Thread: Lili's fate is sealed... :-)

Originally Posted by Puzzles

If Neevie's curious & Lili's shut away, perhaps Neevie'd be even more upset thinking that you're keeping something from her ... a difficult situation but try not to let Neevie know that you're apprehensive - the calmer you are the calmer Neevie & Lili will be I would think ... Bonne chance!

thanks for all this, Puzzles! I am trying to be very calm about it indeed, and asking HO to be too. I know they'll get used to each other given time, or rather Neevie will get used to Lili because I've seen Lili with company she doesn't need any time to get used to anyone... the only hurdle will be to make sure Neevie doesn't hurt Lili. I think Lili is about the size of Neevie's head... OK might be exagerating just a little but really not much.

OK you're right, no shutting Lili away.

Originally Posted by jckkerrison

We only once tried to keep them separated for a while & that was when we had the two babes together but they wanted to get out of their room & the other cats all sat outside the door wanting to know who was in there & were getting more uptight by the minute so went back to our usual approach & just let them get on with it,although we were nearby if things went badly wrong we also just carried on as normal,I think very often the troubles start when the "old hands" pick up on parents getting uptight. Night time was when we did sleep them separate to allow all their own space for a few nights but with Ruby put up a pen in the cats bedroom with tray & food in & popped her in there for a while but that was only because with so many big cats I was a bit worried that they might get rough with her,it wasn't long before she was given her own feeding station with the rest. I can't say we have had it all plain sailing especially as the numbers increased but have had nothing to make us think it wouldn't work & would never not had any of them & I think if they were asked they would say they are a happy bunch with their furry mates......
There is an adaptor you can plug in called feliway which gives off pheromones that imitate mums & some people have succcess with it but the one time I tried it as daughter was returning home with her two cats one of ours went hyper & bit me,pulled the plug opened everywhere up to disperse it & all went back to being calm so doesn't always work the way it is meant too....!!!!! x

thanks for this (again) Jackie!
I have Feliway constantly plugged in since Neevie had her 3 week long hissy fit last Christmas. I tried switching it off about a month ago, and about a week after I did, she started biting our legs again, so ... put it back...

I have made up my mind to take things as they come - if Neevie gets a bit hissy that's ok she'll get used to it. If she gets violent we'll separate them each at one end of the house for the first night. If she is really too violent and doesn't get used to Lili we'll take Lili to the closest vet and get help to rehome her. I'd be really disappointed but it's good to know my choices.

Also today I had another one of my scares: called Newcastle Airport to see if there is anything I should do that I didn't already do - guess what - Newcastle isn't an approved airport, so can't get Pets immigration! I went "gulp"....
BUT I found out Edinburgh is, though, and so I'll change my ticket tomorrow ... and HO offered to come and get us at the Edinburgh airport that night, at 9:30PM! Isn't he a sweetheart? that's about 2 hours one way! Crisis averted and I have to say I'm well chuffed with my choice of husband.

Crisis averted and I have to say I'm well chuffed with my choice of husband. [/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Puzzles

Crisis averted and I have to say I'm well chuffed with my choice of husband.

[/QUOTE]

Aw that is so nice Alekto, well done hubby !! lol

wellll another set back... apparently, have I discovered just yesterday, airlines DON'T accept animals in the cabin. Has to be "sent" cargo. For a measly 1500£. It only took me 10 phone calls to different stake-holders in this story to get to that conclusion.

so that's out.

next plan - train. Apparently, in the train, I can keep her with me, and also she won't have to go through the whole pressure thing - now, today I have to call St Pancras to make sure it's all ship-shape, then if all good I have to book a trip that goes from Rennes (Brittany, West end of France) to the Montparnasse Railway Station in Paris - then take the tube with my treasure and go to the Gare Du Nord Railway station on the other side of Paris - take the Eurostar (for the Americans amongst us it's a train that goes under the sea to reach England) to London St-Pancras station - then take the tube in London to go to Kings Cross - take another train for Newcastle - sheeeeeesh.
I have to buy the ticket now because later it will be muuuuch more expensive (right now,250£ for the pleasure) - I still told my Mum it might be wiser to get Lili adopted if she can BUT only by people of my choice. - this means ... if I buy my train ticket I might not use it - if I don't buy it I may need it.
Good news is that husband won't need to come get me all the way to Edinburg at 9:30 in the evening which I was feeling very guilty about although I do appreciate the thought.

AND still not sure how Neevie is going to react. Getting pawned by a monster after an 12 hours trip might be a bit rough on my little flee...

Do you think the Universe/England are trying to tell me something?

Have you looked at Air France Alekto ... I'm pretty sure that they will allow one small animal in the cabin with you?? The train journey sounds a very complicated nightmare!!

Yeah that sounds like a right pig of a journey!! I can't see it being cheap either!! My offer still stands btw and it will be a damn site cheaper for you too lol!! As for when Lili gets home you might just for that night let her settle down in a room on her own before having Neevie bounce over and thwack her round the head lol, just an idea

soooooo again some more updates - it looks there is NO transportation medium that allows you to just register as a simple foot passenger.
AirFrance - who told me at Paris Airport "Yeeeaaah no problem we'll book you with your cat in the cabin that's fiiiine" - actually can't do that. It has to be Freight, there is no airline authorised to transport any animal in the cabin. I checked that with DEFRA, which is the governance agency dealing with ... that. Of course noone at Airfrance was able to sing the same song, so it took me absolutely ages to find that out.
Sea travel: SOME companies are approved by DEFRA to take your animal by sea however from France there is only one approved journey that will take you without a car, that's from Le Havre to Portsmouth. Le Havre being about 4 hours by car from where the cat is, or I have to go via Paris if I go by train. Then from Portsmouth to Newcastle it's another 2 changes 7 hours journey.
Otherwise, HO will have to come and get me by car, do the crossing, then cross back, because you can't have your animal just wandering on the ferry it has to stay in a car.
Alternatively - the channel tunnel - I thought I could take her with me in the train but noooooo - you can only keep your animal with you if you cross... wait for it... by car! you put the car on the train and you get through the tunnel in that way.
That would be the cheapest and least bothersome option for me, but of course it means HO would have to drive aaaaalllll the way from Newcastle to Dover, cross, then cross back, then drive aaaaaalll the way back to Newcastle. Not ideal. We could stay over in Calais and make a trip of it, but frankly there's only so much you can do in Calais, and then you have to pay hotels and such....

Originally Posted by AFK_Matrix

Yeah that sounds like a right pig of a journey!! I can't see it being cheap either!! My offer still stands btw and it will be a damn site cheaper for you too lol!! As for when Lili gets home you might just for that night let her settle down in a room on her own before having Neevie bounce over and thwack her round the head lol, just an idea

That is really sweet AFK, and thank you soooo much for offering - however as I understand it you can only take her in October? that's becoming a problem because my mum's cat is still refusing to enter the house as long as the ennoying invader is there. She's bearly feeding herself.... 3 weeks I think is the max we can wait.... And also, I am worried that if she gets here when she's older, Neevie might have (even) more problems accepting her.
And of course that could be only if you travel by car and cross the channel either with the shuttle or by Ferry? If you're travelling by plane or as a foot passenger on a ferry then.... the question is moot...

So.... looks like Lili is staying in France after all? ....
to be continued....

Yeah I can understand why you want to do it ASAP mate I just wanted you to know the offer is still there if you need it. It would be October 6th when I could get lili to you. And I am driving from Gatwick to Orleans, France so go round Paris. I will be taking the car either by ferry or tunnel so that's no problem.