Ridiculous rules for adopting rescue cats.

[Catlovverr]

Last year we adopted 2 gorgeous boys from Celia Hammond. Having had cats all our lives and being devastated after having to put our old girl to sleep, we soon started to look into adopting new rescues. What we hadn’t prepared for, was how difficult it would be.
We have had rescues all our lives, who have all lived to a grand old age with all the veterinary care needed. We live in a large 3 storey house with a massive garden full of trees on a quiet road. Our garden is backing onto other large gardens also full of trees. Cats paradise we thought.
But oh no, leaving aside the RSPCA who didn’t even respond to our request, we were rejected by Battersea for not having a cat flap despite cats having free access out of a window with safe passage into our garden. We had 30 years of cats using that passage behind us. Window is always left open during the day and closed only at night when we keep them in. The second reason for rejection from Battersea was that we didn’t let our cats outside when we go on holiday. We leave them in the house with family or neighbours popping in twice a day. Reason for that is I want to make sure they are around for their food and are seen by the cat sitters so I know they are ok. Battersea said my cats would be stressed not being let out then despite being in their own home which is large enough for them to not feel confined. Not sure what response people who use catteries would get….
Battersea was also worried that there was one day a week we were both working so no one at home. One of us always wfh rest of week.
The most bonkers rejection was from a smallish rescue. They rejected us because we didn’t have locks on all windows so they worried cats would fall out. This is despite me reassuring them we never left the windows facing the road open for that exact reason.
In hindsight I know I could just lie, I wasn’t prepared for having to lie I guess.
I also understand people have to be properly vetted and that people who run rescues see a lot of neglect and abuse so obviously cautious.

We had a really good experience with Celia Hammond. They sent someone around for a house checks who approved us more or less on the spot. Have donated to them monthly ever since.

Had to write this down having just walked past a poster advertising for a Battersea about how much they care. All I can think of is their ridiculous vetting which most likely leaves a lot of animals caged with them much longer than need be.

I agree @Catlovverr. Some set ups may be slightly less than ideal from a rescue's perspective but the alyernative is that the cat would have died from neglect or need to be pts. A little pragmatism is needed I think.

When we got our last two kittens from Battersea they asked if we had a cat flap and I answered honestly 'yes'. The fact that I'd bought it years ago but never got round to fitting it never came up in the conversation.

8 years on the cats still achieve ingress and egress via open windows or their door staff.

We have also been rejected on occasion. Once by Cats Protection because we had dogs. The RSPCA sent someone to do a home visit and he walked in, took one look at our existing cat asleep on the sofa with two of the dogs just rang the office and said 'It's fine'. He hadn't even got all the way into the house!

Our exerience is that our local very small RSPCA is quite pragmatic. But we now go for the very elderly cats who have been hard to home due to age or chronic medical needs. That's because we decided we had the funds to give them a good last few years. (Our current one is 23 and we have had her since the age of 21). We have been rejected for a dog (not by the RSPCA, by a small one woman-band rescue) because we could not guarantee with our hands on the bible that no-one would be out of the house for longer than 3 hours at any point in time. (We both WFH but you know, life sometimes).

Yeah they’re too fussy. We really wanted to rescue a cat. 3 bedroomed house, but it seemed to be hoop after hoop. Then they wanted a letter from my housing association. I gave up and bought a kitten instead.

I was looking for indoor only cats, what a nightmare that was! I told them all I was prepared to take cats with disabilities or FIV positive. I was even rejected for FIV +ive cats by some rescues as they wouldn't have access to a fully secured Garden! this was apart from the rescues who absolutely refused to accept that not all cats need outdoor access,

I ended up at an independent rescue where the person who runs it understands that a) Not 100% perfect in every way shape or form is still better than living in a crowded cattery & never rehomed and b) some cats are perfectly content living indoor only (as mine have all been); this would also mean more space for cats who desperately needed to be rescued. If anything, she was very happy to find homes for cats who would be safer & better off indoors as such homes are few and far between. She happily rehomed me a bonded pair of ex-ferals, then another boy when I lost the first due to CKD who had had a dreadful time on the streets and was terrified of people - turns out he'd contracted FIV anyway during his straying years and also IBD so we have to be careful with his diet so needs to be indoor only anyway. She will be very happy to find me the perfect indoor only companion for the girl if Tobias's various issues carry him off early.

Never had any stress related problems with mine over the years.

I feel these days they just want your money as donations not to actually rehome cats. They show the films of the rescues over run by cats, but can you actually adopt one? Not likely.

We inherited one that would have gone to a rescue if no one would take him, he loves our house and big garden, I suspect he would still be in a cage if he had gone to a rescue.

Our neighbours are in their 80's, more active than me, play golf, drive etc and had 2, elderly cats. One died at age 22, so they approached RSPCA and another local rescue for an equally elderly cat and were refused.

Eventually they contacted the cinnamon trust. They couried the cat in an air conditioned van, 5hrs to their house! I think it was classed as fostering, because the company paid for all medical checks, vaccines and I think an amount for food each week! That was 5yrs ago and that cat and their existing elderly cat have since died. They now have 2 older cats which cat protection gave them. They'd previously had cats from them years ago and luckily someone working there remembered them. Otherwise, I doubt they'd be given one. I too never realised it was so difficult to adopt a rescue!

If you think that’s bad, try rescuing a dog!

It is all very frustrating.

Lots of my local rescues are indoor only so I rejected them. I ended up going to a Blue Cross 40 miles away. They were quite flexible with us, we visited and played with our cat and then they just let us take him home.
All my cat owning friends were shocked there was no further assessment.
The only is they listed him as a single cat only, they’d only had him a few days and I don’t think they actually know if he would get on with another cat or not.

If you’re in London have you tried the Mayhew?

We have got our cats now for the next hopefully 20 years. I was just having a rant as my cats are literary living the best cat lives possible with us and yes it was so hard to be approved to adopt. Madness.

My local rescue would have a fit that battersea are suggesting they go outside
They won't rehome to anyone who doesn't have a catito and swears they will never let them roam free. You also can't be above the age of 45 as your apparently likely to die of old age. You can't be on benefits not even a benefits top up. They also demand they see your house and walk through it.
Nuts.

I couldn't agree more. I was forced to buy 2 kittens off the Internet because no rescue would consider us because we live on a moderately busy road. I get it, I live in fear of one of my cats being runover, but so far we've clocked up 55 cat years on this road and the only incident with traffic was the minor clip that ended up bringing a stray into our family. Even if one of my cats were to be killed tonight, they would have had years of love and their every need met prior to this.

I'll soon be too old to be considered as an adopter. In which case, I'll go back to the back street breeders. Is that really what any cat charity wants?

I think this with a local rescue close to mine who are always always posting that they haven't "found the right home" and they're over run with cats. It's always silly pedantic rules like the cat flap thing. They always say the cats well being is the "number 1 priority" but how can it be when they'll willing let a loving home pass by them over a poxy cat flap?

It can feel frustrating but they’re just trying to minimise the risk of failed homing. I’ve worked in many cat and dog rescues who haven’t had robust homing rules and so may animals are returned which can be devastating for them. I’m much more comfortable with robust rules for finding homes. These animals have often gone through so much already.

I got my current cats as kittens a couple of years ago. I was hoop jumping with several rescues all of who claimed to be 'over run with kittens' for several months either rejected or ask for more and more info when a friend had a stray give birth in her shed. She took mother and one kitten, her adult daughter had kittens 2 and 3 and kitten 4 came to me. I found his companion/ brother from another mother from an ad via our vet as I wanted two. I collected then on the same day aged circa 10 weeks each and they swiftly bonded. There are best mates

I've always had cats, never had a cat flap and never will mine come and go via windows or doors what are humans for if not to panda to the whims of cats?

Our local rescue hasn't twigged that their rail line policy wipes out our entire city

This is the sort of story I wish the media would pick up. It is a scandal. It leaves cats forever in the cat home while unscrupulous breeders fill the gap. I’ve had cats for 30 years and they refused me as my cats inoculations had had a gap. I think there is a misuse of funds, as in so many charities, and it needs exposed.

We always used to get kittens from our local cat rescue. It was dead easy, just go in, pick the first two kittens we saw, job done.

Last time the process went on for so long we ended up adopting from Dubai as it was easier. Madness.

I've had the same experience and ended up buying a kitten, which I still hate myself for (though I love him). He has a great life. Big garden with fields at the back, vet care on tap, bloody expensive food, professional grooming as he's a long hair. It really pisses me off that I wasn't able to give that to an existing cat.

I didn't even want a kitten. In a previous area with rescues that actually wanted to rehome cats, I'd happily adopted a 13 year old who needed daily medication.

I also have a degree in animal behaviour.

I don't know the motivation of these "rescues" who won't let their cats go, but it's cruel.

Yeah I tried and failed. Its so intrusive and I just couldn't handle it. I can't go through that many hoops. I know I'm an experienced loving cat person with lifelong experience and a highly suitable home. But I've ended up having to go down the private route.

I used to volunteer for a cat rescue centre, I did rehoming visits amongst other things. When I started the rules were fairly relaxed but as time went on more rules cropped up and people who would have been accepted were refused, usually because they lived near a busy road - but this was London so that cut out an awful lot of homes!

I know they want to avoid failed rehomings but if they are too strict the cat simply never gets a home. Sometimes they need to be flexible and accept a 'good enough' home rather than a perfect one.

I understand the cat flap rule because the concern is that the cat will be let out, owner go out for the day and the cat is then unable to get back in to escape bad weather or danger.

Notably the mad cat lady who arranged my cats adoption knew the Internet existed so I could WhatsApp her a home tour, no faffing with home assessment.

She was also focused on the crap life the cats have in Dubai so pretty much anything was going to be a better life for the cats.

This is so beyond ridiculous it makes me see red. Rescues are turning away desperate cats as they’re full but oh no, you can’t have one without a cat flap.

So glad Celia Hammond came through for you! I read the title and saw Celias name and was all prepared to come on and defend them. But I read the thread and I didn’t need to. My home check with CH was during Covid , I had to walk around my house and garden filming on my iPad with a running commentary. Luckily I passed. 😺