free cat and kitten

free cat and kitten

I have a 6 month old mother cat (Minnie) and a 12 week old kitten (Jessica) and I wonder if anyone can adopt them.

I am due to go into hospital shortly and can't find anyone to help. I won't want the cats back when I come back home as it will take a while to recouperate.

Minnie is a fat ginger cat with white chest, legs and belly.

Jessica is tortoiseshell, tiny and cute.

Both have had their injections but Jessica will need her boosters soon.

I don't want any money for them as I just want them to go to a good home. A new owner would need to collect as I don't have a car. I live in Wigan.

My email address is:
[email protected]

Thanks

Gwynneth

Please do not give out the kittens for free. You should charge an adoption fee. If you give them out for free they could be used as food for other animals, dog bait in fighting rings etc. Please read the article on another thread about kittens being used as snake food.

Originally posted by jmierz
Please do not give out the kittens for free. You should charge an adoption fee. If you give them out for free they could be used as food for other animals, dog bait in fighting rings etc. Please read the article on another thread about kittens being used as snake food.

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This is so sad. Once I read of a baby being put on a grill, I can't stand to think about it.

What is a fee that you think would discourage such things? Do you think you could judge a person when you meet them by their demeanor or attitude, or is it too hard to tell?

I have heard and read horror stories about free to good home animals that find their way into the wrong hands. I just read an article about people taking free kittens and using them as food for large snakes.

There is not a certain amount that you need to charge for an animal. But someone that is willing to pay for the animal will be less likely to use it for bait etc. If you have had the animal to a vet you can charge what you paid out to get their shots done. Most Rescuers do not make money on the animals that they rescue, they usually lose money but we do it because of our love of animals. Whenever I see a Free to Good Home ad I always will post back that they should not give the animal away for free. Many people are unaware of how many people are out there that are really up to no good.

I have even heard of people taking children with them to go and pick up the pets and then selling the animals to Labs for testing. The best thing to do is ask plenty of questions. Do they have any pets? Who is their vet? Where is their vet located, etc. Most pet owners know their vets information off the top of their head. The funny thing is that I know my vets number but still have to look at my personal doctors business card for his number. Go figure. Usually someone that really can give you good vet information is someone that you would want to adopt an animal to. I also ask about previos animals that they had. Were they indoor or outdoor animals, etc. Another good question is how much are you willing to spend on your pet in a year. This will give you an idea if they know the costs involved with owning a pet.

I just wanted to clarify that responsible reptile owners would never feed little kittens to their pets!! Sorry for the rant, it just makes me sick that once again some idiot with a snake is making the rest of us reptile owners look bad!

I want to clarify that I was not targeting reptile owners, I tried to find the article to post it for you but couldn't remember the site I found it on. It was actually in Norway where they have even passed a law against feeding kittens to snakes. There are plenty of responsible owners of all types of pets, but there are also the owners that really shouldn't have animals at all. I am sorry if I insulted you. I just want to make people aware of Free To Good Home ads, etc.

Please read this article about free to good home ads:

The Tragedy of "Free To Good Home"
Â[emoji]169[/emoji] Copyright 1997-2000, PetRescue.Com

Most people have good intentions when they advertise a cat or dog as "Free To Good Home". They care what happens to the animal and are not interested in making money. All they want to do is find a nice family that is willing to give the pet a loving, responsible home.

The tragedy occurs when the animal is mistakenly put into a situation where it is neglected, abandoned, abused, or even sold for lab experimentation. Sadly, this sort of thing happens thousands of times each day across America.

Giving any pet away is misguided. People tend not to value what they don't pay for. If you charge a nominal fee of $35-$45 or more for an animal, the new owner is more likely to take their commitment to the pet seriously. A free pet is a disposable pet!

Paying a fee for a pet shows good faith on the part of the new owner and demonstrates their willingness to properly care for the animal. The truth is, there is no such thing as a "free" pet anyway. By the time a cat or dog is checked out by a vet, including shots, worming, health testing, and spay/neuter, a "free" pet will easily cost in excess of $100, and that's just for starters. A responsible person who would properly take care of an animal will understand this and will not be opposed to paying a reasonable fee for a healthy pet, especially if some or all of these health items have already been taken care of.

Still not convinced? Then ask yourself these questions, "If a person cannot afford to pay an adoption fee for a pet, how will they be able to afford the normal expenses of proper pet care? And how will they ever afford vet bills when the pet gets sick?"

If you are uncomfortable with asking a fee for the pet, consider including food, toys, supplies, etc. as an added incentive. The idea is not to make a profit, but to ensure the good intentions of the new owner. In any event, the animal should be "fixed" and have its "shots" before it is adopted out and these costs alone can easily equal $45 or more. Use the adoption fee to recoup your expenses.

One final thought on this subject - if you absolutely don't want to take any money yourself, ask the adoptor to make the check out to a local animal shelter or SPCA instead. These organizations can surely use the help!

What can happen to a pet that is given free to a casual, uncommitted owner?
Abandoned to the streets. This is the most likely scenario that occurs when an uncommitted owner tires of a pet. Street animals suffer every day of their short lives. The end always comes painfully, either from violent trauma or from lingering disease.

Handed over to Animal Control and euthanized. People who do not take their responsibilities seriously always take the easy way out!

Marginally Owned. The pet will not be cared for properly and is often allowed to roam the streets.

Abused. The owner will not make the effort to properly train the animal. Often this leads to inappropriate responses from the owner and abuse of the pet when it "misbehaves".

Next, we would like you to be aware that there are dishonest people who routinely obtain animals for profit by fraudulently answering "Free To Good Home" ads. They are usually very persuasive and friendly. They know all the "right" answers to your questions because they do this sort of thing on a regular basis. Some may even bring their kids along to make you think they are a loving family!

The most important thing you can do to discourage this kind of person is to charge an adoption fee! This makes it much more difficult for them to realize a profit so they will usually not bother contacting you.

What can happen to an animal if you let one of these con artists have it?
Used to "live train" fighting dogs. The animal you expected to be a pet is used to bait a fighting dog and is literally torn to pieces.

Sold at Flea Markets or Auctions to anybody who happens along. Most of the time these animals are neglected, kept in cramped, unsanitary conditions and often become sick and diseased.

Sold to a Class-B Dealer who then resells the animal to a research facility. People who practice the despicable act of rounding up strays to sell them are referred to as "Bunchers". At the research facility, the animal may suffer abuse and most likely will be euthanized after they are finished with it.

Used for breeding stock in a "Puppy Mill". The living conditions in most of these establishments are deplorable. Bitches have continuous litters, one after the another.

Used as live food or bait for exotics like snakes or alligators.

Sacrificed in cult rituals. Some people find this hard to believe, but the FBI has many files documenting this kind of activity in our country.

How can you help to prevent these tragedies?
Convince your local newspapers to post warnings in their pet classified sections! A lot of papers across the country are already doing this.

Call "Free To Good Home" ads and warn them! Check newspapers regularly and let people know what could happen to their pet and tell them how to prevent this avoidable situation.

Advise people not to adopt out pets at Halloween! Solid black and solid white cats are especially in danger at this time of the year. Cult members and vicious pranksters are on the lookout for animal victims. It is a common practice of most shelters and rescue organizations to never adopt out black or white cats during the Halloween season.

Pass on these tips to persons who are adopting out animals:

Don't give pets away! Reference the reasons previously given in this article.

Be sure to "fix" the pet before adoption to prevent more "Free To Good Home" ads! Find out if the local humane or others will spay or neuter the animal for a reasonable cost. Use the adoption fee to recoup your money.

The most important thing you can do to stop animal abuse is to spay or neuter your pets!

Use a Pet Adoption Agreement! Please don't let the animal out of your door without a signed adoption agreement! This will usually stop dishonest people in their tracks.

An adoption form is available from our library as an Adobe AcrobatÂ[emoji]174[/emoji] pdf file.

Read our tips on "How to Find and Evaluate a Prospective Pet Adopter." Telephone screening forms are also available in our library.

Copyright (c) 1997-2000, Pet Action League. All rights reserved. Please read our copyright & reprint policies.

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With reference to me giving away a mummy cat and kitten:

Well it looks like I set the cat amongst the pigeons. I love all animals. I (literally) wouldn't harm a fly. I just can't cope at the moment through ill health. I can't believe that there aren't good-hearted people out there who would take on two beautiful animals out of kindness.

I didn't mean to cause an argument here and I am sorry if I offended anyone. I just love my cats and want them to go somewhere where they'll be loved.

Gwynneth

Gwynneth, most people who advertise Free Cats & Kittens are very well meaning people. Probably most of the time they do go to good homes. Unfortunately there are people out there who are scammers and don't have the animal's best interest in mind. You obviously do have their best interests in mind. No offense taken, I'm sure. We just try to educate on the many issues that don't come out to the general public often.

Good luck in finding wonderful homes for your kitties!

Of course you love your furbabies! We just like to let folks know what "could" happen when the pet is free.

Is there some way you could contact the SPCA in your area and see if they have a program for people who need their pets looked after while in the hospital? They may be able to find someone who can help you with your girls and even be on hand to help you as well during recovery.

There are vollenteer centers that may be able to help as well. Best of luck with your girls and the hospital stay.

Gwynneth, have you thought about temporarily placing your cats in a foster home during your hospitalization and recovery period?

I wasn't looking to start a big to do. I just wanted to pass along information on the fact that you should always charge something for an animal instead of offering them for free. I do hope that you find a good home for them and that your surgery goes well.

There are many Organizations that do Owner/Adoptions. Maybe you can go this route until your surgery. There are also people that may foster your fur babies while you are in the hospital and recovering.

my neighbour has asked if he can take on Minnie and Socks until I am well again. He owns 2 cats and is a cat nut! His own cats are very well treated and I will be able to see Minnie and Socks whenever I want!
Thank you all for your advice.
Gwynneth

Gwynneth that is wonderful news!!!!

You couldn't have asked for a better situation.

Gwynneth, your neighbor sounds like an and I'm so glad he's willing to care for your cats until you're feeling better!!!

Just curious, I always hear people should charge a small fee even $5 instead of giving the away for free, but who says someone wont pay $5 or even $10 anyway to feed the kittens to their snake?

Originally posted by Sicycat
Just curious, I always hear people should charge a small fee even $5 instead of giving the away for free, but who says someone wont pay $5 or even $10 anyway to feed the kittens to their snake?

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I was wondering the same thing, because the manager of my apartment building has a snake and she goes out and purchase little white mice to feed it. It just makes me sick, too.

Just curious, I always hear people should charge a small fee even $5 instead of giving the away for free, but who says someone wont pay $5 or even $10 anyway to feed the kittens to their snake?

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While it is still possible, it's less likely. If you look at a paper you'll see a lot of ads offering free kittens, and if someone is looking for snake food or bait for a dog fight odds are they are going to take the free kitten instead of the $10 kitten.

Hope Hacker: you're freaked out over rodents being fed to a snake; where do you think the protein in cat food comes from? Living creatures die to feed kitties too, not just snakes.
(btw: I feed my snakes frozen, pre-killed rats because it is actually dangerous to feed live prey to passive kinds of snakes, plus I'd rather the prey have a quick death than slow constriction) Not all people who own snakes are creepy!

I agree that charging $5 or $10.00 will not necessarly deter some buyers but most people will resort to the free ads first. I myself feel that you should adopt out a pet for no less than $25.00 but that is my own opinion. I also stated in an earlier post that not all reptile owners do this, but there are the ones that do. Not only are free animals used for reptile food but for other reasons as stated in the article I posted. I just hate seeing Free to Good Home Ads becuase you really do not know what the fate of theses animals will be.