Help with stray cat!!

[Rabarry]

Posting here because I need help, I am so distressed right now. I’ll try and keep as short and to the point as possible.

5 months ago a skinny young cat appeared on the back. I fed him off the batt because he looked like he hadn’t had a decent meal in months. I kept seeing him, he was just on the back crying all the time. I knocked on all of the doors around all the streets near me but no one knew where he came from. I put a paper collar on and FB posts but again, nothing came of it. I fed him regularly, I can’t keep him because I can’t afford him, I already have three cats. He cries all the time and it’s so distressing to hear. I try to let him in when it’s raining but he fights with my cats. I have a cat house for him in the back but I’m not sure if he uses it, I’ve never seen him in there.

I have been trying for three months to get him rehomed. I call cat shelters weekly, and they all just say the same thing, that they are full. I TOTALLY get that, if there’s no room then there’s nothing they can do. However they won’t even agree to contact me when there’s space. I keep calling but for three months now haven’t gotten anywhere. I just don’t know what to do? I have tried everywhere, even places an hour away as I’m willing to travel. Rescue centres have been like this for YEARS now and I fear that they are going to constantly be full and this cat will live his entire life outside.

I live in the Tameside area of greater manchester. If anyone knows of any small rescues that are currently accepting cats right now, please can you contact me? I’ve tried all of the big ones and all of the small ones that come up on a google search and I genuinely don’t know what else I can try to get this poor cat off the street. Can anyone help at all?

Check if he is chipped

Have you tried East Lancashire Cats?

I'm sure you wouldn't but please don't advertise him 'free to a good home'-many people use these as a way of acquiring cats for fighting dogs.

Yes, as a PP said-get him checked for a chip. You could also ask the vet if he knows anywhere that is accepting cats.

Already checked. He isn’t chipped

No I haven’t tried there… it’s about an hour and a half away but if they will accept cats from that car I will try them, thank you.

no, I would never ever advertise a cat free to a good home, don’t worry x

I really hope you find somewhere. You are doing a good thing. Thank you

Can I explain why most of them can't contact you when a space becomes available? (I volunteer for a small cat rescue) Its because, in our case at least, we are run entirely by volunteers and on a shoestring, both time and money-wise and honestly at the moment, we can only take possibly one cat in 30 we get asked to take. Holding and maintaining a waiting list would take up so much time (we've tried it before, and it's not q straightforward thing to do, half the time you get in touch with people, wait for a reply, then find the cat has gone elsewhere and in that time you've had to turn away another 5)

It's completely crap, and rescues are completely full in most cases, so it's just lucky timing if they have space. We hate it too :-(

Is the cat neutered? That is the big one, and you can get a voucher from Cats Protection for this.

Best of luck

I don't have anything useful to add but wanted yo say thank you for looking out for this cat.
We've done the same thing twice and trying to find somewhere that will take them is a nightmare!
13 years ago we found a feral cat and her 4 kittens in our garden and ended up keeping all 5 because nowhere had space (we had no other cats at the time).
We also had the same situation with another cat a couple of years ago. Luckily we found a very small, local sanctuary who took him (our cats would not have tolerated us keeping him), but unfortunately they've closed down now.

Thinking about it, you could ask on any local horse/stables/farm groups if they'd take him as a farm cat?

Oh yes I know, I totally understand the reason why and I appreciate it too. Which is why I’ve just been calling myself. I’m only frustrated because what are my other options? If there’s no waiting lists, and there’s no room, and calling every few weeks isn’t getting me anywhere. What next? The situation isn’t the rescues fault, so I’m not mad at them or anything, I’m just in despair over the situation.

In terms of neutering, well I’m not actually sure. I think so. I don’t know if it’s male or female, I’ve just been saying he. There’s no balls so he’s either neutered or female lol

Sorry I forgot about the farm cat bit. The problem is, he wants to be inside. He is constantly trying to get into my house and cries all the time

Not at the moment you can’t. CP decided to stop vouchers just as start of traditional kitten season. The smaller rescues are screaming for help.

That is outrageous because Cats Protection is one of the UK's richest charities.

Sometimes, I think it might be best to give to local, smaller cat charities instead or at least split the donation between them.

Try English barn cats
Or alley cats

I've asked my cat rescue friends so bear with!

I was also going to ask if it is neutered, un-neutered male cats will yowl looking for a mate so a rescue could possibly do TNR which might help with the noise but if its just crying because it wants to come in thats a different matter.

Rescue Kitties Manchester might be worth trying if you haven’t already.

That is exactly what a lot of previous CP supporters are now doing. In my area all the small rescues are working together to try and help what cats they can but they are massively overwhelmed

I tried them already. They said they do have a waiting list but they already have 58 cats on the list so have closed it

Has anyone scanned for a chip?

Yeah, he doesn’t have one

Message from a rescue saying they are in the same situation, 25 cats on a wait list
They said you could make a FB post public and rehome directly
Let me ask another

I'm with a small London charity. We are probably asked to take in 50 cats every single day. We manage to home an average of 12 a week. You don't need to be a maths genius to understand the predicament we, and the feline population, is in right now. I'd be amazed if you can get any help. The best thing for him would be for you to check he or she is neutered, get him chipped and keep feeding him. I'm sure he'll use the shelter when it gets cold (put straw in it). Of course you shouldn't need to take responsibility yourself, but there really are no other options.

The cat overpopulation crisis is by far the worst it's been in the 20 years I've been working in cat rescue. Everyone working in cat rescue is at breaking point - saying no to all the calls for help is more distressing than you can possibly imagine. Every single day we are told about at least 6 lots of mother cats that have given birth somewhere outside. We manage to help with a tiny fraction - but the rest of them, those we're not helping, torment my sleep and blight my days.

Good luck but I'd be amazed if you find a rescue space.

Do you know any animal lovers. I don't live near you and I'm not in a position to now, but there was a time when if someone told me about this predicament I'd have been unable to resist and taken the kitten in. Anyone you can think of?

It's not outrageous. All the charities are short of money. The C4 voucher (which only covered greater London anyway) was funded by the RSPCA, CP, The Blue Cross and PDSA. Demand has been so great they have had to pause it, but they plan to resinstate. What's outrageous is that there is no public money for this. It's a crisis and while the cost to charities is immense, it would be a very small chunk of the government budget to make a huge difference to welfare. Other countries do it, why can't the UK?

Other rescue says try Bleakholt and ask to be put on a waiting list

Right this is a giant list

📍 Rochdale, HEYWOOD AND OLDHAM CAT RESCUES .

🐈‍⬛ Bart's Legacy:
www.facebook.com/groups/979379199593819/?ref=share

Second Chance Cat Rescue:
www.facebook.com/groups/1355955431427263/?ref=share

🐈‍⬛ Pennine Pen:
www.facebook.com/ppar394/

🐈‍⬛Cats Protection Rochdale: www.facebook.com/rochdalecats

🐈‍⬛Oldham Cats:
www.facebook.com/groups/oldhamcats/?ref=share

🐈‍⬛ RSPCA Hollingsworth Lake:
www.facebook.com/RSPCARochdale

🐈‍⬛ PAWS Todmorden:
www.facebook.com/Pennineanimalwelfare

🐈‍⬛Rochdale Dog Rescue:
www.facebook.com/RochdaleDogRescue

🐈‍⬛ Animals in Distress Little Borough:
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069829901486

🐈‍⬛Rockys Legacy:
www.facebook.com/groups/rockyslegacycatcommunity/?ref=share

Independent Trappers, Scanners and Rescuers in Heywood, Oldham and Rochdale:

🐈‍⬛Denise Meehan:
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085914111194

🐈‍⬛Leighanne Parves:
www.facebook.com/leighanneparvez

🐈‍⬛Rosie Allen:
www.facebook.com/rosie.allan.3979

🐈‍⬛Em Louise:
www.facebook.com/emlouise67

🐈‍⬛Felicity Ridgway:
www.facebook.com/felicity.ridgway.1

🐈‍⬛Olivia McGrady:
www.facebook.com/olivia.mcgrady.3

I was going to suggest Bleakholt too