Warning to anyone considering rehoming a cat.... go to a large trustworthy organisation!!

I rehomed 2 rescue cats from a small privately owned charity last week. The lady who owned the charity told me that both cats were in good health. It was only once I had signed the papers, handed over the money & was walking out the door that she very briefly mentioned that one of them had blood in her poo but said that it was just an intolerance to dry food.

Once I got them home it became clear that the cat wasn't well she had explosive diarrhoea with LARGE amounts of blood in. After 2 days I finally managed to get hold of the lady I got them from- she denied the cat had had any diarrhoea & said that her vets had given them a clear bill of health. The cat definitely did have diarrhoea when I got her as we later realised that what we had though was mud was actually poo all down her tail.

I also called the lady's vet who said that yes he'd given them a clear bill of health but that no one had mentioned anything about the cat having blood in her poo. The son is now also unwell.

Apart from the fact that I am spending my entire day scrubbing puke & poo from my carpets (really not nice especially when I have a 16 month old toddler running around) I am also spending fortunes on vet bills.

When I explained the situation to the lady she was defensive & wouldn't be honest about the cats' medical history. She refused to contribute towards the cats vet bills despite the fact that she sold them to me as healthy which clearly they weren't. She has said that she will take the cats back but why would she have the cats back but not contribute towards the vet fees (I even offered to go to her vets)? It leads me to believe that she is going to take the cats back, not treat them & then rehome them again, dishonestly for someone else to pick up the bill.

Ignoring the cats health because obviously I am going to treat them... what should I do?

Hi

I saw your thread about the medical side of things. One place to try to get some help might be trading standards. They will usually be found through your Council's website.

Also, I think (and TS will help here) you need to put things in writing.

One other idea. Do you have a co-op card (the one you use in store) - they have a free legal advice line (I've used them with a problem I had recently with my cat and Royal Mail) and they are very helpful in pointing you in the right direction.

I can understand your upset and this woman was clearly in the wrong, but that does not mean people should avoid going to every privately run rescue. Some of the big charity rescues have their faults too.

Did you sign a contract from her? If you did then it should say about re-homing healthy animals or clearly stating any health conditions that the animal may come with. In this case she really should be offering some form of help. If not you could try the RSPCA but now she is yours they may not do anything for your cat in particular, but may investigate the other animals at the rescue.

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Adopted by:

Ginge - Abby guinea piggy
Bubbles - English crested piggy
Mackenzie - English crested piggy
Skit - Standard (but cute) piggy
Max - Ragdoll x cat
The Rainbow Fish
Rest in peace my lovely furfamily that are no longer with us.

Could you try contacting your local paper or radio station regarding the situation? If you explain that you need assistance and honesty from the rescue and are not simply asking to dump/replace the cats (as the rescue seems to be implying) then they may be able to get the answers you need. You may also be able to get help from a local vets (free publicity for them etc.)

Always worth a shot.

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Your situation is horrible and I really feel for you - I hope your kitties get better soon and you can start enjoying having them as part of your family.

I wouldn't write off small privately run rescues though - many do an excellent job and I think save a lot of lives as (a) many of them are no-kill shelters and (b) they lighten the load on larger charities who are also resource constrained and who may not take on animals with certain health/behavioural issues, many of these animals with a bit of extra care and attention can go on to find good homes.

I got my two furbies from an independent animal sanctuary in Kent and although they did have ear mites and a mild case of the sniffles (hard to contain with lots of cats kept together!), they were excellent in advising me on what I needed to do and were honest with me from the start.

Again, hope things get better for you soon

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Basil & Sybil

Sorry my statement about small rescue centre was unfair- I am just annoyed and keep hearing more & more stories about small rescue centres but that doesn't at all apply to them all. I definitely will speak to the RSPCA. My main priority is getting these cats healthy again. It's going to be a tough old month this month having shelled out £300 already and it's going to cost at least another £100 in vet bills!

I did sign a contract which said they'd take the cats back buy I know she won't treat them & also its not fair when they've just got settled to uproot them & put them back in a cage in a rescue centre.

Did you speak to PetPlan/the insurance company? From what I have heard Petplan are pretty good about reimbursing costs within 10 days. You could also speak to them and see if they could settle vets fees directly so you don't have to pay out of your own pocket.

Has the vet done the stool samples testing yet?

Hope the kitties get better soon.

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Thanks- I spoke to Pet Plan & they were nice but the excess is £75 on each cat so I'm still going to have to pay £150 whatever happens. I must look in to how to claim etc. on pet insurance but I've just been so busy I haven't had a chance.

No stool samples yet as I have had problems getting any because their poos are like water & so just soak straight into the litter ehich then clumps Off to get another stool sample pots now that the snow has all melted. I have to take samples over 3 days though so will be a little while before I hear anything back.

Did you talk to the vet? Have the cats been back to the vet yet? What are you currently feeding them? This is dragging on unnecessarily while you seem to be more worried about getting your own back with the rescue.....

If their poos are like water, they need the vets as soon as possible, not in a few days

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RIP Charcoal my shy girl 1987-2000, Patch the wanderer 1987-?, Tabby my darling fluffball 1988-2002 & Panda the rascal 1988-2008