Cancer patient needing TEMPORARY place to house pet cats in Minneapolis (Duluth: for sale, apartment)

[phloxy]

I'm relocating to Minneapolis in coming months to seek cancer care and establish myself in Minneapolis.

I need to sell my house in California to do this, and therefore my 12 to 14 cats must move ahead of me so that my home can be prepared for sale.

I am able to drive the animals to Minnesota, but right now I have nowhere for them to stay during my housing transition.

I believe my home will sell quickly and I expect to be able to find another house soon afterward. So I would be needing a place for my cats for approximately 2 months (hopefully fewer).

If temporarily homed within 30 minutes of the Twin Cities, I would be able to take daily care of these animals. So basically they just need a roof over their heads until I can get one over mine.

My cats have been an enormous comfort to me during my medical ordeal, which has already included two bouts of chemo, radiation, and surgery. It is not good. But the cats are my family and I am not looking to rehome them permanently at this time.

I know this is a massive ask and probably a nearly impossible arrangement to find, but if someone has a secure stable or barn or garage or shed or basement or empty space where my cats could stay, that is the kind of arrangement I seek.

Also appreciated would be any other ideas or leads for making this change possible.

Thank you.

[601halfdozen0theother]

Is there a reason why you are going to Minneapolis and not Rochester? Rochester has the world renowned Mayo Clinic, and is also smaller and housing is much less expensive. It is also closer to farming areas where someone with a barn or outbuilding might be able to help you with your cats. The Twin Cities area is so huge that looking for a place 30 minutes from there would be hard - 30 min from which part? Do you have a specific place where you'll be looking for housing in Mpls? I'd really pick Rochester if I were you.

My only other thought is to call some veterinary clinics in this area and get some ideas from them.

Best wishes and good luck to you!

[MsBall]

Originally Posted by phloxy

I'm relocating to Minneapolis in coming months to seek cancer care and establish myself in Minneapolis.

I need to sell my house in California to do this, and therefore my 12 to 14 cats must move ahead of me so that my home can be prepared for sale.

I am able to drive the animals to Minnesota, but right now I have nowhere for them to stay during my housing transition.

I believe my home will sell quickly and I expect to be able to find another house soon afterward. So I would be needing a place for my cats for approximately 2 months (hopefully fewer).

If temporarily homed within 30 minutes of the Twin Cities, I would be able to take daily care of these animals. So basically they just need a roof over their heads until I can get one over mine.

My cats have been an enormous comfort to me during my medical ordeal, which has already included two bouts of chemo, radiation, and surgery. It is not good. But the cats are my family and I am not looking to rehome them permanently at this time.

I know this is a massive ask and probably a nearly impossible arrangement to find, but if someone has a secure stable or barn or garage or shed or basement or empty space where my cats could stay, that is the kind of arrangement I seek.

Also appreciated would be any other ideas or leads for making this change possible.

Thank you.

You could have a friend/acquaintance post on Nextdoor neighborhood app.

[irootoo]

I wish you well with your move and treatment.

If you are planning on living in Minneapolis proper, I imagine you've already acquainted yourself with its regulations on pets. There is a limit of four cats per household unless you have a multiple animal permit, and cats need to be licensed. It all sounds very time consuming and expensive to me. Long term, a more rural area might work better for you and your kitties.

Here's a link if you haven't looked at it recently:
https://www.minneapolismn.gov/reside...nimal-permits/

[phloxy]

I'm back with an update.

After a lot of thought, I decided to search Minnesota for a city or town that didn't have cat limits and where I could afford a small place to live with my animal companions until my house sells in California. Looks like I'll be a couple of hours outside of the Twin Cities.

It will be a bit of a financial squeeze, but as a cancer patient, I don't worry about these things as much as I did before I was diagnosed.

I'm so grateful for all the replies, especially the reminder about pet limits. I don't want to move so far only to have my "excess" cats seized and euthanized. It's so nice that city codes and phone numbers are now available online. And knowing the rules make it much easier to decide where to focus my search for a home once I'm ready to settle down for good.

Nothing is finalized yet, but I'm making progress. Hoping to be settled there sometime in November.

Thanks again!

[earslikeacat]

Don't want to rain on your parade, but as a Stage 3 cancer survivor, I think this is a very large undertaking and a LOT of stress on you and the cats. All the animal shelters are full to the gills here (just so you aren't surprised). All the pets adopted during the pandemic are now being cast off as people go back to the office. Could you whittle down your gaggle of cats before you drive the 3000 miles?
I went thru chemo, surgery and radiation with one cat and know I couldn't properly care for, feed, and provide vet care for 12-14 cats.
That said, where is your cancer and how are you feeling?

[phloxy]

I have breast cancer that was treated and then returned in my liver. Things are stable right now, but it returned fast initially, so I try to live in the moment and without expectations for a future.

I have a friend who has agreed to take care of my cats after I die. Several of my animals are seniors, and there are no kittens.

Rehoming cats in Fresno isn't the easiest thing. And how would I choose which ones to rehome? If I do live for a couple more years, I would hate to miss that time with them.

If a dismal prognostic picture begins to develop, then I will take steps to find homes for or even try to distribute among family and friends the cats who will outlive me to lessen the burden all around. I don't want to burden people now though when I still have the strength to care for all of them. I work every day to make sure that they are not slipping through the cracks of my shattered life.

I'm sorry you've had to go through cancer treatment. It's so awful in so many ways. I was fortunate to be able to maintain my basic life to an extent despite getting weekly chemo at one point.

I had to do it on my own (with the help a friend who popped by to scoop the litter boxes). I guess that is why the cats are so important to me. They were always there giving me a reason to live in their unique way. Without them, there aren't many reasons not to pull the plug on this cancer sh*tshow right now. I hate "living" with cancer even when I feel halfway decent.

I have very few belongings at this point and very little to maintain. I've moved a lot in my life. So relocation isn't too daunting. Getting the cats there will be a day and a half of driving with two people. I have support in MN that I don't have in CA. So things will be a little easier after a brief hardship, I hope.

Grateful for your reply. I wish you good health and rewarding days. <3

[Robinwomb]

I don't really have any answers for you, but I am following this with interest. We are in a similar situation. My husband is trying to get approved at Cleveland Clinic for a double lung transplant. We are in Duluth Minnesota but he was denied at Mayo Clinic and University of Minnesota for even an evaluation, but accepted at Cleveland. But it's 850 miles away and we will need to relocate. We have a dog and can't even get someone to watch her for one week for our trips back and forth to Cleveland for this eval process. It is costing us an arm and a leg to board her each time on top of other costs. I am guessing if he gets on the wait list and actually gets a lung transplant, for at least 3 months post transplant I will have NO time to care for our dog while helping him around the clock, let alone try to work. It is really a nightmare. We may have to sell our house and move permanently as well, though right now trying to figure out how to swing it with a temporary furnished apartment if he gets on the list. I hate to part with our dog but it might be a possibility. People are horribly judgmental when you have to give up a pet but we didn't know he would develop this sudden awful disease six years ago when we acquired Mandy. We had no idea he would end up oxygen dependent and barely able to walk 10 feet when five years ago he could carry a 47 lb canoe on his shoulders for a quarter of a mile no problem. Unless others have walked in your shoes they shouldn't judge.

I hope you can hang on to your cats or at least find good homes for them. I've been searching for "fosters" but it always seems to go come up with animal shelters. You'd think there would be more organizations to take in animals temporarily for sick patients while they get care somewhere.