Approximate delivery day for this mama kitty?

[grizzlysapien]

She does support what I'm doing but I don't think she takes it as seriously. To her, it's more of a fun adventure. To me, it's more of trying to stop a heart breaking cycle. Like I said though, I did offer her to post her kittens on polkas site this one time as long as she clarifies that they are not polkas rescues. I also made sure she knew she couldn't request payment though because no profit can be made off of polkas site so it isn't a safe idea. I'm still in my 20's so im quite a bit younger than she is. I think she is just now realizing that I'm truly serious about this rescue. It wasn't just a random idea that I thought up when I was bored. Lol.

Of course it wasn't! Look, she can also avoid asking for rescue fee.. That way, you'll get into no trouble and she'll find homes for the kittens.. I am sure that one of the terms for adoption is for the adopters to inform the rescue on a regular basis about the kittens.. So, your friend won't have to ask for a rescue fee to ensure the safety of the kittens.. I don't know. That's just a thought.

 

[kkoerner]

So, are you not asking for a fee sweetlynn86 ? Being a non-profit wouldn't stop you from having an adoption fee, it would just mean you weren't paying yourself with money coming in, but rather using it to provide supplies/care for the animals...no profit earned.

 

[handsome kitty]

One of the biggest reasons to become a 501 3(c) is so that donations can be tax deductible.  You will need money coming in.  All the 501 3(c) rescues by us charge an adoption fee.  Adoption fees are not tax deductible, you could get around that by asking for a 'suggested donation' amount instead.

It will take time to set it up.  I used to work for one.  You will need a board of directors - maybe the vet would consider coming on board, possibly a groomer or a pet store manager.  I wouldn't ask that neighbor.  Ours had a lawyer, a computer guy and at least one Assistive Technology specialist and everyone had a special needs child..  It's a great way to get advice geared towards your operation.

Since you will not be drawing a salary, keep track of mileage for picking up animals and taking them to the vet.  You can also claim part of your house if you have a designated area for the rescue kittens.

 

[sweetlynn86]

kkoerner And handsome kitty we do ask an adoption fee. The money that we get goes right back into supporting the other kittens we have. The problem I see with my friend advertising on our site and asking an adoption fee is that she would essentially profit off her kittens. She would get say, $50.00 per kitten, so 150.00 total and it would be a profit for her because it wouldn't go into supporting our rescue. I think that's wrong that we have a non-profit rescue and someone comes in and makes a profit using our site. It seems deceitful.

 

[kntrygrl256]

I don't see why @sweetlynn86  couldn't ask for a homing fee for her friends kittens under the condition that the fee will be for Polka's rescue. That way her friend will know that she is serious about starting the rescue and her friend won't think she can make money off her kittens. That way the people wanting the kittens will be serious because they have to pay a fee for them and it will be helping the rescue.

I would also recommend that her friend get her cat spayed if she wanted to be apart of the rescue team. That's kind of defeating the purpose of the rescue if the people helping continue to let their cats roam free having kittens over and over again.

I know this is overwhelming but being a non-profit organization does not mean you can't ask for a homing fee. It means that any money received will go to the rescue for supplies and services, not as a pay check. There is nothing wrong with asking for a homing fee for kittens that aren't part of Polka's rescue as long as the prospective owners know that said kittens are separate from the rescue kittens, but that all fees will be donated to the non-profit organization as a service fee for non-rescue kittens. 

 

[kntrygrl256]

@KKoerner And @Handsome Kitty we do ask an adoption fee. The money that we get goes right back into supporting the other kittens we have. The problem I see with my friend advertising on our site and asking an adoption fee is that she would essentially profit off her kittens. She would get say, $50.00 per kitten, so 150.00 total and it would be a profit for her because it wouldn't go into supporting our rescue. I think that's wrong that we have a non-profit rescue and someone comes in and makes a profit using our site. It seems deceitful.

Your friend needs to understand that any money received from her kittens would be a donation to Polka's rescue because it is a service to find homes for these kittens. She will receive NO money for you posting her kittens on Polka's site, therefore there will be no profit.  Explain to her that if she feels otherwise then it is best if she posts them on another site or finds homes for them herself.

You will have to choose what is best for your rescue. The friendship or the future rescued kittens. You need to do what you feel is right in your heart and if you feel like doing this for your friend is wrong, don' t do it. It seems to me like your friend is trying to take advantage of you and wanting you to do the work so she can make a profit off her irresponsibility as a pet owner. That will not help your organization.

 

[sweetlynn86]

I totally agree kntrygrl256 . She wants the money though. She lost her job when her daughter tried to commit suicide a few months ago so she's hoping to get enough from the kittens to spay her cat. I agree with the idea but I can't in good conscience advertise "profitable" kittens on a non-profit site. What if I put her kittens up with a disclaimer that they are not our rescues but that an adoption fee will still apply in order to assist someone with spaying their animal?

 

[kntrygrl256]

I totally agree @kntrygrl256. She wants the money though. She lost her job when her daughter tried to commit suicide a few months ago so she's hoping to get enough from the kittens to spay her cat. I agree with the idea but I can't in good conscience advertise "profitable" kittens on a non-profit site. What if I put her kittens up with a disclaimer that they are not our rescues but that an adoption fee will still apply in order to assist someone with spaying their animal?

A disclaimer would be a good idea regardless of where the money goes. You need to let people know that these kittens aren't apart of your rescue. You could make this deal with her. With the money received from homing her kittens, part of it will be used to have her cat spayed and the balance will be donated to your rescue. That way you are helping prevent future kittens from her cat. It could also be used as a testimony for your rescue. You will make sure the money gets used for her cat to be spayed that way you know where it is going and she won't have to be profiting from your rescue.

I understand her situation, I really do, but It's not your place to use your rescue to support her financially. If you do it this way then you KNOW her cat will be spayed and you will have a good start for your rescue. If she can't or won't do that then maybe she isn't financially able to keep her cat and maybe needs to surrender her so you can still do it through the rescue and re-home her.

I'm sorry for being blunt but I have dealt with this from other friends and family who always want me to take their babies (kittens & puppies) to keep or to re-home. It pisses me off because people keep letting their pets have babies and don't take responsibility for them. One family I even had their female cat spayed and offered to have their female dog spayed, but they don't want to spay the dog. She has had more litters and they are all so inbred that they are all sickly. Our county don't have an animal protection law so they are allowed to keep breeding and breeding. It makes me sick.

 

[kkoerner]

What if YOU didn't post them on your site, and she didn't post them as admin, but instead posted them on her Facebook and then just shared them on your page? It would be with your posts, it would be with posts from other people. Wouldn't be posted by you. And you could ask her to type in something like "I hope this is ok sharing on your page. If not please delete it. my cat had kittens and I am trying to find them forever homes. An adoption fee will apply as I'd like to get back enough to put towards spaying their mom! Please PM me if interested. Thanks"

That way, it's obviously not part of the rescue and it won't go through the rescue. Rescue group Facebook pages get this kind of thing all the time and you are likely to as well...from complete strangers even. If you don't want that, then I wouldn't let her post it like that though.

 

[sweetlynn86]

On a bright note, Chanel's kittens are getting very big and are quite fierce. They do not like it when Chanel is being pet. My hand runs over their little bodies and they get 50 shades of ticked off. Feels like a few Bruce Lees growing inside her and I cannot believe how quickly they have sprouted. I thought the vet was nuts when he said 2-3 weeks til she's due. I'm still not sure I believe she's due that soon but I think it's a definite possibility now. Her expected due date is August 24th. I'm definitely feeling a little more positive about their chances of being viable now. She was crazy for kmr the first day she was here but she doesn't want anything to do with it now. she goes through canned food like crazy though. She's got enough weight gain already that her vertebrae are no longer protruding and her pelvis no longer looks like a sharp triangle. She still wants nothing to do with any other animals and seems completely content to stay where she's at for now. It's the best room for her to be in anyways. I can't have her kittens in my room without making polka feel pushed away so the room she's in is next best. There are multiple safe places in there for her to nest and nothing she can get stuck under or inside. No cords to get tangled in. It's actually the room that polkas kittens went into when they were transitioning from their best to free roaming.

 

[Sarthur2]

That's great news about Chanel's kittens growing and getting feisty . It's the plentiful, healthy diet along with her veterinary care. It does go a long way towards making you feel like they have a better chance now! And if she's due August 24th, that's still another two weeks inside a much healthier Chanel in which to complete their development!

 

[grizzlysapien]

On a bright note, Chanel's kittens are getting very big and are quite fierce. They do not like it when Chanel is being pet. My hand runs over their little bodies and they get 50 shades of ticked off. Feels like a few Bruce Lees growing inside her and I cannot believe how quickly they have sprouted. I thought the vet was nuts when he said 2-3 weeks til she's due. I'm still not sure I believe she's due that soon but I think it's a definite possibility now. Her expected due date is August 24th. I'm definitely feeling a little more positive about their chances of being viable now. She was crazy for kmr the first day she was here but she doesn't want anything to do with it now. she goes through canned food like crazy though. She's got enough weight gain already that her vertebrae are no longer protruding and her pelvis no longer looks like a sharp triangle. She still wants nothing to do with any other animals and seems completely content to stay where she's at for now. It's the best room for her to be in anyways. I can't have her kittens in my room without making polka feel pushed away so the room she's in is next best. There are multiple safe places in there for her to nest and nothing she can get stuck under or inside. No cords to get tangled in. It's actually the room that polkas kittens went into when they were transitioning from their best to free roaming.

I predict that in 2-3 weeks, you'll have your hands full of a litter of baby Wolverines 

My Grizzly's mom was just like Chanel. Tortoiseshell, petit and young. And she did it just well (until a guy poisoned her - but you've made sure this won't happen to Chanel). She gave birth to them, she fed them, trained them.. They were so "chubby" when we found them 

 and it was her first litter.. 

 

[sweetlynn86]

I felt the first twang of excitement today when they were reacting to my touch and I realized how big they had gotten. I know it will all come down to how they fare outside of the womb but I think they have a good chance now! I think back to how big polka was when she went into labor. Absolutely startlingly massive. Blows my mind how she has 3 kittens hiding in there. I'm not certain there's 3 but that's my uneducated guess by feeling around.

 

[sweetlynn86]

I did a little research and a little math. Now I need to rest my brain. Lol. Just kidding. Anyways, from what I've read, a pregnant cat doesn't show abdominal enlargement until the 5th week or later. I'm guessing because of her size, she would show at the earliest time of 5 weeks. She was already visibly pregnant 2 weeks ago when her add was placed on Craigslist. Who knows how long before that she had been visibly pregnant, but that would put her at a minimum of 7 weeks pregnant right now. So maybe her due date of the 24th will hold true.

 

[grizzlysapien]

Have you thought about what you'll do when the time comes? You'll have her give birth in the house, or take her to the vet, just to be sure? 

 

[sweetlynn86]

She can give birth here. The vet would charge us hundreds of dollars for her to give birth there and there's not a ton they can do that we can't, aside from a c-section. She has her room all set up and she's comfortable in there. If an emergency comes up, we'll take her in.

 

[Sarthur2]

I'm excited for Chanel's kittens and have a very good feeling about their prognosis .

 

[kntrygrl256]

I agree with @sarthur2. I am so excited about her kittens and feel very positive about the outcome.

 

[ellag]

Lololol!! Polkas milk house! No more orphans that I know of but I'm friends with an attorney who works for a human society in Ohio. He oversees all their legal stuff. I contacted him asking about how we can become a 501.3c and what it entails. I actually had about a thousand questions. Lol. A good friend of mine is now really upset with me. Her cat go out and had kittens a few weeks ago. She asked if I could post her kittens on polkas page when they're ready to go. I agreed. Well that was before we decided to go for actual non-profit organization status. Before a contract was written up and we began establishing ourselves. I'm no longer Willing to put her kittens on for a few reasons. 1. We didn't rescue them 2. If my friend charged a fee for her kittens, which she needs to for their protection, we wouldn't be non-profit. She would make a profit off her kittens. 3. My attorney friend said it would be a bad idea because I am not physically responsible for those kittens and people may adopt them because they're under the presumption that they are adopting a rescue cat. We are just starting to build our reputation so I definitely don't want to mislead people and get a bad rap from the get-go. Am I wrong? Should I still stick to my original agreement to post her kittens under polkas rescue since we aren't an actual non-profit yet? If I end up giving up on this rescue, it won't be because of the kittens. It will be because of people. I've dealt with more drama this week than I normally deal with in a year. We had 4 prospective homes for butterscotch before someone followed through today. What we went through with these 4 families and then add on a close friend who now feels betrayed...... I don't deal well with this crap. Feeling guilt tripped. Phew. Felt good to rant. OH, To top it off, Chanel is flea free but her fleas managed to spread through the house so we are down another $300.00 in flea treatments. All is well though. Everyone is clear now.

could you just do a courtesy listing the way they do on petfinder? that way people would see the kittens but know they aren't part of your rescue. petfinder and other rescues do that all the time.

edit-whoops, i hadn't read all the posts yet and i see this had already been suggested!

 

[sweetlynn86]

Nothing new to report. Chanel is definitely getting bigger by the day. I'll see if I can snap some pictures. I'm feeling really torn right now though between what Chanel is wanting from me and my loyalty to polka. Chanel is the most attention hungry cat I've ever encountered. At night when I walk out of her room, she cries at me. I know she would be a lot happier and more comfortable in my room at night instead of always alone. Polka rarely comes in my room at night right now as she is usually in the living room with her kittens. I'm afraid if I move Chanel to my room at night though, polka will hold the grudge of all grudges. There's also so many spots in my room where Chanel could squeeze into and have her kittens and some of those spots are not safe or accessible. I didn't worry about that with polka since she never wanted to be away from me. I'm definitely getting excited now. The babies are growing and have become so active.