So angry at local pet adoption rules I could spit (kittens, blood)
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You know, I'm a pretty reasonable person. I know that animal rescue programs have all kinds of restrictions about who can and who can't adopt animals because they want to make sure the animal gets the perfect home. But sometimes I think these restrictions are ridiculous.
I tried to do a humanitarian thing, it backfired and I need to vent. Also I hope that if some of you work in rescue programs you will think about whether your own attitudes may result in animals being euthanized.
When we bought out house last year, it came with a cat. "Hammy" is an outdoor cat who likes being outdoors. The vet thinks he's about 5-7 years old. We've taken him to the vet, gotten him his shots, and even taught him to let us brush him. He's a very sweet animal and we've never seen him fighting--he's friendly, but he'll never be a house cat. He likes his independence. We've managed to teach him to come in at night, which I consider a major victory. But there is no way we could ever make him an indoor cat. But because we take care of an animal that came with our house, we are apparently scum who are prohibited from adoping another animal. Does this make sense? Not to me.
We see stories on CNN and in the local news that due to the economy, a huge number of pets are now being abandoned and will have to be euthanized because there's just too many. So we decided to do something about it. We like cats, so we went to the animal adoption fair looking for a cat. They had dozens and dozens, all in cages--most of them pretty unhappy.
We picked the one who had been waiting for adoption the longest, on the theory that she was closest to being euthanized. She was 3 years old, and not especially pretty. But she was very sweet and thrilled to be held. I have a feeling she was starved for attention (easy to believe with all the kittens there).
We spent more than an hour with her, and the lady running the fair seemed happy with us. She said she could tell we loved the cat, and we said yes, we wanted to adopt her.
Then the trouble started. She asked if we had a history with a local vet who could vouch for us. We said in fact we did, because we were also caring for the cat that came with the house. At that moment, the lady running the fair started looking at us like we were scum and she asked us to leave.
She said she would never let a person who had an outdoor cat adopt one of her precious kitties. She said if we "really want a cat, we would have to buy one from a pet store because no shelter will help people like you." We tried to explain, and fix the problem, but it was no good. We asked her to check with the vet, who would tell her we are good pet owners. She didn't care, apparently she had already passed judgement that we were scum.
Sadly, I put the cat back in the cage, realizing that the poor thing probably won't find another home. There were just too many cute kittens. Maybe I didn't have the "perfect ideal" home for her but it's better than being in a cage for months, and certainly better than being euthanized.
Should I have lied about having Hammy? Should I bring "Hammy" to the rescue group and give him up so that I can have the other cat?
I know so many people who have homes full of pets. Some are indoor, some are outdoor--the animals learn how to get along. If rescue groups are really this picky, then no wonder their services are overflowing.
Well, you have to realize that the phrase "crazy cat lady" came into being because some "cat ladies" are a little bonkers. (And I'm pretty sure if my husband would let me have just one more cat I'd be thrown over the edge into 'crazy cat lady' territory myself, just because! )
It sounds to me like this woman made an immediate judgment about you and was completely unwilling to listen beyond the words that totally turned her off.
Now, for her perspective, cats shouldn't be outdoors if at all possible. I have taken in a couple of stray cats in my time and managed to make them indoor cats. But I've also never had a truly feral cat come into my life, nor a cat who wasn't amenable to coming into my home. I do know people who have fed and cared for cats that "came with" their home or land, and I don't judge them for not pulling the cats indoors immediately. Unfortunately for you, this woman does.
What should you do? I don't know. While I don't condone lying, you will run into problems like this if you have an "outdoor" cat. These folks are trying to place cats. They've picked up litters and strays from "outdoor" cats all the time, so it's a touchy subject.
I would chalk it up to the fact that the lady has seen too many cats left outside to fend for themselves. Personally, I think she went overreacted but chalk it up to having saved too many cats who were left outdoors. I have seen it with a group I worked with once upon a time. Unfortunately for the animals, being so unreasonable ended up costing the animals a home and they were eventually PTS.
My neighbors have a cat who according to them, isn't their cat because he was a stray and they just feed. I have lived here 3 years and he has been there at least that long. Now their house is for sale, I am pretty sure they intend to move leaving him behind. If she was going to get upset, she should be upset with the ppl who left the cat behind, not you. Maybe she misunderstood??
Go to the animal shelter the animals there are the ones that really need a home because their time is limited. Don't let one person prevent you and your family from saving a life
ROFL.... The Cat Nazi. Sorry to hear your troubles but from many of the stories I've read these shelters are a little over the top to say it lightly. I'm sure many of them do work.
I beleive the idea is they rather put the animal to sleep instead of taking the risk of placing it into a bad home. Certainly that's a noble idea but not very practical when you're eliminating so many people that might want to adopt an animal.
AS far as outdoor cats go... Give me break. My aunt had a cat like yours and thing never wanted to be inside the house. It would come to the one window near sink to come in to get something to eat then cry at the window to be left out.
This is ridiculous. The rules about adopting pets have become more stingent than the requirements for adopting or fostering children. I understand wanting to take precautions to place the animal into an appropriate home, but to eliminate someone in your situation is over the top.
This does seem to be an unreasonable person. No, you don't want a rescue kitty to end up abandoned again or abused. But, really, is it better to kill the cat than let her go with a kind person who is demonstrably kind enough to take care of an abandoned cat at the house she bought? I'd look at another rescue place or even just the local animal shelter where they might not be so hysterical. There certainly are a lot of cats out there who need a home.
I have 3 cats who just decided themselves that they wanted to live at my house. THe oldest is a true feral who arrived as a kitten - all teeth, claws and hisses. Amazingly, he is the sweetest and fully an indoor cat for most of his life. My 2nd kitty is a female who also adopted me as a kitten. She goes outside on a long tether.
The 3rd came as a middle-aged cat 3 years ago and is indoor-outdoor - mostly his choice. He is the problem. He fights the other cats and is much worse if I keep him inside. I tried to find him another home but failed. I don't think he has such a bad life for an unwanted cat who gets shelter, food (premimum), vet care, and affection. He goes crazy and gets very aggressive if kept inside too long. Blood is drawn in these fights, so it is a real problem for the other cats. If he lives less long, at least he has a happy life. He really does seem to have 9+ lives. From some of his wounds, it is evident he also fights with some of the other outside cats.
Is it better for him to take him to a shelter to live unhappily in a cage or be killed? I don't think so. I have the room and income to give him the life he seems to want while still protecting and caring for the cats who adopted me first.
It is much easier to raise a kitten to be an indoor cat than to get a fully adult one who likes the outdoors to accept being indoors. I think you need to find a more reasonable shelter.
The 3rd came as a middle-aged cat 3 years ago and is indoor-outdoor - mostly his choice. He is the problem. He fights the other cats and is much worse if I keep him inside. I tried to find him another home but failed. I don't think he has such a bad life for an unwanted cat who gets shelter, food (premimum), vet care, and affection. He goes crazy and gets very aggressive if kept inside too long. Blood is drawn in these fights, so it is a real problem for the other cats. If he lives less long, at least he has a happy life. He really does seem to have 9+ lives. From some of his wounds, it is evident he also fights with some of the other outside cats.
Is it better for him to take him to a shelter to live unhappily in a cage or be killed? I don't think so. I have the room and income to give him the life he seems to want while still protecting and caring for the cats who adopted me first.
It is much easier to raise a kitten to be an indoor cat than to get a fully adult one who likes the outdoors to accept being indoors. I think you need to find a more reasonable shelter.
I agree. I understand the arguments of some who contend that that all cats should be kept indoors, but I'm just not sure I agree. I have 2 cats; both about 15 years old now. The first, Sierra, I adopted as a kitten, and the second, Shadow, just showed up on my doorstep one day, so I'm basing her age on what the vet estimated. Sierra never wandered off the doorstep, and seemed satisfied to just view life from the safety of her own front yard. But Shadow liked to roam in her younger days, and would sometimes come back looking like she'd gotten into some tussles.
Shadow would have been miserable being cooped up in the house all day. She was a great hunter in her younger days, and would love to bring me her little gifts of field mice, and yes, the occassional bird. They are safer being kept indoors, but is being safe the only component to a happy life?
There are some similar local rules here about adopting dogs. You can't have one if you have an outside dog or have a dog that isn't spayed/neutered. Which I think makes sense, but clearly the op's situation is different/special.
We tried getting a hold of a local rescue organization to adopt a puppy last week. We were told we had great references and they were super-interested. I wrote them back and then they disappeared off the face of the earth. We're suspicious that their foster home (not a shelter) wanted to keep them.
Is that a puppy thing? B/c that is the second time that has happened to us. Is it b/c people don't want to adopt out the baby puppies? (Both puppies we tried to adopt were less than 12 weeks old.)
Well if this lady did not personally manage this adoption sight I would be reporting her. Pure nonsense in her attitude and response. She has no right volunteering or working there.
You know we had a cat show up at our home, it adopted us. Pretty much same story as yours with her wanting to be outside when she can anyways. And we let her and we let her in when she wants to come in. Its been her choice, she has adopted us. We would truly miss her now, she is part of the family.
You know if you wanting another pet, might I suggest Craigslist.org, in our area there are always kittens or cats up for adoption by their owners due to moving or some other issue. I am sure you wold find you a nice addition and buddy for your other cat. MEOW
What Sandhills said...if there is someone of "higher rank" in this adoption group/fair to speak to, I most certainly would!!
If you have your heart set on that cat and you REALLY want to apply some heat and show how ridiculously picky some of these zealots are (and I'm a cat lover, but I'm a PRACTICAL one...I could go on and on about some of the zanies out there) you could say you're going to the local TV/print "consumer action" reporters and show how such a restrictive policy does NOT help their cause. You can be reasonable and convincing and detail your story just as you did here...and she/they will look ridiculous. The downside is that some viewers/readers then will never even try to adopt from her or other rescue groups, and that ultimately hurts the animals.
Again, if she's a one-woman show you're probably outta luck, as is the poor sweet kitty you would have given a home to.... this just sucks.
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