Where to give a cat if you don’t need it: shelter and other options

What will you learn from the article?

Methods for adopting cats Overexposure
Relatives and friends
Catcafe
Addresses of cat cafes in major cities:
Internet

How to correctly write an advertisement for the adoption of a cat?

Shelters

How to part with a cat as painlessly as possible

Why is it important not to kick your cat outside?

Is it possible not to give the cat away?

Instead of an afterword

Even a person who is indifferent to animals, his heart involuntarily sank when he meets a thin, dirty, beaten-up cat on the street. Agree, I feel sorry for these cute creatures, and now you are already mentally sending curses to those people who doomed them to such a miserable existence. This article talks about how not to end up in the shoes of careless owners and where to give your cat.

There are many reasons to part with your pet:

You or your family members have discovered or developed an allergy to cat fur or saliva.
The cute kitten has grown up and lost his childhood charm.
The animal has developed undesirable habits (gnawing indoor flowers, pushing favorite figurines off shelves, stripping expensive upholstered furniture, etc.).
You are about to move and cannot take your pet to a new home.
The animal is sick, and you are not able to provide it with proper care.

Every problem can be solved (this will be discussed in detail in the article later). But if you still need to adopt a cat, you should analyze all the options below and choose the one that turns out to be the most optimal in your case.

Methods for adopting cats

Overexposure

Overexposure involves temporary placement of a pet. You can find a person who will shelter your cat for a few days or weeks, mainly using information from free classifieds sites or through social networks.

If there are no takers, try placing an ad yourself. Be sure to indicate for what reason, for how long and under what conditions you are giving the cat for foster care.

The rules of good manners suggest that for the entire period of overexposure you will provide the temporary owner with everything your pet needs: food, litter for the tray, shampoos, medicines.

In most cases, foster care is paid; the amount for the service provided is negotiated individually. In addition, do not forget to leave the temporary owner a certain amount for unforeseen expenses: a trip to the veterinarian if necessary, replenishment of food supplies, etc.

Advantages:

a home environment where the animal will get comfortable in a few hours;
the opportunity to constantly be in touch with temporary owners, take an interest in the well-being and behavior of your pet;
good care, attention from temporary owners (if you are lucky enough to find those who really love animals, and not “businessmen” who make money from foster care).

Flaws:

overexposure is paid;
there may be other pets in the house that will react aggressively to a stranger (this point should be discussed in advance);
you will not be able to verify in any way whether your pet is really kept in the conditions that were promised.

How to correctly write an advertisement for the adoption of a cat?

Take several high-quality photographs of your pet. It is advisable to show the animal both in an active state (for example, when it is busy playing) and in a passive state (when it is resting and watching your actions with interest).
Add truthful and informative text to your photos that will differentiate you from similar ads in your neighborhood. Don’t write “Good with children” if your cat has only seen kids and schoolchildren a couple of times in his life and then hid from them under the bed. Be sure to indicate the breed, age, describe the color of the coat and eyes (not all Internet users can upload photos), lifestyle (does he like to play, how many hours does he sleep a day, etc.), vaccinations and previous operations (for example, castration or sterilization), diet (natural food or ready-made food).
When composing an ad, it is good to indicate the presence of bad habits and other characteristics, because, as you know, there are no ideal animals. For example, a cat loves to sleep with its owners and is not accustomed to a scratching post. The advantages of the pet should also, of course, be indicated: affectionate, purrs often, knows the litter box very well, etc.
It is not necessary to write everything thoroughly - tell the potential owner over the phone or during a meeting. Too long text will distract the reader from the main points or force him to close the page altogether. Don't lie, otherwise you may end up in an unpleasant situation.

Proper communication with future owners

Conversations with potential owners need to be conducted in a balanced manner. Do not persistently force kittens to attack a person. It’s better to talk in a calm tone about the pet’s merits: what commands he understands, how he behaves in the apartment and with family members, what he likes to play with.

Note! Each cat has its own character. You need to describe it truthfully. In a conversation, if this is a stranger, they take a closer look at him and draw up a psychological portrait of the applicant.

You want to give your favorite animals or a street foundling to safe hands so as not to worry about its future fate. Therefore, the owners watch the person they want to entrust the care of the cat to. Whether he has a sincere desire to have a companion, whether he is a friendly person, whether he is ready not only to feed the animal, but also to treat it, to vaccinate it on time - such moments are gradually clarified in the conversation.

Important! You need to make it clear to the person that if he doesn’t cope, so that he doesn’t have to worry about where to put the cat, they are ready to take him back.

Politeness and objectivity are the main directions of dialogue with future cat owners. If something in the conversation is embarrassing or remains unsaid, it is better for the applicant to refuse.

A well-groomed domestic cat is more likely to find a new home

Shelters

This is the most undesirable, but quite acceptable option if you still decide to give away a cat.

In Russia and the countries of the former CIS, there are, frankly, practically no really good shelters where there are few animals and where they are kept in good conditions. Cats are kept in cabins - small sheds. These rooms are usually not heated. At best, sometimes they put a heater there in severe frosts.

The number of cats in such shelters varies: where possible, the owners of the shelter try to adhere to at least the minimum standards of maintenance, but generally several dozen four-legged human friends live in a small room.

In theory, shelters are a place for the temporary detention of cats who are left without the care of their owners. In practice, many animals while away their entire lives in very unfavorable conditions.

If you give your cat to a shelter, you will not be able to visit her. At best, they will tell you that your pet has already found new owners; at worst, the shelter staff will simply be afraid to show you the conditions in which the animals are kept.

Advantages:

a cat given to a shelter is protected from dogs, passing cars and other dangers of the street;
the animal gets used to living in a pack and does not suffer from loneliness;
The purr is fed, sterilized and vaccinated (not always), and if necessary, taken to a veterinary clinic.

Flaws:

poor living conditions for cats (shelters, with the exception of a few municipal ones in large cities, operate only with funds raised by volunteers);
cats are fed the simplest and cheapest food (if it is ready-made economy class food, then it contains only bone meal, preservatives and dyes, and if it is natural food, then it is porridge and pasta, cooked at best with the addition of five tiny fish or three chicken heads per bucket);
There are few people willing to take care of our little brothers for free on a regular basis, and they physically do not have time to clean up after all the cats, monitor their health, and devote time to them;
if an animal is sick, its malaise may not be noticed immediately;
for cats and kittens that require veterinarian help, they begin to collect money for treatment in all possible ways, but it is not a fact that the required amount will appear on time or will be collected at all;
a cat will live much shorter in a shelter than in a home due to unfavorable living conditions;
There are a lot of dubious shelters where animals are euthanized or even abandoned to their fate.

How to part with a cat as painlessly as possible

If a person, when parting with his pet, is able to cope with his emotions, then a cat will have a much more difficult time, because changing owners is a huge stress for the animal. In a short time, he will lose not only the family to which he is accustomed, but also his native walls, because we all know that cats are attached not so much to people as to home.

Having found people who, as you think, can become good owners for your cat, do not rush to part with your pet. First, you should try to find the pages of potential owners on social networks. From the photographs one can draw some conclusions, for example, whether a person sympathizes with animals (then there will be reposts about the adoption of stray dogs and cats or quotes about our little brothers), whether photographs of numerous animals in the same interior flash in photo albums (this fact should at least alarm).

On social networks you can chat with volunteers, ask them if they know people who are going to take your pet. Fraudsters involved in the resale or extermination of cats, as well as unscrupulous owners of pseudo-shelters who take in animals only to collect money supposedly for treatment, are well known to volunteers.

Invite potential owners to visit. Let your cat get to know these people on their territory. Love at first sight may not occur, but if after 30-60 minutes the animal is aggressive or does not make contact at all, it is worth looking for other owners.

In no case should you believe the words of children and teenagers that their parents absolutely allowed them to have a cat. Only independent adults should give their pet away. In addition, ask potential owners if they live in a rented apartment. If they do not have their own home, in the event of the first conflict with the landlord regarding the appearance of a cat, they can get rid of the pet by throwing it out onto the street.

Tell the new owners in detail about your pet's eating habits, his or her habits, daily routine, and past illnesses. This will help avoid many problems in the future.

If all is well, the cat has found a common language with its new owners, you can arrange a move to a new home. After 7-10 days, be sure to call and find out how the first stage of adaptation went, whether the animal eats well, and whether any problems arise. It is advisable to ask them for a photo report about the pet’s life in its new home.

How to prepare a cat for transfer to a new owner

People are more willing to take animals into their home when they are already grown up and socialized. You should not tear a suckling baby away from its mother. We need to teach him to eat on his own, use the toilet, and communicate with people.

For your information! At 8-10 weeks of life, kittens are vaccinated. The veterinarian checks your health and issues a sanitary passport. A person must be sure that he is adopting an animal that does not have developmental disabilities and is not dangerous for family members. Adults are castrated/sterilized before being handed over to someone else.

In families where cats live, situations arise when they are forced to part with the animals. How to give a kitten to new owners is taught on forums by people with experience in adopting animals. The main thing is not to throw kittens out into the street in the hope that kind people will pick them up. You just need to place the animal and be sure that it will be provided with care: feeding, treatment, education. To do this, they advertise on pieces of paper with tear-off phone numbers, in newspapers and on the Internet.

*Prices in the article are for March 2021.

Why is it important not to kick your cat outside?

The worst thing that can happen to a pet is a stray life, life on the street. Those who, from birth or from a very early age, are accustomed to communicating with people, will simply not survive outside an apartment or house.

He is unlikely to find food for himself. When hunger becomes unbearable, the pet will begin to look for food in garbage dumps. Stale leftovers obviously will not add to his health. The instincts to obtain food for oneself (for example, catching birds, rats) may not awaken at all in former domestic cats.
All areas in the city are densely populated with other stray animals, even if it is not obvious to people. Moreover, all territories are divided and marked. The appearance of a stranger will be greeted aggressively, which can result in a fight, where your pet, thrown out into the street, will definitely lose.
Domestic cats, especially purebred cats, have rather weak immunity. Their body simply cannot cope with the number of diseases that they can pick up on the street. And if, for example, a vaccination given less than a year ago against rabies still protects for some time, then ticks, fleas, lichen, colds and other misfortunes will soon bring the purr to the grave.
There are many dangers on the street that a domestic cat is simply not prepared for. For example, he may climb a tree and not be able to get down on his own or get hit by a car. Such situations, unfortunately, are not uncommon.

Is it possible not to give the cat away?

At the very beginning of this article it was said that most of the problems that give rise to the idea of giving away a cat are completely solvable. Let's look at some of them.

Allergic reactions

Allergies are an unpredictable thing and can appear even in those people who have not previously suffered from it at all. First, you should consult with an allergist and be sure to get tested. In many cases, it happens that the allergic reaction did not occur to the cat at all - the animal was only a catalyst for health problems.

But if the cause of the allergy is a cat, determine whether the reaction is to the pet’s saliva or fur. If it’s saliva, or rather the special protein contained in it, then the animal will have to find new owners. In the second case, more frequent cleaning and regular procedures from a groomer - an animal hairdresser - can help.

Read more about cat allergies and what to do.

Aggression

A cat that suddenly becomes aggressive is most likely sick. She simply shows where she is hurting and why through her restless and sometimes angry behavior. In addition, the cause of aggression can be the appearance of another animal, a child, etc. in the house. In this case, it is important to properly introduce new residents to the cat, help them establish contact, and the aggression will go away by itself.

Thus, before thinking about where to put the animal and to whom to give the cat, try to solve the problems that have arisen first.

What to do when you find a stray animal

What to do when you encounter an animal in trouble

The circumstances under which you can find an adult cat, a kitten, or even a whole litter vary. A homeless animal that finds itself in a life-threatening situation can be found in the yard, at the entrance, at a bus stop and other places. First of all, you need to assess the condition of the foundling, how critical it is. And depending on the animal’s well-being, it will be necessary to take certain measures.

An initial visual diagnosis of the animal may show that:

You came across someone's pet that was lost. These can be seen by their well-groomed and well-fed appearance. And also because the cat is very affectionate, is not afraid of people, and is accustomed to being handled.
It happens that an emaciated animal appears in front of you, due to the lack of a source of food or with severe dehydration.
A cat with a litter that has just lambed often needs temporary help and further accommodation.
An animal may be clearly sick, injured, damaged by a car or at the hands of knackers.

If the animal is exhausted, sick, wounded or maimed, it is necessary to take it to a nearby clinic as soon as possible. It is better to look for a clinic with an INFECTIOUS hospital - if hospitalization is needed, then only clinics equipped with such a hospital will be able to keep an animal from the street. Many clinics only work with vaccinated pets.

Specialists will examine the animal, take tests, and conduct diagnostics. If an infection or pathology is detected, you will need to undergo the recommended course of treatment. As soon as recovery occurs, the cat can be vaccinated and, if necessary, sterilized. Only after all measures have been taken to provide first aid and put the cat in order, you can begin an active search for a new owner.

If the cat is apparently healthy, then, if possible, you can temporarily leave it with yourself, friends or relatives. But if there are other animals at home, especially unvaccinated ones, we recommend doing this with caution and not allowing contact with your pets until the cat is examined by a doctor, since the animal may have hidden infections. If it is not possible to take it home, a clinic with an infectious diseases hospital, if there is space available, can also act as a temporary shelter for the animal.

You can also give a found animal for paid foster care, but to do this, you first need to show the animal to a doctor and be tested for major infections. REMEMBER: if the foster care provider agrees to take the animal without testing, do not deal with her under any circumstances. An epidemic could break out there at any moment and all the animals would die!

Do not try to place an animal in shelters - they are always crowded with four-legged inhabitants.

You need to post information about a lost pet as quickly as possible: post notices in the vicinity where the foundling lived, at bus stops, shops and other public places. It would also be a good idea to post a photo describing the characteristic features of the “lost” on the Internet, in social networking groups or on message boards in a city or specific area. It may happen that while posting your advertisements, you will notice counter information from the owners of the four-legged traveler. They are usually ready to pay any feasible reward just to get their pet back.

A cat giving birth, or a cat with newborn kittens, urgently needs to be provided with a warm and cozy place. This can be any secluded corner without drafts, where you can equip it with everything you need. Place a box, put soft and warm things in it, place drinking water, food, and a tray nearby. Cats, as a rule, cope with labor through their own efforts, according to the processes laid down by nature.

But sometimes there are cases when a cat giving birth needs help; of course, a person should have experience in this matter. If there is none, then you need to contact people who understand the issue of cat birth, or even better, call a veterinarian at home. Cats breastfeed their babies on their own. Some time after the end of breastfeeding, the cat must be sterilized. In the meantime, while the fluffy little ones are growing up and gaining strength, we need to start looking for new owners for them. How to properly organize the process of adopting animals will be discussed later in this article.

How to properly place a stray or former domestic cat in good hands

The main thing to remember is that most foundlings settle in between 2 and 6 months. There will definitely be a person who will like your “homeless” or will be touched by the heart-warming story of the cat’s life. An indispensable condition here, of course, is the dissemination of information about the animal. The more colorful and informative the advertising information is, the faster new owners will be found for your furry ward.

Action plan for the placement of a found animal:

Take beautiful and high-quality photographs, and in addition you can also make videos. For filming, you need to choose an attractive interior; it is better to photograph the cat close-up; it is advisable that it looks into the frame, and there are bright, eye-catching objects in the frame.

Write the text of the ad, which should indicate gender, color, age. It is necessary to indicate the approximate type of temperament of the cat and its behavioral characteristics. The new owner must know about the veterinary procedures performed (parasite treatment, vaccination, sterilization and others). The future owner must be informed about the cat’s congenital or acquired diseases, as well as injuries, if any.

It is advisable to describe events from the past of the “homeless person”, if known about them.

The finished ad must be placed on all available information resources: on bulletin boards in the “I’ll give it to good hands” sections and where people write that they will accept a cat or kitten as a gift. On forums and social networking groups engaged in similar animal adoption activities. Spread information among acquaintances and friends.

Be sure to leave your contact phone number and name under each ad.

If necessary, you can contact people who are professionally involved in animal PR, but their services are provided on a paid basis.

Example ad:

Moscow

Shan's cat is being given into good hands.

Shan's cat with an expressive appearance and a soulful human gaze. She is very affectionate and sociable by nature, loves to be at the epicenter of events, is moderately nimble and active. Suitable for a family with other animals, gets along well with everyone.

Shana is 4 years old, she is sterilized, vaccinated, and litter trained. It is given to Moscow and the region on the terms of unobtrusive tracking of further fate, we look forward to photos and videos from home.

Curators:

Name, phone, email

Sites and groups for posting advertisements:

PR BOARDS:

https://www.vsezverushki.ru/ lift every 6 hours https://drug2.ru/ lift once every 3 days https://otdam-kotenka.ru/ lift once a week https://hochukoshku.ru/ https ://getanimal.ru/animals/otdat https://dobrye-ruki.ru/ https://wdobrueruki.com/
https://www.catgallery.ru/ https://pora-domoy.ru/

IN CONTACT WITH:

https://vk.com/allmycats https://vk.com/topic-45940497_31423114 - PR and finance https://vk.com/topic-45940497_34657205 - SOS https://vk.com/topic-50247169_28990897 - SOS and PR MOSCOW https://vk.com/topic-12120455_33002477 — SOS https://vk.com/home_elephant_help — Posting via a button on the wall “Suggest news” https://vk.com/public936218 — Posting via a button on the wall “Suggest news” https://vk.com/beingoodhands — Posting via a button on the wall “Suggest news” https://vk.com/bezxvostov — Posting via a button on the wall “Suggest news” https://vk.com/ topic-17205538_27770653?offset=0 - PR and COLLECTION https://vk.com/topic-17205538_28823430 - URGENT placement https://hochukoshku.ru/mboard/ https://vk.com/topic-20600109_28271340 - cats only https ://vk.com/topic-17296831_26654497?offset=0 - only cats Moscow and Moscow Region https://vk.com/topic-5044443_27515461 https://vk.com/topic-19778292_30235478 https://vk.com/ topic-2037508_27551756?offset=0 https://vk.com/topic-12076190_25137577 - if the device is, then only for St. Petersburg animals! https://vk.com/topic-25649071_29067268 https://vk.com/topic-720717_28086253?offset=0 https://vk.com/topic-50540334_27799039?offset=0 https://vk.com/topic -25498904_28323943 https://vk.com/topic-17733873_30106603 https://vk.com/topic-29617906_27957639?offset=0 https://vk.com/animalrepublic - Posting via the button on the wall “Suggest news” https:/ /vk.com/topic-6007053_13030448?offset=0 https://vk.com/topic-3161856_28665804 https://vk.com/topic-43412274_27445479 https://vk.com/topic-37778383_28223623 - accommodation only for dogs https://vk.com/id224433818 - advertisements for adoption are not posted! Only adoption of animals from the street, shelters or urgent adoption. https://vk.com/v.pomosh — Posting through the button on the wall “Suggest news” https://vk.com/s_o_s_help_us — Posting through the button on the wall “Suggest news” https://vk.com/topic- 34563239_29459594 https://vk.com/topic-24453682_28958078 https://vk.com/topic-36376238_27736473 https://vk.com/topic-42376061_26975302 https://vk.com/topic-33163680_293688 29 https://vk .com/topic-48931_27611220 https://vk.com/topic-1574329_28985868 https://vk.com/topic-32044644_27406982 https://vk.com/topic-57087052_29082991 https://vk.com/topic-1825379_28662 488 https://vk.com/chmel_bonus https://vk.com/topic-36618576_27622069 - only cats https://vk.com/cheremuhinocat - only cats https://vk.com/topic-43339713_29236575 https:// vk.com/topic-518947_27614888 - only cats https://vk.com/katzehaus - only cats https://vk.com/topic-70993330_29844095 https://vk.com/id214159683 https://vk.com/ ozotova12 https://vk.com/bogoyavlenskaya https://vk.com/astrav https://vk.com/id350260 https://vk.com/id524884 https://vk.com/n.shipunova https: //vk.com/lva220189 https://vk.com/id8395389 https://vk.com/id985280 https://vk.com/id649666 - posting only from Monday to Friday evening https://vk.com/ id15873042

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/zoopomogayka - SOS and fin. https://www.facebook.com/groups/zoopomogaykaseekhouse/ - PR https://www.facebook.com/savecatmoscow - cats, Moscow https://www.facebook.com/vozmiizpriuta - 1 post per week, Monday morning and Thursday. https://www.facebook.com/Koshkin-Dom-329656977245644/ https://www.facebook.com/vdobrieruki https://www.facebook.com/4LapyVDobryeRuki/ https://www.facebook.com/lostfoundpetsru / - lost animals

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/kotodetki_ischut_dom/ https://www.instagram.com/i_want_to_get_home/ https://www.instagram.com/zhivotnye_v_bede/

There are also options for paid PR specialists for animals, whose contacts you can independently find on the Internet.

Checking the responsibility of new owners of the adopted animal

You need to know that in the area of placement there are many instances of fraud that can lead to the death of the adopted “homeless” person after being handed over to supposedly “good hands.” Zoo defenders, together with volunteers, due to their extensive experience in housing our little homeless brothers, have worked out rules for the safe transfer of animals to new owners.

In addition to kind and decent pet lovers, extremely dangerous people may be interested in your four-legged charges. For this reason, before you give your furry ward into real good hands, you need to check whether they really are such. A decent person interested in your foundling with good intentions will not interfere with further unobtrusive tracking of the fate of the adopted animal. But potentially dangerous people who have insidious plans for a defenseless animal will be scared off by this clause of the contract.

Remember that among the applicants for your animal may be:

Box hawkers and beggars asking for alms to feed the animal.

Resellers who are interested in purebred cats.

False shelters and false volunteers.

Flayers, sadists, Satanists, bestialities, inadequate and mentally ill people.

Skinners and suppliers of Chinese factories for sewing fake fur from stray animals.

Suppliers of animals to baiting stations.

Owners of large pet reptiles.

Meat eaters that feed on stray animals.

To ensure that your found ward does not become a victim of abuse, each applicant must be carefully checked:

1. To get started, just talk to the potential owner. Ask him about everything in as much detail as possible - about present and past animals, how long they lived, what they died from, how and what they were fed, where they were treated, how they were kept. It is imperative to clarify what the living conditions are, the composition of the family, whether other family members will be against the animal, etc. If people lie, they often get confused in the details, give contradictory answers to questions, and forget what was said earlier. Based on detailed communication, it is easier to form an opinion about a person.

2. Do not give your cat to apartments that do not have screens on the windows. If people are adopting their first cat and simply do not know about this need, but at the same time they are responsible about the issue of feeding, they will install nets. If the owners flatly refuse to do this, or promise to deliver, but then, do not risk the life of the animal. First the nets, then the cats!

3. Do not give cats to country houses and dachas, where they will live on a self-walking basis. There are a lot of dangers awaiting animals outside the dacha area - remember this!

4. The animal must be given away only under an agreement with the presentation of the passport of the future owner.

5. Check phone numbers against “black lists” of pens.

6. Take the animal to its new home yourself to make sure for yourself that its living conditions correspond to those stated.

7. Agree on the opportunity to visit the cat at certain intervals, as well as on receiving photos and videos from home.

8. If for some reason the animal does not settle down at home, always be ready to take it back.

9. Listen to yourself and your intuition. If you have the slightest doubt about a person, refuse, because the life of a defenseless creature is entirely in your hands.