Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Bengal SOS...



Bengals 101. Pets 101. Fail.

This Bengal girl is in MN and needs a foster home, or a forever home. She is clearly in a situation where the people, however well meaning, do not know how to take care of her, or her needs.

I am rarely harsh, especially when I do not know the full situation, but this seems to me the height of idiocy. You DO NOT get a pet if you cannot spay or neuter, and you do not get rid of them because they have problems. YOU FIX THEM.

She can be fixed. She can be helped. I would love it if we could help her live the life she was meant to. Great Lakes Bengal Rescue has no foster homes in MN, nor any open in WI.

Her biggest problem is she is in a place she does not want to be. She needs someone who will love her, understand her, and BE with her. If she gets it, she will love you forever, and the problems, which from reading the ad on Craigslist, are mainly emotional. They will go away. She can be helped.

If you think you can help, write to me, if you like and I will make contact for you, and help you with this.

Read about her HERE

Love and Thanks,
Lorraine

56 Comments:

At 10:20 Blogger LincolnBlog said...

Link to Craig's List doesn't appear to be working...

At 10:23 Blogger Phiala said...

People need to do their research before taking on responsibility for another life.

Pets, kids, whatever.

(I'm forced to exempt houseplants since I kill an awful lot of them. Ooops.)

Regardless of the ultimate intent, animals should be raised humanely and with an understanding of their basic biology and psychology.

At 10:25 Anonymous Anonymous said...

...and you sure as hell don't have the cheek to charge someone for taking a cat you patently can't care for off your hands! Absolutely heart-breaking. You're a far kinder person than I for even attempting to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Hope the poor little mite gets a lovely new home soon.

At 10:26 Blogger vampi said...

people are stupid.

i wonder if they had some silly idea about making boat loads of cash breeding her. you do not make boat loads of cash breeding after vet bills. or maybe their financial situation changed after purchase due to the depression.

either way, this is not appropriate stewardship of an animal.

At 10:29 Blogger Laura B said...

Oh, I hope someone can help her.

vampi, I totally agree, people are stupid.

At 10:31 Blogger turtlesong said...

wtf??? and to top it off they want a "rehoming fee"? why don't they just come out and admit that they are selling this poor animal because they are in over their heads?

i hope to hell these people don't have children.

At 10:33 Blogger gaypet said...

I am full up at the moment but I can certainly pick her up if there is somewhere for her to go. Perhaps directly to the vet to be spayed and then off to another home. If anyone in Chicago (or somewhere else about the same distance) wants to take her I can meet you 1/2 way. Just some thoughts...

At 10:34 Blogger Mary said...

Wow... asking for a small rehoming fee?? When you give up an animal because you can't take care of it, you don't get paid.

I hope she finds a forever home.

At 10:44 Blogger Jess said...

Here's a working linky to the ad.

Morons. I imagine the "rehoming fee" probably has something to do with not being able to get their money back from the breeder. Even so: morons. You don't spend that kind of money in the first place if you're not serious.

It's actually sort of laughable that they think they can recoup their monetary losses on a special-needs cat when they've been unwilling to actually do anything for it.

At 10:47 Blogger spacedlaw said...

Poor kitty. I wish I could help.

At 10:52 Blogger DataGoddess said...

That poor girl! Not spaying her right off the bat is bad enough, but letting her out w/o spaying, then not dealing with her acting out is just wrong. She's communicating, they're not listening.

I hope a home can be found for her.

At 10:55 Blogger Unknown said...

My take on re-homing fees is that they are an extra buffer against a cat getting into an even worse situation.

At 10:59 Blogger Stacy said...

There's an extra "http://" in the link. If you delete that, and leave the second "http://" in the link, you can get to the page. Or - hang on. I'll try posting the link here!

At 10:59 Blogger Stacy said...

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/pet/1602073688.html

There ya go . . .

At 10:59 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Fixed Link....

At 11:04 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

I agree completely. Am hoping asking for the "Re-homing fee" was an attempt to get someone who really wants her, however misguided it was.

I have written a very nice letter to her, offering to help.

We will save her, and thank you for offering to help, really means a lot.

There HAS to be someone out there. This is so easily fixable, she IS telling them what is wrong.

At 11:09 Blogger Marjorie said...

Quick tick, back later for proper comment...

At 11:09 Blogger LincolnBlog said...

Sending a fiver for the Bucks for Bengals jar.

At 11:11 Anonymous kali_licious said...

What I can't believe is the lack of spaying coupled with letting her outside...thanks to that kind of negligence she now has a chronic illness. Poor little thing!

And then to ask for a rehoming fee...sorry folks, you got what you paid for and you have to chalk this one up to a "learning experience."

I agree with what Phiala said, do your research before taking that kind of responsibility. (Phiala, me too on the houseplants. Love 'em but have a hard time keeping 'em.)

At 11:12 Blogger Stacy said...

Wish I could be of help. Unfortunately I don't fit any of the characteristics of a good bengal owner right now . . . or even a good bengal transporter. But I'm pulling for this kitty anyway.

At 11:13 Blogger Kimberly said...

There are so many things about this that make me furious.

*breathes in deep*

Day by Day Ziggy shots to calm down

I hope someone comes along for this poor kitty *sighs*

In other news, Ziggy made icanhazcheeseburger ... and for the Zoraline fans, check out how much happier THIS kitty is than the first photo you saw of her at the shelter!

At 11:18 Blogger spacedlaw said...

Had to laugh: Just got a twitter notification in my email intray and it reads "Bizarre Sex is now following you on Twitter!"
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...

At 11:21 Blogger spacedlaw said...

I can't believe that these people paid the price of a bengal without having the money to do the right thing by the poor creature! Why bother? They could have adopted a stray and have her fixed. or maybe they just wouldn't. Some people are sloppy that way.
Maybe the kitty is pregnant too...
(with such irresponsible idiots, I wouldn't be surprised)

At 11:23 Blogger Jess said...

I suppose that's preferable to Dull Sex, Nathalie.

Hair ties are better than catnip. Fact.

At 11:41 Blogger LihuaEmilyP said...

I will spread the word, Quiche ...

At 11:44 Anonymous JulieB said...

She's so beautiful! I would be able to foster her when I get back from the islands on March 8th. Maybe someone could get her, have her spayed, and start working with her before then? Let me know if I can help. Julie (Foster in Grafton)

At 11:51 Blogger Kate said...

I have to say, what kind of a breeder is this that obviously wasn't concerned with the cat's welfare either? They've had her a year and the breeder just said, "well, no spay, no papers?" not, "hey, if you can't afford to spay her, how can you afford to feed her, take care of her?" I firmly believe that it's a breeder's responsibility to know their animals are being well and intelligently cared for and to say, "Wait, this isn't right, I can work with you or I will take this animal back."

I really, really wish I lived in a state where I could legally foster. I hope you find someone who can help.

And, I've been reading that Bengals all spray everywhere and cannot be stopped. Obviously, this is a load, but I'm curious, what's your Magic spell?

At 11:54 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Julie,

Can you write me at fabulouslorraine at gmail dot com? Thank you! I can start the process if need be.

At 12:00 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

SOME Bengals have problems with spray/pee but by no means is it the norm.

Multiple litter boxes BIG ones, plastic tubs with high sides. As many as you can fit in your house. EVERY floor. More than one per room if it can be done. And clean them EVERY day.

Feliway diffusers and spray. Mimics the pheromones of a happy cat.

Easy access to food, both dry and wet.

LARGE water dish, ie a small pool if you can do it. They LOVE water.

Clean accidents with Anti-icky-poo (real product) not soap, water or bleach.

If you have more than one kitty, work it out with them. The more GOOD litter boxes the better. Many cats hate the small covered ones.

Love love love love love!!!!!!! Play time, comfort, attention. Treats.

My F1 Bengal Magic was a pee-er like you wouldn't believe. So was Mim for awhile. Fixed them.

At 12:05 Blogger Unknown said...

These people should not have any kind of cat. I would take in this luvvie, but I've already taken in too many of the neighbors' mistakes. I wish luck for this kitty; the ad certainly didn't make it sound like a critter many people would want.

At 12:12 Blogger Anne said...

I would like to help, but I don't know if my home would be right, though we could try it. I have a cat and a big dog, so she might still be stressed, but I live in the cities and could try to help out.

At 12:16 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Anne, please e-mail me at fabulouslorraine at gmail dot com

If you have a room where she could be alone, that would be the main thing, she needs a safe, stress free place to be right now.

And love.

At 14:12 Blogger vampi said...

warms my heart to see people stepping up. do we know what the "rehoming fee" is? i would be willing to pay or help pay. i'm too far and unable to do he actual rescue, but through this blog, i have a big place for these kitties in need.

At 14:24 Blogger Marjorie said...

How is the $5 for Hope jar doing? You'll shout out if you need help, I hope.
Like Vampi, I'm too far off to help with homing or trnasporting, but if you need help with rehoming/spaying/vet bills/extra litter trays just say so :-)

At 15:01 Blogger mistressmousey said...

Looks like the posting has been pulled, but given the stuff being said, I only have one thing to say: WTF? So glad there are some folks (many of whom are here) who have a better clue and a ton of compassion (and sometimes even homes!) for our feline friends!

At 15:07 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Had a long talk with the MN Bengal owner from Craigslist about pee problem solving, Bengals, spaying and everything. She does love the kitty and wants to try working with me, and see if the problem can be solved.

This kitty came from a Very Bad breeder, whose cats ALL pee and spray and were let lose outside.

The women seems like she wants to do the right thing, and indeed, IS doing a lot of things right. She's willing to go some to see if the problem can be fixed.

We are going to talk more tonight.

She knew, however, NOTHING about Bengals before buying this kitty.

At 15:26 Blogger Kate said...

Thank you for the insight to cat-pee. Now I'm thinking maybe it was on the blog somewhere- but thanks for the repeat. It makes sense that a cat would prefer, like us, to live in an environment that doesn't smell like a litter box. (I might mention it to my in-laws, whose cats have occasional problems with this ever since adding cat #2. They think it's cat #1 cause she's older, I suspect now it's 'cause they keep a litter box in the basement and get to it so rarely that I don't like to go over there.)

That sounds like a sad situation all 'round. How great that you found her and that she's willing to get the help she and her kitty so badly need. Quiche, patron saint of Bengals & cousin to St. Tiggywinkle.

At 15:45 Blogger Dragonsally said...

How lovely it has been to get to the bottom of the comments and discover the matter is on the way to being resolved.

You really do rock Lorraine, and I'm sending all my good luck and best wishes vibes to the puss and her owner.

At 16:00 Blogger Jane said...

Like Sally, I got to the situation after it seemed there may be a solution in hand. And do give a shout if cash can help.

I think so strongly that people should do a little (or maybe a lot!) of research before taking on pets or children. Definitely if you can't take proper care of a pet DON'T HAVE ONE! (vent over)

But it sounds like the cat's owner wants to do right by it.

Thanks Kimberly for the Zoraline hair scrunchy video. They have been a favorite toy around here as well. And now Ziggy's a little star!

At 16:23 Blogger vampi said...

Jane, i almost choked with laughter when you said "Pets or children" muahaha. people need to be responsible breeders, full stop.


one thing, is if these breeders are still with holding the papers, and did not act responsibly, then maybe having them reported so they don't keep sending out pets to unsuspecting owners. i know dogs have AKC, i believe cats have a similar licensing agency.

At 16:47 Blogger Jess said...

Is it strictly legal for for them to withhold the papers from a paying customer at all? Not sure I understand what that had to do with an inability to pay for spaying.

At 17:04 Blogger vampi said...

my guess, and it's totally a guess, is that there never were papers. the breeder has to register the litter. it is typical to require the pet quality offspring to be spayed/neutered and withhold papers until proof is provided. what this means is that those people can not then register their dog and start breeding. dogs/cats with out papers are generally less valuable.

At 17:38 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Standard practice, keeping the papers until proof of spay.

A breeding kitten will sell for $1600 or more, show quality. A pet would be from $600-800, half that.

It's a way of keeping the breed honest, for one thing, sure, they can breed them to whatever they want, but they can't register them without papers.

If you see an add for "Bengal kittens" and there are no papers, you have someone breeding a kitten that wasn't meant to be bred.

If you buy a pet, some breeders opt for early spay/nueter, which I don't like, (Venus was one) or they say, here's your kitten, I'll send papers when you send spay proof. (Mim was one)

That's how it works.

At 17:39 Blogger Unknown said...

I was wondering about the breeder... it's more probable that the cat contracted feline herpes as a kitten, given what you've said. Our Seal Point has herpes, and the vet told us it's very very common in shelter environments (we got him from a shelter).

I'm glad it sounds like the owner is willing to work some more with the cat. Pee problems can be so annoying, and sometimes so insanely simple to solve.

At 19:55 Anonymous JulieB said...

I'm glad to see that the owner wants to learn and that there are options for this beautiful kitty! My offer to foster her stands if needed. Be sure to let me know ASAP. As we get closer to "kitten season" I may get litters from the Humane Society. Per my contract, I can't foster for the Bengal Rescue while I have fosters from the HS.

At 21:25 Blogger laughing star said...

Just as a note, the "rehoming fee" is pretty much standard in any craigslist ad for a pet. As someone said, it's a way of trying to avoid an animal going from a suboptimal situation to an even worse one.

However, at least in some Craigslist communities, that idea gets taken to extremes and you get hate mail or your post gets flagged and removed if you don't use the rehoming fee.

Glad to read that she's really an overwhelmed owner who wants to do the right things. Poor little gato.

At 21:46 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

See? I did not know that about Craigslist and pets.

I am glad she wants to work on this too. Very glad, better for the kitty..

At 21:47 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Nathilie, SATAN just showed up as following me on Twitter. We so have to get him together with Bizarre Sex...

At 22:49 Blogger vampi said...

that makes much more sense.
craigslist has some serious flaws.
glad the owner is going to give it a try. Quiche is the bengal whisperer

At 00:37 Anonymous Wendy Withers said...

Sigh. :( I don't even get followed by bizarre sex. I've become a spinster!

With cats!

Crazy cat lady!

At 07:48 Blogger LihuaEmilyP said...

I suppose this is a good thing, but I need to find a reading on gay marriage from a prominent public figure who is anti-gay marriage and cannot find such a reading ANYWHERE.

At 08:03 Blogger spacedlaw said...

You could try the Pope's blog. Or any Vatican related pages (watch your blood pressure, though).

At 09:43 Blogger Steph said...

Oh my goodness. That is the most amazing and adorable cat. I just don't get how people can't treat their animals properly.

I got my cat from the Humaine Society in Toronto and she is the best cat I have ever owned. She is the most loving animal in the world and she was abandoned because her owner let her get pregnant and then left her out in the cold (so that half of her ear is now gone from frostbite).

People who don't know how to take care of animals and can't take responsibility for their animals suck.

At 09:58 Blogger vampi said...

Li hua, you could try ann coulter or rush limbaugh. search for prop 8, that was the big deal in cali and i'm sure that will get you some readings for an against.

At 10:22 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Hi Cookie, we are SO with you, and welcome!

New post is UP!

Promised you Dim and here he is!

At 10:44 Blogger LihuaEmilyP said...

Thanks for the tips, Donielle and Nathalie.

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