a vet visit. Look for others by doing in internet search on 'cat calming products'.

 

[Mer.kitten]

Idk how much this will help, but its all ive got:

Did you ever notice how a cat in need of help will sometimes go viral? We see pics, learn its story, and a few days later we hear 1000 peoole have submitted applications to adopt said animal.

My idea is this: instead of saying "i have four cats i need to rehome", make a bio of each cat. Make it detailed, personality tras its, how they like to be petted, cute things they do. Pics of them cuddling with you if they do, and pics of them in general. Doesnt have to be high quality-phone pics are fine. Then post the bios with pics everywhere. Post on your fb and ask people to share. Post on animal forums, maybe even print out flyers you can leave around your town. Its hard to interest people in ANOTHER cat that needs a home. But Ruby, the red tabby with 3 freckles on her nose, who snores when she sleeps, loves to cuddle, and carries her mousie toy around-someone may just see that and fall in love.

I know its not an instant solution, it may take a few months, but hopefully one by one, someone will fall in love with each kitty and adopt them.

Good luck, i hope things work out, andvyou are an amazing person for caring and taking them in.

 

[pearl99]

I only a little to offer- I have had a cat on Prozac once and there were no side effects- he ate well etc., it did calm him; all cats are different and no guarantees about side effects but just one instance of it not being detrimental. But you have to go with your gut on this one.
I'd probably still put a notice on NextDoor, it may not have worked in the past but people's situations change and it can't hurt. Who knows.
What a good heart you have to take in these kitties!

 

[Lisannez]

I know this is sort of an emergency situation and you are overwhelmed, but it sounds to me like part of this is that they were not properly introduced to each other. Can you maybe have the new cats leave the home for a few days and then come back and introduce them properly and see if that works? I understand this may be very time consuming and it is amazing that you are caring for that many cats. Other than that I do think that eventually they will get along, but they are just feeling each other out, asserting dominance for now. I just don't know how long this will last and I have concerns that someone or some animal may get really hurt. We had a cat growing up that was on Prozac due to incessant scratching. It worked fairly well. You could also maybe try crating the cats like you would a dog, but get a really large crate like for a full sized dog, and put the cats food and water in there, start with that. Then put the crates near each other, then gradually move up to letting them out around each other? I think too the new cats are likely very stressed and upset. They don't understand why their former owner is gone, and they have to adjust to a new owner, new routine, and new cats. are you feeding them the same thing as before? Do they share litter boxes (that could be an issue), do they use the same litter?

 

[TooManyFelines]

My girl gets really anxious about her space too. I was already giving my male CBD for arthritis so I started giving her a small amount to see if it would mellow her a smidgen (with vets agreement of try it and see what happens. I can’t pull her and the CBD is oil so I just add a drop in her meals). It really is amazing what just taking the edge off a little can do in terms of their own peace of mind. Rocket was so tightly wound that she was attacking the boys (who she’s known her whole life) and refusing to sleep so she could pace windows looking for other cats outside. It’s nice to see her relaxed again. I really do just the smallest amount needed to just take the edge off. She’s still a brat and gets in moods but it’s not constant. Prozac might have the same effect in tourney case.

CBD oil, I wouldn't have though of that! Our no-kill shelter/vet service sells CBD products, I noticed the sign when I had to refill diabetic kitty's insulin. Thank you for the suggestion, I'll call them next week and ask them if they have an oil that might be suitable for our situation.

The shirt probably also makes him smell differently. You can try rubbing the shirt with towels that have first been rubbed on the other cats - to 'exchange' scents. Or, you could try putting a dab of vanilla extract under the chins, at the base of their neck (by the spine) and at the base of the tail (again, on the spine not the underside of the tail!) of all of the cats to make them smell the same. Cats recognize each other by scent.

There are a ton of calming products on the market that you might consider trying - you might have to experiment a bit - not all work on all cats. Beside the Feliway sprays/diffusers, there is also another called Bach Rescue Remedy, which are drops you can rub into a cat's ear to help soothe them. A lot of people use these to help calm their cats before a vet visit. Look for others by doing in internet search on 'cat calming products'.

The shirt has come off, he tried to remove it in the middle of the night and managed to snag his bottom teeth in the mesh and could not get loose. Thankfully he was in the bedroom so his struggling woke both of us up and we were able to free him. Poor guy, he is having the worst time.

Thank you for the Bach remedy suggestion, I used that for one of our dogs years and years ago and IIRC, it worked well. I like the vanilla trick but with the cost of vanilla extract now, it might be cheaper to go with other options.

Idk how much this will help, but its all ive got:

Did you ever notice how a cat in need of help will sometimes go viral? We see pics, learn its story, and a few days later we hear 1000 peoole have submitted applications to adopt said animal.

My idea is this: instead of saying "i have four cats i need to rehome", make a bio of each cat. Make it detailed, personality tras its, how they like to be petted, cute things they do. Pics of them cuddling with you if they do, and pics of them in general. Doesnt have to be high quality-phone pics are fine. Then post the bios with pics everywhere. Post on your fb and ask people to share. Post on animal forums, maybe even print out flyers you can leave around your town. Its hard to interest people in ANOTHER cat that needs a home. But Ruby, the red tabby with 3 freckles on her nose, who snores when she sleeps, loves to cuddle, and carries her mousie toy around-someone may just see that and fall in love.

I know its not an instant solution, it may take a few months, but hopefully one by one, someone will fall in love with each kitty and adopt them.

Good luck, i hope things work out, andvyou are an amazing person for caring and taking them in.

Thank you, you are so right about pointing out the specialness of each kitty to get people interested. Honestly, I worry about them going to what only appears to be a good permanent home because I've seen so many people gung-ho about adopting a pet and then losing interest and abandoning or dumping after a few years. I would hate for this to happen to these 4, they've been through so much trauma already. I still have hopes that we can work this out and continue to keep them with us, that would be ideal.

I only a little to offer- I have had a cat on Prozac once and there were no side effects- he ate well etc., it did calm him; all cats are different and no guarantees about side effects but just one instance of it not being detrimental. But you have to go with your gut on this one.
I'd probably still put a notice on NextDoor, it may not have worked in the past but people's situations change and it can't hurt. Who knows.
What a good heart you have to take in these kitties!

That is good to know, I am sort of medication phobic and always expect the worst side effects, but if necessary we will try the prozac. It will be worth it if it works without causing him problems.

I know this is sort of an emergency situation and you are overwhelmed, but it sounds to me like part of this is that they were not properly introduced to each other. Can you maybe have the new cats leave the home for a few days and then come back and introduce them properly and see if that works? I understand this may be very time consuming and it is amazing that you are caring for that many cats. Other than that I do think that eventually they will get along, but they are just feeling each other out, asserting dominance for now. I just don't know how long this will last and I have concerns that someone or some animal may get really hurt. We had a cat growing up that was on Prozac due to incessant scratching. It worked fairly well. You could also maybe try crating the cats like you would a dog, but get a really large crate like for a full sized dog, and put the cats food and water in there, start with that. Then put the crates near each other, then gradually move up to letting them out around each other? I think too the new cats are likely very stressed and upset. They don't understand why their former owner is gone, and they have to adjust to a new owner, new routine, and new cats. are you feeding them the same thing as before? Do they share litter boxes (that could be an issue), do they use the same litter?

Yes, they are very stressed for sure. They did know each other already because we cat-sat for them a few times, but that was only for a couple weeks at most and now they've been here for almost 3 months. Removing them for a few days is impossible, unless we'd board them. The injured party has been confined to our bedroom and only let out when someone is there to supervise, but some sniping has occurred when he has ventured out or when 2 of the others have come into the bedroom. The other two new ones seem to be non-aggressive unless provoked while the youngest, who is a male, and the dominant female want to assert themselves against top cat.

There are 9 litter boxes with walnut litter and they all seem to like it, we've not had much inappropriate elimination. Only thing, no one covers their poops anymore, which makes everything quite stinky.

We don't feed the same because they were not fed very good quality food before, so we've kind of improved their diet a bit and they seem to like it. We feed canned twice daily because of the diabetic kitty, and there is some kibble down in between to supplement calories. Seems to work well, there is a chow line when the food gets dished out.

 

[5starcathotel]

8 cats. My god, I can't even....bless you!

I may be downvoted into oblivion for this, but, I'd open my door and let outdoor cats go outside, and only worry about keeping them fed and hydrated.

 

[TooManyFelines]

8 cats. My god, I can't even....bless you!

I may be downvoted into oblivion for this, but, I'd open my door and let outdoor cats go outside, and only worry about keeping them fed and hydrated.

We live close to a busy highway and we also like to feed the birds and other wildlife, so that's not an option. It is very difficult to take care of 8 though and with the added cost of food/litter, we are only going to be able to provide basic vet care for the four. Sometimes I do feel like we are nuts for doing this and we should have just let animal control take the, but the guilt!!