It is a fact that in the countries where SHE-cats find a new home many cats available are in the local shelters.
But there are also many animals, such as cats, in need abroad. This website is now specifically about cats from Egypt. But there are similar projects for cats from Spain, Italy, Syria, Greece, Cyprus, India….
There are also projects that rescue dogs & adopt them internationally. For example about Spanish greyhounds.
There are many worthy initiatives.
Adopting those cats locally in their home country is possible and does happen. But it is highly exceptional. Not when the streets are full of street cats. The only realistic way out is international adoption.
So…cats from Egypt. Why?
Since there are commercial cat breeders and many in local shelters, there is objectively no shortage of cats. And therefore the import of foreign cats is not necessary.
But many people who want a cat do not wish to adopt. They go to a pet store. They don't want a second hand cat. They want a pedigree cat. A cat that sometimes has health problems due to breeding for certain characteristics. But it is 'a real pedigree cat'.
Those people are not going to adopt a cat locally anyway.
And then we have the fraction of people who want to adopt, but they absolutely have to have 'a cute kitten'. The younger the better.
Although many kittens arrive at Safe Haven Egypt, they are almost always between one and two years old when adopted. Even if those kittens would quickly find an adopter due to legal requirements, they will be at least 7 months old when they can travel. – A lot of people don't want those anymore. – Too old.
Those people are also not going to get their cat from Safe Haven Egypt.
Of the group of people who want to adopt an adult cat, a much smaller fraction will be open to the idea of adopting a foreign cat.
This is because it is 'adoption from a distance'. – One is asked to adopt a cat that they haven only seen on the internet. One must place one's trust in an organization unknown to the potential adopter. Somewhere on the Internet and abroad..
That's a lot to ask a potential candidate. - Also see Isn't this a scam?
And although we try to make it as simple as possible – see What is the adoption procedure at SHE? – we can’t compete with the convenience of being able to go to a local shelter where the animals are available for an introduction. – And where you can usually take those animals home very quickly. Sometimes even right away.
At Safe Haven Egypt there is a candidate selection procedure. The adoption fee to be paid is the same or slightly higher than what is payable at a local shelter. But you do have to pick up the cat at the airport yourself (in most cases).
The transport of the cat depends on finding a volunteer who wants to take the cat on the plane. That can happen quickly, that can take a long time. When the adopter will actually receive the cat is not certain. That does not help either.
A significant number of cats offered have some form of disability. That makes finding an adopter even more difficult. – Another extra filter.
The fraction of people who are open to adopting our cats is very small. The messages of this promotional project of the SHE cats yield very few reactions. Sometimes weeks of zero reaction. Of those reactions, a limited number actually proceed to adoption.
In the 10 years that Safe Haven Egypt has been active, SHE has placed around 1,000 cats.
These foreign cats do not displace the cats in local shelters. The numbers are simply far too low.
Online you will find relatively much promotion, certainly on Facebook, for such initiatives. But that is only an impression. The possibilities to advertise foreign cats are very limited. And so you see many messages in the few places where offering foreign cats (and dogs) is possible.
Ultimately, those foreign cats, in this case Egyptian ones, come from abroad because they also deserve a chance to find a good and safe forever home.
That is, if we find those rare people who want to give these animals a chance.
NL