Who’s in the market for this beautiful girl in Austin, TX? She can travel to a new home if need be, we would just have to figure out how to get her there.
Greetings Jackals! (from Salty Sam)
A few weeks ago, I posted a question in the comments, asking for any information dealing with a family member suffering from Bipolar Disorder. My sister-n-law went through a very intense manic episode last February. She snapped out of it in May, and started swirling the drain with depression. She has steadily deteriorated throughout the summer, and this week she was hospitalized, with court ordered protective custody. She will likely be committed to a psychiatric hospital soon.
She has a very sweet and beautiful kitty, named Pearl, who now needs a new home.
Pearl wants you to adopt her! (WG)
Pearl is about 8 years old, very calm and occasionally playful. She is affectionate to a point, but when she is tired of pats and skritches, she will let you know. While she most often seems aloof (feline prerogative), she is very lonely now, living in an empty apartment. I have been providing her daily room service, but she misses human companionship.
I’ve never done this before, so I not sure what other info would be helpful- I will answer any questions I can in the comments.
We are in Austin – my resources are stretched pretty thin right now, so I’m not sure of how to get Pearl to someone far away.
Thanks to those who answered my bleg a few weeks ago- there were some helpful suggestions.
Pro tip: if you’re going to have a mental health crisis, don’t do it in Texas. The lack of resources is appalling…
Open thread.
HinTN
I’m in to help rehome Pearl.
Roger Moore
I can’t speak for anyone else, but in the past jackals have always been generous with financial support to rehome animals long distances.
Percysowner
I can chip in for rehoming fees if needed.
Tenar Arha
I can’t have cats, but Pearl looks lovely.
I’m sure people will want to know if she has always been the only pet? Or was she originally adopted from a house with other pets?
Anyway, happy to chip in for transport.
Villago Delenda Est
Pearl is gorgeous. I’m in Oregon, though, and that’s a hell of a long way for a cat in Austin to travel.
WaterGirl
@Villago Delenda Est:
Look at that face.
She is sending us the mind meld.
Pearl will not take no for an answer.
Lifeinthebonusround
We can’t have cats here, but would happily contribute to rehoming costs.
Alison Rose
Sam, I’m so sorry for what your SIL is going through, and I hope she is able to get the help she needs to find her path out of this dark time.
And I hope we can help find lovely Pearl a new home. I have a FB friend in San Antonio who has rescued and fostered numerous kitties. I’ll send this along to her and see if she or someone she knows may be able to help.
Highway Rob
Has Pearl* ever been around dogs?
*-Great name, is there a Joplin fan in the picture?
Burnspbesq
Just forwarded the link to spouse. We’re in Cedar Park.
How is Pearl with other pets? We have two other cats and a dog.
Sandia Blanca
@Burnspbesq: Okay, we may have to fight you for her! Hubby and I are in Austin, with two older cats, and Pearl might be a good fit for our household. We have a female cat (Hallie) who is pretty aloof, and a male orangey (Teddy) who was part of a bonded pair. His partner died six years ago, and she looked a little bit like Pearl. Maybe she could bond with him.
CarolPW
@Villago Delenda Est:
Over 10 years I relocated from Sacramento CA to Pendleton SC to RIchland WA, shipping 3 to 5 cats (and 2 dogs) each time. Piece of cake.
Ruckus
I’ve lived with cats and very much enjoyed it. But they weren’t my cats. And I live alone in an apartment and when I have an appointment the cat would be alone for most of the day. This is an apartment complex and yes people have cats (a few) and dogs (more). It’s been a while since I’ve had a pet and he was an obnoxious cocker spaniel. I’m not sure and I live in CA so that’s a pretty long trip for a pet traveling alone.
So I’ll be in the running for adopting but if anyone else is closer that would likely be a better choice.
She is a cutie!
Villago Delenda Est
@Burnspbesq: I’d say you’re in first place, being nearby. Hopefully Pearl is good with other cats and with dogs, and with this one caveat, a match made in heaven!
Villago Delenda Est
@WaterGirl: I agree. I’ll bet she bleeds green.
Salty Sam
But so sweet a loner for the right person…
MomSense
Pearl sounds perfect. If my dog didn’t have such a strong prey drive, I would love to have her. I can chip in for rehoming.
Salty, I am sending all my best to your sister and to you. I hope she gets the care she needs and support for healing.
Salty Sam
I posted just above that she’s a loner. I don’t think she’d get along with a dog. She didn’t even take to two kittens brought into the household.
Her name comes from the street where SIL and her sister (who became my first wife, now deceased) lived with a bunch of friends back in the good ol’ days. But Janis Joplin was a favorite of our crowd.
Alison Rose
@Salty Sam: Was it only kittens she was around? Since a couple folks mentioned having older cats, I wonder if she might do better around them? Especially if someone has a room that can be “hers” for the first few days or a week, and she can be slowly introduced to the other cats.
Salty Sam
@Alison Rose: I honestly don’t know, and I had the same thought.
Any cat experts here have an opinion?
ETA- Sandia Blanca is close- maybe we could do a trial run? SB, what do you think?
Sandia Blanca
@Alison Rose: Thanks, Alison Rose, for asking this question. We do have a room that she could have to herself for a while.
Dan B
@Salty Sam: Not an expert but many female cats are very protective and want to be top cat which is not a welcoming or fitting in strategy.
Hopefully an expert will weigh in
BTW Pearl is a cutie!
Burnspbesq
@Sandia Blanca:
im going to have to remove myself from this conversation. Spouse says no.
Alison Rose
@Sandia Blanca: Maybe a little trial then!
Salty Sam .
I’ve asked WaterGirl to put me and Sandia Blanca in touch…
Sandia Blanca
@Salty Sam: Yes, we’re willing to do that! I’m not able to check email for a couple of hours, but if you get the address from WG, I’ll be happy to respond later this evening. Thanks!
Sandia Blanca
@Burnspbesq: Thanks, I didn’t really want to have to fight you! Glad to know you are in this area, I had no idea!
Alison Rose
@Salty Sam .: @Sandia Blanca: This place rules.
Salty Sam .
It really does!
Salty Sam .
Email sent!
Kristine
Wow—by the time I read through all the comments and was ready to throw in for transportation it was all sorted.
This place is incredible.
Sandia Blanca
@Salty Sam .: Thanks–will talk soon!
WaterGirl
@Kristine: Maybe sorted, depending on how the trial run goes!
I’ll let everyone know how it goes.
The trial run can’t even start for a week because Salty Sam is away for a week with other family stuff.
Fingers crossed!
Narya
Paging Way of Cats…
HinTN
@WaterGirl: Surely Salty Sam had someone checking on Pearl. She cannot be happy being alone; cats must rule their people! Have that person facilitate the move.
Salty Sam .
I just want to thank everyone for all the supportive comments, the offers of financial help for transport, etc. It has been a brutal summer dealing with SIL, and the heat, and, not to sound dramatic, but it has almost broken me. The support from this community, (for people as well as pets) has lifted my spirits greatly!
I promise to let y’all know how the trial run goes!
sab
If things get desperate we can take her in Ohio and will pick her up, but we have 5 cats here. 6 seems more than they ( our six) can deal with.
Salty Sam .
Salty Niece is looking after Pearl for the time being- she is in good hands. But even with her daily needs being cared for, she is lonely…
Mariella
When you’re introducing cats, it helps to take it slow. We kept our guys sequestered for about a week and let them smell each other under the door. By the time they finally met in person they did fine! Fingers crossed but Pearl (and the other cats) might just need more time.
karen marie
@Salty Sam .: I’m very glad for you that this part is just about sorted. Your SIL and your brother – and Pearl – are very lucky to have you.
TriassicSands
That is not surprising. Research has shown that because cats evolved to be loners, many prefer not to have other cats around. It’s not unusual for them to be more tolerant of dogs. Socialization with other cats is best done when they are very, very young, but since cats are individuals, some are fine with other felines sharing their space.
Based on what Salty Sam wrote, I’d strongly suggest that Pearl go to a household with no other cats. And just because a cat might tolerate another cat (or cats) doesn’t mean they are happy doing so. Imagine spending your whole lifetime living with a roommate you don’t like.
It depends on the cat, as always, but leaving Pearl alone for a time would probably be better than leaving her in a space with other cats.
Based on her history, it would probably be better to have her travel a longer distance to live alone than be forced into a situation with other cats
I adopted two five month old cats and they coexisted nicely. But a couple of years later, a wonderful stray showed up starving and very ill. I nursed her back to health and did everything recommended to introduce her to the other two. The male cat never seemed to care much beyond being mildly interested in the new arrival. The original female cat viciously attacked the newcomer if she got the chance. I had to separate them for their entire lives.
Sandia Blanca
Thanks to all for your advice. Salty Sam and I have connected and we’re going to work out a time for us to meet Pearl, with either Salty Niece or him. We will keep Pearl in a room away from our other cats and will proceed with caution with introducing her to Teddy. (Hallie will probably keep her distance–she and Teddy live kind of an “Upstairs, Downstairs” coexistence. He loves her, but the feeling is not mutual!)
Both my husband and I are home during the day, so she will have plenty of our attention and affection in the meantime. We have lots of experience with cats, and have successfully integrated newcomers in the past. More to come . . .
Another Scott
@Sandia Blanca: Thanks for the good news. Best of luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
SuzieC
Can’t rehome Pearl but thought jackals might enjoy my new kitten.
Maxim
I currently have a cat who won’t tolerate other cats — even the one she was raised with from a tiny kitten. However, she’s okay with dogs.
@TriassicSands:
And many love living in big cat colonies with their humans. I know one family that has 8-10 cats, not counting fosters. The cats all get along just fine.
JustRuss
@TriassicSands: Cats are very hard to *ahem* cat-egorize. We had a brother/sister pair, about 14 years old, I finally gave in and let the nephew living with us get a (male) kitten. The brother bonded with him instantly, totally mentored him from day one. But that’s how he was, friendliest cat you ever saw, loved everybody. Female wanted nothing to do with him. She was always pretty shy, though affectionate once she got to know you. They eventually learned to tolerate each other.
Alison Rose
@Sandia Blanca: Keeping all my fingers crossed that it works out well for you and Pearl.
On the (hopefully very slim!) chance that it doesn’t seem to, my friend in TX suggested contacting Austin Pets Alive, which she said, “They’re no-kill and try to help out owners in difficult situations like these.”
Sandia Blanca
@Alison Rose: Thanks, we are familiar with that good organization. We will do our very best to give her a great home.
TriassicSands
But is “tolerate” what any of us — of whatever species — want in life.
As individuals, cats behave differently, but forcing a cat to tolerate another cat is hardly an ideal way to live. My last cat, Rachel, died recently at 20 years 1 month and 1 week old. She was a wonderful cat, but absolutely hated other cats. (She’s not the female I mentioned in my earlier comment.) I brought her home, when she was a month shy of 16, to live out her days in a quiet, otherwise petless environment. She had been taken into the cat shelter where I volunteered (Her former people were going to have her euthanized because she had a UTI!*). Rachel had become the shelter’s “office cat,” and she spent all of her time avoiding contact with the two other cats that shared her space.
She was clearly much happier living alone with me, where she could be extremely affectionate toward me, without having to worry about running into another cat.
Rachel was small, only about 8-1/2 pounds, but round. On the floor she looked kind of like an orange, brown, and black soccer ball with a nice fluffy tail.
Anyway, at one point I took her back to the shelter to give her a bath and as we were weighing her she caught sight of another cat through the window of an adjoining room. Rachel went ballistic. Yowling, screeching, yowling, hissing, on and on. She didn’t like other cats. And no amount of time would have changed that. I would never have wanted to force her to tolerate another cat.
mardam
I’m willing to pitch in for rehoming fees. Just tell me what to do.
WaterGirl
@HinTN: Of course someone is taking care of Pearl while he is gone. :-) It’s one thing to ask your niece to come by once or twice a day, and it’s another to rope them in to facilitating a move, then if it doesn’t work out, facilitating the reverse move.
Also Pearl already has one change to her routine this week – Salty Sam gone, new person coming by. They may not want to add more stress when what everyone wants is the best chances of Pearl settling into a new home with new companions
Thanks, everybody! It takes a village, and we have our very own village here.