Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Why is it so hard to adopt a cat?

101 replies

Bubbinsmakesthree · 25/11/2022 19:48

Trying to adopt cats at the moment…why is it such an ordeal?!

I’ve filled in application form after application form.
Had to supply multiple forms of ID
Been given the third degree over my motivations
Questions upon questions upon questions
And after jumping through all the hoops the applications go into a black hole and we hear nothing in response.

I thought rescues were overflowing with cats - but when you want to adopt it feels like you’re fighting over access to a rare commodity. Why is it so hard?

OP posts:
thelobsterquadrille · 04/12/2022 09:30

Phos · 30/11/2022 09:31

I do find rescues are really restrictive. The one we got ours from practically always say "No other animals, adult only household" then complain their cats are waiting a long time for homes.

Funny how the cats we got before we had DD were also advertised like this and they're fine with her.

They normally say "adults only" for two reasons:

  • either they don't know how the cat will behave around children and don't want to run the risk of it being scared/aggressive and returned to them.
  • or because the cat has come from a home with small children and was terrified/stressed as a result.

Lots of cats don't like children 🤷🏻‍♀️ I have three - one loves everyone, one is surprisingly tolerant of children (which I never expected and if he'd come from a rescue they'd never have rehomed him with kids) and another who is terrified of strangers.

willstarttomorrow · 04/12/2022 22:27

I have loads of fosters in at the moment. Two are little ferals who are coming on well, currently purring their heads off on the sofa after mad play time (they had no idea how to play when they came in, they were born to a colony who were fed). Also some abandoned older cats who were obviously once loved and are sleeping happily in various rooms. The main thing with smaller rescues (apart from paying the rehome fees and committing to many years) seems to be around roads/railways etc. I have my own cat as do most other fosters and she goes outside very safely- I would not be allowed to adopt an outdoor cat on the road I live on. It is not a motorway or an A road, just a normal through road. I am not advocating being dishonest- but there is no reason you cannot say you are happy to adopt and keep indoors. Obviously when you get to know them and you feel they would be okay outdoors- that is the risk you take as an owner. 😉

PlaitBilledDuckyPuss · 04/12/2022 22:38

willstarttomorrow · 04/12/2022 22:27

I have loads of fosters in at the moment. Two are little ferals who are coming on well, currently purring their heads off on the sofa after mad play time (they had no idea how to play when they came in, they were born to a colony who were fed). Also some abandoned older cats who were obviously once loved and are sleeping happily in various rooms. The main thing with smaller rescues (apart from paying the rehome fees and committing to many years) seems to be around roads/railways etc. I have my own cat as do most other fosters and she goes outside very safely- I would not be allowed to adopt an outdoor cat on the road I live on. It is not a motorway or an A road, just a normal through road. I am not advocating being dishonest- but there is no reason you cannot say you are happy to adopt and keep indoors. Obviously when you get to know them and you feel they would be okay outdoors- that is the risk you take as an owner. 😉

I would love to foster cats, but I don't think I would be able to let them go - how do you manage this? I would end up with 150 cats in my house 😻

Notanotherusername4321 · 04/12/2022 22:46

I’ve always had ferals, and it could just be a very localised anomaly, but I have noticed a slight new tendency to describe ex strays or anything less than outgoing and friendly as feral or semi feral and only suitable for homes able to accommodate them. I’ve had a few friends/ colleagues mention various feral cats their local rescues are desperate to find suitable homes for, but on closer investigation they aren’t remotely feral, at worst they just need time and a quieter home rather than a big noisy household

no I agree with this. Seen many videos on SM of “feral” cats who within hours are sitting on laps and wandering around homes happily. Starting to think “feral” has replaced the word “stray”’for some reason.

anyway o/p agree with the poster who said try breed specific rescues. I got mine that way, a local charity had had an 18m cat dumped on them after she’d had so many litters she was burned out, and they suspected she was a particular breed.

try facebook, lots of mad cat ladies who work with charities rescuing, fostering and rehoming.

Whengoodtimesatthefairgobad · 05/12/2022 18:08

I've got a moggy with a ped Burmese mum. We got him for free so deffo nobody trying to make a few quid.

He's like a standard black and white cat but he has a funny face and the direction his fur grows in is unusual. I'd say he had a very friendly temperament like a Burmese but maybe he's just a nice cat.

Whengoodtimesatthefairgobad · 05/12/2022 18:10

Wrong thread!

9z8y7x · 01/12/2023 18:34

I know, I have the perfect home required for 2 cats up-to age 7 years and have just been rejected because I occasionally smoke.

GreekDogRescue · 01/12/2023 18:39

maranella · 25/11/2022 19:54

Hmm I don't know. Do you live in a flat? Have small DC? Dogs? Other cats?

If you have primary-age DC there will be a lot of cats that aren't suitable for you.

Why would having a child necessarily be a deterrent?
I work in rescue and they are overflowing with cats and dogs.
Sadly many rescues are run by control freaks who put their egos before finding homes.
I see this again and again.
All I can say OP, is please persevere.
If anyone knows any sensible rescues with sensible rehoming policies please recommend them here.
When people want to rehome a pet they often post on Facebook and gumtree so you can also look there.

GreekDogRescue · 01/12/2023 18:40

9z8y7x · 01/12/2023 18:34

I know, I have the perfect home required for 2 cats up-to age 7 years and have just been rejected because I occasionally smoke.

Seriously? I have no words!

minipie · 01/12/2023 18:43

Cats Protection let us adopt an adult cat with children age 4 and 7. She was a friendly cat rather than skittish, but with no known prior child experience.

They also weren’t bothered about our road (not very busy but can be a bit of a cut through) whereas another smaller shelter jibbed at it.

So would recommend Cats Protection for people finding other shelters fussy - although guess it varies from branch to branch.

9z8y7x · 01/12/2023 18:49

Yep, Meowcat rescue in Harlow. Came to do a home check, didn't mention the smoking or i could have explained that it's occasional and I don't have to smoke in the house etc, but they just rejected me because they want their cats to go to 'smoke-free' homes. The 2 kittens have been waiting for homes for over 6 weeks.

maranella · 01/12/2023 18:51

Why would having a child necessarily be a deterrent?

Ask my local RSPCA! It took us ages, having passed the home check, to find a cat that they'd let us have. And that's despite us having no other pets, a safe, decent-sized garden and both DH and I having grown up with cats. They have very strict criteria though when it comes to allowing their animals to go to homes containing DC.

Joonio · 01/12/2023 18:56

All the charities I tried refused when they looked at my address but I have had 3 lovely cats from a lady who rescues,neuteres and rehomes without any problems.

Lemonademoney · 01/12/2023 18:59

We rescued a cat a few months ago and I was surprised how easy it was! We have kids too but went for a (gorgeous) cat that was good with children. I took mine to visit him at the shelter and it was love at first sight - he is currently sat on my lap (I adore him). We used a local small shelter though - maybe different with the nationals??!

minipie · 01/12/2023 19:13

Battersea dogs and cats…. well I don’t actually know how fussy they are because by the time we got to the top of their waiting list for home visits we’d already had our cat from Cats Protection for 3 months 😆

9z8y7x · 01/12/2023 19:17

thecatneuterer · 26/11/2022 16:29

If you're anywhere near London pm me. There most certainly isn't a shortage of cats - we are overwhelmed, as are all the other rescues. Child-friendly cats are the most difficult to find though as they have to be extremely calm and laid back, and there is a lot of demand for child-friendly, but still there is always a constant supply coming in.

Of course rescues are all understaffed so quick responses aren't always forthcoming sadly.

Hi, I live in Harlow, 36 years cat experience, 2 bed house in cul-de-sac, available 'catio' in garden through lockable cat flap, no children, no dogs or other cats, am looking for 2 cats under the age of 7 years. Just been rejected by meowcat-Harlow because I occasionally smoke and they want their cats to go to 'smoke-free' homes.

Ginandchampers · 01/12/2023 19:18

Try Protected Paws in Barnes. They are so efficient, really interested in understanding what age and type of cat you want to have. They have lots of kittens so very welcoming to families with young children. They will also have cats which need to be kept indoors as well as those who like outdoor space. They have a Facebook page and it's truly heart breaking the numbers of cats they rescue from awful circumstance but all of the cats are just so delighted to find their forever homes. A really dedicated rescue. None of this 'you don't have a cat flap' rubbish that you get from cats protection, rspca or Battersea.

AvengedQuince · 01/12/2023 19:19

My cats came from a family with many children and they are very wary of visiting children. It's pretty common I think, with young children at least, the size, the way they move about that is different to an adult. Are your children young or more in the 8+ age range?

MrTiddlesTheCat · 01/12/2023 19:34

Bubbinsmakesthree · 30/11/2022 00:03

OK I take it all back…after all that frustration, form-filling, unanswered emails I suddenly have THREE different rescues contacting me and offering me a cat today! So now I am spoilt for choice! Clearly it’s like buses, they all come at once!

So do you now have 3 cats?

thecatneuterer · 01/12/2023 21:51

9z8y7x · 01/12/2023 19:17

Hi, I live in Harlow, 36 years cat experience, 2 bed house in cul-de-sac, available 'catio' in garden through lockable cat flap, no children, no dogs or other cats, am looking for 2 cats under the age of 7 years. Just been rejected by meowcat-Harlow because I occasionally smoke and they want their cats to go to 'smoke-free' homes.

Show quote history

Please pm me. (I was going to pm you but I can't work out how to do it on the app). We have plenty!

purser25 · 01/12/2023 22:03

Just went to the local small cat charity looked at the cats and chose one, or should I say each time they chose, us. Once it was near Christmas but as we had had cats from before that was fine. Their only stipulation was not a. Kitten as we had an elderly Mother and she might trip over it.

verdantverdure · 01/12/2023 22:06

Bubbinsmakesthree · 25/11/2022 19:48

Trying to adopt cats at the moment…why is it such an ordeal?!

I’ve filled in application form after application form.
Had to supply multiple forms of ID
Been given the third degree over my motivations
Questions upon questions upon questions
And after jumping through all the hoops the applications go into a black hole and we hear nothing in response.

I thought rescues were overflowing with cats - but when you want to adopt it feels like you’re fighting over access to a rare commodity. Why is it so hard?

The short answer is that most cat rescues aren't a public service or a business with staff.

They are charities staffed by unpaid volunteers who have jobs and kids just like you do.

So they are often looking at your forms after work, after the kids have gone to bed. Or at 5am before everyone else is up.

And then, before they get back to you they do checks on your ID and your address.

Then, if they don’t have a cat suitable for you they can’t give you one.

It's not like ordering something in Deliveroo or Amazon Prime.

CeeJay81 · 02/12/2023 08:31

Our local Cat protection is great and the process of adopting was pretty easy. We've have had our kitten for nearly 2 months now. When I called them up to enquire, the lady was lovely, we had a good old chat cats and it ended with which one do you want? My youngest child is 9 though and we dont live on a busy road, so maybe she wouldn't have been as keen if those answers were different.

The older cats do often seem to need more specific homes like being rural and quiet with no children but their not as fussy with the kittens. As long as you have outdoor space and aren't by a busy road, they are happy for you to adopt.

Cymbal · 02/12/2023 08:43

I'm a trustee of a tiny cat charity, and we are all volunteers. We're currently swamped with requests to take on cats. We have a number of cats in our care, but they're not yet ready for adoption because of medical pr psychological issues.

Please persevere. In my experience smaller rescues tend to prioritise the needs of the cat over arbitrary guidelines.

Increasinglyfrazzledteacher · 02/12/2023 11:14

I got mine from Gumtree. He’s gorgeous and very friendly. He came from a home with a lot of kids, so I assumed (correctly as it turned out) that he was very well socialised.