A kitten is for life.....
We all thought the nation had already got the message not to give pets as presents but it seems we are wrong.
We are already receiving calls asking if we have kittens for Christmas presents and we are informing all callers why we have very restrictive rules on homing at this time of year.
No cat or kitten will be allowed to leave Feline Care between Thursday 17th December and Friday 1st January.
Even feral cats like Dotty pick up on the Christmas excitement
This policy is in place is for the good of both the cat and owner for a number of reasons but primarily health and behaviour....
Moving home is worrying for cats regardless of their personality. When you move home with your own cat/s you take all your belongings too and the familiar smells and humans make the transition a lot easier.
Cats leaving rescues have to cope with every aspect of their life changing at once.
With stress having such a large impact on immunity this makes the chances of needing a vet over the first week at home much higher.
The last thing it would be fair to do is send any animal into a new home at the busiest and noisiest time of year. We advise owners to give their new pet the calmest and quietest introduction to a house as possible and there's no hiding the excitment of Christmas from a hypersensitive cat.
Such huge stress can have an unpredictable affect on a cat's behaviour at best and at worst emergency veterinary treatment over the Christmas period is incredibly expensive.
PLEASE NOTE:
This policy does not apply if homing is through veterinary advice. For example, we homed Lola on Christmas Eve two years ago because she was needed to befriend a berieved cat.
Wellies had stopped eating when his sister died and was fast deteriorating and upon veterinary advice our most feline friendly female was whisked straight out to her new home. The pair became firm friends immediately and old Wellies thankfully had a very happy, healthy, New Year.
