Cat Rescue Centres are the best places to find your perfect pet

Before you visit your local cat rescue centre there are many things to consider first. It’s all too easy to fall in love with a cute furry ball of fun, looking up at you with those big appealing eyes, and after all, sharing your life with our four legged friends is a very rewarding and life enhancing experience. Ask yourself why you really want a pet and are you prepared for the costs involved and to look after it for many years.

Things to consider before adopting a pet from a cat rescue centre.

• Are you prepared to look after your cat for the whole of it’s life? A cats life span is usually between 12- 15 years but it is possible for cats to live as long as 20 years.
• Do you have the time to give your furry friend the attention they need? Cats need to be fed regularly and their litter box to be clean. They also require companionship and play time just like the rest of us.
• Can you afford to look after a cat? It can be quite expensive to take care of your pet properly. There are various essential medical bills such as neutering ad vaccinations, plus any other medical treatment they may require throughout their lives. What about grooming, toys, food, cattery fees, litter. The costs soon add up.
• Are you a tolerant person? Will you be able to cope with little problems that owning a cat might throw at you, such as cat fleas and urinating problems. Not to mention the odd piece of furniture becoming their favourite scratching post.
• Is your home suitable for a cat? If rented is a pet allowed? Can the cat go outside and if so is there a busy road?
• Do you have very young children? Often cat rescue centres may suggest that you put off having a pet until children are at least 5 years old. This will stop any jealousies which may occur and also you will not be stretched as to who you spend the most time with.

It is very important that you are sure about your reasons for adopting a cat and that you can answer all of the above questions easily. Unfortunately cat rescue centres are full of cats and kittens who’s owners hadn’t thought things through properly.

What happens when you want to adopt a pet from a cat rescue centre?

When we adopted our little cat Mo, we were allowed to spend quite some time wandering around looking at all the cats available. There was no pressure put on us to take any cat. In fact the first time we visited we did not see a cat that we connected with and decided to come back a few weeks later.

The staff at the cat rescue centre are very keen to make a perfect match between cat and cat owner and so they would rather we were sure of the cat that we wanted. When we found Mo they let us hold her and see what her reaction was too us. I’m sure if she had not liked the look of us and had shied away they would not have let us take her home. Luckily we got on just fine.

We were then interviewed and asked a few simple questions about our home environment and what our experience of cat ownership was and our understanding of what was involved with looking after a cat. This is just to ensure that you have thought through the adoption properly.

Finally, they told us the background of where Mo had been found and what her overall health was like. They had vaccinated and wormed her, as well as spayed her. We were given a medical card with all these details on so that we could give them to our usual vet for his information. We paid a fee which when you consider all the treatment she had received was very cheap. Of course fees will vary depending on the cat rescue centre, but generally they are very reasonable.

I think you will agree that adopting a cat from a cat rescue centre has many benefits for both you and your cat. I can’t think of any pet shops that would do the same.

Why not consider one of the often-overlooked cats when re-homing?

Why not consider:

• An Older cat – they are usually less demanding.
• Black and white cats – strangely they are often the last to be chosen.
• Cats with minor health problems – sometime the shelter will pay for their treatment even after you take them home.
• Shy Cats – just because they don’t come bounding over to you doesn’t mean they aren’t friendly. They are probably a little afraid. Go on give them a chance.

Taking your new Cat Home for the first time.

• Take them home in a secure box; this will help them feel safe, especially if you are going home in a car.
• Put them in a quite room with clean bedding and a litter tray for a few days so that they can get used to their new world.
• Don’t fuss them too much when you first get home. They will probably still be very afraid and will not want the attention.
• If they are not house trained, you should show them their litter tray and perhaps do a scratching motion in the tray so that they get the idea. When you notice them straining to urinate put them in the tray.



• Provide some basic house rules, i.e. do not eat the plants etc. Don’t shout at them but be firm and stick to your rules from day one and they will soon learn what they can and cannot do.
• Provide some toys of their own that they can play with and feel that they belong in their new environment. It will also be a good source of interactivity between you and your cat and is a very important part of your bonding experience.

After a few weeks your cat will fully settle into his new home and at this point it should be fine to let them outside for the first time. Soon both of you will not be able to remember a time when you weren’t together. Hooray a HAPPY CAT and a HAPPY YOU.

Cat rescue centres in the UK

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CYBERPET - If you decide that it might not be the right time for you to adopt a real cat why not download a cyber pet from the RSPCA.

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