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It isn’t always a bad thing to rehome a cat. Once you’ve decided that your cat would be happier in a different environment that better can meet all their needs, how do you rehome a cat in a way that is as low stress as possible? Just because you’re rehoming your cat doesn’t mean you don’t care about them so I’ve come up with a few suggestions to help make this easier for your cat and you.
Identify A Reputable Rescue Organization
While you can rehome a cat on your own, it is significantly less stressful for you and to go faster if you leave it to an organization that helps cats find homes. Unfortunately, even people who love and care for animals can run a not so great rescue organization. I’m not about to talk smack about any rescues so I encourage you to thoroughly screen any rescue organization on your own.
Some things you’ll want to look into:
- How and where the cats will be housed
- Rescue policies on euthanasia of cats in their care
- What kind of training methods they use with animals in their care
- How they manage their finances
- If they treat cats as being secondary to dogs or if cats are seen as being a priority
- Sanitation conditions in any shelters and access to veterinary care
- How potential adopters are screened
- Complaints filed against the organization
This is far from an exhaustive list, but you’ll want to prioritize a shelter or rescue organization that aligns with your values, treats cats well, and is a good fit for your particular cat’s needs.
Capacity Considerations
One unfortunate reality of the current state of animal services is that shelters are currently very, very full. It can also be challenging to get some cats into a rescue if they have a history of behavior problems. The rescue you think is best may not be able to take your cat so an important part of this step is to find multiple organizations as you may need to go with a second or third choice. In the meantime, you can always work on addressing your cat’s behavior to prevent the need to rehome your cat in the first place.
Shelter Or Foster?
When deciding how to rehome a cat, you will want to choose between a shelter or foster based organization. Some rescues offer both shelter and fostering options. While you may want to have your cat in foster care, it ultimately will be up to the rescue where your cat ends up based on their assessment of the cat and availability of fosters.
While shelters have a bad reputation and some of those reputations are not unfounded, there are a lot of shelters that are well run and take the cats’ needs into account. For example, those local to the Twin Cities may be familiar with Feline Rescue. They have a great shelter where all cats get a multilevel kennel to live in, enrichment daily, and there are a variety of different housing arrangements to meet the needs of the individual cat. The shelter is clean and well run. It’s not the terrible, unsanitary shelter many people think of.
If possible, make a trip to the shelter ahead of time and see what it is like. If something feels off, trust your gut.
Situations Where Fostering Is Better
Depending on why you’re helping your cat find a new home and their personality, there may be some situations where fosters are the better choice. If your cat doesn’t get along with other cats or is extremely afraid of strangers, a shelter environment may be overwhelming. It may be best to focus on foster based organizations. Of course, some shelters have programs designed to help with shy and fearful cats so they may not be the worst option.
Self Rehoming
Going through a rescue is only way method for how to rehome a cat. You can also try doing it yourself. If you are local to Minnesota, Pet Haven’s Home to Home program allows you to post your cat on their platform for potential adopters to find. You are responsible for most of the work including screening adopters, arranging a meet and greet, and creating a profile for your cat.
This can be the best way for how to rehome a cat if you want to keep them in your home while you find them a new family. Of course, that can be challenging as well as you will likely continue to bond with your cat. There is also a lot of work to be done on your part to make sure the new family is a good fit. If you can’t find a rescue you are comfortable with and are willing to do the work, this is an option for how to rehome your cat.
Of course, you may also know a friend or family member who is a great fit for your cat or is looking for a cat. You will still want to screen them to make sure they will be able to take care of your cat’s needs and won’t declaw your cat. You can ask around or post on social media that you are looking for a home for your cat.
A Self Rehoming Happy Ending
This was actually how I got the cat who inspired me to start Class Act Cats. A friend was a nanny for a family that had a daughter with an allergy to cats and posted that they needed to rehome their 8 year old cat. There was something about him that I just had to meet him. When I did, he purred and rubbed against me. I was smitten! Clearly, self rehoming can work out sometimes.
How To Rehome A Cat: Parting Ways
When you’ve come up with a plan for how to rehome your cat, you will eventually need to bring them to the rescue or get them to your new family. Follow all procedures that the rescue organization has in place as they will guide you through that process.
If you are self rehoming your cat or the rescue allows you to send things with them, you can reduce your cat’s stress by including some of their favorite items with them including bedding, some favorite toys, and even a favorite food dish. It may also be helpful to include something with your scent on it so they have some familiar smells with them.
To give you an idea of what was included when I adopted Zoloft, he came with his carrier, a food bowl, a well loved toy, a shirt that had his last human’s scent on it, and a blanket that had his smell on it. The first day was pretty challenging as he was understandably stressed, but he warmed up pretty quickly. It was also helpful to me as a first time cat parent to have a few things to use until I figured out what things cats like and it helped him adjust.
After Rehoming
You may or may not get updates on your cat after they are rehomed. This may be a good thing as it could be stressful or traumatic to you to hear about what their life is like. If you find yourself doing worse when you see your cat posted on social media through the rescue, it may be best to not check up on them. If you decide to self rehome, their new cat parent may keep in touch. If they are open to this, it’s up to you if it’s healthy for you to do it or not.
It’s important to remember that whatever happens after your rehome your cat is completely out of your control. By taking time to read this guide on how to rehome a cat in way that minimizes stress, you’re doing the best you can as clearly you want what’s best for them. Rehoming a cat is a kind of ambiguous grief that can be challenging to navigate. Be kind to yourself.
Before you go through with the rehoming, consider making a memento of your cat if you think it may help. Remember, rehoming is sometimes the kindest choice to make and it doesn’t mean you don’t love your cat. You may not be ready immediately to remember them, but eventually it may be very meaningful to you to have a keepsake of your time together.
Of course, depending on what’s going on, it may be possible to prevent the need to rehome. If your cat is having a behavior concern, you’re struggling with keeping your cat happy in a small space, or you’re worried about an upcoming life transition (your cat isn’t going to kill your baby), there is help available. We can talk about how to rehome your cat if it does come to it, but in many cases rehoming can be prevented with some guidance.
