What a cat-ankerous old bar steward you are! (Rescued Cats)

Member Name: angusreid

Product:	Rescued Cats
Date:	06/07/06 (863 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very loving and gentle cat.

Disadvantages: Need to settle in more than a domesticated kitten. Eat birds.

Ah well, the things you do for a friend eh?

My cat, Din is a rescue cat, so far as I found her abandoned in St Mary’s hospital, 11 years ago. So far as to say, she has had a life of luxury and has been spoilt rotten since then, but let us go directly to Din and find out from a pets eye view what rescue cats are all about.

“So, tell me Din.” Said I, “What does it feel like to be unwanted?”

“Unwanted, me? Pft, you stole me and now I am stuck with a northern car dealer who is never home!”

“Ha, not so fast you ungrateful sack of shaggy black hair! I found you in the pouring rain, dejected, soaked through and totally confused. I stuck you in the back of my taxi, took you home and nurtured you back to health. I even paid for a VET, yes VET to heck you out and make sure you were healthy.”

“Healthy, me-bloody-ow! I had only been to the vets a few days ago and had the me-bloody-ow op done, bald patch still showing and all! You gave me the name “DIN” which is Portsmouth slang for “thick” and make me wear a dog bone as an address tag and you think I am ungrateful?”

“Ha, you were called DIN as you tried to jump though the closed window every time we took the net curtains down to clean them, lol.”

“Me-Ouch, don’t remind me. I still have the lump on my head.”

Well, there is the intro for Din my long haired cat who we found and have had 11 years.

When I found her, I contacted all the vets, put an ad in the paper and contacted the cat rescue in Titchfield, just south of Fareham. We went along and had a chat with them and they showed us around and gave a lot of tips on how to look after her.

The difference between a rescue cat or a cat you find is that they are often confused and either over affectionate or cautious. Din was very affectionate but a bit scared and we think her owner had been taken to the hospital with the cat and with her being a long haired pedigree cat, she had been treated with a lot of love. Despite a two week ad campaign, the only people who phoned up could not identify her collar, which was red tartan so I would not let them have her.

When we took her to the vets, it was he who advised us to go to the cat rescue centre and chat to them. Now if you have ever been to a cat rescue centre, it is quite an emotional experience and when you leave you want to take them all home. However, they are not that quick to give their cats away. They come round to inspect your house and interview you first to make sure you are worthy parents for their children. You also have to pay a fee to cover vets expenses and a donation to the centre which is fairly hefty but can be a deterrent for wannabe time wasters. After the visit they will, if you pass of course, allow you to have the cat for a short time and then inspect and interview again to make sure everything is still okay.

All this may seem like a lot of hard work and effort for a bundle of bird-chasing fur, but trust me, they have few re-offenders in the back on the streets cat gang.

Once you get your fur bag home, and she tries to adapt to the new surroundings, be careful and loving with the beast and let her find her own paws before petting and spoiling. Get a few different tins of food and find out which one she prefers (The menu madame?) try to give her water instead of milk as milk forms mucus and is not easy for cats to digest. Make sure you have a litter tray as we found our little din using the Rubber Plat pot as a toilet! Try to let her sleep on the bed if possible so she does not feel alone, as you are never sure if their owner passed away or just did not want her.

Taking her to the vets was fun though, she had just had the op so we knew she had been well looked after but to make sure we paid for a check up and that was the last time she went to the vets, 11 years ago! Pet insurance is advisable although we did not bother and have been lucky so far.

Now Din is a funny cat and does the most stupid of things, such as sit in cardboard boxes when you open them and as we said earlier, try to jump through pains of glass. She gets her own back by dribbling on your face when you are asleep and climbing on to your chest and sleeping when you sleep on your back. She brings birds in during the night and chomps away so you can hear the bones crunching, and catches mice then makes a miaow noise like a baby crying until you get up, witness the mouse which she picks up again and runs back outside.

We in turn get our own back by opening a tin of tuna and walking around the house, up and down the stairs with the cat following like the Pied Piper singing away in that same baby cry sound.

Being a long haired cat, she needs a lot of grooming and fleas are difficult to remove so regular sprays and flea collars are required. I refused the flea course at the vets due to bad press and also the flu jab was giving a miss for the same reasons.

Rescue cats make great pets if treated with love and affection but allowed to blend into the environment and unlike dogs they tend to be more docile once re-housed.

If you are thinking of a cat, go and choose one from a rescue centre and you will not be disappointed.

There you go, the big old miserable lump has a soft side.

Summary: Always remeber a cat is for between meal snacks.