Why did you not adopt your pet?

[ChallengingFigureANDUnrulyFlaps]

Hello all,

Our family has always had rescue cats as pets.

I can understand why families with young children would rather get a puppy than adopt a dog from a rescue which may have an unknown history/behaviour issues.

But when it comes to cats, why would anyone get a kitten from a private person rather than adopt a rescue cat?

I'm wondering if the reasons are:

• rescue deemed you not suitable for adoption, perhaps for an odd reason
• your friend's cats had kittens
• you wanted a kitten rather than an older cat (why?)
• something else?

Also interested in hearing though from people who ruled out rescue dogs and got a puppy instead.

Thanks

Both our cats were rescued but we bought our puppy from a breeder because we wanted a specific breed and that
of breed can be tricky to train for recall if you’re not on the ball from day 1 and I didn’t want to have a dog that had been neutered too young or be tied into some neutering contract which it might not be necessary.

Rescue cats aren't immune from behavioural issues any more than dogs are.

With our cats over the years, they've usually been strays we have found. After taking the first to an animal shelter we were told if no one claimed him after a fort ight he would be put to sleep so we kept him. We have ended up with strays over the years.

I always said I'd get a rescue dog if we decided to get a dog. But due to having small children it really limited us to getting anything other than a puppy. It was a bit of a rigmarole trying to get a pup as they were in such high demand. We were disappointed a few times and time was getting on.

My husband knew someone whose dog was having a litter and we took one of those pups instead. Best decision ever as we love her so much.

I applied for a rescue cat and got turned down as being unsuitable. I have a rescue cat already, my previous cats have been rescue cats. If another rescue (the RSPCA) thought I was suitable why didn't this other one? They didn't even speak to me, they just turned my application down straight away.

My current cat is male but he's the soppiest, most chilled cat you could meet, he's not a fighter, he's a clown who has lived with other cats all his life. I live in a flat but it's ground floor with direct access to a large, secure, enclosed garden. I work from home. But I'm still deemed unsuitable.

I'll wait until the RSPCA has a suitable cat. But I can see why people don't get rescues.

Dad got a rescue when his elderly cat died. He has a large garden away from roads and also a dog. That was hard enough to do due to the dog and the garden not being cat proof but eventually he was able to adopt.

We couldn't adopt due to living on a side road so bought a kitten instead when our elderly cat passed away a couple of years ago.

Also interested in hearing though from people who ruled out rescue dogs and got a puppy instead

I have had both rescue dogs and puppies over the years. All my rescues had issues of some sort, from quirky to dangerous (for the dog!)
Puppies are hard work, but at least you can influence how they will be as adults.

Unfortunately, one of our cat protection league cats was run over in a country lane,on the edge of a very quiet village where we used to live. I met a lot of people walking their dogs on the nearby beach, adopted from abroad, asked why, and it was because of the difficulty adopting in this country. When we lived in this particular village,we had quarter of an acre garden, with a little stream at the bottom, and fields at the back, doggy was 15, only one DH had had, RSPCA inspector put "medium size garden", I told her she was having a laugh, and a medium size garden then would barely be 50ft. She said we had to have a dog,as we had a bitch.....2 bitches couldn't live together. We got 2 bitches 6 months apart, both from farms. One bought one rescued, they got on like a house on fire, one lived to almost 18. Yet,I'm not good enough for a rescue! I have a friend who got a cat from the cat protection league last year, I know damn well she lied to get one, after trying to "pinch" 3 different ones from various neighbours.

Sorry, meant to add, DH only wanted a bitch, and we got 2 bitch puppies 6 months apart.

We live overseas and there are none of these hoops to jump through when adopting! Our first kitten I found on the streets when she was about 6 weeks old and took her home as she was a stray. A year or two later we got an adult cat from a rescue centre, I think I paid them about £10. They didn't ask any questions or anything like that. She's a really annoying cat!

Our first disappeared so we recently got a third. Someone put a post on a Facebook group about a cat and her newborn kittens abandoned at a market so I went and picked them up. The kittens all died of parvo but the mother survived and is the most amazing family cat.

I'd never adopt a rescue dog as I haven't had dogs before and have young kids at home. I probably wouldn't buy a puppy either though!

rescue deemed you not suitable for adoption, perhaps for an odd reason

This one. I live too close to a road, which isn't an issue because my cats are indoor cats for precisely this reason. I know many other people who have also been refused in my area for the same reason.

A friend of a friend took in a stray cat. It was already pregnant and we have one of the kittens as we were about to start looking for one.

Round here the rescues only want you as owners if you are child-free, pet-free, unemployed, take no holidays, and live in a house with a large fenced garden.

You can't just buy from a decent breeder, either. You are very much screened, and are matched with a puppy from the litter.

I tried various established rescues (Battersea, RSPCA) and got no response. Was working from home, teenage child, grew up with dogs, had a secure garden, willing to consider a wide range of sizes and ages. Wasn't willing to take on significant behavioural issues or expensive medical issues.

I had no response.

I ended up getting DDog from a woman who had friends who volunteered in a dog rescue in Portugal. Every few months they brought a van load of dogs who would make good family pets, but not be homed in Portugal due to the number of strays, over to the UK.

DDog was only 6 or 7 months (about the youngest possible as they had to be vaccinated). She has the most loving and adaptable temperament. Loves her walks and also loves snoozing on the sofa.

Since Brexit the woman has had to stop bringing in dogs, apparently there is now a maximum of 5 dogs at a time and it is simply too expensive compared to 12-15 at a time.

We paid £450, so it isn't about getting a dog cheaply. Just that it doesn't make sense to bring another puppy into the world when there are many lovely dogs needing homes.

But the big name charities here are either too risk averse or exaggerating the need

Just to add to my response. I do still consider my cats rescues because they weren't from a breeder as such, they were from a woman with over 20 cats in her house, hamsters, a dog etc, she was an animal hoarder who had been caught out (only allowed two pets in housing association properties here). RSPCA had also been round and told her she must rehome the cats within a certain time frame. Her house was covered in animal feces. She told me they'd been treated for fleas and worms, they hadn't been, they were fucking riddled with them the poor babies. They looked in such terrible condition I thought they may die, but still I paid way over the odds for "moggys" and then hundreds on top in vet bills to sort out eye conditions, fleas, worms, mites etc! I'd upload before and after photos but wouldn't someone recognising them.

Because critical developmental periods in dogs close so quickly. Whatever they experience in the first 16 weeks impacts them for life.

I won't take a puppy that I can't take at 8 weeks (I'd actually prefer a little earlier for a working dog) and I won't take a puppy that has to be desexed before I think bones and brain are mature.

We chose a puppy rather than adopting because our dog's breed can display many behavioural problems if they haven't had the correct training as a pup. In addition to that, when I did look at rehoming centres they would only allow adults with no children, who had lots of experience, lived in a rural setting and didn't work to actually adopt their animals!

I have two rescue dogs now, but I bought my first dog from a breeder as I didn't have any experience with dogs and thought it would be best to get a puppy, so that there would be no issues to deal with and I could train him from scratch, so to speak.

I adopted a little girl cat from a friend of a friend who was fostering it for her local shelter. I read that cats do better in pairs so I went to my local shelter and adopted a second little girl who was their only available kitten left (during kitten season too!).

The one from my local shelter arrived first as she was a couple of weeks older. She was very shy and timid and spent most of her time hiding away alone. She'd come out and play for an hour or so at meal times and always slept with me, but during the day she wanted to be alone.

Then the second arrived and it turns out there was a mistake somewhere as it's actually a little boy. He was adorable but very high energy and wanted to play with his new sister 24/7. She wasn't as keen and would get stressed out about him not leaving her alone. She loved playing with him after meal times but in between was constantly looking for new places to hide from him.

I decided to adopt a second little boy hoping the boys would be playmates and she could join in as she wants to. But there was no more kittens available in any shelters I contacted so I bought the third one.

It worked perfectly, the boys played together, she'd join in after eating and then slink off when she had enough and they'd leave her be as they had each other.

They are all 11 now and are extremely close still. All three sleep in a big pile on my bed next to me each night.

I was deemed unsuitable by rescue centres the first time , and would’ve been the second, altho they had no suitable dogs for us that time… and we weren’t entirely looking when DDog2 came along!
The first time, I was 19 and living with my boyfriend in a static caravan on a farm, it was the perfect home for a dog but because it was ‘rented’ (from his parents!) and we were deemed too young/not a long-standing enough relationship, we were turned down left right and centre so bought our puppy from a relative of mine. The boyfriend didn’t last, but dog did. He’s now 12 and snoring on my feet in bed.
The second time I didn’t even apply. I’d looked previously and despite living, again, on a farm with endless walks and freedom at our disposal, we apparently had an ‘insecure’ garden and worked too much (despite my husband expecting to take the dog with him!). Plus we had our other dog already, so that ruled out a lot. We also had a baby by then, so I wouldn’t have even bothered. I wouldnt have been willing to take any risks with a rescue dog with an unknown past. As it was, this sweet girl of 4 months who’d been passed from pillar to post came along and I couldn’t say no. She’s an angel.

Our first cat, like above, a colleague’s neighbour didn’t believe in spaying cats so kept having kittens. We had one of them and adored him. In the end the colleague realised she was enabling the suggestion so stopped helping and the colleague realised she had to get them neutered. Or next cat my mum bought and now realises she cannot cope with. To be honest (since it’s an online forum and the kids won’t hear!) I haven’t really warmed to him yet and hope I will as well have him for the next 15 years!

Not me but someone I know wasn’t allowed to adopt a cat as they lived too close to a busy road (it’s the main road through a small village, not a massively big road either) so they had to buy kittens privately.

Bought kitten, deemed unsuitable for a rescue due to resident dog and cat.

Bought puppy because we had young children and didn't want to take the risk with a rescue.

Particular breed for the very distinctive personality. very different than owning a moggy.
Have both in family. All loved but certain traits are very strong in oriental breeds.
Originally got into the breed due to a very difficult situation and getting a kitten at the time from a rescue centre wasn't appropriate, it would need to come from a very clean home. ( health immunity situation in family and dealing with high emotions). This led to lots of reading up on cats ( distraction from real life) and obviously cat breeds so decided to try this particular breed. Never had a pedigree cat before.
Discovered an absolute joy in living with Burmese cats. Saved us quite literally with amazing emotional support and humer in the blackest of times.
love all cats but Burmese are my thing and will always be special to me.
Sometimes people have emotional reasons for a certain breed. I function because I have my cat I know I wouldn't have coped with deep grief without my cat all those years ago.
All cats have come from very good registered breeders where I was absolutely grilled before being allowed to adopt a kitten btw.
Before you judge people on this matter you need to understand the sometimes very deep emotional reasons why they have a certain pet.

I always thought I would get a rescue but when it came to it I wanted a cat with specific characteristics (happy indoors, enjoys being with humans) and wanted to get it in a specific time frame when we weren’t planning to be away or have building work done. I also wanted a young cat or kitten as I wanted to reduce the chances of my young children (and me!) having to deal with illness (more likely in older cat) or death of a pet soon. I spoke to our local rescue who were helpful but as cats with those specific characteristics aren’t coming through every week they couldn’t say when they would have one or whether there would be competition for them.

So in the end I looked in to lots of breeds/breeders and was able to find a kitten who had everything we wanted. There’s obviously always risk but he is exactly as the breeder described and perfect for us. So in short the unpredictability of rescues is what put me off.