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?

The reason working full time can be a problem when it comes to trying adopt a dog os that it's not that pleasant for the dog! They aren't independent minded like cats who do they want all happily and go in and out of a cat flap. A lot of dogs in rescues have mental scarring and that often means separation anxiety! That's a dog that's distressed all day whilst your out, messing all over your flooring, whining and barking all doing your neighbours heads in and then the dog ends up being dumped back at the rescue because of it and tie psychological treadmill carries on for that poor dog.

The vets are asking people to stop adopting dogs from overseas because the people bringing them in are not having them screened for diseases and it's impacting the dogs already in the UK in a bad way.

I had the same issue with wanting to adopt a puppy (as a farm dog for our property). There is a rescue near me that is constantly posting on their Facebook about how many puppies they have. At one stage they had 2 big litters of puppies they were posting about needing help with. Like 15 puppies. When I contacted them they said none of the puppies would be able to be adopted until they were desexed at 6 months. We wanted a puppy to raise ourselves with our older dog. Happy to sign a contract to desex. In the end we bought a puppy off gumtree from another farm that bred them as working dogs. I didn’t want to do that but it’s a specific working breed we wanted and that was the only rescue so no other way to get a puppy.

OP try Next Steps Cat Rescue (based in Telford). I've adopted three from there, they are an amazing charity and responsive. I drove from Scotland to adopt from them as wasn't having any luck getting hold of a more local rescue, zero regrets! Did the same again when adopting another as my experience with them was so good.

It's not narrow minded! It's not often that such a young couple don't want to work fuli time and have a good income, not have nights out? not have holidays? I've never known people that age want to sit at home most of the time with a low income. I'm not being narrow minded! I'm telling you how the rescue sees it!! At that age they are highly likely going to make changes to their lives! They are going to want to do things because people do when they are young adults! The vast majority of people that age will not just shelve the rest of their lives to potter with an elderly dog and the rescue knows that. Like I also said if their income is low the rescue will also see that as an issue. Why do you think the rescue didn't let them have a dog if I'm just being narrow minded? Tell me how I can be wrong when the rescue had concerns and didn't let them home a dog?

Try Ashbourne AnimalWelfare -https://ashbourneanimalwelfare.org/cats-for-rehoming/

Also Pets at Home Chesterfield have a space for RSPCA and usually have a couple of cats looking for new homes.

We adopted a few years ago from Battersea in London. We did have to fill in an application form and then have a telephone interview/vetting process. But the thing that I found really strange was that the animals were actually not housed on the premises but living with foster carers and brought in by appointment when you wanted to see them before adoption.

YANBU. A very strange system indeed.

The couple are described as owning their own home, so presumably have a good income.
They live across from a beach and walk for miles, so are not likely to want simply to sit at home - but are likely to have a lifestyle compatible with having a dog.
They are not likely to 'shelve the rest of their lives' to potter with an elderly dog as the dog will not survive that long - but that doesn't mean that they can't be very good caring owners while the dog is alive.

Your comment did sound amazingly judgemental.

Most of the rescue premises and life styles don't come anywhere near to meeting the criteria they impose for rehoming yet they keep the animals in these circumstances looking for a utopia for rehoming. They need to give people a chance for the actual good of the animals. Not all are going to work, but it's better then denying so many animals a chance of a good home based on a ridged technical assessment. There needs to be some accountability with theses charaties always asking for funding.

YANBU. I ended up buying 2 kittens because it was so difficult to get them from a rescue. They either ignore you, or say they will get back to you and then don’t. I was looking during COVID so thought they didn’t have any, but maybe they are just generally flakey.

It's absolute insanity. And in many case, as previous posters have suggested, merely an excuse for ' mad cat ladies ' to indulge their obsession, with a regular dose of appeals for food,blankets etc on their local Facebook groups. All too often these ' sanctuaries ' are busted , with lurid media stories of overcrowding and mistreatment. I think the whole concept of animal charities needs as much investigation as the owners trying to adopt. They are genuinely riddled with some very,very odd people.

'The vets'?

Some vets may be, ours aren't.

DDog had a health check, was neutered and had all vaccinations before she travelled. She continues to be in excellent health.

'The vets'?

Some vets may be, ours aren't.

DDog had a health check, was neutered and had all vaccinations before she travelled. She continues to be in excellent health.

Tell me how I can be wrong when the rescue had concerns and didn't let them home a dog?

Because, as has been established earlier in this thread, some (not all) of these organisations are being run by well-intentioned clueless idiots.

Quite. I'm astonished by stories in this thread. Might have to check out the charities that I donate to

@FlyMeSomewhere I didn't necessarily mean just you - I was including the rescue centre in that as, as you say, the couple were denied a dog so perhaps they thought as you did. I just don't think second guessing what 'typical' people f certain ages would do is very helpful. Why not do some checks but then take the couple at their word? Not everyone is the same - what if a middle-aged couple get divorced/slightly older person dies suddenly? Anything can happen to anyone. A couple in their 20s wanting an older dog makes sense to me - they're not ready for children yet and don't want a young dog to grow with their family. And I don't agree at all that having an older dog means you have to live like an elderly person yourself. All the dogs I've had and known who lived full life-spans lived active lives until perhaps the last year or so and then were happy to be left for the evening while people went, for example, for a meal/drinks. They are perhaps offering just the kind of quiet home that an older dog appreciates.

It’s far nicer for the cats to be fostered in homes than to live in pens. I just looked at the Battersea site & it says the fostering is just for certain cats who benefit from it most.

I found a trip to a cat rescue centre to be quite hostile. They chose the cat for you, not the other way around. We filled out a form and were pressured to agree to potentially take on a cat with known health issues which I felt was unreasonable due to the huge additional costs involved long term. We never went back.

I know a loving household who were deemed unsuitable because they lived in a flat (with a cat flap and access to a leafy mature garden). Cats are better off in the cage at the rescue centre apparently.

Ours is fine. Healthy and a real joy.

Everyone I know gets cats from Woodside Animal Rescue, they seem to be open and friendly, no ban on dc etc

why is that strange? Cats much prefer being in a foster home than in a rescue centre facility.

Definitely look into it. Aren't the RSPCA one of the richest charities in the Uk? Many branches do not have a good reputation anymore sadly. Try supporting a small local independent rescue charity instead. They will receive no government funding at all.

Same experience.

So many of our neighbours too. Yes, we live on a 30mph road into town, but the back gardens are long and it’s all quiet roads behind and woodland. Had cats for years and none ventured out the front. So many cats here, you only ever see them out the back and in the woods! They aren’t stupid.

But no, no one can adopt.

I have found that they only want you to adopt if you can prove you live alone in a completely sealed house with no doors or windows through which the cat might escape. You must of course never go out or have other people around. You must be young but not too young and provide a guarantee that you will not die within the natural lifespan of the animal. You must also not work so that you can provide entertainment for your animal that is not permitted to seek natural entertainment outdoors.

And some of the small places are the worst. Some are lovely of course but some are just terrible and so unprofessional on social media, posting huge unhinged rants. I saw a local one recently saying something along the lines of "all the people who tell me to remember to take time for myself. I can't because [insert several paragraphs about buying stuff and trips to the vet] If I didn't do all this stuff then these kittens would be DEAD! Accompanied by a picture of kittens of course. So apparently you can't even tell them they are doing great and and to remember to take care of themselves too.