I'm looking after Thomas the foster cat who is very broken at the moment. He may lose his front leg due to nerve damage, although I'm hoping it will not come to that, and his back leg is badly broken. He really is the most adorable cat despite the fact that he must be really uncomfortable most of the time.

Eventually he'll be well enough to go up for adoption, and I just wondered if his possibly long term disabilities will make people feel sorry for him and want to mother him or if they would make people back off because he's not the "perfect" cat.

What do you think?

Sally tried really hard to find a new home for her SBT who had a spinal injury with other related problems, but had great difficulty

I agreed to take him for two weeks to give her more time to find a new home, during which time I managed his injury well enough to be able to reduce his related problems

Once it was evident he wasn't as broken as first thought, we found a home

I do question the whys and wherefores of putting animals through discomfort and pain when they don't have a loving home to spend the rest of their days in though...

... having said that, some disabled animals are suited to specific owners, like a sharpei with two broken front legs which RainRescue rehomed to a bloke who wanted a van dog. This dog LOVED being sat in the RainRescue van front seat - even if it wasn't going anywhere!! This was the perfect home for THIS dog

We took an old dog with cataracts (who is also pretty deaf) from a rescue place. She is brill. Love at first sight.

i wanted to get a 3 legged gsd when i bought mine it was a litter mate that got traped on the way out but the owners kept him so if any 1 knows this dog hes on handsworth iv got his brother

I have to say that from my experience of the Cat Shelter rehoming, the answer is a resounding 'no'.

Some people only want the young, the cute and the pretty, but the rest of the visitors are more than happy to meet the adult cats and the Shelter has never had any problems with rehoming the deaf, blind, or disabled cats. All it takes is someone who can see beyond the cuteness of the kittens and there are plenty of people who know that a cat will remain a kitten for only a few months and then will spend 20 years or so as a grown up cat.

Cats with disabilities usually have to remain indoor cats (as they're not as able to sense or get out of the way of traffic and other potential hazards) and that's another positive for some people. They feel guilty trying to make an able-bodied cat into an indoor cat, but one who needs to stay in for health reasons fits in perfectly with the whole thing. We even had 2 cats who are both blind (and one had a brain injury and a constant tremor too) and who met and fell in love at the Shelter go to a new home together, which was wonderful.

The very special needs kitten who I fostered a couple of years ago (Idris, who had his own thread on here) only had sight in one eye and was found on a Welsh mountain as a teeny tiny kitten with flu and bowel problems- and he eventually went to go and live as an indoor companion to another disabled cat, which was lovely. They got on from day one, he learned to groom the bits that the other cat couldn't reach with 3 legs and everyone is happy :)

I wouldn't be put off by an animal's disability. They deserve our love and care to give them a good quality life :)

Thanks for your replies, that's quite reassuring. One of the things I dislike about fostering is when my charges go back to the RSPCA to be found a home and then appear on the website - sometimes they're gone within a couple of days but there are always those who linger. I feel so bad for them that the freedom they had romping all over my house is now cut down to a small pen at the shelter for weeks or even months.

I'm happy to keep Thomas here as long as he needs me, but my cats would never accept him on a permanent basis - I keep them well and truly apart as Thomas has no way of defending himself if they went for him.

I hope when his time comes there is someone who will fall in love with him just like I have :love:

I would say no they dont, if its a obvious disability. The three legged dogs in rescue always tear at heart strings. Older dogs however do take longer as people fear death much more than disability.

It wouldn't put me off. I had a rabbit that I got free from a pet shop - as they told me they had to get rid - either way :o He had one ear missing and a back foot missing (injuries from his mum). He was the most loveable little bun and his disabiltites made no difference at all - he could still shift around the garden :hihi: I think it's a case of if people are REAL animal lovers or not. If you are a real animal lover then we see past this - ie, that they are not 'perfect' and that every animal deserves a loving home. That said, circumstances also dictate , for everyone including animal lovers. I think overall it's mainly the people who want 'perfect' pets and don't want to have any additional work that a disability may cause that would say no. Us animal lovers - yes everytime :D Joey - don't feel bad - you do an invaluable job - and I certainly would rather have a cat penned up (even though they have had the luxury of life with you) - knowing that it is safe, warm and well fed than any other alternative. Keep up the good work.

I have had a few 'disabled' pets in the past and would not hesitate to have a 'disabled' pet again if the need arose or if I had the room. I really believe there are many many more people like me out there and I'm sure Joey, that he would definitely 'pull' on someone's heart strings when the time comes.

a friend of mine is looking for a cat and she wants an older possibly disabled cat that nobody else wants....there are some good people in the world left!!!!

we had a cat for 21 years,three legs,one eye but what a character,he could fight like any other cat,no other cats on our garden.

a lot of people who live near busy main roads or in flats look for an indoor animal to adopt so i dont think you will have trouble finding a home, just make sure it is the right one

a lot of people who live near busy main roads or in flats look for an indoor animal to adopt so i dont think you will have trouble finding a home, just make sure it is the right one

Fortunately I won't have to worry about that as the RSPCA sort the new home out. I was just concerned that he would get as better as he's going to get and then go back to the shelter to stay for months until someone picked him, if they ever did. Fingers crossed there will be someone just like you all that will walk into the shelter before that point and see him as their perfect cat.

I'm looking after Thomas the foster cat who is very broken at the moment. He may lose his front leg due to nerve damage, although I'm hoping it will not come to that, and his back leg is badly broken. He really is the most adorable cat despite the fact that he must be really uncomfortable most of the time.

Eventually he'll be well enough to go up for adoption, and I just wondered if his possibly long term disabilities will make people feel sorry for him and want to mother him or if they would make people back off because he's not the "perfect" cat.

What do you think?

how long will it be before he needs a new home????

how long will it be before he needs a new home????

No idea to be honest ladyB. I took him to the vet this morning and he has another 4 weeks before they will xray his back leg to see how it is healing. Once that is sorted and the fixator is taken off they will make a decision about his front leg.

Are you tempted? ;)

Always!!! however my 2 cats may protest..My friend is looking for a house cat and she wants a cat "that no one else will love" her words. she says that everyone wants the kittens and the younger ones and she wants an older cat. she wants a house cat because she is a worry wart and can't stand the thought of it going out in case it gets lost or ran over..she lives alone so it would be a nice quiet house

when we first got our cat it looked as though she was going to loose an eye, and we were warned that this might have happened when we went to fetch her. But they opted for lots of antibiotics and check ups at the vets and her eye got much better. Although it still runs alot (been checked by the vet and apparently is normal after what she had done), so she stays inside. We would have took her had she only had 1 eye as she was just so friendly and got on with another cat we'd seen all by itself in a different pen.

Always!!! however my 2 cats may protest..My friend is looking for a house cat and she wants a cat "that no one else will love" her words. she says that everyone wants the kittens and the younger ones and she wants an older cat. she wants a house cat because she is a worry wart and can't stand the thought of it going out in case it gets lost or ran over..she lives alone so it would be a nice quiet house
That sounds ideal. Unfortunately I have no say over who adopts the cats as they are the charges of the RSPCA and they would make that decision. Wouldn't hurt to contact them though and let them know your friend would be really interested. I'm sure they would make a note of it for when he goes up for adoption.

And thank you - it's good to know that there are people who look past the surface and see the scrumptious cuddly purry creatures inside.

Here's a pic of him snoring last night -
Thomas (http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg90/JoeyGrey_photos/033-1.jpg)
and another (http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg90/JoeyGrey_photos/034-1.jpg)

ah bless him, we went to the rspca last week and because she is away and can't take one on for at least 3 weeks they asked her to come back because they can only reserve 4 1 week. maybe I will tell her about Thomas and she can time it just right!!!! he looks like a little love!

I've had lots of disabled pigs through here in the past. Blind ones, deaf ones, missing limbs from birth, missing ears etc. My friend has one at the moment with a cleft lip and a club foot. Other than being a bit slower than the others he's still a normal pig

ah bless him, we went to the rspca last week and because she is away and can't take one on for at least 3 weeks they asked her to come back because they can only reserve 4 1 week. maybe I will tell her about Thomas and she can time it just right!!!! he looks like a little love!

Well if you think they would be make a good pair, I am happy to send you a message when Thomas is due to go up for adoption. I would think it will be a couple of months from now. And you are more than welcome to bring your friend to meet him in the meantime, as long as it won't upset her if things didn't work out with adopting him. One broken heart is more than enough in this story :blush: :hihi:

hi there it would probably take a couple of extra weeks to rehome but there is very kind people out there some where so you might just be lucky eh and good luck x

hi there it would probably take a couple of extra weeks to rehome but there is very kind people out there some where so you might just be lucky eh and good luck x

Thanks Cheryl, and welcome to the forum :thumbsup:

I will mention it to her. my very timid cat loves her to bits and she is used to animals as she used to work with dogs and looks after her uncles dogs, chickens and pig!!!! any animal who ends up with her will be very lucky and spoiled. ps the dogs don't go to her home so there is no probs there...I must say though she has got her eye on BA Barabus at the rspca at the mo though. he is 11 with a neorological prob. a lovely big ginger Tom. maybe happy with a house mate though!!!!!

soooo sorry, its BA Baracus, least I can do s get the gentlemans name right!!!! it's my dyslexia it plays up at times!!!! LOL