Well the sad news is that we had to give him back to the cat rescue centre.We handed him back a few months ago, but I've been too sad to write about him until now.
When we originally went to the shelter, the member of staff on duty had assured us that Treacle would make an ideal indoor cat. We were quick to believe her as not only did we both love Treacle immediately but most shelters never seem to have indoor cats (you often read adverts saying 'this cat has lived indoors for five years but would appreciate a garden' and basically that cat will not be given to anyone who doesn't have good reliable access to a garden) and were were excited to have found one of these almost mythical creatures.
So we brought Treacle home. We loved him and between 6.30am amd 8.30pm he was a model cat, fun loving, playful and affectionate,. But between 8.30pm and 6.30am he was impossible, I've written a bit on this blog (see the link above) and more on Facebook about how demanding he was, he basicially never shut up and demanded that we run around after him but never got engaged in play activities, he constrantly scratched at the door and tore a hole in the paster in the wall next to the door. We were getting almost no sleep..... We tried to tire him out before bedtime (but even two hours of running round with him didn't get him tired), we got Feliway to calm him down (which made him marginally quieter but he was still overactive all night), we stopped feeding him anything that might make him hyperactive (many cat snacks are full of additives that make cats hyper). Nothing worked.
Perhaps we gave up too easily (I certainly learnt from this experience I would have made a terrible mother) but we felt that it was best for Treacle to have the chance to have proper access to a garden. We live too near a main road and our shared back-green garden (which doesn't have a cat flap) is often dominated by a not very friendly dog.
When we took Treacle back to the shelter, the member of staff on duty couldn't believe that his colleague had recommended Treacle as an indoor cat. He showed us his notes which clearly showed that he had come from a home with a garden. Although I know that you can train cats to be indoor cats, Treacle, an active and energetic two and a half year old probably wasn't going to be at all happy with that training even if we'd found a way of managing it. The shelter will look after Treacle until he finds a new home with a garden.
It was a very difficult decision, we had to balance Treacle's needs for stability and a garden with our needs for sleep and sanity and our lack of a garden. We hope Treacle has found a nice home with a garden.
9 comments:
That is sad, but I totally understand where you are coming from. Ours are great and they stay indoors, but Charlie really is mental creature sometimes. He likes to roughhouse with Prudie early in the morning and it can get nasty. Prudie's shrieks wake us up and trying to separate them has backfired on me a few times. I'm now using a spray bottle to dissuade him, which thankfully, seems to be working.
Your sleep is definitely more important than anything. As much as you love an animal, you have to be realistic. I think you did what is best for all of you.
For the record, I'd probably have made a terrible mother too. ;)
Kat
That is so sad. I am sorry for your loss. We've had our trials with Buster. We fire him outdoors, but he's on meds, too. He seems to be better. You can read here.
Although, Dorah is now on meds to calm her down. She has a sadder bladder!
We were assured that Annie gets along well with other cats Not true!
She is a tough young rescue cat and felt threatened, which caused the others to be tough on her.
I so understand the issues!
I'm sorry to hear this. The cat looks so cute in that photo, quite regal as it happens. :-)
Greetings from London.
So sorry to hear about having to give Treacle back to the cat rescue centre. It was clearly not an easy decision to make but also, clearly, you did the right thing for yourselves and for Treacle. House cats do exist, my brother had two, so no surprise you believed Treacle could be one of them. I hope you will find your own house cat soon :)
I'm so sorry. Please don't feel that you're a bad cat mom--you did the best you could, and you truly did the best for Treacle.
Oh, that is sad to read but hopefully things will work out elsewhere for Treacle. Pets and their humans have to be a good fit, to make things work all around. Sometimes that just isn't possible. It must have been so hard for you though. Hugs, G
The rescue centre here said that Nooshie, who died two years ago, "just loved to be brushed".
Howl, yowl, bite, scratch...
We still miss her though. We kept her indoors because of her straying tendency. She went into the garden on a lead.
Shame on the staff person for doing a shoddy job of helping you find the best fit in a cat. You did everything you could and had the courage to return Treacle to the shelter because you knew that was best. Don't give up. You'll find another cat who is the perfect match.
Nobody could have tried more initiatives than the pair of you, Juliet!
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