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The litter tray

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

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Original poster

No one will let me adopt a cat.

19 replies

WhippinPiccadilly1 · 03/03/2018 22:48

I've been searching for an older cat for months. I'm looking for the perfect fit for my family.
Nowhere will let me adopt because I live on a 'main' road (it's a b road).
I feel really sad about it. My 2 and 5 year olds are desperate for a cat to love. Our relatives and friends have cats, and both my children (especially the one who has additional needs) are fabulous with them.
I really didn't want to get a kitten, but at this rate, that's my only option.
Has anyone else had this problem?

OP posts:

Emma198 · 03/03/2018 22:50

Aren't there any that need to be a house cat? I was volunteering at the cat rescue centre when I adopted mine so don't think I went through the same checks but I was living in a flat on a fairly busy road.

Vinorosso74 · 03/03/2018 22:52

Agree with above there are lots of cats who need to be indoor only. Could you cat proof the back garden?

Moominfan · 03/03/2018 22:52

Have you tried smaller local rescues?

NotMeNoNo · 03/03/2018 22:55

How accessible is the road to a cat? Sadly we lost two cats to our B road but the side door was straight onto the drive. We then put a tall fence and side gate across, the next cat did occasionally get over it but usually couldn't be bothered. (and lived to a grand old age).

twotoed · 03/03/2018 22:55

Look on Gumtree.

CatchingBabies · 03/03/2018 23:11

An indoor cat would be perfect for you. My girls are indoors and perfectly happy cats.

kinorsam · 03/03/2018 23:25

Our local rescue centre does sometimes have indoor cats. We know this because we have adopted one of them. She's actually agoraphobic (we think) and will very occasionally creep outside for a minute or two, but only when it is dark and very quiet outside. She'd be quite happy being indoors permanently. I'm sure that in time you will find an indoor rescue cat.

WowIFreelStrange · 03/03/2018 23:32

it's awful trying to adopt anything with kids! mine are 3 and 6mo. but when ds1 was 2 we tried to adopt a cat and we wouldn't get accepted anywhere. nor for a dog. or rabbit. it's fucking ridiculous. if we can manage to bring kids up, I'm sure we'll do just fine on a 6 year old cat!

only joking, but seriously o don't think anywhere accepts many people with young kids on case of children/animals getting hurt.
we managed to find a kitten on gumtree, she was being given away for free :( I had to snap her up!!

Tunic · 04/03/2018 01:39

I thought I was going to have a problem adopting because most of the online profiles on the adoption websites state no small children but in reality, when I actually visited the centre they introduced me to lots of suitable cats and said it wasn’t an issue. Have you visited in person, I am sure that they will have cats that aren’t interested in the great outdoors.

DavetheCat2001 · 04/03/2018 10:40

Have you tried the RSPCA, OP?

Our local one has a few older cats they house at the vets nearby. I got our 4 year old from there and we have 2 young kids. We're not on such a main road, but their main concern seemed to be that the cat had access to outside if she wanted it.

viccat · 04/03/2018 10:52

Is it the road, or is the it combination of having small kids and wanting an older cat?

At the rescue I volunteer, we don't have a blanket policy about no young kids, but in reality most of the cats who come to us haven't had the best experiences of people and are way too shy to cope with children's noise and fast movements. Very few of the cats coming to us for rehoming have had any experiences of children, and it takes a confident cat to learn to live in a busy family home (compared to an adult only home with one or two people).

And the main road is an issue - cats do die on roads, and it just wouldn't be responsible to home a cat somewhere like that. However if you have a back garden, would you be willing to cat proof it? You can either DIY or get a company to do it, the method is the same - strong netting at an angle all around the perimeter. Otherwise, an indoor cat could be an option - there are plenty that have always lived indoors, and others who have special needs and need to be indoors.

ChaosNeverRains · 04/03/2018 10:56

I lost my adopted cat to the road and I don’t even live that close to it. I wouldn’t adopt a cat again if living in proximity to a main road tbh

The kids might be desperate for a cat to love but tbh they’ll be heartbroken when it gets knocked down by a car, and it does happen so very quickly.

EachandEveryone · 04/03/2018 14:19

Can you catproof the garden?

FogCutter · 04/03/2018 14:24

We got ours from the local shelter but they and the RSPCA will not rehome to any family where there is a child under 5.

Perhaps when your DC is older you could adopt a house cat, there are loads of house cats at our RSPCA shelter.

Icequeen01 · 04/03/2018 19:17

I have lost so many cats to the road and trust me it's heartbreaking. One was even run over in front of me😢 Thankfully we moved away from that road and it was a huge consideration when we bought our present house. Unless you can have an indoor cat I wouldn't advise it Op. You will be heading for heartbreak and it would be awful explaining to your children why their kitty hasn't come home.

LanguidLobster · 04/03/2018 19:20

One of my friends actually ran over her cat. She laughed about it.

She isn't a friend anymore.

sashh · 04/03/2018 19:41

Another vote for an indoor cat.

cats Protection have lots of people who foster in their own homes, would you consider that?

notmrscookie · 05/03/2018 04:14

Got a lovely indoor cat from cat protection . maybe visit with kids and ask to be kept informed if one becomes available .. I know there are only a few it was by chance I got mine.

FfsFrieda · 05/03/2018 04:22

When I went to the RSPCA they practically threw cats at me! My home visit lasted about two seconds, they really wanted rid of him fast I think.

To be fair it was absolutely full in the cattery and there were loads of kittens. Our boy we ended up with is a lot older and completely insane (in a lovely way )

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