Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

The litter tray

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

Adopting with a dog and primary children

4 replies

Littler0ad · 21/03/2025 14:25

I sadly lost my boy cat earlier this year. Initially I didn't think I would get another but I really miss having a cat around as I've always had one since I was a child. Always a kitten a though and I haven't had a rescue before. This time I'd like to give an older rescue a forever home. From an initial search this might prove difficult as I have a friendly dog (who co-habited in harmony with the cat) and primary age children. It seems our home won't be suitable for many rescues. Has anyone had a similar experience? Should I just register with as many rescues as I can?

OP posts:
Allergictoironing · 21/03/2025 17:53

You are right looking at an adult rescue - dogs and small children are a bad recipe combined with kittens! You probably wouldn't be allowed to adopt a kitten/kittens (they are usually adopted in pairs) from a decent rescue anyway.

I think yes you do have to register with as many rescues as you can, and I would keep scanning their web sites & giving them the odd reminder that you are still looking. Remember that some smaller rescues can take a while to get back to you; you aren't being ignored, just that it's kitten season now & they are getting snowed under.

DSis adopted late spring, and ended up with 2 lovely young girls who had both recently had litters. Obviously the kittens were spoken for quite quickly, then she took the 2 mothers after all the kittens had gone to their new homes.

If you give us an idea what sort of area you're in e.g. county, people on here may be able to suggest rescues there that are more open to cats (at least adults/young adults) going to homes with other pets and younger children.

Littler0ad · 21/03/2025 18:55

Thank you, I am in Kent but could also travel to Essex

OP posts:
Allergictoironing · 21/03/2025 20:19

Aha! I will strongly recommend Rolvenden Cat Rescue to you then, which is where I got mine and DSis got hers. Don't just look at the cats on their web site, they have loads and loads who don't make it as far as there! The ones featured on the site are usually the cats they have had a little more difficulty rehoming as they are very shy or similar.

Ruth is fabulous. She's also reasonably pragmatic in that things like children under 10, or other pets in the house, don't mean an automatic no but depend on the cat, the individual dog, the children, and various other factors. We had each time told her what we were ideally looking for and she had a few in mind for introducing us, plus a "reserve" list in case that was needed.

With my first pair, by the time I'd finished talking to her the first time on the phone she already had the pair I would end up with in the back of her mind and though they didn't fit all my spec (younger, more shy & less cuddly) they were the ones who chose me. When I sadly lost beloved Boycat I called her again & said I needed to get a companion for Girlcat, and she again showed me a selection and the one in the forefront of her mind has ended up perfect for her. Not perfect for me in some ways, but filled the important parts of the brief and Girlcat's needs were paramount. And I do love him very much.

DSis went with one pair of cats in mind but they made it very clear she and her adult DS4 had failed the interview. However the ideal cats for her were in another pen just round the corner, and all 4 of them (cats, DSis & her DS4) are living in perfect harmony now.

One thing to remember is that it can take a few days for her to get back to you if you leave a message.

Rolvenden Cat Rescue

An independent cat rescue and rehoming centre in Kent. We are dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of cats and kittens.

https://www.cats-rolvendenrescue.org/

Littler0ad · 21/03/2025 20:32

Thank you so much for your helpful responses, I shall contact this rescue

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread