Fostering ponderings

[kittens mom]

What???!!!

I've felt my cat's chip before while petting him so I know that it's possible to feel it.

But I can't even imagine what type of home removal could possibly get it out without fatally injuring the animal or causing the animal to attack the owner.

Did her dog survive the removal?

That's logical that people who are not planning on being responsible owners don't want a chip. After all, they probably don't care if the animal runs away or gets hurt.

In their eyes, it's just an animal and they can get another one. Plus, microchipping is pretty much an iron clad commitment that you won't abandon your animal.

I mean, who dumps microchipped cats off on one of their neighbor's doorstep? LOL!

Yes. the dog languished in a small pen for about two years before it vanished. Of course now they simply let their best furry friends run loose. Sadly they are a window of what animal care is like in rural New Mexico. I had a scintillating conversation with what looked like a normal person who was angry the shelter wouldn't let her have a female dog without spaying it first because she wanted to breed it to her male dog at home. Can you even begin to wrap your brain around that. Well dressed woman. nice car. Seemed professional.  If I had a building that was heated and cooled I would foster. And in a lot of cases it appears fostering is just another word for adoption with maybe a few perks to help defray the cost. My neighbors are in their 30's an age when pet overpopulation and the dangers of letting your pets roam should be sort of plugged into them. We're failing and I don't know why. Shelters are running over faster than they can expand and open satellite branches. One way to really tie a pet to one person is a microchip. It's a chain of custody. A form of forced responsibility. Which seems to the only way to get a large segment of the pet owning population into compliance.

 

[crazy4strays]

Tell me about it. *sighs* Rural Michigan (where I live), sounds right in league with rural New Mexico.

Fostering, for me, though definitely is not glorified adoption. I've not kept any of the animals I've fostered.

 

[kittens mom]

Tell me about it. *sighs* Rural Michigan (where I live), sounds right in league with rural New Mexico.

Fostering, for me, though definitely is not glorified adoption. I've not kept any of the animals I've fostered.

I would likely end up a hoarder.

 

[crazy4strays]

It's hard to let them go, but knowing that they are going to good homes helps.

My kitten that was adopted on Saturday went to a sweet older couple. They had one other pet, a small dog, and were actively looking for a cat.

They found us through Petfinder. They plan to keep her indoors only and feed her premium food.

 

[jahzara]

But... if they chipped them, lots of the cats that come in might be returned to their owners. Would help prevent turning away a cat that otherwise has a home, helping a cat that had a home, and allow to help the cats that actually need the help!

Our shelter chips all its animals at spay/neuter time. They're registered to the shelter, and then the owner is given instructions on how to register them to themselves. Also, our shelter charges $100/kitten ($50 for the 2nd kitten adopted at the same time) $50 for adult cats younger than 6. $25 for seniors. $12 for cats who've been there longer than 30 days. During the holidays, they usually do a special of some kind. One year, the adopter just had to pay for the licensing fees, $12. Right now, they are doing a December special, where the adoption price matches the day of the month. My foster of 1 month, who's been in the shelter since August, was adopted the first day. (So happy for him!) They also feed top quality food to their cats. They sent me home with my first kitten litter foster with Weruva canned cat food.. I don't know their secret, but this shelter is one of the most successful shelters in the country with one of the lowest kill rates.. (It's the shelter that brought you Sir Stuffington. ;] )

 

[handsome kitty]

I had both my cats micro chipped at the vet.  They didn't need anesthesia.  The information was put into the system by the front desk before I paid my bill.  I also paid for a year of keeping the cats info in their system  When the year was up I was given the opportunity to sign up for lifelong registration.  There is also an option for insurance so that if the cat is found injured they will begin saving it without waiting for the owners ok.

I was talking to someone who found a cat at her apartment complex and the cat had a chip, but the owners never renewed it.  So no info to return the cat.  It did sound like they just left her though.  How can people be so heartless?

 

[kittens mom]

 
I had both my cats micro chipped at the vet.  They didn't need anesthesia.  The information was put into the system by the front desk before I paid my bill.  I also paid for a year of keeping the cats info in their system  When the year was up I was given the opportunity to sign up for lifelong registration.  There is also an option for insurance so that if the cat is found injured they will begin saving it without waiting for the owners ok.

I was talking to someone who found a cat at her apartment complex and the cat had a chip, but the owners never renewed it.  So no info to return the cat.  It did sound like they just left her though.  How can people be so heartless?

Chips should be tied to a SS # . The idea of chipping pets was to make sure the got home to their loving owners. Now it appears they should have a dual purpose. One to reunite the lost pet and one to track down the scumbag that dumps their pets. I was at the city shelter today. They are crammed to the gills. The Kitten room was packed. In fact the whole place is packed. Hate me if you will. I would rather see them euthanized than adopted and dumped. Or brought back as adults with behavior issues.

BTW my problem child is 100% normal. She bounced off the walls for a solid hour. Although I have yet to see the aggression  biting and scratching. IN fact she's quite careful for a baby her age. Right now she's having a fit because I put her to bed in her very extra large crate in the middle of the living room. I don't find baby cats all that endearing. It's simply the best way to raise a cat the way you want. She's warm and fed. Has a chew toy that I deemed safe food and water and clean potty. Snug little bed. I knew what I was stepping into. Most people should have adult pets and many more shouldn't have any pets. This isn't a money thing. It's a responsibility issue.

 

[NewYork1303]

The shelter we got Carrot from charges $125 for kittens, $100 for cats over six months, and often much less for senior cats over 7. They include spay/neuter, full vetting, vaccinations, and microchipping. They originally register the chips to themselves and people can register the chip in their name after it. This puts a history on the chip with their names so if owners can't be notified, they can be. It keeps people honest with the policy of returning a cat if they don't want it anymore. Any of the local shelters can find the original shelter in the microchipping history and get the cat back to the no kill shelter they came from. 

Our second cat was from a primarily dog rescue. They don't do microchipping so we had the kitten microchipped by our own vet when she was in for her third set of shots. They definitely didn't have to have her under to install it, but it also hurt her a lot more than a normal shot. It is a much larger needle and she cried when they put it in. Still worth her having it just in case she gets out, loses her collar, and someone picks her up. (Unlikely since we live in a forest and an escaped cat is more likely to be eaten by wildlife, but its better to be able to have this hope than none at all.)

I personally prefer the first shelters policy especially since they are able to get back cats they have rescued and adopted out if for some reason they are returned to another shelter that doesn't share their no kill policy.

 

[plan]

Has anyone tried GPS trackers? I'm interested to hear how good/bad they are.

 

[kittens mom]

 
Has anyone tried GPS trackers? I'm interested to hear how good/bad they are.

There are several advertised for cats and one that you can use at home and track with GPS up to a few hundred feet. I don't think they are quite there yet but given the way tech is flying the next year should see one that a cat could wear comfortably all the time. the charging /battery issues of the small unit seem to be the biggest issue.

I live in a very rural area. So a chip would be for the cat that someone took the time to take to the shelter. I put collars and ID tags on my cats at all times. Hoping if the worst happened the collar would ID them as a pet instead of pest.

 

[lonelocust]

I haven't given any of my cats collars since microchipping became widely available. After reading that the chip isn't always checked for, I think if I have any indoor/outdoor cats in the future I'll go ahead and also get them a collar and tag.

 

[crazy4strays]

I agree, KittensMom! In my area, chips would mainly be helpful if my cats ended up in a shelter.

Therefore my house policy is that all small mammals must wear collars and ID tags all the time.

We use a 3 tiered strategy to protect our animals: collars/tags, microchips, and keep them indoors.The hope is that if any one of the 3 components fail, the other two will be functional.

Stray cats are often treated like an invasive pest species in my area or people keep them without even trying to find the owner.

 

[kittens mom]

That is our strategy. Chip, collar/tag and keep inside. It's mind boggling to think that any shelter would not check for a chip but I know it happens out here.

I am amazed at any so called pet lover that lets their animals roam. I know in some areas and different countries it's a bit different. her in the US cats are pretty much fair game.

 

[kittycort]

Most people will not try helping a cat if it has no collar and if it has no tag, most arent going to put forth the extra effort to try finding the home. They assume it has no home if theres no visible identification. A collar with id tags are just as important as the microchip. This goes for dogs also. A collar without tags is pretty much useless and a chip with tags and collar are typically useless. Our furry friends should be protected and are well worth the tiny bit of extra effort. Even indoor kitties need protection...they could run out or end up outside sue to panic or an emergency. It happens more often than most people realize, especially this time of year when guests are coming in and out of the house a lot.

I would never let my young child run around the neighborhood alone and without protection. I would never let my dog run loose either. Why would I let my cat?

 

[crazy4strays]

I totally agree!

My neighbors don't have microchip scanners in their pockets. But a collar and tag is an easy way to identify the cat as belonging to someone. I put collars and tags on every animal that comes in my house whether they're mine or not.

My foster cats all wear collars and ID tags and so does the dog that I dog sit.

 

[kittycort]

That is our strategy. Chip, collar/tag and keep inside. It's mind boggling to think that any shelter would not check for a chip but I know it happens out here.
I am amazed at any so called pet lover that lets their animals roam. I know in some areas and different countries it's a bit different. her in the US cats are pretty much fair game.

Me too. And yet, its rare that a week goes by where I dont find/see a dog running loose. Many that I see are the same dogs, again and again. Its no surprise that the owners who let them run loose all over also dont bother equipping with tags/collars or chips. When I do return the dog, the owners dont care. Sometimes they are annoyed because they had to answer the door or worse, they hit the sog for "misbehaving." Not ironicaly, these same people are usually horrivle parents go humans as well. Some people should never, ever have children or pets. I cant tell you how many of those poor animals who run loose end up hit by cars, lost forever, gassed, or even used as bait.

 

[kittycort]

I totally agree!

My neighbors don't have microchip scanners in their pockets. But a collar and tag is an easy way to identify the cat as belonging to someone. I put collars and tags on every animal that comes in my house whether they're mine or not.

My foster cats all wear collars and ID tags and so does the dog that I dog sit.

Exactly. And they may not care to locate a vet or shelter to see if the animal does belong to someone or not. And not everyone, especialy non-pet owners and the elderly, are even aware of microchips.

I get tired of findng so many lost animals...not because I dony wamt to help them, but because nearly every single animaal I find are lost because the owner let them run loose and offered them zero protection. When someone does not act like a responsible and ethical parent, it forces everyone else to take care of pets that dont belong to them and it fills up shelters with animals who actually HAVE homes, leaving ones who dont homeless. Of course staff are overworked rescuing animals who should not have needed rescued.

Theres no excuse for it. It is so simple to be a responsible pet parent. If pet owners were charged with neglect like a human parent for denying safety, I cannot imaine how many owners would be charged.

 

[crazy4strays]

Plus, in our rural area if you want to take a cat to the kill shelter they will likely tell you to contact them when you have a real problem. The no kill shelter is chronically full.

So the most likely outcome if you let your cats run loose without ID around here (and they get lost) is that either:

A) people will treat them like an invasive pest species and shoot them (or worse)

B) people will feed them but not provide them with a home

C) people will simply ignore them and let them starve

Or very rarely:

D) will provide them with a good home.

I love my cat too much to risk him falling prey to the horrific environment that lies just outside my doors. Isn't living in the country grand? *rolls eyes*

 

[kittycort]

Exactly. Or they get stuck in a trap amd die from internal wounds. Ive seen that happen far too many times.

The excuses get to me, honestly. I could make a list a mile long of how people justify their irresponsibility....

I live in the country...
I live in the suburbs..
I live in an apartment..
I live in a culdasac...
My neighbors watch out for them...
He doesnt wander far...
He doesnt usually wander far...
He never did this before... (says everyone!)
My yard backs up to a public park... Its like a playground for him...
I just moved a year ago. I havent gotten new tags yet.....
Im trying to teach him to stay close to home...
I lost my last one because he was hit by a car so Im training this one to run loose close to home so it doesnt happen again.....
What am I supposed fo do? Fix my fence?!....
Would YOU want to be forced to wear a collar? A leash?....
I was on the phone. I let him out and forgot to watch him....
He only runs off if he loses his toy....
He is my daughters responsibility, not mine.... (daughter was five)
I barely opened the door and he just RAN!....
I had family over. I didnt even know he had gotten out.....
He wanted to run loose....
Its not my fault that hes too stupid to stay close to home....

You get the idea Through both complete irresponsibility and accident, they get out for ALL kinds of reasons...so lets all be smart and responsible and keep all our critters safe as can be.

All those, by the way, are real and come from my own personal experience with people.

 

[crazy4strays]

I've heard someone say that they didn't think that collaring their cats would work because "you usually have to start that when they're a kitten."

Every cat that I've recently had or taken care of were all collared and only one of those cats was a kitten. One cat figured out how to pull off her collar but we easily remedied that by switching to a different kind of breakaway collar.

A study shows that about 75% of cats will tolerate wearing collars. Yet, in my area, I rarely ever see a cat with a collar.