Animal Welfare Professionals

Hi all,

I'm hoping to gather some insight from other rescues/ shelters regarding an increase in cat return requests.

We are a cat-only rescue with a lifetime return policy, and we do not have open intake. Since the start of this year, we've seen a noticeable uptick in owner return requests compared to our usual volume.

I'm curious if others are experiencing a similar trend. If so, are you seeing any common reasons behind these returns (behavioral, medical, housing changes, financial constraints, etc)?

For context, our return policy has been in place for nearly 14 years, since our inception,  so this isn't a recent change. We also allow adopters to rehome cats independently, provided they share the new owner's contact information with us and the new owner agrees to the general terms of our contract. These recent requests are coming from a mix of adopters-both recent and long-term.

Any insight, patterns, or trends you're seeing would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi all,

I'm hoping to gather some insight from other rescues/ shelters regarding an increase in cat return requests.

We are a cat-only rescue with a lifetime return policy, and we do not have open intake. Since the start of this year, we've seen a noticeable uptick in owner return requests compared to our usual volume.

I'm curious if others are experiencing a similar trend. If so, are you seeing any common reasons behind these returns (behavioral, medical, housing changes, financial constraints, etc)?

For context, our return policy has been in place for nearly 14 years, since our inception,  so this isn't a recent change. We also allow adopters to rehome cats independently, provided they share the new owner's contact information with us and the new owner agrees to the general terms of our contract. These recent requests are coming from a mix of adopters-both recent and long-term.

Any insight, patterns, or trends you're seeing would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi all,

I'm hoping to gather some insight from other rescues/ shelters regarding an increase in cat return requests.

We are a cat-only rescue with a lifetime return policy, and we do not have open intake. Since the start of this year, we've seen a noticeable uptick in owner return requests compared to our usual volume.

I'm curious if others are experiencing a similar trend. If so, are you seeing any common reasons behind these returns (behavioral, medical, housing changes, financial constraints, etc)?

For context, our return policy has been in place for nearly 14 years, since our inception,  so this isn't a recent change. We also allow adopters to rehome cats independently, provided they share the new owner's contact information with us and the new owner agrees to the general terms of our contract. These recent requests are coming from a mix of adopters-both recent and long-term.

Any insight, patterns, or trends you're seeing would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

HI Meghan,

We are also a cat-only rescue. We seem to go in spurts where we get calls for owner surrenders. Last month we had a few come back. Most people are quoting financial reasons or moving. We are in Virginia in a large military area. So there are times where they are unable to take their pets with them when they move.

Hi all,

I'm hoping to gather some insight from other rescues/ shelters regarding an increase in cat return requests.

We are a cat-only rescue with a lifetime return policy, and we do not have open intake. Since the start of this year, we've seen a noticeable uptick in owner return requests compared to our usual volume.

I'm curious if others are experiencing a similar trend. If so, are you seeing any common reasons behind these returns (behavioral, medical, housing changes, financial constraints, etc)?

For context, our return policy has been in place for nearly 14 years, since our inception,  so this isn't a recent change. We also allow adopters to rehome cats independently, provided they share the new owner's contact information with us and the new owner agrees to the general terms of our contract. These recent requests are coming from a mix of adopters-both recent and long-term.

Any insight, patterns, or trends you're seeing would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi Corrine,

Thanks so much for your insight. I think our return requests tend to come in waves as well.

We are in a community with an older median age, so many of our recent requests have involved people aging out of being able to care for their kitties. Financial hardship has also been a commonly noted factor, although we do not require a reason on our intake forms.

We are actively trying to reduce these numbers and help keep cats in their homes, but times are tough for many people right now. Unfortunately, our food bank efforts have not had as much participation as we had hoped.

Thanks again,

HI Meghan,

We are also a cat-only rescue. We seem to go in spurts where we get calls for owner surrenders. Last month we had a few come back. Most people are quoting financial reasons or moving. We are in Virginia in a large military area. So there are times where they are unable to take their pets with them when they move.

Hi all,

I'm hoping to gather some insight from other rescues/ shelters regarding an increase in cat return requests.

We are a cat-only rescue with a lifetime return policy, and we do not have open intake. Since the start of this year, we've seen a noticeable uptick in owner return requests compared to our usual volume.

I'm curious if others are experiencing a similar trend. If so, are you seeing any common reasons behind these returns (behavioral, medical, housing changes, financial constraints, etc)?

For context, our return policy has been in place for nearly 14 years, since our inception,  so this isn't a recent change. We also allow adopters to rehome cats independently, provided they share the new owner's contact information with us and the new owner agrees to the general terms of our contract. These recent requests are coming from a mix of adopters-both recent and long-term.

Any insight, patterns, or trends you're seeing would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi all,

I'm hoping to gather some insight from other rescues/ shelters regarding an increase in cat return requests.

We are a cat-only rescue with a lifetime return policy, and we do not have open intake. Since the start of this year, we've seen a noticeable uptick in owner return requests compared to our usual volume.

I'm curious if others are experiencing a similar trend. If so, are you seeing any common reasons behind these returns (behavioral, medical, housing changes, financial constraints, etc)?

For context, our return policy has been in place for nearly 14 years, since our inception,  so this isn't a recent change. We also allow adopters to rehome cats independently, provided they share the new owner's contact information with us and the new owner agrees to the general terms of our contract. These recent requests are coming from a mix of adopters-both recent and long-term.

Any insight, patterns, or trends you're seeing would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!