The pros and cons of cat rehoming on social media

The internet is a part of most people’s daily lives now. And very few people don’t have some sort of social media account.

Cat rescues are recognising this fact and moving with the times. A lot of rescues use social media to network for assistance or circulate the cats they have needing homes. It’s invaluable and I’ve absolutely no doubt that used responsibly it’s made a massive difference to a lot of cats lives.

A lot of cats that are posted with requests for assistance are networked quickly, and rescue spaces secured for them, which a lot of the times is a lifesaving change.

However, the internet is also a place that opportunists regularly obtain cats from for less genuine reasons. A lot of larger charity organisations are picking up on the fact that “bait” is sourced for dog fighting organisations via online resources. Less severe, but ultimately also not ideal, people take free to good home cats in off adverts on a whim, and then lose interest in caring for them quickly, meaning the cat has no sense of stability as they’re passed from home to home.

Used correctly, the internet is a valuable resource for animal rescue. But it has to be utilised the right way. When rescues get enquiries about any cat in their care, they have discussions, home checks and follow up checks to ensure the safety of their charge. Without that, there’s no guarantee the offer of a home is a safe one.

Below are a couple of pictures of Nancy, a cat taken into rescue care by Streetkatz, that assists stray and abandoned cats in West Kent and East Sussex. If you want to donate to their work, you can visit their site:
www.streetkatzrescue.com to find out more.