Weird experience getting rescue cats

[CatlessKatie]

My old cat died a year ago (of old age, she was 20) and I have recently started to look into getting a new cat - companion. My old girl was a rescue, but so far I have had really weird experiences contacting other rescues.
RSPCA never got back to me
Battersea rejected me because I did not have a cat flap (I often leave my window open so cat has free access most of the time)
A local farm rescue place never got back to me, when I sent 2 inquiries about wanting to adopt cats. I went to the farm to speak to them and expressed my interest, but they were too busy to speak to me and told me to email. I did again and they never got back to me.
A London rescue rejected me because they thought I had too many windows and that the cat would fall out of them.

I live in leafy suburbs, fairly big house, on a quiet street, lots of experience with cats, responsible owner, no young children, other pets etc I am really gobsmacked to find rescues think I am unsuitable.

I have now called CP back who was delighted to hear from me and I was also approved straight away by Celia Hammond who did a house visit, but I find the experience so strange. All the people who interviewed me were incredibly rude and condescending and treated me more as a cat murderer!

Has anyone else had the same experience?

We have had two cats from the Scratching Post Waltham Abbey Epping Forest area. They have been great. A brief visit for the first one. When he died they said they didn’t need another home visit. Well socialised cats at about four or five. They said no to kittens as we had an elderly Mother and they were worried for her. We wanted an older cat anyway. Would probably never get a kitten now.

Several friends have had exactly the same experience, despite being tried and tested cat owners with decades of experience, happy to take on an adult cat.

I do think some of the people attracted to working in rescue centres, be they for cats or dogs (and I've had brushes with both) are not people people.

My first cat came from CP. No issues back then (13 years ago) although they did insist he was kept indoors due to having one eye and, at the time, I lived on a busy road so fair enough. Life got much better for him when we moved to the country. He loved roaming the fields.

Things have changed though since the pandemic, I suspect. Nobody seems to get back to you even when you are apparently ideal for older cats (rural, no kids) or dogs. And that's my experience of both big and small rescues.

Also agree with white lying: our first rescue dog was a collie cross. The centre said you had to have experience with collies to adopt the half of her that was collie. So we lied. She lived a very happy, full life and we have no regrets.

Just to support CP here, we've adopted two cats (both elderly and with health problems) with children under 5 and no cat flaps (installed one now, ironically) so I think it does depend on the staff. Ours were just very glad they had loving homes at last.

Foal Farm is one the places that came up with batshit reasons not to rehome to us.

I'm working at home today. One of the fur babies that we bought after not being considered worthy of rehoming is having a little cat dream next to me. She keeps licking her lips. I think Dreamies might be involved.

Both my cats, one passed away, last year from CP, no issues and described the cats well, both very different!
only 28 days between losing one and adopting the other!

If you can do the trek down there from SE London, try Rolvenden Cat Rescue.

Always lots of cats with different backgrounds, and a pragmatic but lovely owner who will let you see plenty of different cats - I think I was interviewed by at least 8 or 10 before Tobias grabbed my heart this time round. And when I got my first two there, I think I lost count of the cats I met. All ages, colours, breeds (or not), personality types, indoor or outdoor....

You may need to try a few times to get hold of Ruth especially in summer with the light evenings as she spends most of her time out with the cats, but well worth the wait. One who feels that a 95% perfect home is better than having to stay at the rescue, rather than insisting on 100% perfect.

Update if anyone’s interested. I visited one of the rescues which had approved me to adopt. I pressured for time to choose a cat and that they tried to make me adopt the cats they could not rehome easily and some were clearly feral. I have cut my losses with rescues and I will get some kittens from Pets4homes. I don’t think I will ever go near a rescue again.

I adopted 2 kittens from the RSPCA. It was 6 years ago so I don’t know if things have changed.. Had a house visit, don’t have a cat flap but I was at home a lot at the time. Had a child of 9 - this meant we weren’t allowed certain cats as they were too nervy for us. I remember they asked where they would sleep and I said wherever they want! After the house visit we went to view the kittens and they were keen for us to take them home immediately. I wasn’t expecting that so had no cat box or any stuff. Bought a second hand one from them and off we went.

I am so disappointed. I think final straw was that I felt the rescue was actually trying to scam us by persuading us to take on semi feral or sick cats. I now feel like I might as well just buy some kittens on the internet. I feel its the safer option for me.

Have you tried any of the rescues specifically recommended on here? Places like Pets for Homes just encourage back yard breeders and kitten farms to keep getting their queens pregnant.

Another one to try if you're SE London area would be Anim-Mates - not just cats but loads of other animals (especially Guinea Pigs for some reason). Their cats tend to live with fosterers, and usually aren't on their web site or even facebook

Thanks - yes I have tried some of the rescues mentioned here. I am contacting a few more today. I had a look at Pet4homes and I would imagine it’s not kitten farms if they are given away for free and you can view them with mum in the home?

I wanted to get my kittens from a rescue but it was just too hard work. Constant filling in forms to then be rejected because numbers were too high. Most just didn’t reply. We are a young couple, working from home, no kids, huge field behind our house and in a quiet village, vets at the bottom of the road and a cat flap installed into our patio doors. I don’t know what else they wanted.

We ended up going on vets4pets and got them a few weeks later.

There's a website called cat chat which links to a lot of rescues by area.
I would try there.

Second the comment above about the mad cat lady with common sense, I've had three from a similar lady. (Although since my bond with a timid cat who turned into a big cuddle monster, she likes to give me the tricky touch averse ones... 😁 )

https://www.catchat.org/index.php/cat-rescue-centres-east-london

Definitely get a cat from a local rescue.
They should do a home check but it won't be as detailed as the national charities.
They do home checks to ensure that it's right for the cat.
I adopted from a local charity that insist that the cat is a house cat (a cat-proof garden, catio etc are fine). I'm okay with that.
Local charities are overwhelmed and struggling to cope so adopting from them allows another cat to be taken in.

If you can help a local charity they will be so grateful.
Fostering is a good option (I love doing it).
If they have a shop, donations are usually welcome.
Donating by standing order is helpful. YOU are in control of the payment which you can increase or decrease, stop easily etc.
Be a volunteer. I worked for a rescue for 15 months, feeding, litter changing, and socialising cats. I only stopped when I started to foster.

I hope my comments are useful

Stumbling block for me was the lack of a cat flap - I have a conservatory at the back of my house and it was £400+ to have one fitted in the glass.
They agreed she could go out of the (many) windows but I would need a mix of ramps and ladders for her to not have to jump up ( one window is next to a kallax type unit, so would involve a 'jump' of about a foot.
Eventually they agreed I was suitable (cul de sac, no other pets or children). Patio doors are open every day and scat occasionally sits on the step but doesn't venture any further than that.

Local charities have not been grateful. They have not even responded to my applications. The cats I asked about 2 weeks ago are still in cages, when they could have been homes with us by now.

Sorry to hear that you've had rubbish experience with local charities. I fou d Bow Lodge to be lovely but I know they are overwhelmed right now with so many cats so often struggle to find volunteers to man the socials etc.
Good luck with your cat hunt. Frankly I'd give you mine as he's been a right pain this morning haha

This website might be worth a try, i don't know anything about it other than I found it online

https://petrehomer.org/adopt-a-pet?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI27vgiY7JhwMVeZpQBh1JxRypEAAYASAAEgL3EvD_BwE

What I think is sad now is if you go on any of the big rescues websites, RSPCA, CP etc, their front page is all about donating money. You have to really search for rehoming.

Quite a few years back I tried to rehome a cat from the RSPCA. They wouldn’t let me because my garden backed onto a steep decline to a railway line. They did say they’d be happy to approve me for a dog though, even though I was out of the house at work all day. The mind boggles

Blue Cross Hertfordshire. After my cat was very sadly pts just shy of 19, it didn’t feel like home. We were rejected by loads for no cat flap (we both wfh and are used to being cat slaves) but Blue Cross Herts let us have two beautiful kittens last year. Absolutely gorgeous bonded sisters, all we had to do was meet them which we wanted to before we committed in any case and send photos of the private space they would have to settle in. Please try them OP, you can see a lot of the cats online, I rang about a pair of black kittens who had gone but they told me of the ones we got who would be ready in a couple of weeks - can’t praise them enough.

Not sure where in London you are but try Wallington Animal Rescue if near to you

www.wallingtonanimalrescue.com/adopt.html?