I am fostering 4 abondoned kittens. I have put a ton of time, money and love into these kittens. I have Vet checked them, bottle fed, costantly bathed and bought products for them in my home. I have grown to love them, they are 3 and a half weeks old now and i will be finding them homes at 6-8 weeks. When a stranger gave them to me, they had eye infections so badly that there eyes were forced shut. They were also badly underweight. I worked through all of this and even brought them to work with me so they could have constant care. Now they are in excellent health and have the best personalities. I want to plan their future homes now, so that they can prepare for a new pet instead of just jumping into the decision of taking a kitten home. I hate when i see people in front of a store w/ a box of kittens with no interest of where the kitten is going. I DONT WANT ANY MONEY for them. I just want to know that they are going to a good home. Should i set up interviews? Any Suggestions?
2007-05-31 11:47:16 · 29 answers · asked by Lala 5 in Pets ➔ Cats
Just to add to one of the answers, Im not interviewing to judge, im interviewing to explore. I am a college student in animal science and i have a small place which is enough room for them now, but they will need more. Its summer now so i have plenty of time for them, but i wont always. I love them enough to know that they deserve a bigger home with people who can give them their time and devotion. And i dont mind if the person gets up and leaves, thats just one less person i have to worry about. Most loving pet owners would like to see how they were raised and know that they didnt just come wondering off of the streets infested with diseases. If they are interested enough, they will be happy to answer questions, and its not like im going to get scarily personal. Just standard have you owned pets before?, have a yard?, will you spay or nueter, etc. I should be able to decide from there.
2007-05-31 12:25:38 · update #1
You are absolutely correct to want to interview people you are considering homing these kittens with. Ask if they currently have pets, who their vet is (get permission to contact their vet), what happened to previous pets, if they own or rent (if they rent, get permission to contact their landlord to make sure they're allowed to have pets), and if possible visit their home before placing a kitten with them, and get permission to visit later. Your local animal shelter may have ideas of more things to ask, or you may also want to contact a cat rescue group and find out what they ask potential adopters. I've had adopters of foster kittens even sign a contract that I copied from a cat rescue group (with the group's permission). Caring people should understand your concerns about placing the kitten in a good home, and will not object to your questions - if anyone is offended or gets huffy, they probably have a reason they don't want you asking those questions, and it's best not to try to place the kitten with them. These little ones are counting on you to place them with good people, so be strong & stubborn for them if you have to.
I know you don't want to charge for these kittens, but I STRONGLY recommend that you do charge for them.
http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/animal_adoption/free_pets.php
http://www.animalaidsw.org/free.html
People tend to place more value in a pet they pay money for, and charging an adoption fee will help to weed out people who want free kittens for fighting dog bait, snake food, lab animals, or other abusive purposes. Those people can be slick and know how to answer questions well, but they generally will be put off if you charge for the kittens. Either take the money and keep it to cover your expenses in case you end up with more fosters in the future, or donate it to your local animal shelter.
Bless you for taking such good care of these little ones, and I hope you find good, loving homes for all of them.
Best wishes!
2007-05-31 13:01:59 · answer #1 · answered by Bess2002 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Since she was abused, she will be harder to place, so the fostering person will be concerned about whether she will be going to a stable and loving family. You might get the typical questions about whether she will be indoor only, no declawing, etc. But you may also learn from the fostering person the special needs and considerations the kitten needs, and if you can offer the kitten those conditions. You can't make a kitten love you, but you can gain her confidence. You make yourself smaller, by sitting down, probably on the floor. You talk to the kitten, and hold out your hand, and probably wiggle your fingers. You let the kitten come to you; you don't grab after the kitten. I am giving a link on introducing a new kitten to your home. The parts of the link to concentrate on are making a quiet place (ignore the Feliway suggestion), and introducing her to family members. Since the kitten was abused, as you indicated, then sudden movements or noises will frighten her. I think you will find the fostering organization wants an understanding home, and realizes that for most, an abused kitten is not in their background, so it is a learning experience. And they will help you learn.
2016-04-01 07:50:14 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have the right to want to know that they are going to a good house, especially after all the work you did and the love you gave them. Even good pet shop owners will check on the potential buyers. The one in my street does to avoid mismatches and misery, and not only for the owner (though for cats the question of who is owned is still open).
Just be reasonable, someone with little knowledge but plenty of good will and the right attitude can learn with books and a good vet. Ask questions of the potential taker, have they had cats before, what do they know about cats, and if they have little knowledge explain how to take care of a kitten, a quick run down on vet visits, spaying, food, environment, training. You can see if people listen with interest or not.
If you really feel that the person is not right emphasize heavily the 'bad' side. Shredding claws, vet, expenses, finding a sitter during holidays, cleaning out the litter... You can bet that people who just want a cute woolly fuzzy kitty to play with will change their mind.
2007-05-31 12:08:21 · answer #3 · answered by Cabal 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Definitely do interviews - we did it whenever we had kittens or puppies, and we always gave them away for free.
We ask questions like:
Have you had a cat/dog before?
How many pets do you have now?
Do you have a vet (if not, or no current pets) are willing to find a vet within one week of taking the pet home?
Who will feed/water/play with the pet? (kids don't usually work out long term - mom or dad has to realize its ultimately up to the grownups!)
Are you allowed to have pets where you live?
How many hours a day will the pet be alone? (probably more for puppies than kittens)
Arrange this as a mutual interview - invite the person to your home so they can see the kittens while you talk - leave it open so that either one of you can back out at any time. If they don't like a kitten, fine, if you don't feel they are the best owners, fine. If you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by turning them down, just say you've changed your mind and fallen too in love to get rid of the kittens and will keep them for yourself (a tiny white lie, but you can be confident in the owners you do choose!)
Good luck.
2007-05-31 11:56:29 · answer #4 · answered by DSL 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Hi,
last summer I decided I wanted a kitten; so I readied myself and looked around and I just wasn't seeing the right one for me until one day I was driving down the road and I saw a sign my the side of the road that said "free kittens" so I went home and changed my clothes (I wanted to make a good impression and I didn't think ripped jeans did that) then I went back and knocked on the front door...the woman who answered seemed to know why I was there before I said anything and didn't even bother to get off the phone to tell me to go around back to the garage...so I walked around to the back of the house where she met me (still on the phone!) and lead me with out saying a word to me to the garage door...in there I found four kittens-she pointed to the two on the chair and said "pick one" and then she walked away-that was it: I picked up one of the kittens and I just knew...I tried to follow her as I assumed she had some questions or at least wanted to know that we were leaving with a cat but she really couldn't care less! I was so disgusted by her behavior and normally I'd never take an animal from a place like that because I don't know what it's history is and honestly as a person who is caring for this kitten I'd like to know the history---normally when I get a pet I not only expect to be interviewed but I also expect to have some questions answered for me (like what the kitten eats, how old exactly, general health, general personality, where the kitten was kept i.e. house or outside, how many in the litter, how he behaves with his littermates, when he was weaned, is he box trained...all that stuff! but she ran out before I could ask!) when I was younger I bred rabbits with my father and we fostered alot of farm animals such as chickens and ducks-after rehabilitation we had to find them new homes...whenever we were responsible for finding an animal a new home we did interviews and we also did house checks (just visited to make sure that they had the space and that the house/yard wasn't dangerous or over crowded) we also asked for 3 references and the name of the vet that would be seeing the animal...no one ever had a problem with this and we often had the same people coming back with pictures of the pets they adopted from us or wanting to adopt a second one to keep the first company...it's true that you should never advertise "free pet" as the people who want a free pet may not be able to handle the expenses or may try to get the pet on a whim; I would advertise as "kittens to good home only-interview required" ... something that we did at the end of the interview was ask if they had any questions and usually people do have questions---it's a red flag if they don't care about the kitten's history the same as its a red flag if you don't take the time to show that these kittens mean something to you (you obviously care alot and you sound like a great kitty momma) yes, do the interview...look for the red flags...be proud that you took those extra measures...i still feel anger towards the woman I got my kitten from, although he is wonderful and perfect in every way, I still am surprised with myself for taking home a kitten I knew nothing about but I don't regret it, if I didn't take him home god knows what would have happened to him ohterwise!
2007-05-31 12:51:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think you should definitely ask people questions when they want to take one of the kittens. Humane societies do the same thing. You just want to know the kittens are going to a good home, and if the people throw a fit over it, they aren't the right people for your kittens. Any animal lover would agree and understand. Also, it's okay to charge a small adoption fee. A lot of creeps out there look for free kittens, and you might be able to pick up on their motives while interviewing them, but you might not. $5 could make all the difference in finding the right people. Good luck to you and your kittens! I hope they find great families!
2007-05-31 12:24:53 · answer #6 · answered by katesomes84 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not at all. Definitely interview them. Avoid advertising "free kittens". You can draw all kinds of less than good people that way. Instead advertise "kittens need a good home". You don't necessarily need to charge a fee, just ask for a donation to help cover the money you put into them (shots, food, fixing, etc). The reason I say this is here in Michigan there was a man going around getting "free kittens", then feeding them to his snake. Also, check with local shelters. Alot work with local pet stores and sites like petfinder.com. Good luck.
2007-05-31 12:11:38 · answer #7 · answered by VIKINGS 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no, it's not too much to ask that someone sit through a brief interview so you can decide if you are willing to let them have one of your cats. In my humble opinion (and i've been through this too) they should be more than willing. Adopting a pet is like adopting a child they require just as much care and money if not more. Plus if you interview people and let them visit the kittens you might find one home willing to take a brother and sister together which I always appreciate. I would also ask a small adoption fee- between that and the interview you should get seriously interested people. and be prepared i had a litter of six and only mangaged to find homes for two of them (they went to the same house) now i'm so attached i couldn't get rid of them if i wanted to. the longer you wait the harder it is!
2007-05-31 11:55:16 · answer #8 · answered by mymissmochakitty 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
No not at all!!! Ensuring the safety of the kitten and making sure the family is ready is a very responsible thing to do! I've raised PLENTY of orphan kittens, I've done interviews to make sure the family is ready to take on a new pet. You care about these little guys so of course you want to know that they will be going to good homes. I'm sure you know exactly what to do! :) Good luck!
2007-05-31 13:14:59 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Maybe you should just ask people about their lives and if they will have time to devote to a young kitten. Also ask if they have kids or other animals. Tell them that the only reason you are asking them questions is because you have cared for them and you want the best for them. It might be a little much to set up interviews, but you have to do what you feel is best for the cats. Don't go to overboard because the people will get tired of talking and get cats from someone else. Good luck with your cats! I hope they get good homes and this answers your question. :)
2007-05-31 11:54:39 · answer #10 · answered by sportsgirl18963 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋