We went to the local RSPCA to adopt our 3rd rescue cat the week before last, company for Sally since we had to but poor old Charlie to sleep late last year. Seems the policy has now changed and they require a home visit/assessment before you can adopt.

We picked out a loving, but slightly timid, young tabby male, filled out the forms and were told someone would be in touch shortly about the home visit. Over a week later, we've heard bugger all, no call, nothing, nada, zip...

When I rang to find out what was happening they just said "You have to be patient, our assessors are volunteers you know...." Bullshit! get your finger out and sort it. They are forever moaning how full of cats they are and desperate for re-homers but if they mess about like this then there's no bloody wonder they've so many!

Didn't have any of this hassle with the previous two from there (2001 and 2006). Is this a national policy change or local?

It is common all over the place to have a home visit. if you live near a main road you may well have to forget about it.

I know the CPL have this policy, their local volunteer is 3 doors away! Either way, it needs to be a bit more efficiently handled by the RSPCA, or it just winds adopters up. I wouldn't mind if we had to wait for the actual visit, but to hear nothing at all is just irritating.

We are in a very rural setting, miles from a main road and would pass any assessment - if we ever have one!! We've had cats for over 20 years with no bother. If they don't get their finger out then maybe we'll have to call on our neighbour at the CPL instead.....

You might have a problem with the new fox policy.

No sign of, or cat trouble with, foxes in 20 years - won't be an issue (if it exists).

I live in a small town and foxes have been killing them.

i wasnt allowed one as i refused to put a cat flap in my upvc door, even though i had a shed with a catflap in and it all kitted out with a bed and everything in case the cat needed a bolthole and i was out.

So i got a kitten in the freeads instead of rescuing

It's no wonder there are so many cats in these rescue centres these days when they turn down perfectly good families because they live near a main road/don't have a cat flap etc. A cat can get killed on the quietest of roads, one of ours got run over on a quiet lane with a handful of houses down it, others can manage living by a busy road, our other one used to (she is too old, senile and rather unsteady to go too far these days) cross a busy road to go and wander round an RAF college's grounds.

Well we finally got a call, and she came shortly after. Took 5 minutes, As we don't live near a main road, eat our own children or have a garden full of rusty cars it shouldn't be a problem, apparently! What a waste of time......

You see it as a waste of time, but as far as they know you live on a motorway siding, in an old scrapheap and are cannibals.

So five minutes of your time for a lifetime with a feline companion. On balance I'd say it was worth it?

You would be surprised the people who have a home visit who are totally unsuitable. I used to do them for the CPL a good number of years ago and I also volunteered for the RSPCA and the stories you hear about some of the home checks with the RSPCA are astounding.

They can't tell your home is OK just by looking at you, its a pain, but really its for the cats best interests. They would rather do it properly and successfully than no bother with checks and the cat ends up in a worse situation.

Just had a call, all ok with the visit and we can go fetch Eddie at the weekend. Could have had him home a week ago if they've got their finger out! My issue is not with the visit per se, they serve a purpose, but the delay in organising it when they are desperate to get cats re-homed. Poor bugger has had a week longer in there than he needed to.

They are busy, most volunteers work fulltime aswell as giving their time to the RSPCA.