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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

I want to rehome my cat

172 replies

Remmy123 · 25/02/2020 21:53

Hi, I would like to rehome my 4 year old male tabby .. what is the kindest way of doing this?

I would like to avoid a shelter, I do t have any friends or family who can take him.

Any advice?

Thanks

OP posts:
ChickLitLover · 26/02/2020 19:16

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Winterlife · 26/02/2020 19:33

No, you are not correct, as my posting history will prove. I'm not even in the UK. But, please, continue to troll away it it makes you feel superior.

Winterlife · 26/02/2020 19:34

*if

Fluffycloudland77 · 26/02/2020 19:44

I wouldn’t rehome via mn either, I’d use a rescue that charges a fee because dog fighters do use free pets as bait and lets face it you can’t use a cat for bait twice can you?. It’s going to be a high turnover.

EachandEveryone · 26/02/2020 20:03

Oh god igx making me feel sick.

Sonichu · 26/02/2020 21:16

This reply has been deleted

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Itwasntme1 · 29/02/2020 22:18

These threads always make me sad. For one comes on hoping to be made feel better about giving up on their pet. They rarely have a good reason, usually they have had a baby and have decided the cat is too much work. They are often very cold in regard to the pet.

There is a backlash for the animal lover who frequent this board. None is can ever imagine sending our pet to live in a shelter or with a stranger.

The poster gets defensive, and slags of the poor cat even more. It spirals, and the poster flounces off in a huff.

They always claim to be animal lovers.

Gingerkittykat · 29/02/2020 22:24

Surely it is better to rehome an unwanted cat than keep it for the next 10+ years?

Itwasntme1 · 29/02/2020 22:33

It always bother me though, often the term rehome is a cop out and they actually mean surrender to a shelter.

Having a pet is a huge commitment, there are very limited circumstances in which I would ever give up on my pet.

Not being a cat person is a reason to not get a cat in the first place.

I take very good care of my cat, and I suppose I assume she wouldn’t be as well cared for elsewhere. I also flatter myself I to thinking she would miss me😊.

Original poster
Remmy123 · 01/03/2020 07:35

@itwasntme I am not sending him to a shelter. I am also not in a huff and I haven't flounced.

OP posts:
FlowerArranger · 01/03/2020 08:05

@Remmy123 - you are doing the best you can, given the circumstances. Yes, you probably should have acted sooner, but we are all wiser with hindsight.

And not all shelters are created equal. I volunteered at one which was totally overrun with unwanted pets. We did the best we could, but there is no way I would have suggested to anyone that they should surrender an unwanted pet there without exploring other options, particularly rescues, first.

My current shelter is like the Grosvenor Hotel in comparison, doing thorough background and house-checks, and carefully matching cats and adopters.

One of the most frustrating things is the stupid lies that many people who surrender pets come up with. It would be so helpful if they told us the truth about the pet's health, personality, and the reasons for surrender. We waste so much time trying to figure out what is wrong with the cats before we can rehome them.

Facefullofcake · 06/03/2020 18:29

Did he get rehomed by the Mumsnetter, @Remmy123 ?

Just to say again that shelters aren't all that bad ..I got the phone call yesterday asking me to bring my boy in - they said if we could make it over before the weekend, as he might get picked straight away.
I dropped him off this afternoon with his bed/food/scratching post/favourite toys, and Cat's Protection couldn't have been nicer.

They've said I'm welcome to give them a ring to see how he's doing, and that they can let me know what sort of home he goes to (and were really patient when I burst into tears Blush ).

The pen he's staying in seemed really nice (for a short stay at least), and the staff/volunteers were great. He's definitely going to be fussed over while he's there - he got a welcoming committee of excited volunteers when he arrived.

crossing everything that he ends up living his best life

madcatladyforever · 06/03/2020 18:32

Give him to me if you live in Somerset or nearby. I've always wanted a lovely tabby.

madcatladyforever · 06/03/2020 18:37

And WHY is there no photo? Grin

Original poster
Remmy123 · 06/03/2020 18:41

Hi guys - I have been exchanging emails with a lovely cat lover, we are connected on Facebook, I've seen photos of her cats / home etc - the home he is going to has lovely open fields .. I am confident he will be really happy (I am on a very busy road) x

OP posts:
FlowerArranger · 06/03/2020 19:04

@Remmy123 Flowers

EffervescentElephant · 06/03/2020 19:09

Hi I just found this thread just now and wanted to say well done for finding the cat a new home. I have been on both sides of this kind of event, I had to rehome a cat about 15 years ago because he was giving terrible allergy to my kid, and my life was complicated enough even without a third dependant, but more recently have been able to adopt a rehomed cat as my teen kid no longer suffers of terrible cat allergy; in addition our life has changed and it's much more cat friendly.

I think with cats is like every other kind of relationship, of course you would like it so work well and live together happily forever after but it's not always the case!

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 06/03/2020 19:27

I've been on several threads on MN, where people will freely admit they regret having children, and wish they hadn't bothered. No one says a word to them. Someone comes on and says they regret having a cat because they've realised they're not really a cat person, and they get ripped apart. It's fucking hilarious!

Original poster
Remmy123 · 06/03/2020 19:40

Thanks for your supportive comments I do appreciate them - I do have his best interest at heart

OP posts:
70isaLimitNotaTarget · 07/03/2020 09:10

I am new(ish) to cats . We got our 2 young adults from CPL last year.

Yes there is a vetting process for owners-to-be

Online form (I think there was a section about why I wanted these cats ), my experience with cats , did we have outdoor space .

Many years ago I had a Rescue cat (lived to be 17yo)

They Google Map the address to check roads .
Phone calls from CPL
Went to meet the cats
Home Check
Settled the cats
Donation fee

So yes , it is thorough .
I have adult DC , no dogs, big garden. Got them a catdoor .
So these two (they had no previous owners except Rescue) had their challenges . And they do treat the place like a hotel.
The female is a bit mouthy ( not a bite but a skin grab) the male is a bit shy still.

But they know they're home , we love the little furry reprobates .

Similar to you, I've kept small pets , DD and I had 8 rescue guinea-pigs over 8 years . Our soppiest boar was taken on holiday boarding and not collected . Seemingly it is common. At least he wasn't dumped in a park, or given away (I think there's a dog bait issue with small furries too)

Our cats were in a home environment . I think the rows of perspex pens is a sad depressing sight , but at least they are fed,cleaned and cared for .

Jace16 · 07/03/2020 20:09

' he doesn't give a shit about me' think that's the real you're butt hurt.
'not a cat person' but have a cat i find this very strange however i hope he finds the best of homes where he's loved and cared for properly as any animal should be.

oldestchild90s · 07/03/2020 21:49

Just found this thread, well done for finding him a new home! Hope he has many years of happiness there 🥰😻 Only advice i would give for next time is please give it some real thought before/if you get any animals in the future! Good endings for all.

Bluesheep8 · 08/03/2020 16:07

Why would someone who isn't a cat person get a kitten in the first place? Hmm

EmmaMY · 16/04/2020 05:36

@Remmy123 - How has it all gone? I really feel for you and hope you can let all the really mean comments go, that people here have made.

I’m in a similar situation, but have 3 cats that don’t get along and are looking for what to do with the odd one out... the antisocial one that bites and scratches anyone but me and husband since she was a kitten. She has been with us for 14 years but is now so stressed out with the kids and the two other cats that it just isn’t working any more... 😔 The sad conclusion we are coming to is, I don’t think she can be rehomed as she is so feral... can’t be picked up, claws trimmed(since 14 weeks) given any tablets or examinations unless sedated(which we haven’t done) so all in all - she doesn’t go to the vet unless it looks life threatening... But at the same time she is my baby and I really love her, but she is so stressed all the time being bullied by the other cats...

Do I give up two lovely cats who are cuddly and sweet and love the kids to keep this one anti social one that only I can cuddle(for 5min every few days)... No I won’t... We have decided that she will be PTS this summer, well ahead of her time, but I can’t see how she could ever be re homed... It is sad, but it will have to be this way...

It’s ok to re home your cat, it is not the same as putting your kids up for adoption and it’s not the end of the world. It doesn’t make you a horrible person.

JackChaffinch · 16/04/2020 05:56

Cat's Protection might be able to help, but it unlikely anyone can rehome him during lockdown. Have you got an RSPCA or CP centre near you?