Can anyone save Harry?

At my Last Hope shelter, there's this really sweet middle-aged tabby. He's nearly blind in one eye (We're medicating it), and he always wants to be with you, 'helping' you do what you do. He's a huge purr-bucket and I love him to bits!

However...
Here's the sad story.. He's alone in the back shelter room. Harry is getting too aggressive with the other cats, he CANNOT be with other cats at all.. maybe he can be with one other cat, but a room full.. something snaps inside his head and he takes it out on the other cats. He goes completely berserk.

Few days ago, Harry got out of the back room, into the main roaming room, and attacked poor Dori. She's got a nice bite wound on her side and required stitching and an overnight stay at a vet. This isn't the first time he escaped and attacked other cats.. but causing damage to poor Dori and shed blood like this was the straw that broke the camel's back, to say.

He is slowly getting worse. He cannot be at the shelter anymore. No one can foster him since he cannot be with other cats, nor anyone has the room. Even though we're strictly a no-kill shelter.. the owner is at her wits end and is grasping straws to try to save Harry. His outlook is looking very grim now. I believe they even tried kitty prozac or the like.. I believe they tried everything.

He'd be great in a one-pet only home.. maybe with no children. He's extremely affectionate of humans and wants to be with humans all the time.

I am writing here, to see if there's any hope here to save Harry's life. He's on his last leg. He NEEDS to be out of that shelter, he is getting way too stressed out and it's wearing him down mentally.

Can anyone help save Harry?

I hope he finds a good home soon

Oh, that's so sad, poor Harry!

No one has a separate room where they can foster him for a while to give him a break from the stress of the shelter? There was a TCS member that fostered a cat-aggressive kitty. They kept moving her between the foster home and the shelter. The breaks from the shelter at her foster home really helped her.

Mega that the perfect one-cat person needs a cat and falls in love with Harry.

Oh boy volunteering is tough and heartbreaking. Be prepared to make some very special kitty friends. Sending vibes for Harry to find a home he deserves very soon

No volunteers has the extra room, nor do they want to risk Harry going after their current cats/fosters. If I had a spare room, I'd foster in a heart-beat!

I've suggested to the shelter owner to make flyers and post them everywhere. The more people that know, the better.

I think the final decision will be made at the end of the week. not much time

Well, the room to separate would be so he doesn't have access to the other cats. But it's not unusual for shelter workers/volunteers not to have a spare, unusued room unless the timing is just right.

Continued

Any pics of Harry? Has anyone tried advertising him, like on Craigslist and flyers? It can work wonders in emergency situations. I know a lot of people think that Craigslist is just full of a bunch of irresponsible idiots but there are a lot of sane, good people that read the ads. You also have the benefit of reaching thousands of people. Write a tearjerker ad and include some cute pics. Let people know how super sweet Harry is but that he's time is up soon. I've actually managed to find some great homes for animals at the verge of euthanasia that way. I'd advertise for both an adoptive home and a foster home. People are often more willing to step up when the animal is facing death. You'd be surprised.

Keeping my fingers crossed for Harry

they put me in charge (this morning, lol) to create a craigs list ad for Harry. I want to do all I can to get this guy a home!

How does this look?:
http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/pet/2609964633.html

Here's a pic:

The ad copy is good!

The picture is cute, and shows his playful side. However a full face, right side up picture with Harry's beautiful eyes looking straight into the eyes of the viewer is likely to be most effective. The "windows into the soul" look is what you want. A lonely person who needs a friend and needs someone to care for has to look into those eyes and think, "He needs me. I could make him happy. He could make me happy. I have to save him!"

Can't the shelter keep Harry in a big wire playpen or "cat condo" in that back room to protect the other cats and give him more time? For a very loving cat, the right owner will come along, given enough time.

Good luck with the ad and hats off to you for making the effort. I'm another shelter volunteer who can say that it is hard on the heart, but so worth the pain. And sometimes it makes me feel really good.

Robin

the cages in the back are isolation/sick cages. Besides, he's bad enough about being in the back room, caging him would probably make him even worse. We can't do that to him (he does have a cage to come and go as he pleases.)

If he's still around next sunday, I will take a new pic. this is the only one we have

Oooooo the ad is perfect Good job. He is a very handsome tabby, that is for sure . I agree with Robin and would add another photo of his full face. The photo is very cute and sweet, a couple of pictures are nice to see though. Good luck and you are doing a great thing for Harry

Beautiful cat and looks like one of my own. If you have not found a home for him soon let me know and I can ask any listeners on my show if they would be interested and pass on any details.

Originally Posted by Imissyou

Beautiful cat and looks like one of my own. If you have not found a home for him soon let me know and I can ask any listeners on my show if they would be interested and pass on any details.

Click to expand...

That would be really awesome! As far as I know, there's been no interest for Harry

We have a cat-aggressive kitty that targets most of the kitties some of the time, but ALWAYS attacks one cat in particular his attacks are terrible. We have to keep those two cats separated at all times and it is a really awful way to live. We love both of the cats dearly and separated, they are both fine. But there is never a time when both of them are happy. Let me tell you, I live in constant worry that the aggressive kitty will get access to the old one.

Also, the tension experienced by the aggressive one is not good for him either. He attacked me once when he got a look at the old one but was caught in tme before he could reach him. He shredded my arm, bit my hand and I spent the week going to Dr.'s due to the awful infection growing in my hand from the bite. I still have scars from the attack.

All that to say, Harry is a beautiful boy. I know you are trying to get him into a single cat home but that is not something you can guarantee about an adopter in the future. Personally, I think it would be irresponsible for the rescue to adopt him out. I think you would probably see him back at your doorstep very quickly.

I am all about rescue, and the rescue of older or less adoptable animals is my speciality. However, there are not too many of us out there. The home Harry needs is probably full up with other rescue cats. Those of us that can manage behaviors like his, already have rescues.

I hope Harry finds a placement that understands his needs. And if not, the love and care he receives at the shelter carries him humanely to the rainbow bridge.

The ad is good but I would make some changes to it to make it stand out. Some more info about his situation and his personality would help. I know a lot of people say that ads should be short and sweet but in my experience that has not been what has worked. There is so many ads on Craigslist so yours has to stand out and contain info that makes you really want to help Harry.

Could I try to write a new ad for Harry to see if it could work? I would be happy to give it a shot. I've had pretty good luck with finding homes or foster homes for urgent animals on craigslist. Would a foster home be accepted for him? Let me know if you want me to give it another shot.

Please don't take this as a criticism. It's definitely not meant that way. I hope it didn't come across that way.

Hey...have you considered contacting Best Friends? http://www.bestfriends.org/ They take on animals that would otherwise be put down. They even work to re-habilitate them. I donate to them all the time. It may be worth, at the very least, a phone call. They can arrange transports!

I sent you a PM.

Originally Posted by BlueRexBear

Hey...have you considered contacting Best Friends? http://www.bestfriends.org/ They take on animals that would otherwise be put down. They even work to re-habilitate them. I donate to them all the time. It may be worth, at the very least, a phone call. They can arrange transports!

Click to expand...

I will certainly look that up, thank you SO much for the link!!!

Thank you to Ziggy'sMom for helping me with a new CL ad. Hopefully this will attract some potential adopters!!
http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/pet/2617746768.html

Originally Posted by RAFM

We have a cat-aggressive kitty that targets most of the kitties some of the time, but ALWAYS attacks one cat in particular his attacks are terrible. We have to keep those two cats separated at all times and it is a really awful way to live. We love both of the cats dearly and separated, they are both fine. But there is never a time when both of them are happy. Let me tell you, I live in constant worry that the aggressive kitty will get access to the old one.

Also, the tension experienced by the aggressive one is not good for him either. He attacked me once when he got a look at the old one but was caught in tme before he could reach him. He shredded my arm, bit my hand and I spent the week going to Dr.'s due to the awful infection growing in my hand from the bite. I still have scars from the attack.

All that to say, Harry is a beautiful boy. I know you are trying to get him into a single cat home but that is not something you can guarantee about an adopter in the future. Personally, I think it would be irresponsible for the rescue to adopt him out. I think you would probably see him back at your doorstep very quickly.

I am all about rescue, and the rescue of older or less adoptable animals is my speciality. However, there are not too many of us out there. The home Harry needs is probably full up with other rescue cats. Those of us that can manage behaviors like his, already have rescues.

I hope Harry finds a placement that understands his needs. And if not, the love and care he receives at the shelter carries him humanely to the rainbow bridge.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, we are very aware of this, and we're doing all we can anyway. The leader is having a hard time with the idea of helping him to the rainbow bridge, though a few volunteers has suggested this several times.

and to your words, I woke up to an email saying Harry bit a volunteer. I don't know the full story of how or why he bit the volunteer, so I can't say if its her fault or Harry's fault. its the first time he bit a human.

Poor Harry. I wouldn't use the bite against him. He's in a stressful environment and that can make anyone lash out. My cats that are super sweet when they are at home and are comfortable can turn into total nutcases when they are stressed. If someone is interested in taking him I would play down the bite or not mention it. I know that may sound unethical but it would be a real shame if it would lead to his death when it's not really who he is.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for Harry. New York is a big state. Somewhere someone should be willing to take in a little gray boy that wants to be the one and only. Is the CL ad posted on the NYC CL too?