I was browsing Petfinder to get an idea of what sort of cats are being helped in private rescue groups. Some were cut and dried factual descriptions while others got cute or were written in the cat's first person. ("Hello, I am a funny little furball who loves to make people laugh. I enjoy sitting in window sills and playing with my Turboscratcher." Etc.) The best one was a picture of a big chubby cat laying on a towel that said "I really need a warm lap!" and that was the entire explanation.
Anyway, there were two that bothered me. It was a pair of littermates that were at a high kill rate shelter. A concerned employee had listed them and used an aggressive first-person description: "We are scheduled to be killed on [date]. Please save me or my sister. Our old owner just dumped us. We're too young to die." The same was used on the other's profile.
I think such a description goes too far. First, adopting a pet is a major decision that plays out over the course of 10+ years. It shouldn't be done haphazardly or under duress. And I worry about what sort of people would be influenced by such an aggressive sales job -- hoarders, opportunists or people who are acting out of emotion. Many of them don't have the money or resources to provide a quality home.
What do you think? I am all for creative marketing, but it should be about promoting the cat's positive qualities and not manipulative guilt trips. There was zero information presented about these cats except their schedule to be euthanized.
Anyway, there were two that bothered me. It was a pair of littermates that were at a high kill rate shelter. A concerned employee had listed them and used an aggressive first-person description: "We are scheduled to be killed on [date]. Please save me or my sister. Our old owner just dumped us. We're too young to die." The same was used on the other's profile.
I think such a description goes too far. First, adopting a pet is a major decision that plays out over the course of 10+ years. It shouldn't be done haphazardly or under duress. And I worry about what sort of people would be influenced by such an aggressive sales job -- hoarders, opportunists or people who are acting out of emotion. Many of them don't have the money or resources to provide a quality home.
What do you think? I am all for creative marketing, but it should be about promoting the cat's positive qualities and not manipulative guilt trips. There was zero information presented about these cats except their schedule to be euthanized.