Best shelter in Cambridgeshire for getting a rehomed cat? And other questions.

[Penthesileia]

Not sure if I expressed myself well in the title there...

Anyway.

My 3yr old DD would love a pet. She's utterly crazy about animals and wants to stroke all the dogs in the park (she knows to ask the owner first), and always wants to pet friends' cats, etc. She's gentle, loving and considerate to animals, and is good at listening to me when I tell her how to treat them, etc. I think she would get a lot of joy and pleasure from a pet, and would learn a lot about looking after another creature too.

Owing to our lives - my DH and I work full time - I feel it would be cruel to get a dog, though I'd love one (I grew up with lots of dogs and cats). So, I figure a cat would be a good option.

I would prefer - both for moral and practical reasons - to rehome a cat. Moral, because it's difficult to be sure of the background of a kitten and there are so many animals looking for homes; practical, because it would be easier, I hope, to find out what kind of animal we would be adopting (e.g. a cat which would be happy around small children and happy to be the centre of a 3 yr old's attention), plus I wouldn't have to housetrain an older cat (or at least its habits would be known to the shelter and I could be advised on how to deal with them).

So, I would be grateful for any advice on:

• finding a reputable shelter in Cambridge/Cambridgeshire or nearby (I understand from lurking on Val's threads that they are not all the same);
  

• the cost of keeping a cat (I've estimated about £30 a month for food and insurance, but is that realistic?)
  

• anything else I might not have thought about but others could advise me on.
  

Thanks in advance!

[LadyDamerel]

Wood Green at Godmanchester?

[kittensliveupstairs]

Another vote for Wood Green. We got our first cat (Tracy) from them, she was 11 and difficult to home because she didn't have any teeth and was, frankly, ugly. She lived with us for another 8 years.

[LawrieMarlow]

We got our cat from Wood Green but not the one in Godmanchester. Have looked on their website and it was in Heydon (but we lived in North Herts so was nearer).

Here's their website

[mumpleasemayi]

Another vote for woodgreen from me too, our little black cat Bert came from there.

[Penthesileia]

Thanks for the tip. Apologies for not returning sooner to say so.

Glad to hear Tracy & Bert (great names! ) found new, loving homes.