Can anyone offer Bobby a home?

[ycbm]

UPDATED


It is time for us to admit, now the estate is finished, that our cat Bob hates living here and always has. He is on his nerves the whole time, thinner then he should be, constantly on edge, with a flea allergy which flares under stress. He is now peeing in the house and refusing to go outside like his sister, who loves it here. He doesn't pee in the house if he has a litter tray. Looking for a home for him either as an indoor cat or in an isolated place where there won't be new people moving in with new cats in the area on a constant basis.

He's 11, affectionate, loves sitting with you on the settee, vet checked healthy other than his nerves and a few lost teeth, vaccinated and chipped. Currently in Cheshire but we will deliver him at least two hours in any direction if you can offer him a home where he will turn back into the settled chunky boy he used to be.

Can you help?

 

[AmyMay]

C’mon HHO. We have good form for re-homing.

 

[meleeka]

That’s a shame, but well done for putting his needs first. C’mon H&H, someone must be able to find a space for him.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Hope he finds a fab home more suited to him

 

[ycbm]

Just to add we will cover all vet bills for any treatment in the first year, but there isn't any reason at the moment to think that there would be any.
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[tinselbobs]

I can’t help, but I hope he finds a wonderful home. It must be such a hard decision, but the right one for him.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I’m sorry you are having to rehome Bobby, he looks a beautiful boy. If I didn’t have a very territorial Sebastian who also pees everywhere when stressed I would take him but I can’t risk upsetting him. I really hope you find somewhere for him Xx

 

[m1stify]

have you brought him to the vets to see why he is peeing outside of the litter box? I know it can be behavour related but can be an underlying issue - crystals etc.

 

[ycbm]

have you brought him to the vets to see why he is peeing outside of the litter box? I know it can be behavour related but can be an underlying issue - crystals etc.

The problem is that living here makes him constantly on high alert. It's sad to see, he needs a new place to live.

 

[Bradsmum]

I am so sorry for you and for him. our dog hates cats unfortunately or I would jump at the chance. Good luck, I hope he finds a home he feels comfortable in.

 

[Squeak]

I hope you manage to find him a good home, really sorry you're having to rehome him as it's clear how much you love him. Is it worth putting it in the tack room, even though it's not strictly horse related, so that you could catch some people that don't venture in to this part of the forum?

 

[Peglo]

Sorry to hear he hasn’t settled. Hope he finds a lovely home. I’m afraid I’m just too far away

 

[julesjoy]

A brave decision. Sorry I can't help. Good luck.

 

[snowangel5]

Sadly I live next a car park and a busy main road but I hope you can find some one I do see a cat going around and a few people who own dogs

 

[Tiddlypom]

I’m sorry that Bobby hasn’t settled, but there will be the right home out there for him.

Our now resident cat moved herself in here after finding her old home no longer to her taste. We humans merely amicably agreed between ourselves that it was a done deal and she was signed over to us. She was around 10 yo when she first moved in.

Good luck.

ETA She prefers to be an only cat, so I’m afraid that we can’t offer Bobby a home.

 

[HollyWoozle]

I’m sorry to read about Bobby, I wish we could help. I hope he finds a wonderful home.

 

[Snow Falcon]

Wishing Bobby a successful rehoming. I'm not close enough and wouldn't be suitable but hope someone is.

I'd be overrun with cats given half the chance.

 

[Kunoichi73]

Really sorry to hear about Bobby, if I could I'd offer him a home but our grumpy chap would not be impressed.

 

[McFluff]

Aww, so sorry to hear he hasn’t settled. Sadly we already have a rehome cat who can’t be with others (and sadly, due to medical condition, has had to adapt to being indoor only). Really hope someone comes along soon.

 

[Aperchristmas]

Fingers crossed someone on HHO is close to you and can offer a home! Do you know what it is he doesn't like about where you are now?

 

[Michen]

So sorry- this is the EXACT situation Bob was in when we moved him to a terraced cottage. I'm so glad circumstances forced my mum to rehome, as he's so much happier.

 

[ycbm]

Fingers crossed someone on HHO is close to you and can offer a home! Do you know what it is he doesn't like about where you are now?

He settles a bit for a while and then something happens to make him twitchy again. We think it must be people moving in with new cats, because he starts to stare at the catflap as if it's going to open any moment and another cat come in. (They can't, it's chip activated). We live on a housing estate with new houses in all directions. There are going to be house moves and new cats all the time. Three houses have been sold and one rented within 200 metres, this year alone.

I have given him a litter tray so he doesn't have to go outside but he is still twitching at every little noise. His sister turned her nose up at the litter tray and went outside, she loves it here. I think he needs to be somewhere with a completely settled environment and either out in the country where there won't be any new cats arriving, or completely indoors with people who are around most of the time to give him a cuddle.

He's a shadow of the cat he was before we moved here. He was big and bulky without being in any way fat, and now he lives on his nerves and has a bony pelvis. The vet says he's a perfectly healthy weight and very bright and doesn't want anything tested.

I feel so sad for him. We had to move but he's really lost out I'm so hoping we can get him a good few years of peace in a new home.
.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

It must be so upsetting for you as from his age he's clearly been part of your family for a long time

Very long shot and I'm sure you've already tried it but have you tried a feliway plug in? We've used them twice when bringing a new cat in and they do seem to help - I think they produce pheromones

I know you said he needs to move out the area, but have you got the next door app? It may be like on here that even if people can't help themselves they know of someone who can - just be sure to vet anyone carefully

Would your vets let you pop a sign up? Least then it would be a client known to the practice

I have no idea on geography but Bradford Cat Watch Rescue looks a lovely rescue if you have to resort to that - I don't live near them but saw about them through a news story and followed them to see the cat's progress. I think they have a network of foster carers too so they may be able to place Bob with one of them until a home comes up for him which may be preferable to being in an actual rescue set up?

Hopefully someone on here comes up for him

 

[ycbm]

I wouldn't let him go anywhere except to his "forever" home. It would be cruel, I think, to rehome him twice and he certainly isn't going into a cattery.

He's going into the boot room (recently installed, which upset him) to use the litter tray, so at least that problem has gone.
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[mustardsmum]

Just a thought, our little black cat became very nervous, peeing a pooing in odd places in the house. She also lost weight and became very thin. Didn’t want to go out (we are rural). This was a little cat that used to take out stoats, rabbits and fed herself for years! Vet tested her thyroid and she’s now on thyronorm. Been a game changer - I really thought we were going to loose her. It might be worth asking your vet just to check - he’s the sort of age it can affect them and the blood test isn’t massively expensive. Thyronorm is easy to give to them each day - cats like the taste of it, but heads up - if you need it get a prescription and buy online! If I were closer and didn’t have my little old cat I would take him, he’s beautiful! My girl is now 19 - she’s been on thyronorm since 2019.

 

[Shady]

Very sad to read this post Ycbm and am really sympathetic to your situation as I have been there myself many years ago, and hope you find a loving home for Bobby. Glad he's using a dirt box in the utility as clearly he doesn't want to go out too much, and he will know that peeing and/or pooing in the house is wrong so will be very stressed as he needs to go , but doesn't want to do it outside

I just want to touch on Mustadsmum's post as 11 is that age when things manifest and if Bobby is eating well, he shouldn't be too underweight. If anything, now he isn't out and about , he should be fatter. If he's only picking at food that would be a different matter. I also noted the flea allergy comment and want to make sure it is that, because despite my vet assuring me year after year that one of mine had the same thing, it turned out to be an allergy to Felix cat food and only Felix cat food and treats. It was only because I stumbled across a FB group dedicated to the problem that I then stopped all Felix and within weeks the symptons went and have never come back. I had tried every medication/flea prevention possible year after year and even when I was pretty certain that none of the cats had fleas, the vet still insisted they were the issue with her. So just checking incase. xx

 

[Xmasha]

My two old boys both lost weight around the pelvis area too. A few friends with older cats have had the same, so can be age related. Took Bert for a full check up after his brother passed away. He has always been chunky, so seeing him a little thin behind was a concern. Vets say hes healthy, but has some arthritis hence the loss of muscle in this area. So hes now on rheumocam. Hoping this helps build him back up a bit. You wouldnt think hes arthritic at all, as hes still very active.
Could you invest in a catio so he feels safe outside ?

 

[m1stify]

I don't understand the vet not wanting to run tests - I would definitely ask for a thyroid blood test giving his age.

 

[ycbm]

I don't understand the vet not wanting to run tests - I would definitely ask for a thyroid blood test giving his age.

Time to update this now I've come to terms with it. Bobby saw 3 different vets in 2 different practices 5 times in 15 months, once specifically about weight loss. But he had been such a chunky (muscly, not fat) cat that his thinner self didn’t worry them at all, and as he was bright and in the absence of any sickness the vet said no tests were warranted. A couple of weeks after starting this thread, he started to pee in the house in spite of having a litter tray. I went to put my washing in the machine and he had peed in the bag so recently it was still warm. There was a huge volume but absolutely no smell. His kidneys weren't filtering anything out of his blood. They were so far gone that, in a cat who hated any form of medication, and who hated living on a housing estate, we all felt it was fairer to let him go. There was still 2/3 left in the syringe as his head hit the mat.

On the bright side, we had always felt his sister would be happier as an only cat and the change in her has been astonishing. She is absolutely loving being with us on the sofa when she used to sit upstairs in the evening, and getting all the attention and having the whole house to herself.

She's going to be our last cat, losing them gets harder every time, not easier.
.

 

[Aperchristmas]

Really sorry to hear that ycbm. I hope having an answer about what ailed him gives you comfort though, and explains his discomfort since you moved.