Author Topic: Emergency building work being done - cattery or not?  (Read 3283 times)

Offline caledonia

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Emergency building work being done - cattery or not?
« Reply #7 on: January 30, 2013, 20:59:00 PM »
I'm actually work in Housing with a LA and whilst they all operate differently its hard to pin down who makes the judgement call on whether you should move out or not.

In all honesty if I was you I'd stay where I was. Temporary accommodation can be anywhere within the LA, it is basically furnished or worse they give you a void you take your items too. If they said your house was uninhabitable whilst the work went on then you would prob have to pack up your stuff and they would put it into storage. Yes the cats would certainly have to go into boarding ( at the councils expense) and it would be a lot of upheaval.

Yes the LA do have to ensure you are suitably housed and obviously this scenario is very unfortunate and one they will not be happy with either. However whilst your there they will get this done ASAP. They want in and out. You get on at them about wanting temp somewhere and get moved out and then the work will take longer. It becomes less urgent and allows them to take their time. Personally I think your better on their case being in the house.

Unlike private houses where insurance might put you up in a hotel, LA's have other stock they can utilise to house you in but that takes away a lot of choice for you so if you can bare it is stay put.

Just my two pence to throw in!
Love from Rachael & fur babies Nina & Rio

RIP Bertie 23/12/2007
RIP Oscar 31/08/2011
RIP Edgar 09/11/2011

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Offline spoons

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Re: Emergency building work being done - cattery or not?
« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2013, 16:51:10 PM »
Thanks for the replies everyone!

Hmm, I looked into boarding them, the cheapest I could find would be £10 per night for both. The workmen won't give me any idea of how long it will take, and they've already messed up the bathroom today which has added more time. This IS quite expensive for us atm plus we're currently without a car, so the cost of getting them there would be an extra one. But I don't know, maybe it would ultimately be worth it. Especially hearing Kay's sad story :(

So far Simba is completely unaffected by it all and takes great joy in following the workmen around, rolling in their dust sheets, and hoppin from room to room where the walls used to be as if it's the best thing ever. He still goes in and out and curls up in the bedroom when he's tired. Charlie it's more difficult to tell. He sleeps a lot, and is clingy, but then he was always like that. He's gotten closer to Simba through the whole experience though. As soon as I let Simba in the bedroom with us he'll rush to him making that kind of "chirrup" noise ("brrrr") and they'll rub noses for a bit and Charlie will follow Simba. But then I wonder if he's seeking protection.

My husband doesn't want to pay the cattery fees and thinks I'm just being the crazy cat lady who overly fusses over her cats. If we were put in temporary accommodation I believe we'd HAVE to put them in though.

I had a council officer come round this morning and he was of no use whatsoever. He actually said how inconvenient it was for them too (cos they're paying for it I suppose) and just ummed and ahhhed over every question I asked but didn't give any answers. I showed him the link that Frances kindly gave me and he just bumbled away saying he'd tell someone I might write a letter if i wanted :/ My husband is fuming and says he will deal with it, but it's difficult as he works from 7am til 5pm and by that time they're not in the office.

It's a tricky one. I guess for now I will keep the cats at home and let them out when the builders leave (well Charlie anyway, it's been difficult keeping Simba in). I wish I knew how long this was going to be though, as then I would have a better idea of what would be best in the long run.


Offline Skiddaw

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Re: Emergency building work being done - cattery or not?
« Reply #5 on: January 30, 2013, 15:32:00 PM »
Difficult one...

We didn't use a cattery when we had major building work done a couple of years ago (we just shut the Munchkin in the bedroom when the worst of it was going on, and let him out when the builders finished for the day) but we had more room than you do so it was easier for him to safely get away from the noise and confusion when he wanted to. I think I would try to pin the workmen down to how long it is likely to take and decide then whether it would be better to put them both in a cattery for a week or so, or whether you can grin & bear it until the work is complete.

I have to say- I'm with Frances in that I do think it's a bit much springing it on you with virtually no warning (and refuse to rehouse you whilst the work is ongoing to boot). I think it might be worth seeking some independent advice on what your rights (and the LA's responsibilities) are (Shelter are probably a good bet as a starting point).

Offline Kay and Penny

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Re: Emergency building work being done - cattery or not?
« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2013, 21:59:37 PM »
I agree with using a cattery - I had a new kitchen put in 12 years ago, and kept my then cat Cushty shut in the bedroom until the workman had gone - but he was traumatised by the noise and mess, and took to staying out for hours longer than usual - until the day he was killed on the road

I had intended to put him in a cattery, and changed my mind - something I still bitterly regret
Robert A. Heinlein:
How you behave toward cats here below determines your status in Heaven.

Offline Frances

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Re: Emergency building work being done - cattery or not?
« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2013, 21:41:31 PM »
What a mess! :hug:

To answer your main question, if I were in your situation I'd probably put both cats in a cattery, in the same pen.  Ultimately they will be safer there, both from the dust problem and being traumatised by the workmen/noise/mess/upheaval, and I wouldn't have to worry about them (so much).  I'd try to find somewhere where I could visit them on a regular basis to reassure them both and reaffirm your bond with Charlie.

On the broader question of this extent of work being carried out at such short notice, I've had a look at https://www.gov.uk/council-housing/repairs-and-maintenance.  I don't see how they can come to fit a kitchen and bathroom and then suddenly start knocking down walls and expect you to still live there.  I'd call that major works!

Perhaps you could find a cattery that will take all three of you . . .  :rofl:

Offline caledonia

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Emergency building work being done - cattery or not?
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2013, 21:32:50 PM »
Have they suggested how long this will last? Surely no more than a week? Even with building walls.

I wouldn't do anything with them and just keep them in the bedrooms. When I had a kitchen fitted and new central heating I just put my cats in a room. Yes there is noise and disturbance but they are still at 'home'.

My central heating system took over a week and the cats were fine being in a room. Bear in mind in a cattery they would have a lot less room :-/
Love from Rachael & fur babies Nina & Rio

RIP Bertie 23/12/2007
RIP Oscar 31/08/2011
RIP Edgar 09/11/2011

Always loved, never forgotten

Offline spoons

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Emergency building work being done - cattery or not?
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2013, 19:36:41 PM »
Well....I was supposed to be having a nice new kitchen and bathroom fitted in the flat I rent from the local council (not by choice as such - they were both very dated and falling apart. In fact the kitchen had been in the process of being replaced when I moved in but never got finished for whatever reason. Oh and then they were supposed to replaced by 2009, but they "ran out of budget" eh). They turned up yesterday and began working on the kitchen. Then decided to call in the surveyor to look at my internal walls, which lead to them deciding to knock them down as they were "empty" and have them rebuilt (something they found hilarious for some reason). Which now means my flat is pretty much a building site. We have nowhere else we can go, and the council are not willing to help us with temporary accomodation either.

I have 2 cats. Simba who I've had for 2 years now and raised from a kitten and Charlie who I adopted a couple of months ago as he was a local stray (I have made threads on both the cats in the past). Simba i am not TOO concerned about. He goes outside all the time, is a very bold cat and is not particularly bothered by all this. The only thing that I am concerned about is the amount of dust affecting him (well both of them) and the fact it's pretty dangerous in here imo apart from the bedrooms, but these are too small to shut a huge active cat like Simba in, plus he goes outside anyway and I don't want to stop that.

Charlie on the other hand is a completely different cat. As I adopted him very recently, I was advised by the vet to keep him indoors for a number of reasons - 1.) To ensure the cats got along first and that neither would block access to the cat flap (it's under the stairs inside the building) or chase the other one away. 2.) To ensure Charlie became familiar with his new home and would treat it as such and not get confused and try to go back into other neighbours houses looking for food (as they were feeding him things like milk and meat which are "treats"). 3.) To ensure he didn't get lost again as a result of the other things mentioned and 4.) The weather has obviously been very cold/snowy and if he did get lost it could be dangerous. So Charlie hasn't been outside yet since I had him neutered and chipped about 2 months ago.

Charlie and Simba initially didn't get along although a lot of progress has been made and they now get along a lot better. They don't quite do major things like snuggle together or groom each other, but they do play together (sometimes it gets a little rough, but at least they're not fighting) and will sit alongside each other, sniff at each other and even rub noses lately. But Charlie is a little different to Simba. Whilst Simba is large and bold and playful, Charlie is small, cuddly, quite clingy (although overly trusting of strange humans), very vocal for no reason, over-grooms himself still and does strange things like sucks on my clothing. He has changed a bit, for a long time he was very vacant and he does at least now play to some degree, but it was like I had to teach him to play if that makes sense? He will play with Simba now though which I think helped as he learned from Simba too imo. But I imagine he was separated from his mother too young, in fact I don't think he's very old or even fully grown yet. The vet believed him to be around 6-8 months but he'd been hanging around the local area for a couple of months before that, so he probably was.

ANYWAY....back to today/this week/next week/no idea when. All this work is being done in my home (well actually they've knocked down one wall and disappeared without telling me (I was shut in the bedroom) so no idea what's going on. My living room now leads straight into my kitchen which is an absolute mess with holes leading to the outside and there's dust everywhere in the kitchen and living room (including all over my furniture, kitchen utensils and food which I put in the living room yesterday a per instructed but they didn't cover - they only covered a small area of carpet). The only "safe" places are the two bedrooms. I have put Charlie's food and litter in one bedroom and Simba's food in another. I have been letting Simba come and go whereas Charlie I have been trying to keep from getting too upset by switching bedrooms often.

This work will be ongoing for quite a while. The question I want to put to you all is what should I do with the cats? What would be the kindest thing here? I don't have anyone local who could look after them (I have asked). Should I consider a cattery and board them there for the time being? And both of them or just Charlie being that Simba seems perfectly fine? Or would that make it more distressing for Charlie to be alone? Would he even cope well with it and be better off just staying here?

I am not saying make my mind up for me, just want some outside opinions.

Thanks x

 


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