Cats Protection want to keep the cat, help!

[Bananaketchup]

Am posting for a friend in the hope that wise MN types can see a way round this. My friend's cat broke her leg and needed a v expensive op which my friend cannot afford atm. She is undergoing cancer treatment and has 2 small DCs so money is very tight. The Cats Protection League agreed to pay for the op, but only if my friend signed the cat over to them. She signed as the cat needed the op immediately (yesterday) but is completely gutted, the DCs are in bits and my friend could do without this.

Why when the animal rescue places are all full to bursting (it was on the local news only last week) would the CPL insist on taking a well loved and looked after cat? There is no suggestion of any neglect or anything like that, just a family who can't find £2000 at the drop of a hat. Does anyone have experience of this and know a way my friend could get her cat back?

couldn't she have had the leg amputated for about £400.

Maybe they'll take payments over a loooooooooooooong period of time - she should pay for it though.

The thing is that if the CPL don't take the cat, any person who feels like taking advantage will be asking the CPL to pay their vet fees. If the CPL looks after the cat this time around fees wise there is no guarantee the cat will not get sick again and then she is not going to be able to pay all over again most likely. Hopefully the cat will be placed now with another nice home where at least the new owners can afford to pay any costs in the future.

I can totally understand her grief at losing the cat in the circumstances and I agree it is a shame she can't keep him given she does not neglect him, but I can also see the point of view of the CPL.

Essentially, and in law, once the lady has signed a contract to hand the cat over it's binding. beautifulgirls reasons why are doubtless absolutely correct.

Similar contracts are issued by rescues when they wish to ensure that an animal is returned to them if the owner can't keep him/her. IME I've never known such a contract to go to court and AFAIK there's no precedent on them - this is because small, independent rescues don't have the funds to enforce these contracts. However, the CPL is not a small organisation and probably WOULD have the means to fight a court case, and doubtless the lady, nice as she is, would lose.

My heart goes out to your friend - I too am a pet owner who suffered cancer whilst struggling to care for little children and my animals. Perhaps there is a slim chance, as Lauriefairycake says, of negotiating repayments, as the CPL isn't as rigid in it's approach as, say, the RSPCA, but it IS only a PERHAPS. Worth asking, but please remember that a contract is exactly that and the CPL are under no obligation to oblige.

I'm sure that if your friend has no luck with the CPL her first thought will be to adopt another cat, but if you can, please urge her to wait until she is better placed to be able to insure him.

Wishing the lady a full recovery and happier days ahead.

Val

".. under no obligation to oblige"? What sort of English is that?! Sorry!

I know this sounds awful, but is there no other way to get the cat back (and this sounds very sneaky ) like you or another friend adopting the cat yourselves and returning it to her. Or is the cat not going to be put up for adoption?

Actually, thinking about it though, if the same situation is just going to arise again, maybe the cat is better off elsewhere with someone who has a bit more disposible income. Very sad though.

If it was a bad break there's a high risk that said cat is going to have some complications and require treatment for life (not ongoing, but every so often, there will be some knock on impact which will be yet another vet's bill. I had a friend who had to have their dog's leg reset 3 times as the metal pins kept buckling).

The issue is that cats are often presented as quite cheap pets to acquire and keep, and it's true that they're not expensive on a day to day basis, but the vet's bills can really bring tears to your eyes (just forked out £400 for multiple dental extractions). If the OP's friend is going to struggle with the bills, it seems fairer that the cat gets rehomed.

CPL have the policy they have for exactly the reason beautifulgirls states. It's sad but otherwise people would just take advantage of them.

(Flame me, but I think for £2k, with risk of further complications, my cat might have had to go to cat heaven)

It doesn't look hopeful does it? I do understand the logic for CPL to ensure people are not going to take advantage, but it is very sad for my friend and her DC. She is a great animal lover and is gutted.

I will suggest trying to negotiate a repayment agreement with the CPL, or asking if they would consider letting her adopt the cat back. I suppose it's a lesson learnt to insure your pets, but a pretty harsh one for my friend and her kids at a tough time. Thanks for replies.

I meant to add best wishes to your friend and I hope her own treatment is successful and that she recovers soon

To update, the CPL have agreed a repayment plan which was good of them. Thankfully the op was more straightforward than expected so the cost is £650 not the original quote of £2000 so that's great news as well.

Thanks for the good wishes to my friend, all being well she should finish chemo at the end of the summer. Thanks again all.

Oh wow

I was going to say how harsh, really, because the cost of the op initially sounded immense and disproportionate. Surely that was a mistake?

Vet fees are imo wrong to be so high. Treatment for sick pets is often available through an org such as PDSA or a local cheap clinic arranged perhaps by a sanctuary...considering that these vets charge nowhere NEAR that much for essential stuff, it's criminal for another vet to charge a charity that sort of money.

There is an issue these days since insurance became popular, that vet prices have leapt up because they assume people will be insured. Trouble is not everyone can afford to insure and it doesn't cover repeat illnesses, things like flea treatment etc

it's v v difficult to afford any pet these days, insured or not. It makes me so sad.

I'm relieved your friend has her cat back - I thought these charities did fostering schemes anyway, where they pay form medical bills while the fosterers pay for everyday upkeep of the pet? Would make more sense surely.

Lovely news