Idlewild Animal Sanctuary – Providing a safe haven and rehoming centre for unwanted and abandoned animals
Idlewild Animal Sanctuary – Providing a safe haven and rehoming centre for unwanted and abandoned animals

Rehoming Animals

We rehome a range of animals at Idlewild. 

• Click below to view our animals •

Cats

Cats available

Dogs

None available

Equine

None available

Livestock

None available

Small Animals

None available

Most of the animals we rehome at Idlewild are cats. Below you will find more information on rehoming cats from Idlewild.

Our cats

Our cats can find themselves at the sanctuary for a number of different reasons. Some come directly from owners, some are abandoned, and some are strays. We don’t always know the full history of every cat and we can only pass on the information that we do have. You should therefore be prepared to allow a period of adjustment for your new cat when they arrive in your home. It is a big change to move from a sanctuary into a home environment. We feel at least a few weeks should be given for the cat to settle before you can expect it to be fully relaxed in its new home. The time that each cat needs to fully settle depends on the cat itself, its prior experiences and the circumstances of the new home environment. Some cats may come from farm or feral environments and they will need a lot longer to settle and show their true personality. When you adopt a cat from us, you will receive an informative booklet filled with lots of information about caring for your cat. 
 

To which locations do we rehome?

We rehome our cats to the following local areas: LL18, LL19, LL26, LL27, LL28, LL29, LL30, LL31, LL32, LL33 and LL34.
This is due to our home checking resources. On some occasions we can home check further afield, but this will depend on resources and the animals concerned. 

All home checks have set requirements and criteria.

  • You must not live on or within 200 metres of a road with a speed limit of 40 miles an hour or 500 metres of a road with a speed limit over 40 miles an hour
  • The house must be in a safe condition for a cat.
  • You must have sufficient space for the new cat and if you have other cats, there must be a suitable set up for a new cat to have its own resources without any conflict within the home. 
  • If you have any other cats, we will check whether their condition is good for their life stage.
  • If you live in rented accommodation, you will be asked to obtain written permission from your landlord. 
  • Your garden needs to be safe and secure for a cat to enjoy.
  • We may ask for a veterinary reference in some cases.

Please note we will not rehome a cat close to where it was found/previously lived, to avoid complications and unnecessary stress for the cat or new owners.

The Rehoming process

Health care

When you adopt your cat from Idlewild Animal Sanctuary, they will have already been vaccinated, microchipped and neutered if old enough or arrangements made for neutering at a later date. They will be up to date with treatment against parasites.

If there are any known health conditions, we will ensure you are made aware of these before adopting a cat. At the adoption collection you will receive an up-to-date vaccination certificate, microchip information, an adoption contract and a cat care information guide. 

Adoption process 

We first ask you to provide the prospective address so we can perform a location check. We will then get some vital information from you in relation to what you are looking for and match you with possible cats we have available. If you would like to come to meet the cats, you can arrange an appointment, and if you would like to reserve a cat, we then require a non-refundable donation deposit of £20. Once we have this deposit, we will arrange a home check and if passed, a further non-refundable donation of £60 is payable when you adopt the cat. The full adoption donation is £80 per cat and that helps the charity towards the cat’s veterinary fees and care costs. 

Taking your cat home

Adopting a rescue cat can be a fantastically rewarding experience and we always look forward to finding our cats the best possible forever home. Every new owner will need to sign an adoption contract when they rehome a cat. As part of our commitment to the cats, we offer lifelong back up so we are always on hand to offer follow up advice. On the rare occasion that there are any problems with your adoption, then all cats must be returned to the sanctuary for the team to rehome. Adoption donations will not be refunded in this situation. No cats, under any circumstance, can be sold or given away – they must always be returned as we are in the best position for care for the cat and find a more suitable home.

Please click here to see the cats we currently have available.

Covid Rehoming

Due to the current Covid-19 restrictions, we have a covid procedure in place at the moment. Firstly, you need to send the address to kim.idlewild@gmail.com so we can perform a location check. As part of this check, we look at roads and speed limits etc. We have set guidelines for the homecheck criteria that must be met for an adoption to go ahead. These checks are currently completed on Google Maps as we are trying to work remotely. If the location is suitable, we move on to the next step. We are performing video homechecks of the house itself. Start your video outside the front door showing the front area of the house and then walk into the house and around each room. Explain where the litter trays food and beds will be etc. You will need to send us your completed video via email. We will then make a decision. Sometimes there are things we need to check, and in this case, we would make a socially distanced visit to your home. If you pass the homecheck, we will send you pictures and videos of the cats and discuss each cat. Due to the restrictions, the handover of the cat must be done at the gate as the site is closed. Please bring a cat box which we would take from you at the gate. We will transfer the cat into your box and return it to you, along with all the necessary paperwork. We then offer life long support for any questions or issues they have. This is the only way we can rehome in these strange times. Adopting a rescue cat can be a fantastically rewarding experience and we always look forward to finding our cats the best possible forever home. Every new owner will need to sign an adoption contract when they rehome a cat. As part of our commitment to the cats, we offer lifelong back up so we are always on hand to offer follow up advice. On the rare occasion that there are any problems with your adoption, then all cats must be returned to the sanctuary for the team to rehome. Adoption donations will not be refunded in this situation. No cats, under any circumstance, can be sold or given away – they must always be returned as we are in the best position for care for the cat and find a more suitable home.