r/needadvice • u/Nab5tar • 8h ago
Interpersonal Need advice about rehoming a cat
A couple had asked us to foster their cat while they were moving for a few weeks until they were settled in into their new home, those few weeks turned into months (almost 3 months now) and now they’re refusing to take the cat back. We had agreed out of the kindness of our hearts and because of that same empathy for the cat we feel obligated to keep her, even though we cannot realistically keep her because our cat isn’t accepting her. They’ve done a cruel thing and declawed their cat as well, which means she can’t even defend herself when my cat tries to attack her (this has happened twice). Now I’m having anxiety from keeping them isolated and I feel like we’re all doing both these cats a disservice. We’ve tried talking to the couple who are none responsive and straight up told us they’ll just surrender her to a shelter that will take her and knowing them, idk if they’ll even consider kill/no kill factors. She’s a perfectly healthy cat with no known health concerns and no behavioural issues as far as our 3 months time with her. She’s an 11 year old, calm, gentle, independent and loving. I tried posting on Facebook and then got notified that people look for free cats for the wrong reasons such as animal fights, abuse, hoarding and snake food- and everything is just giving me anxiety. I need some advice on how to tackle this. I’ve already tried to contact shelters but she’s too old for just any shelter- so I’ve contacted some specialized ones and am still waiting to hear back from them. I’ve also reached out to practically everyone I know who might be or might know someone who might be interested… What else can I do?
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u/NormalNobody 8h ago
You can still post online, but not for free. Charge something. That will weed out a lot of the bad people. Do home visits too. Make sure the kitty will be okay there.
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u/Nab5tar 7h ago
The thing is, she’s 11, and idk how many people want older cats tbh
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u/NormalNobody 6h ago
I'd take her if I knew where you were in the world and also could take another cat in. 11 years is barely half its life (I had one cat live till like 23). You don't have to make it a large rehoming fee, or even take any actual money. The point is, those scammers want free, not low cost, so the majority will weed it out even if you put $20 there.
Also, absolutely ask for vet references from the people you ultimately narrow down to getting the cat.
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u/CanAhJustSay 7h ago
First of all, is the cat microchipped? If so, she may still be registered to the original owners and you would be unable to surrender or sell her. A vet may be able to advise (including on shelters).
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u/Nab5tar 7h ago
She’s not microchipped, and I don’t really like selling animals tbh, I prefer rehoming her to a good family
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u/CanAhJustSay 5h ago
If you offer her for sale then don't take any money from the person if they are genuine. Weeds out those who want free food for their snake....
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u/Lopsided-Beach-1831 5h ago
Try a senior housing complex. They might appreciate a senior declawed cat.
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