Adopting or Fostering

The best breed of cat is without a doubt is rescue. Of course it’s not a breed, but it’s a saying many of us in rescue we like to use and it is true.

Having a rescue cat is so rewarding. These cats have usually lost their home for one way or another, or perhaps were abandoned or dumped, or maybe even they were just not neutered and microchipped and travelled miles away from their home and then luckily ended up in rescue. Lots of them will be wary or nervous of people so it can take a little time to adjust when you have adopted them, but the end result is so worth it. Not all are like this though, many are still 100% trusting of people and are super confident. You usually get the feel of this when meeting them before adopting. The rescue will also give you information on their known history and temperament.

Adopting:

Buying a cat from a backyard breeder and even a registered breeder only encourages them to keep breeding. You will also not often know the cat’s true history/temperament and whether they have any underlying health problems. Many cats and especially kittens from backyard breeders (and breeders in general) do have these problems. Then there are people whose cat has had kittens, perhaps even a first litter and they then advertise them on social media for free. Again, this is risky taking these cats/kittens on without knowing more about them. The person needs to get their cat neutered and kittens off to a rescue, or put on a rescue waiting list, not given away on social media and so I encourage you all, if you see or hear of kittens being given away, to insist on contacting them and sending them a list of local rescues.

Kittens are always best rehomed in pairs too. The kittens will then have a playmate and often it helps them become more sociable having a young playmate.

Adopt a cat from a rescue, that is the best advice available for the wellbeing of cats. And if multiple rescues turn you down for whatever reason, then take this advice on board, perhaps you shouldn’t have a cat and would be better suited to another type of rescue animal.

The first few days and weeks:

When you first adopt a cat/kitten it can take a while for the cat to show his/her true personality. Be patient, give them time and space and most importantly keep all windows locked shut for the first few weeks. Cats can escape out of the smallest gap in a window as they can push through it. Also be careful of open doors as they can run out of a door quickly!

For the first few days, if possible, it’s best to keep them contained within a small room. Often a cat exposed to the whole home too soon causes stress to the cat.

If you have another cat, introductions should be done slowly. I advise you to follow this Jackson Galaxy guide if introducing a new cat so to avoid problems.

Fostering:

Rescues usually use fosterers for some or even all their cats. These are people who will look after the cats, or kittens, for several weeks to sometimes several months until the rescue finds them a home. The rescue will usually take care of all food and veterinary bills. Often there are lactating mum cats and their young kittens that will need to be in foster home until the kittens are old enough to be separated from mum cat, then rehomed, which is usually around 12 weeks.

Then there are nervous long term stray cats who also need socialising before they can be rehomed. These are personally my favourite and most rewarding cats to foster or adopt. They have been let down in life by people, they don’t trust anyone, so it is up to you to help them trust gain. With time and patience they usually will trust again. This type of fostering, or even adopting this type of cat, is usually only advised for people who are experienced with this type of cat or at the very least very experienced with cats.

Rescues:

Rescues around the country are full to the brim, there is an overpopulation of cats, too many people are still allowing their cats to breed and this not only creates suffering for the cats/kittens, but also puts strain on the rescues and volunteers. Unless you have spent some time in cat rescue you do not know how hard and how stressful it is, it is soul destroying and causes so much mental health problems, especially as people are still allowing their cats to breed more than we can rescue. Stray or abandoned cats are also having to be left on the streets often with injuries until a rescue space can become available. It is getting worse every year, so please only adopt from a rescue and make sure your cat is neutered so you do not add to the already overpopulation of cats in this country. The overpopulation of un-neutured cats is also causing feral colonies. These are cats gone wild and who keep breeding, they hang around in groups, which are called colonies. The ones born in the wild without human interaction are feral. For a full feral cat it is usually not recommended to get them into a home so rescues will usually TNR (trap neuter return) providing it is a safe place to do so and the cat(s) have a feeder. There are colonies all around the country and this also puts a strain on rescues with time and resources.