Yet, another moan about rehoming from rescue charity

Manyindigowings · 2024-10-25T10:24:32+00:00

Responded to an ‘urgent’ and long list of cats requiring a new home - all ages, pairs and singles. Surely one would suit my home but no. I work 4 days a week - out of the house 8:30 to 5:00. This precludes me from being a suitable home - even for a pair of 14 year olds. I’m really reluctant to go private but also have a calm setting for an older cat. It’s such a shame. Moan over.

Ladybird982828282828 · 25/10/2024 11:27

Oh that is so frustrating, I think all charities are different. We got our two from a rescue charity (it’s not a national one - just a local). We both work full time and they had no issue at all with us. We adopted siblings and they are 4 now.

can you look at smaller charities if this is a national one?

Notsureinlife · 25/10/2024 11:27

Totally agree
There needs to be some rules to protect the cats but I also feel that they are to the extreme so prevent a lot of suitable potential owners offering a loving home. There needs to be some common sense.

lochmaree · 25/10/2024 11:34

We rehomed privately because rescues are reluctant to / won't re-home to us because we have kids. Not our preference but there wasn't really another option other than to be catless!

ExquisiteIyDecorated · 25/10/2024 11:34

We got our two from Cats Protection, we both work outside the home. These rules are ridiculous, they sleep all day anyway. How on earth did they rehome any before WFH became a common thing.

Hptomato · 25/10/2024 11:39

We’ve had an issue with Cats Protection League in my county. We have 4 different offices / areas.

We have enquired about 6 cats that are listed as being suitable for a home with older children. But we still don’t meet their criteria.

We live on a quiet dead end road. With a huge front and back garden. We have a lovely warm and quiet household. With older DC who have always had pet cats. We even have outbuildings with cat flaps in just in case we’re out. They are insulated and warm & dry.
We WFH.

Our crime? We don’t have a cat flap for the main house. Current cat won’t use a flap and just meows by the back door. He’s never left in the rain or out in the cold.

We could and would love to rehome another cat (regardless of age and colour). And there’s endless posts about how they’re inundated with cats!

🤷‍♀️ it’s frustrating.

Other than that there aren’t many other cat rehoming charities near us (mainly dogs instead)

Chowtime · 25/10/2024 11:43

I just said I don't work. They didn't ring every employer in the country to check whether I did, they just ticked a box.

KnittedCardi · 25/10/2024 11:45

Yeah, we have had this problem, as have friends. Our local COK is run by a bat shit woman. Even her helpers think she is bat shit. They rarely regime any cats, yet regularly moan that they are inundated with cats.

So you have to be rural, but not near a main road, or a rat run, or a train line. You can have fields, but only if they are behind but not in front. You have to have a cat flap, but not allow the cat out without supervision. You have to provide litter trays and a separate exclusive room for the cat. You can't be out of the house, or have children or dogs, or indeed any other pet including Guineas and Hamsters. You can't have a pond.

Think that covers it 😂

KnittedCardi · 25/10/2024 11:46

Fat fingers..... CPL, Cat Protection League

AllHisCaterpillarFriends · 25/10/2024 12:00

Lie.

Parry5timesbeforedeath · 25/10/2024 12:25

It can be a bit mad. We got rejected once for an elderly cat with health issues because we live on a road. Not a main road, or a busy road, but a private unmade road in a small village. We deliberately look for cats hard to home because of age and health because we are solvent and want to take care of the ones who have significant medical needs and give then the best final years we can. Even so, not suitable apparently because of the road. We ended up getting a cat from a neighbour when she went into a nursing home and then last year got a gorgeous feisty bitey 21 year old Tortie who is the light of our lives.

lb640 · 25/10/2024 12:52

I got rejected on way to collect my 1st cat from RSPCA after meeting the cat multiple times as required (mega anxious) and buying special food....

Because someone decided that you couldn't see enough trees and greenery from my windows (farm track was only around corner)
And the cat flap was too high (I installed a stick on step but not good enough for some reason)

Other charities didn't like that I worked so they were pointless.

So I went with empty cat carrier in my back seat, looked on pets4homes and bought mine!
Then a friend gave me a kitten as a 2nd cat later.

Years later my local cats protection I've found is loads more chilled and I'd probably try them in future if it's the same staff.
Still wouldn't bother with any of the others!

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 25/10/2024 13:17

Chowtime · 25/10/2024 11:43

I just said I don't work. They didn't ring every employer in the country to check whether I did, they just ticked a box.

The next thing will be 'if you don't work how can you afford a cat?'!

Original poster

Manyindigowings · 25/10/2024 13:19

Thanks all for responses.

I would prefer not to lie about my circumstances - life’s too short.

I do see adult cats on Pets4Homes. Wonder if a realistic option for an older cat if I request a vet check?

OP posts:

Popcornfrappe · 25/10/2024 13:23

Manyindigowings · 25/10/2024 13:19

Thanks all for responses.

I would prefer not to lie about my circumstances - life’s too short.

I do see adult cats on Pets4Homes. Wonder if a realistic option for an older cat if I request a vet check?

We got our 11 month old on pets4homes and depending on the circumstances some might be happy to take them for a health check if they haven't recently been

Notellinganyone · 25/10/2024 13:25

It’s such nonsense, Cats need very little input. Had the same issue in London and got my mum to find a kitten locally to her. It’s much easier rurally.

OnlyMurdersInTheBuilding · 25/10/2024 15:03

I tried to rehome once from a well known charity. Their rules were ridiculous including having cat flaps in internal doors so the cat had free roam everywhere. Apparently saying we never shut the internal doors was not good enough.
In the end, I bought a pair of kittens.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 25/10/2024 15:08

Hptomato · 25/10/2024 11:39

We’ve had an issue with Cats Protection League in my county. We have 4 different offices / areas.

We have enquired about 6 cats that are listed as being suitable for a home with older children. But we still don’t meet their criteria.

We live on a quiet dead end road. With a huge front and back garden. We have a lovely warm and quiet household. With older DC who have always had pet cats. We even have outbuildings with cat flaps in just in case we’re out. They are insulated and warm & dry.
We WFH.

Our crime? We don’t have a cat flap for the main house. Current cat won’t use a flap and just meows by the back door. He’s never left in the rain or out in the cold.

We could and would love to rehome another cat (regardless of age and colour). And there’s endless posts about how they’re inundated with cats!

🤷‍♀️ it’s frustrating.

Other than that there aren’t many other cat rehoming charities near us (mainly dogs instead)

What is their obsession with cat flaps? Have they not heard of opening a door, not mention that a sizeable proportion of cats would rather share the bed with a dog than ever stick their head into the Flappy Plastic Covered Hole of Doom (see also flaps on litter trays)?

If I wanted to make my house easier to break into, I'd just leave the kitchen window open.

TheForgetfulCat · 25/10/2024 15:11

If you happen to be up north I currently know of a lovely eight year old cat in foster with Band of Rescuers North Yorkshire! My brother works for them and as far as I know they don’t demand people don’t work 🤔

stormsandsunshine · 25/10/2024 15:18

We adopted our cats from the RSPCA and our local branch were great. The lady who did the home visit said they rarely turn people down as long as they have thought seriously about what they are doing, the whole family is on board, and the house is not wildly inappropriate. Basically they seemed to be taking the pragmatic attitude that they want a home that is decent and safe, and better than them languishing in a cattery or taking up a space in foster care, not a unicorn magical home. It all happened super fast and I found them really supportive.

But I think all the local branches are autonomous and so other parts of the country may not work the same.

lochmaree · 25/10/2024 15:58

OnlyMurdersInTheBuilding · 25/10/2024 15:03

I tried to rehome once from a well known charity. Their rules were ridiculous including having cat flaps in internal doors so the cat had free roam everywhere. Apparently saying we never shut the internal doors was not good enough.
In the end, I bought a pair of kittens.

Omg 🤣

stormsandsunshine · 25/10/2024 16:04

Some rescues did seem to have a rule that you had to have a catflap already installed in your house, even if you didn't currently have a cat, which I thought was bananas. It wasn't enough to say you would get one fitted if you were approved to adopt.

One locally, on the other hand, would not let any cat be rehomed to anyone who wanted to let their cat outdoors ever. A criterion was that you were prepared to construct a catio in your garden, however quiet the area around you was and whether or not the cat was used to going outdoors in its earlier life, because the person who runs it had decided that she wouldn't take the risk of rehoming a cat if there was ever a chance it would get lost or wander onto a road.

kirinm · 25/10/2024 16:06

We had the same issue. Whereabouts are you based OP? I found one charity who would let us have one.

buffyfaithspike · 25/10/2024 16:07

Might be worth trying a smaller charity
I had adopted from the woman before when she ran a different charity and she basically said "give her any cat she wants"
No home check

SocksShmocks · 25/10/2024 16:16

OnlyMurdersInTheBuilding · 25/10/2024 15:03

I tried to rehome once from a well known charity. Their rules were ridiculous including having cat flaps in internal doors so the cat had free roam everywhere. Apparently saying we never shut the internal doors was not good enough.
In the end, I bought a pair of kittens.

“Cat flaps in internal doors”

That’s madness! No house has that set up surely!

We close our bedroom doors at night because that’s good practice for fire safety and actually we don’t want our cat in our bedrooms at night. Are we terrible cat owners for that??!

coffeesaveslives · 25/10/2024 17:03

Manyindigowings · 25/10/2024 13:19

Thanks all for responses.

I would prefer not to lie about my circumstances - life’s too short.

I do see adult cats on Pets4Homes. Wonder if a realistic option for an older cat if I request a vet check?

We got all of our cats via the internet - two on Facebook (farm kittens) and one from Gumtree. I know it's really unpopular on here but honestly, we've had absolutely no issues.

Our Gumtree boy cost us £10 - the owners' daughter got him on a whim but they really didn't want the commitment of a cat. He's now eight years old and an absolutely sweetheart. Our youngest two are from local farms - again, no issues. They arrived litter-trained and surprisingly well socialised. All three get on really well with no dramas.