Visting a rehoming charity - what should i be looking for

[CatHelp]

Hello

I've grown up with cats all my life but never had my own cat with my own little family.

We would like to rehome a cat but it will have to be indoor. We do have access to a large back garden but theres a main road out at the front.

We met a cat in particular at the weekend, after visiting a rehoming centre with the children. They said she was an indoor cat. She seems friendly, including with the children. We didnt get to touch her or anything so i feel like i wasn't able to get a good picture of her personality etc.

The centre dont know too much about her really :/

Me and my partner are going back to visit her shortly today, would you expect to be able to ask to touch/handle her? What else should I be considering she has an unknown past?

You could ask how they've assessed her to be suitable for indoors life and children? Just to get more of an impression of how much they've considered how she fits your home as opposed to trying to just get another cat adopted out without much thought... They should be able to tell you if she came from a home or was a stray.

It's certainly normal to get to touch and interact with the cat. Although of course it is usually overwhelming for the cat to suddenly be faced with new people and most won't show their personality until they are fully settled into their new home. If she was curious, friendly and not hiding when you visited with the children, those are all good signs.

It sounds like you're going the right way about it. If the rescue centre don't know about her background, you'll need to visit a few times and see how you all get along. Much of adopting a rescue is down to how they react to you and your family. Good luck.

Yes, you need to ask why she's an indoor only cat. And that's something you need to think carefully about in general, particularly if you have children. How will you keep her inside? What about opening windows? Can the children be trusted to not leave doors open? It's very hard to keep a cat in a house if they want to be outside.

A better, but more expensive/difficult solution would be to cat proof your back garden, or build a catio onto the house.

Thank you all

We went down and as destiny has it, the cat in question was now reserved by someone else. I think my gut feeling was right - i just wasn't 100% with this cat!

I have read that some breeds are better than others for being indoor cats, and I am considering this in our choice. Windows and doors aren't an issue with our children, who are taking this decision pretty seriously as well. I think the whole searching process has been an eye opener for them.

I just want to get this right. :( I had a friend who rehomed a dog (I know, not quite the same) and it didn't work out at all, caused her no end of sadness having to give up. I want the family and the cat to be happy and comfortable with the circumstances and dynamics.

Our local cat protection encourage you to visit at least twice, they have a room where they can put the kitty to meet the family and any other pets like a dog.

Don't think about breeds. Just be guided by the rescue. They will know which cats they consider to be suitable for indoor only and why. With your situation (ie a house) you will probably need one that actually wants to be inside, rather than one that needs to be for some reason. You will probably need a middle aged as they tend to be less bothered about the outside and less likely to make a run for it.

Yes you should be able to interact with the cat. There are all sorts of reasons a cat could need to be an indoor only cats-the rescue would need to make you aware of any health issues. Is cat proofing your garden an option? I only ask as this could increase options of cats suitable for you.