Using Petfinder

[Killer Kitten]

With so many kittens and cats to find homes for, I've finally tried using Petfinder. My first ad put me in touch with a lovely retired lady who was happy to meet me in person and has called since adopting one of my kittens to tell me how well she's doing in her new home.

However, I've also gotten at least five answers that make me very wary. They all read similarly and they all want to buy my pet (never mentioning her name or even her species) and have it shipped. I get the feeling that they're re-selling what animals they get to labs or something.

Anybody out there know more than I do about these? (Not hard to do, since the above is the sum total of what I know about them.) They're making me very wary about using Petfinder.

Thanks in advance,
Kimm

[Jessika]

If you feel wary, then of course DO NOT give them any information or allow for them to adopt your cats. Always go with your gut instinct when it comes to these things. I know there are sick people out there who will "buy" your "pet" and then turn around and use them as bait for Lord knows what, or other similar things.

So I would maybe reply and request some more information from them (such as, location, reason for adoption, what their lifestyle is like etc) and if they don't reply or seem really annoyed in their reply then I would write them off for good!

[AbbyMom]

Jessika is absolutely right, Kimm. There's all sorts of weirdos out there and your kitties depend on you to protect them.

I do adoption counseling for a humane society that uses Petfinder.com. Two of my fosters last summer were adopted out of my home via Petfinder.

So, here's my advice: You have every right to expect to meet the individual, ask them important questions, such as "Do you intend to declaw?" or "Do you intend to let your cat outside?" Ask them "Why do you want this cat?" Listen to their answers and follow your instincts.

But here's the important thing: Ask to see their driver's license and write down their name, address, phone number, and driver's license number. We always do this (we make copies, actually) and if they have good intentions, they do not mind. Only once did someone pretend that he didn't have it with him and then he left shortly thereafter. (What do you suppose he wanted with our little black kitty?)

For me, shipping would be out of the question.

Others here on PT adopt from their home and perhaps they'll chime in with their own experiences and advice.

Good luck to you...it's a wonderful thing you're doing for these kitties.

[Killer Kitten]

The driver's license is a really good idea. We do that at the shelter I volunteer at, too.

With the lady I gave my kitten to, I asked for the name of her vet, then called to see if they knew her and what they thought of her as a pet owner. They gave her such a glowing report that I worried they might be a fake, so I went online and looked up vet clinics in her area. Sure enough, her vet was listed and the number matched, so I let her adopt my kitten.

I never even thought of people who use kittens to train fighting dogs. Now I have a whole new species of undesirables to worry about. Considering the less than completely literate spelling, grammar and punctuation of the replies that set my teeth on edge, that scenario seems more likely than lab sales.

I made myself a little form letter, and I emailed it back to potential adopters that I just didn't trust. Basically it said that I don't ship animals, that I was sure there were plenty of shelters in their area with adoptable pets, and have a nice day.

So far I've found homes for two of my rescues. Eight more to go, then maybe I can take a little break. Oh wait, it's almost kitten season again. Darn!

[jenluckenbach]

Petfinder is a great way to advertise your kittens to a great number of people, but yes, you do get a lot of the undesirables too. It sounds like you are doing eveything right.

One of the most important things is to NOT offer the kittens for free. That will REALLY draw in the people who want to use them for the unthinkable.

[Killer Kitten]

I've spent today playing 'round robin' with emails, but did learn a bit about the Petfinder 'undesirables' that actually put my mind at ease.

I was very worried that they wanted my kittens for resale at a lab or for dog baiting. When I got another email of that type last night, it was addressed to a whole list of people, and I recognized some of the emails from Petfinder listings. So I replied with my form letter, then cut and pasted the undesirable's email under it and sent it out to the whole list.

What I found out is that it's a scam. These people send a money order to cover the adoption fee that is well in excess of the fee, with a request to send the excess back to them. Once they get the money, they vanish before the victim finds out that the money order was a fake and they are out the money they 'refunded' to the adopter.

Apparently these people do it with ebay sales as well as Petfinder and probably dozens of other web-based communities where money changes hands.

In a perverse way this made me feel better. Thieves I can handle, people who want to harm my precious kitties scare the kitty litter outta me!

[Allecto]

Yeah, those are those 'Nigerian scammers' you've likely heard about, and they are everywhere.

[moosmom]

That is DEFINITELY a scam! NEVER send money to strangers. So many people have been ripped off.

They had a scam like that before, only they said you won money in a contest and in order to get it, you needed to send them an exhorbatant fee.

ALWAYS put "Adoption Fee" $____. If these people are sincere and really want these cats, they'll donate it. Especially if they're spayed/neutered.

And always make them fill out a contract complete with driver's license, signature, etc. It protects everyone.

[Killer Kitten]

Now I know these people are scammers. And not overly bright ones at that.

After sending out my ninth or tenth 'form letter' of the day, basically telling the scammers that I don't ship, require ID, etc, etc, I got a little bored. (Short attention span.) One scammer had double e-mailed me. To one of his inquiries I sent my 'form letter', to the other I sent a letter saying that I had Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches for sale, that they made very educational pets, and that I wanted $750 for a breeding pair. I also included a very disgusting close-up shot of a gigantic example of the breed.

This guy wrote back saying how happy his daughter was to be getting one of my pets, how he'd take a pair and where should he send the money order. I wrote back and said just to be clear, you do realize these are oversized cockroaches, don't you.

Just got a reply saying yes, now where do I send the money.
Anybody know where I can get a pair of giant cockroaches to send to this bozo? Serve him right to get his house infested with these things.