integrating a cat

Here at last is the promised update on the nine cats who became homeless last summer when their owner Tricia passed away very suddenly and prematurely. It took some time to find purr-fect homes for these adult cats and we are delighted to report that fabulous homes have now been found for all nine of them.

The first cat to go to a new home was Zoe. She moved in with another feline called Fleur. According to her new human it took a lot of time and patience but eventually Zoe bonded with Fleur and they are now the best of pals. See them here cuddled up together!

The next cat to find a home was Mr No Name. His new humans felt it may be confusing for him to change his name so Mr. No Name he continues to be. He has a lovely home with large garden in the countryside and another feline for company. Here he is in one of his favourite spots, able to watch what is happening outside, and ready to spot a snack in the kitchen! You can read more about Mr No Name here more about Mr No Name

Steve (formerly Buddy) was next to go and Sally joined him a few weeks later. They have both settled into the home of another feline called Figaro. Naturally Steve gets on well with Sally as they lived together in their previous lives. Steve gets on well with Figaro too. Figaro is so far a little wary of Sally but my guess is that they will get along with each other better and better as time goes on. Pictured above are Steve on the arm of the couch and Sally curled up beside him. Another happy outcome. Steve was rehomed very early on and Sally’s early story is here more about Sally

Molly’s new humans fell in love with her as soon as they met her. Molly made herself at home immediately when she moved in with two humans, three dogs and two other cats. Her home is very near Cuddles Cattery so I often meet her. It is fair to say Molly rules the roost in her new home and she commands prime position on the couch! Doesn’t she look content? Here’s Molly’s early story more about Molly

Millie didn’t really like the other eight cats she shared a home with, as she was Tricia’s first cat. She considered herself to be a little above the others and often told them off. She was offered a great home by a lady who didn’t already have a cat. Millie is now very happy and comfortable in her new home. Here she is kneading her favourite sheepskin rug.

Sammy (Sad Eyes) was next to move on. After meeting him when their cat Hunter was on holidays at Cuddles, Hunter’s owners decided to offer him a home. It took a little while for Hunter to accept him but they are getting along with each other better as each week goes by. Here they are sharing the couch. It is clear that Sammy is well settled and happy in his new life. He doesn’t go out much, but prefers to lounge around the house! Isn’t he right? Here is Sammy’s early story more about Sammy

Heidi was the last cat to find a new home. She moved in with older feline called Scamp, whose sister Lily passed away at the time Heidi became homeless. Scamp was very lonely without Lily. As with Hunter, Scamp met Heidi on a holiday at Cuddles and the two cats were introduced to each other here. Scamp is displaying more kitten-like behaviour since Heidi moved in with her. Her new humans are delighted she has joined their family and treasure her. Heidi’s big sister Scamp is now 15 years old and Heidi helped celebrate her birthday in style recently! Here’s Heidi’s earlier story more about Heidi

Finally, there’s Dolly-Doyle. Many of you will know Dolly-Doyle is now a permanent member of our family here at Cuddles. She’s our little angel and although she can be a little monkey at times we are delighted that she has joined our family. Here is Dolly-Doyle looking up to her hero, Ted. Dougal has been known to share a chair with her on several occasions too. Anyone who has visited Cuddles recently will have met her and some have been tempted to steal her from us. She really is adorable. Here is her early story more about Dolly-Doyle

So that’s all nine cats happily rehomed. We are so pleased that we were able to assist these lovely cats. We will always remember Tricia fondly. She was a regular customer of Cuddles and she dearly loved all her cats and devoted much of her life to rescuing and raising funds for needy cats. A total of €380 was raised at Cuddles in memory of Tricia, who had originally given a home to these cats, all of whom had been rescued by her in conjunction with Galway Cat Rescue. After veterinary expenses of €35 we passed the remainder on to Galway Cat Rescue in Tricia’s name.

Thank you to all the customers and friends of Cuddles who made all of this possible.

Dolly started out her life living rough in the outside part of a heating system belonging to a hotel in County Galway. She was rescued by Galway Cat Rescue as part of their TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) programme after they were notified of her presence. Following this Tricia fostered her for a while and then decided to formally adopt Dolly into her family. Sadly, when Tricia passed away recently Dolly was homeless once more. I decided to try her out with Ted and Dougal and if they agreed I would adopt her.

I wasn’t all that confident it would work, as I have tried to integrate cats into our family before and they never worked out and had to be rehomed. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained and I thought maybe as Dolly was small and female, friendly and used to living among other cats that she wouldn’t be a threat to my two older boys.

I set up a crate with everything she needed – bed, food and water, litter tray, the essential cardboard box to play and hide in and a few toys. I kept her in the crate for the first week and showed her to Ted and Dougal when each of them was in my arms. A couple of days passed and I saw Ted looking at her as if to say: “Are you still here?” On about day three I put the crate up on a table – more for my benefit than anything else as it is easier to clean up at that level instead of crawling on the floor. After about a week I closed off part of the house (when Ted and Dougal were out in the garden) and let Dolly roam around a couple of rooms for a short while. I did this several times over a few days. With each outing her confidence grew and after a few more days I opened her crate while Ted and Dougal were in the vicinity. Naturally I stayed in the same room to intervene if necessary. Ted and Dougal were a little wary of her at first and she was very curious about them along with everything she encountered. She very quickly learnt that the crate is a place of refuge and if there are any sudden movements or loud noises she runs over and jumps in to safety.

Dolly enjoys racing up and down reception after a ping pong ball. Her favourite spot for an afternoon snooze has become our reception desk. She started training to become a receptionist but we already have two receptionists (Ted and Dougal). In keeping with the Ted and Dougal theme, we decided to add to her name giving her the new formal title “Dolly Doyle”, and her position in Cuddles will be that of our Tea Lady. Go on, go on, go on, you will, you will, you will! A couple of days ago she hunted a little fly which amused her for quite a while. Hmmm, she’s trying to make herself indispensable!

Dolly Doyle is three weeks here at this stage and she is making herself at home more and more. Ted has met her face to face a few times now. He hissed at her just once or twice (in a gentle way) but he mostly seems curious about her. Dougal and Dolly are more or less avoiding/ignoring each other. Dougal has growled at Dolly once or twice but again not in a threatening way, but as if to say: “Don’t come too close, I’m not sure what to make of you.” – or maybe he’s thinking “stay away, that dinner is mine!”

On the integration goes. I have a good feeling this will work.

PS: Dolly has several brothers and sisters, all lovely friendly cats looking for homes. Why not give one of them a chance and try to integrate them into your feline family? You won’t be sorry.

PPS: On an equally serious note, please make provision for any pets in your care should something happen to you and you are no longer able to look after them yourself.

Nine New Lives for Nine Cats!

Dolly Doyle’s Tale

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