Quote Originally Posted by sasvermont View Post
More people need to be educated about how to take care of their pets. If they can't afford to take care of them, they shouldn't have them. That includes good food and vet care.
I guess this is my major reason for thinking a shelter or the SPCA is actually a better option than canvassing around among friends if I personally needed to re-home a cat. You just helped me to clarify this In the short term a shelter looks less caring because it's basically an institution. No cat would pick it over a home, I bet. But I know they know more than I'll ever think of about what a new cat owner should know, and they have practice at matching people to cats, facilitating the transition, remembering all the important stuff and making sure it's communicated. So in the long run I think my cat would get a better deal if I went that way. It's just too bad it isn't feasible to ask a donation or fee for taking someone's cat and caring for it until it gets a new home - the service they provide is so valuable and they're taking it on. But I can only imagine that would deter a lot of people and lead to more 'dumps'.