Cat Adoption Agencies are Cruel!

[redfathom]

Mine and my husbands cat was stolen about six weeks ago. We are pretty sure we know that he was stolen and by who. This guy (he is not all there) that lived in our comples who loves our cat was evicted and the same weekend (while we were on vacation) he went missing. The guy has told my H three weeks earlier as a joke that if our cat was missing he would know where we could find him. When we got back from vacation three days after he went missing (as soon as our ship docked we had a text from my BIL who was watching him) we immedietly went on the county animal website for lost pets, called out microchip company, put up fliers, went to the animal shelters and called the police. I even went so far as to contact our HOA president find out the guys name, found his mom's address on the internet and went to her house to see if she could help. Needless to say three hours later I had three nasty messages left on my phone from this guy.

 

My H knew how upset I was about our cat so yesterday he went down to the shelter where we bought our cat from over four years ago to look at getting me a new cat for x-mas. We are only looking at adult cats because we know how hard it is for them to be adopted. My H went to look at this one cat that had been there for a whole year and not adopted. While there the cat below reached his paw threw the cage and started to play with my H. The women said the original cat we went to look at was not very playful anymore, having been there for a year the other newer cats knew how to play on the emotions of people. The volunteer their at the time was not allowed to have keys so we decided to go back that evening so we could interact with the cats we wanted to give both of them an equal chance especially since the not as social cat had been there for a year.

 

As soon as we got there, the women working was rude and not intersted in us at all. We told her we were there to look at cat's x, y and z. She said, that these cats could not be adobted together and that if we have kids or other pets that we can not adopt them. We told her we only wanted one cat and wanted to look at all three to see which cat would be the best fit for us. Again she said well if you have other cats or kids then we can't adopt to you. We explained that we did not, that our cat was just stolen. She said, really, someone went into your house stole your cat and took your television. Why did she say this, because cats at her adoption agency can not be adopted by anyone who will let the cat outside, that disqualifies you. The 2nd volunteer there let the cat out for us and he immeditly lept on to my husbands lap and laid down. After a few minutes he came over to my lap and laid down. He then went to the volunteers lap, stayed there for two minutes and came back to my lap. Then he played around for a few minutes, came back to me and laid under my leggs so I could rub his tummy. He then went back to my husbands lap. When the main women came in we asked her is we could see the 2nd cat and she said that she needed to let some other cats out to play first. Then she said, that they would not adopt to us since we let ou last cat outside. I told her that we did after we moved into out condo and at our last place we would take him for walks on a lease and that our new house was safe and there are lots of strays that he likes to go outside and play with. She said that when we adopted last we agreed not to let the cat our and we broke our contract so they will not adoptto us.

 

At that we left and I called her boss and asked her, what was better keeping a cat in a 2 x 2 cage for a year of giving the cat to a good home.

 

Here is the part that really pisses me off. 1. they are supposed to be a non-profit organization. But they get the cats from the pound which sells ALL cats for $58. This place sells adults for $100 and kittens for $150. So they go to the pound adopt cats then resell them. 2. You have to fill out a form detaling where the cat will sleep, where it's litter box will be, why you want to adopt the cat, who long the cat will be left alone, if the cat wll go outside, if you have a balcony, etc. I want to go back and fill out the form as if I was adopting the cat to put it in it's facilty. It would go something like this:

 

My cat will sleep in a 2 x 2 cage and will be left alone for 20 hours a a day. My cat will **** and eat in this 2 x 2 cage and will only come out to play for 30 minutes when strangers come to visit. My cat can't go outside, it is confined to a 2 x 2 cage for most of the day and a 10 x 4 place for the cat to play for 30 minutes every day. My cat will eventually become antisocial and depressed because I have kept it in it's 2 x 2 cage for the past year. When someone comes along who can give it a good home, I will turn them down because I know they are unfit to love my cat because they will allow my dometicated wild animal to once in a while go outside to get much needed fresh air, exercise and to play with other cats.

 

I mean get real, this one cat that has been there for A YEAR, I wonder how many people were turned away from adopting her. How many people were unfit to love her because THEY felt it would be in her best interest to instead keep her in a 2 x 2 cage until she became so broken that she stopped seeking affection.

[a4a]

How did your cat get stolen?

 

As for their rules about adoption they are their rules.

 

As for playing with feral cats..... NO NO NO! numerous diseases can be passed from cat to cat.... feline aids included.

 

As for adoption fees.... many animals in a rescue situation get more care than in county facility... spay and neuter, microchip, vaccinations, testing for Feline Aids, FeLV, treatment for any ailments they may have. - county shelters typically euthanize any animal showing signs of even a cold. $100 for a fully vetted cat is dirt cheap. Vet exam is $20 - $35 typically add shots, spay/neuter, tests, microchip - lucky if you walk out under $300.

 

I would not adopt an animal to you either if you allowed it to play with strays. Or left the cat outside by itself.

 

Why not just snag one of those feral cats as a pet? Domesticate that wild animal yourself.

[redfathom]

We have pet insurance and would take our cat in annually for all shots and a routine check up, our cat never got sick.

 

I wish you could see the state of the art county shelters here, each room is about 20 x 20 has beds, cat trees and houses about 5 cats per room. It is very nice. All of the shots, spay and nutering were done at the shelter that chages $58 for cats to be adopted. This non-profit organization buys the cats already vacinated,spayed and nuetered then turns around and sells them for twice if not triple the price.

 

Let me ask you, do you want to be locked in a 10 x 10 room for a year. It's called prison and you go there for doing something bad. These cats aren't bad and it they are happy running outside then that's what I will do. I will let my cat be happy, if they want to stay inside as so cats choose to do then they can stay inside.

 

Our cat never left our complex and stayed in front our our condo. It would basially go outside lay in the sun and play with the other cats, stay or not. We often had another pet cat come over and in our house to play with our cat and yes, we kept our door open so our cat could come back in., which was usually 10 minutes later. He never stayed out overnight, if it was too cold or raining.

 

I have always had stray cat's or offspring of stay cats and never had a probelm with illness.

[a4a]

My cat got out not long ago..... ran out the door...... squished dead in the road. Only was out for 5 minutes or less. I ran out after her chased her behind a bush and she must have ran into the road. I live in the middle of nothing..... so letting a cat out for a little fun and air can be a death sentence. They don't use cross walks. Must be a happy dead cat now.

 

Doesn't matter if you vac your cat... stray cats carry numerous diseases, cat bites are nasty and are easily infected.

 

And there are laws about keeping your dogs and cats put up/contained/leashed.

 

I don't want your cat crapping in my flower beds, jumping on my car, or on my property. I like animals.... but not uncontained ones.

 

If you don't like the adoption agency.... don't adopt from there.

[Trialbyfire]

redfathom, you're upset right now but in reality, if it weren't for shelters, cats would be put down or given to medical science to experiment with, which is still happening.

 

People who run shelters can't read other peoples' minds. They have a list of criteria, of what is considered an acceptable adoption, so they go by it. I wouldn't doubt you'd be a great person to adopt to, but they don't know it.

 

My ex-MIL was turned down for adoption for similar reasons, in that she didn't feel it was bad to let a cat roam freely. She was also pretty upset, so we ran out to a reputable breeder and picked up a wonderful cat for her. She adores the cat and pampers him, to the point of ridiculous. To this day, he's never been allowed outside. It's so cute to see.

 

Would this be a feasible alternative for you?

[redfathom]

Yes, we are going to look at some other shelters, namely the county one which is also where these cats come from. We did fall in love with this cat and could easly adopt it if we went back another day (someone else was working) and told them we would not let the cat outside. It's pretty easy to get past the screening process, I guess it was stupid of me to be honest with them, next time I will just lie. Lots of places talk about cats being anisocial and independent, not the case for our cat. He slept under the covers with us, would walk with us to the mail box, follow us around the house, sit in the kitchen while we made dinner, etc. He really loved us and other people, many people in our complex knew him and loved him and would talk to us about how friendly he was. He was good with kids and would let them play with him. He never scratched us, he was a great cat. I would like to give another cat a good home and raise another friendly loved cat.

 

A4a. I am sorry your cat was run over. We live in an area off the street so it was safe for him to not get run over and he never left our complex.

 

You remind me of this person who made a comment while we were at the zoo a few weeks back. The Jaguar was pacing back and forth in it's cage as often caged animals at the zoo tend to do because they are stressed. This women said, "oh, I like it when they do that". I had never heard something so ridiculous, the reason they pace is because they feel trapped and confined, it's not a thing you want to see them do, it makes me sad to see them so upset. I like to see cats doing what come natural to them, climbing tree's, running around, etc. I am sorry that you don't like cats crapping in your yard, sure it's an epidemic but the world is over populated on many levels. In China they used to kill girl babies because families could only have one child and it was better to have a boy.

 

Many animals are extinct because of human over population. Why don't you try to help stop people from cutting down trees in the rainforest instaid of getting upset that a wild animal crapped on your flowers. Besides it's fertilizer.

[quankanne]

some of the agencies are nit-picky beyond belief. Our friends' daughter lives out on a 5-10 acre ranchette just north of Dallas, and they've got dogs. They were interested in adopting another one, rather than paying a fee for a puppy mill puppy, thinking that they could at least make the difference in the life of a stray (much like you with the cat, RF).

 

Beth said that they saw an adoption site set up in the parking lot of the local WalMart and they found a dog they really really liked and were willing to pay the $100-plus fee, thinking, "Okay, this is a bigger breed of dog, he'll have a place to run, he'll be safe because we're out of the way of traffic." She said the jackass of a woman who was manning the WalMart adoption site refused to let them have the dog because they weren't going to raise it indoors. For pete's sake, they're farm dogs, and will be sheltered properly and have room to run, but it didn't matter to that woman – all she wanted to hear was that the dog was going to be crated inside an air conditioned house!

 

people have freaky ideas about how pets should be cared for. I totally understand the safety aspect, but they're animals and need to be in an environment where they can play and frolick, not be cooped up inside an apartment or house all day because someone's paranoid.

 

call me crazy, but that's not how we raised our pets when I grew up, and now, we've got a doggie door in our kitchen door so that the animals can move at will. I think they're smart enough to know to stay in when the weather's inclement or something's out there threatening them. You've got to give them room to move, or they freak out on you. And bless their hearts, some people have idealized things so much that they forget about animal nature.

 

check around and see if there's another place to adopt that's more realistic in their outlook. because there is something seriously wrong with an agency that refuses to weigh the benefits of placing a pet against keeping said animal cooped up in their controlled environment for the rest of their natural little lives. I think a good indicator of what kind of parents you'd be was shown when the cat actually came up to you and interacted. Because we know how hard it is to get a cat to do that!

[redfathom]

Also, our poop pollutes the ocean, I think that's messed up!!! We poop on in their home and our trash get's dumped in the ocean.

[redfathom]

Quakeanne, agreed. You would think when this cat came and sat on our laps, even left the volunteers lap after two minutes to come back to my lap that they would have considered us. Obvisouly the cat liked us and the cat chooses the owner not the other way around. I felt like he chose us. He has been at this shelter for a week (not sure how long he was at the county shelter) and he had seen these volunteers before, yet he chose to hang out with us who he has seen for 30 minutes. Who keeps a dog inside, especially a big dog. My H wants a dog but since we don't have a yard it's out of the question, I would never get a dog and keep them in the house.

[redfathom]

I just checked the website again and the cat we wanted is no longer listed. So yesterday he was avilable and now he has been adopted out. I am really sad.

[a4a]

Huge difference between keeping an animal in a cage or crate and keeping an animal contained in a healthy enviroment.

 

I see stray dogs all over the place here..... "farm dogs". I have livestock I don't want injured by these dogs that are just getting fresh air.

 

My neighbors barn cat was caught in the trap we set for the thing killing the baby chicks in our peep house.

 

So you can see how letting your animals "run free" can also have negative effects on people and other animals.

 

You can be held liable if your pet is in the road and causes a traffic accident.

 

Still not sure how the cat was stolen? Did the guy break into the house? Did the cat get stolen because it was left outside? Did the cat drink some dripping antifreeze from a vehicle and went off to die by itself?

 

There is a balance between being a responsible pet owner and allowing the pet to have "freedom" and risk injury and death- or cause harm to people or property.

 

I would never allow a horse of mine to go to a home where it was forced to live in a stall either. Nor a dog to live in an apt and never go out for a walk.

 

 

 

And Q I have a farm - If I let one of my 15 dogs just roam it - it would be dead. Likely kicked in the head by a horse or shot by a neighbor. So it is my responsibility to keep the dogs contained. It was worth it to fence in an acre + of land just for them, and they all sleep inside at night. I do not believe in keeping dogs in kennels, chaining them to trees, but I also do not believe in leaving a dog outside 24/7 and excluding them from their pack members - humans play the role of pack members. Animals are not like humans, they do not think like us, they do not have the same needs or desires as us. They do not know about traffic, dangerous animals, and people that will harm them.

 

My opinion is based on science and study of animal behavior, along with 20 years of hands on work. BTW - I do have a BA and have worked in this field for 20+ years.

 

I have dedicated my life and all my financial resources to better the lives of companion animals of all species. I am one of those nit picky people you speak of. I am nit picky because I know what I am talking about.

 

A for these fees: fine example I have a pug here, she is scheduled for eye surgery this week. So far her vet bills are $128 plus HW care. She will rack up another $155 on Monday...... adoption fee is $105.... she came from a county shelter.... they deemed her aggressive. (funny she is doing great with us and is going to her new home next week with kids and another dog) She was pulled from the shelter for $65 spayed, shots, with a staph infection, with 2 year old sutures still in her head........ and yep I am making a profit on her......... :lmao: I have a boxer here that I only have $65 into - should I raise his adoption fee to $100 help offset the cost of the pug? Yes I should. Just because you run a NPO doesn't mean you don't run it like a "real business".

 

 

The shelters call me and I get emails - heartworm positive dog, please take it or we have to kill it! Dog with issues needs training - or we have to kill it!

Can you take this dog it has been here for 3 months- no time left. Sweet litter of puppies with mange must be picked up by tomorrow or being euthanized. ------ We have to pay to vet these animals. So if a fee is higher than a county run facility, keep in mind our vet bills are higher in the majority of cases. It is common for a dog with a simple case of kennel cough to be euthanized in a shelter situation. So because the dogs get more vet care in a rescue situation (in most cases) it does cost more to adopt. Vet care is not free. Food is not free. Private rescue do not get money from the govt. Very few shelters with tax dollars involved go beyond the shots and spay/neuter. They cannot do so..... too many animals.

 

Our shelter here euthanizes up to 40 animals per day - no room, medical issues, behavioral issues. 1 case of parvo and an entire shelter population will be destroyed. It is called practicing "shelter medicine". They are a great shelter.... great people work there. Unfortunatley 16,000+ animals enter that building because of irresponsible people. Many free roaming "farm dogs" end up euthanized because their owners cannot be located.

 

 

As for keeping big dogs inside - My mastiff and danes will knock down my door to be inside with me. Inside with human = den with pack members.

[Florida]

Redf-after reading your post I am more glad than ever that shelters are improving and selecting safe homes very well for the animals.

 

I am not sure why you insist that letting the cat out is a good thing-let's see:

-ever see a tortured animal by friendly neighborhoood kids-

or lit on fire?

hit with stones?

kicked by some ahole who had a bad day?

 

How would you know these things did not happen to the pet you let out everyday? They can't speak.

 

I know your heart is in the right place, but please don't lie to the shelter-just don't let the cat out!

 

People also shouldn't let cats out during Halloween , because people think it is cute to tar them and blind them, so while we can't protect all animals, you don't have to unwittingly allow it to happen by letting your cherished pet out either.

 

Please consider this, I'm sure you think your neighborhood is different, at the very least-your cat may be injured by a car or ...I don't know-stolen.

 

You don't even want to know what happens to cats that are stolen, it is not fair to them,

EVERYONE-please be kind and protective of your pets welfare and DON"T LET THEM OUT.

 

I would say being left in a 2'x2' cage for an owner who wouldn't let the cat out is wiser, I hope you see my point too.

 

Many animals are returned to the shelter every day because they didn't get along with other animals or kids in the house, nothing you wrote sounded unfair. It is only unfair to insist on letting your cat out and lying to an agency when you intend to do just that.

[underpants]

Some people are just freaky and controlling about cats.

 

I say that is fine if it is your cat.

 

Red, I can almost bet I know the name of this agency, if it is a popular chain. I had the very same experience and was upset about it. They told me there would be check up visits and that if I was deemed unsuitable they would take the animal away. I really did not want these folks to know where I lived. So, I went I adopted a former cat ...out of state.

 

Even with that, that same chain did not give me a promised partial refund once I sent in my vet and spay papers on the animal. Whatever.

 

I have had a great experience with saving a feral cat. It's not for everyone. She is clear of all diseases, fully vaccinated, fixed and chipped...and I let her outside on occasion.

 

Yes, letting a cat outside is a risk and a choice left up to the owner of said animal.

 

That sucks that you could not get your original cat back. I would go with the pound. Young kittens don't always contract the feline leuk from the mom...or so I was told. I had an early test and a later test to make sure. Also, there is a vaccine to prevent your cat from contracting it from others. The downside of the pound is that you don't know the health of the cats.

 

Anyway, good luck.

[redfathom]

I see how letting your cat outside can be dangerous, trust me I know, having my cat stolen. But he was not stolen by anyone, he was stolen my a disabled person who happened to love my cat and why did he love my cat because my cat was friendly and why was my cat friendly because we are good pet parents. If you pet wants to stay in the house, i.e. with the pack, I think that's fine. I didn't make my cat stay inside or out, it was his choice and it was not an immediate decision. At our last apartment he was not allowed to go outside unless we took him out on the leash because we lived close to the street at our new place after walking him on the leash for a few months we started to let him outside. He always stayed in front, enjoying the sunshine and general outdoor splendor. He loved being with us and would follow us around the house like we were joined at the hip.

 

At this point when we do get another cat I plan to walk them on a leash for months before we let him/her roam outside unattened. Cat's need to be able to climb tree's, hunt bird's and frolic with other cat's.

 

My cat before this one I got when she was an adult (not sure how old) when I was seven and I had her for 11 years. While I lived with my dad she would go outside or inside, her choosing, she would follow me to my friends and wait for me. She would walk with me to the corner when I went to the store and wait for me to come back. In the end I moved in with my mom who made me keep her in my bedroom (because of her other pets) it was at this point that she got sick, depressed, she would not eat and would sit in the same spot and not move, so yeah I felt like keeping her inside made her sick. I won't do that again.

 

You talk about how they could get burnt, kicked, etc. Well, do you keep your kids inside, because it's much worse for them out there. They could get shot at school, hit by a car, kidnapped, beat up at school, catch TB and many more worse things could happen to them. Do you plan to keep them inside also?

[Florida]

You talk about how they could get burnt, kicked, etc. Well, do you keep your kids inside, because it's much worse for them out there. They could get shot at school, hit by a car, kidnapped, beat up at school, catch TB and many more worse things could happen to them. Do you plan to keep them inside also?

 

Actually redfathom-I am scared to have kids because that is exactly how I feel about them too-very scared of what will happen to them outside, away from my protection.

 

So, yes it's a problem, a big dilemma. I would never forgive myself if something bad happened to them, never.

 

BTW-I don't have kids, this is stuff I think about.

 

Also-I have seen all that happened to the animals first hand, also same with children(news reports and some friends in childhood) , so our experiences do form us and the worldview.

[underpants]

Hey,

 

I am glad this thread popped up again.

 

If you are still looking for a cat/kitten. You could also check the local paper or some local vet offices. They seem to always advertise free cats/kittens.

[redfathom]

New question for people:

 

I found the cat I want to adopt but...

 

The only problem is that he is sick. When I first met him I spent about 20 minutes holding him and he seemed very happy about that. So much that he did not want to run and play (he is 7 months so I thought this was odd) and I figured it's because he has a cold. He does have a runny nose and sneezed once within the 20 minutes I was there. The volunteer working said that he just came back from the foster home and he always gets a cold when being intoduced to a new place.

 

Still I wanted to adopt him, until I spoke to the shelter organizer today. She said that his condition is cronic that he will always have a runny nose and we will have to give him nose drops. That to me is not a big deal. What threw up the red flags was when I said I would talk to the vet hospital in the petstore where he is being housed to get more details. She suggested I did not talk to them because they will advise us not to adopt him and that she does not personally like them because they are expensive to spay and nueter. She told me that another vet told her the condition is cronic but there is nothing to worry about, other then him always having a runny nose and needing drops. She also told me that they take the sick cats from shelters that would have been euthanised to save them from being killed and then adopt them out.

 

So my question is, should I still consider adopting him. I don't want to get attached to a cat that will always be sick and possibly die at a young age. What should I expect. I feel like she is not giving me the full story on him. They said he has been vaccinated and at seven months (being in their care for three months) I am not sure why he would have a cronic illness. I mean why would they say he has been vaccinatted but not tell you that he still has a cronic illness.

 

Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you!

P.S. The other volunteer even suggested we take two cats home and Chip is beign housed with two four month old kittens. If they know he is cronicly ill why would they expose the other cats.

[JamesM]

The first thing to do when adopting a cat is to get a healthy one. Period. While you think you are saving one, you are also not adopting a healthy one who will need to be put down.

[redfathom]

Since my husband has not met him yet but is going by today to interact with him, I am going to see if he will take Chip to the vet hospital in the petstore. I called and an exam is $34.95 and since the hospital is in the store where the adoption center is that makes it very easy to do. I just hope the agency will agree because the women was advising me not to talk to them. I do love Chip and if the women does not want to let us get him examined first then we won't adopt him. If she does and the vet advises that Chip will be okay and just need some xtra love then I think we may go ahead. Thanks James M, I really do need to consider all of this.

[Florida]

Since my husband has not met him yet but is going by today to interact with him, I am going to see if he will take Chip to the vet hospital in the petstore. I called and an exam is $34.95 and since the hospital is in the store where the adoption center is that makes it very easy to do. I just hope the agency will agree because the women was advising me not to talk to them. I do love Chip and if the women does not want to let us get him examined first then we won't adopt him. If she does and the vet advises that Chip will be okay and just need some xtra love then I think we may go ahead. Thanks James M, I really do need to consider all of this.

 

"Chip" love the name!

I don't know what this chronic condition is, but I am of the thought that it is win/win both ways. If Chip is ill, at least you would have made the last few months of his life much more beautiful in a loving home.

 

If he survives it, then he will be that much more grateful. I nver regretted the lil sick ones that passed away, at least I got to love them for a little while. And hey-he might surprise you and grow up to be hearty. Good luck, let us know.