RSPCA launches rehoming campaign for nervous cats
This past International Cat Day on 8 August, the RSPCA revealed it rehomes over 20,000 cats a year and even during the pandemic, while 18,274 cats were rehomed in 2020
The RSPCA has announced the launch of a new rehoming campaign to help find homes for ‘farm cats’ and who prefer to be outdoors, as well as other nervous cats.
The project aims to help cats who need less human interaction than a typical domestic cat, as well as educate the public that not every cat is happy to be a lap cat.
While farm cats are often nervous around people but still need the provision of food, water, shelter and veterinary care when needed. These cats would most likely be best suited to a farm, smallholding, or riding stables. However, the RSPCA has found “even some quirky homes” such as a model village, an orchard and a gazebo company.
The charity said potential owners “don’t necessarily need” to have a farm or riding stable to rehome a cat who enjoys the great outdoors, and it is looking for homes of “all different types to match the variety of different cats we have”.
This past International Cat Day on 8 August, the RSPCA revealed it rehomes over 20,000 cats a year and even during the pandemic, while 18,274 cats were rehomed in 2020.
However, a recent survey carried out by the RSPCA found that 90% of centres and branches found it harder to find suitable homes for “outdoorsy” cats than other, more sociable ones.
Alice Potter, RSPCA’s cat welfare expert, said: “One of the most interesting things about cats is just how varied each of them are. No one set home is going to fit all cats. Cats’ personalities are a varied spectrum with an affectionate, lap cat, an ‘inbetweener’ cat who needs less but still some interaction, and all the way to a feral cat who will happily live independently from humans.
“There are all sorts of reasons why some cats need this type of lifestyle. They may have lived for a long time as a stray and aren’t familiar or comfortable being close to people or it may relate to their early experiences or genetics. Whatever the reason, we try to find the perfect home for them.”
She added: “We know that our centres and branches often struggle to find homes for our farm or outdoor cats and often one of the reasons cited is that there is a lack of awareness amongst the general public that these cats exist and that they will be much happier living an outdoorsy lifestyle.
“This is why we have launched this rehoming campaign for farm cats on International Cat Day to help raise awareness of the different homes these independent cats need.”
