Well having considered everyone’s comments and our own reasons for wanting young kittens we decided to take a day off decorating and pay a visit to Battersea Dogs Home to adopt 2 older cats, and what a horrid experience it turned out to be.

Initially everything seemed promising we had our interview with 2 very friendly ladies who having spent 20 mins discussing our situation declared that we had the ideal set up for adopting 2 cats. I.e House with access to a garden, cat friendly dog, and lots of time.

At this stage clutching our pink form and our acceptance to take cats home with us we were sent up stairs to the cattery, and from here it all started to go down hill. We selected 4 cats we wanted to ask more about and having stood looking hopefully at any member of staff that glanced in our direction, we were finally approached by a young girl (she looked about 18). The first 2 we were interested were not availably immediately and we were offered no further advice on when that might be released for re-homing. The next a beautiful male called Foggy all but leap into our arms when approached, we had fallen in love!!!! We had been very careful to only look at cats that did not state on their cards that they could not go to a home with dogs and his card had no mention of this either. The staff member who approached us seemed 'Off' from the start and not as friendly as all the others we had met. She said he needed to be tested with dogs first and took us to a little room where she left us with Foggy in a wire cat basket, she then went to get her dog. Foggy remained relaxed when the dog who was quite large and boisterous entered and only hissed a couple of times when the dog stuck his head right up close and other than that did not go for him, arch his back or show any other signs of distress. At this point she declared that he was not suitable and took him away. The only other cat we were interested is also had no mention of being unsuitable for dogs but when we pointed her out, the young girl stated that she would also not be suitable, she then added that in fact they currently had no cats suitable for a home with dogs. She then took our form (which we had been told to keep if we didn’t find a suitable cat so we would not need to be interviewed again) and quite abruptly dismissed us.

We left feeling very disillusioned with the whole process for the following reasons:-

1) We were left feeling that she would not have "allowed" us to adopt any cat it seemed that it was just a case of our faces not fitting, she was also quite rude.

2) If a cat giving a dog a warning hiss is a sign that the cat hates dogs and is distressed by them, then every cat I have ever owned has hated dogs more than I had ever imagined.

We are both experienced cat and dog owners and would never consider adopting a cat we felt unsuitable we also have a variety of experience in introducing animals.

I'm sure Battersea do alot of good work and over the years We have made many donations to their cause, but we are now left feeling angry and hurt by the treatment we received and would NEVER consider visiting again or recommending them to anyone.

So we are now back to considering other options for adopting cats or kittens to complete our family, any suggestions, or recommendations greatly appreciated!

Lucy & Caroline

P.S. Sorry for ranting on but I am just so angry and disappointed

Hi,Im sorry you had such a bad experience in my view all cats and dogs need time to adjust together and that cant be done in five minutes in an office, most times Ive placed Labs with Cats they have got on eventually and the cats have been the boss.I really dont know how a lot of rescues manage to re-home any animals I had a lady who rang me up for a Labrador and said I know im not suitable because Ive just been told by so and so rescue as I work for 4rs a day but Ive had two labs over the last tweny five years and I feel Im a very suitable owner,her dogs had a lovely home yet she was deemed unsuitable cos she worked,how do they think people live if they dont work?I know people who dont work and would never dream of walking their dogs and yet friends who work are out six in the morning with theirs.
Before you give up on rescue try your local cat Lady there always is one,My friend in Cats has 87 cats and kittens at her place waiting for homes but thats in the north west. good Luck

What about the Cats Protection League? They have trouble finding people who want adult cats (not kittens) and I'm sure they'd be delighted to help you.

Yes the Cats Protection League always have cats ... in the area I live this seems largely because they are rude, off hand and dismissive of homes for the slightest of reasons .... single male, working, having a dog, etc. Please however don't be put off rescues by your experience, I am sure it is the individual membrs of staff rather than the policy ... at least I hope so. Good luck in your search ....

I have adopted a wonderful long haired domestic ginger female from the cats protection league who know rules the home. At the time I had suddenly lost my beloved siamese through a tumour and only had a westie to contend with. They knew she was good with other cats as she was handed in with another 2 however dogs was a question mark. I had a home check 2 days later and the following day picked up doops.

That was 3 years ago and she now lives with a westie, afghan hound and a labrador! And boy is she boss. The most laid back, (so laid back she could be dead :) ) prettiest cat you have ever seen, the vet drools over her when she goes for a visit. Woe betide us if she is outside when the dogs go out as the neighbours think it is hilarious that we have this ginger fluffy thing following us. Please try the Cats protection league as they work so hard. We had no idea how doops would cope with a dog but SHE has laid the law down.

If I could post pictures then you would see her asleep on the sofa with the afghan or better still curled up in the middle of his bean bag and the poor afghan trying to sleep on the corner of his bed.
Note Admin! your next challenge is the ability to post photo's.

yes how about us posting pics it would be lovely

I had exactly the same problems when we were looking for a companion for Bodie (our 4 year old rescue Staffie)
We went down to Battersea one Sunday afternoon. Myself and my husband are origionally from E London but moved to Bury St Edmunds earlier this year so it was quite a long drive from home.
We phoned first and were told to bring our dog with us just to make sure he was very friendly with other dogs and also told they could not disclose any information on any animals they had there!
So we drove down and spent 4 hours waiting for an interview (our little boy whos 2 also came with us)
We had an interview and Bodie was assesed by brining in one of the staff members dogs. We were then told we could have a look round the kennels and have a chat about any dogs that suited us.
I had to walk round on my own because viewers dogs were not allowed in the kennels so my husband waited outside with Bode.
I found 4 dogs that I thought were ideal. All cross breeds but one little Staffie cross Bitch really caught my eye. She was wonderfull. Only 19months old and very dog friendly it said on her card. My little boy also thought she was great because she licked the glass as we stood by her kennel while he tried to kiss her from the outside! lol
After waiting around for at least an hour we finally managed to speak to someone about the dogs we had seen.
3 of the dogs were unable to live with other dogs (not noted on thier cards) and the 4th (the little Staffie we had fallen in love with) coulden't be homed with us because we had a child under the age of 7, aparently she was too young and could jump up and cause an injury to our 2 year old according to the staff!
I argued my point but the lady we spoke to woulden't budge and I left in tears.
We were forced to buy a puppy from a breeder as a companion for Bodie after trying the NCDL, woodgreen, Staffie and Bully rescue and a few independant rescue centres.
It makes u wonder how any dogs or cats get re-homed in this day and age!

All the best
Lucy X

I attended a presentation which involved Battersea dogs - Lyndsey was there too - remember Lyndsey? I was appalled at the rules and regulations they applied to their dogs - one was a BC who went almost weak at the knees with pleasure when he was shown a large 'child sized' doll - and looked so 'disappointed' when he discovered it was just plastic - but when I enquired about homing him myslef - they wouldn't let him be homed with children under 7 - even though his history with children wasn't known (he was a stray) and my children have grown up with dogs. One of my current dogs (the famous sweetcorn munchin' Missy the ESS) was also a rescue who I had to fight to get from the local rescue group - because she had shown dominance aggression towards teenage children in her previous household - to my mind a teenager is a totally different animal to a 4 year old............. Any way - she's here now, and fine with the kids!!!!!

Hi everyone - I would like to have thought that our experience would be a one off - a odd spot on the otherwise positive side of attempting to adopt an animal from a rescue. But it seems we are not alone.

Anyway to update you all, we felt so strongly about the negative experience we had that I called Battersea this morning to complain. I was actually quite surprised to be able to speak to the manager without a fuss. She apologised and said she would speak to the head of rehoming and the staff concerned although the girl who dealt with us was on a rest day and wouldn’t be in until tomorrow. I asked about the cat as we are still really struck on him. She has promised to look into this too and call me tomorrow.

We don't hold out too much hope but we are crossing our fingers and Ben our (LR) is crossing his paws.

I had mixed reactions with Battersea. I put my name on a six-year-old Border Collie that was at the facility near Windsor. I was second on the list behind a family. I called after a few days to see if the family was taking her and was told that they had decided on another dog. So I arranged to go down to see her again. Good thing I called before going back to the shelter. They had sent her to the London facility for 're-evaluation'. Seems she was not kid-friendly even though her card said she was. I called the London facility to talk to their 'border collie placement specialist' and had a long chat. In the conversation she said that they had a nine-week old tri-color border collie in the puppy section that was available, but couldn't be seen except from a distance because all the puppies were quarantined with a virus. Off we went to London to look at all the dogs there and to see the puppy. She was so small and obviously scared to death. We talked it over and decided to take her as soon as she came out of quarantine.

We were in Paris the day she came out and had made prior arrangements for her to be held until we came home two days later. Jon was there on business and instead of seeing the rest of Paris we had opted to come home early. They were agreeable and arranged to send her to the Windsor facility to make it easier to pick her up. They shipped her over to Windsor the morning I was to pick her up. I got there and they told me that after their veternarian had examined her they found she had kennel cough and would not release her.

I'll admit to being somewhat obstinate and forceful at times. I asked to speak with the vet and was told that he was unavailable. So I spoke to the manager and after a bit she finally saw it my way -- that Bri would be far better cared for and more comfortable in her own home. I explained that I was very experienced in dealing with kennel cough and that Bri had a vet's appointment already set for the following day and gave her the vet's number to verify it. Finally, they let her come home with me. I understand their stance in that they did not want to release a 'sick' puppy with all the potential consequences. I simply told them that I was prepared to sign a waiver and get on with the making healthy of a puppy who didn't seem to be able to avoid getting sick in their facilities by pointing out her initial separation because of the virus going through the puppies at London and now the kennel cough.

Bottom line is that I think you need to deal with the manager directly and don't back down. I'd point out all the inconsistencies, such as having to bring your dog down, along with the child and then having to wait for so long before your interview, having to split up to look at the animals available since you had to bring the dog but couldn't take it through, etc. I'd also ask into an investigation as to why one of their employees was rude and whether she had a deep-seated resolution that no cat should be housed with a dog.

hope you get the little cat fingers & toes crossed for you

Yes I do remember that presentation ,<g>- I thought you would have been a super home for the BC, who let' s face it was more like a Lab than a collie.

I still haven't plucked up the courage to find out about Jess, I just hope Battersea don't follow the assessmemt methods we were shown by a certain overseas visitor that day.

Hi everyone

Thanks for your support, but I have spoken again to the manager at Battersea, today at length and they have decided despite everything that we are not to have 'Foggy', she started by apologising for the bad experience we have had and said that she thought it was probably a 'One off' I explained that since Saturday I had heard of several other Battersea 'Horror Stories' she quickly moved on.

She has suggested that they will keep an eye out for a cat (ideally we are looking for 2) that would suit us and a dog but we don't hold out much hope.

We are going to visit Caz's Mum on Sunday and she lives quite near the Wood Green centre at Godmanchester so we might pop in there although we are still a bit traumatised by Sunday so might go back to looking for Kittens.

Anyway if anyone has any other ideas or knows of anyone with some kittens anywhere in London or surrounding (we are willing to travel) please drop us a line

Lucy & Caz

All I can say is that Battersea might come back to you. We were looking for a young collie a couple of years ago, and they had to add us to the waiting list because none of the dogs were suitable. I thought that would be the end of it, but a couple of months later we had a call saying there was a stray pup that had been brought in - did we want to see him? We had a lot of waiting around to do when we got there which wasn't helpful because we knew who we had to see, we just couldn't find anyone free to get hold of them. We have a beautiful "collie-cross" we've had for two years now who we wouldn't have if not for Battersea.

LynnT

Lucy - is Kent too far for you to travel. There is a place call FOAL FARM near Biggin Hill (Friends of Animals League). Also in the same area is RAIN (Rescued Animals in Need). I believe FOAL Farm has a web site. If you want more information leave me another message and I can email you.
Lorna

I homed a dog from Battersea some years ago and found the place ok. I think it was just the staff that you dealt with. Don't give up! Those rescues depend on you not being put off by some thoughtless staff and coming back to collect them.
Don't let them down.

Hello Lucy,

Sorry to hear of your bad experience at Battersea. Should you be in the Kent area, I know of a RSPCA re-homing centre that keeps them for7 days then they get ut to sleep. I have taken 2 cats from there for my yard, to keep mice down, but they are lovely.

Mail me if you would like their details....I'd be only too pleased to help

Regards

Sofia :)

I thought the claim that the RSPCA puts down animals after 7 days was an urban myth denied by the association.? Don't vets say it is unethical to put down a healthy animal..?
I have read comments on boards that the RSPCA can be as zealous as this thread suggests that Battersea staff can be, but if that is true, then is that because they see the worst side of it too often.
Can anyone substantiate the euthanase claim ?

I can't substantiate it nor can I deny it. However, I would just like to pass on the realities of rescue work that might make it the only option. We all know it is tragic to put to sleep a healthy animal. One of the worst things any of us will probably ever have to do. However, when you run a shelter imagine the constant demand for space there. The additional dumping of dogs, cats etc etc that happen year after year, month after month, week after week, day after day. You only have limited space. If you never move any animals out .. and in some areas this is more difficult than you imagine as there are animals in rescue by abundance, then what would become of those waiting help? Sadly in many cases there may be little choice if you wish to keep taking animals in. I know the rescue centres in this area which don't put to sleep are overrun ... in some cases I believe to the detriment of the dogs. Those that keep indefinitely move dogs around the country .. fine ... or condem some dogs to life in kennels which I am not so sure about ... but particularly rescue centres that take in strays by contract are in a very difficult position. It is so hard to move dogs on at times that you have to make hard hard decisions. Fortunately for my own sanity I usually manage to bludgeon someone into helping me ... but many of the dogs we deal with end up going to a dogs home at Leigh and there it is believed generally they are PTS ... they claim not but I don't see how they can fit all the dogs in they claim to take. And they always say dogs from us were rehomed same or next day! Well if you have ever done any rescue you know that just doesn't happen to the majority of dogs.

Not trying to say we should PTS as routine ... just explain how bloody difficult it must be never to do this.

Thanks for the answer, Caitlin. The sad practicalities dictate, I suppose.
By the way, is that Leigh in Surrey, near Dorking? If so, where is the rescue, I might at least try them for our planned new dog?

Why did you not complain! about the rude girl ? after all two cats have been denied
a jolly go home .Sorry but I would still write a letter if the girl is not happy she should work else-where.