Ok i have a rant....

Yesterday I went to the RSPCA as it was a fund raising day, motorbike show etc. I just went along to support it and help them out a bit. The pens etc are all open for viewing on these days so I wandered round just for a look. It is so upsetting to see that the majority of the cats are only 1-2 years of age. It seems people get very bored of them as soon as the cute kitten features go. Years ago I adopted a cat from CPL who was 1 year old, the owners had actually taken her there and said "well we've had her a year but we'd much prefer to have a kitten again" She was the most adorable, affectionate and playful cat I have ever met. She sadly died earlier this year at the age of 16.

If you take on any animal you are commited to them FOR LIFE, not just while they are cute and baby like.

Now the cat I have just taken in is 1 year 2 months. His owner said reason for rehoming - single mother, too many animals, her own ill health etc etc but then 2 days ago I saw on her facebook page somebody had said they had found some kittens behind a supermarket and would anyone help. She posted "if you don't find anyone then I will have them" !!! So she will get rid of a beautifully natured 1 year old who needs a bit of careful care diet wise but is happy to take on 2 or 3 young kittens.

Seriously, people will never fail to disappoint me!!

.... rant over

Some people should never have animals. The cat shelter I help in has a lot of cats that no one seems to want to adopt. It´s so sad to see them there and people get kittens all the time. We need to educate the society on the advantages of older cats.

How awful about both Tigger's former owner and the former owner of your old cat adopted from CPL. It really upsets me. I just can't imagine having a cat from being a kitten and then being able to just give him/her up after a year. I personally can't wait to see Dinah and Monty as adults (though am not wishing away the kitten year!) and they will always be my babies, no matter how big they get... to me it is just completely incomprehensible that anyone could care for a kitten from 2-3 months old and then just give it away at 1 year old. So terribly sad and upsetting.

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Bonnie and the gang xxx

Tbh I really dont get it! I mean yeah kittens are very cute and adorable but they are hard work too! I much prefer them once they are a few years old and mellowed into a nice routine and all the hard work of teaching them table manners etc starts to show!

Give me my big lollopsing Goose any day over a fluffy cute kitten!

Now if you were allowed to rehome human babies after the cute stage has finished then I might be tempted.....

Like you I find this incredible for the reasons cited. I've had all mine since kittenhood and wouldn't have dreamt of handing them over, for any reason. The older they got the more attached I become over the years!

I'm pretty sure our abandoned Fluffy was a "kitten once loved" cat and now she's fully grown and not so playful anymore she was dumped! I have to be honest but kittens are hard work!! You have to constantly keep an eye on them to make sure they are a) not eating something they shouldn't b) getting in tight spots that they won't be able to get out of and c) not close to open windows etc etc. At least with an adult cat they can come and go through the cat flap at will. That's what we did.

I can't understand it either. I'm really enjoying watching my cat grow up and seeing her personality develop. Perhaps these people just don't bond with animals the way a true animal lover does? I can't imagine any situation where I'd get rid of my cat.

I've had Oscar since he was 9 weeks old and Merson since he was 6 weeks old.

Now, at 13 & 10 yrs respectively, they are not the most highly active, cuddly wee bundles of joy they were all those years ago. HOWEVER, I would rather gouge out my innards with a very blunt spoon than give either of them away!!!! They are both gorgeous boys in their own way and that is a result of the time and effort I have invested in them over the years. Why on earth would I want to get rid of that???

If this was folks giving away human babies because they're not so cute after 18 mths there would be all sorts of hell to pay.

But it's ok to do it with cats & dogs....................

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I love both my 17 month old boys to pieces but often say to my oh "one day they will mature and might even sleep long enough to let both of us sleep in!" Not to mention I would have loved the oldie that values sleeping on my lap more than using my lap as a springboard to try to see who is at the door. Or that doesn't jump off the storage area straight onto my sleeping body when there is a nicer, less strenuous, way down... ouch!

Funnily enough every time we see photos or videos of them as kittens we think how cute they are, but never say we wish they could be kittens all over again apart from being able to pick them both up at the same time

Lol, very true but I know a few people who would happily trade their moody teenagers for their younger counterparts any day Now that I can understand a lot better than a cat or a dog!

People who get a kitten and give it away when it gets over a year old, only to get another kitten, never wanted a cat in the first place. They just wanted a toy, and need to grow up.

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Proud Mummy to:

Sam (born June 1999, found August 1999)
Milly (born May 1999, adopted September 1999)
Eva (born 2010, adopted us August 2011)