Rehoming mature animals

Retirees having to relocate to a retirement village after selling their home are very often faced with a no-pets policy in the new title deeds or as a body corporate ruling. Divorce or dissolution of a long-term partnership may require rehoming pets. Emigration may be too expensive including dogs and cats in the package. Sometimes animals are too old to be kept in quarantine or transported long distances.

Elderly pets do not adapt easily to a new environment, especially if it is a smaller property with less stimulation, visually and physically. Most senior cats and dogs are losing some of their senses such as vision and hearing. This creates insecurity and less ability for adaptation.

People in the difficult emotional situation of having to get rid of their pets usually put out feelers amongst family and friends. If there are no takers notices are placed in veterinary waiting rooms in the hope that other caring pet owners will be sympathetic enough to adopt them.

There are important reality factors which need to be considered from an animal behaviour, veterinary and pet perspective. Nobody in their right mind would willingly want to adopt any animal in its twilight years when the problem of aging rears its ugly head. This is when increased expenses and maintenance of geriatric pets becomes a financial burden to the empathic adopters, friends trying to assist or family wanting to assuage the tragedy of the situation.

Animals can adapt readily to new homes if they are much younger. In the case of multi-canine or multi-feline households there is definitely no need to stipulate that they must all go together because they have been in a clowder of cats or a pack of dogs for many years. Expecting anyone to adopt more than one animal at a time is asking far too much. In the event that someone is willing to offer their own mature or senior pet a companion of similar age then there is a good chance of relocating one particular compatible individual, thus saving its life.

The unbundling of the partnerships is not serious. The important factor is finding a good suitable home. It does not matter if the dogs or cats are siblings or parents of offspring because animals do not know they are related. In any event it is irrelevant when the situation is desperate. In the new home there are new rules and no association with the existence of the previous owners and because animals only live in the present they cope very well, very quickly provided the new owners abide by the required behavioural approaches of a newcomer adapting to a strange place with different humans and animals.

Finding a home requires careful consideration in the interest of the pets needing to be relocated. Too many people are filled with guilt having to do this. You have to do what is right for the beloved pets and there is no one better than a veterinarian, a veterinary nurse or animal behaviourist to offer direction and solutions. It is also important to start looking for new homes the moment the family realises that they can no longer keep them and not wait until the eleventh hour to hunt around.

In the event that homes cannot be found timeously then boarding them at a veterinary hospital or boarding kennel and financing their upkeep until a suitable home comes available is an option – provided the animal is a worthy candidate for this. A mature animal, over three years, or a senior cat or dog, over seven years, needs to be healthy and of good nature. It is ludicrous to try and find a home for a five-year-old terrier which has never been socialised or trained – it will most likely kill the first vulnerable pet in the new home. The pets requiring relocation need to be evaluated by professionals to determine their compatibility factor according to breed, size, age and sexual status.

The kindest approach under these circumstances is to euthanase them if rehoming is not an option. At least, you know the outcome. Sometimes a cat is dumped on family and it gets killed by the resident dog. A dog is dumped on friends then the message is received that the dog has run away and been run over. These are surely cruel and distressing options in comparison to the painless, peaceful and quick method of having your veterinarian put these animals down. If you love your pet do what is right for it. Don’t expect people to take on your problems.