How do you?

brandi

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I need advice on how to find a home suitable enough to take one of my babies...My husband has decided that under no circumstances will he let me keep one of the kittens but he has said that we can keep Saphira
I want to know how those of you that give or sale the kittens how you decide if a home is good enough for your kittens. I only want the best for all three of them and am not willing to expect less...I know I have 8-12wks to decide but I am an avid planner and a perfectionest...
 

fosterkitty

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I made an adoption application (I'll email it to you if you want it). If their answers sounded good, I considered them. Any foster I have must go to an indoor home, and cannot be declawed. I have them altered prior to placement, which would be a good idea for you to do as well. PM me if you want my adoption application. Its a little extensive and you could tweak it however you want, but it worked for me.
 

catsallover

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I also ask for a vet reference. You'd be surprised at how many people think you won't check those
. Also, ask questions about former/current pets and write them down, and then ask for the vet reference- if the answers they gave, and the answers the vet gives don't match- pass. I do this on the phone, first thing. All the vets I've contacted have been quite happy to give me the info, be it good or bad. Recently, I also purchased a low cost spay/certificate, and the rescue group I purchased it from left the vet line blank, so that the new owner could take it to any vet on the list (the one I had covered about 4 counties, I think)
.

If a person has glowing credentials, I'll give them the spay/neuter certificate for free- I do fosters (bottle babies) few and far between
- but if they are, say, young and it's their first pet and they don't have a vet history (other than their parents', possibly), then I required them to purchase it from me
. If they balk at a $35, "everything covered" spay, then I'll be happy to see them go
. I also send mine out the door
with a small bag of their current food, a sample of the litter out of their litter box
, and a favorite toy, if they have one. I also required that they bring a cat carrier to pick up the kitten. Good luck!
 

gayef

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Choosing the right family for the kittens is the single-most difficult thing, IMO. I grew to love the little beasts and wouldn't part with them unless I just knew in my gut the people were right for them. I tend to trust my first instinct about people. As my mother always says, "if something doesn't ~feel~ right, then it probably isn't." A very wise woman, my mother.

I have a Sales Agreement for my kittens. Some of these probably won't apply to you as I am a breeder, but the most important points are:

1. The Buyer agrees that the Kitten will be cared for in the best manner possible at all times. The Buyer further warrants that the kitten will be a pet, with loving, daily, human contact and will always be treated with only kind, gentle interaction from any person or animal allowed to enter the kitten’s environment. The Buyer agrees never to cage or confine the kitten alone for long periods. The Buyer agrees to feed the kitten a nutritious, complete diet no less often than twice per day, and further agrees that a source of fresh water and a clean, sanitary litter box with an appropriate level of litter will be available to the Kitten at all times. The Buyer agrees to provide the Kitten with clean, fresh bedding and a warm place to rest.

2. The Kitten will never be sold or given to any other person, people, agencies, pet store, lab or research facility, humane society, rescue association, shelter or other organization without first informing the Seller and obtaining written permission of the Seller to transfer ownership.

3. The Buyer agrees to provide normal and customary veterinary care including all routine vaccinations and boosters for the common feline illnesses as well as yearly dental exams/cleanings throughout the kitten’s lifetime and to provide immediate emergency or extreme care requirements in the event of an accident or other unexpected illness/injury.

4. Buyer agrees that the kitten will not be declawed without the knowledge and written consent of the Seller. Buyer further agrees to work closely with Seller, showing a responsible commitment to reduce destructive behavior by other proven methods BEFORE considering declawing the kitten.

5. The kitten is purchased as a pet only. No breeding rights are transferred under this Agreement. The Buyer agrees to spay or neuter the kitten on or before the date the kitten is Six Months Old. Proof of altering is required by the Seller in the form of a written confirmation from a certified Veterinarian, signed and dated, describing the kitten and all details of the procedure performed as well as any other procedures performed at the same time. Buyer understands and acknowledges that Seller will withhold any and all Ownership, Registration or Pedigree documents until Seller receives written confirmation of altering. If Buyer fails to return such altering certification to Seller before the kitten’s 7th (Seventh) month of age, Buyer agrees to pay Seller no less than the sum of $xxxx plus court and collection costs.

6. The Buyer agrees to keep the kitten indoors at all times unless in an appropriate carrier or on a leash and accompanied at all times by a competent handler. Buyer agrees to keep detailed identification/contact information for both the Buyer AND the Seller on the kitten at all times when it is outdoors, including but not limited to routine trips to the Veterinarian.

7. The Buyer agrees to return the kitten to the Seller if the kitten can no longer be kept and cared for in an appropriate manner or in the event that the kitten is no longer loved and wanted.

My people sign and date it, I keep the original and give them a copy.

Hope this helps,

~gf~
 

siamese4me

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If Buyer fails to return such altering certification to Seller before the kittenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s 7th (Seventh) month of age, Buyer agrees to pay Seller no less than the sum of $xxxx plus court and collection costs.
 

minxie

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The above is great advice.

Reminds me of when I was looking for a kitten a few years ago (I eventually found Tinkerbelle). I rang a guy up as he was advertising on KittenList. He was an elderly gentleman and he was crying as he had parted with kittens under pressure by a rather 'dubious' couple. Afterwards his daughter told him about kitten scams related to laboratory testing...when he looked back he was wondering if they were genuine caring people and said he was so saddened by the thought that he didnt check the people out well enough. It was very hard to listen to him without crying myself.

Anyway, its great that you are putting so much thought and attention into finding the best homes for them. Good luck!
 

gayef

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Originally Posted by siamese4me

If Buyer fails to return such altering certification to Seller before the kittenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s 7th (Seventh) month of age, Buyer agrees to pay Seller no less than the sum of $xxxx plus court and collection costs.
Why do you love this part? (The "$xxxx" amount is a doozy too!)
 

siamese4me

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In my contract, it says that they have to spay and neuter by a certain age, but I don't have something in there that says if they don't, they'll have to pay XXX amount or something. That's another great incentive. People hate the idea of having to pay money. LOL I think I'm going to find a way to incorporate that in.
 

evinea

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Brandi,

I list absolutely EVERYTHING including the price in any type of advertisement. I do not now or ever want to haggle over the quality of care I give my cats. I get TONS of emails asking for kittens, but only a select few shine through during the year. I don’t have many litters so I have the opportunity to be selective. I have a standard rejection letter that encourages people visit the Siamese rescue and petfinder I send to most people.

When I do finally get a quality email, I promptly email them back some general correspondence, soft questions and pictures. If the families responds appropriately, I let them know I have some standard questions that I ask all potential kitten owners.
I use the standard questions to look deeper into the potential owner. **BTW men tend to respond differently then women, so I generally spend more time emailing them back to get deeper answers. By the time they get the Standard Questions, they have received maybe 2-3 light emails from me. Now remember, I do get to be selective and this technique may not be applicable if you breed on a larger scale. I only have one or two litter a year.

I look for three components from potential kitten clients: breadth and depth, content, and questions for me. If they meet all of those criteria’s then a phone call. People always put their best foot forward, however, most will not want to waste their manipulation tactics on you if you have a good process and standard in place. Just remember to focus on quality instead of quantity, and they will come.

Kind Regards,
Amy
 
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