The Time has come - we will re-home Strauss (update - good :))

To catch people up - Strauss is the newcomer that came to live with use a year and a half ago when his human died. He and our 10 year old cat Sid have never gotten along. They've both been vieing for top-cat position and while Sid had the heart and desire, Strauss has the youth, strenghth, and skill. :(

Last week Strauss managed to corner Sid and got a bite out of his tail. We thought it was a small wound at first and were just monitoring it, but yesterday I decided to take Sid to the vet to make sure. Once they shaved his tail we were horrified to see how big and awful the wound really was. It should heal, but there is a chance that if it doesn't that Sid's tail would have to be amputated.

Sorry to be so blunt here - but I hope at least that this can be used as a warning to others to not ignore cat fights and their consequences.

So now we will search for a new home for Strauss. I'm absolutely crushed, but I know that it is the best thing for everyone.

I hope he can find a home where he will be the only cat. That sounds like what he needs so he can be king and not have to share. Good Luck finding him another new home, at least you gave it your best shot. Do keep us posted.

Laura's right you gave it your best shot and sometimes things don't always work out the way that we would like them to. You are a smart person to recognize that two top cats don't work. I wish you luck with finding a new forever home for Strauss....and (((HUGS))) as I know coming to this decision was very difficult.

Rehoming is giving the cats an opportunity for continued good health and happiness. I re-homed a Bengal cat a couple of years ago, and he is SO darn happy in his new home. I did my job and found just the right home for him, after interviewing a few different folks. It was hard letting people know my thoughts on why they shouldn't have the cat, but I did it for the cat, not for me. Ti, the Bengal cat sends me a Christmas calendar each year, with photos of himself, as well as photos of his housemates, another Bengal and two pug dogs! I made the right decision by rehoming him and I suspect you will do the same. Look for the right family. I took it very seriously. I drove him 6 hours to his new home. Stayed for dinner and then drove 6 hours back......crying the entire way home....well, not sobbing, but teary eyed. I just know I did the correct thing.

Good luck. Rehoming works most times. ;) :)

I have attached photos of my former boy Ti. The one on the steps is at his new home. He was sunbathing!

I've been through the same thing in the past.Some cats CANNOT be around ANY other cats.Your poor older cat.I hope they are seperated right now.I feel so bad for your 10 year old sweety.

All of The Cats taht I have rehomed are doing absolutely fantastically.
They all live in homes which make the Found Cat Hotel look like a tar paper shack, and have Great Guardians.
We pray Strauss will be as fortunate.

Some cats just won't get along no matter what you do. Good luck with finding a new home for him. :)

It's so sad because we want our babies to love each other just as much as we love them. But cats have just as many different types of personalities as people. Some cats are loners. Some cats just won't give up trying for Alpha.

A year and a half is a long time. You've done your best. Good luck finding the purrfect home for Strauss.

It is indeed sad news, but in the end it will be what is best for all parties. Prayers that Strauss' new family "finds" him soon!

I'm feeling better now than when I started this thread. Thank-you everyone for your kind words. Sid is being kept separated from Strauss so all is good there. Sad thing is, Strauss doesn't necessarily need to be an only cat, but he does need to be top cat. He gets along very well with Joxer because Joxer defers to him (Joxer is also the only one to have perfect ears - not a single nick or scratch :) ).

But Strauss is like the fable of the fox and the scorpion - he may be behaving now, but I know that eventually he will hurt Sid again. He's not trying to be mean or evil, its just in his nature.

He's a great cat and we'll do what it takes to find him a great home.

I know this is is hard for you Julie - and I know that your cat's best interest is at heart.
My heart goes out to you.




see you SOON! Then I can hug you in person!

You are doing the right thing. I also had to do this with Cirrus aka Flint. I had him for two years and things got worse between him and Storm. Storm is the alpha cat and Cirrus wanted to take over. It was affecting both Storm's and Cirrus's health and causing too much stress for me and the other cats.

I also thought that Cirrus should be an only cat or be with only submissive cats. He's now been rehomed and is living with 3 other cats who were also hard to place because they're biters and a Pug. The lady has a big house and an outdoor enclosure for the cats. He's been there since early Dec.2005 and is now a very happy fat cat. Here's a picture of him that his new owner e-mailed to me.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...z/d5e1436f.jpg

Things will work out in the end so please don't be so hard on yourself. Cirrus is now in a very loving wonderful forever home and I'm sure that Strauss will be able to find one too. Good luck and please keep up updated about him.:)

Sid's wound is healing very well. As we look at it, we're wondering if maybe our conclusion that this was inflicted by Strauss was in error. It just doesn't look like a cat scratch or cat bite.

It looks more like a clean slice - caused by an object and not by an animal. So we're cautiously optimistic. We're going to hang on to the ad we created for Strauss and he is still on double-secret probation.

But for now we're going to watch and wait.

Also, Strauss was more mellow in the winter when we managed to fatten him up a bit. I'm feeding him kitten food right now to see if I can get him to be a little less buff and to mellow him out.

I'm glad to hear this update Julie!

This is very hopeful news. All fingers crossed.