Adopting one of our animals
We are always pleased to welcome people who are thinking about adopting one of our animals and aim to provide you with the right information to make an informed decision.
Please Note: You have to be 18 years old or over to adopt one of our animals.
We are open for viewings between 11:30am and 3:00pm every day except Wednesday when we are closed all day.
Our adoption fees rarely cover the full cost of the treatment and care your chosen animal may have received whilst at the Centre and we always welcome additional donations!
Adopting a Cat
Most of the cats in our care come to us through no fault of their own. They may have been found straying, their owner may have died, or they may have come via the inspectors or animal collection officers. At any one time we have approximately 60 cats at the Rochdale Animal Centre. Our cats are housed in a state-of-the-art cattery and are socialised each day by our staff and volunteers. All our cats receive a thorough vet check, vaccination and microchip.
Please consider the following before taking on a new cat:
- Do you have the time to look after your new pet?
- Will it fit into your circumstances or will you have to adapt your lifestyle?
- Where will your cat go when you go on holiday?
- Can you afford routine vet bills, vaccinations and pet insurance?
- Can you commit to caring for your cat long term? A cat can live for many years, in some cases 15 years and over
Please Note: We are unable to home cats to houses on busy main roads.
If you do not see a cat you like on your first visit please make a return journey. We re-home up to 30 cats every month so regular visits are advisable. Once you have found a cat you like, take a note of its name, reference number and pod number.
We will help you complete a questionnaire and give you more information about the cat you are interested in and assess its compatibility with your personal circumstances.
We will then organise a convenient time for one of our Home Visitors to visit you (this may take 1 to 10 days to arrange). Our Home Visitors like to see all the family and existing pets. If you have not heard from us within 3 days of your home visit please telephone us on (01706) 861897 to find out if you have been successful. An appointment is then scheduled for you to complete the adoption.
If you live in rented accommodation then we require you to have written consent from your landlord/housing association that they are happy for you to have a cat at this address.
Adoption fees
All of our adult cats are vaccinated, neutered/ speyed, wormed, de-flea’d and micro-chipped before they are adopted. Kittens that are too young to be neutered/speyed - the full cost is met by the branch when the kitten is old enough - you will relieve a voucher.
- Cats: £50
Adopting a kitten
We frequently have kittens available for re-homing but please note we do not home kittens to households with children of 5 years of age or under or to where the kitten will be left for longer than 4 hours per day.
Adopting a Small Animal
We have many small animals at the Centre ranging from rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters, chinchillas, degus, and sometimes pet birds.
Many of the small animals in our care come to us through no fault of their own. Their owner circumstances may have changed, their owner has died or they are simply just not wanted anymore. Many people give little or no thought to the problems of adopting a new pet. When things go wrong, or when owners find they are unable to cope, the poor creature finds itself back in our care. Rabbits especially are social creatures and often become forgotten. Permanently caging one condemns it to a life of boredom and may cause unnecessary suffering. Rabbits require companionship and so we advise people to either rehome a pair or where they currently have anther rabbit in-situ.
Please consider the following before taking on a new small animal:
- Are you aware of the general needs of this small animal?
- Do you have the time to look after your new pet?
- Will it fit into your circumstances or will you have to adapt your lifestyle?
- Where will your small animal go when you go on holiday?
- Can you afford routine vet bills, neutering and any vaccinations that some need?
- Small animals are best kept in pairs for companionship
A member of staff will show you round the small animals and rabbits area. Once you have found an animal you like, we will help you complete a questionnaire and give you more information about the small animal you are interested in and assess its compatibility with your personal circumstances.
We will then organise a convenient time for one of our Home Visitors to visit you (this may take 1 to 10 days to arrange). Our Home Visitors like to see all the family and existing pets. If you have not heard from us within 3 days of your home visit please telephone us on (01706) 861897 to find out if you have been successful. An appointment is then scheduled for you to complete the adoption.
If you live in rented accommodation then we require you to have written consent from your landlord/housing association that they are happy for you to have a small animal at this address.
Adoption fees
- Rabbits (neutered, must live in pairs): £20
- Ferrets (neutered and micro-chipped): £20
- Hamsters/Rats/Mice: £8
- Guinea Pigs (neutered): £10
Disclaimer
There may be occasions when an animal appearing on the website has already been rehomed. We are unable to confirm by telephone, fax or e-mail if a particular animal is still available, but we do urge you to visit as we always have many animals waiting for new homes. We cannot accept responsibility for the temperament of any animal once it has been rehomed.
