Have you ever been afraid to let a cat go to somebody?

jefferd18

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I am crippled with anxiety and depression right now which may explain why I have such little trust in my fellow person. Or maybe I just don't trust people.


The kitten

A month ago I trapped a few kittens in a parking-lot and a person who worked at the store there expressed interest in the "white kitten". I explained to her that the kitten wasn't really white, more of a orangey cream color with orange points and blue eyes. She didn't really believe me- okay, whatever.

The Trapping

This little guy proved to be the toughest of the bunch to catch since he was a mama's boy who stuck like glue to his mother and she was no fool when it came to traps. I finally got him isolated from her and convinced him to try a can of tuna- in my trap. The whole endeavor took me three weeks. I called the young lady to ask her if she was still interested and she became giddy with joy upon hearing the news of his capture. She told me she would bring her carrier to work the next day and to I agreed to meet her, kitten in tow. The next morning I took him to my vet to be checked out, feline leukemia test performed, dewormed, and then bathed. I met her on the agreed time of four-thirty, (her check out time) and proudly walked her to my car to see her new kitten. On the way I informed her that it was a boy kitten. That news seem to baffle her a bit since she was so sure it was a girl, but she was still excited and told me that nobody in her family ever had a pure white kitten before. Not really thinking I causally corrected her again and explained that he was not a white kitten but a flame point instead. That revelation seemed to really throw her and she slowed her pace down, her enthusiasm waning. However, when she saw the little guy she quickly became excited again and my uneasiness lifted. She then informed me that she would have to borrow my carrier since she left her's at home. Thinking that was a bit odd, I still felt good about her getting the kitty and I left them both with my blessing.

The Betrayal

Later that night I got to thinking that I had not given my new phone number to either her or the store. I thought she may have some questions about kitty so off I went back to the store. As I entered the foyer to the store something caught my left eye. It turned out to be something all right- there in the corner sat my carrier, with the kitten still in it, and a sign that read "Free to good home."

I have to get rid of some of my cats but I don't trust animal control not to euthanize them, my vet not to cop out, and I certainly don't trust the average person.
So here I sit with cats, cats, cats,...UGH!!
'
 

BellaGooch

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I'm so sorry. that is so so lame that this happened. I'm praying for your anxiety/depression. Bless you <3
 

Jcatbird

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Yes! I have been afraid. I have also had a bad experience. I was doing what you do and just trying to save some kitties at risk. I let two go to someone I thought would be great. I ended up having to go and find them after they were ,”lost.” Long story but I traveled to another state and did find them. I reclaimed them and they are still with me now. It’s really hard to find a good way to get the perfect homes but networking was what finally helped me to get kitties into homes that were good ones. I had established with a good shelter at one point but when the management changed, I switched shelters. I found a good no kill in another state near me. I took three kitties there but only one got adopted. The other two ended up back here but after all was said and done, most got good homes. It’s really hard to trust after a bad experience. All the fosters I know deal with being really worried or really sad at times. We act as support for each other. We worry, Miss the kitties when they leave but also, there are the most wonderful times when we get a thank you or a photo or learn that a cat we rescued made a huge difference in the life of another human.
It is a leap of faith but there are methods that I learned from others that helped a lot! I’ll be glad to share that with you if you wish. When you do get one of those good homes, it makes it a lot easier to continue and it makes the battle all worth while. I am so sorry you ran into one of the irresponsible ones! There is no excuse for that. I am just so glad you were able to save that kitten a second time. :grouphug2:
 

fionasmom

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When I worked dog rescue we had to go and "repo" dogs once in a while....like the time a neighbor figured out who we were and came and said that the new puppy had been locked in a 105 degree garage. Placing animals is just fraught with worry and anxiety and you have really tried hard for your cats. It is so fortunate that your intuition or something kicked in and you went back.

Can you in any way work with a rescue even if you foster your own cats and really require nothing of the rescue except the connections to possibly good homes? Rescues often present contracts which are probably not enforced that often but at least might intimidate some people who are not going to be good owners. Can you create your own contract and have people sign it and put in any stipulations you want like home check, etc. You could get ideas from the internet by looking at some rescue contracts.

Another point is to ask for a minimum amount of money....you did take the kitten to the vet, got the FeLV test, had the worming. Even something like $25 or $50 would deter those who are not serious and for those who are, you can give copies of what you had done for the cat so they can see you are on the level. I know of few rescues who give animals away for no compensation....one akita rescue does if the dog is over 6 and you agree to give it a good home with enough food, as akitas don't live that long....but they are few and far between. I think you need to make this a little more of a "business."
 
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