Cat Shelter Question

[sivyaleah]

I wasn't sure where to put this, but I know this forum gets the most views so I put it here.  Mods, please move to the right place, I just really could not figure out where was appropriate.

We're looking to add to our family by adopting another cat.  We have an 11 year old neutered male (Casper) that we've had for 2 years now.    Casper is fantastic, really easy going, well behaved, and social.  I think we hit the kitty lotto on him but, his previous owner assured us he was a great cat (sadly, my friend had to rehome him, but it was our luck to receive him).

I've been looking through PetFinder religiously, visiting the local adoption centers in the pet stores, and even considering taking a a feral cat which doesn't seem very feral from a colony in my town (I wrote about this kitty on the Ferals and Strays some time ago).

Caveat is I can not take the cat until 12/22, when I have off from work for nearly 2 weeks.  This would be the perfect time to devote the right amount of attention to the introduction process between our resident cat, and the newcomer.

I've applied online to a few of the shelters with their application forms (I realize most do not have actual "shelters", that the cats are being fostered out) for specific cats that interested us.  The first one got back to me right away, to let me know she (Wendy, a white odd-eyed short haired kitten - funny thing is we kept saying we would name the new cat Wendy, since the Casper cartoon had Wendy has his friend) could not be held that long, but to check back when it got closer to the date, as she might still be there.  

The 2nd place I reached out to, was regarding the feral cat.  They are the rescue place in town, and I inquired if they were interested in helping me get the gray/white cat I befriended from the parking lot.  Surprisingly, the were thrilled to help, but said it would be better bring her in closer to the date I needed.  They were also willing to vet her, as usual (she has already been TNR'd, her ear is tipped), with me picking up the costs, as usual.  I was honest with them, and let them know that I had feelers out for other cats and was waiting to hear back before I committed to this.  Since it wouldn't happen for several weeks anyway, they were cool with it. The only real concern I have with this cat, is litter box training, which might be an issue.

Which leads to my posting of this thread.  The third one, which as another white odd-eyed short hair (what are the chances?) but, an adult (which is really what we were looking for), named Karma, has not responded at all to my emails, online application at all.  Considering that the first place said we sounded like perfect cat parents, I find this puzzling.  I thought perhaps the first email/application may have not reached them as we're in an area affected by Hurricane Sandy, and perhaps their email went down, or their facilities were damaged, or the people fostering the cats suffered losses, or something.  So this week, I sent out another email.  It's been several days and nothing.

Every day, new cats are listed with this animal welfare group.  I don't understand why they wouldn't get back to me.  If only to say that the cat I'm interested in wasn't available at least, and to say "hey, we have lots of other wonderful kitties who need homes!",  Although, to be frank, my partner has always wanted an all white cat, so at the moment, other than the gray stray that we both have sort of bonded with, we're concentrating on looking for a white one online,  But on the other hand, if we found one that we both felt was right for us that wasn't white, we sure would adopt him/her.  White isn't the ultimate factor at all.  Personality of the cat means more overall than appearance, whether or not we feel the cat will mesh well with us and Casper.  

Has anyone ever experienced this?  There is no physical address listed for the organization, only way to contact them is through emails.  The female white adult was the first one we saw, and both of us really were interested in her, and it is sad if this place isn't answering when a great home is available for one of their cats who needs one so badly.

- Laurie

 

[txcatmom]

Has anyone ever experienced this?

Yes.  Several times.  Sometimes the e-mail addresses are out of date.  I'm pretty sure one organization I tried to contact just needed a new system.  It seems the e-mails were going to an address that nobody checked.  Of course, as I'm sure you know, these are usually all volunteers....so I try to cut them some slack.  But it is frustrating.  I'd try googling and seeing if you can get other e-mails or phone numbers for the organization the cat is with.  Do they have petsmart adoptions?  You could stop by and chat with volunteers there.  They would know how to contact the foster for that cat.

Good luck.

 

[sivyaleah]

Thanks very much for replying.  

It occurred to me that the emails may not be up to date also.  I'll check the site again and see if there's a phone number listed also, although I think there may not have been.  There may have been more than one email address if I remember, one has to be good lol.  Seems most of those websites are very antiquated to put it gently.

Petsmart has lots of adoptions around here, I just don't know which one would have them from that particular "shelter".  There seems to be a lot of them nearby.  The one I go to, I know doesn't have them from that town, so maybe I need to spread out to other pet stores nearby too.  Or I'll ask at the one I frequent, maybe they do know them - they always seem to be incredibly knowledgeable, that's for sure.

We had seen a lovely diluted tortie at our local Petsmart recently that I know is still there (was there 2 nights ago) that my boyfriend really liked a lot. She was very mellow, came right over to him and allowed him to pick her up and hold her and she really enjoyed that.  She's on our short list as well.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Laurie

 

[raintyger]

Where I work (not a cat adoption place), I am responsible for web content. We have several e-mail addresses that are for departments like "[email protected]" The e-mails are forwarded to an individual. The departments, however, are absolutely horrible at telling me updates. So the person who gets the forwarded e-mails could quit, and nobody ever tells me that or who the e-mails should be forwarded to. I try to check addresses with the IT department every so often, but I can't monitor something like that constantly, so it is common for e-mail to go into a black hole.
 

 

[raintyger]

Sometimes you can figure out patterns in the e-mails and just take a guess at what a valid e-mail might be. For instance, if you see other e-mails that are like this:

[email protected]

And you see somebody whose name is Jane Jones, but no e-mail listed, then try [email protected]
 

 

[white cat lover]

It's also possible for some reason your emails are going into the junk folder, we'e had that happen at the shelter here. They are purrfectly fine emails, but for some reason the email itself deems them 'junk'. We check our junk box in the email at least once per day!

 

[sivyaleah]

That would be very unfortunate, I can see they must be missing a lot of people inquiring about adoptions in that case.

Yesteday, I did a Google search for them.  Really did not come up with much.  Their phone number is "out of service", although it's listed on every listing up to date.  Weird.  

Anyway, I found another place they place ads, on EBay.  I suppose it's allowed because technically, they aren't "selling" animals, the fee is not for the animal itself.  Anyway, there was ad for the cat we're interested in also so I sent out another email from the EBay site.  My thought process was, well, maybe the link from PetFinder was broken or something.  So far, nothing either.

And yet, every day new cats and dogs are being uploaded under their organization name.  I find this peculiar.  

The search continues, of course.

 

[raintyger]

Are they using the wrong area code for their phone number? Perhaps one that changed but was not updated? If they're using a template, maybe they're unwittingly posting outdated information. Although how they continue to conduct business is a mystery. Is there some other way they're conducting business? Maybe they're using the website in order to fulfill some sort of requirement.

eBay sellers are supposed to have contact information available to their buyers, including phone number. If you buy something from them, you can request their phone number through eBay.
 

 

[sivyaleah]

It's doubtful the area code is wrong.  In my county of NJ, it's 732 everywhere as far as I'm aware.  Plus they are literally the next town over, so it would have to be .  It would only be different, if someone is using a cell phone, in which case, it could be anything. Like, my cell area code is 917, which was the original one assigned to NYC, but I haven't lived there in like 15 years, just have the same phone number.

And the number on Ebay is the same one listed everyone else *sighs*

I mean, there really is a slim possibility the person who takes the calls could have been someone seriously affected by the hurricane around my area, and just is too overwhelmed right now and has put it on the backburner - especially if they have all their pets in foster care.  But even still, one would also think they would have a replacement phone by now...

I joked to my boyfriend that maybe they were really a drug cartel using pet adoptions as their cover 

 

[catwoman707]

As lead for a non profit cat rescue group, this doesn't suprise me at all.

As another mentioned these are comprised with volunteers, and if not closely monitored can be very neglected, which is very frustrating to say the least.

One of the larger orgs here in our area has a terrible reputation of not returning their message phone calls, or emails from people asking for help.

In my opinion it leaves a bad taste and affects the groups name as well.

Because of this I made sure that our phones and emails are sent to one phone and one main email, then are forwarded to a few different volunteers, so they can communicate who answers, etc.

I would try a different address left for a different cat.

However I tend to feel like I want to point out something regarding your choice of cats to adopt.

My softest spot goes out to the adult cats who are overlooked, day after day, waiting to feel a sense of belonging, worth, a home where they will be loved and wanted.

This is one of the sadder sides of rescue, and is the very same way at shelters, the pretty/cute, colorful or higher desired colors, younger/kittens, etc are in and out, and the simpler, common colors, older, well they just wait, month after month, and fortunately for the ones with our group, they will stay forever if that is what it takes, but the shelter cats who do not get picked, they are euthanized if they've been there too long, just for not being attractive enough.

It's heartbreaking to me.

I feel equally sensitive for homeless cats. I am very active with ferals/TNR/colony care, I consider them my kids away from home. All cats who I have TNR'd are cared for for the rest of their lives, so needless to say, every other night (used to be nightly, just too much!) I head out on my cat route in town, feeding and checking to see that all is okay, etc.

If you have befriended a homeless cat, semi-feral or not, you are this cat's only hope of EVER having a home, warmth, regular food and security.

I always have ferals in my cat room, whether recovering, feral mom's with their litters, etc. and they are kept caged until it's time to be returned, or what have you. I can reassure you of this, if the homeless cat is indeed feral and you bring him home, if you cage him, place cage in a quiet and calmer spot in the house, and cover the cage (which you need to do anyway for him to acclimate) and have a litterbox, food and water, and a bed, he WILL use the box. Then gradually and with spending time talking and reassuring him or just sitting near his cage quietly, reading, etc. you will uncover the cage little by little, as to not overwhelm him until he feels safe. This will ensure he will use the box, the covering the cage purpose is to help with the stress of it all, and if it is not covered in the beginning, he will be too frightened to come out of the bed and will go in the bed then lay in it, which is sad.

Once he uses the box, he will always use it. Including after he is released from the cage life

He needs to be acclimated to his new home as well. At LEAST for a month. This also gives him time to adapt to new surroundings, smells, you, your cat, etc.

Without acclimating he will be gone, or hiding someplace frightened to death.

Ferals are not afraid of other cats, but I'm sure you are aware, so this kitty may be an excellent companion for your cat, and in time for you and your partner as well.

Best of luck with whoever you decide on!!

 

[sivyaleah]

The cat I'm after on the adoption site, is an older cat.  I'm not sure of her age, it didn't say but she's listed as adult.  Giving a home to a more mature cat was always our first choice, as I agree with you that the older ones typically are harder to place.  It just so happened that she was a color which my BF has always wanted to own (he's had many cats in his lifetime).  It isn't like we HAVE to have a white cat by any means lol!.  She just showed up, and since she was the right age, was in foster nearby, and had been there a while, it seemed perfect.

We've had such good luck with adopting our Casper, who was 9-1/2  when we got him (now, 11-1/2).  All the cats we have looked at at adoption events, have been older - much older in fact.  Any color is fine by us, it's more about personality in the end for us, whether or not we feel the cat will fit in well, which I mentioned before. There was only one kitten that we considered in all the kitties we've looked at, and since that didn't work out, it's doubtful we'll give any real concentration along that line.

And we have not ruled out the stray/feral one which has caught our attention either by any means, and I thank you for your wonderful advice, which will come in handy if we decide to get her.  We wanted to give the first one a fair chance, since she was the one we started off going for but it does seem unlikely they will respond at this point.  The biggest problem, regardless, is having to wait until mid-December, for whomever we choose, when I'll be home for an extended period to watch over everyone and if it's the stray, being able to find her as it isn't everyday that I see her now that the weather has turned colder.

 

[three cat night]

I volunteer for a shelter ( humane society / ASPCA ) and was looking for a kitten to join my 2 8yr olds that are both male. I know my shelter would not put a cat on hold even for employees. However I searched all over my area and I found that "rescue orgs" that place cats in foster homes are more Flexible. I found a male kitten , then applied and also paid the fee in full and they helped me coordinate the visit ( at foster home) and whenI could actually pick him up. They don,t offer this kind of pay / hold as an option, I just had to ask and they worked with me . Lots of fosters are on the Adopt a pet site and pet finder site. Are. You sure you want a female ? Just in my experience male to male has been easier, females want to take over sometimes. I think if you stick to the ADOPT A PET & PETFINDER sites you may get a more reliable org. . Also if you are able to get a older cat and see one or fall in love with one, the older cats take along time to get adopted. And at these sites your local
Shelters should be listed and they work with rescue orgs. You can also contact your vet to see if they work with any orgs( to get them checked out etc. ) my vet works with 2 orgs and explained they don't just work with any orgs with bad reputations . I hope you find the perfect cat, I wish you lived in So. Ca
Because I know of several white beauties. Love white cats ( & of course ALL cats too) and in my experience , I have had 3 whites over the years and there is just something very special about their personality . Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[sivyaleah]

I'm only using Petfinder.  I don't even know about other sites (I stumbled upon EBay - but all the ads were redirected Petfinder ads).  I'll check out Adopt-A-Pet too.

I'm not set on a female either.  I just kept hearing from others, that a female would be better.  I keep getting conflicting information from SO many people about this point, that I'm inclined not to believe that either sex is better than the other as long as all are spayed/neutered and the proper introductions are made.  

I loved your recommendation to contact my vet.  I'll do that for sure.  It never even occurred to me to do this.  The funny thing is they are in the same town as the organization I've been trying to reach so it will be interesting to see if they wind up mentioning them.

Thanks!

 

[flintmccullough]

I-have-show-cats,but-I-also-have-rescues,ones-that-somebody-threw-away,or-were-dropped-at-my-barn.I-am-beyond..........way-beyond.......overly-pickey-about-the-care-of-my-cats,their-health-and-safety.I-am-very-well-known-for-it-on-the-circuit.I-am-forever-telling-people,you-put-the-cat-in-the-car,its-YOUR-responsibility,to-get-them-there-and-back-safely.I-ragged-people-for-taking-them-to-the-Philidelphia-show-last-season,when-they-had-those-floods,I-ragged-them-for-going-to-the-New-Jersey-show,the-weekend-after-Sandy.Why-the-heck-would-you-take-your-cat-into-that-danger??

How-many-excellent,references,do-you-need?Is-like-about-100-enough?And-alot-of-them-are-vets.

Had-room-to-give-a-cat-a-home,contacted-all-the-rescue-organizations,even-Pet-Smart.As-soon-as-I-mentioned-I-show-cats,and-was-past-President-of-a-CFA-cat-club,no-further-reply.Pet-Smart-disqualified-me.One-lady-even-screamed-at-me-on-the-phone,told-me-off,and-hung-up.

Dude......I-thought-the-object-of-the-game,was-to-give-the-cat-a-good-and-responsible-home,not-going-to-find-a-much-better-one,than-me,your-loss.

So-I-well-know-the-difficulties-of-dealing-with-rescue-organizations.

Anyhow......have-alot-of-show-friends-all-over-the-country,the-New-Jersey-area,has-been-hit-really-hard,for-the-rescue-organizations,so-I-am-not-surprised,the-emails-and-phone-numbers-you-have-don't-work,and-they-have-reached-out-to-CFA,for-help.One-of-my-very-good-friends,shows-cats,and-is-very-active-in-the-TNR-in-her-area,Atlantic-City,alot-of-the-show-people-are,so-not-the-monsters,some-think-they-are,lol.One-of-my-best-friends-in-Killington-VT,volunteers-at-a-shelter.When-they-had-the-flood-last-year,the-road-washed-away,town-isolated,National-Guard-was-there.One-house-was-in-danger-of-falling-in-the-river.My-friend-and-her-husband,went-into-that-house,in-the-pitch-dark-with-flashlights,to-rescue-the-cats-in-there.They-got-them-out,the-house-fell-in-the-river,5-min-later.She-said-she-just-could-not-stand-by-and-not-help-those-kitties.Another-CFA-monster.I-could-go-on-and-on,with-stories-like-these,about-these-CFA-monsters,lol.

They-put-a-post-on-the-cat-show-board,asking-for-help.I-put-it-in-here,in-the-CATS-SOS-section,its-titled-Hurricane-Sandy.The-contact-information-in-there-is-good.If-all-else-fails,contact-Diane-Bove,her-contact-info-is-at-the-very-bottom.She-will-help-you-get-that-cat-you-wanted.Best-of-luck.

 

[sivyaleah]

Thank you Flint, for your informative post.  I will contact your friend and see if she can help out.  I really have a bad feeling they may have been affected by recent events.  My immediate area (I'm in sort of North NJ) was in a very bad way from the storm.  In my town, every single street had at least one house with a gigantic tree through it.  When I woke up the next morning, I opened my door to find that nearly every single tree on the other side of the street, trees that had to have been there from before the neighborhood was even built (my home is a 1915 house, so those tree could have been close to 100 years old if not more), had been leveled and totally uprooted from the sidewalks - with all the power lines tangled up in them, and the poles split in two.  I couldn't even comprehend what I was seeing.

From what I know, there are still some people who may not be living at home due to suffering too much damage.  My next-door neighbor had the tree in her roof until just last week because she couldn't even get someone to take it out - too many people had overloaded those companies with work and if you didn't already have a relationship with a tree removal company, you were out of luck for weeks.  

Laurie

 

[flintmccullough]

The-show-was-in-Hammond-or-Hammonton-NJ,I-just-remember-NJ.Even-if-I-had-been-entered,I-wouldn't-have-taken-them-up-into-that-mess.Why-put-your-cats-life-at-risk,when-you-don't-have-to.But,lol,I-am-the-overly-pickey-one,lol.

Just-seeing-the-devestation,on-the-news,made-me-sick-to-my-stomach,I-cannot-even-fathom,how-horrible-it-must-be,for-those-that-have-to-live-thru-it.

They-are-begging-for-traps-up-there,to-round-up-all-the-kitties-that-had-to-be-abandoned,there-are-groups-going-around-just-leaving-food-out,for-the-kitties-they-can't-catch.It-reminded-me-of-Katrina.Also-have-a-very-good-friend,that-lost-everything,even-her-cats,just-swept-away.

I-try-to-tell-people,teach-your-cats-to-load,keep-their-medical-records-in-a-folder,and-handy.Keep-extra-food-handy,water-too,have-a-plan-in-case-of-emergency.Chip-your-pets.The-lucky-few-who-got-their-pets-back,was-because,they-were-chipped,in-Katrina.

Mine-are-chipped-they-wear-their-collors-when-we-travel-to-shows,it-has-their-name,their-rabies-tag-chip-tag,vets-number.No-its-no-guarantee,but-I-got-a-better-chance,than-if-they-had-nothing.

If-anybody-can-help-you-find-where-that-cat-is,Diane-can.Just-mention-Dallas,she-will-know.Her-husband-is-a-Chicago-Bears-fan,lol.

Please-keep-us-updated.