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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

RSPCA home check

29 replies

sheepsheepsheep · 30/04/2013 00:57

We went to our local RSPCA on Saturday and found our perfect cat, a three year old female. Very friendly and sweet. We have never had a cat before but grew up with them and know what to expect.

We have a home check tomorrow and I am worrying! The guy at the RSPCA said it was a formality and he had no worries about us passing it from chatting to us.

We have a house with an enclosed garden but it is quite an urban area, just a few miles from the city centre and we live about 200m from a shopping street, it can be busy at rush hour but the speed limit is 20mph and it is very pedestrian friendly (not that a cat would care but...) so I am worried they will say no. When we reserved her we said the area we lived in and they didn't say anything about it. There are loads of cats on our street and tbh most places in this city are near a busy(ish) street.

I know I won't know until tomorrow but I am so worried!

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 30/04/2013 01:09

I think it will depend on how enclosed the garden is and how easy access to the road is. If for example it's a big row of terraced houses, with all the gardens adjoining, then that should be no problem at all as there are lots of gardens to explore but no easy way out of the gardens.

Even if they think your house would be too dangerous for that particular cat it won't mean you can't have a cat, but they may instead recommend a less adventurous one, or an indoor one. But I realise you have your heart set on that one.

Anyway try not to worry, and also don't do too much cleaning and tidying! Homecheckers are much more reassured by a lived in looking house than one that looks like a show home, as we think the owners will be more tolerant of cat hair/scratching/litter trays etc.

So good luck and don't forget to post photos of your new arrival and give us all updates :)

Original poster
sheepsheepsheep · 30/04/2013 01:24

It is a long row of terraces, yes and the cat flat will be at the back of the house, so leading into the garden. We have a 6ft fence all around the garden and it is very sunny and we have grass and a patio so lots of places to hunt explore. You can only access our street through the front door so she would have to go over at least 3 or 4 6ft fences to even get onto the street to get to the main road.

Our house is very tidy, but that is how we are, we are prepared for scratches etc. I don't work so I am rarely out more than 2/3 hours at a time so she would have lots of company from me.

They said she was quite a homebody and seemed to prefer being inside to outside in her run, and we plan on keeping her in overnight which the guy said would suit her perfectly. We explained what we were looking for (affectionate, likes being inside as well as out, calm) and he said she fit the bill perfectly for our needs. She chose us tbh, was so so friendly as we walked past her little pod!

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 30/04/2013 01:29

I can't imagine there'll be any problem at all then. She sounds perfect for you. Good luck!

Original poster
sheepsheepsheep · 03/05/2013 22:31

I wanted to come back to this to say we have passed the home check and we are picking up our new cat on Monday :)

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 03/05/2013 22:47

Well done. We'll be expecting pics of course!

Smile
WouldBeHarrietVane · 03/05/2013 22:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
sheepsheepsheep · 03/05/2013 23:31

Thank you :) I have attached a photo to my profile of her, I hope it works! We are going to call her Maisy.

OP posts:
MirandaWest · 03/05/2013 23:32

You need to make your profile public as I can't click on it at the moment.

Original poster
sheepsheepsheep · 03/05/2013 23:32

Does it work now?

OP posts:
Original poster
sheepsheepsheep · 03/05/2013 23:36

This is frustrating, it says I have a profile but I can't click on my name so I am assuming other people can't :( I have made it public and saved it.

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 04/05/2013 03:24

I can see it. What a lovely cat. She looks so at home already! We'll be expecting regular updates:)

cozietoesie · 04/05/2013 06:44

Yep - that's a cat who looks as if she's found her home. And a pretty girl.

Smile
Fuzzymum1 · 06/05/2013 20:45

She's lovely, and sounds like she's fallen on her paws with you :D

hefferlump · 17/05/2013 20:17

Jumping on this thread - hope you don't mind. I've got a home check tomorrow and I'm sooo scared we won't pass :-( I have owned a cat many years ago but for the last 16 years we had a whippet who sadly died recently.

What I would like to know is should I have already bought all the cat bits n bobs (bed, scratch post, etc) ? I haven't bought anything yet in case we don't pass the check.

The lady at the RSPCA said it was an informal check but Im still worried I'll be quizzed by a cat expert and fail on some trick question LOL.

thecatneuterer · 17/05/2013 21:56

Really don't worry. They want to find homes for their cats! They don't want to turn people down unless there is something really, really wrong. It will mainly be about looking at how dangerous the roads are and how easy the access to them is, and then to decide whether you should have an indoor-only cat or one with access to the garden. And they will advise on how long to keep them in for when you get them, and about keeping windows shut and all that sort of stuff.

And of course it's also about assessing your family situation (kids/dogs/out a lot/at home a lot etc etc) to get an idea of the sort of cat/cats that would suit you best.

You don't need to have bought anything before the homecheck. And as I keep saying, don't go overboard on the cleaning and tidying. A 'relaxed' looking home is more reassuring to a home checker. And that's about it!

hefferlump · 17/05/2013 22:48

Thank you :-)
Keep your finger crossed for us x

fluffydressinggown · 18/05/2013 01:20

Hi, our visit was very informal and our rescue cat is snoozing away next to me as I type!

She asked us where the cat would sleep, where she would go to the toilet, what vets we planned to use, where/what we would feed her, what would we do if we went away. She asked us about how long the cat would be left for during the day, and advised us that they recommended she be kept in at night.

We discussed pet insurance, a cat flap, (both were optional!) what type of litter to use, toys she would like and how to settle her in. You can see our garden from the window in the living room so she quickly looked out there but otherwise didn't look around or anything. We did buy the stuff before the visit and she seemed happy that we had.

It was all stuff we had considered before and so it was easy to answer. The whole process of adopting our cat was really easy and they seemed very keen to rehome her to us as quickly as they could.

hefferlump · 18/05/2013 13:56

Thanks fluffy ..... 35 minutes and she'll be here. We'll be devastated if we fail but if we're not right then we're not right :-)

cozietoesie · 18/05/2013 14:01

I'm sure it will be fine - but good luck anyway.

Smile
GoblinGranny · 18/05/2013 14:02

I've been through this a couple of times, they truly do want to find homes for their animals and you'd have to be an obviously unsuitable home for them to doubt you. Greyhound picking bits of cat fur out of its teeth, 10th floor flat for a cat that needs access to the outside world, paralytic when they turn up and unable to answer questions...
One thing I hadn't thought of is that we chose a light-coloured cat, and the visitor pointed out that in busy traffic areas, that was a good thing because they show up better than a black one.

hefferlump · 18/05/2013 15:28

YAY we passed :-) Can't wait to collect our beautiful boy in the morning :-)

The lady was lovely. Nice informal chat and that was about it!
Not sure if this link will work but here he is ...

www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4836479704999&set=a.1573199325029.235077.1086906647&type=1&theater

cozietoesie · 18/05/2013 15:51

Wow. Lovely boy!

fluffydressinggown · 18/05/2013 19:03

What a beautiful cat, so pleased he is yours. Are you keeping his name? When are you picking him up.

I just realised I had name changed for this thread, I am the OP!

hefferlump · 18/05/2013 19:11

Hello :-) LOL .. My son wants to call him Charlie but we both keep using Fluffy too. Think we may have to make our minds up once he's home.

I am overjoyed :-)

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