Rehoming our cat :(

[jealy]

Unfortunately due to life circumstances I have to rehome our cat, who I have had for fourteen years. I have held this decision off for the longest time because I didn’t want to let her go. I’m in London, I want her to go to a loving home. How does one do this? I’m so scared she’ll go to a shelter and they will put her down.

She could, but the number of people willing to adopt a 14 year old cat (and take on all the associated vets bills that come along with it) are few and far between, sadly.

There's a huge crisis in animal rescue with many shelters refusing to take on any new animals unless there's a severe emergency. The likelihood is that this cat would be rejected or put to sleep.

And it's a shame you are stooping to emotional blackmail.

The cat is not going to be sleeping on a bench, hassling passersby for spare fags and coins...

I agree it's a very sad situation. But I think the emotional guilt tripping on this thread is a bit shit tbh - you have no idea what the op is going through to be having to make this decision.

What a completely random & embarrassing answer!🤣 This cat IS going to be scared, stressed & bewildered losing the only home it’s possibly had. It will
love its owner and wonder what’s happened to it. At 14 it will likely struggle to find a home easily too. Nothing at all to do with coins!

Agree we have no idea of the reason but aren’t we ll allowed our opinion? We can be sorry for the cat as well as the owner.

This is nowhere near emotional blackmail. Just an opinion different to yours. I also agree with StarDolphins, it would help to know what situation the OP is in specifically. I have a 13 year old cat and an 11 year old cat. I wouldn’t give them up for the world, I would have to be in a dire situation to even consider it. The 13 year old especially wouldn’t cope well with being rehomed. Older cats do become set in their ways and suffer from upheaval so best avoided if at all possible.

Our city has a Cat Cafe where people come in to eat/ have a drink and can spend time with the cats they keep there. There are strict guidelines to ensure the good care of the cats. They seem to be getting more popular. Could that be an option for yours if there is one near? Ours has quite a few old cats enjoying their twilight years.

Choose your area on this list, OP, and you'll be able to find local rescues that may be able to help with a direct rehome:

www.catchat.org/index.php/cat-rescue-centres-uk-ireland

Please use the catchat website they have a list of rescues if you put in your area on the map, it will bring them all up. Please call everyone until you get a yes. No rescue will put a cat to sleep. Do not give to rspca only cat rescues

We have twice rehomed an older female cat from a rescue. This is because we want the cat to enjoy our fairly enclosed garden, but there is a busy road 2 roads away, and we'vefound such cats are less likely to roam, they'rehappy in our garden. It also feels like a lovely thing to do, and we are less likely to be competing with others to get a younger cat.
Also near us is a rescue with a retirement home for cats....too far from London but they do exist.

I really think it’s too stressful for her to start a new life at 14. I would kindly PTS

Nonsense. There's no reason at all why a well socialised older cat would find it any harder than a younger cat to settle into a new life when the right home is found.

Some cats will merrily go off to live with other people at 14yo. My cats lived to 18 in great health, so I wouldn’t consider PTS.

And for those of you with no imagination, if someone is being forced to move to somewhere animals can’t live, they’re probably stressed at the circumstances for themselves and possibly their children, so saying you’d never give up your is easy when you have haven’t walked in someone else’s shoes.

Have you contacted rescues, OP? There are people out there who will take elderly cats. Have you asked around absolutely everyone you know?

This must be awful for you. I implore you not to give them to a stranger. Sadly they can be used as dog bait.

please contact Battersea / RSPCA Millbrook / The Ginger Cat house charity etc.

Battersea have a good client base and 14 yr olds still get rehomed.

From experience, not the RSPCA. Not that there would be much chance of them taking the cat anyway.

Really! Not a helpful or even kind comment. Putting a healthy cat down is so wrong. And many people adopt older pets. Not everyone wants a kitten. I'd happily take on an older cat but I have two rather active teenage cats.

My old cat was 19 when we put her to sleep, my parents cat was 23 when she died. Neither had age related health issues (whatever they are). One literally died in my mum's arms on the way to the vet, she had no illnesses and always had a good vet check up, she died of old age.

There is another thread running at the moment about a 15yo cat who couldn’t be taken in by any rescues due to how full they are - luckily it found a new home privately.

Unfortunately I think many people are unaware how much of a crisis there is in animal rescue at the moment - I follow many on social media whose doors have been closed for months now as they just don’t have the space or the resources.

While it may seem horrendous to think about putting a healthy cat to sleep; the reality is that there may not be another option unless she can be rehomed privately.

Pardon?! Why on earth would you do that if she could be safely rehomed?

I would take on a 14 year old cat. It would be completely unnecessary to put her to sleep. A cat will soon settle in the right home.

Blue Cross and Cats Protection rehome directly so there would no reason for her to go into a shelter.

Why do you need to rehome her? Is it something we can help you with?

@jealyAre you having to move? If so is there any chance of the new people adopting your cat - or neighbours so the area is still familiar? If not I would approach one of the charities that people have suggested and take comfort in that you have done your best for her and she will live out her days being cared for by another cat lover 💐

It will be really difficult for your cat to be rehomed as you have had her for so long and because of her age. Is there any other option? Maybe if you could share a little more of your circumstances, people may have helpful suggestions. I understand if you don’t want to share.

If being the operative word.