# Need A Bit Of Advice About A New Rescue Cat Please.



## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*Hello there .

I was going to post this on the pet lovers thread, but a message came up saying that no posts had been made for 120 days - would I like to post a new thread .............. So I have deceided to post a new thread - hope thats OK .

First a bit of background:

Monday, I was feeling very down  - won't go into the details tho  & my partner Neal took us to our local RSPCA rehoming centre. Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig mistake & we came home with a poor, big, gorgeous female long haired Tortie called Jess that had been in the centre for 6 months, bless her . I must say that I fell in love with her the moment we saw her . The reason she hadn't been rehomed is because she was always fisty whenever anyone evaded her space & she is a bit of a loner & everything must be on her terms , but as she is sooooooooooo fluffy & gorgeous, people & esp kids apparently mauled her around the pen trying to cuddle her when all she wanted to do was be left alone & naturally lashed out at them, bless her . We went into her pen & sat with her for quite a while & she wouldn't come out of her hidey-hole in her scratch post, but I was able to give her some treats. We saw her playing with a fluff ball & she is sooooooooooooo pretty & gorgeous . I know it will be a long hard slog to intergrate her into our lives, but I am at home all the time, we have lots of hidey holes for her & high up places to make her feel secure too .

We finally deceided to get her & all the staff were soooooooooooooooo very happy for her to be going to a new home . We got her home & she has mainly been hiding under our single sofa bed that we have left out flat for her to hide under - whenever she comes out she is facsinated with the cat flap tho , but we are keeping her in for a while yet to make sure she is happy.

Last night was an awfull one for her, bless her . First of all our poor other cat, Zee Bee, got chased thru the cat flap by an evil dog  , Jess managed to pull over an old DVD player that is in our hall, she & Zee Bee growling at each other a few times & my lovely other female cat, Leela, was 'flumping' me all night incase I forget we have her .............. poor Neal is really tired this morning, bless him, after the disturbed night we all had . We think she has used both the litter trays - we put another one out full of the litter they used at the RSPCA, but not sure if she has eaten anything yet apart from a few small bits of the lovely lamb I gave her last night ............

Am watching Jess closely today  - she hasn't come out from under the bed yet tho . We are going to rename her Elzar, as both our other cats were remaned after Futurama characters, Zee Bee being named after Dr Zoidberg  - the only other name we could come up with for her was Bender & Neal refuses to stand on the doorstep & call out Bender .

Am wondering if anyone can tell me a good way of introducing Jess/Elzar to the outside ?? She is fascinated by whats on the other side of the door & spent alot of time lying underneath the cat flap & looking thru it last night.

I know that the pen she was kept in at the RSPCA had a cat flap & she used it, but not sure that if we let her out, she might not come back . Not alot is known about her background apart from she didn't get on with the families' new born baby (fine by us as we now know we aren't going to have anymore IVF cycles ), she is a bit of a loner & wants things on her terms/no mauling etc, but if she is feeling relaxed & happy she will roll on her back & let us rub her tummy ........

Also, does anyone know if it is possible for another cat to be physically sick because a new cat has been brought into her house ?? My poor ickle Leela dotes on me & follows me everywhere around our tiny flat, but last night & this morning she has been bringing up a little bit of foam . She was stuck to me like a limpet all last night, bless her little fluffy tail .

We have the option to take Jess/Elzar back if things don't work out with our other cats or for her, but I think this would be such a shame as she was stuck in the RSPCA rehoming place for over 6 months . Its very difficult to try & touch her or get near to her, but on the way home she was friendly & let me stroke her thru her cat box & she even gave me the tiniest of nuzzles when i put my hand out to her whilst she was near the cat flap last night. So far she has always been in a corner, be it under the sofa bed, near the cat flap or under the computer chair where she settled first, bless her, so I don't want to upset her & try to stroke her ..........

Sorry this is a loooooooooooong post & I am rambling, but I want to make sure she is happy in her new home .

Any help would be very much appreciated by Jess/Elzar, Zee Bee, Leela, oh & me & Neal, of course .*_


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*Thanks for your well wishes .

Was just feeding her little bits of sliced ham & making her come out further with each piece - didn't force her tho & at one point her head was fully out from under the bed .

Just soooooooooooo wish she would come out so I can see her beautifuless & give her a gentle stroke . I know it will prob take a long time, but she is so worth it .*_


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## brownowl23 (Jan 3, 2006)

HI BLK

Whatever you do dont let her out yet. She needs a couple of weeks to get used to her new human and feline familys. 

For Leela and Zee Bee, make sure you give them extra hugs and treats so they dont fel left out. 

For Jess just do as you are and she will gain confidence in you. if you can rub each of your cats with a towel then rub the other cats with it they will each smell of each other and will accept each other easier (battersea Cattery tip there).

They have all only bee together for a day, so give them time. They will all settle together. 

Chris


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## arthurwhitewhisker (Jan 5, 2006)

Hi
This is a post from my own heart, all my cats have been rescue ones.  Please dont worry, it takes a while for cats to relax around each other as they are very territorial.  Dont let her out yet, she needs to learn your smells and to get them on her so she can find her way home and yes I do put butter on my cats paws when I first let them out - dont care if it is an old wives tale I feel better for it.

Your other cat sounds like she just had a fur ball that wont come up and it is just coincidence that the timing is the same.

I would just relax and leave her to her own devices for a couple of days so she can calm down and learn that you arent a threat.

As you dont know her background it is difficult so just tread carefully.

At the end of the day rescue cats can be so affectionate once they realise that you are mum and this is a permanent new home, they always seem grateful.

Big hugs from Amber and Jessie, my 2 pusscats.  Amber survived her litter being attacked by foxes and Jessie was found in north wales starving and alone - bless.

Huge kisses for giving a lost cat a home, much love to you.
Ruth
x


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*Thanks very much for your replys Chris & Ruth .

Chris - I have heard of getting our other cats scents on pieces of cloth & then trying to transfer them to Elzar & vice versa, but I really don't want to upset her as she thinks her living space under the sofa-bed is a safe haven & if we were to put something under there, it might freak her out . Will see if we get an opportunity to do it tho .

Ruth - I have never heard of the butter on paws saying tho - I am intruiged . You sound a cat softie too .

Poor Amber & Jessie, bless them . It makes me sooooooooooooooo angry how people treat their pets   .

Very odd - she came out for a wander last night for quite a while & even settled down in the hallway infront of the bathroom (we managed to get some good pics of her) & she even nuzzled us quite a bit - seems she has sooooooooo much lurve to give, bless her . At one point she started wretching like Leela has been doing since we got her, but I couldn't believe how hard she was wretching  , the poor thing. She bought up some white foam too, so it is probably hair balls ??

Any tips about making cats pass hairballs easier ?? My Mum thought that maybe a little bit of olive oil mixed into her food might help . We have seen special formula posh food, but are wondering if it actually works or is just an expensive con ............ another thing we will have to Google about .

We went out late last night to get her some wet canned cat food & offered it to her last night, but she wouldn't eat it, but I gave her the other half today & she ate it . Will try giving her a different flavour later tonight, but we don't really want to get into the routine of giving her wet food, as Zee Bee would be fighting her for it as we feed him & Leela dry biscuits ............. & she has long hair & we don't want her to get wet food on herself & also the flies in the summer .

Again, she hasn't come out from under the sofa-bed today, but Leela hasn't growled at her today, as far as we know , so things are progressing .

Right, am off to read up about grooming long haired cats - read a tiny bit about it last night when trying to see which breed Elzar is & found a condition called Winged Cat . Seems to be if a long haired cat isn't groomed enough they develop really heavy matting on the flanks ! ! ! Just hope to gawd that she never gets that bad .*_


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## arthurwhitewhisker (Jan 5, 2006)

Hi
For furballs you can get something from your vet called Katalax (I kid you not!!), its for bringing up furballs and you just put it on their food or even on a paw and she will lick it off.  Yep you are right, long haired cats need to be groomed all the time or they get mats of hair that need cutting off.

Glad she came out for you and nuzzled you, just give it a couple of weeks and she will probably be permantly on your laps.
Bigs hugs
Ruth
x


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## sallyanne1 (Oct 23, 2006)

Hi hun i breed cats (persians ) so i know a bit about them. Firstly as said before dont let her out she will do a runner. Also yes they are very teritorial especially queens they will fight to be top queen so expect a few scraps abd fur flying. If she is using the tray then she will be eating but with cats if they dont like what you are feeding them they would rather starve. Its all about just being patient with her. She will also need grooming an awful lot as they tend to get lumpy bits under there arms and tail so as soona s you can get her to come to you introduce a brush. As somone else said you can get dry food sepecially for long coated cats to help with fur balls. If she has used a cat flap at the rspca then soon enough she will be using yours and you wont see her for dust.
I introduced a new cat into my house and my queen went mad. She even attacked me !!! And my new one was so shy she just hid behind the sofa all the time because when i got her she was stuck in a 2' x 3' cage   After about a week i notice she was following me every where and then i noticed my queen grooming her. They became best of friends. Good luck with her hun im sure she will be ok


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*Thank you so much for your reply Sallyanne .

I bet your Persians are really beautiful . Do you think I should keep her in always ??

Leela, our female cat, seems to be more accepting of Elzar everyday & is now walking past the sofa bed with her tail up, rather than crawling past & hissing. They met for the first time last night when Elzar was in the hallway & Leela got a bit of a scare as she is smaller of the 2 ................

We haven't noticed Elzar using any of the 2 litter trays since she first used it the first night, but now she has started eating properly, I'm sure she will start using them ................

Great news - I have just seen/heard our beautiful Elzar eating some cat biscuits . I have been searching on Google about hairballs today & have read that maybe mixing sepcial formula hair ball biscuits might be an idea & will also deff get some Katlax too . I also read that hairballs can cause constipation , but using Katlax can remedy that ??.

How lovely that your Queen has accepted your new cat - it must be so cute to watch them grooming each other . We are sooooooooooo hoping that Leela & Elzar will be like that together one day, as they both seem quite meek .

I am a bit worried about being able to groom her myself really, as the RSPCA said she doesn't like being brushed !. But I'm sure I will be able to do it one day soon - which brush would you recommend please ? We have a metal toothed, rectangle headed one & a plastic one with little bobbles on the ends of each tooth .........

Once again, a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig thanks for all your replies - we all really do appreciate it *_


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## arthurwhitewhisker (Jan 5, 2006)

Hi
My old cat was half british black and hated being combed or brushed, we found the best comb was one where the prongs turned so it didnt pull too much.

I am so pleased things are going well for you and your fur babies, please post a piccie when you can.
Bigs hugs
Ruth, Grace, Jessie, Amber and Sky (ie me, baby, Eldest cat, youngest cat and dog  )


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## sallyanne1 (Oct 23, 2006)

To be honest i wouldnt go spending loads on a brush. I just got one from Wilkos which had the bobbly brissles one side and soft the other which i also use for my shih tzu which is also long coated. Nefertiti is an indoor cat but its alot of hard work cleaning trays all the time and im sure i can smell it even when i have done it  . And im lucky with her because she will let me bath her. She looks so sweet bless her  . When we got her as a kitten the breeder said wash her with washing up liquid    Poor thing if it got in her eyes so i use baby shampoo. I wouldnt dare wash Nero my tom cat but luckily he is an exotic so i dont need to i just brush him with baby powder does the same job lol
Luv sally x x


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*Thanks for your replies, Sallyanne & Appleton .

Well, Jessica seems to be settling in very well now . She has started to come out from under the bed during the day when we call her, bless her .

Still haven't managed to brush her yet tho, but did manage 4 strokes of the brush on her on Saturday - its a start I guess & we keep the brush under the bed with her so she gets used to it   .............

Sallyanne - How great that you manage to bath Nefertiti ! Bet she looks soooooooooooooo small when she is wet . Fancy being told by her breeder to wash her with fairy liquid . I would prob use baby shampoo too . Just wondering if it is essential that you bath Nefertiti ?? Is she very long haired ?. Just thinking of having to bath Jessica creates horror in me .

Anyone know how I can attach a pic of our sweet Jessica ?? I have tried to do it by clicking the Insert Image button, but don't know what to 'insert' . Thanks for any info .*_


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## sallyanne1 (Oct 23, 2006)

Yes nefertiti is long coated she doesnt mind at all and  se is tiny when she is bathed. She isnt big like normal persians coz when we first had her she came down with a mysterious illness and was in the vets for a week on a drip and she never seemed to grow much after that. Then dh tried to tumbe dry her   . I came in from the hair dresses and thought he had put his trainers in the tumble but the dog was going mad at it so dd opened it and poor neff was a right state. She was bleeding from the mouth and all limp. I was a sreaming mess and drove 100000mph to the vets   Luckily she was just dizzy coz of spinning round They were worried that she might have been brain damaged but thank god she wasnt. Not that it would have made a differance i wouldnt have had her put to sleep.

As for putting a pic on it have to be a cirtain size. Not sure what size though ask one of the mods? And just click browse and then insert  
Luv sally x x


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*Poor, poor Nefertiti (love that name ), being put in the tumble drier . Thank goodness she was OK !.

Thanks for the info about adding a pic, but I think I am being really thick . I even asked my partner to do it for me as I can't find the browse button anywhere & he said that there is no 'browse' button either . We just clicked on the Insert Image button & it gives:







, but no matter what we put between the 2 brackets, the pic won't show up ??*_


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## sallyanne1 (Oct 23, 2006)

Click on rofile at the top then click *forum profile layout* There should be the option to add your own pic there and then browse and try that way  I hope lol


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*Okey dokey, thanks - will try that right now .................... fingers crossed it will work, but that will cange my avatar me thinks & not insert a pic on the thread ??*_


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*Woo hoo, managed to put sweet Jessica on my avatar . Thanks for the help Sallyanne *_


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## sallyanne1 (Oct 23, 2006)

Awww she is beautiful. When i get my laptop back i will put a pic of Nefertiti n Nero on here so you can see them. Jessica is huge compared to Neff lol


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## DizziSquirrel (Feb 15, 2005)

Ive never got the insert image icon to work either, you can upload photos of Jessica to the FF gallery, and there is a tech help guide to help you do this, or you can open a photobucket account and upload your pictures there, re size them and just post the code into the post like you would a smiley, hope this helps, 

~Dizzi~
Jessica is certainitly fluffy!!!!!!!


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*Thanks very much for the info Dizzi Squirrel .

Think I will just stick to having her as my Avatar for now - have just lightened the pic up as it was taken on my mobile phone  .*_


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*Hello there girls . Just thought I would post an update on our sweet Jessica.

She has settled in really well so far & has started to come out from under the sofa bed more & more each day/night, bless her . We get the impression that she lives for food, as when I go into the kitchen to prepare my lunch, she always follows me in, begs for food & purrs very loudly .

We opened the front door for her the first time a few days ago during the day & she was quite scared. She now sometimes walks up to the front door when we are outside encouraging her to come out - we never just leave the door open & unattended .

It seems that she only wants to go outside when its dark & will lie down infront of the closed door in the evenings - our other girl Leela prefers to be outside at night too , probably to ambush all the moths & flying things, bless her lol.

Well, Jessica actually went outside late last night for the first time & was very cautious . She walked down the stairs & stood in the middle of the pavement & then got really spooked by a passing car - luckily we have a speed ramp right infront of our flat & Neal my partner was standing in the road infront of her - & she very quickly ran back insde our flat. We were sooo glad that she knew where to find safety & I gave her some wet food as a reward for her coming back. Bless her, she slipped on the landing of the stairs as she came running in - looked like something out of a Tom & Jerry cartoon .

We still haven't managed to groom her tho  . Neal picked her up the other day & held her in place for me to brush her & she wasn't having any of it & got very stressed, but luckily she is still coming out for attention.

We have booked a mobile groomer to come & do her a week this Saturday - thought a mobile one was better so she wouldn't have to be taken to a groomers & be in the same place as dogs as it is reported that she doesn't like dogs .

We are hoping that the groomer will be able to get rid of her knots that are forming & have been there since her RSPCA stay - I just feel really upset that we are not able to groom her properly & feel I am failing her  .

Lets hope that after the groomer has been, she will hopefully be more willing to co-operate brushing-wise, or we will probably have to have the mobile groomer visit quite often - anyone know the going rate ?? We are going to be charged £30, which is much less than we were quoted at out localish pet grooming shop - £50  & no gaurantee of no dogs being there !.

One last thing - she started wretching very hard yesterday afternoon & bought up puffed out cat biscuits about 3 times in various places around the flat which culminated in her bringing up a very foul smelling wad of hair . I have been giving her some Bob Martin Vita Chews - Vitamin & Mineral chews for cats - that are supposed to help with anti-furballs. Have read about how good Katlax is, but am a bit put off that its a laxitive ........

Oh, lastly she seems to be a prolicif mouse catcher . Zeebee, our devil cat from hell has been bringing in quite a few mice & then not bothering to catch them again & so far Jessica has managed to catch all of them, but sadly at about 4am in the mornings - not so good for Neal as he has to get up for work at 7am .*_


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## sallyanne1 (Oct 23, 2006)

Im so glad she is setteling in now   I am taking my dog to the local grouming place on thursday and the are charging me £22 for a shampoo , condition , nails and a cut ( god sounds like me wheni get my hair done   ) What are they going to do to her just brush her? I aways find it easyer with Nefertiti to get the lugs out when she is wet. And as for the hair balls i dont actually give her anything she just brings them up and i find them in the morning when i have no slippers on   

Luv sally x x


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*  about you finding the hairballs in the mornings without any slippers on .

Had a very scary Saturday night !. Jess finally deceided to go out at 10-30pm just as we were going to shut the front door, even tho the door had been open since about 10am as we were working on my Moped .

She found her way over to the overgrown planted area behind barred railings & seemed to settle down there for a while - a while being about 6 hours later at 4-30am ! ! ! .

I was getting more & more upset & thought that we had lost her  & Neal even braved the thickets with only a torch to try & flush her out, bless him. She did indeed come out, ran up the road & then into the thicket again . We sat on the doorstep for a good few hours so Jess could hear us talking & maybe work out how to find us & return, but that didn't work, so we played Ratchet & Clank 3 on the PS2 for hours & I kept going out every 10 mins to call for her & see where she was - had soooooooooooo many cups of coffee each to keep awake ! ................. she eventually strolled in at about 4-30am no worse for wear & happy *phew !*.

She hasn't been out since & we have been closing the door at about 8pm every night now - our other female cat, Leela, doesn't use the catflap but loves to go out . Our other black Devil cat, ZeeBee, uses the catflap but we have set it to one way for the mo so Jess doesn't get out - he is being soooooooooo good really, bless him .

On the grooming front, I think she is being brushed out & nails clipped - I asked if they might bathe her & he asked how old she was & if she had ever had a bath before & to my knowledge she hadn't, so the groomer said that he wouldn't bathe her as it could be very stressfull for her - sounds like they have her best interests at heart . I read somewhere on a website that if you wet a cat that has knots on them, the hair shrinks & it might hurt them as the knots tighten against their skin . Maybe that only applies it they are very knotted .*_


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## sallyanne1 (Oct 23, 2006)

Bless ya sittin waiting for her like parents of a teenager    Least she knows where home is. 

I havent heard that before about the lugs   Mind you neff never gets that bad she just gets a few under her arms


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*OMG is all I can say at the moment as I am soooooooooo shocked  ! ! !.

The groomer came over on Saturday & seemed proffesional - he set up his own table & had a large array of different sized metal combs he set out on said table ............

Neal managed to get Jess on the table & she seemed OK with it for about half a minute & then she turned into a devil cat from hell & started freaking out & scratching/lashing out !. The groomer hadn't even started brushing her out by then.

He then had an idea of putting a lead around her neck to try & control her, but as she doesn't have a collar on he put a blue noose lead around her neck ...................... she really didn't like that & went really bonkers . It ended up with her dropping off the table & hanging from the lead momentarily   - I was getting hysterical by then as you can prob imagine & then she dropped to the floor & started squirming & scratching ............ the noose got sooooooooooo tight around her neck that I think she was in danger of suffocating & the stupid groomer had to cut it off her which was dangerous ! ! ! Don't know why the noose didn't have a quick release   .

Anyways, while the groomer was trying to cut the lead off Jess, Neal started bleeding profusley over the carpet as poor Jess bit him very deeply between his thumb & index finger on his left hand, not to mention the deep scratches all over his chest, hands, arms & legs  .

Poor Jess wee'd herself during all this & scrambled under the sofa bed for refuge. She even pooped herself whilst under the sofa bed & just layed there lethargically for aaages after . We discovered the poop under the sofa bed at about 2am when we went to put the bed out & needless to say one of the bed wheels got draged thru the poop & poor Neal cleaned it all up  , bless him - really don't know what I would do without him ..........

The groomer had the cheek to charge us £10 call out fee , but I just paid him to get him out of our flat - he was soooooooooo shocked to see Neals blood all over the carpet & he couldn't get out quick enough with his table & tools . Think he got scratched too, but not as bad as poor Neal ! ! !. The groomer said he thought that the only way to groom her would be to have her sedated & couldn't believe that the RSPCA didn't warn us how she reacts to being groomed - no wonder she was not rehomed for the 6 months that she was there, or maybe she was rehomed & then returned .

My poor Jess - I just feel soooooooooo angry with myself for putting her thru all that & as for poor Neal, we spent about 3 hours in our local Hospital walk-in centre wating for a Tetnus jab & a check up/clean up. Needless to say, Neal has a dressing on his index finger & his left hand is stained yellow coz of the Iodine. His finger looks like it is going to burst its soooooooo swollen  & he is now on a course of very strong anti-biotics .

I am so amazed at how forgiving Jess is & she has started coming out from under the sofa bed already & 'mincing'/begging for food, bless her. She is even letting us stroke her a bit again ............ I just feel sooooooooo sorry for her as she is such a sweet natured cat apart from the grooming part .

I am about to ring the RSPCA centre & try to speak to someone that grromed her during her stay with them . Will try & remain calm tho ! ! !.*_


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## arthurwhitewhisker (Jan 5, 2006)

Oh sweetheart poor you and poor poor jess!!  Maybe she hasnt been groomed properly and just given a quick brush which she accepted.  Or she really isnt used to other people yet and you need to try and brush her yourself for a while.  I really hope you sort things out.  As for the groomer he should know better than to put a lead on a cat that isnt used to it, even a quiet cat goes loopy.  Man he ought to be banned!!

Really good luck, hope your hubbies hand is ok.  My old cat bit my mum so bad he went through her thumb nail!!
Hugs and kisses to you all
Ruth
x


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*Thank you very much for your kind words, Ruth .

I thought I was trying to do something to better Jess' life re the grooming as she has a few knots forming around her beautiful white ruffle, but now know it deffo has to be on her terms - I have managed to brush her a few times whilst she was eating so will have to percivere, me thinks .

As for the groomer, he came over covered in hairs, so maybe all the different scents, either cats or dogs, might have upset Jess . I guess the groomer is best suited to doing dogs only maybe, even tho I did warn him on the phone when I first spoke to him that Jess was fiesty. I think that he has deffo learnt his lesson about putting nooses on cats, even tho it could have ended in tradegy   *_


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## sallyanne1 (Oct 23, 2006)

What a complete   I cant belive he did that. Poor Jess and poor you and Neal what a stressful tie for you all. Point is it is going to put her off any type of grooming for a long time now. I think the kindest thing to do for now would be to buy a grooming mit. Then she wont even notice you have it on when she comes out for a fuss. I would ring the RSPCA a ring and ask them to do it for you as they know how to deal with her. 
Luv sally x x


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*Thanks for your reply Sally .

I did manage to speak to the RSPCA after leaving them a message & couldn't believe what the lady said after she rang back when she had done some checking !.

She said that they have many volunteers come in to groom the animals, but thinks that Jess was never groomed there as she was too fiesty  . I made it clear that they should have let us know about it before we rehomed her & she just went very quiet & then suggested that we tape a brush onto the end of a broom handle & try & brush her that way - she said at least the cat wouldn't be able to reach us . . How stressfull would that be for poor Jess ??

I mentioned to her that the groomer said that the only way to groom Jess would be under sedation/General Anestetic & asked if the RSPCA would fund it, but she said that she really didn't think so ...............

I am now on the lookout for a brush mit like you mentioned , as it makes soooooooooooo much sense - thanks for the heads up . It will take a very long time to get her trust back & groom her, but as long as she can cope with her coat we will just try to get her used to the glove for now. If her coat does start to get really bad then we will have to think seriously about sedation .

A lovely friend of mine has offered to get us some Felaway to help calm Jess & the other 2 cats too, bless her .*_


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## arthurwhitewhisker (Jan 5, 2006)

Blue lobster - you can also try the human rescue remedy, as it is natural and can be used on animals too.  Here is a link for the mitts

www.petplanet.co.uk/search_adv.asp?mscssid=

If it doesnt work you can just go on www.petplanet.co.uk and type in grooming mitt.

Good luck
Hugs
Ruth
x


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*Thank you ever so much for the link, Ruth  - it didn't work, but I had a good look at all their grooming products & have just bought this as thought we won't have to stress out Jess if it works:

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=103&pf_id=4010&mscssid=92TREB51VB9F8MF86MSLV7D62F500439 & a bag of anti-furball treats too .

Might buy this if the above doesn't work, thought it a tad expensive so bought the above instead to start with: http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=103&pf_id=6867&mscssid=92TREB51VB9F8MF86MSLV7D62F500439

Once again, thanks very much for the link to Pet Planet, very much appreciated x x x

Ohhhhhhhh, it looks like I might have got away with free delivery as total is only £4-13 & p+p costs £3-99 alone *_


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## arthurwhitewhisker (Jan 5, 2006)

Wow might have to get one for my cats, they love rubbing their heads and chins along things.  My eldest always leaves a trail on dh's chin when he hasnt shaved  
xxx


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## Guest (Jun 12, 2007)

Sounds like you are doing the right thing with the cats.  Both of ours are rescue - the first one is just sooo cute and cuddly and has always been that way which is weird for a rescue cat.  We've had the second one for four years now and the difference in her is amazing - it's like a different animal.
For the first week we separated them, then she just hid behind the tv.  We just left her to nosy around on her own terms and now she's a very noisy cat who loves being stroked and fussed on her terms.  She doesn't like being picked up much unlike the other furry idiot but knows where home, food and cuddles are!


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*Arthurwhitewhisker - funny you should mention that your eldest has a trail of cat fluff on his chin if he hasn't shaved - Neal also gets that & it looks soooooo funny . Mainly due to my ickle Leela sleeping curled up on our pillows while we are asleep, bless her .

Glitter - thanks for the encouragement . Sounds like your 2 rescue cats are fab & have really settled in.

When we first got Leela from North London Cats Protection League, she was one of 14 bought in as her owner had Alzeimers . Was soooooooooooo difficult to choose just the one & take her away from her brothers & sisters . Looking back now, we really should have taken another one too, as we got Jess to keep Leela company .

ZeeBee, our male cat, was given to us by a friend that didn't want him anymore & he is deffo Neals cat & evil with it . He was taken away from his Mum too early we think & hasn't been taught when enough is enough playing wise & he suddenly flips to being devil cat from hell & overdoes the biting & scratching  . Sometimes I feel sacred to even walk past him as he tends to attach knees & feet, sad I know, but Neal is the only one who can control him .

Jess is doing really well considering her trauma last Saturday & she is coming out more & more to be fussed over . I just can't get over what a sweet natured cat she is & gorgeous too . Neal saw ZeeBee nuzzle her this morning, which is an amazing step forward indeedy - wish I had seen it ...............*_


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## Guest (Jun 15, 2007)

DH has seen the grooming mittens and reckons they're pretty good.  We might have to get one for ours as one of them suffers badly with hair balls, hates being combed although adores being stroked.  In fat, one of them has just bounced up onto the desk with a miaow to Zeebee, Jess and Leela


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## Blue Lobster Keeper (Nov 21, 2005)

_*Awwww, thank you for the Miaow    .

The grooming mit does indeed look good. I bought some cat sticks in our local Sainsburys the other day made by Bob Martin that are supposed to help with fur balls & have added vitamins & minerals .

When I first started giving Jessikins them I must have given her about 4 at once & then read the packet which said only give half a stick a day   . Luckly it seems to be working thus far as she hasn't been sick since she started them .

I have read on cat forums that Katlax is supposed to be good for fur balls, but it comes as a paste to put on the cats paws & acts like a laxative  & is quite expensive .*_


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## Tilda (Aug 11, 2006)

Hi blue lobster,

First can I say that Jess is absolutely beautiful. I have a very similar-looking long haired female cat who was also a rescue cat and VERY feisty and also HATED to be groomed (I've had so many bites/scratches over the years) and there is no way she would have tolerated professional grooming.

It's taken a long time to get her used to the idea of being groomed but the best thing I've found is a rubber brush called the Zoom Groom, it doesn't have bristles, just big soft rubber "teeth" and it's very gentle so she tolerates it as it's very similar to when we stroke her. She used to get the most awful lumps of matted hair under her front and back legs but now she doesn't.
The other thing which has helped is to "bribe" her with cat treats if she is good and lets me brush her. The cattery I take her to also groom her and they do it before her dinner so that she knows there's something good to come afterwards.

Here is a link for the zoom groom so you can have a look at it:

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/880/mia/d/cat+zoom+groom/pid/1260485

you can get it from other places as well including pet shops. It isn't the cheapest brush but it's worth every penny.

love from Tilda xx


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## arthurwhitewhisker (Jan 5, 2006)

Blue Lobster - the catlax tube does last for ages and they do lick it off their paws quite happily so it can be worth it.  My eldest really suffers with fur balls as she is very fluffy underneath (piccie attached) so she has it once a week.

Glad all is getting better, I have found that rescue cats really are more affectionate, seems they are grateful for love and care.
Arrr
Hugs and purrs
Ruth
x


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## Guest (Jun 15, 2007)

We put the katalax on ours after she'd had a particularly bad run of things and it does work.  We've also changed their food to Iams / furball dry food.  not sure if this is working out so we're going to try Hills next time!


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