cat shelter

Hi,
Iv been thinking for while now that i wouldnt mind owning my own small cat shelter.Since i have all day free i was thinking i should take advantage of it and buy a small place and turn it into a small cat shelter.My bf backs me up 100% and we could get the money to do it.I was wondering what you guys thought.Do you think it could be a good idea? Does anyone here run a shelter or work in a shelter?

I think this would be my dream come true being surrounded by kitties and making sure they get good homes.There are not many shelters around where i live and theres always stray animals who need taking in.

Well its just a thought,i want to look into it a bit more first.

Hi I work in a dog and cat shelter, there's goats and sheep too but they are just extra lol

What sort of shelter would you want? Like a cattery where there are wall to wall little enclosures with a glass door and 1 cat per enclosure?
Or a cattery where the animals are free range?


Our cat area is a large room with 2 hallways where the animals play on duvets and climb on branches and play with toys once they have been quarantined.
There's cats in every room of the house because most are adult residents who grew too used to the area so come and go to the house as they please.

It is very rewarding to rescue animals but be prepared to deal with horrible people and heart breaking situations.

The scariest thing that I ever encountered was a guy at the gate with a cat who was perfectly healthy, and because our shelter is non kill, there just isn't room to cope with the amount of strays, so it is a home for sick, injured and abandoned animals.. well we tried to explain why we weren't allowed accept her and the guy took out a shotgun and said fine i'll make her injured and then you'll take her

we took her of course and that is an extreme side to it but still be prepared for anything

It is really great that you would like to start a cat shelter

I volunteer at a cat shelter here. Make srue to think things out before jumping in. It's amazing how much cats can cost. Also, make sure to test for Feline Lukemia & FIV. I'm sure there are lots of things to think about, but I think it's an awsome idea.

I think it is more complicated than it appears at first. Maybe you can start by volunteering at one of the shelters nearby, and try to learn some of their pointers on caring for animals.

I had 4 healthy kittens last year (including Festus). I took on 2 more foster kittens which were dropped off by a lady in a Cadillac who supposedly couldn't afford to care for them and their mother. I got Garfield and Odie on Saturday, by Wednesday Odie was dead of distemper. And my 4 healthy kits were exposed to the deadly disease. And yes, Garfield and Odie passed a vet check before coming to my house!

Please do your research before starting a pet shelter. If the proper precautions are not followed, you could end up overwhelmed with ill animals.

Originally Posted by janine&lily

Hi,
Iv been thinking for while now that i wouldnt mind owning my own small cat shelter.Since i have all day free i was thinking i should take advantage of it and buy a small place and turn it into a small cat shelter.My bf backs me up 100% and we could get the money to do it.I was wondering what you guys thought.Do you think it could be a good idea? Does anyone here run a shelter or work in a shelter?

I think this would be my dream come true being surrounded by kitties and making sure they get good homes.There are not many shelters around where i live and theres always stray animals who need taking in.

Well its just a thought,i want to look into it a bit more first.

Click to expand...

It's great you want to help out..but I agree...start by volunteering at an already established shelter. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary has some really good information as well:

http://www.bestfriends.org/

I used to dream of having my own cat shelter too -- if I could win the Lottery, that's still what I'd do. But after having fostered & rescued over 300 cats & kittens in one year, I realized you need a STAFF, not just a loving hubby to help. I too ran into the Distemper issue -- while I had over 50 cats & kittens in the house! Because of that I can't foster ANY unvaccinated cat and NO kittens for the next 5 YEARS, until the germs are completely gone from my house. It was the worst summer of my life because I didn't KNOW it was EVERYWHERE in the house until it was too late for many precious little souls. Be safe -- find a shelter that needs your help!

thanx for all your comments and advice sorry it took so long to get back to you. I realise the expensises and dangers of having a cat shelter.I would love to volunteer at a cat shelter but i cant cos the nearest one to me is 6 miles away and i cant drive but i will think long and hard about owning my own. It wont happen until a few years down the line anyway if it does happen i just thought it would be a nice idea.i would never have a large one i would only have a very small one because bigger ones are hard work and iv seen how hard people work to keep them going.

It is briliant you are thinking of doing this, if you go on to www.messybeast.com there are some good articles on starting up a shelter. If you have enough space in your house, might it be worth you just taking on a couple of cats and seeing how you get on with rehoming etc before setting up a shelter?

Originally Posted by janine&lily

thanx for all your comments and advice sorry it took so long to get back to you. I realise the expensises and dangers of having a cat shelter.I would love to volunteer at a cat shelter but i cant cos the nearest one to me is 6 miles away and i cant drive but i will think long and hard about owning my own. It wont happen until a few years down the line anyway if it does happen i just thought it would be a nice idea.i would never have a large one i would only have a very small one because bigger ones are hard work and iv seen how hard people work to keep them going.

Click to expand...

??? How are you going to run and operate a shelter if you don't drive?? What about medical care like getting these cats to and from the vets office for shots, tests, surgeries, spaying and neutering??

Thats a good point, i think learning to drive and getting a car would be a big bonus as you might have to pick cats up and maybe take them to their new homes. I foster and dont drive, and it can be a nightmare when they have to go to the vets as i have to pay for taxi's.