I no longer want to look after my daughter's cats.

I absolutely feel for you MissingLincs. I was put in a similar situation. We do anything for our daughters don’t we! I suspect you’re just going to have to carry on.

Anybody suggesting RSPCA or rehoming them through a cat rescue charity is being terribly naive. Most rescue centres are absolutely drowning in unwanted cats and running on empty cash wise so will not just 'take' your unwanted pets.

Poor Missinglincs, some of the gransnetters have very strong opinions. I know exactly how you feel! I have 2 cats left with me via my 2 daughters. They are well looked after, vaccinated yearly, flea and wormed via injection twice yearly. Willow, the boy cat spends every evening on my lap, pestering me to stroke him. Smudge the other spends most of the time on my husband's lap. I wouldn't dream of putting them in a cats home. It would be horrible for them. I'm fond of them, but I wouldn't say I love them. But I know they are extremely well looked after and healthy and happy. As for cats hairs, don't get me started.

sodapop I was just trying to save MissingLincs from the "if only you had mentioned it to me mum" syndrome!

I really don't see why the poster should involve her daughter in any decision regarding the cats. The daughter has clearly abdicated all responsibility for the last five years so it's down to the poster now I think.

I am sorry haven't read all the posts but I would contact your daughter tell her you can no longer manage the cats, ask her if she would like them, tell her your problems including the cost and if she says no take them to the nearest rescue centre and explain your problem, I am sure they will help you.

I think any animal refuge, if you told them your story, would be more than happy to take them in and find them new homes - including the blind one.

They would appreciate how much you had done for them over the years since your daughter moved out.

My sister, very much a cat person -she usually has three or four cats at a time, gets all her cats from animal rescue centres and most have been handed to the centre for the reason you would do it.Others just get passed onto her anyway. I do not think she would recognise a kitten if she saw one.

There will be people who have sadly lost a cat and would like to adopt another for company/comfort. Not all would want a kitten, a mature cat would be more inclined to stay at home and be house trained.co tact a rescue centre about your situation, offer to donate food to keep their cost down. Good luck, hope you get your life back.

As I read it, these four cats are the kittens of the cat that your daughters friend left her and now you to look after when they were having their house done up. I'm wondering why the cat didn't get returned to it's owner when the work was completed. You needed to have put your foot down then so to speak and said she would have to go back. I feel that you should be venting your frustrations with your daughter although as a cat lover and owner I must say that I feel sad for the cats. They are not old and could live for another ten years. I have two cats now, brother and sister aged eleven. I have had to have two cats both aged fourteen put to sleep in the last three years both with the same health problems, heart, fluid on the lungs, liver. Daisy lived only two weeks after diagnosis and Rio lived on for a year. the cost of an overnight stay. x-rays blood tests and two lots of medication per day over that year cost around £1,200 pounds. Money I never ever regret paying. So what I'm saying is that as pets get older unless you have insurance cover to help then be prepared for vet costs. If you decide to re-home please, please go to a cat charity re-homing centre. I know the RSPCA have cat fosters. These people will make sure that they will go to the right people. Sometimes they house check. Do not advertise in shop windows, newspapers or social media as you don't know who they will be going to. Cats in our area and probably over the country have been known to be stolen and used as bait for dog fighting so choose carefully. Charities tend to like to rehome in pairs especially if they have grown up together which I think is a good idea in these cases. Yes they will be scared and it will take time for them to settle in a new home. Animals have feelings the same as humans believe me and I would challenge anyone that says they don't. I've seen it over my many years of owning cats. You can only do what you think best. A lesson learnt I hope in not giving in to our childrens whims.

Sorry, but I think you are equally as culpable as your daughter. The cats from 20 years ago are either on their last legs or gone. The other cats are from way back too but the thing that sticks out is that you allowed a cat in your care to get pregnant twice. The first time maybe you didn't realise she wasn't spayed but you didn't do anything about it once you realised that. That is just downright irresponsible. It was your house and you had one word in your arsenal which could have avoided this situation, the word, 'No.'
By all means, admit you made a mistake but don't blame everybody else. There are loads of people out there who will happily rehome an older cat. Just make sure you are sending it to a genuine home, not one that is just using it as bait for a fighting dow. Unfortunately that happens.

Get them spayed and take responsibility for them sorry but it makes me mad how some people treat their pets. u took them on how can u even think of rehoming them???

www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7habOJe-z0

Thevothers are 9 which is only middle of the road for a lot of cats

They are not all a good age Stella two are not very old at all I can’t go back but it is in one of the previous posts I think page 1

It sounds as if they are a good age now, so they won’t be around ‘forever’. I think rehoming would be traumatic for the cats and your daughter was a youngster when she brought them home with her father’s agreement, so blaming her is a bit unfair! We all know that we sometimes have a responsibility to just get on with something that we haven’t chosen. I think this is one of those time. I see from your second post you feel this too and just wanted to vent. It’s good for us all to do that occasionally.

By the way, my vet agrees that Frontline no longer works and recommends something else (can’t recall the name just now).

Seek to rehome at least some of the cats and make your daughter pay for all of their care/food as she is the one who decided to have them. I am very much an animal lover and look after my daughters' cat and dog regularly, but have made it plain I would never have them full time. The cat is trouble with a capital T and does not get on with my own cat or the dog. I tell them to bring the food for them both.

You didn't want cats but yoyr ex husband and daughter got them anyway and your daughter brought in 2 more when I assume she was living with you? Why then are you still having them live with you & paying for them when they should be your daughter's responsibility? You've let her get away with it for too long! She needs to come and collect them and obviously your GC are ok with them with no allergies etc so she can't use that excuse

...bite the bullet. Have a talk with your daughter and tell her that you feel trapped and depressed and that you need her help in organizing new homes for the cats.

No these cats probably will not miss this lady, as she has treated them well, but is not a cat lover.

Cats who are owned by cat lovers do miss their humans, neither Carly nor any research will make us believe otherwise who have had a series of cats throughout our lives.

Frankly, I think you should explain to your daughter that the cats are becoming too much for you, and you would like her either to move them to her house at the end of two months or to allow you to either re-home them or, if any are elderly and no longer quite fit, have them put down.

This may sound harsh, but isn't meant so. I am a cat lover myself, but no-one should be cozened into keeping pet if they don't want to.

No, Frontline does not work any more, try Advantage, which is also made by Bayer. It does work.

I think you are an extremely good person, feeding, de-fleaing, paying vets' bills and generally caring for four cats that you did not ask for and did not want. Anyone who owns a cat or a dog knows how expensive and time-consuming it can be.

If you explained the circumstances and that you are finding the care of four cats too tiring and restrictive as you get older, I feel sure an animal charity would understand that you are a conscientious and decent person and they would be willing to try to find homes for the cats.

Really it is most inconsiderate of your daughter to land you with this, without any financial or practical contribution. I understand her position re her husband's asthma but still it is not fair to leave it all to you to sort out. She should at least have played her part in terms of providing help if you wanted a break or to go on holiday - or paid for someone else to look after them during that time.

I am sorry but you don't have to grin and bare it unless you like being a martyr. Just re home them, either at your daughters or in a cat rescue place.

We have one cat which just came and never left. Neither of us is keen on having a cat although there is nothing wrong with him except that scratches the carpet by the door as he wants to go upstairs and lie on the beds.

We look after him, feed him, pet him and de flea him etc. however, I will only be a little bit sad (for him- not us) if he passed away.

I never say this to my friends as so many of them are cat lovers.

I have chronic brittle asthma, my children have asthma, we have five cats, a bunny and fish. As a now ex vet nurse allergies and asthma are not really a reason to re home or refuse to take responsibility of pets. It drives me insane when people say I've asthma/ allergies I can't keep x. You can, you don't want to. A completely different statement. If health becomes an issue doctors can prescribe all sorts to help. Okay in some cases it's extreme and I wouldn't want people to become violently ill however health is usually an excuse for I don't want to, that way saying it's a health issue makes them feel less guilty.
Sorry, that probably sounds harsher than it means to.
If you would like help rehoming feel free to pm me. Even the little blind one. X

Same thing happened to my friend. Her daughter bought a dog when she still lived at home, with a view to breeding from her. Not long after this she got married and her husband didn't like dogs. So, the dog was left at mums for 12 years. My friend changed her entire life to cater for the dog's needs. It's totally wrong that this should happen.