Please help...

[NoahsMommy]

I am currrently taking care of four foster kittens that we rescued from a storage unit place my inlaws manage. They are almost 6 weeks old and I'm now searching for good homes for these sweeties.

I work for a veterinary office and the wife of one of the vets called me about one of the kittens. She said her child's kindergarten's teacher was interested in one.

The woman called me and left a message saying that she was interested in a kitten for her kids. Her daughter wanted a gray female and that they had a cat for 14 years that recently "disappeared".

OK, I'm really alarmed at the disappeared part as well as the child wanting the cat. I worry that small children and cats/kittens don't mix (in my experience, at least) and that if her other cat disappeared, it means the one they want will be an outdoor cat. With all the work, time and money I've put into these babies, I don't want them put back outside.

What do I do? What do I tell the woman? I feel conflicted because she has ties to my employer.

The way I was going to find homes for them was to post a few pictures in our office and have people call me. This means I can't say "they already have homes".

The cat they are interested in is currently being treated for diareah (Phoebe), so I was thinking about saying she's sick.

What do you all think???

[aly]

Can you get with your shelter or a rescue group and have them let you use their applications? If she filled out an app, maybe you could just say that she might not have the right lifestyle for your kitty. Or ...... you could say she's sick and you're not sure how long it will take her to get better. That is the truth afterall. Is there any way you could find them homes through the shelter you volunteer with instead of your work?

[NoahsMommy]

The shelter we volunteer at doesn't do anything about declawing or having an outdoor cat. The only thing they care about is if the cat is fixed...in most all cases, they wont release an animal that isn't fixed yet. They only do house checks if people are adopting a dog. :(

All the other shelters in the area are animal control and they are super full right now. The first litter that was found at the storage unit place was taken to the shelter and they were put to sleep. :mad: :mad: I will not let that happen to these guys. :(

The woman I "work" with doing rescue is toally full. She has about 15 kittens and 3 mama kitties in her garage right now...this is her limit. She is having a hard time placing kittens too right now. She DOES have an application that I'm going to use for these babies.

I like your idea, to say I'm not sure how long it'll take to get her all better.

Phoebe is my favorite one...she's super sweet and very docile. I wish we lived in a house of our own...she'd be ours then. :(

Aly...how do you relenquish your fosters? I am so protective of all cats, but these babies are going to be so hard for me to approve of a good home. I wish there were four PTers that needed a kitten....it seems you all are the only one's I trust. ;)

[aly]

I do it a few different ways.

- There are 2 rescue groups I work really closely with who let me sit in on their adoption days even if my fosters are not part of their group. They let me use their applications and they are very strict about indoor only homes and no declawing.

- If I rehome one of my fosters through my shelter, I find the home before I bring the animal. I do it just by talking to the people there looking at cats and if they sound like a good home, I'll get them to fill out an application and make arrangements for them to meet my foster.

- A few times I've rehomed through my vet. Actually, it was just twice and they went to vet techs both times. I didn't have the vet techs fill out applications but I did ask them a TON of questions.

- There are a few rescue groups who let me post my fosters' pictures and bios on their websites along with my email address and phone number for people to contact.

- OR, I send them to Pet Talkers! :D

[NoahsMommy]

Aly,

Great ideas! I think I'll give out applications first, like you suggested.

I've already told everyone I work with that these kittens cannot go to a home where they'll be outside (its so unsafe around here) and declawing is out of the question. I'll just be honest and tell them where I'm coming from.

I'll add them on PetFinder too.... :)

[aly]

Cool :) Now I'd just be careful about people lying to you since they know that information. I have found even the nicest people will lie through their teeth to try to get the animal they want :eek:

PS - I love Hermie's pic in your sig. She's gorgeous!

[bisi.cat]

There's a couple with a three-year-old and a persian cat living in our street...it was quite an old cat and this cat went missing several weeks ago...as you know some cats chose to be on their own when it's time to leave for RB and Simba was such a cat...he was well loved and the child absolutely loved him to pieces...the whole family was devasted about the death of the cat and the way he has chosen to leave and not knowing how to tell a three-year-old about the death they've told her that Simba has left for his relatives in Africa...however this cat had a wonderful home and was well cared for...
I live in quite a small town (population 55,000) and here are areas where I think it's not appropriate to let a cat outside, but we live on the outskirt and it's quite a safe place and all neighbor's cats are quite old...
What I want to say is, that maybe the family who applied for the kitten isn't that bad and maybe they can offer the kitten a wonderful home...your kittens are six weeks now and it is still some time before they'll go to new homes, maybe if you'll visit their home before and get an impression about the family (let them show you pics of their old cat etc)...and listen to your gut feeling then...
I didn't mean to offend you, but a personal impression can give you more than just having been told something about this family...
If you then feel they're not the proper family you can still look for other options...

Wishing you all the best with placing the little kittens into loving homes!!!
And again I didn't mean to offend you with telling you this, it's just another point of view...

[moosmom]

Kelly,

I have found that no matter what people tell you, or how convincing they are, they will do what they please once they have the cat. It's sad but true and I know it's not exactly what you want to hear.

Go with your instincts, Kelly. I have found that's the best way. Mine have never let me down, and I have placed ALOT of cats in my 7 years of rescue.

I would definitely use one of the shelter's adoption forms. I would also make a phone call to their veterinarian to see if their former cat was properly cared for, i.e., update on shots, what kind of illnesses, etc., and I would make a home visit.

I'm the same way you are when it comes to placing cats and kittens that I have put so much love, time and money into.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

[Russian Blue]

Do you know why the cat went missing?? Maybe the cat ran out the door and they couldn't find it? Just looking at all possibilities.

It's good to have an application, but as moosmom said, they will do anything they want with the cat once they bring them home. Even breeders who get you to sign contracts to not declaw etc can't really enforce them properly.

The best way to check on them is a vet check and a home inspection. I know a person who fosters cats and she gave one of her fosters out to a woman who seemed 'perfect'. Great vet references and an animal lover. She ended up getting a call from this woman who told her to come back and get the foster cat. This woman left the cat in a cage out in the snow and her house was a horrible wreck. The foster cat was terrified and covered in his own feces. :mad:

That's when my friend started to do the home inspections and a more lengthly application process. Here's an example of an adoption application you can use from SaveSamoa.org:

Adoption Application (http://www.savesamoa.org/html/rescue.html)

;)

[catmandu]

The Sad thing is that a lot of these people only think that they want a Cat! Then when the Cats novelty wears off , and they realize that he has to be fed , cleaned up after , or scratches the Furniture , then they dont want the Cat anymore. someone just tied an Orange and White to the door of a local Pet Food Store. about a year old , intact! GRRRRR!