The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsSo ... my dear Auntie didn't make it, and now it's time to divide up her 6 kittehs ...
I'm thinking of taking on 8 y.o. Jean Luc (my aunt was a huge Francophile and went there pretty much yearly in her retirement ... hence the cat name!).
He's a purebred Burmese ... and I lost my Siamese Snowshoe boy at 17.5 yo January 2021 ... I know this is limited evidence, but ... do you think I oughta have my cousin bring him over to stay with ol' Mr L?
Rorey
(8,445 posts)Poor kitties. I hope I outlive my own. You never know....
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)Fortunately ... she was not without means, and her 'brood' ... is being provided for. Indoor and outdoor kittehs.
That's how my family rolls, I'm proud to say
Rhiannon12866
(205,326 posts)And two of the dogs I've had in my life I adopted from rescue after their owners died. I sure hope all the kitties find good homes, I'd definitely adopt if I were you...
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)And I probably will
Rhiannon12866
(205,326 posts)And good for you. Your dear Auntie would have wanted her kitties to be taken care of and given good homes. My uncle also had 2 dogs - one was taken by his stepson who loved the pup and the older dog was adopted by his sister-in-law who is a vet. Not all pets left behind are as fortunate.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)"Your dear Auntie would have wanted her kitties to be taken care of "
Is practically speaking, quite true.
Fact is, even if I didn't take Jean Luc, he'd be taken care of. Along with the other 5 indoor babies, and the lord-knows-how-many ferals she was also feeding.
Let's just say .. they have an endowment
But Jean Luc and she had a special bond, so there's no way he's going to be happy with a cat-sitter coming by for an hour every day for however long it takes before one my cousins kids decide they want to live in Grandma's house and take care of the brood lol ... which is a best-case scenario for him.
Rhiannon12866
(205,326 posts)And you're the cat lover who can give it to him. I hope that the others are as lucky.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)And get to keep living in the house they've been in ... my cousins are going to hold onto the place, and there's money set aside for their care, and a local lady who was close to my aunt who'll be compensated for daily visits as long as they live ... or someone else in the family moves into the house.
My aunt wasn't one to not take care of her 'children'
Rhiannon12866
(205,326 posts)Like I said, 4 of my animals over the years were suddenly in trouble when their owners died. In the case of my uncle, I come from a family of animal lovers and my cousin - who had rescued one of the two cats - drove from her house in Connecticut to my uncle's in New Jersey to pick them up, then brought them to me in New York. My uncle's unpleasant second wife was just going to drop them off at some shelter. The cat we knew was a nice kitty, though kind of a scaredy cat. But the one we didn't know was the one I became attached to, she was such a pretty cat and the most "user friendly" cat I'll ever know. Even after that long trip, as soon as she came out of her carrier, she immediately made friends with my two dogs.
The only pic I have online:
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)And there's nothing cuter than cats and dogs becoming fast friends, I mean ... c'mon!
Gives people hope that anything is possible, doesn't it?
Rhiannon12866
(205,326 posts)I had 2 cocker spaniels...
tblue37
(65,343 posts)Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)So I'm not unfamiliar
That's part of why I'm considering him specifically ... I know they're special babies
Niagara
(7,609 posts)Jean Luc looks like an extremely lovable fellow. I think you should provide a loving home for him.
=^._.^=
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)radical noodle
(8,000 posts)and he appears to be a lovebug. It may take him a bit to adjust, but I suspect he'd make a great addition to your family.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)It wouldn't really be an 'addition to my family' ... It'd just be me and him, pretty much, 'cept when others visit.
Which is okay by me
Ocelot II
(115,692 posts)This little guy looks like a keeper, and adopting him would be a great way to remember your auntie, too.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)Phoenix61
(17,004 posts)He looks like a bit of a goof ball which is always fun to have around.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)He has that look like he's spotted some random suspicious thing across the room he's almost ready to maybe investigate doesn't he?
We'd probably get on, him and me
marble falls
(57,081 posts)Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)7wo7rees
(5,128 posts)Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)bamagal62
(3,257 posts)I have a Burmese. Its the first one Ive ever had and OMG if its not the best cat EVER. They are special cats. Please take the Burmese. You wont be disappointed. But, also, Burmese do not like to be left alone. So, if you are not going to be home most of the time, please be sure that the Burmese has a companion (like another Burmese or one of the other cats!). Youll never be alone with a Burmese. They want to be with you ALL the time. And, FYI, Burmese like to play fetch! And, shes a blue!! Just like mine.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)He's a boy first off
And apparently despite being fixed he's been known to spray. The general consensus of my mom and cousins seems to be that he doesn't especially like 'the other cats' my aunt had.
And I don't have any other cats anymore, sadly ... so that's why my place is being pegged as a logical landing spot for Jean Luc, who they think is a 1-human cat. Which is what I'm also used to, I've only ever had 1 cat myself.
My mom and stepdad have 3 Burmese that've been together since kittens. Two of them get along great, and they love my mom especially, the 3rd is a loner from the other two and loves my stepdad and nobody else, and not the other cats. Anyways I'm familiar with the breed, they're pretty similar to Siamese, which is all I've ever had and was what I grew up around as my stepmom raised Siamese when I was young.
All in all, seems like an ideal fit, but ... I don't know him at all, and I don't want a 'sprayer' as I have a lot of carpet ...
marble falls
(57,081 posts)taper of and stop after a year.
Fixing males is tricky, too soon and they get fat, too late and they spray. It needs to be done at around 6 months.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)My boy that I had to let go in January ... was 'intact'.
Never sprayed in the entire 17+ years I owned him. But he was always solo, and an indoor kitty except for wandering my walled-in backyard.
The many various 'techs' at the vet over the years were consistently surprised and amused to find his package when taking his temperature ... I don't think a single one failed to ask me whether he sprayed ... and when I said 'Nope, never', a LOT of them were like 'well, that's lucky!'.
I was always like 'yeah that's what I've heard'
marble falls
(57,081 posts)... door immediately each time. After about six or seven washings and one month, he stopped. But I did notice he started spraying the neighbor's front door. And still is.
Cats.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)marble falls
(57,081 posts)... important lesson: do not use ammonia to clean the carpet. It will only make them want to use that spot even more.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)7wo7rees
(5,128 posts)I had a young Male Siamese, it appears to me to be territorial, so you should be fine.
I have been privileged to have Siamese in all my life.
64 now and will not get another one. Not responsible pet ownership.
You will love adopting this beauty!! I am jealous of your good fortune.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)like Burmese or Tonkinese or Balinese.
Not that I don't love all kinds of kittehs but I've basically been around these kinds of cats my whole life and have no experience caring for a different 'brand' if you will. They're just what I'm used to, and I love their personalities. They're characters!
catchnrelease
(1,945 posts)I don't know if you know about a product called Feliway. I'll assume no and recommend that you get some if you do bring him to your place. It is a chemical that is made to mimic the pheromones that a mama cat puts off when she's nursing her kittens. (who ever figured this out I'd like to know!!) So when cats even as adults smell it, it gives them a sense calm, ease, contentment and makes them mellow etc. I used it ages ago when I got a young cat and she started to pee on things and scratch the couch. After washing the bedding I sprayed the Feliway on the blankets and on the sides of the couch. Problems solved. I assume she no longer felt the need to mark her new territory. It comes in a spray or a diffuser. I only used the spray. I've seen reviews from people that said it didn't work on their cat, so I'm sure it's not foolproof. But it might make the transition to a new place a little easier. Good luck if you take the jump!!
Edit: I just looked at the most recent bottle I bought and it's now called Thunder Ease Calming Spray 'powered by Feliway'. I got it to spray in the carrier when I took old lady cat to the vet this year, as she hated going into carriers.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)still 'smells like' my boy at least in some places he frequented for years.
This seems like a case where making the new cat feel like this is 'his place' from the git-go would be optimal. So I planned, if taking Jean Luc, to get rid of everything that belonged to Willie from the house, and scrub things like door jams near the floor and other stuff he liked to rub against, try to make it as 'neutral' a territory as possible.
And if there's other 'kitty-drugs' I can leverage like Feliway, could also be useful!
catchnrelease
(1,945 posts)Sounds like you'd be doing all of the right things. Bring some things from your Aunt's house that would smell like home to Jean-Luc. Blankets or pillows, a sweater she wore etc. Especially his litter box is important. So he knows where to 'go' right away.
Since it would be just the two of you that's good, as not a lot of kid noise or human traffic to make him uneasy. Expect he might hide under a bed or in a closet for a few days. Maybe shut him in a room with his food, water and litter box for a bit or with the door just ajar so he can explore when ready. There are kitty CBD treats used for calming but I've never used any so can't say how they work or don't.
No going outside for a couple of weeks. (I think you said he's an indoor kitty but he might want to sneak out and make a run for it to go back 'home') Or he might be happy to snuggle up with you right away. They're all so individual it's hard to predict.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)OAITW r.2.0
(24,477 posts)On the plus side, cats on beds supply some damn good body heat. Take up less room than a dog, too!
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)Heat has a lot less value down my way
bamagal62
(3,257 posts)Bricks wrapped in silk because they are deceptively heavy but their fur is soft as silk. You will also find they are very talkative much like your Siamese. But, their voice is much softer. Very smart. Very affectionate. No aloofness with this breed.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)Two of the three are total lovebugs, the 3rd one ONLY likes my stepdad, and pretty much hates my mom, and me, and the other two cats lol ... thanks in any case for the positive vibes
bamagal62
(3,257 posts)That you were familiar with the breed!
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)FuzzyRabbit
(1,967 posts)Yes, take the cat and give him a good home. I would love to have him.
He is probably grieving the loss of his human and needs a new human who loves him.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)Apparently he always slept on her bed at night too, and wouldn't take kindly to any of the others trying to get up there. So seems he's the most bummed out of the lot in her absence. She got him as a baby, so ...
barbtries
(28,794 posts)Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)UTUSN
(70,691 posts)ZZenith
(4,122 posts)Given your aunts penchant for the French its likely the cats grown accustomed to its canard a la orange.
But seriously, the fact that youre asking us is evidence that you want to and I have no doubt the animal will thrive under your care.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)You really are my brother of another mother ZZ
And, funnily enough, I'm a pretty great cook ...
In fact, a much better one than my aunt
She was more an appreciator of food than an actual cook, bless her heart
Oh, and by the way ... ME? Stacking the deck? Never!
ZZenith
(4,122 posts)Condolences on the loss of your aunt, H.L. - she was a lovely woman.
hlthe2b
(102,272 posts)on your lap. Can't think of any better memorial to her. I hope you can help find homes for all the kittens.
My sympathies on the loss of your aunt. She sounds like a special lady.