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Adopting indoor cats - best charities to approach?


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Old 05-01-2012, 13:02
*stargazer*
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We have a 12 year-old house cat and she is grieving for her sister who died in July. She is the softest most gentle creature you could imagine and we think that she would benefit from having some kittens to mother as she was very much a mother to her sister.

But as she is an indoor cat and as we live near a busy road and back onto a working farm we could only consider indoor cats.

We had real problems getting our existing cat and were actually thrown off the Blue Cross premises by a very aggressive woman because they didn't even consider "people like you". So I am very nervous this time round.

My question is: has anyone adopted kittens recently from one of the national charities to live as indoor cats? We have a big house and work at home so could devote lots of time to the new arrivals. But I am unsure where to start as last time I found some of the charities really unhelpful and it was actually quite distressing as it was also following a bereavement.
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Old 05-01-2012, 13:13
StressMonkey
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Kittens tend to be tricky ground - especially if you want indoors only and if you work full time, but have a look on catchat.org for rescues near you & see if any have policies you could work with. Don't let one bad experience put you off - there are a lot of over zealous people who work in rescue who have no interpersonal skills.

Would you consider an Adult Persian? If so, Rushden Persian Rescue will certainly consider indoor homes and the lady that runs it is lovely.
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Old 05-01-2012, 13:22
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Thanks Stress Monkey. Because we work at home I am hoping that may count in our favour. My experience last time was awful but I do want to go down the charity rescue route if possible as there are so many kittens who need a loving home. I think to be honest we just want tabbies like our current cat so it is a breed she feels is familiar. Also I know that after six weeks I will be off the allergy tablets with a DSH tabby!
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Old 05-01-2012, 13:39
Juliet_G_
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I can't imagine that Cats Protection would be so fussy, or mean!

http://www.cats.org.uk/

My only dealing with them was when they lent me a cage to 'trap' the cat that had been basically living in my garden, he was very thin and patchy and didn't appear to be getting help from anyone else, so we wanted to make sure he was OK.

They simply asked if, after we took him to the vet, we wanted them to look after and house him or if we would be prepared to take him in ourselves. No questions about our facilities or intentions re: indoor/outdoor, they just saw that we were caring for his needs before he was even ours and were grateful for our help.

Not sure if they are in your part of the country but worth giving them a go. I don't know if they would necessarily have many kittens (I can't look at their 'homes wanted' page, I'm too sad still about losing my little fella at Christmas), but even a younger cat could be good addition to your family. Good luck. JX
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Old 05-01-2012, 14:03
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Juliet. so sorry to hear you have also lost your loved one I just cry when I see all the cats online that don't have someone to love them.

I have had a chat with the vets and they said Cats Protection was worth contacting and gave me the name of another local refuge, but that seems to be mainly for ferrall cats. So your experience encourages me. I just feel I need a bit of a confidence boost because of what happened last time. The woman at the Blue Cross was so foul that it has made me nervous. I just don't want to build my hopes up to have them dashed.

One of my vets even told me she was turned down because she worked!

We would be happy to consider an older cat but the reason for kittens was so that they could grow up together.
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Old 05-01-2012, 16:22
MarellaK
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My experience of Cats Protection is that they like their cats to have outdoor access. My very first contact with them in 1995 when I was looking for a kitten, I had a fairly abrupt response from a CPL lady when I told her I lived in a flat, worked full time and specifically wanted a tabby female In the end I bought a kitten through an ad and allowed her outside via 2 cat flaps (the CPL lady made me feel guilty for even considering keeping a cat indoors )

I recently adopted 2 cats from Cats Protection but this time I was the ideal adopter. They checked my home and garden for suitability. However, they may have some cats with health issues which necessitates keeping them indoors. I looked at a lot of local rescue sites before I adopted and Catchat seems to have a lot of cats suitable for indoor only homes. Again, these will be cats with some health issues or very shy and nervous cats.

I hope you find your cat but you may need to go down the private route rather than the rescue route. Good luck.
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Old 05-01-2012, 16:28
sallygill1961
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try a rag doll rescue as they are suited to an indoor life
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Old 05-01-2012, 16:42
Missjef
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Hi, I adopted 2 girls from Cat Protection after I was refused point blank by RSPCA for working full time (apparently they don't rehome kittens if you work!!).
The CPL did a home visit , I live on a quiet cul-de-sac tho - I think they are wary of rehoming on busy roads. They asked whether the cats would have outdoor access , I said yes but it wouldn't be until we had a cat flap put in (which actually eventually never happened due to having to move).
Since I had been around cats since the day I was born & know how to look after them the lady was very happy for me to proceed in getting kittens .

Whether they would be so happy if you told them you were planning on bringing them up as indoor cats , I'm not sure
However I would definitely give it a try.

My 2 are mainly indoor cats, in my last house we lived
On a busy road so there was no way I wanted to let them out so they spent a year inside & then this year in my new home there is no cat flap however they have access through windows & the back door for a few hours every couple of days.

I'm sure Cats Protection will be sympathetic to your situation.

Let us know how you get on
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Old 05-01-2012, 16:49
sallygill1961
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http://www.ragdoll-rescue.co.uk/
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Old 05-01-2012, 17:28
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Thanks so much to everyone who has posted. I am busy checking out your suggestions! We have decided we may also consider an older cat to widen our options as the CPL does seem to have some older indoor cats.
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Old 05-01-2012, 17:31
cats_five
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Most rescues have a few cats that *have* to go to an indoor home. My line would be to ask each of my local rescues if they have any such cats at present. However these will almost certainly be older cats, not kittens.

You also can't be sure your cat will welcome more cats and/or kittens. Errol had a go at killing the very sweet-natured female I got when he was missing George. I find myself wondering if it's really you that wants kittens - I can understand you doing so, they are adorable, but can be very hard on an existing cat especially if you get just one kitten.

Finally, many national charities vary from rescue to rescue in their policies.
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Old 05-01-2012, 18:08
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Hi cats_five. I wouldn't get just one kitten. I learnt that way back - they need a friend to play with or the older cats go bonkers! I have just emailed one of the cat charities about a 7 year-old cat who has to be housed indoors. I am coming round to the way of thinking that an older cat who has been an indoor cat may be the way to go.
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Old 05-01-2012, 18:45
avasgranny
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Hi I just wanted to ask you to put photos up of your new baby/babies when you get them. Good luck. x
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Old 06-01-2012, 15:30
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Update!!!!!! We spotted a little ginger and white tabby on the RSPCA site that was described as very nervous and needing a prolonged period indoors and could possibly need to stay indoor indefinitely. We had a long chat with them and they were positive enough for us to do a 120 mile round trip to see her. She is gorgeous. Very, very nervous, but we so want to give her a home where she feels loved and safe. So subject to health and home checks we hope to adopt her. Very excited!!!!!!! It is an ideal solution we think as we have had very nervous cats in the past and are able to provide the love and patience they need.
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Old 06-01-2012, 15:49
Missjef
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Very happy to hear your update *stargazer*!
When will you know if you get to adopt her?
Is she okay with other cats if she is so nervous?
Glad you've managed to find a kitty tho!!
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Old 06-01-2012, 16:28
avasgranny
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Oh oh oh oh oh am sooooo jealous of you. I adore ginger cats. Brilliant news. I hope it all goes well for you. x
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:36
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Thanks! She is untested with other cats but they think my 12 year-old who is very calm and mumsy will probably help to increase her confidence. We will get the home visit in the next few weeks. She also has to be spayed and have her teeth checked. Also they like to check their HIV/Leukaemia status, especially if you have another cat. So all being well we should have her within the month. They have said the best thing is for us to build her confidence in us then gradually introduce her to our older cat. Our cat who died in July was a very nervous cat and we managed to work wonders with her eventually!
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:44
Missjef
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Thanks! She is untested with other cats but they think my 12 year-old who is very calm and mumsy will probably help to increase her confidence. We will get the home visit in the next few weeks. She also has to be spayed and have her teeth checked. Also they like to check their HIV/Leukaemia status, especially if you have another cat. So all being well we should have her within the month. They have said the best thing is for us to build her confidence in us then gradually introduce her to our older cat. Our cat who died in July was a very nervous cat and we managed to work wonders with her eventually!
Aww it all sounds very promising!
How old is the new cat? I'm sure if you introduce them slowly & let them both have separate "safe" areas it will all be fine.
I'm very excited for you! it's always lovely having a new addition to the family!

I've had my 2 girls for just under 3 years now and i'd be completely lost without them, they are my family now! Just hope they take to the new baby when he arrives!
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:56
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They think she is a year old but she looks a bit younger to me - possibly because she is so small. We have introduced new cats twice now so the procedure is very tried and tested, with a safe area in a smaller room for a while. They wanted to place her with us because they liked our approach to how we would build her confidence and felt our experience of nervous cats stood us in good stead. I just want to give her a lovely home as she was abandoned and did not have a nice start in life. But the sight of all those cats without homes was heartbreaking.
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Old 06-01-2012, 18:12
avasgranny
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Always thought I would love to rehome an animal from a shelter but the reality is I couldn't go and just choose one. I would break my heart and take them all home. Well done you. You are doing a truly amazing thing. x
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Old 06-01-2012, 18:25
Missjef
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They think she is a year old but she looks a bit younger to me - possibly because she is so small. We have introduced new cats twice now so the procedure is very tried and tested, with a safe area in a smaller room for a while. They wanted to place her with us because they liked our approach to how we would build her confidence and felt our experience of nervous cats stood us in good stead. I just want to give her a lovely home as she was abandoned and did not have a nice start in life. But the sight of all those cats without homes was heartbreaking.
Thats so sad that she was abandoned, i love cats & it breaks my heart that people can be so cruel to them.
They are such lovely creatures & they really do have their own little personalities! My nana never used to be a cat person until my mum got them & then she always used to say how they were just like little humans!
Keep us updated on your adoption!
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Old 06-01-2012, 18:26
Missjef
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Always thought I would love to rehome an animal from a shelter but the reality is I couldn't go and just choose one. I would break my heart and take them all home. Well done you. You are doing a truly amazing thing. x
I'm the same! You just want to take them all home!
I got my 2 girls from cats protection league, their brother had been rehomed but their mum was still waiting for a home & i really regretted not taking her aswell
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Old 06-01-2012, 18:56
*stargazer*
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Home visit Monday - gosh that was quick!
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Old 06-01-2012, 18:57
Missjef
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Home visit Monday - gosh that was quick!
Good luck, although i'm sure you don't need it!
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Old 06-01-2012, 20:03
sallygill1961
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Oh oh oh oh oh am sooooo jealous of you. I adore ginger cats. Brilliant news. I hope it all goes well for you. x
me too avas granny you would adore my big boy pic attached

http://s342.photobucket.com/albums/o...40809182_n.jpg
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