If you’re wondering if you should rehome your cat, chances are something significant is going wrong either with your cat or your life in general. While rehoming a cat isn’t always bad, it is unavoidably stressful for the cat. Before deciding your cat needs to get the boot, here are five questions to consider.
Why Do I Really Want To Rehome My Cat?
This first question may seem obvious, but think about it a bit deeper. Ask yourself why your initial answer makes you want to rehome your cat. Here are a few examples of what I’m talking about:
- Your cat isn’t using the litter box consistently may be your initial reason you’re considering rehoming. Upon reflection, though, it may be that you don’t know how to address the problem.
- You’re going to become a parent soon (congratulations!) and think that means you need to rehome your cat. After thinking about it, you’re really worried your cat may hurt your baby because people always seem to say that when a baby comes, the cat needs to go.
- You’re moving and don’t think you can bring your cat. In reality, you don’t think you can bring your cat because you’re moving to a small apartment.
- Your cat has a medical condition that requires prescription food. While you’re willing to get the food, you don’t think you can afford it.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of reasons people may rehome their cat, but hopefully you get the idea. Ask yourself what the core problem is beyond the initial, surface level reason you identify means your cat needs to be rehomed. Chances are you’ll identify something you can actually take action on before rehoming your cat!
Can I Address The Problem?
Now you need to decide if the problem is something you can fix or not. Before you say no, fixing the problem may require some preparation. You may need to gather more information about cats, talk to a veterinarian, or try to find a cat product that might help resolve the issue (such as getting your cat a nice new scratcher to address their destructive scratching). You don’t necessarily need to come up with a solution now, but start by figuring out if it’s something that can be resolved.
One thing to keep in mind: you might have already tried a few things and they may not have worked. That doesn’t mean there isn’t anything that can help. You may have not:
- Done whatever intervention you tried correctly or well enough. For example, if your cat is peeing outside the litter box and you tried changing litter boxes, it may not have helped. If you got a litter box cats don’t like such as a top entry litter box, that may be your problem!
- Addressed the right problem. Again with the litter box issue, if the problem is that your cat wants different litter and you tried adding another litter box, you’re not actually addressing the issue. (Hint: Consider trying unscented grass seed litter if you haven’t)
- Thought of the solution yet. This sounds obvious, but just because you haven’t found a solution doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist.
If You Can’t Address The Problem
If you really can’t address the problem, it’s good to recognize that. Now you have to decide if you can adapt to the issue or it’s something that you can’t tolerate long term. Don’t be harsh on yourself whatever the conclusion is. It’s better to be honest with yourself and rehoming your cat may not be the end of the world.
Side note: In some cases, you may be worried about the welfare of your cat. That will be addressed later so don’t think I’m ignoring it!
Is The Problem Temporary Or Permanent?
You may come to the conclusion that no, the problem isn’t able to be addressed, but it’s temporary. This gets really complicated as you need to consider how long it will last and what the impact is on your cat and you until it resolves. For example, if construction is happening in your home that will be finished next week, rehoming is probably a bit of an overreaction!
Is There Someone That Can Help Me?
If you haven’t found a solution yet or don’t think it’s something that is resolvable, is there someone who can help you? “Help” may mean a few things:
- Can someone help give you a professional assessment of your cat’s behavior?
- Can they help you find a solution?
- If finances are a concern, is there a resource that can help you reduce the cost of cat care?
There are cat behavior professionals like me who can help with your cat’s behavior, but I’m not the only one who can help. A veterinarian, local non-profits, or even a different kind of professional (depending on what the problem is) can help you gather information or reach a conclusion. Even talking to a trusted friend or family member may help give you clarity if you need someone to provide additional perspective.
What Will Happen To The Cat?
This question is a tough one because you ultimately can’t control what happens to your cat after you rehome them. Even if you do everything you can to set them up for success, things may not work out. That doesn’t mean you did anything wrong or that your cat should stay in your home, especially if they’re miserable. It is the unavoidable reality that you don’t control what happens next.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though: it might seem like your cat won’t ever be happy, but I can assure you as someone who works with a lot cats, that isn’t the case. In some cases, your cat may thrive in their new home.
Do you have a place your cat will go or will they go to a rescue organization? You may feel better or worse depending on the specifics of where or how you will rehome the cat.
Stress And Rehoming
Before deciding to rehome a cat, think about how the stress will affect them. Giving your cat a completely stress free life would be nice, but it’s not completely avoidable. In some cases, the stress of rehoming may end up being less than the stress of not rehoming them. Which one benefits your cat more?
Euthanasia Risk
Depending on your cat’s age, if they have behavior concerns, and where you rehome them, an unpleasant thing to consider is if your cat will be euthanized. You can’t control if this happens or not. Your perfectly sweet and lovable senior cat may be euthanized due to space the next day. They may also be scooped up by a loving family.
If you have cats that aren’t getting along, this consideration becomes a bit more important as you may need to decide which cat(s) to rehome. While it’s ultimately your decision, if you have a 6 month old kitten not getting along with a 13 year old senior, consider rehoming the kitten first. The kitten is much more likely to be adopted quickly whereas the senior cat may not make it out alive.
What Will Happen If You DON’T Rehome Your Cat?
A lot of people worry about the stress of rehoming a cat (and I think that is a very important consideration), but not enough people think of the opposite: what about the stress of not rehoming your cat? Is that worse? Doing nothing isn’t a benign choice. In some cases, it’s actually not a particularly kind to do. If your cat is going to spend their days hiding under a bed because your home is so stressful, they may be happier somewhere else.
This is complicated, so you may also decide that your cat is better off remaining with you. Neither conclusion is wrong as long as you’re being objective about it.
Rehoming Cats Isn’t An Easy Decision
Whether or not your decide to rehome your cat, it’s a difficult choice. Rehoming an animal doesn’t make you a bad person if done thoughtfully and with the best intentions for their wellbeing. Keeping a cat in a home where they will can’t thrive doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being responsible.
Sometimes rehoming is responsible. Sometimes it isn’t. Life is really messy.
Whatever you decide to do, don’t rush the decision. Rehoming may result in your cat ending up in a home that is a better fit for them or it may result in an extremely stressful life. Don’t make the decision lightly, but don’t be afraid to make the best decision for your cat.
