Finding Homes For Cats

mkc61187

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I have been taking in strays and ferals for as long as I can remember. I have been able to find homes for several, but still have 8 babies at my house that need new homes. I will be keeping 9 cats and currently have 17 at my house.
These babies pictured, plus one deaf cat whose adoption is pending, all need good homes.

I'm looking for any advice on rehoming and making up contracts. I do all of this myself, I am not working with a rescue group, but want to make sure these babies get the right homes.
I had a bad experience a few months ago where I rehomed one of my tortie babies and made it clear to the new owner that I would take her back if it didn't work out. Today I was informed that they had to rehome her. I asked for the new owners number, but they didn't have it. I am absolutely devastated. These people seemed to really love cats, and they told me that my baby was given to a lady with a little girl. I hope she's well, but it upsets me so bad not knowing where she is.
I did ask for a rehoming fee to ensure she wasn't going to be used as bait for dog fighting or anything, but then she was just given away anyway.
I want to make up contracts for the rest of the kitties, because I just don't think rehoming fees are enough to ensure their safety. I think it gives the new owner more freedom because they "bought" the cat. But I do not consider these cats as property. I want what's best for them.

The first 4 kitties pictured are litter mates to the tortie mentioned above. My sister rescued their mother only to find out a few weeks later that she was pregnant. My sister has a 2 pet policy at her apartment, so I have had them since they were born. Tabby in the 5th picture is Thor, a feral kitten I rescued a few months back along with his brother and stray mother. His brother and mother have found their forever homes.
The last two are 4.5 years old and were from an accidental litter born to one of the strays I had taken in several years ago and had not yet had her spayed when she darted from the house and went missing for days. She was spayed as soon as the babies were weaned and so were all 5 of her kittens. All of my kitties are spayed/neutered.

Cats, especially pregnant or kittens are dumped in my neighborhood at an alarming rate. It's heartbreaking and there are actually several ferals in my neighborhood as well. I leave food out for them and a neighbor was able to TNR one of them. That cat is now tamed and has taken up with me.

PicsArt_01-05-07.28.42.png


I would very much appreciate any advice on rehoming and especially making up contracts for potential new owners. I want to ensure that they go to great homes and if it doesn't work out that they are returned to me. Just like a rescue group would do.
 

ArchyCat

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As for a contract, call your local county bar association and explain what you want. They may have lawyers willing to do some pro bono (free) work. Providing you with a good, binding form contract should not take much work.

Can you take your "adoptables" to your local Pet Smart? I know that locally, various rescue groups bring cats in on Saturday and Sunday for adoption. Usually for a small fee to cover their vet costs. And to prevent being used as "bait".

Further, you might want to check about setting up your rescue operation as a 503c (I think that's the right designation) corporation. That makes you a nonprofit operation, so people can make tax deductible donations to you, plus, hopefully, it might give you some legal protection.

Please note: I am not a lawyer.

And good luck and best wishes for your continued success as a rescuer and rehomer!

 

FelisCatus

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I think ArchyCat already covered what I would have suggested, so I am just going to say thanks for doing what you do :). You’re a wonderful human being.
 

Avery

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Several years ago, I was a member of an animal advocates group and we worked with a lawyer on several projects. There also were a few lawyers who happened to be members. If you have any animal advocate or rescue groups near you, perhaps you could contact them to see if they know of any animal-friendly lawyers who would help you for free or low cost. ArchyCat also had a good idea about finding a lawyer.

If there are animal rescue groups near you, maybe it would be helpful to join forces, both for finding homes for your cats AND for moral support. In any case, thank you so much for taking care of these kitties -- keep up the good work!
 

tarasgirl06

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I have been taking in strays and ferals for as long as I can remember. I have been able to find homes for several, but still have 8 babies at my house that need new homes. I will be keeping 9 cats and currently have 17 at my house.
These babies pictured, plus one deaf cat whose adoption is pending, all need good homes.

I'm looking for any advice on rehoming and making up contracts. I do all of this myself, I am not working with a rescue group, but want to make sure these babies get the right homes.
I had a bad experience a few months ago where I rehomed one of my tortie babies and made it clear to the new owner that I would take her back if it didn't work out. Today I was informed that they had to rehome her. I asked for the new owners number, but they didn't have it. I am absolutely devastated. These people seemed to really love cats, and they told me that my baby was given to a lady with a little girl. I hope she's well, but it upsets me so bad not knowing where she is.
I did ask for a rehoming fee to ensure she wasn't going to be used as bait for dog fighting or anything, but then she was just given away anyway.
I want to make up contracts for the rest of the kitties, because I just don't think rehoming fees are enough to ensure their safety. I think it gives the new owner more freedom because they "bought" the cat. But I do not consider these cats as property. I want what's best for them.

The first 4 kitties pictured are litter mates to the tortie mentioned above. My sister rescued their mother only to find out a few weeks later that she was pregnant. My sister has a 2 pet policy at her apartment, so I have had them since they were born. Tabby in the 5th picture is Thor, a feral kitten I rescued a few months back along with his brother and stray mother. His brother and mother have found their forever homes.
The last two are 4.5 years old and were from an accidental litter born to one of the strays I had taken in several years ago and had not yet had her spayed when she darted from the house and went missing for days. She was spayed as soon as the babies were weaned and so were all 5 of her kittens. All of my kitties are spayed/neutered.

Cats, especially pregnant or kittens are dumped in my neighborhood at an alarming rate. It's heartbreaking and there are actually several ferals in my neighborhood as well. I leave food out for them and a neighbor was able to TNR one of them. That cat is now tamed and has taken up with me.

View attachment 270320

I would very much appreciate any advice on rehoming and especially making up contracts for potential new owners. I want to ensure that they go to great homes and if it doesn't work out that they are returned to me. Just like a rescue group would do.
Hello mkc61187 mkc61187 and furmily, and welcome to TCS! What an adorable bunch! I especially love black and tortoiseshell cats, aesthetically, though of course I love ALL cats and "rescued" is my favorite "breed".
This Link will bring you to a wealth of information and references:
www.bestfriends.org/resources
I think you'll be able to find most, if not all, of the information you're seeking there. Another Link you'll probably find very useful is www.alleycat.org which is the website of AlleyCatAllies, the global database for all things feline, with an emphasis on outdoor/free-roaming-feral-stray-street-communitycats. These two groups are the best on the planet, IMHO. May you have success.
 

Cats and Bees

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I don't have any advice for you but I am there in solidarity. I did a TNR* once and around the same time a friend and farmer wanted some barn cats since his died. I had to wait for the kittens to grow to get de-sexed, so naturally they hung out at the house with me. When they were ready I loaded them up and drove over there. The kittens were crying and clawing at the cage and I was so upset when I left. Two days later I drove over there and catnapped them. :coldcat:I ended up keeping one and brought the other two back to their colony which was being managed by a neighbor*.

*The TNR was this: my neighbor had two kittens dumped on him which started a chain reaction of cats just showing up at his farm, all feral but the kittens. After the zillionth time of him telling me he drowned another set of kittens (full of herpes etc), I borrowed a bunch of Have-a-Heart traps and just showed up at his house and set them up. He called me fuming! He was so mad but I couldn't handle hearing about it anymore (he wouldn't give me the kittens). So, that's why I brought the those two kittens back. He did and does feed them and I felt they would be better there than alone in a barn (it was a farm that my friend didn't live at).

Sorry if that was off topic!
 

bear

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Adagio_10_wks_poster_640.jpg
If you have an image processing program you an make up 4 * 6 brochures for them. Then post them at your Vet's, pet food stores, community boards.

I create them, move them to a disk or CD and have Costco print them for about $0.26 each as 4 *6 photos.
Here are a couple examples. Yes, these found homes, hope yours do soon.
Harmony_9_2.jpg
View attachment 270423 View attachment 270423
 
Last edited:

FelisCatus

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If you have an image processing program you an make up 4 * 6 brochures for them. Then post them at your Vet's, pet food stores, community boards.

I create them, move them to a disk or CD and have Costco print them for about $0.26 each as 4 *6 photos.

Here are a couple examples.
These look great, did you use portrait mode to get the blur effect of the background vs. the kitten? Really makes them pop!
 

bear

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FelisCatus FelisCatus
I use a 12 year old digital camera (Nikon DLSR).

I put it on the portrait program and use flash.

That camera and the original 24-70 lens is set up for a minimum 24 inch focus.
So I use that minimal distance to keep the depth of field limited.
The limited depth of field will cause the background to be blurry.
This brings the image viewer's eyes to the cat's eyes as much as possible.

One really good tip for taking images of pets, is to be at their level.
So Adagio is on a kitchen counter and I am at her level with the camera.
Harmony is on the floor, so I am on my belly on the floor too.

A second tip is to get a rhythm for when the pet will look away, then how long until they look back. Normal rhythm rarely exceeds 2 minutes. Knowing this helps keep patience.

On the floor, kittens take off - zoom.
I have success with the kitten on the counter top.
They are a little confined and yet want to explore.
Adante_10_wks_poster_640.jpg
 

tarasgirl06

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I don't have any advice for you but I am there in solidarity. I did a TNR* once and around the same time a friend and farmer wanted some barn cats since his died. I had to wait for the kittens to grow to get de-sexed, so naturally they hung out at the house with me. When they were ready I loaded them up and drove over there. The kittens were crying and clawing at the cage and I was so upset when I left. Two days later I drove over there and catnapped them. :coldcat:I ended up keeping one and brought the other two back to their colony which was being managed by a neighbor*.

*The TNR was this: my neighbor had two kittens dumped on him which started a chain reaction of cats just showing up at his farm, all feral but the kittens. After the zillionth time of him telling me he drowned another set of kittens (full of herpes etc), I borrowed a bunch of Have-a-Heart traps and just showed up at his house and set them up. He called me fuming! He was so mad but I couldn't handle hearing about it anymore (he wouldn't give me the kittens). So, that's why I brought the those two kittens back. He did and does feed them and I felt they would be better there than alone in a barn (it was a farm that my friend didn't live at).

Sorry if that was off topic!
That's horrific, Cats and Bees Cats and Bees . That monster should be reported. Abuse of ANY cat is a felony in all 50 US States. No matter what antiquated "culture" might be at play there, the person is a CRIMINAL and a MURDERER.
 

FelisCatus

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I use a 12 year old digital camera (Nikon DLSR).

I put it on the portrait program and use flash.

That camera and the original 24-70 lens is set up for a minimum 24 inch focus.
So I use that minimal distance to keep the depth of field limited.
The limited depth of field will cause the background to be blurry.
This brings the image viewer's eyes to the cat's eyes as much as possible.

One really good tip for taking images of pets, is to be at their level.
So Adagio is on a kitchen counter and I am at her level with the camera.
Harmony is on the floor, so I am on my belly on the floor too.

A second tip is to get a rhythm for when the pet will look away, then how long until they look back. Normal rhythm rarely exceeds 2 minutes. Knowing this helps keep patience.

On the floor, kittens take off - zoom.
I have success with the kitten on the counter top.
They are a little confined and yet want to explore.
View attachment 270425
Thanks for the tips! I don’t own a DSLR currently, I just use my iPhone 8+.

I do have a Minolta manual-focus SLR kicking around somewhere :p not worth it to go hunt film and have it processed though lol.

I’ve always wondered why shelters in my area (and lots of cities from looking around petfinder, etc) take the most unappealing pictures of adoptees possible. Time constraints, equipment maybe? Guessing also Petfinder has a low filesize limitation too.
 

Cats and Bees

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That's horrific, Cats and Bees Cats and Bees . That monster should be reported. Abuse of ANY cat is a felony in all 50 US States. No matter what antiquated "culture" might be at play there, the person is a CRIMINAL and a MURDERER.
Unfortunately, that is not true. In Indiana (where this happened), it is a felony if an animal dies from abuse. Somewhere in southern IN a dog froze to the ground (and died) one night. They did arrest the owner and charged him with a felony.

"Currently, 46 of the 50 states have enacted felony penalties for certain forms of animal abuse. However, in most jurisdictions, animal cruelty is most commonly charged as a misdemeanor offense."
 

bear

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I really like my old Minolta SLR and the sharp lenses.

The new phone cameras take amazing images. Not DLSR or SLR quality, yet really close to the same quality. They also let you focus closer.

If a shelter is having difficulty with good images, the best thing I can recommend is that they find a couple of volunteers. I did the web site and shot images of over 500 cats over 11 years for the local rescue. Good images (that remain honest to the cat's personality and don't hide flaws) can improve chances of finding homes.
An advantage of being one of the photo volunteers.... I got to handle 500 cats and help them find homes.

I always tried to have at least 2 images or more per dog or cat on the website.
I also made sure the fast loading smaller compressed images could be clicked on for slower loading high resolution larger images. Hopefully volunteering with a rescue or your local shelter can help them help the cats.

Although it does not work for all cats, here are some images that show how human touch can help build the idea of cuddling in the image. This may help find homes. Note, the Volunteers' faces do not appear, since we want the viewer to substitute themselves in the images.

Yes, these cats found homes already.

C05000_Brenda_3_500H.jpg
C05000_Brenda_2_500H.jpg


C05000_Cayenne_3_500H.jpg
C05000_Cayenne_2_500H.jpg

Thanks to all who volunteer to help homeless cats and dogs find homes.
 

bear

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MKC61187
Don't overlook the possibility that friends might post images and info on their FaceBook accounts. This is one advantage of making up the flyer. Harder for robots to strip off the email or phone number.

There are two downsides. I have had people contact me and demand they get the cat. They wanted to take it in their hand bag to nightclubs. The other downside is someone may see the image 2 years after cat finds home and contact you.
 
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