Where to put kittens if they are not needed and no one will take them

Reasons why people get rid of cats

The reasons to get rid of a once beloved pet are the following factors:

• the cat has unwanted offspring that have to be thrown outside;
• the animal bores the owner;
• the cat is aggressive towards children;
• a family member has an allergy to a pet;
• the cat spoils property;
• the owner changes his place of residence.

An allergy to a pet is a common reason why an animal ends up on the street.

It's better to warn than to surrender the cat

Situations when you need to get rid of an animal are very unpleasant, psychologically difficult, and sometimes costly. Therefore, to avoid them, it is better to warn them.

Here are some tips:

• never give animals as gifts to anyone if you yourself do not want to receive a return gift at the most inopportune moment;
• do not take a kitten to your children or teenagers if you yourself are not ready to become the owner of this kitten;
• if you cannot keep your pet when moving, renovating, having a child, or buying new furniture, it is better not to get a pet at all;
• Before buying an animal, weigh whether you can keep it if it gets sick;
• never get an animal unless all family members agree;
• never buy a purebred animal because of fashion.

All you need is desire and action. It will take time to surrender a cat, but your pet's life is worth it.

And yet... I would love to write a bunch of suggestions on how to survive all the obstacles, but keep your beloved purr next to you.

Where to put a cat if you don't need it

It is best, if a cat suddenly becomes unnecessary, to give it to a shelter, give it to people you know, or find it a new owner via the Internet. But under no circumstances throw the animal outside. Just think what could happen to him:

1. She may contract a serious illness and die from severe pain.
2. The cat will suffer from hunger because it is not used to getting its own food.
3. She could die from hypothermia or being attacked by stray dogs or cats.

Overexposure

Overexposure involves the short-term placement of a cat with another person. You can find a temporary owner on an advertisement website or on social networks. If you can’t find a kind person, you can make an announcement yourself. You must indicate why you are giving away the cat, for what period of time and under what conditions you are handing over the animal for foster care. Basically, this service is paid and you need to immediately agree on the conditions and cost of the overexposure.

The advantages of this option for adopting a cat are:

• a similar environment to which the cat will get used to in a few hours;
• constant communication with the temporary owner;
• good care.

The disadvantages include the following:

• the service is paid;
• there is a risk that the animal will not live in the promised conditions;
• There may be pets in the apartment that are hostile to your cat.

Friends and acquaintances

Try asking your friends, relatives and acquaintances if they would like to adopt the animal. There is a chance that they will agree out of pity for the cat or because they just wanted to get a pet.

The advantages of this method are that:

• the animal can be visited;
• a true friend or relative will not treat your cat badly;
• your friend will take the cat for free or even pay some money.

The only downside, perhaps, is that if the animal is very problematic or the new owner is not very responsible, then he can return the cat back. Therefore, it is imperative to inform the new owner about all the difficulties in keeping a pet, as well as about all the bad habits of your furry friend.

Catcafe

In big cities, a new type of leisure has recently appeared - cat cafes. These are places where anyone can relax with friends over a cup of coffee and chat with cats at the same time. The animals that live in the cat cafe were, in most cases, found on the street or taken from a shelter. There is a chance that your pet will be taken there too.

Cat cafe is a new product on the entertainment market

The cat cafe accepts healthy and adequate cats.

It is very difficult to place an animal in a cat cafe. Therefore, if you were able to give your cat there, then consider yourself and your pet very lucky.

The advantages of the cat cafe are:

• good living conditions;
• a lot of attention from visitors.

The disadvantages of this method of adopting an animal are:

• high bar to cat;
• small number of free places.

As an example, here are several cat cafe addresses:

• Kotomania: Cats & Relax Club. Address: st. Pokrovka, 20/1, building 1. Tel. 8 (495) 133–33–03 (Moscow);
• Cat coffee shop. Address: st. Maroseyka, 10/1. Tel. 8 (495) 115–52–38 (Moscow);
• Soulmate. Address: Fontanka Embankment 51–53. Tel. 8 (965) 079–05–80 (St. Petersburg);
• "Paws and Tails." Address: st. Pushkinskaya, 72a, off. 10k. Tel. 8 (863) 301–20–16 (Rostov-on-Don);
• COFFEETERIUM. Address: st. Nakhimsona, 1a. Tel. 8 (980) 746–39–65. (Yaroslavl);
• Murchim. Address: st. Kommunisticheskaya, 45. Tel. 9 (383) 213–13–48 (Novosibirsk);
• Mr. Moore. Address: st. Nikitinskaya, 44. Tel. 8 (960) 139–03–09 (Voronezh).

Internet

Most often, they try to place animals through 2 Internet channels:

• sites with advertisements (Avito, Yula, From Hand to Hand, etc.);
• social media.

The success of this method of adopting an animal largely depends on how well the advertisement for finding a new owner is written.

1. Take good photos of your cat when she is having fun or relaxing.
2. Write truthful, useful and original text. Indicate the breed, age, eye color, coat color of your pet. Write about what he likes to eat, about the surgeries he has had, how much he likes to sleep and play.
3. Do not hold back information about both your cat’s bad habits and his good qualities.
4. Don't make the text too big.
5. Don't lie or exaggerate.

   A funny and original ad text saying that you are giving your cat into good hands will attract more responses and increase the chance of finding your friend a good new home.

If you are posting an ad on a social network, then first of all publish this text on your wall and ask your friends to share it with their subscribers. You can also write a message to a group in your city or region that the animal is looking for a new owner.

The advantage of this approach to finding a new home for your cat is that many people will see your post, and this increases the chances of finding a new owner as soon as possible.

The disadvantages are the following possible outcomes:

• the cat may not fit in with its new owner;
• if you want to know how your former pet is doing, the new owner may ignore your calls and not respond to messages;
• the owner may be cruel to the cat.

Shelters

If it was not possible to find a new owner using the methods suggested above, then you can consider the option of transferring the animal to a shelter. This path is much more traumatic for the pet and has a number of disadvantages, which are very important when deciding whether to leave a cat there.

1. Very often there are poor living conditions there.
2. Most often, animals are fed poor food.
3. If a cat is sick, it is usually not noticed immediately.
4. The life expectancy of animals in a shelter is often lower than at home.
5. There is a risk of giving an animal to a shelter, where defenseless animals are thrown out into the street or even killed immediately after adoption.
6. Cats mostly live in cages.
7. Animals are very rarely adopted from shelters; most of them will live here all their lives.

In Russia and the former CIS countries there are almost no normal shelters. Most animals live in barns without heaters.

But still, this method is the best alternative to the street. At the shelter, the cat receives:

• protection from hostile animals, machines and evil people;
• the company of other cats;
• food;
• treatment.

Life in a shelter leaves a certain imprint on the condition of the animal. Many cats become depressed or even aggressive towards humans. Some will no longer be able to adapt to a new home or owner. And due to stress, the animal may develop health problems. A long life in a shelter can have a bad effect on the physical and moral health of a purr.

Animals at the shelter mostly sleep in cages.

Yard, stray cats and male cats

The situation with pets is much easier to solve than getting rid of barn or stray cats, cats or kittens. Unfortunately, the population of such stray animals is constantly growing, and often we ourselves are to blame for this. Someone simply threw a domestic cat (cat) into the street. And someone, out of their kindness, constantly takes leftover food outside to feed these animals. As a result, it turns out that animals breed and multiply without any control, and we also feed them because we feel sorry for them!

But here, too, there are different options when you need to get rid of such animals.

First: A cat (cat or kittens) has chosen your entrance to the house. It’s a little easier to get rid of here. First, you need to completely remove all food sources from your entryway. Talk to your neighbors, explain the situation to them, and let each of them keep an eye on it. Secondly, it is necessary to remove cozy shelters for these animals. Cover nooks and crannies, remove soft cloths from under doors, treat all nooks and crannies with special repellents.

Many people often use bleach as such repellents. It’s enough to just occasionally wash the floors in the entrance with water with the addition of banal “Whiteness”. But the bad thing is that gradually the animals get used to this frightening and unpleasant smell for them and stop reacting to it. It is best to use a natural repellent, which is sold in pet stores or veterinary pharmacies. This repellent is created on the basis of dog pheromones, and for a cat (cat or kittens) it will be associated with their enemy - the dog.

These two techniques will help you quickly get rid of stray cats of any gender, and for a long time, if not forever!

Second: You have a private house with a yard where strange cats wander in. This option is much more difficult, you won’t fill the entire yard with dog repellent! This is especially troubling for those owners who have their own yard cat, and the neighbor’s cats constantly come to visit her. Simply getting rid of your cat is not a solution to the problem; shooting a rogue cat is also not an option. But you don’t want to then adopt the kittens that your cat will have!

How to prepare a cat for transfer to a new owner

If you have found a potential owner, you should find out more about him. Invite him to your home. Let your pet get to know him. If after 1-2 hours he still has a negative attitude towards the guest (hisses, bites, scratches), then it is better to find another person.

Never give a cat to teenagers or children. Don't believe them that the parents gave permission to take the animal. You should only give your pet to adults.

If the new owner makes friends with the cat and takes it in, then you should call him a week later and ask how the adaptation stage went. It may happen that the new owner could not find a common language with the pet and is ready to get rid of it. And your call can either encourage him, or, if necessary, you can take your cat back to you in time until you find another owner.

When transferring kittens to a new home, you need to remember the following:

• Kittens should be given away only 12 weeks after their birth;
• it is necessary to introduce the kitten to the future owner;
• It is necessary to accustom the baby to the tray.

If a cat is stressed, it will hide from people very often.

Signs and routes of infection

Understanding whether a cat or newborn kittens have fleas is not a tricky matter; the main thing is to pay attention to a number of signs in time:

• itching;
• the appearance of wounds and scratches on the body;
• nervous behavior;
• traces of flea activity on the animal’s body;
• hair loss;
• baldness.

Fleas are jumping, hardy insects that can live without food, waiting for a new owner, for up to 18 months. And if a blood-sucking insect is hiding in the grass, then a cat passing by will undoubtedly be infected. Even if the pet has not been outside, insect eggs and larvae can be carried on the shoes or clothes of household members.

Flea

One flea on a cat's body is enough to create a population of blood-sucking fleas within two weeks. The parasite does not lay eggs in one place, but sprays them in different places, so they can end up on bedding, furniture, and the floor.

And you shouldn’t be surprised if a pregnant cat, which never leaves the apartment, or newborn kittens suddenly develop fleas.

Is it worth adopting a pet from a shelter?

The main advantage of adopting a cat from a shelter is that the animal undergoes a health and medical check. In good shelters, cats are not afraid of people and do not shy away from them.

There are many reasons why an animal should be adopted from a shelter:

1. You are saving an animal from poor living conditions and quick death.
2. The animal has a chance for a prosperous and happy life with a new owner.
3. By freeing up even one place in the shelter, you will save at least one more abandoned animal.
4. Often, shelters have expensive purebred cats that you can adopt for free or very cheaply.
5. You save money on spaying, neutering and vaccinations.
6. Shelter animals are often in good health.
7. You set a good example for other people.

By adopting a cat from a shelter you are extending its life.

The disadvantages include the fact that the cat can be aggressive or hide from the owner. There is also a risk that the shelter staff will not provide complete information about the animal’s health status, and it will turn out to be sick.

Why does it become necessary to part with an animal?

Cats live in 46% of Russian families. They look great, are unpretentious, and with a variety of food and care products, keeping a cat in a city apartment and busy owners does not present any difficulties. When purchasing a “mustachioed and striped one,” the owners, of course, expect the animal to live with them “happily ever after,” but sometimes they have to give the animal away. There are several reasons:

1. Allergy. Sometimes, after a person gets a cat, he realizes that he has an allergy - his nose itches, it comes out of his eyes and he feels disgusting. Unfortunately, treatment of this disease is expensive and ineffective in 80% of cases. All medications relieve symptomatic signs during short-term contact with the source of the allergy, but one cannot count on a long-term effect. If the disease manifests itself when the cat has just been acquired, there are minimal problems; it can be quickly returned to its previous owners with an apology. It is much more difficult if the animal lived in an apartment for some time, and then, for example, a child appeared who is allergic to wool.

   If allergy symptoms occur, the cat will unfortunately have to be given away

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2. Changing of the living place. Most often, residents of rented housing encounter this problem. Not all owners are happy to accept animals in their apartments.
3. Illness or death of the owners. Lonely older people often get themselves a friend - a cat or dog. Unfortunately, after their death, the heirs do not seek to take away “movable” property in the form of a sad cat along with real estate. Such animals are thrown out onto the street, and compassionate neighbors or random people take care of their livelihoods.
4. Kittens from a domestic cat. The problem concerns owners of unsterilized free-ranging animals.

How to pick up an animal from a shelter

When choosing a cat, you need to examine your potential pet for diseases or defects. To make sure your cat is healthy, you need to:

• make sure the animal is adequate: the cat should not attack a person or be overly aggressive;
• make sure that the cat has no discharge from the nose and eyes: they must be clean;
• inspect the ears - they should be clean;
• pay attention to the fur - it should not be pale;
• make sure there are no insects (fleas, ticks) in the animal’s hair;
• Examine your cat's skin for flaky skin, scratches, bumps, and tumors.
• feel the stomach: it should not be very large and hard;
• stroke the animal: when stroking the belly, the cat should not show dissatisfaction;
• Look under the cat's tail: there should be no redness, cracks or discharge on the anus.

Shelters have high requirements for a potential owner. They will interview you and may even come to your apartment. There were cases when shelter employees even looked in on neighbors. Sometimes the shelter enters into an agreement with the future owner on the responsible care of the pet, which spells out the duties and responsibilities of the new owner of the animal.

The cat will be grateful if you take it

Classification of shelter cats

There are 2 types of cats that live in shelters:

• who never had an owner, that is, born and picked up on the street;
• abandoned by a person or lost.

Cats that have never lived indoors tend to have the hardest time living in small spaces. They are unlikely to sleep in the same bed with you. They can also show aggression towards humans.

And cats that have already had an owner (formerly pets) differ little from ordinary pets.

Gender differences in the character of shelter cats and male cats differ little from the characteristics of domestic cats. Males are more curious and aggressive. And females are more clean and affectionate.

If you are going to adopt an adult animal, then you need to take into account that it is almost impossible to change the habits and character of an adult cat. Most often, problems arise with learning to urinate in the tray. But with a certain amount of patience and perseverance, you can overcome any difficulty.

The easiest way is to take a small kitten, whose age does not exceed 6 months. They are easy to learn, their character is just being formed. Many negative character traits are easily corrected.

Cats in shelters may have psychological trauma

What not to do with cat's milk without kittens

There is another misconception: the owners, instead of stopping the milk, try to express it. To help a cat without kittens, this is strictly forbidden to do with milk. Even if the nipples are swollen and cause discomfort to the animal. This will only prolong lactation. After all, sucking, as well as expressing, stimulates milk production in the mammary glands, and stagnation, on the contrary, suppresses it.

How does this happen? In the mammary glands, along with milk, a special protein FIL (Feedback Inhibitor Of Lactation) is secreted, which suppresses lactation. When milk accumulates, the concentration of this protein increases and milk production decreases, and vice versa.

In addition, a large amount of milk compresses the blood vessels and prevents the flow of blood into the mammary glands, and therefore the substances for milk production. And finally, sucking and breast massage provoke the production of prolactin, the lactation hormone.

Let's summarize what to do to make your cat lose milk. Firstly, limit your pet’s water and food, and secondly, avoid stimulation of the nipples. After giving away the kittens, the cat should stop producing milk completely on the fifth to seventh day after weaning. Closely monitor your cat's health these days.

If you notice alarming signs - fever, weakness, enlarged mammary glands, purulent discharge from the nipples, anxiety - contact your veterinarian.

How to prepare a house for a cat

Before taking your future pet, you need to inspect the home for dangerous places and, if possible, remove all things that could harm the health of the animal.

You need to buy the following things:

• a carrier (will be needed to carry the animal home or to the veterinarian);
• two bowls (for water and food);
• feed;
• tray and filler;
• scratching post;
• cat bed

Determine the place where the animal will sleep. It must be protected from drafts. It is not recommended to allocate space for an animal’s bed in the kitchen or in an unheated room.

Walk with a friend

Before the pandemic, the guys from the #WalkTheDog volunteer movement devoted their free time to shelters for homeless animals. They are still closed, so now volunteers have a different, but no less important mission: to help free of charge grandparents who cannot go for a walk with their pets. The campaign started in early April and was supposed to finish on May 5th. But it has already been decided: it will last at least until the end of May.

Those willing to lend a helping hand, and there were more than 170 of them, were found quickly. Any resident of Moscow who finds himself in complete self-isolation can leave a request on the website pogulyaisobaku.rf or by phone. Although the main focus is on people over 60 years of age and chronically ill people - it is dangerous for them to go out during the height of the epidemic. More than 70 people have already taken advantage of the offer, co-founder of the movement Dmitry Mikhailov told RG. “The volunteer arrives wearing gloves and a mask with his own leash. Before getting up, he calls his grandmother, and she opens the door and ties the dog to the door handle and moves away at least one and a half to two meters, explains Dmitry. — The volunteer unties the leash, puts on his own and goes to walk the pet. He walks for half an hour and no further than a hundred meters from the house.”

Do you want to join the team of volunteers? Then go to the movement’s website and fill out the form. There are no special requirements. The main thing is a love for animals and a desire to help.

Proper communication with future owners

Conversations with potential owners need to be conducted in a balanced manner. Do not persistently force kittens to attack a person. It’s better to talk in a calm tone about the pet’s merits: what commands he understands, how he behaves in the apartment and with family members, what he likes to play with.

Note! Each cat has its own character. You need to describe it truthfully. In a conversation, if this is a stranger, they take a closer look at him and draw up a psychological portrait of the applicant.

You want to give your favorite animals or a street foundling to safe hands so as not to worry about its future fate. Therefore, the owners watch the person they want to entrust the care of the cat to. Whether he has a sincere desire to have a companion, whether he is a friendly person, whether he is ready not only to feed the animal, but also to treat it, to vaccinate it on time - such moments are gradually clarified in the conversation.

Important! You need to make it clear to the person that if he doesn’t cope, so that he doesn’t have to worry about where to put the cat, they are ready to take him back.

Politeness and objectivity are the main directions of dialogue with future cat owners. If something in the conversation is embarrassing or remains unsaid, it is better for the applicant to refuse.

A well-groomed domestic cat is more likely to find a new home

Optimal time to search for a home

An already grown-up pet will more easily tolerate changes in its usual lifestyle than a small kitten. Before looking for a new owner, it is important to teach your baby to feed himself, use a litter box, and treat people without fear.

Also, the animal must be in good health, it must be treated with special flea products and checked by a veterinarian. After 8-10 weeks, vaccination is mandatory. Now you can start looking for a new home for the kitten.

Cat's House website

This is one of the well-known resources that publishes photographs and data of animals that owners plan to give away for various reasons. The site has strict moderation and high requirements for the preparation of advertisements, since the more complete the information, the easier it is to place an animal. That is why, when composing an advertisement, indicate:

• age, date of birth, gender;
• presence or absence of diseases, vaccinations;
• habits and skills.

On the site they are looking for new owners for adult animals - newborns cannot be placed here, but an older kitten can be offered by making an advertisement.

In good hands with friends

You can ask your friends and relatives if they would like to get a pet. Perhaps someone was just about to do this. Taking a pet that is already litter trained and vaccinated is always beneficial. That's why people often agree to it.

The advantages are that the owner can be found quickly, in addition, you can visit the kitten from time to time. There are practically no downsides - except that a person may later abandon the animal and begin to look for somewhere to place it.

Mr. Cat offers: tips when a cat is found on the street

If you see an animal on the street, you need to immediately take it to a place where it will feel safe. Examine your cat for wounds or illness. It’s good if you can keep him at home until you find the previous owner or place the pet in good hands. The cat needs to be fed, washed, treated with anti-parasite medication, and shown to a veterinarian. Then you can take a photo of it and post an ad on websites to find the owner.

If it is not possible to keep the animal at home, you can find a shelter for it and bring food there every day. Join forces with other people who care about the fate of homeless animals. It is better to keep information about where the shelter is located secret, devoting it to a minimum number of people, so that no one kills or steals the cat.