# Getting our 'pet' cat back from the RSPCA



## AnimalLover923 (Oct 31, 2019)

A few years ago we had a cat show up out of the blue from underneath our shed. We live in a fairly rural location so I'm not sure where she came from. She was incredibly skinny and fearful and was not microchipped, so we assumed she was a stray. 
Over time, once we had earned her trust and filled her up with lots of nice food, she became the most loving of cats. She did not feel comfortable in the house so we bought her a bed which we kept in the shed which she slept in most nights (she had access to get in and out of the shed as she pleased - it's a log shed so there is no door but provided warmth and shelter). 
When we pulled into the drive she would sprint from the bottom of the garden and wait by the car to greet you. Even our 3 dogs loved her and she would walk over the fields with us together.
Last week she disappeared for a few days. We're having some work done in our garden so assumed the builders may have spooked her. We're surrounded by countryside so there are a vast number of places she could have taken herself away too for a few days. 
When she returned she had a terrible injury to her stomach and to her face. We took her to the vets who said it looked like she had cut herself on barbed wire and would need surgery. The costs were in the thousands. He said we had two options - we could have her put to sleep, or hand her over to the RSPCA. 
If there was a possibility that she would get better then there was no way we were having her PTS. Reluctantly, we handed her over to the Vet who subsequently handed her over to the RSPCA. He had said upon doing so that he would keep a note in her records that we would be interested in officially adopting her and paying the adoption costs. This was meant to be passed on to the RSPCA. 
She's been with the charity just under a week and we have been in regular contact. She seems to be doing better but has had lots of treatment so far. She has to have a wound re-dressing every 3-4 days and potentially has to be put under sedation each time. The injury to her face is affecting her jaw and it may be that she requires surgery for this. 
The lady we spoke to on the phone from the RSPCA queried why we had handed the cat over. We explained the situation and that she was a stray but that we would like to give her a home. We were told we would have to pay over £1,000 and potentially thousands of more pounds for the remainder of her treatment. If we did not claim her, she would be handed over to an animal sanctuary and given up for adoption. 
We have looked at all possibilities; family members have been kind enough to offer loans, but we simply do not know how much the treatment will be. We just don't have the money to owe thousands of pounds.
We have suggested that once she is treated by the RSPCA can we not pay the adoption fees and donate a further sum of money to the charity but have been told this is not possible. 
We either claim her as our pet and pay up the cost for treatments or we lose her. 
I feel like I've just completely abandoned her and I'm at a loss. Yes she was a stray, but she felt like a pet and part of the family. I can't stand coming into the drive and not seeing her run to greet me and jump into my lap. 
It does not seem fair that somebody else will be able to adopt her and pay the adoption fees but not the fees for her treatment and we are not being given that option. I just want to give her a loving home (which she had with us). 
We have thought about waiting for her to be put up on the Cat Rescue Centre sight and adopting her but a) we risk somebody else potentially adopting her and b) I don't even know if the charity will consider us now that we've signed her over to their care.
Has anyone had a similar experience with the RSPCA? If she goes to another home then the main thing is we know that she is well and being cared for, but any help or guidance would be much appreciated as we'd love to have this cat back in our lives. I just want to make sure we did everything to get her back before we have to start thinking about moving on without her


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Tbh I can understand where the RSPCA are coming from really.

Any owner of an unchipped cat could potentially get expensive treatment for free, then think they can adopt the cat back for £150 - saving themselves thousands.


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## O2.0 (May 23, 2018)

AnimalLover923 said:


> A few years ago we had a cat show up out of the blue from underneath our shed. We live in a fairly rural location so I'm not sure where she came from. She was incredibly skinny and fearful and was not microchipped, so we assumed she was a stray.
> Over time, once we had earned her trust and filled her up with lots of nice food, she became the most loving of cats. She did not feel comfortable in the house so we bought her a bed which we kept in the shed which she slept in most nights (she had access to get in and out of the shed as she pleased - it's a log shed so there is no door but provided warmth and shelter).
> When we pulled into the drive she would sprint from the bottom of the garden and wait by the car to greet you. Even our 3 dogs loved her and she would walk over the fields with us together.
> Last week she disappeared for a few days. We're having some work done in our garden so assumed the builders may have spooked her. We're surrounded by countryside so there are a vast number of places she could have taken herself away too for a few days.
> ...


I'm sorry but I too can see where the RSPCA is coming from. 
You say she felt like your pet, a member of your family, yet you didn't think to get her insured, microchipped? Anything to make sure should anything happen, she would be returned to you and cared for by you?

As someone who has worked in rescue, I can also see them arguing that it would not be in the cat's best interest to return her to the home where she was allowed to get so badly injured....

It's a tough one, I know it has to be hard on you, but I do get where the RSPCA is coming from. 
At the end of the day, they have to do what they feel is in the cat's best interest, not yours.


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## AnimalLover923 (Oct 31, 2019)

O2.0 said:


> I'm sorry but I too can see where the RSPCA is coming from.
> You say she felt like your pet, a member of your family, yet you didn't think to get her insured, microchipped? Anything to make sure should anything happen, she would be returned to you and cared for by you?
> 
> As someone who has worked in rescue, I can also see them arguing that it would not be in the cat's best interest to return her to the home where she was allowed to get so badly injured....
> ...


In hindsight, yes we should have got her insured and microchipped. 
The only barbed wire that we know of is at a nearby farm which is over a mile away and there is nothing on our own land that would endanger her or any of our dogs.


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## Charity (Apr 17, 2013)

I can also understand the RSPCA's point of view. You obviously love her, do you not consider her your pet after all this time? She hasn't technically been a stray since you started caring for her. I'm afraid if you are looking after a cat on a regular basis, you are deemed to be responsible for its care and if you want to officially adopt her, then its reasonable that you should pay for the rest of her care under the circumstances. The charity have already paid out a lot of money I would imagine and they can't continue to do this indefinitely until she is better when there is someone wanting to take her on or rather take her back as you were caring for her to begin with. I think, in some ways, you are lucky if they will consider allowing you to have her back, which they are obviously prepared to do by the sound of it, because most charities won't return animals to the person who has given them up..


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## Linda Weasel (Mar 5, 2014)

I feel for you, but I think it’s unreasonable to expect to get ‘free’ treatment for this cat and then have her back.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@AnimalLover923 - I'm sorry I have only just seen your post,

I help, as a volunteer, to run a Cat Rescue. We have had similar situations to yours in the past, when a seriously injured or ill cat needing expensive veterinary treatment has been handed over to us by someone who has been feeding the cat as a stray.

The person who has been feeding the cat sometimes says they would like to adopt the cat when/if they recover. Our decision on this issue depends on how long the stray cat has been being fed by the person. If it is matter of only a few months, then the Rescue may possibly agree to paying the vet bills and letting the person adopt the cat when the cat is well again.

But if it it is a case of a person feeding a cat for several years and regarding them as a member of their family, then I think our decision would be the same as the RSPCA's i.e. we would hand the cat back if the presumed "owner" was willing to pay the vet bills (or at least most of the bills). But if the presumed owner could not afford to pay, then we would pay the bills and re-home the cat elsewhere. Our reason for this would be the same as has been stated by other posters ^^^


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## Scouttie (Sep 8, 2018)

I think the vet was wrong to say you had only two options. This cat was your pet, the option most of us would go with is to pay the vet bill.

so I can totally see where the rspca are coming from. I adopted a tiny stray kitten and immediately had her microchipped and insured. You had this cat for years. Anything could have happened. I have had scout for 18 months and we have had three visits to the vet for injuries. From the rspcas perspective you probably don’t come across as a responsible pet owner. Was she neutered? Did she get regular vaccinations? Tbh it doesn’t sound like you took great care of her.

I am so sorry she got hurt, and an am sure you do love her. But perhaps it’s time for her to go to a new home?


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