Don’t dump your cat!

a box of kittens

You’ve probably had your cat for a while, years maybe. You’ve probably shared more secrets with your cat than any human and you’ve certainly given it more cuddles, but that won’t stop life stamping on your fingers once in a while.

It could be a litter of unexpected and unwanted kittens, or a health issue that affects your ability to look after your cat, or any one of a hundred problems. But one day, you realise you can’t keep your cat or cats any more. That’s life, like it or not. Now it’s time to solve the problem. Sometimes the solution lies with a friend, or family member, but not everybody is so lucky. And here is where too many people resort to dumping their cats or kittens on somebody else’s doorstep at midnight.

Especially if you’ve been a cat lover and owner for years, it must be hellishly embarassing to have to take your cat or kittens to a rescue centre and hand them over. Giving away half a dozen big-eyed kittens or an old friend can be almost unbearable. But handing your cats and kittens over to a rescue charity at least means there’s a chance that they’ll have a good life after you say goodbye. It’s the right thing to do.

So why not knock on the door?

I read an article in a paper recently about a rescue organisation whose staff were getting a little exasperated at the number of pets that were being dumped outside their doors at night. ‘You’ve decided that a cat rescue group is the best solution for your cats and kittens, you’ve taken the time to bring your cats and kittens to us, so why not just ring the bell and carry them that last two metres?’ was the question they were asking.

The probable answer was embarassment, but you should never be embarassed that when something goes wrong you try to do what’s best for your cats and kittens. Life happens to us all. Caring about the consequences is nothing to be embarassed about.

Abandoning pets in the streets or even on a doorstep leaves them at the mercy of the passing world; drunk or drugged idiots, unknowing dustmen making their morning collections and careless parkers. Also, your pets are significantly more likely to continue leading a happy life if you can take the time to pass on their medical histories, likes and dislikes, and so on. It’s obvious, if you stop to think about it.

Adoptable - Cats and dogs in need of rehoming

Adoptable Pets

Although we cannot help you to find a new home for your cat, or any other pet, we can offer some excellent advice! If you have a cat that you are unable to keep, there are a couple of things you can do. Firstly, visit the ‘Pet Rescue’ page on this site and try contacting the cat rescue organisations listed in your area. If they can’t help, visit the website adoptable.co.uk and go to the ‘Advertise a Pet’ page. The Adoptable website will allow you to feature your cat as being in need of adoption, and it’s free. Anybody visiting the site and seeing your adoption advert and interested in giving your cat a new home will then be able to get in touch with you for more information.

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