I hope someone on here can offer me some advice. After 19 years living in France my wife and I are reluctantly (health issues) having to go back to the UK and we have a big problem with what to do with our six cats. Unfortunately we are moving into a rental property and the landlord will not accept pets.
We have 3 boys and three girls aged between 30 months and 6 months. They are all sterilised and indentified.
I have spoken to one cat rescue charity recommended by our vet but they are at full capacity at the moment but have put me on a waiting list. But I don’t want to find that we get to our leaving date (mid January 2023) and not have anywhere to take them. I am nervous about using the SPA because I understand that they don’t have a “no kill” policy.
I live in Seine Maritime between Rouen and Dieppe.
Notice in the Marie, in local shops, vets’ waiting rooms, anywhere you can think of. If there is a local facebook group or cat lovers one you could try these too if you haven’t already.
You may have to widen your search area in order to find a cat charity with sufficient space. Could involve a bit of a journey to take them there, but it would be better than having them put down.
Try searching “Cat Charity” followed by the department name.
Or search for “Associations animaux familiers”
According to this list there 168 associations in your departement which could perhaps help you.
Please whatever you do, do not advertise, not even in the Mairie or vets. There are many unscrupulous barstewards out there who seek out these adverts to use animals to train their dogs for dogfights and even for hunting purposes.
If you haven’t already, you may want to try Phoenix Asso which I believe is an anglo-franco set up and used to have fosters and contacts all over the country.
!!? If that’s true that’s awful! I know dog fighting does still exist, but surely using kittens as bait must be very rare? Are you sure this isn’t an urban myth? (People in our village say that you mustn’t leave a dog outside or “the Romanians will take it”…)
I’ve been involved with a few cases and friends still in the animal rescue business can confirm what I’ve written.
Using young cats, kittens, puppies isn’t as rare as you might think, it’s just all kept underground.
Typically, a woman will telephone saying she’s interested in adopting your kitten/ puppy etc. or it’s a gift for her daughter blah blah. You arrange an appointment and a smartly dressed woman or couple turn up, you suspect nothing and away they go with your cat or dog. Simplz!
Yes, friends have told me some horrific stories concerning cats and dogs found in camps (not always Romanian) when raided by the gendarmes, many of the animals stolen from local properties.
Yes, Phoenix is very good, I have many years of dealing with them, but they are Dordogne based and, while may have some contacts elsewhere I doubt they would be much help in this instance. Looking at their monthly online magasine which I get, they do seem to be overrun with cats.
We have someone here who has a refuge for cats, albeit Tarn or Garonne or near, I think. A lovely man who might have some ideas but haven’t seen him for a few months. Could @ him on this thread which would get a message sent. Can anyone remember his name?
EDIT found him on the last thread we saw him. @david_gillies are you well? Any ideas or advice
please?
…feeling sick hearing what you’re saying, @beanybag. I could take one more but the road death rate for cats round here is very high. I’ve lost 2 this year, worst ever, and had a feeling for the past year or two there’s something else going on in the area too.
Yes, it is sickening and not as highlighted as it is in the UK.
30 Millions d’Amis, Brigitte Bardot Foundation constantly warn people not to advertise their animals or give them away for free for this very reason. Even Chat/Chien Perdu warn anyone who’s found a cat or dog not to believe people who contact them saying they are the owner without absolute proof.
So do i!!
It’s difficult to tell how big a problem this is as most of it is underground and even the gendarmes aren’t always that bothered.
I was heavily involved in animal rescue of this sort back in the UK and tried to get into it here but the language barrier and ill health forced me to stop.
Hunt saboteurs and The League Against Cruel Sports in the UK exposed some huge dog fighting rings but sadly the French government stamped out hunt sabbing before it could take off here, otherwise I think we’d hear a lot more on the subject than we do at the moment.
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"We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form. "
William Ralph Inge