Questions to Ask When Rehoming a Cat
For owners who have to give up a cat and want to choose its next home with care instead of handing it to the first person who replies. The questions are for the people who answer your ad, in the order the screening tends to go: the first messages and call, their home and household, their history with cats, daily care, vet care and costs, then the terms and the handover. A few are worded around your own cat, so fill in its real habits and health before you ask them.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
First contact
What made you answer the ad for this cat in particular?
Why ask it
A person who read the listing mentions something from it: the age, the shyness, the photo on the windowsill. A reply that could be about any cat, or that only asks whether it is still available, deserves one more message from you before a phone number or an address changes hands.
Is the cat for you, or for someone else?
Why ask it
A cat collected as a present for a parent, a partner or a child goes to a home you have never spoken to. Ask to talk to the person who will live with it. If that cannot be arranged, you have no way to check anything else on this list.
What are you hoping a cat will be like to live with?
Why ask it
Set the answer beside the cat you actually have. If they picture a lap cat and yours takes a month to sit near a stranger, say so now, kindly and plainly. A mismatch you smooth over on the phone tends to come back as a message in week three.
Are you ready to have this cat for the rest of its life, old age included?
Why ask it
Give the cat's age and say what it probably means. A two-year-old may still be on their sofa after their children have left home, while a twelve-year-old brings fewer years and more vet visits. A pause while they do the arithmetic is worth more than a quick 'of course'.
How soon are you hoping to bring a cat home?
Why ask it
Someone planning to keep a cat for the rest of its life can wait a week for a call and a visit. Pressure to collect tonight, before you have asked anything, is one of the few answers that should slow you down on its own. If your own deadline is tight, say what it is and still do the checks.
Can we talk by phone or video before we arrange to meet?
Why ask it
Ten minutes of voice tells you more than a long thread of messages, and it costs an honest applicant nothing. On video, ask to see the room the cat would start in if they are comfortable showing it. People who will only text, and who steer every reply back to the pickup time, can be let go politely.
Can I take your full name, and roughly where do you live?
Why ask it
You are about to hand an animal to this person, so knowing who they are is a fair thing to ask, and you can say exactly that. The distance matters as well: a home three hours away makes a visit, a trial and taking the cat back much harder. Keep your own street address to yourself until after the call.
Home and household
Do you rent or own, and if you rent, can you show me where the lease or the landlord allows a cat?
Why ask it
A landlord who finds out later puts the cat straight back where it is today, needing a home. Ask for the page of the lease or a message from the landlord, not a verbal assurance. Pet deposits, monthly pet fees and limits on the number of animals differ from one building and one place to the next, so ask what theirs are instead of assuming.
Who else lives there, and how does each of them feel about a cat arriving?
Why ask it
Listen for the person who is only going along with it. A roommate or partner who 'will come round' is the one who leaves the bedroom door shut or the front door open. If you can, have everyone present at the visit and watch who goes to the cat and who stays by the wall.
Is anyone at home allergic to cats, or not sure whether they are?
Why ask it
People who have never lived with a cat often do not know. An hour in a closed room with yours during the visit is a cheap first test, though it will not settle the question, and a doctor is the person to ask about anything more. You are asking because an allergy found in the second week leaves the cat looking for a home again.
How old are the children in the house, and have they lived with a cat before?
Why ask it
Say truthfully how your cat has been with children, including 'I do not know, she has never met one'. Then ask who supervises and where the cat could get away to, such as a high shelf or a room behind a gate. A timid or elderly cat and a toddler can work, but only with an adult who has thought about it.
What other animals do you have, and how has each of them been around cats?
Why ask it
Get specifics: species, age, sex, and whether the dog has shared a house with a cat or has only met them through a fence. Birds, rabbits and hamsters count too, from the other direction. Then tell them what your cat has and has not lived with, so both halves of the match are on the table.
How would you introduce my cat to the pets you already have?
Why ask it
A good plan has a closed door in it: a separate room, swapped bedding, short supervised meetings, days or weeks instead of hours. 'They will sort it out between them' is the answer to worry about. If they are willing but have no plan, a local shelter's introduction guide is something you can send the same evening.
Where would the cat spend its first few days with you?
Why ask it
One quiet room with a litter box, food, water and somewhere to hide is what you are hoping to hear. Tell them how your cat takes change, whether that is three days under a bed or strolling out within the hour. Offer the bed or blanket it sleeps on now, unwashed, so the room smells of something it knows.
Is anything big coming up for you in the next year or two, such as a move, a new job or long trips?
Why ask it
Nobody can promise the future, and you know better than most how plans change. The thing to hear is whether the cat is inside the plan, as in 'we would be looking for a place that takes pets'. Blank surprise at the question tells you it has not come up yet.
Is there anything in your home a cat could be hurt by, such as a balcony, windows without screens or houseplants?
Why ask it
An upper-floor balcony and open unscreened windows matter most for a young cat or one that has only lived on the ground floor. This is a question about what they would change, not a test they pass or fail. For plants, suggest they check the names with a vet or an animal poison helpline before the cat arrives.
Cat experience
Have you had cats before, and what became of them?
Why ask it
The second half is the part that counts. Cats that grew old with this person tell you one story; several that 'ran off', 'got out' or went to a friend tell another. Ask gently, because a cat lost last month is a grief and not a mark against anyone.
Have you ever had to give up a pet yourself, and what led to it?
Why ask it
You are doing exactly that, so you can ask without any edge to it. One rehoming with a clear reason, handled with care, describes you as much as them. What should give you pause is the same thing happening to animal after animal, each time with someone else to blame.
If this would be your first cat, what have you done to find out what one needs?
Why ask it
First-time owners can make excellent homes, so this is about effort and not a quiz. Reading up, borrowing a friend's knowledge and pricing a vet visit all count. Offer to write out your cat's routine hour by hour; how gladly they take that offer is part of the answer.
What did your last cat do that drove you up the wall, and how did you handle it?
Why ask it
Everyone who has lived with a cat has one: the yowling at four in the morning, the counter surfing, the dug-up plant pots. The story shows how they respond when an animal is inconvenient, which asking whether they love cats never will. No story at all usually means the cat was looked after by someone else in the house.
What would you do if the cat hid for the first two weeks and would not come near you?
Why ask it
Plenty of adult cats do this in a new place, so present it as likely and not as a hypothetical. Patience is the answer: sitting in the room with a book, food left near the hiding spot, no dragging it out for visitors. Someone who needs an affectionate cat by the weekend will be let down, and the cat pays for it.
How would you deal with scratched furniture, or a cat that started going outside the litter box?
Why ask it
Tell them first whether yours does either. Scratching posts by the sofa, an extra box, and a vet visit to rule out a health cause are the kinds of answer that show someone has lived with cats. If the solution is the garage or the yard, you have learned what you needed without arguing about it.
Where do you stand on declawing?
Why ask it
Ask it neutrally, then state your own position. If you would not want this cat declawed, call that a condition and write it into the agreement. The procedure is banned or restricted in some places and permitted in others, so the law where they live may not decide it for you.
Have you looked after an elderly cat, or one that needs medication every day?
Why ask it
Skip it for a healthy young cat. For a senior, or one on tablets, a special diet or injections, ask whether they have ever given a cat a pill and how it went. Showing them the routine yourself during the visit beats describing it, and you will see from their face whether it is more than they expected.
Daily care
Would the cat live indoors only, go outside, or have a mix of the two?
Why ask it
Lead with what your cat is used to, since that is the real starting point. If indoor-only is a condition for you, say so here and put it in writing later. Customs differ a great deal between countries and between city and countryside, so expect an honest difference of opinion and decide in advance how firm you are.
If the cat would go out, what is around your home: a busy road, loose dogs, open fields?
Why ask it
Follow up with how long they would keep it in before the first trip outside, and whether there is a fenced yard, a harness or an enclosed run. Weeks indoors first, and a microchip registered to them before the door opens, show the thinking has been done. A shrug about the road outside is your cue to ask whether they would consider keeping it in.
On an ordinary weekday, how many hours would the cat be alone?
Why ask it
Many adult cats sleep through a working day without complaint. A kitten, or a cat that has had someone home all day for years, is a different case, and you are the only one who knows which yours is. Say what it has been used to and ask whether they would consider a second cat or a midday visitor if it struggles.
Who would look after the cat when you travel?
Why ask it
A named neighbor, relative or sitter means they have done this before or thought it through. Ask how often they are away and for how long. A big bowl of food and a week alone is not a plan, and it is fair to say so even if you like everything else about them.
Where would the litter box, the food bowls and a scratching post go?
Why ask it
Someone who has pictured the cat in their home already has spots in mind. In a studio apartment it is a real puzzle, and you want it solved before the cat arrives, not after the first accident. Sending your own box with a bag of the litter you use keeps one more thing familiar.
Will you keep the cat on the food it eats now, at least for the first few weeks?
Why ask it
A new home is enough change at once, and the same bowl of the same food is the easiest thing to hold steady. Pack a week or two of it and write down the brand, the amount and the times. If the food is a prescription diet, give them the monthly price now so it is not a surprise at the vet's counter.
Which adult in the household will be responsible for the daily care?
Why ask it
When the answer is 'my daughter, it is going to be her cat', the adult standing behind the daughter is the person you are really choosing. In a shared house, get one name: the person who pays the vet and takes the cat along if the household splits up. Put that name on the agreement.
This is what my cat needs every day. How would it fit into your routine?
Why ask it
Fill in the real thing before you ask: a long coat brushed daily, twenty minutes of hard play before bed, a house without loud parties. Describe the worst of it in the plainest words you have. 'It will be no trouble' convinces less than a description of where the brushing fits between work and dinner.
Vet and costs
Do you have a vet now, and may I call the clinic as a reference?
Why ask it
Clinics differ on what they will say about a client, and many want the client's permission first, so ask the applicant to phone ahead and approve the call. Then keep it to one thing: do this person's animals come in regularly? Leave it out for someone who has never had a pet.
If you do not have a vet yet, which clinic would you use, and how soon would you take the cat in?
Why ask it
A checkup in the first couple of weeks gives the new owner a starting point and a number to call when something seems off. Offer to have your clinic send the records straight there. Being able to name a clinic near them already suggests some homework was done before they wrote to you.
What do you expect a cat to cost you in a normal month, and in a bad one?
Why ask it
Do not mark the figure, since prices vary a lot by area. You are checking that food, litter and a yearly checkup are on their list, and that they know one emergency can cost more than the whole year before it. Telling them what you actually spend is the most useful number they will get from anyone.
How would you pay for a large vet bill you had not planned for?
Why ask it
Savings, pet insurance, a card kept for emergencies: any of them is a plan, and 'I have not thought about it' is at least honest. If your cat has a known condition, tell them to ask an insurer directly how it would be treated, because what a policy covers depends on the company and the country.
Here are my cat's vet records, including what is ongoing or coming due. Are you ready to take that on?
Why ask it
Hand over all of it: vaccination dates, the dental work the vet has mentioned, the kidney values that are being watched. A condition you keep quiet about now becomes the reason the cat is given up a second time. Their reaction to the folder, curious or alarmed, is more reliable than a yes.
Are the animals you have now spayed or neutered and up to date with their vet?
Why ask it
How someone cares for the pets they already have is the best evidence you will get about the next one. If your own cat is not neutered, ask whether they would have it done and when, or talk to your vet about doing it before the handover. An applicant keen on an unneutered cat in particular should be asked why.
Will you move the microchip into your name and keep the contact details current?
Why ask it
How a transfer works depends on the chip registry and the country: some need the current keeper to release the record, some charge a fee. Look up your cat's registry before the handover so your half is ready. If the cat has no chip, ask whether they would have one put in at the first vet visit.
Terms and handover
If it does not work out, will you contact me before you do anything else?
Why ask it
This is the one promise to hear out loud and not only read in a message. Be straight about what you could do: take the cat back, or help find the next home. If taking it back is impossible, agree on a named rescue or shelter instead, so the fallback is never an online ad or an open door.
What would make you decide it was not working?
Why ask it
The answer shows where their limit sits. A scratched sofa in the first week and a fight that draws blood after three months of careful introductions are very different thresholds. Follow with 'what would you try first, and how long would you give it?'
May I see your home before the handover, or bring the cat to you myself?
Why ask it
Delivering the cat lets you see where it will live without the visit feeling like an inspection, and the cat arrives with someone it knows. Take a friend along and tell someone else the address and the time. If they would prefer a video tour first, that is a reasonable trade; a flat no to both is not.
Is there someone outside your family I could call who has seen you with animals?
Why ask it
A landlord, a neighbor whose cat they feed or a friend from a rescue they volunteered at will all do, and it matters most for a first-time owner with no vet to vouch for them. Keep the call short and ask one thing: would you leave your own pet with this person for a month? A warm, quick yes sounds different from a careful one.
Would you agree to a trial of two or three weeks before we call it final?
Why ask it
A trial gives both sides a way out without blame. Settle the dates, who pays the vet during it, and when the chip and records change hands. Judge it by whether the household is coping and not by whether the cat is friendly yet, since a shy cat may still be behind the washing machine at the end of week two.
I am asking a rehoming fee. Are you comfortable with that?
Why ask it
Say what it is for. Owners usually ask a modest fee to put off people who collect free pets with no plan to keep them, and to cover some of the vet work already done. Listing sites and some places have their own rules on charging for a pet, so check what applies where you advertise, and if taking money sits badly with you, ask for a donation to a shelter and a copy of the receipt.
Will you sign a short written agreement with me?
Why ask it
One page is enough: both names, the date, the cat's description and chip number, the conditions you agreed, and the sentence that says the cat is now theirs. How far such a paper can be enforced depends on where you live, so ask a local rescue or a legal advice service if that matters to you. Its everyday value is that you have both read the same words.
Would you show me photo ID when we meet, so the name on the agreement is right?
Why ask it
It feels awkward and takes ten seconds. Say that you are signing over an animal and want the paperwork to match, and offer to show yours in return. Note the name and nothing more; photographing someone's ID is a bigger ask and they may fairly decline.
Would you send me a photo or a line or two in the first few weeks?
Why ask it
Ask it as a favor and not as a condition for life. A rough rhythm helps: the first night, the end of the first week, a month in, and after that only if they feel like it. Some applicants offer this before you ask, and knowing a photo is coming makes the drive home easier.
Do you have a secure carrier, and will you be going straight home?
Why ask it
A cardboard box or a cat loose in the car is how a frightened animal gets lost at a gas station. Lend or give them your carrier if theirs is flimsy, with the cat's own blanket inside. Hand over the food, the records and your written routine at the same moment, so nothing depends on a later meeting.
What would you like to ask me about the cat?
Why ask it
People who have truly pictured this cat in their home arrive with a list: where it hides, what frightens it, how it is at the vet, why you are giving it up. Have the true answers ready, the unflattering ones included. Having nothing to ask after all of this usually means day one has not been imagined yet.
How to choose a new home for your cat
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the first reply
Describe the cat you have, faults and all
Put the age, the health issues, the shyness and the shredded chair in the listing next to the good photos. A frank ad draws fewer replies, and the people who do write have already accepted the hard parts. Nobody can say later that they were not told.
Put your conditions in the listing
Indoor only, no declawing, a home visit, a fee, both cats together: whatever you will insist on, say it up front. It saves you a string of calls with people who would have dropped out at the first condition.
Ask the people who already know the cat
Before strangers, try friends, family, coworkers, neighbors and the notice board at your vet. Some rescues will also list an owner's cat on their own pages or advise on screening. Whether one near you does is a matter of asking.
Keep your address out of the ad
Use a first name and a general area, and move to a call before any meeting. A first meeting at your home with a friend present, or delivering the cat yourself, both beat handing a carrier over in a parking lot.
On the call and at the visit
Say why you are asking
Open with one sentence: you want this to be the cat's last move, so you are asking everyone the same things. Most people relax when they hear that, and the ones who bristle have told you something.
Answer as much as you ask
Tell them why you are rehoming, what the cat is like on a bad day and what the vet said last time. An applicant deciding on half the facts is one who may undo the decision later.
Watch how they meet the cat
Do they crouch and wait, or reach straight in and pick it up? Do the children listen when told to be gentle? A cat that hides for the whole visit is normal, and how the visitors take that is part of what you came to see.
Sleep on it
Tell every applicant you will get back to them tomorrow. It gives you time to call the vet reference and compare your notes, and it shows you how each of them handles a short wait.
The day the cat leaves
What goes with the cat
The carrier, its bed or an unwashed blanket, a week or two of its food, the litter it uses, the toys it actually plays with and any medication with the label on. Familiar smells do a lot of the settling in for you.
A one-page care sheet
Feeding times and amounts, litter type, where it likes to be touched and where it does not, what frightens it, where it hides, and the vet's name and number. Write it the night before, when you can think.
Papers to hand over
Vet records, the chip number and registry, the signed agreement, and a receipt if a fee was paid. How chip transfers and ownership paperwork work differs by registry and by place, so look up what applies to you a few days ahead.
Keep the goodbye for before they arrive
Have your time with the cat earlier in the day. A long tearful handover at the door is hard on you and unsettling for an animal that is already shut in a carrier. Agree when the first update will come, and then let them drive away.
When to turn someone down
A hurry you did not create
Collection tonight, no time for a call, a courier or a friend sent in their place. A real home can wait a few days, and a person who cannot is asking you to skip the only checks you have.
No to every kind of check
Declining a home visit can be about privacy, and a video tour or a vet reference can stand in for it. Declining the visit, the video, the reference and the agreement together leaves you with nothing but their word.
Money that moves the wrong way
An offer to pay well over your fee, a check for more than the amount with a request to refund the difference, or payment promised before they have asked a single thing about the cat. Treat each as a reason to stop replying.
A story that keeps changing
The cat is for them, then for a niece. They own the house, then the landlord is fine with it. Small contradictions across a few messages matter more than any single answer.
Your own unease
You do not owe the cat to the first person who asked, or to the nicest. If something feels off and you cannot name it, you can say it is not the right match and keep looking.