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For medicinal purposes, Naughty Kittens are the best.

I have a love/hate relationship with cats. I enjoy the association with them, and the fact that they don’t need TOO much attention. But I can’t stand their tendency to make a mess of things… digging in my garden, requiring me to keep the garage door closed 24/7 or they’ll mark it as their territory, etc.

We “bought” our last 2 cats, but they were purchased at the Humane Society – the fee was for spaying/neutering – and their alternative fate was likely far worse than me chasing ’em out of my garage and garden from time to time.

I think they’re all ‘no kill’ shelters here, the Brits being potty about their animals. Ordinarily, I’d go right to a shelter first, but all the ones here do a home inspection before they’ll let you have a cat.

A home inspection. To take in a stray. They can just fuck right off.

The husband gets stern with me whenever I start pining to rescue another husky. Says that I can have a career or have a house-ful of dogs, but not both. Unfeeling bastard.

I know this makes me evil, but I’ve decided to buy all my cats from now on. I’ve had four adoptees and six purchased Siamese and Orientals, and the purebreds are by far my favorites: smarter, more active, more people-oriented. Every time I do something out of pity it blows up in my face, cat-wise. When I feel sorry for a kitty now I donate money or supplies to a shelter, but I’m not getting any more cats unless they have a pedigree as long as my arm.

The 15 year old princess currently snoring in my lap was a dump kitty. We lived in a rural area of KS just outside of a largish city. The city people would drive out to dump their unwanted puppies and kitties on the weekends. If I caught them (the dumpers) I would either fire the shotgun after them or take a picture of their license plate for the sherif…depended on which item I had most handy at the time. Few of the animals survived….owls and coyotes are voracious hunters. The princess made it to my barn and then into my heart. She’s an old girl now. She’s a city kitty who revels in lying in a sunbeam in the window. Did I mention that she snores?

Kittehs!…best to just save the ones that come your way.

Humph.

Bikeboy –

I bet if you put a relatively small area aside and put sand in it the cats would go there and leave the rest of the garden alone. Dogs, now, dig for fun.

Paula –

There are rescues that specialize in purebred cats. Also, my last cat was a Persian Himmy found in the city pound. 20 dollars. I have had poor luck with the Nazis running the rescue groups. One refused to let me adopt a cat when my cat of 12 years died. Said my other 15 year old cat was too old for a kitten.

ArmyBrat –

The kitten I got for my 15 year old cat is now 16 himself. He snores.

I’ve never had a problem with the rescue groups themselves, Christopher. In fact, I start in on how many cat trees I have and what I feed, and they just go, yeah, yeah, whatever. Thanks for coming; now take the cat and get out.

We never need to search for kittehs…they always seem to find us.

Same with us. But, so do lost dogs, parakeets, box turtles, ferrets, and boas.

What exactly does a home inspection entail? Do they demand entry to the home? Do they look in the closets or taste whats cooking on the stove?

Oh man. I googled “home inspections for pets in Britain” and got a ton of hits. One of them was advice on how to pass this inspection.

Tips: don’t be wearing pajamas, don’t have alcohol in sight, don’t have dingy curtains or a dirty carpet.

This is sooooo wrong. What is going on over there? We’re talking about a cat. A CAT.

Is there a Ministry of Home Inspections? I’m really appalled.

It’s off-pissing, innit, Tom? I’m just not having it.

I realize it’s rather more involved than a cat, but somebody Uncle B works with is in a tizzy because her child’s school is insisting on a home inspection. Nothing fancy public school.

What makes it even scarier is how very heavy social services can be here.

Boy howdy do I know that, Stoaty. Once they steal a kid that kid’s gone until s/he is 16 no matter what. Appaling.

Is home schooling popular or permissible in the U.K.?

My dear 14 yr old kitty died recently and after a bit I began to look for a kitten.

IMO the county/city shelters/in-Humane Society are petty tyrants protecting their career path and funding turf, not animals. I hatesessss them.

I adopted my sweet departed kitty from a city shelter and the first night at home she presented with feline enteritis and almost died. When I called to let them know they had an infection in the shelter their response was that I couldn’t have a refund of the adoption fees and that I must have exposed the kitten. Yeah right, on the drive home in my lap. Fuck them.

The key to dealing with rescue group folk is you have to go in prepared…they have buttons that are very easy to push and of course lie like a rug when necessary. Never tell them you have kids, a dog or cat at home cuz they insist on a compatibility interview, which has a good chance of going sideways.

I ended up being captured by the cutest puppy face in the whole world, not a kitten. I’m still not sure how that happened, but the little bugger called me to him and decided he was going home with me and that was as they say; that.

We’ve adopted dogs through breed rescue orgs so I have a good idea what approach works with them.

I went home and ramped up Operation Puppy Adoption.I printed out all their paperwork and worked up a dossier.

I called and made an appointment as if I were someone important. During our little chat I inquired about their endowment and contribution plans. Heh. I had a puppy harness and lead and a wire travel crate in my car. I was ready. I swanned in wearing my good jewelry and a big smile.

I proceeded to charm blitze the rescue interviewer with a folder of breed rescue, personal, trainer and Vet recommendations, cute photos of our past pets and a Google Earth snapshot of our fenced property. By the time I finished my presentation they were were fearful that I might slip through their fingers. Jake came home with me.

Piece. of. cake.

I should prolly mention that I was in marketing most of my working career.

The restrictions are ridiculous and draconian, but after seeing some of the horrors that pet owners put their pets through, it’s difficult to see an alternative. I used to volunteer with private husky rescue orgs and coordinate between no-kill shelters and animal control to find homes for huskies. I did rescue other dogs & cats, but Huskies are near and dear to my heart. They are a difficult and high-maintenance breed but are just over-flowing with character and personality.

Like BJM mentioned, you can usually talk your way out of a home-inspection (in the states, I can’t speak for UK or others), but it will often deter people who have something hinky going on, or have not taken on the responsibility of educating themselves on the minimum necessary for pet care.

This goes for every type of animal rescue, whether it be parrots, ferrets, or horses. Private rescues have seen too many bad situations not to be asshole dictators about who they let adopt. Then again, I have also seen some pretty bad private no-kill shelters, that walked that line of hoarding. There comes a time when euthanization is the only kind option left, and I say that as a crazy animal lover who buys special dog food and spends ridiculous amounts of money on keeping my old dog healthy enough to die in his sleep.

I saved my current moggie from certain death as a feral kitten. Mom and several sisters and brothers got gassed. I remind her of it when she gets uppity.

Paula –

That’s what I was expecting, too, but after missing a few times I just don’t bother anymore. I expect it is because I am a single guy. I could probably adopt a dog no problem, that’s what I am supposed to like.

I know they don’t pull this crap with all their customers, so it isn’t them being wary after all the horrors they’ve seen.

Oh, dear. A “part pershion kitten” has just come up on my list.

Deborah – yes, home schooling is possible here. The bastards don’t like it, of course, but they haven’t managed to stop it. Yet.

Since it is so complicated to get a shelter animal, I figured home schooling would be darn near impossible.

It’s the difference between legislation and what the people who run the shelters (which are private) decide to make policy.

That said, it wouldn’t surprise me to see legislation been nagged upon us by the ‘progressives’ at some stage.

There seems to be just no shutting these people up.

There were a couple of stories, in the past few weeks, about Germany forcibly removing home-schooled children. The politzei were involved and everything. I do not recall what the source was, otherwise I would link it.

Careful Stoaty, that typo might actually be for a Pershing kitty, and we don’t need any cuddly ICBK* zooming about after the chickens.

*Intercontinental Ballistic Kitten…yeah, it isn’t technically intercontinental, but medium-range ballistic kitten doesn’t sound as amusing.

Chortle!

I am sharing my bed with my kitteh Lugh as we speak, with Delilah and Daisy sprawled out nearby, all rescues. I’m content.

I think some of the problems the shelters run into is people buying up the pets for testing. They look at you as if you’re worst case scenario and your last name is Vick. The whole “we’re going it for the good of the animal” has probably been kicked out of them over the years and they see everyone as suspect. Shame.

I’ve never had to get a rescue kitty. Cats just, sort-of, gravitate to here. I’m usually feeding 4 or 5 on any given day. (and a possum)

After my last kitten, Tatiana the Siberian, passed away about three years ago (she was 3 1/2 years old and died of heart trouble, if you can believe it), I waited and searched for the right cat. I ended up going back to Tati’s breeder, as she offered me my choice of her non-show or “retired” cats. She had met Linda and me before, and had no trouble with letting Chekov, the current white-and-black thug, go home with me.

I’m not sure I would recommend the Siberian breed. I’ve known three. Chekov is nice, but likes to nip. Tati, as I said, had a bad heart. Linda’s Angelique was bipolar, growled even as you petted her, and passed away in her sleep at age 11. They’re good cats, generally, but seem to have troubles.

My other monster, Wolf the big longhaired black male, had been left behind by his so-called people when they were evicted. He was making a living going door-to-door for handouts. Now he has no interest in going outdoors; the two times he did get out, he came right back when I called him. He knows better than to think it’s exciting out there.

So I haven’t adopted from a shelter in a long time.

I think you should go for it. Naughty kittens are just bored.

Just tonight we had to go try and price Boris’ special Weenus-Food, both dry and soft, for his £1000 vet bill sick little pee-pee. He’s fine now–barely made it–and the ongoing food bill, let alone the credit card payment, is . . . onerous. Each pet gets £1000 of Good Will and Grace, complete with the most spoilt lifestyle possible. When that £1000 is used up, then one more payment–an urn. Or a taxidermist. I saw a curled up one sitting on a sofa in a movie the other night. The only problem is the Jack Russell would tear it apart and spread all the stuffing around, looking for the Cat’s squeaker. Squeak, squeak, squeak.