# Adopting a cat as a student



## Akhi (Nov 1, 2019)

*Hello. 
*
On January I'm going to start an exchange program in UK, it will be the end of my third year of studies.

I've always thought about adopting a cat, as I lived with 5 of them during my childhood. I know I'd have enough time and money to take proper care of him/her.

Since in France, most old cats tend to get euthanized because they don't get adopted, I've thought that offering a home to an old fellow, would be a good action and would also make me happy.

Problems are :
- Will a center adoption accept the request of a student?
- The cat will have to travel back to France, and in the span of 3 years, probably switch homes for about 6~7 times, would that make the cat very uncomfortable, or could he accept such changes?
- Vet expenses because it is an old cat would also be a problem ( My grandfather is a vet, so that would help reduce the costs)

Good points :
- I save an elder cat and give him a safe home
- I get a cat which I'll love more than anything and provide him with the proper care

Thank you for reading and I'll gladly receive any sort of criticism and advices.


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hello @Akhi and welcome 

While I applaud your wish to help an older cat, I don't think it would be a good idea to do so if it will mean the cat having to switch homes 6 or 7 times in 3 years. Cats like routine and they get very attached to their territory. Older cats are less adaptable than younger cats, and more set in their ways.

It would be a big upheaval for a cat of 10 years old or more, to have to keep adjusting to a new home, every 6 months or so. I would consider it unfair to put an older cat through such upheaval. I help to run a cat rescue and we would not agree for one of our older cats to be adopted by someone who would be moving around so much in the next 3 years, including moving abroad.

Most (if not all) UK Shelters do not euthanise older cats, unless a vet advises us their health is so poor they have no good quality of life. Older cats remain in the Shelters and we are able to place some of them with volunteer foster carers. The foster carers provide the cats food and we pay for the cats vet bills. But this would only work for you if you were planning to remain in the UK for 5 years or more.

With regard to adoption of a cat, a UK adoption centre (Cat Rescue) would want to know that as a student you could afford to feed and care for a cat. This would include vet fees, which might be quite expensive if your cat were to develop a chronic disease (not uncommon in older cats}. Your grandfather, who is a vet, presumably lives in France? So it wouldn't be practical to have him as your vet while you're living in the UK.

Personally I would advise you to wait until you have finished your studies and have a more settled life style before adopting a cat (of any age). If your plan is to return to live in France and settle there, you could do a very kind thing by adopting a couple of senior cats from a French adoption centre and thus preventing them from being euthanised. x


----------

