Sometimes people are forced to rehome their cat or kitten due to a change in circumstances. This is often a very difficult decision, and particularly if the cat is a much-loved family member, the thought of them having to go into a 'cattery' type situation may even put people off contacting a rescue. However, there is another way - 'Direct Rehoming' - where the cat is homed straight from your home to their new home, with help and support from the rescue organisation.

Just about all rescue organisations run at full capacity all of the time, with shelters and fosterers constantly taking in new inmates - as soon as one puss is rehomed, another comes into care. Many rescue organisations have to prioritise - so that strays, poorly or pregnant cats are a higher priority for immediate action than cats that are at the moment living in safety, with food, warmth and a roof over their head. The 'Direct Rehoming' option has the following benefits:

• Keeps valuable pen space free for the more desperate and homeless cats
• Minimises disruption and stress to the cat, by only having to 'move house' once
• Saves on rescues expenses and resources, allowing them to help more cats
• Often a cat is homed more quickly this way, rather than waiting for a pen (or indoor fosterer) to become free
  
  

How To Go About Direct Rehoming

To enable the rescue organisation to help you, you should give them as much information as possible about the cat - making sure to be very honest about the details of their character, preferences, health, etc. as that will go a long way to ensuring the cat goes to the right home for their needs.

Here are some main points which a rescue will find useful when assisting you to Direct Rehome:

• Your full contact details
• Name and age of the cat
• Colour, long or short haired, and breed, if it is a pedigree
• Provide a good photograph too, if possible
• Cat's background
• Why you need to rehome puss (you don't need to go into personal details, but it helps to have an idea of the circumstances.)
• Cat's likes and dislikes
• Character, is puss a lap cat or an independent soul?
• Does puss get on well with children, other cats or dogs?
• Is puss an indoor or an outdoor cat?
• Is puss up to date with vaccinations? Is he/she neutered? Microchipped?

Once these details are to hand, a rescue organisation can then put your cat on their Direct Rehoming list. Most rescue organisations have a list of people wanting to adopt a cat and sometimes a 'match' can be made quite quickly. Otherwise they might decide to advertise for a home via their own rehoming avenues, including perhaps on their own website - or on Cat Chat. We don't feature private homings on Cat Chat - but if you are Direct Homing with the assistance of a rescue organisation, then we can, if that rescue wishes, feature the cat on our homing pages.

People who contact the organisation enquiring about adopting a cat will be advised of any cats who might suit their home environment. This is why it is important to give as much detail as possible about your cat's character. For example a rescue organisation would not rehome an elderly cat that dislikes dogs to a home with a resident dog. The vast majorty of UK rescues carry out a home visit to the potential new home, or conduct a careful ‘interview and matching’ process – some rescues do both. This is why we always advise going through a rescue organisation, rather than trying to rehome privately.

What Will Happen Next?

If potential 'matches' are found then it very much depends on the policies of the organisation as to what happens next.

Scenario 1. The rescue organisation will talk to a potential adopter at length to ascertain their suitability and then may pass your details on to them. The potential adopter can then arrange to come and see you and your cat. It would then be up to you to decide if your cat would be happy in their home (you may wish to do an informal homecheck if both parties agree to that).

Scenario 2. The rescue organisation would contact you regarding a potential new home for your cat and they would organise the homecheck. Then, if that is successful the new people would contact you to arrange to collect puss to take to their new home.

Direct rehoming works best when both parties are in agreement - the original owner knows what sort of home their cat will be happy in, and the potential adopter knows what kind of cat they are looking for - this way an 'ideal' match can be made.

Things To Remember

Neutering: Rescues are always aiming to reduce the numbers of kittens born, and therefore reduce the number of future stray and unwanted cats, so they may only consider rehoming your cat if it is neutered. If the cost of neutering is a problem, don't be afraid to ask the rescue! Many rescues offer reduced cost neutering, low cost neutering vouchers are available from Cats Protection and RSPCA branches, or there are many low cost neutering clinics around the country - see our Neutering Info page for full details.

Vaccinations and Microchips: It is quite important that the cat's yearly vaccinations record is up to date (you should have a vaccination certificate for this issued by your vets) and this can be handed over to the new people. If puss is microchipped then please make sure that the microchip details are changed over to the address of the new owners. Sometimes this can be done free of charge, but normally there is a small cost involved. The new owners may of course, agree to cover the cost of this.

Donations: Most rescue organisations who will help you to rehome you cat are largely run by volunteers - and both finances and resources are often stretched to the limit. So if both parties are able to able to give a donation to enable the rescue to help other cats in this way, then it is very much appreciated.

If you find a Home for Puss Yourself: If a rescue organisation is helping you with direct rehoming, but you find a suitable home for him yourself, then please let the rescue know as soon as possible. Not only will you be saving their resources, but it will prevent the awkward situation of more than one person wanting to home your cat!

Further Information

To discuss issues relating to rehoming, post on our Forum under 'Rescue & Rehoming' here »» the Cat Chat Forum
Find your nearest animal Rescue Centre or Rehoming Organisation here »» Shelter Listings
How to get Reduced Cost Neutering here »» Neutering Information