60 kittens with just six days to live ...

[feorag]

That's great news!

What never ceases to amaze me is that rescues are full of animals needing homes and all it seems to take is a cry for help through the media and a few sad photos and loads of people volunteer to take one?

I just wonder why it takes a death knell to make people take action!

And by the way, please don't take this as a personal 'go' at you cos it isn't - you've already got a houseful and are making space for one more and I commend you for that! It's the people who don't think about getting a pet until they are jerked out of their naivety by a news report.

You've only to look at the success Paul O'Grady has on his show with his "dogs urgently needing homes" feature and "Pet Rescue's rehoming section to realise how powerful the media is for getting people off their backsides and doing something!

[leggy]

Originally Posted by Shell195

We wouldnt have turned you down for that reason, we rehomed 2 kittens to a home with an enormous cat friendly Anatolian Shepherd yet have declined someone with a naughty yappy Yorkie that had never lived with cats

Im glad not all are like that then It was sad as i wonted to help an unwanted cat. As it is i still did as i got my boy Blue off free ads. His mum was a stray off a farm and he is lush

[Timewarpbunny]

Originally Posted by feorag

That's great news!

What never ceases to amaze me is that rescues are full of animals needing homes and all it seems to take is a cry for help through the media and a few sad photos and loads of people volunteer to take one?

I just wonder why it takes a death knell to make people take action!

And by the way, please don't take this as a personal 'go' at you cos it isn't - you've already got a houseful and are making space for one more and I commend you for that! It's the people who don't think about getting a pet until they are jerked out of their naivety by a news report.

You've only to look at the success Paul O'Grady has on his show with his "dogs urgently needing homes" feature and "Pet Rescue's rehoming section to realise how powerful the media is for getting people off their backsides and doing something!

Don't worry i didn't take it as a go! I actually had to convince DH that having one more wouldn't actually make that much more difference! Surprisingly I'd never heard of the rescue place until i read the original article, I was shocked it's just down the road!

You are right though, it's sad it takes the media for people to take action sometimes.

Hopefully we'll get a call next week at some point and we can give a home to a cat that needs it!

[feorag]

And then you put up a thread (or the Cat Chat thread) and tell us all about it and post some pictures!

[marthaMoo]

Originally Posted by feorag

I take your points, but have to disagree it isn't always the case that rescues refuse to rehome a cat for a good reason!

It's more to do with what they consider to be a good reason - there is a difference. There isn't even uniformity between cat rescues as to what is a good reason, because everyone has a different viewpoint.

At lot of charities won't home to a flat! Yet there is no reason why a cat can't live in a flat perfectly happily if it's treated properly.

Some won't re-home to a house with a dog, yet cats and dogs can get on great together!

Then you will also know that quite a few rescues use excuses as to why they shouldnt rehome to certain people. They may tell you its because you live in a flat, but that isnt the reason, there will be another reason, one of there not going to go into with you.
I use to do rehoming, I know the people who homechecked for me met some very unsuitable people living in very unsuitable homes. And I certainly wasnt going to go into the full details with them.

But I do also understand there are some rescues that do have very strict rehoming policies, but then there are lots of different rescues with different policies all over the country.

[Shell195]

When we do homevisits and dont like what we see we say "This now has to go in front of the Trustees and we will ring you." We do ring them and tell them the exact reason why we have said no. If the reasons are very bad we will even go as far as ringing the other rescues to tell them our findings
This is a very rare occurrence though as we can usually tell during the initial enquiry what kind of person we are dealing with

[feorag]

Originally Posted by marthaMoo

but then there are lots of different rescues with different policies all over the country.

Exactly my point!

Originally Posted by marthaMoo

Then you will also know that quite a few rescues use excuses as to why they shouldnt rehome to certain people.

As far as giving people excuses is concerned - if they are considered to be unsuitable to have a cat, then they should be told the truth why that decision was reached, not given an excuse!! What difference does it make to any sanctuary to tell the truth??

Is it naive of me to think like that?

[gazz]

Originally Posted by feorag

At lot of charities won't home to a flat! Yet there is no reason why a cat can't live in a flat perfectly happily if it's treated properly.

Some won't re-home to a house with a dog, yet cats and dogs can get on great together!

Here's a theoretical outcome to being told no by a rescue center.For such a red tape reason.

Then coz they've been refused.They then look else where for a cat but then they see two cute kittens they like.Being kittens there are likly not neutered/Spayed.Then find they have a male and female.To late she pregant = more kittens for rehome.O-no to late the kittens have been left togther and have matured 5 female kitten are now pregant.Now what ? either they are rehomed but there pregant ? so not esay.Or they get dump sad but it happens.Or now the kittens are now at the rescue centre that wouldn't let you have the neutered/Spayed cat in the first place.Coz of the reasons above.

So surely leting them have the neutered/Spayed cat.Wouldn't have resulted in all the kittens above being born.

[feorag]

Got it in one there Gazz! A very possible scenario!

If people are determined to have a cat and they are refused a rescue, because (for instance) they live in a flat, then they'll go and buy one from somewhere else. if the reason wasn't because they live in a flat, but they'd been told the truth, they might have listened and realised a cat wasn't such a good idea???

They may not of course, but if one person who is refused and given the true reason why not and realises they shouldn't have a cat, then that's better than nothing.

[marthaMoo]

Originally Posted by feorag

As far as giving people excuses is concerned - if they are considered to be unsuitable to have a cat, then they should be told the truth why that decision was reached, not given an excuse!! What difference does it make to any sanctuary to tell the truth??

Is it naive of me to think like that?

Unfortunatly yes.

I've had to turn people down and not tell them the truth many times. Why? because I'm not into dealing out the truth which may upset or anger people. I would rather sugar coat it so save there feelings. We arent talking about there fence not being high enough, or them not being home enough as that is easily talked about and sometimes delt with to the point they sort the problem or choose a more suitable dog. We are talking about serious reasons as to not rehome to them. To the point that if you told them the truth they would become quite angry and aggressive.
We did have blanket rehoming policies but looked at each individual dog and individual home most of the time. But when you have to remove a dog from a home or get one returned for the same reason a couple of times it does make you rethink the policies and make changes. When you have to deal with it 24/7 it makes you want the best for each individual animal and no one/rescue should be slated because they want the best for there animals.