Cat charity has lost my cat

[elfsparkle]

I recently rehomed two cats due to illness. I wanted them to go to a good home so I chose to rehome them through a large cat rescue charity. The cats were with a cat fosterer while they are vet checked and assessed etc but within a week one of the cats managed to escape and has been missing a week and a half.

I'm absolutely devastated and feel helpless. I tried to complain to the charity but they weren't helpful, they suggested that I go up and look for him but I physically cannot as not well enough.

Although they are looking for him and doing what they can, I feel like he is well and truly lost. He's in a busy city and probably terrified as my cats are use to living in a quiet area without traffic (which I did stress to them before rehoming).

AIBU to complain? And who would I even complain to?

@viques
I think it is the fosterers fault. I have a set up where I also have a communal door. If im bringing a lot of shit into the house I shut the cats in my bedroom whilst i mess around. A communal door is just that - you cqnt rely on someone else keeping it shut.

I think the fosterer was careless especially considering the cats werent theirs. But they probably feel awful about it

Your best bet now is to rally the community around to get them searching.

Is there really no way you could have kept them?

Although I do think there was an element of carelessness because both cats were able to go straight past them.

It's pretty hard to stop two determined cats - I know this because ours are only allowed out when we're here, but they manage to make a break for it when we're leaving the house annoyingly often. If the cats ran straight out as they opened the door it's hard to do much.

I really feel for you OP - what a horrible situation for you, and how upsetting - but I don't think blaming the charity or blaming the volunteer is helpful. I also can't see what complaining would achieve even if they were in the wrong.

I just wanted to say I'm so sorry you have lost your cat. One of mine went missing 3 years ago and I still miss her terribly. So I understand how you are feeling, but as cat lovers we both know how sneaky they can be and how they can escape. No doubt the foster home is feeling awful too. I know I'd be looking for someone to blame but I see you accepted you are being (understandably) unreasonable. I just hope so much you get your cat back, it's an awful thing to go through

You gave them up, and passed their care onto someone else. That someone else who is a foster carer (because you dumped your pets on a charity and expected someone else to take them on, rather than responsibly find a suitable home for them yourself) and that person is now paying for the upkeep of the animals that you have chosen not to maintain any longer. You cannot be upset that their carer made a mistake, which you yourself may have done if you had maintained responsibility for your own animals.

This happened to me as a fosterer and I was absolutely mortified. I've fostered lots and lots of cats in the past and this was the only escapee I've ever had. It must be really, really hard for you but please don't try and get the fosterer into any trouble - I beat myself up for so long after it happened to me, but the cat was sodding determined and accidents happen. My current cats can open internal doors by slamming themselves against them (I have no idea how they are still in one piece!) and I have to be extra careful with external doors as even if I think they are shut away I can never be 100% sure.

I really do sympathise with you but believe me fosterers do what they do for the love of the animals, and I'm sure this was not done on purpose. I really hope the puss is found!

I’m sorry that you’ve had to give your pets up due to illness

But, no one is going to stop a cat on a mission to escape (and I say that as an owner of 4 cats)., they were highly likely very disorientated and frightened and have just made a bolt for it.

You don’t have any grounds for complaint, it’s just one of those things.

Hope the cat finds its way back soon.

You gave them up, and passed their care onto someone else. That someone else who is a foster carer (because you dumped your pets on a charity and expected someone else to take them on, rather than responsibly find a suitable home for them yourself) and that person is now paying for the upkeep of the animals that you have chosen not to maintain any longer. You cannot be upset that their carer made a mistake, which you yourself may have done if you had maintained responsibility for your own animals.

That's a bit harsh Midnite. Did you read the part where she rehomed her cats to a charity because she's too ill to look after them not just because she'd had enough? OP was responsible enough to use a charity rather than just dump them, as a lot of people would.

Midnite, what an unnecessarily shitty response. You have no idea how ill the OP is and her circumstances. She has hardly 'dumped' the cats - she has passed them on to be rehomed. If she is too sick to look after them, it doesn't require a dramatic leap of imagination to assume finding and vetting new owners - which could take months - may also be beyond her at the moment.

@MidniteScribbler

Well aren't YOU a charmer?