# Kitty in Michigan, USA needs good home!



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

My sister and brother-in-law need to find a good home for their cat. His name is Max, and he's a neutered, long-haired cat. I believe he's about 4-6 years old, but I'm not sure. He's ginger colored, and just beautiful. Think Crookshanks from Harry Potter, but with a less-smashed-in face.  I will try to post a picture up here as soon as I get one.
He needs an indoor home due to being completely declawed. My sister & bro-in-law did not do this, he was already completely declawed when they adopted him from the shelter. He does shed a lot, having such long hair, but he's a very sweet cat. Likes to talk to you, and although a bit shy at first, very loving once he knows you.
The one problem he's got is that since they had their baby (last May), he's been territorial and started peeing on the baby's things. This is why they'd like to rehome him. I'm not sure if this behavior would continue in a new home, but if they cannot find a new home from him, they have to either take him to the shelter (who would put him down if they told them he was peeing on things), or have him put down. I'm determined not to let this happen to him, as he's such a sweet cat. Please, no insults towards them for getting rid of their cat, just let me know if you, or a friend/relative, are interested in giving this guy a good home. I, for one, would be willing to drive up to two hours to meet with someone, if absolutely needed.
Oh, and one last thing, the kitty is located in Lansing, MI.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

And just thought of another thing. He's been in a home with one other cat, and two dogs, so as far as we know, he gets along okay with other animals.


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## kandyhedgie (Mar 23, 2009)

1. Post pictures.
2. What have they tried so far to get him to stop doing that? There are cat repellant sprays in pet stores that are non-scented to humans.
Putting tinfoil around the area he is spraying will make him wary of walking over to that area.
Spraying bad behaviour with water (or water with a little bit of a lemon juice added - they HATE citrus smells)

Its often very difficult to re-home a cat that is marking its territory... its not used to change, so a new home might escalate it.


I googled some humane societies in their area:
Capital Area Humane Society
Michigan Humane Society

Have them call and ask what their euthanization policies are. There are usually humane societies other than the government-run animal shelters that will take in animals with a low-to-minimal euthanization policy.


I'm only a few hours from you and I would take him in, but I'm moving soon and it would be too chaotic for the poor baby


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yes, I have to get pictures to post, I will soon. 
And I don't think they've tried much to stop him. But neither of them are home (or awake) much, my sister is a night labor/delivery nurse, and my bro-in-law is a schoolteacher. I'm not sure if there's particular areas he's spraying though, sometimes it's the baby's things, sometimes it's just a rug or something. I don't know how often they catch him in the act, but I'll give them those suggestions and see if they're willing to try it.
My sister did call one of the animal shelters one of them (I'm not sure which one it was, but I think it was Capital Area) and they said if he's peeing, they'll just put him down right away. They were thinking about just taking him to a different shelter and not telling them about his peeing, but I'm not sure how that would go.
Thanks for the feedback, I'll talk to them about the methods of stopping him!


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

They might try making sure all the baby's things are in a room he can't get into, like a nursery. Or only give him part of the house to roam in, like by shutting a door that connects one half of the house to the other (if they have a house like that). It could just be a behavior that he's doing since the baby's new and that he'll stop when he gets settled back in, because it does sound very territorial. kandyhedgie's suggestions sound like they may work, so I would definitely give them a try before rehoming.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yes, I will give them the suggestions, especially the cat repellant spray. I'm not sure how well some of the others would work, since they're not around much to catch him in the act, and he's peeing on the baby's stuff, not just the floor...Maybe they could put any of the baby's stuff in his room before they leave though, and keep that door shut.
The baby is now 10 months, though, so I don't know if that qualifies as still new. Anyway, I'll give them some suggestions and see if they're willing to try. Thanks again for the ideas, guys.


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