Miscellaneous Forum

Katherine I don't like cats at all but do appreciate your plight. Do you have any friends with a farm or lots of property? Do you have friends who like cats who wouldn't mind taking one or two? I am assuming a cattery is like a kennel which would be expensive for a month.

I haven't any advice for you in the cat department as I don't have any but I have lived through a flood. Apart from being displaced for a time, the biggest problem I had was contending with the smell. It lasted for years in those items of furniture that had been submerged. I hope that everything goes well for you. Hugs, Carole.

I've never had cats (allergic), but for my dog and other pets it was always better to leave them in a good kennel. A stay in any new place will be stressful, and at least in a good professional kennel they will be confined and cared for correctly. If you choose to go with a kennel, there are guidelines for finding a good one. I found this for cats, which is along the lines of what I used to look for when boarding my dog: fabcats.org/catteries/infosh... From my (admittedly limited) experience with cats, they are practical creatures, and seem to handle changes in circumstance well. I always found that it was much harder on me, leaving my pets, than it was on them, because I was always afraid that someone else couldn't or wouldn't take care of them as well as I could. Animals just are where they are, though. Make sure your cats have whatever shots they need for communal living, send a few familiar toys, and I'm sure they'll be fine.

Sorry to hear about your major disruptions at your house Katherine . Our son works away from his house for 2 sometimes 3 weeks So we worried about his Cat ,so we decided we will take her home and feed her and such She has been under our bed hiding for two weeks solid and she peeps out when noon is around to eat and use her litter box Now finally little by little she comes out more and she starts to socialize a bit . So yes I think your Cats will be NOT happy at all . Not sure what to advice you but I do hope things will work out for your Cats and you & hubby as well of course Good Luck Hansi

Cattery def. the way to go. Much as we hate doing it, in this case, much better for the pet. Under stress, cats can not only become ill but also try to run away and could potentially disappear on you. I have 3 of my own, Ii feel for you. Homer

If you take the cats to a cat house ;-), don't take them to your vet's. The only time my cats ever get sick is when they have to spend the night at the vet's...too many germs there. Where I live, there are companies that specialize in providing care for cats, where they spend most of the day in a cage, but part of the day out and about in a play area. I have been known to donate a smelly undershirt to the cats' cages...for reasons that escape my wife's understanding, this makes them feel at home. I have moved with cats, and yes it is stressful, especially for older neutered males. I found that literally sitting down them and talking to them about the move actually helped...yeah, I know it's weird, but I did it both ways, and the talking helped...I assume that the tone of voice and close contact reassured the cats that the world was not ending. In your case for a month, that's a tough call. Yes, you will have to keep an iron leash on the little darlings in a rent house, because they will want to escape to go home...so maybe a cat hotel is best, if you find one that actually just caters to cat guests as opposed to any sort of hospital or clinic... Bill

Oh, I should mention that earlier this year, we had 20+ feet of drain pipe removed from under the foundation, which required punching two holes in the floor and a lot of sideways digging. All told, this whole process of digging under the slab and replacing the pipe then the floor took about 6 weeks. Of course, we didn't dare let the girls into the areas with the holes, or they would have immediately gone under the house...fortunately, there wouldn't have been too many places to go... We had about 40% of the flooring in the house replaced. However, at all times, we kept the cats in either the "back" of the house where our offices and bedrooms are, or in the garage where the litter boxes are. Of course, at night, we would cover the holes, and the cats could roam around the house. It helped that one is quite shy of strangers so when the workmen would arrive, she would vaporize. I mention this because we didn't have to move out of the house during the floor replacement. Perhaps you can stage the work so that the actual amount of time out of the house is much less and therefore you can reduce the amount of time that the critters spend in the cat resort... Bill

Now almost 4 in the morning here and I'm in the kitchen hoping and praying the male 10 year old who's hiding under a vast area of shrubbery in the garden, might come out. He spent last night in the cat hospital as he was mysteriously injured yesterday. Came in wailing and moaning which I put down to stress as another large noisy skip had just been dropped on the road outside. Later we knew he was in pain and my darling husband slithered all along the inside storage area I the attic to get him out of there. Eventually the vet made a house call, got him in a basket and we went to the hospital. He was completely ballistic. She said his injury wasn't serious and that he could come home with painkillers. All day he hid under the bed and at around 8 I delicately urged him out thinking that he'd calm down and eat in the garden. Didn't eat or drink and I haven't got his pain meds into him. I did find him under the bushes but he just kept moving away. Tried skaking the bush about so he might run into the kitchen but no luck so far - except the young one has now got out as well. These are all rescue cats who came from ill-treated backgrounds and we have loved and cherished them for 11, 10 and 4 years respectively. They are shy with other people a d judging on tonight's level of stress from the injured cat, I just can't get my head around abandoning them. Well, time for another crawl under the shrubbery in the rain. Why do we have pets ???? cos we love them amd they love us back. Simple answer really. Good advice here, keep it coming before the infamous Irish non-drinker starts hitting the brandy :)

Taylor, Bill , Homer, good advice, logical, sensible advice. I' going to see a just opened cattery in the morning and if it's well set up and them owner seems okay, we'll come home , think and hopefully make a more informed decision. I have tried to work out ways that we could stay but they are all of a nervous disposition and the noise of builders tearing up wooden floors, hurling them out in the garden,banging, hammering and shouting would freak them out entirely. Then. Concrete must be poured and those floors must dry ands it goes on. Better go back to trying to get Splash in as I'm afraid he'll die if I don't get him inside and give him his meds. Dianne and Carol, thank you for your helpful points as well.

Heading for 5 now and I'm finally off to bed. The last crawl through the bushes was hopeless so I came in and savaged a packet of Jaffa Cakes for comfort. But finally, as the little cat came in, triumphantly chasing a big moth, splash's giant black head appeared as well . He has 't eaten anything but allowed me to rub and cuddle him before shooting upstairs, duobtless to find another bed to hide under. But at least he's in a warm house and out of the rain. Hansi, your son is lucky to have you and !ori as cat-sitters. Good night/ morning/ evening from water and mud logged Cork !

How awful for you! Of course you do realise the timescale given to you, ie. a month, is in Irish time, don't you?! My guess is to double that, probably. :-) As for the cats, you have my sympathies. I have so many stories to tell with our rescues. I wonder do all our cats realise just how fortunate they are?! Your choice is a difficult one I think, Katherine. However, you will *have* to move out of your home, until this mess is sorted. Separation anxiety will be horrible for these nervous creatures, in a cattery. They will miss you and the smells of other cats may be threatening too. If you could take them to your rented, temporary accommodation, I would suggest you keep them enclosed in one room, a spare bedroom perhaps, for the lenght of your stay. Complete with their own blankets/bedding, and a few litter trays, it would be like a cattery, but they would see and hear you often...? It is a difficult one alright, and I really am not sure what I would do. I think, if you are meticulous about closing doors, and not leaving windows open, (using an "airlock" system) like when you bring a new cat home, then I would opt for taking them with me. They would accept that that one room would be their place for now. Oh, and if you can buy some Catnip spray or catnip scented toys, it is wonderfuly calming for them. We used it when we transported our old boys on the ferry, when we moved back here. I worked wonders in their large animal cage in the back seat of our car, on the five/six hour journeys both to and from the ferry. Husband is convinced it is Cannabis for cats! :-) Best of luck with everything.

I feel terrible for you and the kitties! Definitely do not put them in a cattery/kennel. I know you spoil your kitties as I do mine so I know they will not be happy. Just an overnight at the vet after surgery traumatized my little Stevie. I think they will prefer staying with you and just deal with being inside for a bit. At least with you they still get all their love and attention.

I'm sorry to hear that you got flooded out. Must be one of the worst things ever to happen. I hope you get sorted out soon. However, looks like we might be joining you in the flooding soon, due to have a month's worth of rain dumped on us today and tonight. I'd go with a professional cattery. They know what they are doing, understand how cats tick and will have all the facilities. As previously mentioned, I'd put some item of your clothing or their toys in with them to make them feel at home. I like Bill's method of talking to your animals. It reassures them.

We went to see two catteries this morning and they were depressing beyond belief. No outdoor space, just smallish compartments with bed, litter tray and a ledge they could climb up on. We would only send them there as a last and desperate resort. If there were outdoor runs with each area then maybe it might be tolerable but to have them confined to those small areas for a month or more is just not on. There has to be another solution and based on what we saw this morning we are already thinking that we could construct a safe outdoor space forr them in the back garden of a rental property. Mim and Liz, I feel exactly as you do about the separation anxiety issue but if there was a really well run place with decent facilities, and taking on board the advice of others, I would have considered it . But having seen what's available, that's not on the cards anymore.

That's too bad...we Americans sometimes seem silly on some of the goods and services that our free market creates, but dog hotels, and to a lesser extent, cat hotels, are a big item in all the larger cities. We have a dog hotel here in Richardson that just opened a few months ago where the bow wows have cages, but also several huge indoor play areas where they can run around and bark their hearts out. Cats don't need so much space, but the ones we have seen have play areas where one by one (or by group if they know each other), the employees let the cats get out of their cages and run up and down the cat trees. Here's hoping that you can build an ersatz version where you are... Bill

I suspected that this would be the case Katherine. Ireland doesn't, as a whole, have a love affair with cats. Certainly here in rural Kerry, they are regarded as little more than vermin, or at best, a commodity to keep the mice/rats in check. If ill or dying...so what!...one can always pick up another one. As for neutering/spaying...what's that?!!! Sorry, I digress. I think building an outdoor facility for them at the rented place is an excellent idea. The smallest shed (for hiding in) will suffice and a secure, DOG PROOF wire run, should do th job until normal service resumes. I really wish you well.

Hi Katherine - not much to add as I came in this late in the thread - but I remember when you were getting the youngest cat acclimated to the other two, it's sure been a while! Like the idea of a good environment outside - even if it's small. Otherwise as grip as these places look it would be checking for the least of each risk. All the best!

Kathrine, I am very sorry for your problems. I think you are worrying unnecessarily about the cats getting lost. I have moved house several times with my cats over the years, and taken them on holiday to holiday cottages, and no problems arose. Cats are sensible creatures and you have more than one: it is the solo cat which is more likely to lose itself or (much more often) decide to find a new 'owner'. I would most certainly prefer to keep them with me than to put them into a cattery, however good it is..and most especially so if they have never been in a cattery before. I feel that keeping them inside (or, worse, in one room or cattery cage) for what is likely to be a lengthy stay is not only unnecessary but likely to cause major problems Being kept inside will be extremely stressful for cats who are used to wandering at will. So I suggest you take them with you (I do hope you can find a renteal property which allows pets) and keep them inside for a week or so, whilst you all settle. Then let them into the garden, at first whilst you are with them. They'll be very wary at first (new smells, other cats' territory) and will probably want to cling a bit, so that's why you need to be with them at first. I suspect you will find, as I have always done, that your cats will adapt very quickly to their new environment and you will have no worries about cats being late home. If you really cannot bring yourself to do that you might investigate cat harnesss and see if your cats will be 'walked' in the garden. They probably won't accept that, but they might..and it would perhaps be more reassuring for you.

Yes Martha, getting the two older ones to accept the new arrival was difficult in the extreme and to this day, the older female still resents her. Mim, i thought with so many people travelling that the facilities would be better here now but unfortunately the situation is just as you describe it. Bill, we really need one of those cat hotels. Maybe I'll look into starting one myself. Jane, thanks for your input. Keeping them inside 24/7 would be extremely stressful for them and for us and there is lots of stress already. What we are now thinking about is wiring off a section of garden for them, so that they don't have to be inside all the time. With some mesh, chicken wire and posts, it should be possible. We already have some rolls of firm, fence high wire that we constructed a play area for the little one with, four years ago. The older two mightn't be so inclined to wander but the little one is a potential VTr and loves to explore. I would hate to take the chance of losing any of them. It will be difficult but we'll work something out.

Well, Katherine, check out pappyspetlodge.com/lodging-s... as an example of what we have here ;-). Yes, the place is obviously geared more towards dogs, because dogs are so much more high maintenance ("Having a dog is like having a child, but having a cat is like having a roommate"), but they do take cats - we've had occasion to do it ourselves for long trips. It could be a new career! ;-) Bill

You know what Bill, I really did wonder today why I'd never considered this. An ideal project and potential part tine career for a cat lover. Maybe it's because I know how territorial the permanent residents are. Still, a little facility in the garden for just a few cats who would be treated with so much love and care..... Why not ? Maybe we should all set up business.

Hmmmn, was this place one of the places you visited - http://www.happycats.ie/4601.html ? I think it's in or near Cork (assuming you are)...I got it off the list of catteries at whatswhat.ie/directory.php/C... It looks nice in the photos, but your personal inspection is the best... Bill

I think constructing a run in the garden is a truly excellent idea, and I strongly suggest you go with that if it is at all feasible. The only difficulty I can foresee is getting cat to run; if they decide they are going to escape, they will. So I think you'll need to use cat carriers for the trip from house to run. Fingers crossed for a rental which allows cats and has a suitable garden. :-)

These are all things that must be worked out J but I feel pretty sure that we can find a way around them. But yes, we are all gung ho for a bit of DIY. Meanwhile we are still waiting for the insurance company's say so to get the builders in and can't rent a house until we know when the builders will start. It's all very frustrating. The cat who spent the night in the cat hospital is only now beginning to come round and act normally again, so definitely the main focus as far as they are concerned, will be to keep them with us. Bill, I checked out that link you sent me and it's for a cattery in west Cork near Macroom. We live just to the east of the city and were concentrating our search on the east side of the county. While looking at that one, I discovered another one in Bandon (also west Cork)which had a great outdoor area. Lots of indoor and outdoor things for the cats to do and someplace that would be well worth checking out if a short stay were on the cards.

What a pain in the article for you..... nothing but grief. It's enough to make you want to build houses on stilts. In fact, in some places they are building houses on brick pillars due to the possibility of flooding. The river Esk, just down below me in the glen, sounds like a roaring torrent. I can hear it from the garden and the road below us is closed. No passage. The rain has been torrential today. Non stop and heavy enough to flood the gutters around the house. I have the de humidifier on in the house to draw the water out of the carpets and beds.

My little girly foxy was so miserable tonight. She was wet hungry and cold, so I gave her some baby rusks with vitamins and minerals, a raw egg, some bread and a worm tablet. She should be feeling better soon and the worm tablet will rid her for blood sucking parasites and improve her health. Tomorrow night she will get the chicken carcass for protein and some more bread for warming carbohydrates. If I keep her in the area, she will keep the rabbit population down. She also likes the snails and slugs that I throw her, so all the garden pests will be controlled. It's all about balance. However, I nearly have a heart attack every time Mickie sees her and yells his head off. He bounces up and down (nearly knocking himself out on the door handle) and shrieks the place down like he has been caught in a trap. At least he doesn't piddle himself, one must be grateful for small mercies.

You're dead right Sue, it's a major pain and causing lots of grief. D is so stressed about it that I have to pretend I'm calm but in the night when I can't avoid thinking of all the ramifications and complications, I panic. Like the smell. We just got back while ago and coming into the porch, the smell was awful. During the day with windows and doors open we don't notice it but at night it's foul. And meanwhile, just like your river, ours is howling away in the background and the forecast is for more and more rain. On a brighter note, the sun shone all day today and we were plied with food and drink all evening. Friends and relatives have been very supportive. I hope the Eske subsides and you don't have to go through this.

Gosh Katherine and Sue I really hope things are going to get better for both of you very quickly. My heart goes out to you Katherine and hope you get things sorted out as soon as is possible.

Thanks Diane ! Hopefully on Monday the insurance company will get back to us with their offer of settlement as we can't move forward without this. At least one family has been refused settlement by their insurers and there are fears that many have jumped the gun by starting building work etc. , without coming to an agreement.

An update for all of you who were kind enough to make helpful suggestions. Four weeks on and the insurance company still hasn't settled with us. We were supposed to get a preliminary cheque of EUR10,000 to help us out with interim expenses but it still hasn't arrived. I still haven't found a house that the landlord is prepared to rent for three months and we spend our days waiting for phone calls from builders and loss adjusters. Still committed to bringing the cats with us but it's quite clear to me that they are already quite upset by the hassle in the house. None of them are eating properly. This summer has really gone down the tubes and of course there's no chance at all any travelling. Hope the next update will be more positive.