Tempoary home for three cats needed!

[gilberdyke 10]

I am being evicted and put into temporary housing from August 1st. I have 3 cats who will most likely not be able to come with me until I find a permanent residence. Is there any fostering schemes? The Cat shelter in Sheffield only permanently re-home cats. Please let me know if there are any options.

 

Giving them up is absolutely out of the question.

[medusa 16]

I'm sorry to hear that you're going through this upheaval, and unfortunately I have no good news for you on this one. I don't know of any formal fostering schemes or charities which will take them in.

 

This means that your choices are to try to fund a cattery (but that could be really quite a lot of money, in the region of £20 a day if your cats will share a pen, even more if they won't) or to make a one to one contract with a person who will look after them in their home for you.

 

My advice would be that if you're going to ask for someone to take them in, you ought to draw up a contract which explains exactly what happens in all circumstances, how vet bills can be funded, who decides whether vet attention may be necessary, how and when you can visit and who pays for food, litter etc.

 

Having fostered for several people in the past it did get frustrating when one cat needed a vet (in my opinion) but I couldn't get hold of his owner to consult and had no written confirmation that the owner would fund vet bills. In the end the relationship really broke down when I took an executive decision to take the cat to the vet and pay for it myself, then the owner refused to pay for the treatment because they hadn't given permission (the cat came down with conjunctivitis for which the vet prescribed antibiotic eye drops) and also refused to come and visit or provide food/litter in protest. The upshot of this is that this one foster cost me nearly £80 when I thought I was being helpful by allowing the cat in my home.

 

Apologies for the cautionary tale, but I hope that this could be prevented from occurring simply by having it all in writing before the placement happens. I hope you find someone who can look after your beasties until you can find a place to be together again