Woman giving away 7 week old kittens at walmart

.. Makes me sad

I saw a kitten at petco a few minutes ago and asked the girl where she got it. They were buying it a tag and toys, so hopefully its in good hands. I mentioned to them it should still be on formula but I don't know if they believed me....

Oh, I forgot to say she was giving them away for free..

Even though it's better than dumping them, that's still terrible to hear who can say those families won't dump them when the novelty of their impulse "buy" wears off? Hopefully a cat lover will take them all, foster them until they're of age, and find GOOD homes for them.

I hope they go to good homes

My boyfriend is a cart pusher for Walmart and sadly, he sees things like this all the time. A couple weeks ago, he hear a young woman say "I don't want to be a murderer!" and a man saying something else. They left, and he saw a kitten (probably 3 months old from the size he told me) hiding under a car. He finally coaxed it out and held onto it until he asked a manager for help. She said to let it go! UGH. Some girls maybe around 17 saw it, and my boyfriend asked if they could help because he couldn't do anything while he was on the clock. They said they'd take it home. I'm reaaaally hoping they're taking care of it. He's also seen people giving away puppies out there.
I got mad at him for not calling me, but he knew that if he did, we'd have another cat in the house. He's right.

There are worse things than kittens being given away at 7 weeks. When I was growing up, we always started giving the kittens away at 6 weeks old, but I'm sure my mother ended up taking most of them to the shelter, where they were probably euthanized.

I've had many kittens that were 5 or 6 weeks old when they were separated from mom, and we see them at the shelter at 4 weeks all the time.

Yeah. It can be a real tragedy when they are that young. My first cat, Tiger, was something around four weeks old--ears just barely standing up, still unsteady on her feet. My stepdad's parents dumped Tiger and her brother on our doorstep. (I will NOT call them "grandparents" because they don't deserve the title.) I was nine years old and I didn't know a thing about cats. Thankfully, my mom splurged on a vet visit. Tiger's brother died soon after we received them; but I bottle-fed Tiger until she grew into a slender young cat. Tiger didn't live very long, either; she died at around a year old, of feline leukemia, which she had probably been infected with at birth. But in the short time I knew her, Tiger taught me what cats were all about, and she taught me to understand her. When we first met, she was tiny; but she grew a lot faster than I did, and soon she was teaching me. I don't regret adopting her, not one little bit, no matter how sad it was to lose her. I'd rather have known her for a year than not at all.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

There are worse things than kittens being given away at 7 weeks. When I was growing up, we always started giving the kittens away at 6 weeks old, but I'm sure my mother ended up taking most of them to the shelter, where they were probably euthanized.

I've had many kittens that were 5 or 6 weeks old when they were separated from mom, and we see them at the shelter at 4 weeks all the time.

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Until I came here, I thought 6-7 weeks was the right time to start finding homes. Now I understand the need for the additional weeks to mature and learn skills from their mother. But at least she wasn't dumping them on the side of the road or dropping them off at a shelter where they would be put to sleep without a chance. It will be hard on the kittens but at least they have a fighting chance now.

You have to admit that they're very cute at that age, and more likely to mew their way into the hearts of new owners. But the kitten cuteness can still be taken advantage of without endangering them--you can have prospective owners start visiting when they're too young to go home with anybody, but old enough that visitors won't overwhelm them. That way you get the best of both worlds, and they get to meet their new owner some time before they actually go home with them. Plus, it won't be an impulse decision if somebody comes in to see a seven-week-old kitten and then comes back at nine weeks and again at twelve weeks--you know they'll have thought about it in the intervening time.

What bothers me a lot about it is that to add insult to injury, giving them away for free is just Asking for trouble. The only people taking them at that point are people who think 'well, if I get this cat for free, and then buy super cheap food, it should be easy enough to keep around.' (And yea, I know All people aren't going to be like that, but it's more than likely that's what happened to them all) :[

Originally Posted by AimerLee

I got mad at him for not calling me, but he knew that if he did, we'd have another cat in the house. He's right.

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Lol, sounds like something my boyfriend would say to me. xD

When I hear all you people complaining about how sad it is to see people giving away free kttens It makes me want to barf. These are people giving up their free time to find good homes for animals by sitting in the hot sun all day. I have even heard how animal rights people are trying to make it illegal to give a way free kittens. When that happens, all these cats, and puppies and other pets are just going to get dumped off somewhere, like in the country. I know people with house in the country who have complained bitterly about having to shoot these unwanted animals. Get a grip people.

It is sad to see people giving away free kittens/puppies. It's sad to see such ignorance about animal welfare. If people were responsible enough to spay & neuter in the first place, there wouldn't be so many unwanted pet animals.

These are people giving up their free time to find good homes for animals by sitting in the hot sun all day.

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No they're not. They're off loading unwanted animals to whoever takes one. Nothing commendable about that.

pushylady said:

It is sad to see people giving away free kittens/puppies. It's sad to see such ignorance about animal welfare. If people were responsible enough to spay & neuter in the first place, there wouldn't be so many unwanted pet animals.
No they're not. They're off loading unwanted animals to whoever takes one. Nothing commendable about that.

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This is an old thread, but the issue is always worth addressing.

I can see how it may seem to some people like these folks are doing something positive, but they're not finding good homes for these kittens. Some of these kittens end up in horrific situations, including ending up as bait for dog fights or snake food. Most of them will just end up abandoned because adopting a cat requires a significant investment (and I don't mean just money either). 

The bottom line is these people were irresponsible enough to let their cat have kittens. They think it's ok to just give away these kittens out of a box in some parking lot, and will likely repeat the cycle over and over again. That is not ok and anyone who cares for cats will see that.

pushylady said:

No they're not. They're off loading unwanted animals to whoever takes one. Nothing commendable about that.

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Also to address the comment that they are 'cuter' at 7 weeks and more likely to find homes... it's just false.  The kittens I adopt out at 12 weeks find homes as quickly as any kitten/cat could possibly expect to.  I don't start to worry until they are 14-15 weeks old about their being harder to place, and I don't find them MARKEDLY harder to place until 16 weeks or so.