IMPORTANT: How to check for genuine Rehoming Centres/Chariti

[Pet-Questions]

IMPORTANT: How to check for genuine Rehoming Centres/Charities

Hi,

I have recently put an ad on Gumtree looking a good home for a little stray kitten. However, I am concerned about bogus 'charities' or 'rehoming centres'. I have been contacted by a local charity that claim they are new, but am a bit suspicious as they have only provided me with a simple Facebook page, which seems very recent, and no actual website or any proof of being a genuine and established charity/rehoming centre. Needless to say, anyone can create a quick Facebook page, especially if there is very little on the page to suggest it is a longstanding charity.

My questions is as follows: is there any way of determining or distinguishing between genuine charities and bogus ones, e.g. a charity number for rehoming centres etc. that I could ask potential buyers to provide before selling the kitten? (I have decided to sell the kitten for a small price rather than give it away for free to discourage buyers who are not genuine cat lovers).

Would be grateful if anyone could provide me with some information as I would hate to give the kitten away to someone who will then seek to make a profit out of it rather than look after it.

Thank you in advance.

[Animal lover]

I always advise people to check that the organisations they are dealing with are legit. These are a few links that are, IMHO, the best to use:

Government Offical Charity Commision
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisat ... commission" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Simply click on 'Find charities - search the charity register'.

Open Charities
http://opencharities.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This one is really good. It gives you a lot of different info about the charity.

Charity Choice
http://www.charitychoice.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The only thing I will advise is that depending on the size of the charity, there are different places they need to register. So if you do not find one on the Government Charity Commission site, check the other two.

Personally, I would never deal with any organisation that just has a page on Facebook, or on something similar. One thing I always do is a full internet search, check the charity sites, and in a way most importantly, ask around.

The really sad thing is, in today's times, you cannot be absolutely sure that just because they are registered as a charity that they have the best interests of the animals at heart. Just in the last few years there have been big cases of so called animal centres being raided and prosecuted, as the lack of welfare and the amount of neglect and cruelty was immense. One of the things that we need to change in the Animal Welfare Bill is that charities that are for animal and environmental welfare are checked out regulary and meet a strict criteria.

I would say ask around if your friends and family would like the kitten, or if they know someone who would. Someone you know, or who is known by someone you know, is going to have people that you trust to give character references.

[Pet-Questions]

Hi,

Firstly, thank you for your quick reply. I really appreciate. Unfortunately, I have already asked around, but have not found anyone interested in the kitten.

With regards to 'charities' on Facebook pages, I agree with you. The page I looked at seemed a bit dodgy, especially as the posts only went back a month or so, and, like I said, there was no official website or anything. Definitely won't give the kitten to them.

It's shocking that even the registered charities are failing in their duties to provide a safe environment for these animals. If you can't trust them, then how far can you really go when, as an individual you have limited resources, to ensure the animal is truly safe.

I will check out the webpages you have provided, and if I am contacted by any charities, I will double-check them on there for legitimacy.

The thing is, I have checked other ads on Gumtree, and some people are selling kittens for over £100. So the little I'm asking for will hardly deter anyone interested in either breeding or profiting from stray animals. Out of interest, being an animal lover, would you say it is a bit suspicious if someone specifically asks for a female? I have my reservations about such potential buyers too. Would be interested in your thoughts, as I obviously also don't want to delay the kitten finding a nice home.

Thanks again for your help. It's much appreciated.

[Animal lover]

You are more than welcome. Just glad I can help. I am sure more people will offer advice too.

I can see why it can be seen as suspicious for someone to want a female, but there are people who find that female cats are more loving and easier to bond with. I personally have no preference either way, I love them all lol. I also get all of my animals neutered. Do you know any vets? They normally have boards asking for pets or giving charity details, etc. Other than that, I would say post notices at vets and on sites such as this. That way you know it will be seen by people who love and care for cats and animals in general, and will give them a good home. It would be a good idea to say where you live, and if you would be willing to travel within a particular distance.

Personally, I do hate the pet trade as it is today. I am with certain charities wanting to ban online selling, websites, newspapers, etc., from advertising animals for sale. It encourages people to breed and most of those people do not care about the welfare of the animals.

I do hope that you find them a good home, if you stay away from dodgy places and anywhere and anyone you feel unsure about, I think you will. Good luck and let me know how it goes.

[Crewella]

My advice would be to stay well away from sites like Gumtree altogether - there are some horrible people out there that want cats and kittens for things like dog-baiting and Gumtree provides a rich hunting ground for them.

Cat Chat has a good list of rescues you could use as a check list - click on your area on here:

http://www.catchat.org/adoption/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sadly there are thousands of unwanted cats and kittens needing spaces and rescues are overflowing, but you might get lucky or get on a waiting list if you want to go down that route. I guess it's possible that you were contacted by a genuine rescue, perhaps one that's just starting out, but I would be very, very wary (as you obviously are).

If you do continue to try and find a home for the kitten yourself you could perhaps try putting the word out through friends/family/colleagues, please, please vet any potential owner very carefully and, if possible, do a home check. There are members of this forum that have done home checks for charities who can advise you on what to ask.

[Jane]

As a Rescue Charity we would never advise using sites such as Gumtree as they involve thoughtless trading which results in much animal suffering. Cat Chat also advises against trying to rehome privately (unless it is to someone you know and trust), as there are little or no safeguards if anything goes wrong. Instead our advice is to go through a rescue centre or rehoming group as they will do their best to ensure that their cats go somewhere suitable, by carrying out any necessary checks.

Cat Chat’s rehoming advice page might help:

http://www.catchat.org/rehome.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Pet-Questions]

Hi all,

Thank you for all your help so far. I have looked at some of the links. In fact, I have already checked the Rehoming centres for my area when I first came across this forum, and a couple of my emails to those relevant to my area have viewed my emails, so hopefully they will contact me.

I was reluctant to post a link here, or mention any specifics as I didn't want to break any forum rules. However, it would be helpful if people could ask around too to help me. Of course, within reason and not if impractical, as I know we are all busy people.

If anyone does want the link to Gumtree, then please let me know.

Furthermore, I am dealing with this with great scepticism for every remotely suspicious message I get. After what I have read about what some of these people do, I feel quite annoyed by one or two messages I got, which have been disregarded straight away. I read somewhere, that if I ask for a high price, I too may be deemed as being involved in trading, which is why I was reluctant to ask for much. However, I think I may have been better off posting my ad for a lot more, given that some people are stupid enough to ask if I will give it away for free when I have clearly posted a price.

Unfortunately, I only took the kitten as I was concerned about it being on the streets with the inconsiderate drivers on my road. I am unable to give it the full attention it needs and deserves due to other commitments, and it is not a nice feeling to know this, which is why I urgently need someone. As such, the longer routes listed by some are not a very good option for me. Hopefully the rehoming centres will contact me soon as I definitely prefer that route than private, now that I have read your posts.

Thanks again. I will keep you guys posted.

Take care

[Pet-Questions]

Hi again,

I have looked through the Cat Rescue Centres again, as well as having called most of the local ones, which unfortunately all have too long a waiting list to realistically go through them.

What I've noticed is that one of them in the list also just has a Facebook page (Little Haven Rescue Centre). I've been wondering, if they were listed on here, then perhaps not necessarily all those with just a Facebook page are dodgy. Could you guys tell me what you think of this one (which I've not replied to yet as I was in doubt - mentioned this one in an earlier post): https://www.facebook.com/Petrescuewestmidlands" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thank you again for your time.

[Crewella]

There are lots of small independent rescues out there, and it does follow sometimes that a small rescue (especially one just starting out and probably on a shoestring), will be more focused on the cats than on websites, advertising and admin. It's particularly those small rescues that benefit from the support of the Cat Chat website, as it enables them to put up details of cats needing homes somewhere online - setting up a website is expensive and time consuming. Some will be better than others, but I'd hate to dismiss such enterprises - there's many a cat out there that now has a future due to the time and effort put in by a small independent rescue.

As you say, most rescues are overflowing and have long waiting lists, but some rescues might be able to help as a 'direct homing' - they would put your kitten up on their website and handle the enquiries and home checks, but the kitten would stay with you until a home is found. That might be worth a try?

Bless you for taking this kitten on and trying to secure it a future.