Help!

[pica_nuttalli]

I'm in a terrible bind. As some of you may recall, last year I adopted a pair of lovely manx kittens during an internship. When I returned to school, however, I couldn't find an apartment that would let me have pets and so I had to leave the kittens with my parents. I've now reached another obstacle.

Several months ago, the male developed a UTI during a problematic time for my parents and basically went untreated beyond the first week of antibiotics. (I can't, don't, and won't blame them for this. My mom has to work long hours at her job and my dad's free time is pretty much completely occupied by caring for his crippled parents.) Mom resumed treatment as soon as she realized the lapse, but the "damage" was done: Malcolm no longer reliably uses the litter box.

My problem is that I can't take him back to school with me for re-training since I would be quickly kicked out of my apartment. My parents don't have the time for any extensive retraining or increased litter box maintenance. In other words, Malcolm can't stay with me or my parents anymore.

My dad wants to either relocate Malcolm to my grandfather's chicken barn or hand him over to the local humane society. I can't bear the thought of the barn because Malcolm's a very timid kitty and is terrified of going outdoors; he wouldn't last a week in the barn. I also don't want to send him to the humane society because he's very skittish around strangers and I'm afraid that somebody will adopt him but just abandon him if he starts having accidents at their home.

Except for this one behavorial issue, he's really a wonderful kitty. He's a rather large tom with beautiful markings and a very sweet (if shy) disposition. He's really very playful around people that he's used to and is very gentle. He's already been fixed and quickly bonded with our elderly female cat when they were introduced. Never tries to escape the house.

I just don't know what to do about finding him a new home! I tried persuading my parents to wait until I went off to grad school, but Dad just can't handle it anymore in addition to his obligations with regards to his parents. I really need you guys to help suggest a way for me to find a local rescue with a no-kill policy. I'll be doing my own looking as well, but the ultimatum only arrived tonight.

--edit--
I'll try to take and post some pics in the next few days.

 

[black angel]

He sounds lovely and sweet. Maybe someone on the board could offer him a new home?
Good luck with finding him somewhere suitable

 

[Miss Wiggle]

awwww what a horrible situation

wish i could take him...... in the wrong country and Ian would kill me though, but i'm sure someone can find a good home for him.

why not see if you can find a cat forum (bet they exist) with members in your area and mention it on there, there's always people like me who are suckers for a sob story so someone will wanna take him and give him a good loving home

 

[KathyM]

After Errol's similar toilet troubles, I'd urge you to get him rechecked with the vet before rehoming. Cat's pee outside of the tray when they link the tray with pain, as is common with cats like ours. However, they generally soon adapt easily back to using the tray unless they have ongoing painful cystitis. I understand he's had this and not had the proper treatment, but if he was better now I'd expect him to be returning to using the tray (unless he was in pain for months and therefore this has become nature to him, in which case whoever adopts him will need to seek out a feline behaviourist).

Best of luck finding him a home that will care for him properly.

 

[Breeze7050]

I agree with Kathy in terms of getting him re-checked by the vet, possibly running a urinalysis on him. If that is the case, this could have a very simple solution. It sounds like the UTI never got cleared up. If you will be home over break (at your parents) maybe you can treat him the full amount of time. If you do not treat for the whole 2 weeks or stop treatment, usually the problem comes back. Not being mean or anything, but I was a vet tech for 3 years.
You may want to get on www.petfinder.org this is a great site for being able to adopt pets, but if you look in your area, you should also be able to get contact information to no-kill shelters! You can search by zip code ect. It's great! I wouldn't recommend the humane society! With a health problem or potty training problem he's sure to be euthanized.
Best of luck and keep us updated!

 

[pica_nuttalli]

thanks for all the advice and encouragement... i'm seeing to a petfinder ad right now.

this is just so depressing.

--EDIT--

i can't do it. i just don't even know what to say in the ad that won't scare off a potential owner immediately. i plan to call around at some of the shelters i found via petfinder, but i'm not optimistic since there just aren't many cat-oriented ones and none of them said explicitly "no kill".

i've tried making time to take him to the vet again, but with the holidays and everything, i just haven't found the time. i also need to find a time to speak to my mother about the whole problem and see what ideas she might have. of course, last time i discussed it with her, she thought that putting Malcolm out on the deck to live was a solution--our deck with simple wooden railings and no sort of screens, lattices, roofing, or any enclosure that the cat couldn't climb over or through. this for a cat that spends 50% of his time asleep underneath my parents' bed in a shoebox.

right now, my one hopeful thought is that if this is just a persistent infection (although it first appeared prior to Thanksgiving ) then maybe i could carry malcolm to stay with me for just a month or so. with the start of the new semester, i should have the time to treat him and possibly train him back to using a litter box. maybe.

 

[Breeze7050]

Pica - we need an update?!

 

[pica_nuttalli]

there's nothing to say... Dec. 23rd-26th was pointless for trying to get in contact with a vet/rescue, then I was carted off to visit more relatives Dec 27th-29th. Drove back to Auburn on the 30th.

I tried talking my parents into letting me bring Malcolm with me, but that didn't get very far. But on the bright side, Mom didn't indicate that she would agree to sending him to live in a barn and Dad indicated that he was willing to consider a kitty enclosure of some sort. (I spoke to them separately.) Since it should start to warm up by the end of the month, this could be an option. I just need to figure out some way to bridge the gap between now and when I start grad school; hopefully inertia on the part of my parents will do the trick.

 

[KathyM]

I think it's really great that your parents seem to be coming round. How about telling them that even in an enclosure, if he hasn't been checked by the vet he could be in a fair bit of pain and get quite ill if he has recurring cystitis? I would also be wary of putting a cat with a history of potential kidney/bladder problems outside permanently.

Best of luck and thanks for the update!

 

[pica_nuttalli]

it would definitely not be a permanent arrangement, just a measure to keep him safe and at home until i move back out again--which would hopefully be mid-July and just before the hottest part of the year. my dad is also highly unlikely to put the cat out before it starts to warm back up to the mid-60s (which is the temperature at which they currently keep the house, brrrr).

hopefully, i'll get a chance to return home again in the next couple of weeks and be able to take him to the vet's for a check-up.

and i guess that it's not really been made clear, but these are really MY cats and (barring my being forced to live in campus housing) at least Malcolm will be moving with me to graduate school. ideally Ladybird will come too, but if i can only have one, i would pick Malcolm anyways. he's a huge sweetie and really loves a calm environment. he's also a great killer of bugs and furry toys, which are wonderful talents in an apartment building