To think rescue centres don't actually want you to adopt their pets?

[lurchersforever]

One of my cats had to be out to sleep suddenly in the summer and I would now like to adopt a young cat to keep us all company - me, ds and our remaining cat. I've only ever had rescue pets so looking at local centres. All have banners like please adopt/1000s of unwanted pets etc, but it is impossible to go and see any.

I have no issues with vetting and saying only certain types of households are suitable, but my issue is none of the centres are actually open. I've looked at about 6 near me and they are a mixture of not open to the public, don't answer the phone, say they're shut while Google says they're open, want you to fill in an application form and drop it off in person but you won't be able to even see a pet until your application has been assessed, don't reply to emails... The most success I've had is a centre that 'might' be able to arrange a video appointment to 'meet the cat' at some point and then I might be able to adopt 'when they open,' - no idea when that might be. This is for a specific cat they currently have - no sense of urgency to get her in a home. What on earth is the point of a video appointment with a cat?! What will it reveal that a picture doesn't? Just more time wasting.

I appreciate they are run by volunteers but this is ridiculous. Last time I adopted (10 years ago) you could go into local centres without an appointment and make the arrangements there and then. Obviously they weren't just handing them out to anyone but you could get the process moving.

At this rate I'll be on Gumtree, which I really don't want to be. What's going on?

We fostered children. Nothing ...has been more vigorous than adopting our dog

My MIL was a foster carer and then adopted two children…she always said the same, it was easier to adopt BIL and SIL than it was to adopt her dog!

I work in public health the number of dogs with brucella canis specifically due to the influx of eastern European rescued dogs is massive, compared to pre covid, when we rarely heard of it

That's so frustrating! You sound like the perfect family to adopt a rescue dog too! I've only ever adopted or fostered cats so I didn't realise it was this difficult to adopt a dog! I can see why people look abroad tbh. Such a shame for all the poor UK dogs languishing in rescue centres though. Have you thought about a rescue greyhound? I would have adopted one but my DH put his foot down over a dog so I went further down the cat route instead. Many have never raced or have only done a couple of races but been unsuitable/too slow so thrown out by the breeders Some were breeding dogs and again discarded after a couple of litters. They are meant to make fabulous pets once settled in a home environment but they aren't a cuddly, furry cockapoo type dog so sadly are often overlooked. I follow tons of Greyhound rescue groups on fb and they bring lots over from Ireland too. They often seem to have lurcher breeds too. Some are cat-tested and pass, they can go to families with kids etc. They are strict about lead only walks to begin with and some need muzzling in public initially I think until their prey-drive has been tested. I've met a few and they are beautiful, gentle and graceful creatures that sleep a lot and don't need long walks or tons of food. I think often people don't realise what great dogs they are -a lot more suited to family life than an energetic cocker spaniel or beagle or lab etc.

It’s ridiculous.

My mum lost her beloved dog to cancer a year ago and she decided to get a cat to help with the loneliness. She’s been turned down by two already as she “only has a 2 bed bungalow which is on a road” said the first one and “Im afraid you’re much too old” by the other!
Her bungalow has two large, enclosed gardens the back one having 10ft fencing all around. And 2. The ‘road’ they refer to is a suburban street in the middle of a housing estate…..! It’s 3 turns (and a 10 min walk) off the main road!!!! Of course her house is “on a road” otherwise her it would be in a field, would it not?! Aren’t all bungalows/houses on a road?! They have to be on a road in order to connect the driveway with one! Jesus wept.
I may or may not have let loose on them a bit via email. Just absolute madness! Oh and the first one also asked if there were “any visiting children?” Well I have one almost 11yr old DD so my mum answered yes…… This was given as a further reason for refusal 🤦🏼‍♀️ My mum might be 80 but she’s had cats since her birth in late 1944! She’s also incredibly fit for a woman of her age and can out-walk and out-bend me any day! Though since when did cats require a certain age?! If they’re worried about a cat being left if she were to die then they clearly didn’t read her application as she has two DC and two GDC! 🙄

A friend of mine was keen to adopt an older cat and visited a rescue just outside of the immediate area via their posts on social media.

when she got there she was walked past a large outdoor cage which she said was full of cats with little room to move.

She expressed interest in taking one of the cats and was told those in the cage would never be re-homed, yet the poor things clearly did not have any quality of life in the rescues cage.

I don’t know if she reported them, but she refused to go any further based on the standard of living for those cats.

so yes she was at a loss in understanding how the rescue justified keeping these cats while having no intention of allowing them to be re-homed.

Try here. FFS don't go on Gumtree.

www.catchat.org/

As a charity we had to say no recently to an 80 year old man who wanted a pair of kittens. We suggested an older cat to him - 8 years old I think, perfectly healthy and friendly. Kittens are a 20 year commitment. To put it into context our last 3 calls to take unwanted cats have been from 3 different people who had neighbours who either died, went into a hospice or went into a care home and left cats behind. Family weren't interested in having them. I understand your Mum's frustration but charities have to have rules in place.

if originally you were out of the house working from, say, 8 ish til 6pm or even 9 to 5 and that was 5 days a week then I can totally see why you were turned down for a rescue dog. In an ideal world charities want their animals to go to a better life than the one they have in kennels, not a life where a dog is on its own for most of the day. My neighbours have dogs they leave alone a lot so I have the joy of listening to them barking & whining.

Agree with a pp that some "rescuers" are hoarding cats. I was almost failed on the home check, despite ticking all the boxes and living on a very rural lane. So rural that the rescue woman got lost, and whilst lost, passed a farm with free range hens. Apparently this was not acceptable, until I pointed out how far away from my house she'd been! Second almost fail was having a working chimney and some of my indoor plants were real..

Madness.

It’s almost as if they see them as some sort of precious, mythical creatures and not cats. You know, animals who are pretty independent and good at taking care of themselves and for the most part, couldn’t give two shits about humans unless the dreamies stop coming.

dont know where you got support for RSPCA from - I avoid them like the plague

My recently adopted rescue also had all these. The only thing they didn't do was check for Brucellosis. She came from Cyprus, and apparently they don't need to there. So I had to have her checked at my vet; all clear luckily.

yes me too. I was just pointing out how rich the well known charities are that's all.

i posted earlier on the thread that we seemed to be lucky with our recent application for a cat from a local rescue centre. We sent our first enquiry on 13th September and picked her up today. Tonight is our first night at home together, It’s been a whirlwind. We are calling her Marmite (for now)

Okay, so she looks like she owns your house now 🤣

Hi, thank you for your feedback. I totally get your point. Whoever/wherever you adopt from it is important to choose a reputable person from whom to get a rescue pet. I'm not negating what UK vets are saying but please note that pets coming to UK have to wait three months after rabies jab for a titre test. Only then can they travel. Something like parvo would show itself in that time. If UK vets are concerned they could push Gov for more stringent screening before import. Animal welfare in other countries can be horrendous so to deny them safe lives in UK/USA would be somewhat harsh. I'd suggest that dodgy overseas puppy farms are a worse threat to UK pet health than responsible overseas rescue.

I follow Galgos del Sol, a fantastic, responsible dog rescue centre in Spain. Many of their dogs come to UK. As for our import, our 4 pets were living with us in Oman for a couple of years before we brought them home. We got them very young from vets there who rescue and rehome.

It’s really frustrating. Not helped by the fact that we agreed to get a juvenile cat, now DS has his heart set on a kitten and is currently having a teenage tantrum because it’s proving impossible to find one to adopt.

I just hope some 'powers that be' are reading all these posts. All those poor animals stuck in kennels while people who would love them can't get past the staff. Absolutely bloody ridiculous.

It gets ”better” @cornflakecrunchie . I’ve been told by the local cat charity that they don’t rehome to my street as it’s too busy :(

I'm amazed at these stories

My ds wanted a rescue and found the perfect dog online

He sent them an email expressing interest and they said to go down (it was many miles away from home) and have a look at the dog

He got there and they invited him in,looked him up and down and handed him the dog (he paid £180)

He said they didnt ask him anything about himself

He left,went around the corner,bought a lead and went home (he had to use his belt as a makeshift lead and hit tesco on his way hime for some food)

No home checks,no questions,nothing,all they had was his name and the city he came from

Dog still had his balls (he doesn't now) and needed a vet check,he wasn't even chipped

Ds lived in a smallish flat with no garden (there is a massive field on his doorstep) was 20 years old,works full time (he had loads of friends that would look after the dog if needed and lived just off a main road

He now has a bigger house and garden,wife and baby and the dog is well loved and looked after but even I couldn't believe how lax it all was

I mean ds could have been anyone,the dog is a good breed for baiting

In a way it's good they are so wary but common sense and a middle ground is needed

(All I know is dog came from a rescue in Peterbrough)

If you enclosed your back garden or built a catio they would rehome to you 🤷‍♀️ loads of cat charities won't rehome to people who live on busy main roads. or you could find a charity that only rehomed to indoor only homes.

It honestly can't have been a real rescue. No animal charity would behave that way.

I said the same thing
Ill have to ask him for the name of the place
Don't get me wrong,the dog had been well looked after and was fully trained but it was very odd
He rocked up,was handed the dog and the door shut in his face once he'd paid-he didnt even have a lead,let alone dog bowls or food etc

When my parents got a dog in the 70's (pre-me),the home checks where unreal then (my mother lied about her address and gave my grandads address as they lived in a flat)
She had a shock when 3 months later,they came out to grandads address to check on the dog
It all came out in the wash and they where allowed to keep her in the end (after jumping through a lot of hoops) but it was happening even then-if my mother had been honest,they wouldn't have been able to take her in the first place (and I would have missed out on growing up with an amazing dog)