Rescue Article (unfinished+needs a good title)

[Phoenix]

Thank you for considering getting a cat from a rescue. For every cat or kitten rehomed, another one gets rescued from a potential life of hunger and misery on the streets. Before you start planning on bringing your new friend home, the very first things you need to consider before selecting your pet are:
Can you ensure your cat will get fresh water daily? A suitable diet for the cat you choose (a meat based diet)? Do you have room for the scratching post? The litter tray? Will you be able to be with the cat for a few hours each day or will you be travelling around a lot e.g. through your job without anyone looking after the new cat? Will you be willing to ensure your cat is microchipped if not already done? Neutered/spayed? Are you willing to groom your cat daily (if longhaired)? Offer a warm and safe place to sleep? Take the cat to the vets when he/she needs to go, for example for boosters or in an emergency? Ensure when you are on holiday there's someone who can look after the cat or put the cat into a cattery?

You need to consider the cost. It will cost £50 a month minimum for the food, pet insurance, cat litter and the flea and worm treatments. You need to add on to this the cost of neutering (between £30 to £50 for a male, £40 to £70 for a female), the cost of microchipping if not already done by a rescue (about £20 to £30), the cost of toys (about £20 a year depending on the toys), the carrier (between £20 to £50), the bedding (about £10), the scratching post (about £20 a year depending on how often it gets used), catteries or petsitters (about £80 for a petsitter and about £50 a week for a cattery) and emergency vet bills (you can expect to pay a minimum of £60).

How much time will you be able to spend with your new cat? Are you in rented accommodation or do you own your house? Do you live in a high rise block of flats? Do the other family members agree with having a new pet? Do they have any allergies? What are your future plans? Why do you want a cat? Remember cats can live for up to 20 years and a few can live beyond that.

You will need to consider the cat's behaviour as well. How would you cope with normal cat behaviour, e.g. scratching? Hunting? Moulting? Hairballs being brought up on the carpet? Territorial behaviour? Sexual behaviour if you fail to neuter or spay your cat?

If you are still keen on getting a cat or kitten, now is the time to consider what character of cat you want. Do you want a confident cat? Shy? A feral (if you have a farm or stables where the feral can "work" for a living)? Do you want a kitten or an adult? Kittens look cute but they need a lot of work. You need to carefully supervise them. Do you want an adult or even a senior? They are not as young as kittens but they don't need as much supervision, they will usually be calmer and happy to curl up. Do you want a male or female cat? Longhair or shorthair? Pedigree or moggy?

If you want a pedigree, enquire at your local rescues. They may know of a pedigree who needs a new home or they might have the right breed in, or GCCF may help.

If you want a non pedigree, go to your local rescue, for example Blue Cross, Cats Protection, Battersea Cats and Dogs Home, the RSPCA or smaller local charities that may be in your area. There are thousands of moggies looking for new homes so please consider them all.

Part 2 coming tomorrow. I spent this evening writing it before posting the first part (too tired to type part 2 - doing it tomorrow)

[Phoenix]

Part 2 - thought if I added this on the first post it would make the first post too long.

So now you have found your perfect cat in a rescue. Depending on the rescue, you may need a home check, but this is nothing to worry about. The charity are checking your home to ensure it's the right environment for the cat.

After the home check, the next step will be to bring your new cat home. You will need to keep him/her in for 4 weeks if an adult, kittens will need to be kept in until they are neutered or spayed. Ensure everything is ready before you bring your new cat home. The worst possible scenario is for you to be rushing around after you get your new cat home trying to get the scratching post, litter tray etc ready and stressing the new arrival.

If the new arrival is an adult, make sure the cat can't escape and let him/her explore on his/her own. Once the cat has finished having a look round, call him/her over and offer a piece of food or a toy.

If the new arrival is a kitten, he/she will need careful supervision while he/she explores. Show your new kitten where the food and water bowls are then encourage play.

Finally, you can think about introducing the rest of the family. Start by introducing the humans in the family but introduce them gradually, one by one using their smell first before letting them handle the new arrival. If you have other pets, e.g. cats or dogs, swap their scents by stroking and/or by merging their scents on their blankets. Once they are used to each other's smell, you can let them meet face to face but keep them away from each other at first. Let them see each other but don't let them get too close until they don't seem too bothered then you can let them approach each other when they want to. Do not force them to meet face to face if they are avoiding each other, that is a good way to start fights.

Hopefully everything will run smoothly with your new arrival, but if you have any questions about your new rescue cat don't hesitate to ask the charity or your vet.

Anyone got anything else they think should be added before I post it in the suggestions section?

[dandysmom]

That's excellent! Well written, very clear explanations of what, when and why; should be required reading for anyone planning to get a rescue cat/kitten. I'm no good on titles, will let someone else come up with a good descriptive one. Thanks for the time and effort you put into writing this; well done!

[HappyKatz]

Agree with DM completely! Excellent!!
Such a great article for people who are looking into adopting a kitten or cat.
Good job RCR

[Phoenix]

Elaine's suggested a few changes, below:

Thankyou for considering taking on a rescue cat. For every cat/kitten rehomed, another cat gets a chance, free from a potential life of hunger and misery on the streets. Before taking on any animal, please think about what best suits both yours and their needs. Your lifestyle matters, contrary to popular belief, cats do like human company and a nice lap to sit on. If you are away from home a lot them perhaps it's not ideal for you to have a pet.
Basic needs for cats are:
Fresh water daily.
A good quality, nutritional diet.
One or more scratching posts, invest in a good one as it will save you money in the long run as well as your furniture.
Litter tray.
A nice cozy bed
A brush for grooming.
Register with a good vet and be guided by them with regards to vaccinations, flea and worm treatments, micro chipping and neutering (most rescues have usually neutered/spayed before rehoming)

Other costs to consider are unexpected vet bills, it's always a good idea to have your cat insured, you never know when you might need it.
A cat carrier and some toys.
Every one in the household should be in agreement to getting a cat, many cats find themselves back in rescue because the idea hasnt been thought out as well as it may have or they discover that a family member has an allergic reaction to the cat. Make sure your rental/tenancy agreement allows you have a pet. Is your pet to be indoor or outdoor?

There are thousands of cats in rescue, just waiting for the chance of a good loving home. There are breed specific rescues as well as your good old fashioned moggy. If you are looking for a pedigree, please do your homework on which breed you would prefer as their needs may vary.
Cat personalities vary greatly, when visiting the rescue, dont jump at the first poor kitty you see there, take a little time, talk with the people at the rescue and let them guide you towards the cat which best suits you and your family/lifestyle. Remember, cats scratch, hunt and moult. It is necessary for cats to scratch, not only to help keep their claws in good shape but also to scent their new surroundings. Cats have claws, it's a fact, if you can't cope with a little scratching on your new sofa then consider a goldfish instead of a cat.

Once you have decided that you are able to provide a good loving home for a rescue cat, the rescue will normally visit you at your home before signing the cat over to you. Dont panic, they are not there to make sure you have washed your dishes, they just want to make sure they are placing the right cat into the right environment, that way there is less risk of the cat being returned to them.

When your new cat has arrived home, be patient and dont overwhelm him/her. Introduce them to one room where it has all it needs, allow the cat to settle into it's new environment. When your cat seems comfortable with that then you can introduce it to the rest of the house to explore. Dont be surprised if your cat goes into hiding for the first day or so, just allow your cat to gain confidence in you and the new surroundings.

Well done for taking on a rescue cat, they deserve a chance of happiness.

Elaine's title suggestions are "Rescue Cats Need You" or "Please Adopt A Rescue Cat"

Edit: Last chance to suggest any more changes before I post it in the right section

[Shelley123]

I like the title Rescue Cats need you, it reminds me of the call up signs with Lord Kitchener pointing. Would be great if a picture could be made of a Cat pointing to the public

[Phoenix]

Posted the article in suggestions section