20 Fun Facts You Never Knew About Cat Rescues (2023)

Unfortunately, there are cruel people in our society and throughout the world who turn their hatred and abusive manners toward animals. This cruelty can happen to any type of pet or animal that we are familiar with, such as cats, and can also come in many different forms aside from physical abuse and pain that is so commonly seen. Many of these pets can also suffer from emotional and behavioral issues due to the trauma, and can come from many various neglectful situations that can cause these temperament issues as well. Luckily, there are animal rescue groups out there who work day and night to protect and save these animals, such as cats, from the pain that they are suffering, and try to find them a new forever homes at the same time. Without these groups, we would see thousands and thousands of animals each years seeing an untimely fate, and a fate that can easily be prevented through adoption. In this article, we are going to reveal the top twenty things that you may have never known about cat rescues, and where these animals end up once they are taken out of their abuse. With that said, let’s get started with our cat rescue count down.

Where Do They Go?

Often times, when we hear stories about animals being rescued from unfortunate situations, many people all over wonder where these animals actually go after their are taken out of their dangerous and abusive homes, or are taken off the streets. For the majority of these cats, they are taken first to a veterinary clinic or shelter service for treatment of any ailments or injuries that they may have sustained while in their situations. Once they have been treated, these animals and/or cats will make their way to temporary housing, which is provided by volunteers who devote their time to fostering animals who are in need. Once they have rehabilitated and improved temperament wise and health wise, these cats will try to find their forever homes, which in some cases can with the foster parents that they have stayed with.

Every Group Is Different

This is a very important thing to realize, and that is why we have put it at the top of our list. Animal rescue groups are all different — They all have different requirements, different processes, and of course, different animals that they try to rescue (mostly domesticated animals, or pets). This is why some adoption processes at one cat rescue group may be different from that of another group, and why it may take longer to get the animal into your home as well. When it comes to differences adoption wise, it may also depend on the cat that is available, and what they have been through. For example, if they don’t do well with young children because of a trauma they experienced or don’t do well with a high energy home, the group may be more particular in finding the specific cat a home with one owner.

Variety Of Rescues

When we think of animal rescues, the majority will think of those commercials with the animals shaking in the cold, chained to a fence, bone skinny, and with sad eyes looking deep into the soul. However, animal rescue groups aren’t only focused of saving cats and other animals from these abusive situations that are typically depicted in the media. Animal rescues can take many different forms, including neglectful situations such as animal hoarding, overcrowding in local animal shelters, raids in puppy mills as well as homes that exploit animals for fighting purposes, and even natural disasters, as we have seen throughout this past year. These varying types of situations can make each case for the different animals quite unique, and can cause all of the cats and animals to have many different needs, and temperaments, that need to be paid attention to while they are being treated and in rehab.

Longer Adoption Process

Often more than not, the adoption process for adopting rescue cats from an animal rescue organization takes a longer amount of time than that of adopting from an animal shelter. The adoption process of a rescue cat is very thorough, and can often take a few weeks, which includes several different visits with the animal during that time period to allow for a bond to be made. Although it may seem like a long stretch of time, this can be a beneficial thing for both you and the cat as well, as you want to make sure you are making the absolute correct decision before taking home a cat that you can’t fully commit to once its in your own home.

They Tend To Be Smaller

The majority of these private animal rescue associations and groups are typically much smaller than the animal shelters that you will see. Animal shelters often take in all of the animals that are found on the streets and are picked up by animal control, whereas these animal rescue groups are more selective about the animals that they rescue, sometimes only sticking to one type of animal, such as cats (we will discuss this a bit more in detail later in the article). This size difference also is caused by the fact that the majority of these rescues are then rehomed temporarily in animal foster homes while they are rehabilitating, and are not having to sit in cages at the facility of the rescue group or the local vet clinic.

Hoax Groups

Unfortunately, in the midst of all of these groups that are fighting to protect the lives of innocent animals, there are some rescue groups that do not abide to the laws and regulations that are necessary for operating a legitimate service. When looking for rescue groups to adopt from, you will want to make sure they are following proper protocols, such as the number of animals they are working with at one time, that they are a registered charity, and that they respond to inquires and questions in a timely manner (just to name a few). There are other things you should look for as well, and trust us, you will want to make sure you are dealing with a professional and legitimate group before committing to an animal or cat from them.

Private Organizations

For the most part, animal rescue groups and organizations that we see or know of are typically private, and are run solely by a group of individuals whose sole goal is to save these animals that are in harm. Because of this, many of these groups also run completely on donations that are giving to them by their communities and likewise. Many of these organizations receive little to no funding from government programs and other types of funding, besides their donations.

Lack Of Facilities

Because many of these organizations are quite small, and are privately based, they often don’t have a direct facility where they operate out of. You will often see these groups using facilities such as pet stores and other outdoor locations to promote the adoption of animals and cats that are ready to find their forever homes, and will also use promotion through fliers and websites as well. Since the majority of these animals are located in foster homes, there is no need to have a facility to operate and house them on a regular basis, and it also can make it easier for the group to host adoption days for the public.

More Information

If you have ever adopted an animal, or a cat, from an animal shelter, you will already know that you are somewhat walking in blindly with the adoption in general, as the shelter often has little to no information about the animal or where they came from, what they have been through. This is different with animal and cat rescue groups. Because these cats are brought to animal foster homes, the individuals who you are adopting from will have more information regarding what the cat went through, and how they behave when they are in a home, around humans, and around other animals as well. This can help you have a better peace of mind when adopting a strange pet having the knowledge that you need to make the right decision before making the commitment.

Volunteer Based

As we eluded to before, the individuals who devote their time to rescuing these cats, or other domesticated animals, are all volunteer –They have a distinct passion for saving and bettering the lives of the animals who can’t fend or protect themselves from the circumstances they are in. From those who are going in to the dangerous scenarios to pull the cats out, to the animal foster parents that take their time to help them gain their strength back during their rehabilitation, they are all volunteers and all cat lovers who wouldn’t have it any other way.

Age Requirement

When it comes to the adoption process for rescue groups, there is typically an age limit regarding the individual who is looking to adopt in the first place. For the majority of these groups and organizations, they are looking for someone who is over 21 years of age, and tend to automatically reject any applications where the individual is under the age limit. Some of these application will even go so far as to withhold families who have children under certain ages (usually the age of 14), but that is dependent on the animal itself and how they interact with different family dynamics.

Tough Commitment To The Animal

If, for some reason, you have adopted a cat from a rescue, and (even after all of the meet and greet visits that have been had) things are just not clicking between you and the animal, you have to bring it back to the organization where you adopted. The rescue group will typically want to be involved with rehoming the animal, and making sure they make it into a good home that works for them. If you do not abide with the organizations wishing, and you give the animal to a family friend or some other person that you know, you could get into serious contractual issues with the group itself, which could also result in the pet being taken away from you and/or from the family that you tried to give the cat to. In short, it can cause a big mess for everyone involved.

They Often Focus On Specifics

With many of these rescues, you will see the volunteers and rescuers focusing on specific types of animals, or cats, at a time. This can be specific to the breed and/or age of the cat or animal, and can also be helpful when they are looking for temporary home possibilities, as the majority of those that are offering their services during rehabilitation have a passion for saving these animals. Having that passion and love for helping these specific breeds of cats can help aid them in while they are trying to heal and get better after their abusive situations.

Saves Animals From Being Euthanized

In case you weren’t aware, studies have shown that around four to seven million cats and dogs all around the world are euthanized each year, due to overcrowding in shelters and pounds. This has drastically dropped throughout the past couple of decades, when the amount of euthanized animals reached twenty million at the time. This is why animal rescue groups are so important. These organizations are working to help safe these animals, and find them permanent homes to help diminish the amount of innocent animals that are put down each year because they are homeless and roaming the streets.

Tend To Be Healthier Animals

Although they have come out of abusive and neglectful situations, these cats tend to be much healthier than that of cats and other animals that are adopted from local animal shelters. These animals are given great lengths to bring them back to the peak of health, and are often also spayed and/or neutered before they are released into the care of their new forever family. However, if for some reason they have not received all of their necessary shots before they are released into your care (for whatever reason), the animal foster parents, and the adoption agency, will give you the paperwork that you need so that you are aware of the shots that are still needed. They will also more than likely provide you with the animal’s full record from the veterinarian so that you know exactly what health issues or treatments they have had.

Free Roaming

For those organizations that do have facilities that they can keep their cats at while they are waiting to be adopted, there are some that have free roaming facilities that they operate. These free roaming facilities allow for the animals to have less time stuck in caged areas, and have more time to get acquainted with the other animals that are also waiting for forever homes at the same time. This can help them to regain a better temperament while they are still recovering from their abusive situations that they were in before.

Regain Sociability

As we have mentioned all throughout this article, the majority of these cats are rescued from abusive homes where they are often neglected and left to fend for themselves. Although cats can generally be quite independent creatures, this abuse that they have lived with can lead to social impairment. This is why the majority of foster animal parents that take in these animals will have other animals in the home as well to allow for the abused cat or cats to regain a bit of socialness to their personality, and to regain that trust with other animals and humans as well.

The Adoption Application Alone Can Be Pretty Tough

There are many, many stories both in the news and on other media outlets that describe stories of families not being approved to adopt a pet from a rescue because of silly things, like the organization not liking their neighborhood the individual lives in, or because of a family dynamic, or even having a small hole in your backyard fence. Yes, getting approved to adopt a cat or other animal from a rescue can be tricky and difficult, and can end up not turning out in your favor in the end. The decision is ultimately up to the organization itself, as there is typically no third party that looks over the decision making process. So, if you want to adopt a pet from a rescue, just keep in mind that in may be quite a back breaker!

You, (Yes, You!) Can Start Your Own Animal Rescue Group

If you have a passion for animals and for protecting those innocent lives that can’t fend for themselves, you may be just the person to begin your own animal rescue group. It will take time and energy, as you have certain regulations and requirements to uphold, but as long as you can get your local community and the public behind you, you can work to help these cats and other domesticated animals find those forever homes that keep them safe and sound. You will want to make sure you find a group of volunteers and other individuals who can help you on your mission to protect these animals, one cat at a time.

Adoption Can Cost A Pretty Penny

Unlike the smaller fees that are often seen at local animal shelters, the process of adopting a recue animal, or cat, can cost quite a bit more when it comes to the fees. You will tend to have more interview fees, as it also entails a longer process (as we mentioned before). You will also have quite a bit more paperwork and documentation that will need to be filled out before they release the animal into your care. They want to make sure that they are securing the cat into a good home, and not allowing them to be put back into the same situation that they were just taken out of.

What To Do If You Want To Adopt

The best thing to do when looking for an animal, cat or dog, to adopt is to search for local animal rescue groups near your neighborhood who have animals up for adoption. In many cases you can find rescues that have specific animals or breeds that you are searching for, as well as age and other specifications that are to your liking. Once you are ready to begin applying to adopt your favorite cat that you found, you will want to make sure that you fill out all of your paperwork and questionnaires truthfully. There are many volunteers at these agencies who follow their gut instincts, and if they get any bad feelings during your interviews, home visits, or other meet and greets, it may more than likely turn into a no go for adopting your cat. Yes, the adoption process may take a few weeks to even a month or two, but once your cat or other pet is in your home, it will be so worth it.

There are many ups and downs to any rescue and adoption process, especially if things just don’t turn out in your favor. However, you and so many others are helping to better the lives of these innocent creatures who just want the love and comfort that they deserve. In any case, this has been our count down of the top twenty things that you may or may not have known about cat rescues and cat rescue groups in general. If you are interested in looking to adopt a new cat for your home, have more questions or concerns about adopting from an animal rescue organization, or just want to see some of the amazing animal rescue stories that have spanned the many years, you can find plenty more information online and also via your local veterinary clinic.