Need Advice On Screening Potential Adopters

nahui

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Hello everyone,

Last week I found a tiny black kitten, about 8 weeks old, in the middle of traffic :eek2:. I brought her home, got her checked by a vet (she is healthy!), but now I am trying to find her a good home and have posted her around several rescue groups. Tonight I got a call from a lady supposedly interested in adopting her, but my gut feeling just tells me something is amiss. She was just interested in knowing if she could pick her up tomorrow, just like that. She did not even ask any questions about the cat and only told me that she could provide a good home for her and that she has the space to keep her.

I just don't want this kitten to fall into the wrong hands or people using her for some satanic ritual. After all, it is a black cat and I think I should be extra careful just because some people can be really stupid about black cats :argh:.

So, what are some good questions I should ask potential adopters?

I am in no hurry to get her adopted. I can wait for as long as it takes to find her the right home. If in the end she stays with me, then that is fine too. It is just that I would rather find her a home so that I have the extra space to help other cats. I've attached a couple of pictures of her from today. Thanks everyone for your help!
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abyeb

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Hi nahui, that's an adorable kitten you've found there! What I'd reccommend for potential adopters is to have them fill out an adoption questionnaire like this one that I found online from Forte Animal Rescue in California: http://www.farescue.org/pdf_files/questionnaire_feline.pdf, then have them pay an adoption fee, not a lot (maybe around $100, that's the adoption fee for kittens at my local shelter), but enough to be sure that this person is committed and financially able to care for the kitten. Keep us updated!
 
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nahui

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Thank you abyeb! That is a great questionnaire. I think I'll ask some of those questions and request regular picture updates to see how she is doing, although it can be tricky to track down people if they don't. I'd also like to get contact information from people, but I can see why most people would be reticent to give more personal information such as their address, since they don't know me either.

In any case, one thing is for sure. I will not give her away without a thorough screening or to someone I already know and trust.

Anyway, the kitten seems to feel right at home here and my other cat (the one in my profile picture, also found in the street and also black) seems to be mildly interested in the kitten and so far has not made much of a fuss about this intruder coming into his territory, so I guess that is a good start if she ends up staying. Coincidentally, I found this kitten three years to the day from when I found my other cat, at almost the same age as this kitten!
 

Jason607

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I had to find a home for two bunnies a while ago and had the same concerns you did. This is especially because people will sometimes pretend to want the bunnies as pets but they are really looking for free snake food. On a side note they use kittens for the same purpose. What I did was post up the bunnies for a fee. In your case since a lot of people don't desire black kittens I would put the fee at $50 instead of $100.

If you find someone who is interested be honest with them about why you want them to fill out the questionnaire. Also ask them if they already have pets. If they are truly animal people they will not be offended at all when they hear your reasoning for why your making them go through this process to adopt your kitten. Then ask them if you can do a home visit of their house to see if they are on the up and up. Tell them if they pass that process you will waive the adoption fee. If they are willing to fill out the lengthy questionnaire, already have pets and you see they have a normal home; there is very little chance that the kitten will be going to a bad home. I did the same process with the bunnies and found a wonderful couple who already owned bunnies who took the two I had.
 
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nahui

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Thanks Jason607! I did ask the only potential adopter I've had so far about filling out a questionnaire and she just disappeared. Haven't heard from her and I don't expect to hear from her again. Clearly, not a good choice for the kitten, but will definitely keep asking these questions to other potential adopters because you are right, if they are truly interested, they shouldn't be offended by it.
 
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nahui

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Thanks boris diamond! I do feel uncomfortable saying no to potential adopters and possibly pass on what could be a good home for the kitten, but I'd rather make that mistake than hand her over to the wrong people.

Also thanks to maggie101. I'm also going to get her spayed and vaccinated before adoption, if it happens. But by the way things are looking, there is a good chance I might end up keeping her since nobody else has been interested in her. That is o.k. though, we can manage with one more cat. Plus, she is a lot of fun!
 

NewYork1303

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She's so beautiful. I would totally snap her up in a second.

Our shelter has an application similar to the one with the link posted. Spaying her and vaccinating before adoption is also a great idea. She looks like such a sweetheart. I can't imagine no one wanting her.
 
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nahui

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Thanks everyone for your input. We have not been lucky finding her a good home. The only viable option was to take her to a shelter that offered to take her in, but I could not bring myself to take her there. She is comfortable here, she has gotten used to my dogs and even plays with my other cat, so we just decided to keep her. Her name now is Tita (short for Gatita, little cat in Spanish). I will post pictures of her in another thread to introduce her properly. Thanks again!
 

Boris Diamond

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I'm sorry that you haven't been able to find a good home for little Tita, but, in the end, it does sounds like you have found her a great home! I am happy for Tita. She is such a cutie! I hope she brings you much joy!
 

Anne

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Thank you so much for rescuing this beautiful baby :loveeyes:

I'm currently trying to find a home for a rescued kitten so I know what you're going through. Have hope - you'll find the perfect forever home eventually!

You got some great suggestions here and we also have our own in-house article about this very topic, including a list of questions to ask potential adopters -
"kittens To Good Homes" - How To Find A Good Forever Home For Your Kittens
 

di and bob

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I have a suggestion, any money received for the kitten could go to a local vet to be held there until she is ready to be spayed. I have even put this money up myself when I wanted a good home for an especially nice cat (although they all are!) Just like our potential renters, you can tell a LOT about a person by their car. If it is all banged up, dirty and completely full of trash, beware! We have found that people who don't care about their cars are people who usually don't care about anything else either. It can be old, but well cared for is the key. Good luck!
 

tarasgirl06

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Thanking you so much, nahui nahui , for caring enough to make sure Tita is in a loving permanent home -- it seems she has found the right one and the best one. She is adorable. Black cats are my favorites, aesthetically, though I love all cats. Several ebony princes and princesses have graced my life and they are all in my heart. Long, happy, healthy, loved life to you, tiny Tita! May you thrive!
 

dustydiamond1

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Thanks Jason607! I did ask the only potential adopter I've had so far about filling out a questionnaire and she just disappeared. Haven't heard from her and I don't expect to hear from her again. Clearly, not a good choice for the kitten, but will definitely keep asking these questions to other potential adopters because you are right, if they are truly interested, they shouldn't be offended by it.
:bigeyes: She is adorable. Good for you for saving the poor little girl and for being so protective.:clap::clap2: As for that 1st potential 'adopter', as the saying goes- good riddance to bad rubbish.:barf:

Three years to the day, she was definitely meant to stay.:rock:
 

maggie101

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I put CoCo for adoption awhile back for $40. The Lady that wanted "it" wanted the price lowered. $40 was too much for her. Can't afford that and won't call her a cat. She is not an item. Scratched her off. Another person asked how much shipping would be. Last people that took her and brought her back loved taking care of her but the lady was 75 yrs old. Wish I had known that. So I am keeping her
 

dustydiamond1

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I put CoCo for adoption awhile back for $40. The Lady that wanted "it" wanted the price lowered. $40 was too much for her. Can't afford that and won't call her a cat. She is not an item. Scratched her off. Another person asked how much shipping would be. Last people that took her and brought her back loved taking care of her but the lady was 75 yrs old. Wish I had known that. So I am keeping her
Good for you for keeping her :rock:
 
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