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Last December, my boyfriend and I were finally at a point in our lives where we could have a cat of our own. It would have to be an indoor moggy as we live in a flat, but our local Cats Protection had plenty of FIV+ cats that they'd give to indoor homes. So off we went to our local branch. In their cages were lots of kittens, and one fat, grumpy-looking cat. We asked about him, and they said he was a transfer from another branch because he kept getting overlooked. The new branch had had no luck rehoming him either - in fact, one fosterer had taken him and then returned him like an unwanted jumper because he was 'too noisy'. 'All anyone wants is kittens', they said. I knelt down next to this unhappy-looking tabby and gave him a fuss. He looked up at me sadly. 'We'll take him', I said.  We named him Grumples McTank and brought him home on a snowy day, snowflakes landing on his fur as he cowered in his carrier. Lots of reassuring words were said, and Grumples seemed to be doing OK. We got him home and over the next few days, he began to come out of his shell. The noisiness we'd been warned about turned out to be a weedy, very girly miaow that wasn't annoying in the slightest. Over time, Grumps started to sleep on our bed and follow us everywhere. When I put my key in the front door, he comes running, miaowing his head off to greet me. Now we've had Grumples for a while and he's settled in, we thought it was time to get him a little friend, not least because he's fat and needs to be chased around.  Coincidentally, I came across a lady who had six cats and four children and desperately needed to rehome some of the cats. She was advertising two of them - both Scottish Folds. One was a healthy young boy, and one was a bit disabled but very sweet. I spoke to her and she explained that she was going to take the disabled one to a kill shelter if he couldn't be rehomed soon, as nobody wanted him. She'd had plenty of interest in the healthy cat, but no-one wanted the one whose back legs didn't work properly, and who only had half a tail. She sent me a photo of an adorable puss, half Scottish Fold and half Ragdoll (or so she tells me).  I knew I wanted him straight away. We decided to call him Hat based on the markings on top of his head (it also stands for 'half a tail'). All I've got are the pictures she's sent me so far, but on Saturday we'll be picking up Hat to give him a new life, and then I'll upload lots more. Can't wait!   That's all for now, bookmark for updates  
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| # ? Aug 3, 2011 11:28 |
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| # ? May 24, 2013 16:17 |
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What's wrong with just half a tail? My half-tailed cat is just fine  though it's the one with no tail that can't walk right for me.Congrats on your two grumpy fellows.
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| # ? Aug 3, 2011 12:46 |
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Hat is so uglycute I just can't get over it. I didn't know Grumples had a story too. Thanks for making this thread.
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| # ? Aug 3, 2011 13:28 |
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Eggplant Wizard posted:Hat is so uglycute I just can't get over it. I know, his little face is so squashy and ugly and adorable. I can't wait to cuddle him! Some more Hat photos:  Sleepy Hat  Hat pile
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| # ? Aug 3, 2011 13:40 |
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Aw! I like when people adopt older cats and cats that are otherwise hard to place. Can't wait to see more Hat pictures and see how he and Grumples get along! Grumples reminds me of my oldest Tabby!
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| # ? Aug 3, 2011 15:29 |
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hhgtrillian posted:Aw! I like when people adopt older cats and cats that are otherwise hard to place. Can't wait to see more Hat pictures and see how he and Grumples get along! Grumples reminds me of my oldest Tabby! I've been moving house every year and want somewhere more permanent before getting a cat. But when I do get that place, I am totally adopting an older cat. Kittens are cute, but loving hell they are massive cocks. Gonna get a chill old cat who'd be happy snuggled on my lap while I'm on the computer or something.
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| # ? Aug 3, 2011 16:13 |
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Slime posted:I've been moving house every year and want somewhere more permanent before getting a cat. But when I do get that place, I am totally adopting an older cat. Kittens are cute, but loving hell they are massive cocks. Gonna get a chill old cat who'd be happy snuggled on my lap while I'm on the computer or something. This is a good idea. But be prepared for this:  I can't get any work done when he does that.
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| # ? Aug 3, 2011 16:17 |
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Yay! Hat is adorable and I'm glad he's getting an awesome home. Also, Grumples is one of the best cat names I've ever heard. So appropriate!
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| # ? Aug 3, 2011 16:26 |
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Aww cute thread. Hat is an awesome name and I'm so excited for morepics of your new cuteugly cat.
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| # ? Aug 3, 2011 16:39 |
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I don't care what anyone else says. They are cats and they are adorable. Keep adopting.
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| # ? Aug 4, 2011 07:07 |
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Herr Tog posted:I don't care what anyone else says. They are cats and they are adorable. I don't think I can adopt any more now, my longsuffering boyfriend has drawn the line at two! But that's fine with me
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| # ? Aug 4, 2011 08:18 |
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Hat is a truly awesome name. It's random and original without being stupid. I met two dogs the other day whose names were Sticker and Toaster and I thought those were pretty dumb names. But Hat is perfect.
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| # ? Aug 4, 2011 08:51 |
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The mutation that causes the folded ears also unfortunately tends to cause a ton of degenerative joint problems (the condition is called osteochondrodysplasia, for google purposes), including that tail phenotype that you see there. Good of you to take in one of these cats. Do be forewarned though that the joint disease can become quite serious and debilitating, so I don't know that I'd expect this cat to chase the other one around a whole lot. They'll probably be more of catpile friends (always cute too though!)
Topoisomerase fucked around with this message at Aug 4, 2011 around 17:48 |
| # ? Aug 4, 2011 17:46 |
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Topoisomerase posted:The mutation that causes the folded ears also unfortunately tends to cause a ton of degenerative joint problems (the condition is called osteochondrodysplasia, for google purposes), including that tail phenotype that you see there. Good of you to take in one of these cats. Do be forewarned though that the joint disease can become quite serious and debilitating, so I don't know that I'd expect this cat to chase the other one around a whole lot. They'll probably be more of catpile friends (always cute too though!) Yes, this is what Hat has. I looked into it a lot but decided he'll have a much happier life with me than where he is now, or worse, in a kill shelter. He does apparently run around a fair bit at the moment (he's only 3) but later in life I expect he'll be more of a lap cat. Which is fine by me! Only one more day 'til he arrives, can't wait to meet the little dude. If anyone has experience with osteochondrodysplasia or anything similar, I'd love to hear your stories and advice
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| # ? Aug 5, 2011 10:24 |
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While I know nothing about your cat's specific condition, I have a half-tailed cat and he's the best cat, so I can tell you that much. Good on you for adopting those cats, though I must say Grumples is adorable and I can't imagine why everyone wouldn't want him
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| # ? Aug 5, 2011 11:15 |
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Shmee! posted:Good on you for adopting those cats, though I must say Grumples is adorable and I can't imagine why everyone wouldn't want him He's non-kitten with a really common coat colour - apparently a lot of people who rescue are more interested in what the cat looks like and how tiny it is than how much it deserves a good home. We couldn't have cared less what our rescue cat looked like, we just wanted to rehome a needy puss. Sadly, one of the UK rehoming sites actually lets you search by colour or breed. That is the wrong attitude to take to rehoming an animal. marshmallard fucked around with this message at Aug 5, 2011 around 11:27 |
| # ? Aug 5, 2011 11:24 |
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Happy HatDay!
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| # ? Aug 6, 2011 14:47 |
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Eggplant Wizard posted:Happy HatDay! Thank you! We picked him up this morning and it went fine - he miaowed all the way home in the car though! Aww. He's been to the vet's this afternoon and had his claws trimmed and eyes cleaned, and some flea stuff. The vet says he's in good health and his legs are fine, though obviously a bit spazzy! He's going back in three weeks for his booster shots. Grumps and Hat haven't so much as hissed at each other yet! They had a good sniff of one another, then Hat went under the sofa to sleep and Grumples has left him alone entirely. I'll feel better when Hat's come out and had something to eat, but so far, so good
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| # ? Aug 6, 2011 15:14 |
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Glad things are going well so far. Adorable.
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| # ? Aug 6, 2011 15:25 |
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I'll take some photos when poor Hat is feeling a bit less traumatised!
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| # ? Aug 6, 2011 17:08 |
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Eggplant Wizard posted:Happy HatDay! Hat Day?  I'm glad things are going well so far! Looking forward to more pictures of both of them.
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| # ? Aug 6, 2011 18:24 |
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Oh my God, look at your huge catloafs. Grumples is an adorable name and Hat is too!!
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| # ? Aug 6, 2011 23:18 |
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AFK SWARM OF BEES posted:Oh my God, look at your huge catloafs. Grumples is an adorable name and Hat is too!! Hat is actually tiny! He looks big in that picture because the cat next to him is a kitten, but he's the smallest adult cat I've ever seen. We had a bit of a difficult night - Hat got up at about 3am and started crying, but we couldn't figure out what he wanted. Andy and I took it in shifts with him and he was really sweet - rolling around on the floor and showing his tummy (being submissive?), purring and having a fuss. He's had some food now, and when I went into his room this morning he'd used his litter tray, hooray! But he's still hiding, unfortunately. Really hope we have a better night tonight, I'm shattered!
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| # ? Aug 7, 2011 10:11 |
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Oh man I am so excited about Hat it is ridiculous. My dream is to someday go to a shelter and pick out the saddest kitty I can find to love, so thank you for letting me live vicariously through your cats. How is Grumples taking it so far?
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| # ? Aug 7, 2011 10:48 |
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marshmallard posted:He's non-kitten with a really common coat colour - apparently a lot of people who rescue are more interested in what the cat looks like and how tiny it is than how much it deserves a good home. We couldn't have cared less what our rescue cat looked like, we just wanted to rehome a needy puss. Yeah, I don't get this reasoning at all. When we were looking to adopt we only looked at the less popular cat colours, specifically because nobody else wanted them. Basically black, older cats. I loved my Marlon until he passed away at the age of 20+. He was an awesome cat.
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| # ? Aug 7, 2011 10:49 |
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Abbeh posted:What's wrong with just half a tail? My half-tailed cat is just fine  My half-a-tail cat is awesome. I like irritating the crap out of him while we play so he'll try and whip his tail like a normal cat, but all that happens is his fat HAT tail hits the ground with a *thump*
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| # ? Aug 7, 2011 12:56 |
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marshmallard posted:Hat is actually tiny! He looks big in that picture because the cat next to him is a kitten, but he's the smallest adult cat I've ever seen. When kitties show you their tummies, that means they trust you. Hat already wuvs you
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| # ? Aug 7, 2011 14:39 |
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Lareine posted:When kitties show you their tummies, that means they trust you. Or it's a trap. An adorable bear-trap just waiting to spring.
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| # ? Aug 7, 2011 14:46 |
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Asstro Van posted:Or it's a trap. An adorable bear-trap just waiting to spring. Congrats on your new kitty, I want to rub his little foldy ears
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| # ? Aug 7, 2011 16:13 |
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Radio! posted:Oh man I am so excited about Hat it is ridiculous. My dream is to someday go to a shelter and pick out the saddest kitty I can find to love, so thank you for letting me live vicariously through your cats. Grumples is being SO good, I'm really proud of him. He's only hissed at Hat twice, and has let him eat his food out of Grumples' bowl without batting an eyelid. They've sniffed each other loads of times and don't seem to mind each other much. Hat is still being very hidey - he's been under the sofa most of today. I'm guessing that's normal? He's ventured out a few times for food but mostly just hides under there and sleeps. I'll get some pictures when the little mite comes out! Also I think Hat might not be a cat after all, I think he's actually a teddy bear. When you go to fuss him he'll flop into your lap and lay there on his back purring, I've never seen a cat so easily cuddled.
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| # ? Aug 7, 2011 17:30 |
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Grumplestiltskin is still using the human toilet even though we now have a normal litter tray for Hat (until he's been toilet trained). Well done, Grumples! "This is not the time to take a photo" Bonus picture of me eating him: 
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| # ? Aug 7, 2011 18:41 |
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Hat's spent a lot of the day hiding under the sofa again, but he's starting to find his feet and venture out a little bit more. He's so docile that if you lay him down somewhere he'll more or less stay there, so we put him on the bed for some fussing. His little bent feet are a bit cartoony, and he thuds when he walks, but he seems OK.    Grumples has been very good, a bit of hissing, but he's not raised a paw at Hat yet. He doesn't seem especially fussed by him. Here he is chilling:  Here's a bit of a scale shot to show how different in size the boys are. Bear in mind that Hat is in the foreground, but is still 3x smaller than Grumples (in weight and size)   Hat had a good old sniff at himself in the mirror - he knows he's cute.  More pics and stories to come soon - he's asleep on the bed now, we're hoping he'll sleep through the night tonight (I thought the second kid was meant to be easier than the first!)
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| # ? Aug 7, 2011 22:45 |
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Grumples uses the toilet?? Three times I tried toilet-training Jet and all three times it ended with him making GBS threads on a rug and folding the rug on top of it. Does Hat have stubby legs? His legs look a bit stubby in that last picture. What's the weight difference between them?
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| # ? Aug 8, 2011 07:10 |
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Sutureself posted:Grumples uses the toilet?? Three times I tried toilet-training Jet and all three times it ended with him making GBS threads on a rug and folding the rug on top of it. Yeah, his back legs aren't very well-formed, bless him. Hat weighs just under 3 kilograms and Grumples weighs just under 8!
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| # ? Aug 8, 2011 08:20 |
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Hat looks shaped like a this to me:
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| # ? Aug 8, 2011 13:15 |
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I want you to know I am in love with both of your cats. I'm also not much of a cat person (I think it's mostly the ridiculous names! ) I'm very impressed that Grumples can use the toilet.
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| # ? Aug 8, 2011 14:31 |
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Grumples is quite awesome, but Hat has the best face. It's so smushed! My SO now wants a floppy-eared cat because Hat is so adorable.
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| # ? Aug 9, 2011 07:21 |
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Hat likes his new Hatbox: He's still very timid but we got him to play with Da Bird yesterday - still never seen that fail! Maybe he is a cat after all.
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| # ? Aug 9, 2011 08:39 |
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^What is that and where did you get it?^
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| # ? Aug 10, 2011 23:29 |
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| # ? May 24, 2013 16:17 |
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Herr Tog posted:^What is that and where did you get it?^ It's called a SkratchKabin, made by these dudes. It's a little cat house with a cushion inside and scratchy stuff on the outside. Hat loves it but Grumps hasn't given it a second look - I think he's too fat to get in it anyway. Hat's come right out of his shell this evening, it's so adorable the way he just flops in front of you when he wants a fuss. I'll have to make a video! He's still giving us sleepless nights meowing and whatnot, but he's coming out from under the sofa more and seems a bit more relaxed. Bless him, he's SUCH a cutie. Hat and Grumples also touched noses earlier
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| # ? Aug 10, 2011 23:48 |
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