We completely understand circumstances change and you may need to rehome your cat(s).
We are here to help and support you, we will provide help and advice without judgement, and we aim to make the process as easy and as stress free as possible.
We always advise owners to consider all options before deciding to give up their cat, to explore if there are any alternatives that could help.
Concerns with Pet allergies
It’s upsetting and worrying when you or a loved one develop an allergy, or have an existing allergy get worse, when you own a cat. It’s even more upsetting if it means you may have to give up your cat.
Here are some tips to help you manage cat allergies, without giving up your cat:
- avoid letting your cat lick you, as sometimes this can make symptoms worse
- create cat-free zones in your home, especially the bedroom
- keep windows open to ensure proper ventilation in your home
- keep your house clean and vacuum regularly to reduce allergens
- speak to your GP about medication such as antihistamines
Before taking the steps to give up your cat, it’s worth speaking to your doctor, to make sure the symptoms are consistent with a pet allergy, and not caused by something else. It is also worth seeing if there are other measures available to help minimise the problem – the NHS advice guide and Allergy UK factsheet below may help.
Pet Allergy | Allergy UK | National Charity
Concerns with cat behaviour
Why is my cat toileting in the house?
Cats are usually very clean animals, so it can be a big concern if they suddenly start peeing or pooping around the house where they aren’t meant to.
If your usually clean cat has suddenly started to toilet inside the house, there could be lots of reasons for this. It’s important to rule out medical reasons first so take a urine sample or faecal (poo) sample, depending on the issue, to the vets. They can provide sample pots for you and discuss the different ways to collect a sample.
Cats feel particularly vulnerable when they toilet, so they may shun their litter tray if it doesn’t feel safe – or clean. If your cat toilets next to the litter tray, that’s an indication that they want to use the litter tray but something is putting them off.
If your cat usually goes to the toilet outdoors but is suddenly soiling inside, there may be a reason they don’t want to toilet outdoors anymore. Something might have spooked them (such as a neighbouring cat), or the weather might be bad, and they don’t want to go outside.
Is your cat aggressive?
If your cat is aggressive, ask your vet for advice. There may be a medical reason for their aggression. If not, ask your vet to recommend a qualified behaviourist. Your cat could become aggressive for a number of reasons. By understanding the causes of aggression, you may be able to help your cat to feel calm, secure and less aggressive.
Cat Behaviour – Help and Advice Caring For Your Cat (cats.org.uk)
Has your cats behaviour changed due to pregnancy or a new baby?
Cats can make great family pets, but their behaviour can change when your pregnant or the new baby arrives, however there’s lots of help and advice available to you. Before you make the decision to place your cat up for adoption, use the below link to see if you can find a solution for you and your cat.
Cats and Your Pregnancy – Help & Advice | Cats Protection
Concerns with lifestyle changes
It’s tough when your circumstances change and you find yourself having to make some difficult decisions about you and your cat, but help is available.
If you are struggling to meet the cost of your vet bills, speak to your vet about it first. They may be able to offer you a payment plan or another way of spreading the cost. There are also animal charities who may be able to help, depending on your location and circumstances.
Veterinary Financial Assistance In Your Local Area | RSPCA
Losing your job can put both financial and emotional strain on you and your family. Before making the decision to give up your cat, we know you’ll want to explore all of the options for getting help with your finances. Speak to your family and friends who may be in a position to help and make sure you’ve explored all the financial assistance available to you through various government schemes.
Being made redundant: finding work, claiming benefits and managing debts – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
If you are struggling with the financial burden of feeding your cat there are various pet food banks in the area, many of which we support with food donations. Please contact them to see if they can help you feed your cat and keep them in your home.
If you’re escaping from domestic abuse and will be moving to emergency accommodation where they don’t accept pets, help may be available.
Paws Protect | Fostering for families of domestic abuse | Cats
If you feel you still need to consider bringing your Cat in for adoption our Rehoming Centre Welfare Team deal with all new cats arriving into our care. The first step is to give them a call on 0191 215 0435 and leave a message and one of our team will call you back to discuss the options available to you. Alternatively fill the gifted form in here
Please note that currently we have a large waiting list of Cats needing to be rehomed, we are facing an approx. 8 week wait until we can bring cats in. You will be added to our waiting list and contacted when space becomes available.
When you contact us to arrange to rehome your Cat(s), it can be a very emotional experience. Please make a note of the following points prior to contacting us:
- Please be completely open and honest about your situation – the more we know, the easier it is for us to understand the best way to proceed. Please remember that we are not here to judge or criticise you, we are here to help you and your Cat.
- When you call you may be asked to leave your details so oe of the team can call you back. We appreciate calls are urgent, every call we receive is logged and will be responded to, usually within 48 hours.
- If you choose to fill the below application form in, please do not ring us to follow the application form up, we will contact you using the details you have provided, usually within 48 hours.
- When you complete your gifted form, please provide as much information as possible, and be honest when answering all questions.
- If you are not the sole registered owner of the cat, we will need to speak to anyone else who may have a claim to the animal. The cat(s) microchip details need to be current and correct.
- If we are able to bring your cat in for adoption, we will add you to our waiting list and you will be contacted when space becomes available. Our waiting list can get full at times so there may be a wait before we can bring the cat in for rehoming
- Each situation is individual, and we assess each application on a case-by-case basis.
- We will never put an animal to sleep unless they are found to have untreatable medical problems, or to have behavioural issues so severe that we believe we will be unable to safely rehome them, or if the animal is a banned breed and we are legally obliged to.
