Want a dog or a cat? Prepare for an inquisition (Slate article)

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/...a_dog_or_cat_prepare_for_an_inquisition_.html

This article pretty much sums up my experience with the majority of local rescue groups. From massive contracts, to clauses that stipulate they can take the pet back at any time for any reason, to requirements to attend weekly seminars on cat care, to invasive personal questions...in their attempt to weed the bad owners out, rescues are driving away a lot of good would-be adopters.

Ultimately, this is why I adopted a kitten from a couple on Craigslist whose female cat had recently given birth to a litter. I went to dozens of adoption events and rescues, and even found two or three cats I was willing to adopt. I came really close to adopting one particular cat, a sweet girl a little more than a year old, but balked when the contract said the rescue would still own her, could take her back if my living arrangement changed, could drop in unannounced for home visits, and could charge me a $500 (!) fine if they decided to take her back.

(The rescue was also really weird about letting me spend time with the cat to make sure we were a good fit for each other...they would only let me look at her in the cat carrier and would not let me see her in an enclosed space. Seems a strange thing to do if you really want your cats to go to good homes and you want to ensure the adopters don't take them back because they adopted the wrong cat.)

Like the article says, these rescue groups might see some of the worst pet owners when it comes to taking in animals who have been abused, or idiots taking their cat back to the shelter because they didn't know how to take care of it properly. Perfectly understandable that the groups would be cautious. But at a certain point I think they need to realize they are preventing many cats from going to good homes by being overly ridiculous with contracts and requirements.

Wow, we never experienced such an interrogation when adopting our cats. There were just the basic questions, we gave them some personal info so they could look us up (like a mini background check or whatever), but nothing like that! It's sad, because like you say, they probably drive away sooo many good owners.

I was rejected a couple times before we were able to get our Kismet. I initially inquired about an ex-feral kitten, and a few days before we were supposed to meet, the foster family emailed me and said they were reconsidering and wanted to keep her instead - I assume this was because our home has birds, but you never know... She is still with the family now, so it's not like she took one look at what I said and turned me down thinking I was incapable in any way, but just not right for that cat. I spoke with another rescue, and when I said I would consider letting our cats on the balcony by harness, I never got a call or email back after I sent a follow-up.

The rescue I got Kismet from had a very minimal form - what foods we feed (even though I checked the god awful Whiskas, I got a call and had a chance to explain myself that we were in transition OUT of it and I was very aware that it is one of the lower grades I wouldn't be returning to), whether we'd declaw, and where the cat would live. No threats, no random home visits, or any annoying jingus like that.

Some websites say they work with the top 5 or 10% of cat owners who agree with their philosophy, which honestly sounds a little pretentious. It can be hard to rescue, but I have to keep telling myself these people want what's best for the animals. They don't need a high or quick turnaround time for them - they want permanent, reliable homes they'll thrive in. When I put myself in their shoes and ask myself if I could be a foster parent even if I had the time and the space, I remind myself that I would probably be tempted to turn away a lot of people too, even if they're well-meaning and loving.

I know where they're coming from, but I think the initiative should be to educate and understand potential owners' situations and be willing to work with them, rather than flat out reject them. One reason I recommend rescues is because you usually end up with a lifetime mentor - if you need information or knowledge, the rescue is often willing to help because you've aided them in their cause to rescue that animal, and by extension of your adoption, even more animals. They might need to lax it a bit and back up with the human element of it (their emotions and preemptive judgment calls), and as a fellow human, I understand that side is hard to push back down.

Yeah, that's the thing -- with some of these rescues, you see the same animals available for months and months, and it's because they are selective to the point of ridiculousness about who they'll adopt to. Those poor animals are most definitely missing out on good homes.

pinkdagger said:

 
Some websites say they work with the top 5 or 10% of cat owners who agree with their philosophy, which honestly sounds a little pretentious. It can be hard to rescue, but I have to keep telling myself these people want what's best for the animals. They don't need a high or quick turnaround time for them - they want permanent, reliable homes they'll thrive in. When I put myself in their shoes and ask myself if I could be a foster parent even if I had the time and the space, I remind myself that I would probably be tempted to turn away a lot of people too, even if they're well-meaning and loving.

Click to expand...

That's all well and good, but then they end up holding on to the cats when they're young, then complain that not enough people want to adopt adult cats. If someone is looking for a kitten or a young cat, that doesn't mean they're going to be a bad owner, and I feel like some of these rescues look at things that way. IMO if a shelter screens out every potential adopter while the cat is a kitten, they are reducing that cat's chances of going to a good home.

I also have to wonder if a "good home" includes living indefinitely with foster parents who already have 25 cats in their home. It's sort of like the statistics that show firefighters are the most frequent arsonists -- rescue owners are also more likely to hoard cats. Not all of them are that way, of course, just like not all potential adopters would be bad pet owners.

When we decided to get a cat we talked to a number of rescues. Since many cats return because of allergies they didn't want to work with us. I get it, but I feel like one potential home is better than no home.

One rescue talked to us about fostering, but the cat she was trying to give us had litter box issues.

Our Humane Society in Detroit is pretty lax about cats, so it is easy to get a kitten there if you don't want to deal with the rescues.

The easiest thing is to get a kitten on craigslist like I did. The guy I got mine from said he had twenty inquiries in an hour. I actually go on Craigslist regularly because we had a dog stolen and I look to see is someone is selling her. I usually just look under female pets. I wasn't looking for a cat anymore after our experience with rescue. I saw this orange female and replied.

I figure we are building a small studio in our backyard, where I will be working from. If my husband's allergies get too bad she can live there. It isn't ideal, but it is better than having to give her up. My husband will be trying allergy meds and shots before we go that route.

Thanks for the article. I agree, most hoarders think they are doing a good thing, so the line can be pretty blurry.

I used to work with a dog rescue and the main person wouldn't let us foster. She only gave in when she had a very dog aggressive stray come in. Of course she didn't tell us that part and the dog attacked our other dog. Luckily our dog was so submissive they never had another issue.

I would foster, but most organizations want you to take "up to three" I am a one cat, one dog, one other person. I have 900 sq feet. I can't wait to build my studio because it will increase our square footage by 20%.