What to do if you need to rehome your cat or kitten
Firstly, please never advertise your pet in the paper because, quite seriously, you have no idea who you will respond to the ad or what their intentions are. You don't know who you are inviting into your home and even if they seem genuine, they could easily be putting on an act for your benefit.
By adopting the pet in the first place, you have undertaken a commitment. If you are now unable to continue looking after the animal, then at the very least you must ensure that he / she goes to a decent home. The only way that you can be sure of this (unless you rehome to a family member or friend) is to book the pet into a proper rehoming shelter. Do your homework first - look up the shelter on the internet; if it claims to be a UK registered charity you can go to the Charities Commission website and confirm this. (Try it out by tapping in 'SHUA Trust' or our charity number - at the bottom of this page) Ask around to find out their reputation. Make sure that you visit the place so that you know it is a legitimate organisation and not a front for something else.
The nearest rehoming shelter for Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan is the Bryncethin Cats Protection League shelter at Bridgend. They operate a waiting list but once your cat is on the list, they then guarantee to take it in.
The waiting list may be anything up to approx. 10 weeks during kitten season. We often take calls from people who say that they are moving the following day or week - but surely you have plenty of warning when you move?! If it is due to a relationship breaking down, you have notice - things don't just go from happy to bad overnight and so you should have made provision. If you are being evicted, legally you are given 7 weeks notice. If your door is broken in by the police, you have criminal laws protecting you. If you are moving because your rental term is up, then you have had the length of the tenancy to consider it.
For the above reasons, we rarely take in cats from people who are moving house - this may be a personal crisis but it doesn't fall into the same class of emergency as a cat who is having bricks thrown at it or who is the victim of a hit and run accident or who has had fireworks strapped to its body. These are the sort of emergencies that we deal with - the sort that noone else wants to!
Once your cat is on the waiting list at Bryncethin, you will only have to find accommodation for him / her for a few weeks or months at the most.
If you are renting and your landlord has said no to pets, consider the following options:
- Explain the situation to the landlord - that the cat is on the waiting list and will be rehomed shortly
- Offer additional bond money
- Offer references from previous landlords
- Offer to put a clause into the contract saying that you will pay to have the carpets cleaned at the end of the tenancy.
Where there is a will, there is usually a way!
If the cat absolutely cannot stay with you, ask your friends or family to look after him / her for the duration of the waiting list. Giving up one room in their house is bigger than the pens at any rescue centre. As long as the cat has their toilet (litter tray), bed, food and water, scratch post and toys, he / she will be fine - and you can visit!
Failing this and all other options, boarding at a cattery costs approx. £6 per day (the cats must be fully vaccinated).
You have taken on the responsibility of having the cat or kitten and so, regardless of your personal situation, you owe it to the animal to see the commitment through to the end. Please don't advertise in papers - animal testing really does happen.
