Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Rescue & Rehoming => Cat/s Needing Homes => Sorted/ Unknown outcomes => Topic started by: Lynds on November 01, 2008, 10:46:46 AM
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As some of you may know, I need to re-home Nobo as he is bullying my other timid cat Izzy. I'm appealing to people on this site as I've had absolutely no support from the Cat Protection League and other smaller cat rescue charities. It's the second time I've called the CPL and they have not bothered to call me; once when I wanted to adopt and more recently to help re-home Nobo. I live in Motherwell, Scotland which is about 30 mins from Glasgow.
I don't want to move Nobo to a rescue centre as I think this would be adding more trauma than necessary. I'm happy to foster him here until I find the right home for him. I do worry that by keeping here, he's "out of sight, out of mind" which is why I am writing this thread today.
First of all, here's a link with lots of great pics of my boy http://gallery.me.com/lyndseyt#100070 (http://gallery.me.com/lyndseyt#100070)
Here's some info about Nobo:
One cat home only.
Loves people but not other cats or dogs.
He’s just turned one year old (his bday is the 27th October 2007)
Microchipped and neutered.
Does not scratch furniture at all.
Eats pretty much anything. Adores ice cream and cheese (not at the same time of course)!! I give him a tiny bit as a treat now and again.
He’s very intelligent and comes when you call his name.
Can open doors! - I told you he is clever.
Great with responsible children. (I’ve seen him with a 2 yr old and a 3rd old and he’s been great).
Very tactile and has an extremely laid back personality. You really can turn him inside out!
Great lap cat who loves to give cuddles but also wants to play too.
Has a typical mental cat personality when it suits him i.e runs around the house having his mad half hours.
He's primarily an indoor cat, but does enjoy going out in the garden for a wee stroll. He never strays very far at all.
He's toilet trained.
Loves getting kisses.
All the pads on his wee feet are black, rather than pink - it's uber cute.
He's the best beastie/bug catcher you will ever have.
Would suit someone who can appreciate his true cat nature of being mischievous but also the fact he’s a big cuddly baby.
I would want to check out the home he goes to and ensure the person/couple/family who take him are true cat lovers.
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Hi Lynds,
Sorry you need to rehome him but it sounds like it is best for all concerned - especially Nobo.
If I were you, I would phone CP head office and ask to speak to the people that deal with your area. Regardless of how busy a branch is, they should have the courtesy to call you back. I do our branch phone on Thursdays - we pick up the calls on an answerphone. I feel guilty if I phone back more than a couple of hours after the call. I am at Uni until 1pm but check the line in my break and again as soon as I finish in case there are any calls that need to be dealt with urgently. Other than than, I phone everyone back by the end of the day. The only exceptions are if someone has left a message about a food donation or something when I may phone back the following morning. Sorry to ramble but but basically there is no excuse not to phone back. Unless people can take the (unpaid) job seriously, they shouldn't be doing it and they are giving us a bad name. I really think you should complain to head office.
Anyway, good luck - Nobo is gorgeous :Luv2:
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Although there is absolutely no excuse not to ring you back and agree you should do as Mark has suggested.
I don’t really like direct homing although I am happy to place pics and details of cats on my site. I am not saying in this case but often people don’t tell you the truth about the cats they want us to re-home and of course of they are often also fill of fleas the next thing people say is cats protection are homing cats full of fleas when we may not have even seen the cat. Another thing is it is only human nature that we want to first home the cats we have in our care so that we can take in one on our list of cats that is waiting to come in. So it is not out of sight out of mind with us, it is on the mind but we want to create a space for another waiting to come into care.
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Sorry I can't be of any help at all but I do wish you all the luck in the world. Its obvious that you really care for Nobo and have his (and Izzy's) best interests at heart. I've fallen in love with him :Luv2:
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Lots of luck on finding the right home for Nobo, I can understand it must be hard for you he looks lovely :hug:
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Is CP where you got him? Did you sign to say you wont rehome him but give him back to wherever you adopted from?
They should offer to help as really its their mess up, i remember when you adopted them, 6 days isnt the best way to put a nervous and a young hooligan together.
I hope you find him a home soon, its a horrible decision to have to make :hug: :hug:
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Did the home you have lined up for him fall through? He's an absolutely gorgeous boy and looks such a character, hope he finds a cat free home soon :hug:
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Sorry I did not realize that you may have adopted him from CP. If this is the case they must take him back and you would have signed a form to say that you would return the cat to CP and not give the cat to anyone else without written permission from CP.
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I didnt sign any such form when I took on Misa and Sasa from CP and when Sasa went missing they were not intersted in helping at all or giving advise, think they were scared that I would want Sasa to go back to them like the previous two homes. In fact they did not reply to emails or anything, cos I wanted to help them despite me telling them that Sasa was going to be staying with me for ever.
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In that case the particular branch needs reporting to CP HQ as the homing form covers CP and the new owners for certain things and it is a fundamental requirement of CP HQ to sign for a cat.
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We have adopted 4 cats from 3 different Branches of CP and we have signed forms as Ela says for them all and the forms say that if for any reason we can't keep them they must not be rehomed to anyone else - they go back to that branch. It does say that after the 6mths trial bit though Ela although I've always understood it to mean forever, is that right?
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My local CP branch dont always take back after the 6 month trial
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The form does say for 6 months but I suppose after that it is up to the branch concerned. I personally feel that we have a moral duty to take in for life any cats we re-home if for some reason they need another home. Of course others that don't there is still no reason for them not to place the little ones on their list of cats waiting to come in.
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In our area Ela its quite common for the form to have been signed but the branches still won't take them back.... and surprise surprise CP ask them to contact us to take them!!
Lynds - If you are genuinely looking for help in finding Nobo a placement then give me a call at our office on 01592 783732. I will be around off and on this afternoon and will be in this evening if you want to call to discuss and we can see how best we can help you.
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Unfortunately I cannot pass on my ideals on to all, but I do know there are many branches in the country who are like me.
However, it is not only the bigger rescues or branches of bigger rescues who do this whilst you may not and other rescues on here, many, many do try to pass the buck.
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I know Ela... if more of the branches were like yours I'm sure a lot of view points towards CP would be different! :)
In the Fife area there isn't a huge number of rescues but more often than not at least 3-5 of our calls every day are 'passed' from CP for cats coming in. Goes with the territory I suppose doesn't it when not everyone has the same ideals!
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Is CP where you got him? Did you sign to say you wont rehome him but give him back to wherever you adopted from?
They should offer to help as really its their mess up, i remember when you adopted them, 6 days isnt the best way to put a nervous and a young hooligan together.
I hope you find him a home soon, its a horrible decision to have to make :hug: :hug:
No, they didn't return my calls when I wanted to adopt two cats in the first place.
I think the small charity/rescue I got them from were probably just desperate to get rid of a couple of cats. I've certainly learned a lot through this whole ordeal, and unfortunately the hard way. They said he was dead laid back etc. I'm unsure if they were telling the truth as he is very laid back but then has his mental moments. Perhaps he was fine in the rescue home with all the other cats as he perhaps kept out the way, but on his own turf...who knows.
I will re-home him but won't just drop him in a rescue centre. I'd rather go through hell with him here until he finds a new forever home as it will be less traumatic for him.
Lynds
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Did the home you have lined up for him fall through? He's an absolutely gorgeous boy and looks such a character, hope he finds a cat free home soon :hug:
Hi Helen,
She turned out to be a grand waste of time. I guess this is to be expected but not nice all the same.
Lynds
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Thanks for your replies everyone. I do appreciate the support.
Just to stress that I adopted him and Izzy from a small cat charity. I have to say I've been rather burned by it all. When I called them to say what happened, the first thing she said was, "ok, how about swapping him with another cat, I have a timid one that would get on well with other cats...".
I couldn't believe it as I had just poured my heart out to her on the phone and was sobbing (which is embarrassing) and she was talking about me taking another one off her, and just to drop Nobo off on Monday.
This is the same charity who told me that Izzy's runny eye was "just nothing", when in actual fact she's been on medication since the second week I got her, had a small operation and now more swabs have been taken to determine if it's something more sinister. For the record, I don't mind one bit as I love both my cats, but I do feel I've been told anything and everything to take a couple of cats.
Obviously I declined to take another cat right now and drop Nobo off.
That's when for the second time, I reached out to the CP and yet again got no call back. I even stressed on the voicemail to the CP that I needed support finding him a new home and that I would keep him at home until we found someone. I would have thought that would have been a rather attractive proposal. Mind you, surely someone wanting to adopt a couple of cats is an attractive option for the CP, but alas no call back then either. I am writing a letter of complaint to their HO and have now cancelled my DD to them. I have been a loyal supporter for years with a monthly DD of £40 but I'm disgusted by the lack of support and wonder how many others in my area have had no call back.
I am genuinely looking for help so will call you today, as long as you don't mind my voice as I'm loaded with the cold and have a chest infection. Lucky me!
Lynds :'(
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. I am writing a letter of complaint to their HO
I would address it to the Regional Manager for Scotland and post it Recorded delivery. CP HQ need to know when branches are letting them down.
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That's a good idea Ela as I'm always concerned that HO complaints will just be "filed" or "lost".
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That's a good idea Ela as I'm always concerned that HO complaints will just be "filed" or "lost".
They usually do take complaints seriously.
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Lynds that's such a sad story.
I have been through something pretty similar this year but was really lucky in that my mum was able to home my unruly new cat, so I know almost how bad you feel.
Unfortunately I'm feeling just as 'once bitten' as you are with my experience and am unable to help you.
I can confirm though that the way a cat behaves in a rescue is not necessarily an indicator of how it will behave in it's new home - Taz was just the same. Very shy and quiet in the rescue, getting on very nicely with her cage-mate. As soon as she got to my house she decided it was her life's mission to make Silvie's life a misery and beat her up as often as possible!
I also agree with some of the other posters that rescues often get very little information about the cats they take on or are even told some porkies, so that leaves them next to nothing to pass on to prospective rescuers.
I'm sorry you've had such a bad experience with CP too - I have had nothing but good experiences with them. I would hope that it's an isolated incident.
I also wish you all the luck in your search for a new home for Nobo - I know just how tough this stuff is!
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Thanks Weesilvie.
I just got an email from someone at the small rescue place, where I got Nobo and Izzy, suggesting I advertise Nobo on Gumtree and AdTrader. Is it just me, or is this highly inappropriate?
I'm not clued up re: homing cats etc but I don't think these online boards are a good idea. Isn't it better to stick to a rescue/cat specific site?
Lynds
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Hello Lynds - just caught up with this.
It is incredibly inappropriate for them to suggest Gumtree and the like. We in rescue pretty much all know that people scout that site for cats to breed from in kitten farms, to sell on for profit (often to vivisectionists) and cats and gotten for bait in dog fights. Of course there are genuine people, but you would have to be extrememly careful about who contacts you.
I too am really sorry that you've had such a bad CP experience. We return every call we get and although we're a bigger branch, we all have full time jobs and there's no excuse not to give advice and help someone! I feel like I have to apologise on their behalf! We do home from home re-homings and always take our cats back into care (even if it's years down the line) but again this differs from branch to branch.
I really wish you all the best in re-homing and it's such a shame that you've had this experience. Mixing cats can be so successful and rewarding but it does take an experienced hand in knowing the cats in care and taking our time in matching up cats.... please don't let it put you off taking on another cat at some point! I do totally agree in complaining - it needs highlighting to HQ
Lots of hugs to Nobo and keep us updated in what's happening.
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I just got an email from someone at the small rescue place, where I got Nobo and Izzy, suggesting I advertise Nobo on Gumtree and AdTrader. Is it just me, or is this highly inappropriate
Lynds
That is disgusting and as far away from rescue as you can get. The scary thing is, some people would assume that if a rescue is advising, then it is the best. People like that shouldn't be involved as all they do is make the problem worse. Can you name them on here? - They can't complain? As long as you have the email, you are only stating facts.
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Please dont name the rescue on here, it could cause major issues for Purrs, and isn't a nice thing to do when the rescue isn't here to represent themselves.
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Lynds I'd say stick to the advice you have here and as I said before if you are adament about finding Nobo a new home we will be able to help you. If you look at our site it will give you a feel for who and what we do and am happy to speak to you on the phone to discuss. You are also very welcome to come round for a visit and see how we operate prior to taking on any of our help. A big no no is Gumtree and the Ad sites.
I am just back in and am around this evening if you want to discuss. :hug:
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Yes I think suggestions like Gumtree and AdTrader are very silly indeed.
I'd love to be able to adopt another cat say after Christmas when things have calmed down, but I'm very nervous of doing this. It may take longer than I want to re-home the wee man anyway. Are you around tomorrow at all? My mum came round early and each time I tried to talk, it resulted in 5 min coughing fits. I'm sure you'd rather not have that down the phone.
I had a good look at your site this morning and it looks great. You clearly do good work with the moggies.
Oh and let me know your name....I'm Lyndsey.
:Luv:
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Please dont name the rescue on here, it could cause major issues for Purrs, and isn't a nice thing to do when the rescue isn't here to represent themselves.
If someone made things up, I could understand that but quoting the advice verbatim is perfectly legal. "Not very nice" is my eyes is telling people to advertise pets on dodgy sites where anything could happen to them. I think dodgy rescues should be named and shamed.
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Hi Lyndsey... I will be around tomorrow morning and evening if you want to call :)
and my name is Sarah... I forget not everyone knows! sorry! and I've not been around last couple of weeks as I've been on holiday!
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Please dont name the rescue on here, it could cause major issues for Purrs, and isn't a nice thing to do when the rescue isn't here to represent themselves.
If someone made things up, I could understand that but quoting the advice verbatim is perfectly legal. "Not very nice" is my eyes is telling people to advertise pets on dodgy sites where anything could happen to them. I think dodgy rescues should be named and shamed.
Rather than naming and shaming perhaps someone could word a reply explaining how dangerous that advice was, maybe they're genuinely not aware of the issues surrounding free ads. I'm sure Lynds has got a lot on her mind now but maybe she could forward it on to them :hug:
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Please dont name the rescue on here, it could cause major issues for Purrs, and isn't a nice thing to do when the rescue isn't here to represent themselves.
If someone made things up, I could understand that but quoting the advice verbatim is perfectly legal. "Not very nice" is my eyes is telling people to advertise pets on dodgy sites where anything could happen to them. I think dodgy rescues should be named and shamed.
I have the email and it certainly came from them directly. I am going to call the other women I dealt with from the charity to explain my concern at the other person's so called "advice". I'm certainly not afraid to give them feedback, however Mark is correct when he states that perhaps other people hearing these suggestions from rescue centres may presume they are receiving sound advice.
I'm glad my gut instinct re: those websites is correct though. When I hear the name AdTrader, I think of cars, not cats.
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Hi Lyndsey... I will be around tomorrow morning and evening if you want to call :)
and my name is Sarah... I forget not everyone knows! sorry! and I've not been around last couple of weeks as I've been on holiday!
Thanks Sarah. I'll call you tomorrow.
Lynds
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Glad you're getting some good advice here Lynds.
Whilst I can't help with offering Nobo a home, given I'm just up the road from you, I could help with transport if needed. Let me know if so.
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Glad you're getting some good advice here Lynds.
Whilst I can't help with offering Nobo a home, given I'm just up the road from you, I could help with transport if needed. Let me know if so.
That's really nice of you but I have my car (which is my other baby lol).
Thanks again :Luv:
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I've just had someone contact me about Nobo, but to be honest I've decided to deal with Sarah from here now.
Is there anyone I can refer this family too? They live in Glasgow and are looking for one cat. They would consider two if they had always been together (wise people!).
My only concern is that they are a family of 6 (4 kids + mum and dad) and they live in a three bedroom semi detached home.
Is it just me or is not rather cramped there already? Perhaps I'm being too judgmental but my gut instinct says they need more room!
:shocked:
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I think they would have plenty of room ;D
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I suppose it depends on the ages of the kids and stuff, that's the good thing about rescues they can assess all this and usually the gut reaction is the right one
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Kids are 19, 14, 13 and 4.
Is there anyone who would be interested in speaking with them in the Glasgow area? They seem keen (but they all do to start with!).
Lynds
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forgive my geography (I am from London!) but are any of these any good - I'm pretty sure its the right side of the country!
http://www.catchat.org/adoption/strath.html
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Lol...it is Dawn, thanks.
:Luv:
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How are you getting on Lynds?
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How are you getting on Lynds?
Good days and bad days. Nobo has gone into the hands on Sarah (madkittyrescue). I miss him a hell of a lot and sometimes go to shout on him. It's the most horrible situation, but it starts to feel worth it when I see Izzy slowly coming out to play more now.
Thanks for asking.
:Luv:
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A friend at work is going through something similar to this with a fairly new cat at the moment, so its certainly helpful to read through all the advice in this thread. Her story is a little different as her existing 2 cats started bullying her new cat, this has got worse and she feels so sorry for Pickles that she is trying to find a new home for her, although its breaking her heart because she is a lovely cat and her daughter is very attached to her.
I've advised her to contact local CP etc, sadly I can't take her, much as I'd love to as we can't have any more cats til we have our own house!
I hope Nobo finds a lovely one cat home soon where he can be king of the place!
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You have made a such a brave decision, both cats will be happier now :hug: Izzy will reward you ;D
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I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Sarah (madkittyrescue) as she helped when I needed it the most. She took Nobo and found him what sounds like a truly great home for him.
I've not been on here much as I've found the whole situation very hard to deal with, but I couldn't have done it without Sarah, so thank you.
I know that if I ever pluck up the courage to take a second cat again, I'll deal with Sunny Harbour.
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply to this thread and your kind words of encouragement and support.
Lyndsey :Luv2:
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great news about Nobo Lynds :hug:
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you're welcome Lyndsey :hug: I know how hard this whole ordeal has been for you :hug:
I'm very sure that Nobo has his new slaves under the paw and will be checking in with them in a couple of days to make sure this is so! ;)
Now is the time for you and Izzy to bond and start your life together and you know if you ever need our help with anything just to shout! :hug:
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Great news hunnie x
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Excellent news .. so pleased Nobo has a new forever home :Luv2:
It's totally understandable that you have found it all upsetting and difficult but please don't be a stranger we are all hear to offer a cyber shoulder when you need it hun :hug: :hug:
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Thanks Sam.
x
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IO hope that Nobos new forever home will be absolutely purrrfect for him.....he so deserves to be a happy kitty ;D
Sams right, dont dessert us cos just think you wouldnt have found Sunny Harbour ;D
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IO hope that Nobos new forever home will be absolutely purrrfect for him.....he so deserves to be a happy kitty ;D
Sams right, dont dessert us cos just think you wouldnt have found Sunny Harbour ;D
Hey, no way would I leave this site now. It's been a huge help to talk to people about a variety of cat related issues. I hope to use the site more to talk about positive things now! lol
:Luv: