Anyone rehomed a cat?

[starfish4]

If you've rehomed a cat, was it successful or did you have any unexpected problems? We had to kittens before who were so full of life and mischief, nothing phased them. I suspect an older cat may be more nervous and also could come with health problems - this doesn't bother me as long as it's something I could cope with. How do you know if a shelter is telling you the truth about their previous known history?

Very successful here. He was meant to have FIV and cat flu. He has neither
Some teeth problems but nothing unexpected, I rehomed from cats protection

For starters a rescue wants an adoption to work out, so they are very unlikely to lie to you. They want you to have the sort of cat you are looking for, that way the cat is less likely to be returned to them.

And there's no reason to suppose that a cat from a shelter will come with health problems. Most are just normal, young, healthy cats that have come to the centre for a vast array of reasons.

The best thing about adopting an adult is that you know exactly the sort of personality you're getting and can get one that suits you/your circumstances.

Loads!

And they are all different. It is really hard to guess how they will settle.

Mu current rescue cat I got when she was 8 - she was very nervy and was to go to a quiet home, no kids or other pets. I was long term single then so she was perfect for me - bag of nerves but lovely.

Fast forward 2 years and I met DH, so she then had to share a house with 2 other cats and chickens! She is actually really good now and much happier but the first year of merging them was awful.

So tbh their previous history means nothing at all I'm afraid! Cats protection could never have predicted how my current one would turn out.

I have loved every single one of my far too many rescues!

They are also not likely to be more nervous. Rescues have all sorts of cats from all sorts of circumstances.

Yes and I'm a cat rescue volunteer. We really have no reason to lie to people about a cat's history or health issues - if we did, the cat would just get returned and we are putting our time and effort into cat rescue because we want what's best for the cats!

A lot of cats at rescues have been given up by previous owners for a variety of reasons and for no fault of the cat's. Moving and not finding accommodation that allows cats is a very common reason, as is children or new partners being allergic. If you adopt an adult cat you mostly get what you see - a kitten can turn into a little monster when it grows up, a 5 year old friendly cat is going to stay friendly if you treat it well.

Our first two were a 2 year old mum and her 18 month old son. (Yep cats should be neutered!) We visited the rescue and met several pairs. We wanted a pair of cats as we worked. This pair gelled best with us. They had come in due to a marriage break up. Easy cats. Exactly as described by the rescue. Lovely. No health issues. Mum lived until 19. We lost the boy in middle age.
Latest two. Bloody bonkers kittens. Feet shredding and hand biting. But that's kittens. They're growing up into lovely cats. But you have less idea of the nature of the cat and their relationship with kittens.

We brought our rescue home 2 months ago, he’s perfect, amazing, exactly right for our family

We have had 3 rescue cats over the years.

All have been amazing and just slotted in. The current Sparklingcat came from a home where they had just had a baby and they didn't want a cat any more.

She was confident from the start and she is very special to us now.

We've had all sorts. Stray cats, nervous cats and a feral kitten. All have become lovely, loving companions. Some need more patience than others and some are a lot friendlier than others! We've loved every one to bits.

Looking at things from the other side, you never know how a kitten may grow up but with an adult rescue you have a much better idea of his/her personality.

The shelter were completely clear on the background of my 2 problem kitties, which may have been why they were still there almost a year after being taken in. But their first concern would be that I would provide the right home for the cat's particular needs rather than to just get them out & make space. And bearing in mind that it's a re-homing condition of many shelters that if for any reason you can't keep a cat then it must go back to them, then there's no point in them lying as they only get the cat back.

Yes mine were nervous, with very good reason and I understood that. But you see many posts on here about re-homed adult cats who are totally at home in their new house within hours.

Yes - fewer problems settling rescue cats than kittens, actually. Kittens are wonderful, but they're hard work.

Our current 2 are a (formerly) feral kitten and a bonkers friendly kitten. Both are 10 now and have been best mates since we first got them.

I would say, don't get a kitten unless you are willing to spend a lot of time playing with it. But rescues are fine. Never had anything else.

Wow, a lot of replies so quickly. Still interested in more.

DH didn't want any more pets but has brought the subject up himself, so starting to think about options. I love kittens, but always wanted the end result - a cat so that's why I'm thinking about rehoming. We can't do anything until mid August as we have a couple of short breaks planned and I want my new baby(ies would be great) to be settled before leaving them.

Our local Cats Protection and RSPCA tend to have limited choice so we'd have to hold out for one from there. We do have a shelter which always has at least 12 cats who are wormed, vaccinated, neutered and come with free four weeks insurance (in the hope you'll continue with the same company), so I think this is our more likely option.

Over the last 35 years I've almost always had 3 cats, all rescues or strays, 15 in total, 3 were kittens, the rest adults, usually 2-3 years old, a couple a bit older.

All have settled in relatively easily, usually after a few hissing spats with the existing incumbents. I've lost one young cat to a car accident, one 4 year old to a sudden heart attack, the rest have all lived to old age with no major medical problems.

I no longer look for kittens, too much hard work, as said upthread, with a young adult you can get a good idea of the temperament, they're usually streetwise, and they're litter trained. Also many of my cats had spent over a year in the rescues, 'cos nobody wants adult black or black and white cats.

All of my cats have been very different, but adorable in their own ways.

I'd look for a local shelter, RSPCA and Cats Protection can be a bit difficult to deal with, my local shelter TVAW are awesome if you're in the Reading area.

I don't believe that any shelter would deliberately let you take an ill or difficult cat without making sure you knew what you were getting

We have had both shelter cats and unwanted kittens. My lovely boy was from a local shelter. He came to us 9 years ago and was feral born, he's made a fantastic cat. He was vacinated and came with a voucher for neutering at 6 months. I wouldn't hesitate to take another cat from the shelter. Our two youngest kitties were from a friend of a friend, who hadn't neutered or flead and was desperate to rehome. They came to us complete with worms and fleas, we got them treated and vacinated immediately and neutered ASAP. They're lovely healthy 3 year olds now. In my experience a shelter kitten is less work, as they're vet checked, parasite free and neutering is usually included in the fee.