I used to have three cats in my old house. I miss them. I miss the company of a purring animal sitting on my lap. And the kids would like a pet here.
All good reasons to get a cat then. It's the wrong time of year for a kitten so we decided to look at local cat rescue centres. We start with the Cat Action Trust (N &W Wilts). On their website, there's a rather lovely elderly black cat who I'm rather taken by so I call up to arrange a visit to the fosterer. I mention I'm in a wheelchair. "Oh, you won't be able to get to her. There are a lot of steps in my house". "I'll be with my children. Can they come in and take a look?". "Yes, that's fine". We arrange a time. There's a second cat we'd like to see but the fosterer can't be contacted.
The next day I get a phone call from the administrator.
"I've got some bad news. The fosterers of the two cats have been talking and they have decided you cannot have a cat. You won't be able to change its litter tray".
I'm shocked. "None of you have ever met me. How do you know what I can or cannot do?"
"I'm sorry. Life must be hard with your condition and I don't want to make it any worse. Do you have a carer?"
I'm getting angry now. "Not that it's any of your business, but no, I don't have a carer. I live alone and independently"
"Well, you won't be able to catch the cat if it escapes. You might run over it with your wheels. And you didn't tell me that you were a wheelchair user when we first spoke. You should have told me"
"I don't think my being in a wheelchair is relevant. Are you saying that someone in a wheelchair can't have a cat?" (And, I wonder, how easy is it for anyone, in a wheelchair or not, to catch a cat that's run away?)
"No, of course not. We've just re-homed a cat with an elderly lady who uses a wheelchair. But she has a husband".
I'm speechless at this prejudice but it seems I am not going to get anywhere.
Finally, a valid point is made: "We must see how the cat responds to a potential owner, so if you can't get into the house, then we can't tell how you'll get on with each other".
I'm getting weary with this conversation. I would have felt differently had the fosterer said this when we first spoke to arrange the visit. But the fact that the two fosterers have discussed me and decided I can't adopt one of their cats without ever meeting me leaves me incandescent. This will be the first time that I make an official complaint about discrimination under the Equalities Act.
(There is a happy ending to the story. I went with the children to the Bath Cats and Dogs home. No one mentioned the fact that I was in a chair. We're adopting a cat, Rothen - he's the one in the photo.)
