Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Rescue & Rehoming => Rescue & Rehoming General => Topic started by: Tiggy's Mum on July 18, 2008, 21:47:51 PM
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Do people think that having separate sections for 'Cats needing homes' & 'Homes offered' is working?
I always look in the 'Rescue and rehoming' main section but I never seem to notice the other child boards, the only time I see the posts is when I look at recent posts. Just worried that potential new homes or cats in danger (such as the Birmingham two) are being missed because the threads are not as visible.
What does everyone else think?
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Have to agree with you there, Helen. :shy:
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Obviously the decision is down to Tan at the end of the day and it may be that the majority prefer it that way but I think if we stuck to the main 'Rescue and rehoming' section we would just have to make sure the heading of each thread made it clear if a home was needed or offered. Mods can change the title of threads so we could amend the title if the original posting wasn't clear.
Edit:
Just looked in 'Homes offered' and a new poster is looking for a cat up to 15 yrs of age. It only has 24 views and one reply, I'm sure if it was in the main section we'd have a cat on the lady's lap by now ;D
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I do like the seperate sections as it allows me a quick glimse of what cats are where and what ones are up for rehoming. The main thread gets bogged down with other stuff and i find it difficult to find my way through it all espc when people dont make the title clear or with enough information.. Basically threads that just give "good home needed" dont tell me much really...
I realise that some of the posts that are urgent do get missed but the rehoming child board is for cats in care (or the public) that need to find a home and i have successfully managed to find a home for one or two of them via the child boards. If the plea for placement is urgent then it could be crossposted.
It would help if peeps where much clearer on with subject titles.. So actually i prefer it the way it is. But thats from a rehoming perspective.
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One of probs with the titles is that there is only a limited number of characters and unless a title is made very clear it gets confusing.
I have tried to amend some to just get the area in but its very hard often.
Tan put up notes on what to put in titles and in posts but often this is just being ignored cos someone will come on new to purrs and head straight to the rescue threads and just post without looking at the info for posters.
The site is limited :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: to having to use child boards to split up the main headings and I agree its a bit confusing sometimes unless you know Purrs quite well, especially when a new one pops up, but dont see any other way of doing it to be honest.
And of course this all brings us around a complete circle to a thread about 3 weeks ago, if all the stuff from those sites wasnt put on, that would help!
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i don't look very often.
if people want a cat then they should find me .
having said that if someone wants a special type then it would be a good place to post but the title would have to be meaningful "wanted coventry, three eyed 5 legged purple hemaphrodite' as I don't have the inclination to look at 'good home waiting' threads.
Same goes for the cats needing homes , people should put location, breed, age , sex and colour in title!! :mad2:
(no I'm not upset at having just homed my beautiful kitten polly who was going to be No. 9) :(
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child board for those sites then STARTING WITH LOCATION!!!!!!
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:grouphug: for Angie. :Luv:
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Sorry to go off the subject but regards Angie,
OH YES SHE IS!
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i dont think of checking those boards very often, although I should do, seeing as poor Moses has been waiting 6 months for a home.
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Sorry to go off the subject but regards Angie,
OH YES SHE IS!
:P
I don't care - going to visit her later on today (she's gone to the house that backs on to mine, the lady used to run the cattery at the dogs trust before it became the dogs trust)
can't all be mad cat woman like you Jill! :P
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I prefered it the way it was, it got changed very quickly
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Have to agree with you there, Helen. :shy:
I also agree.
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At the end of the day it's Tan's decision but I'll make this into a poll so we can get an idea of what the majority of members would prefer and then Tan can make a decision from there.
The options are:
Leave it as it is with separate child boards
Change it back to all posts on Rescue & Rehoming - (titles would have to be monitored and amended by Mods as necessary)
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Just bumping this up a bit - it's now a poll so would be good to hear what others think about it...
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I agree with Helen, i think not every one checks the child boards .
Voted. ;D
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Just want to say here that i realise that many people forget to see the section, think how lost they would be in just one day of postings on the rehoming page.! There are so many messags on the rehoming page that even if one cat was posted a few days ago to find a home it would be on the rehoming page 3 or more by now and hence hardly ever seen, as not sure about anyone else but i hardly go back a few pages on this section...
I realise that people have different views etc and good that the poll has started, but just to one to one section for me at least is easier, then going through 4 or more pages of past "avaiable for homing" pages on the rescue thread... Baring in mind that many cats to a while to rehome unless they were bumped to the top all the time they would i feel get lost.
Anyhow just my thoughts!
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I'm not sure as the child boards do get ignored but if it was one boards, it would strictly have to be about the cats with no chitchat otherwise the important posts would get lost.
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What about spliting the rescue & rehoming section into 2 boards...
Having 2 different boards would allow the chit chat/rescue cases such as diablo and tinkle to continue and they should get noticed more than the child boards? :-:
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I'm not sure as the child boards do get ignored but if it was one boards, it would strictly have to be about the cats with no chitchat otherwise the important posts would get lost.
I see where you're coming from but the thing is a lot of people get drawn in by the chit chat and as a result see the posts and might be able to help in some way. I do agree with Sharon also that it's a high volume board so the threads might get lost' so I'm really not sure what the solution is :shy: I'm just worried that as it stands the posts on the child boards aren't getting enough airtime and as a result cats that someone might be able to help are being missed.
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I truly feel we have got lost in a sea of often unnecessary advertisements; many come from posters who use Purrs as an advertising ground and do little to add to the community of Purrs.
Catchat provides free re-homing pages for rescues so why is it necessary for a rescue to do post after post of cats needing homes on here?
Is every advertiser on Freeads /Gumtree an idiot that needs their ad posting here? I agree there are extreme dangers of advertising kittens/cats on these sites but surely the people who have the time to look for these ads also have the time to contact the nearest rescue and email the advertiser?
I honestly dislike these ads on Purrs and feel only GENUINE EMERGENCIES should be posted that way they would be spotted quickly and acted upon. I for one will now only respond to a genuine emergency.
Please don't anyone tell me that they are all genuine emergencies, they are not. I am happy for anyone to visit Paws Inn and see first hand what genuine emergencies really are.
Chit/Chat - Surely this is community spirit,this was what Purrs WAS all about COMMUNITY; indirectly posting tales like Diablo and Tinkle give people a better understanding of what goes on in the world of rescue and the hardships that can be faced day after day; people in turn can respond by adding messages of support ,rescue can be lonely work and certainly the Purrs messages of support have carried me through recent weeks. I also feel if a rescue story is posted it is only fair that the rescuer tries to follow through to show the end result. So Chit/Chat I think is Great, I just wouldn't call it Chit/Chat.
Maybe there should have been a third option on the Poll - To ban all non emergency ads.
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I don't specifically look on the rehoming section, I usually come across the post when I'm looking at the recent threads so I don't mind either way. I know Purrs is predominantly a rescue forum but it's also for everyone not just rescues, so I'm prepared to go with the flow and would be happy either way on any decision that's made.
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I think the child boards work ok, particularly for people who are looking to take on a cat. I'm not sure about only posting emergency cases on here, sometimes those that are harder to home, such as FIV cats benefit from being flagged up in as many places as possible. We do have our cat chat page but I would like to be able to draw people's attention to any which may not be emergencies but are special cases or long stays.
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I actually like the child boards. I think its easier for people who are visiting who might have had the site recommended elsewhere to find what they are looking for: searching for a cat, posting to rehome a cat. I don't think its just about the rescues, as important as each of you are, an organised board makes it easier but then I'm a bit pedantic about keeping things orderly so they are easy to find.
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I think the child boards work ok, particularly for people who are looking to take on a cat. I'm not sure about only posting emergency cases on here, sometimes those that are harder to home, such as FIV cats benefit from being flagged up in as many places as possible. We do have our cat chat page but I would like to be able to draw people's attention to any which may not be emergencies but are special cases or long stays.
I agree Ann, there's no harm in trying to highlight certain cats for rehoming and someone may notice them on here and not on your CC page :hug:
I don't think its just about the rescues, as important as each of you are,
Also agree, the forum is for everyone to enjoy and should remain so :)
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I think any cat needing a home is potentially an emergency as one way or another it is being made homeless and better that it has a chance of being homed by a cat lover than going from the frying pan into the fire via freeads. A cat is a cat regardless of who is advertising it. I think the boards act as a kind of filter against unscrupulous people.
Maybe the main board should be for discussing cases and the child boards strictly for homes offered of wanted. The way it is at the moment, people are posting on one or the other.
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I dont look in freeads, but i see no harm if some one post them here, after all purrs is here to help cats and i understand that it might put pressure on some rescues here but at the same time it gives a needy cat a chance and some one might be able to help , rescue or none rescue member.
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Purrs came about because of Cat Chat who do have rehoming pages for rescues, but we have also evolved so to say that rescues shouldn't post 'cats needing homes' goes against what I think Purrs is trying to achieve - ie helping as many needy cats as possible. I love the chit chat aspect of the rescue side of things and it's lovely to see the change in the cats/kittens that are rescued and eventually hear that they have found a perfect home - am thinking Diablo and his brothers and sisters as a prime example - chit chat isn't a derogatory term! :)
My personal take on the freeads posts is that it does put extra pressure on rescues who, lets face it, are full to bursting with people coming to them let alone going looking for cats to help but... quite often someone from Purrs, rescue or not, is able to help and that can only be a good thing for the cats involved :shy:
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The very fact that our branch has rehomed a few cats through the rehoming section on Purrs shows it works. I generally only put on the rehoming child board the difficult ones that need an extra push. Melissa, ginger kittens Kirsty now has and several FIV cats that have been rehomed via branch contacts. Of course i use Catchat and of course we have our own website, but every bit of coverage makes a difference. I tend only to highlight the emergency cases that our branch get called to help with or i know about and although as i have mentioned before there isnt too many SE people on Purrs, we have and do try out best.. The FIV puss that Michelle took to Foal Farm being a prime example (Paddy i think)...
I am just worried that anyone new coming on here looking for a puss cat will get lost on the main rehoming section, i know i do.. And in one day there are so many posts its envitable to happen... If peeps subject postings where clearer it woulld help...
Anyhow.. Purrs works for me.. and Canterbury Cats does indeed benefit. I dont have time to join every Forum going, i make a note to look at Catchat, but do think that Purrs has particular found its niche. They both seek to furfill a purpose.. I for one tell other CP branches to join up because of the networkig which in CP terms is something we are now encouraged to do alot more..
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quite often someone from Purrs, rescue or not, is able to help and that can only be a good thing for the cats involved :shy:
Fatipuss is a good example of this - although at the same time I can see why it puts more pressure on rescues.
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Tricky one - I tend to post my fosters on R & R, not from the rehoming aspect, as there aren't many members in my area on here, so dont think I have homed one through here (yet), although I have homed one through another forum, but I think it is nice for people to see them and follow stories. We have gained a fosterer through here though. I have put out the odd plea, but there has never been any response. I did go to update one of my pleas yesterday though, and i had to do three searches to find it, so no one else would have seen it!! I did put Moses on here yesterday specifically, but she has been waiting 6months.
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This is great to discuss as is the free to good home adverts on the other thread.
I see it as both having advantages and disadvantages.
main ones are that having sep boards are good as there is one place to put the homing requests and the homes offered so people looking can go straight there instead of wading through the main one also that if our rescue feel pressured, all these posts are in a sep section so up to them if they want to head in there. The disadvantage as Helen says is that the child boards are an extra click away and can be missed.
If we went back to one main board for all which can be easily done, it would mean the posts are seen better but could also disappear on to the 2nd or 3rd pages if alot of posts are made which means another click away to be seen anyway.
I am happy to do which ever you all feel best for you all rescues and members. (aint i always :evillaugh: ;) lol) so we need to find a compremise we Can all be happy with.
One suggestion is to have a sep board away from the main rehoming board for the cats needing homes and homes offered which can be done easy but then in that board to separate the cats needing homes and homes offered they would be in two child boards unless we have two additional sep boards.
I think with the free ads posts, there was a conclusion to put these in a sep place with a guide saying to post after the ad poster has been contacted and advised of rescues in their area. This is so the ones that do get posted, we can be sure that the advertiser is caring enough to be interested in a chance of using rescue and not just wanting to advertise local.
We need to continue discussing both the free ad adverts and this so we can find a soluition for the rescue and rehoming section we are all ok with.
My feelings are that ChatCat is our main source of "promoting" the cats that need homes as that is what CC is there for but Purrs is also is great for highlighting the long term, special, emergency cats and does have a hand in matching cats with members posting to give a loving home. So i would like that to continue.
Keep ya ideas and thought coming and i will be happy to go with whatever is best for all. :Luv:
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I think we really do need to distinguish between cats that are in rescues looking for homes (and to some extent this is what I though CC was all about) and cats that need to be helped into a rescue/temp home.
FTGH cats , as already said by someone, mainly have homes already and unless the circumstances are unusual (as in the brum pair, or a pregnant cat and/or young kittens) are not really a priority.
I agree that it is nice to follow the progress on some of the cats/kittens in rescue, and would certainly miss this if it were to go.
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I dont look at individual sections unless I am hunting for something, so see stuff via the unread posts list irrespective of category.
I think the child boards are a good idea and to have all cats needing homes or peeps wnating cats in one long list makes for hard reading. so go with child boards, I think.
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Maybe the main board should be for discussing cases and the child boards strictly for homes offered of wanted. The way it is at the moment, people are posting on one or the other.
Moddy bods would need to keep up with moving posts if the child boards are kept. They could also edit the titles to add in locations etc to please the haters of vague titles
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To be honest I don't think any of us would mind doing that MM if it meant that the threads are easier to find.
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vague titles
They make me :mad2:
:evillaugh:
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And if the locations were somewhere in the thread, cos I was doing this but I pmed people to ask locations and they just dont bother replying!
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And if the locations were somewhere in the thread, cos I was doing this but I pmed people to ask locations and they just dont bother replying!
Thats pretty pointless then!
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Well, the poll is 50/50!
Is the general consensus that moddy bods need to tighten up on moving posts in this section so that all posts regarding homes needed/offered are in the child boards instead of them being randomly mixed between the main rescue/rehoming threads and the child boards?
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Yes I think so Helen ;D
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Well done whoever spent the time to put a sorted board in the homes wanted section! It makes the outstanding posts so much easier to follow and i can confirm that Blackie and GK are still in need of a new home and living in a cattery!
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Thanks Angie hun Sharon's idea :)
We also have Mrs R on board to keep the sections tip top condition ;D
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I just had a thought, staggering I know :rofl: :rofl:
Would it be a good idea to have a child board for the cats that are rehomed or fostered, you know the SORTED ones, that the moddy bods or Mrs R can move these from the still outstanding cases and make the list shorter rather than waiting for them to slip to the bottom, which doesnt happen if someone posts , a well done or something?
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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: Just seen that some did that lol..........sigh
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I will be PMing nearly everyone thats posted on these boards, especially interested in some of the older posts - be nice to find out if come of the cats were homed in some of the older posts thats are still on the board from members especially that dont post too much.