Need to re-home my cat asap

[Starlive23]

I need to re-home my cat asap. The cat has attacked my toddler. CP and RSPCA both have waiting lists of months and I just wonder if anyone has any suggestions I haven't thought of.

Cat is about 15 years old. Very aggressive towards young children and other animals. I don't want to have her put to sleep but am running out of options.

She was a stray when we got her from CPL arond 10 years ago,but they said if she's aggressive, they may not take her back.

I'm feeling absolutely horrible about the whole situation so please, no posts about how cruel I am!

To be honest OP in your shoes it might be kinder to pts. Noone is going to want a 15 year old aggressive cat. You will just be leaving her to a life in a rescue if you rehome.

Sorry to hear you're in this situation!

Have you advertised on social media/Gumtree/preloved pets etc?

In the mean time is there some space in your home that cat can be in it's own space until it's rehomed?

Rehoming an elderly cat won't be easy, as I am sure you know. Rehoming an elderly cat that is also aggressive will be even harder.
Probably not really fair on the cat to put her in a rescue after 10 years in the same home - she won't understand why she's there.

I know you say you don't want to, but having her humanely put to sleep might be the kindest option all round unless you want to try all and any animal charities in your neighbourhood, not just the mainstream RSPCA/CPL places.

Please do not advertise on gumtree etc. Bait animals are regularly purchased that way.

I agree with pp, pts may be the kindest option in this case.

You could phone the cats protection league for advice.
I knew of someone who took in cats that nobody else would want, alongside her role with cats protection.

Why did the cat attack your toddler? Did it just launch herself at the child, out of the blue. If that’s the case then can you see if any family or friends are willing to take her on? She’ll end her days in a rescue, poor thing.

If your child was pulling to poking the cats, then that’s on you and not the poor old cat. Has the cat any safe places, like a low shelf that she can get onto, where the child can’t reach? Can you keep her out of the room where your child is, by using a baby gate?

I know this sounds a bit weird, but do you have a cat ‘hospice’ near you? There is one in South Derbyshire called ‘St Francis’ which takes in elderly and terminally ill cats that would not normally have a chance at revoking through the usual channels.

revoking should be rehoming.

Love cats but if she actively attacked your child, so sorry but another pts here.

Honestly? The kindest thing is to have her PTS. She will be practically impossible to rehire abd the disruption will be awful for her. Sad, but true.

Probably kindest to pts.

Try to find a sanctuary where she can live her life to the end, or look for a rescue that takes older animals like Goldies Oldies, there are others.

I know of, and support, a few rescues that do not rehome, they give unwanted and unhomeable animals a place for life.

BTW the RSPCA are likely to PTS as they don't bother with old animals, (or take back ones that they have previously homed, at least in my experience).

Thanks so much for replies. I think deep down I know the kindest thing is to have her put to sleep but I just feel terrible about it. At the moment she's in the kitchen and I'm trying to keep DD in the front room so as to minimise time together.

Sadly nobody I know would want her, everybody who knows her knows how unfriendly she is. I just didn't want to make the appointment at the vets without making sure I'd tried everything else.

Cats protection were helpful but more or less said she would be impossible to re-home if she is very aggressive.

DD was in her high chair eating, cat slipped past me while I was washing up and scratched her four or five times on the face, I assume because she wanted whatever DD was eating. I know toddlers are a nightmare with poking things they shouldn't, but this appears to be quite unprovoked.

Seems such a sad way to end things, but DD's safety is my priority.

Thank you all very much for kind responses.

“Try to find a sanctuary where she can live her life to the end,“

So you want to make sure it has as many unhappy years of life as possible?

@Dontcallmeshitley - never heard of those but will look into it when DD goes down for nap. Something like that would be ideal really.

Poor cat.

As a previous poster said, why did she attack your toddler? Was she provoked? If she did it for no reason them PTS - as horrible as it sounds.

If she was provoked, make sure she has her own space that's just hers so she can get away when she wants some quiet time. Give her lots of cuddles. Have a look at 'My cat from hell'(!). If that doesn't work then have a look into small local rescue charities.

Do you have a shed or similar? Could your cat become an outdoor cat? You could make it cosy and warm and give attention when your toddler naps or is with another adult.

Also, if the cat is stressed, try feliway or maybe pop a stairgate on the kitchen door to give the cat a child free space. Clearing a high shelf in several rooms have our cat a safe perch to watch the family whilst feeling safe.

I do wish people would stop thinking that being PTS is the worst thing that can happen to an animal-and it would be better to make her an outside cat, after a lifetime of inside life, or put her in a sanctuary- away from everything familiar.

Where do you live @starlive123 ?

I honestly don't know why she attacked her, perhaps she saw something she liked the look of on the high chair or in DD's hands?

DD has a little book with a plastic shiny mirror on the front, maybe it was that that caught cats attention?

Either way she really scared DD and scratched and bit her so quickly and with such force it scared the life out of DD.

*“Try to find a sanctuary where she can live her life to the end,“

So you want to make sure it has as many unhappy years of life as possible?*

Not biting, suggest you take your toys and play elsewhere dear.

@FictionalChsractter West Midlands