What do rescue centres look for when assessing for cat rescue.

[Starface]

We are thinking of moving next year, and then eventually I would like to rescue a cat.

I am a complete cat novice. What would assessing rescue centres look for? I might tweak our house hunt criteria to fit. We are urban, and there are A roads. How far away would I need to be? We have 3 kids, but th youngest would be 4 or 5 by the time we actually adopt.

All advice gratefully received.

I think it depends on which rescues you go to. Small local rescues may not be as specific as the more higher profile rescues. Some rescues take into account age of children versus age of cat, if you live in a house or flat, access to the outside, distance to main roads, any existing pets, how many hours a week you're all absent from home, etc. I do understand this is important, but there are so many poor street cats who'd benefit just as well from having a good home. I've had about 10 cats over the years, all of which were strays who found their way to me. I've also found good homes for numerous strays. You never know, maybe a stray will find their way to you

Good luck!

Mine just wanted to know my address (for them to look on google maps) and whether we had kids or not. They then said which were suitable for kids. We live on fairly quiet streets in a suburban area. Nearest A road about 5 mins walk away. They didn't specify what they were looking for I'm afraid.

Oh and we don't have a v big garden at all.

I've just rehomed through Battersea, they matched a cat to me, so there is hope!
Currently you have to complete online form, and then they contact you when they have a cat match. I didn't wait too long 😉
In a couple of years things maybe different?
Good luck and something exciting to look forward too ☺️

My current four cats have all come from Battersea. They didn't do a home check but just asked a few questions about how we look after our cats (I remember that our views on neutering were asked for). They also asked about the character of the incumbent cats and if our cats were allowed out (they are). They looked at the house on google maps and street view and that was about it.

They asked about our children too. Had a 12 year old and an 8 year old when we got our first pair from Battersea. Both were already used to living with cats.

I had to fill in a long questionnaire, send in photos of my house (in lieu of a house visit) and go through two phone interviews. Lots of questions about my experience with cats, where I would put the food bowls and litter tray, what I would do when I went away, etc. Also I had to confirm I had no plans to have children, as the cat in question had been rehomed from a noisy family home where she was unhappy.

Thanks everyone. Very helpful and encouraging so far!