What do people mean when they refer to a cat as a "rescue"?

When I refer to to a rescue cat it means they saved it from an abusive situation or from the street.

A rescue cat is what us cat people refer to a shelter cat or a pound cat that was adopted.

Usually, these cats had some sort of troubled past- for instance, I have two "rescue" cats myself, one was born in a box in a garage all alone, and the other ones momma died during labor. Then they had to live in a cage at a shelter. Not the worst thing in the world, but I still feel that I rescued them and took them to a place where the only worry they have is how to escape me when I hug them....

Which they do exceptionally well.... haha.

Rescue cats also refer to strays that were rescued as injured, sick or malnourished cats, and have been given a loving home.

Any cat taken from a bad situation, and given a better life is a rescue cat. =)

EDIT: Some may think that by saying "rescue" that it makes them sound all mighty and heroic, but I just use it as a general term, just like the word "grey". Doesn't mean anything more to me- it doesn't matter who did the rescuing- a concerned neighbor who brought them to the shelter, the shelter itself, or the person who adopted the animal- The cat still has love, and that's kind of what it comes down to. I don't use it to sound heroic, it just kind of comes out of my mouth (or my fingers in the case of Yahoo...)

well I usually say my 15 rescue cats as it is a lot easier than going through each and every one to define their background or as to how I ended up with 15 cats *LOL*

Most of mine were rescue cats. Some of them showed up at my house severely injured or ill, injuries such as a too tight collar eating into the throat or sopping wet and cold with a severe URI and covered in ticks, some of them were pregnant "strays" that were dumped on my doorstep. Other strays that were dumped here needing food, shelter, and vet care..not to mention love. we took in 1 of them that had kits before we took her in (the first one and she was semi-feral) and then the neighbors found her kittens and said if i didn't take them that they would drown them- so I guess her 5 kittens were rescued from being drowned. I was made aware of a very abused cat that was a few blocks away. Her "owners" would not give her up. I waited trying to decide the best course of action (we do not have any animal services here) I drove by one day and she was almost dead. Just a mauled limp rag of a thing weighing only 2 pounds- at 4 years old, partially blind, starved, full of fly strike, injuries from a coyote, dehydrated, and she had be declawed and thrown out- I actually stole her but I think of her as a rescue.

So I guess my definition is any animal that has been saved from a terrible situation. It doesn't matter if the situation is abuse, abandonment, puppy/kitten mill, or neglect on the part of the previous owner. They have been rescued from a terrible fate and certain death.

I can't decide if actually paying money for an animal has any bearing as I had offered to buy the severely abused cat before I took her. And I would have paid for the kits that were to be drowned if the people had not "given" them to me. I have spent a lot of money on them all anyways with vet bills, altering surgeries, food, litter, toys etc.. so none were really free.

I guess it means they got it from a rescue organization. I guess that makes mine a shelter cat. Or a former shelter cat. I think they think they sound noble that they rescued a cat. When people ask i say I have two dogs and a cat. If they ask where I got him, I say I adopted him from a shelter. I don't use it as an adjective to describe him.

It means that the cat was rescued - from a pound,shelter, animal rescue organization,bad home or off of the streets.

It means their cat once had a home where either they weren't wanted anymore or abused and dropped off at a place where cats can be given new homes. This is talking about Humane Society or SPCA, other places like that or pet stores that sell animals from ''shelters''

They could just as easily be talking about strays too, since strays don't always have the best lives.

Well back home in Tennesee......While my mom was barefoot and pregnant with her brothers baby she was big as a house. One day after she went to the store for beer and cigarretes the cats (we had 50) were all on the sofa that we kept on the front porch. They were just scratching up a storm. They must have got eat up by chiggers. Anyways momma yelled "Suzy Lynn scratch that kitty cat" and butter my butt and call me biscuit it sure did work. By god they weren't scratching after that!! Hope that helps ya'll!!

My cat was considered feral cat until I brought it home from a rescue shelter.

Got anything else better to do ? Not that I call my cat a rescue cat, I just got him from a shelter.

what a rant..

well, typically they are referring to a cat they've adopted from a shelter, either no-kill or humane society, or have been in foster care. Rescue cats are usually older cats that have been given up by their owners or maybe strays that have been trapped.

It came from a situation where it was in danger or could have potentially died. I consider my cat a "rescue" cat because he was born in the wild under a neighbor's trailer.