"THE STAINES HOWLER"

by Rosemary Alger
CATS, Number 461, 18 January 1991

I first heard about 'Rupert' through Rosemary Hale, who co-ordinated the lost and found Burmese Cat Club Register. The RSPCA had contacted the club to say that there was a large brown Burmese cat terrorising an Old Peoples' Home in Staines, and would we do something about it?!

The mind boggles. It appeared that this cat had materialised about six months before and spent every night howling around the Home, keeping the elderly people awake. He wouldn't be handled and appeared aggressive when approached. A 'doggy' lady had been giving him the odd bone and had tried to find his home without success. It was she who had contacted the RSPCA. Fortunately, the local branch had heard of the Burmese Cat Club and so he became our responsibility. That was when Rosemary called me. I had taken on the occasional Burmese with behaviour problems, and he was in my area. I was, therefore, asked if I would take him in.

When I agreed Nick and Val Downes, who volunteer their services for transporting rescues, contacted me to ask how they should catch him! I suggested food being put down by the 'doggy' lady, whom he knew, then a cat carrier being left near the dish and finally the dish being put in the carrier. This was duly done. Unfortunately the kind 'doggy' lady, not used to handling cats, got savaged for her troubles and the incident confirmed her feelings that she would stick to dogs, but they did manage to catch him in the end!!

In the meantime, I had prepared a suitable place. At the bottom of my enormous garden, I had a very large shed. One quarter of this had been penned off as 'rescue' accommodation, with a heated bed, carpet, etc. This was ideal for a strange cat, as there was no outside contact with my own animals. It was roomy so they could run about without feeling cramped and nice and dry and warm with a window to look out of. The entrance was inside the shed which also acted as a safety run.

I knew they had arrived before I saw them. The howling was horrendous. The whole basket shook with noise. Nick was very apologetic, as if it was his fault. The wide-eyed brown blob looked out and screeched.
I hastily carried him down to the bottom shed before my stud cats heard him. I don't think his language was very polite. I put the carrier down in the pen, opened the door and got out. the pen was wired round the outside so we could observe in safety. Nick explained that they had another appointment so couldn't stay very long and could they take their basket, please?

This was the moment of truth. It was obvious from what they said that someone had 'over sold' my powers of cat handling and they were expecting me to lift him out and give them their carrier. I looked at the howling cat and I looked at them. Mother, father and daughter smiled at me confidently and I had no choice. I went inside and opened the carrier. The cat shot out and I bravely murmured sweet nothings at him. He stopped, looked at me and his feet started kneading bread; amazingly, he started to purr and next moment he had launched himself into my arms, kneading away with his front feet on my chest and butting me with his head. He had got a 'Mum', he was happy!! Whew - it was astonishing! All he had wanted was love. The howling hadn't been anger, but frustration and a desperate need for affection. Whilst cuddling him I felt under his tail and discovered he wasn't the macho entire male as everyone had supposed, but a big soppy neuter.

It was now plain sailing. Considering he had been living rough for so long, he was in surprisingly good condition. The first job was to cut his claws, as I was fast resembling a drug addict, with needle pricks all over my body. Obviously I had him vaccinated and eliminated the various friends he had brought with him, but apart from a rather patchy dry coat and a few battle scabs he was fine. Three weeks on a good diet sorted out his coat and I had a healthy shiny neuter to re-home.

My vet agreed with me that he wasn't a young cat, in fact he was quite elderly. We decided to say he was about ten years old give or take a year, (probably more give than take unfortunately), and I set about trying to find him a home. This was now becoming rather crucial as I was having to spend far more time with him than I could spare, for if I didn't give him maximum attention he started howling again, which was very distressing for both of us and also very noisy!

I had in at that time a three-year-old Burmese rescue who needed a new home and I had put the word about for her and the elderly brown neuter. A delightful lady called Theresa rang me one day interested in the chocolate and agreed to come down and see her. Both her dogs were rescues and she wanted to give a young cat a home as well. After talking to her on the phone I decided that she was the ideal person for the 'howler' and hoped that he and I would be able to convince her. She lived in the New Forest away from roads and houses and was at home all day and most importantly was obviously a dedicated animal lover - what could be better for my noisy elderly gentleman?!

As it happened, I didn't have to convince her at all. She fell in love with him and felt that he needed her much more than the chocolate who would be a very easy little girl to place. I couldn't have agreed with her more. They were so obviously taken with each other, I was thoroughly happy with her taking him and he departed in his new carrier with his toys, purring away - no howling this time.

A faint-hearted person would probably have given up. Theresa didn't find him at all easy. For quite a long time he was dirty in the house, didn't like the dogs and howled non-stop, unless she was physically cuddling him. He was also very clumsy and broke a lot of her ornaments. When put in the conservatory in desperation, to learn to use his litter tray, he broke most of the potted plants there as well and 'performed' in the resultant earth on the floor!

However, she persisted bless her, and recently I received a letter with a photograph of 'Rupert'with the dogs. The letter read as follows: 'I thought you might like this pic as evidence of your success story with 'Rupert' - He is the noisiest cat and has the strangest temperament - quite nutty- but very affectionate and as you can see he's sorted the dogs out! - Many thanks.' signed by Theresa and Rupert with a kiss from Rupert!

Footnote: Unfortunately the photo was too dark to reproduce, but it showed Rupert happily curled up asleep with the two dogs.