We get a lot of calls and emails from people who have found a cat, inherited a cat, or can no longer keep a cat. Because we’re not a shelter, we can never actually take in any of these kitties. But we like to offer our help when and where we can and that usually means providing people with the necessary advice to be a responsible caregiver and adopt the cat out themselves.
If you have a cat who needs to be rehomed, please read the following. If you need additional help or tips on rehoming other species, just shoot us an email at: ToledoCats@gmail.com
If you have a kitten, please keep them with their mother and litter mates until they’re 10-12 weeks old. At this time, they are still nursing and learning valuable life lessons.
What I always tell people is, finding an available home is easy, but finding a good home takes a little more care. Statistically, very few cats ever stay in the same home their entire life. Most end up in shelters (of which nearly 80% of all shelter cats are euthanized), on the streets, or bouncing from home to home to home. All of these scenarios are traumatic for a cat, most also put them at great risk for death. Listed below are the tried and true steps to helping any cat not only find a great home, but a forever home.
Know the cat: Get to know their personality. Their strengths, their weaknesses. Do they have any problem areas? They probably have at least one – find it and do not keep it a secret! The more you can inform your adopters, the better chance you have of finding the “right fit”. If it’s something you can solve, give it a shot. Their life may depend on it. And never be afraid to ask us for advice. We’re always happy to help.
If the cat is outside: Consider bringing them in. Summer heat and winter chill alone can take a cat’s life. Then you add in traffic, dogs, other stray or abandoned cats, disease, poisons, and debris that could injure the cat and kitty doesn’t really stand a chance. All a foster really needs is a small room, fresh water, regular meals, and a litter box. This could even be your bathroom. In our experience, a cat typically has 4 months IF THEY’RE LUCKY before they disappear forever. Rarely does this time period come without injury or illness or pregnancy. If you’re dealing with an outdoor cat, never allow them around your own animals unless they’ve been fixed, tested for FIV and feline leukemia, dewormed, and received flea medication. If you can, have the cat fully vetted prior to adoption. However, being safe trumps being vetted, so if you really can’t afford it just keep them quarantined. Feral cat help listed at bottom.
So how DO I rehome a cat? You can call rescues and foster homes (NEVER TAKE KITTY TO A SHELTER), but chances are we’re booked and have turned away dozens of cats before you even called. That’s okay though, because fostering and rehoming isn’t as hard as most people think.
Take pictures: Take at least 4 GOOD pictures. Natural sunlight, no background clutter, and a content and peaceful cat. Each of our cats has a photo shoot before they’re placed up for adoption. I build a small set in a corner with a basic, light colored sheet, maybe a few toys, or I clear the bed and lay down a sheet. Close ups are great, but you want at least 1 full body shot. You don’t want the cat too energetic or too sleepy, so use your best judgment on when to do the shoot. If you can, try to get photos that highlight the cat’s personality. Playful kittens should be worn out a little, but give them a toy to bat at and it’s usually a good shot. Always take more pictures than you need!
Where to post them: You can post them on any classified – paper or online. Craigslist is by far the best place to do this as long as you screen for homes objectively. For one, it’s free. And second, everyone uses it. Follow the rules or you’ll get flagged off. If you have any problems with this, please email us and include your ad. We’ll let you know exactly what the problem is. The only other drawback to craigslist is that you literally get all walks of life looking at your ad. Please read more about screening for the right home.
Write a welcoming description: Your description of the cat should be somewhat brief, but thorough and friendly. You don’t have to lay out all of their problem areas – unless you’re trying to scare people off! Some things are better said through a conversation than in print. Every animal will have at least one problem area. This could be something small or it could be something huge. Either way, it’s going to come across as bad news if you put it in your ad. That said, always keep the adopter informed. You just may want to wait until you can plead the cat’s case to let them know.
Always ask for a rehoming fee: No matter how much or how little you’ve put into the cat, you MUST ask for a reasonable rehoming fee. This should be $20-50 depending on what you’ve had done. This protects the cat from hoarders, bunchers (who sell free/cheap animals to Class B dealers who then sell the animal to a lab), flippers (people who resell at a profit to anyone willing to pay), and people who use the animal as bait for dog fighting. The Humane Society also recommends using a fee because adopters associate the monetary value of an animal to their overall value, making that animal an investment and not as they say, “easy come, easy go.” Generally, the more money you can put into the cat to raise the fee, the better. If someone can’t afford your rehoming fee, they can’t afford to care for the animal. You will never recoup your losses, but honestly, it’s worth it to know they’re safe.
Be patient: After you’ve posted your cat for adoption, it may take several days or weeks to receive a call of interest. Don’t let this discourage you! It usually takes less than 4 months to place a cat in a good forever home, as you’ll likely turn down a few homes along the way. Some cats are even adopted out within a month, but they’re rarely ever adopted out in a week or two. How long they stay in your home isn’t always a reflection on how adoptable the cat is. It just means a good home hasn’t shown it’s face yet, but they will.
Screen every prospective adopter: The best policy is to have people call you. If you really want to do this through an email, that’s fine too, just be extra careful about who you adopt to. Ask whatever questions you need to learn about the adopter’s situation and if they’re a good fit for the cat. The most important question to ask is “Why are you interested in this specific cat?” Replacement animals are not okay. Just because they’re cute is also not okay. What you’re looking for is someone who see’s something in that cat that is a good match for their lifestyle. A pretty face doesn’t mean lifelong companion – it means a novelty pet. Find out how often they’re home, what other animals they have, what ages any children are, and so on. This is why you really need to know the cat – so you know what home would be good for them. Also see our page on declawing.
Time for the meet and greet: Also called “the interview”. If you find someone who seems like a great match for your kitty, have them over to meet the cat. This not only gives you a second shot at asking questions and getting to know them, but it lets them ask more questions about the cat and a chance to see if they connect. The more you, the adopter, and the cat get to know each other, the more you’ll know if it’s the right home or not. This is also the best time to bring up certain problem areas you either forgot to mention or thought deserved a more personal setting for clarifying. We always have our meet and greets in a closed room. This way the cat can’t hide under the bed or be too busy playing to meet someone.
To deliver or not to deliver: After the adopter has had a few days to think about adopting the cat, we personally deliver that cat to them. Moving to a new home with strangers is a scary thing for most cats. When you take them to that new home and sit with them for a few minutes while they settle in, it alleviates much of the initial stress. This also allows you the opportunity for a home check. You can see where the cat will eat, sleep, and use the litter box, as well as make sure there’s no inherent dangers the adopter was unaware of. Though this isn’t a required step, it does seem to help the cats a lot.
Adoption contract: If you’re like us and want some sort of peace of mind on paper, you may be interested in using an adoption contract. This specifies the cat can not be sold or given to any third parties and, if it’s your wish, that the cat be given back to you at any point in time if it doesn’t work out. If you would like to use an adoption contract, please follow this link: Adoption Contract. Please learn more about the contract on this page as well as how to save it for printing.
Feral cats: Normally we don’t recommend fostering feral cats. Feral kittens on the other hand (cats under 5 months old), are just as sweet and lovable as any other cat once they’re socialized. Our best advice is to trap-neuter-and return ferals so they can’t reproduce, but if you’ve fallen in love with one in particular, just know that they can make wonderful pets. If they’re much older than 6 months, there’s not a great chance they can be rehomed. However, if you’d like to rescue a feral kitten or take in your own feral cat, please contact us and we’ll walk you through how to do this. For more information regarding outdoor feral care, please see our guide to Feral Cat Care.
If you need any further advice please contact us at: ToledoCats@gmail.com
