Should I complain to the animal shelter?

Question

I adopted a cat from the animal shelter 2 weeks ago. At the shelter he seemed healthy but after I adopted him it became apparent that he had a cold, fleas, earmites and tapeworms! He gave my other cat fleas, an eye infection and probably the worms as well. They've both been to the vet and are on the road to recovery but is this the sort of thing I should complain to the shelter about? Aren't they supposed to make sure the pets are healthy before they adopt them out?

I'm not going to give him back to the shelter! He's a sweet kitty and is getting better. I just want to let them know so that they will take better care of the other pets there

Answer 1

I worked at an animal shelter for 10 years. In my shelters case, we did not have a vet on staff therefore we did not guarentee the health of an animal at the time of adoption. We did however give a free health examination good at the vets in town. If there was something wrong with the animal per the vets word, we would take the animal back and give you a refund. Good luck with your kitty! :-)

**Also, you should call and let them know what your kitty had so they can keep an eye out in the other kitties.

**People answering are lame, they don't know how shelters run. Why it might sound like a good idea to have animals checked out before they are adopted, not all shelters are funded to do that.

**You did ask a very good question though. :-) Wish you and your kitties a good health.

Answer 2

Yes indeed your cat should have been healthy. At the shelter I volunteer out if the animal becomes ill with in 7 days of the adoption. The owner can bring the animal into the shelters clinic for free though they have to pay for an medication that the animal might need the check up is free. It is a bit concerning if your cat had tapeworms it should not have even been up for adoption. As far as earmites they should have informed you of this and given you medication for the cat. The cat should have been bathed and flea dipped if it had fleas. So yes I would complain about this.

Answer 3

I adopted my 2 cats just over 2 years ago, and they seemed healthy when we got them then the next day one started getting a cold. we got them right into the vet and got them on antibiotics. it turns out he had a bunch of chronic conditions, never once did I ever think about taking them back. I love my cats so much there isn't anything I wouldn't do for them no matter the cost.

most shelters have a 2 week exchange or refund. call the shelter and see if they have anything like that if you really don't want to have the cat anymore. or if you still want the cat and you just want to inform them that they may want to check other cats.

Answer 4

I think they should have made sure the kitten was in better shape before adopting the kitten to you. I volunteer for the humane society and the animals I Foster for them go the vet, and any problems they have are treated and disclosed to the potential adopter at the time of adoption. All my fosters are on flea and heart worm prevention. Most of your the problems with your cat should have been easy to see at shelter but the kitten cold is hard to predict and hard to keep passing from kitten to kitten. Call them and let them know they need to treat the other animals that was exposed to your kitten. Hope both your cats are OK.

Answer 5

typically yes they should have the animal well taken care of before adopting out, however was this shelter a non-profit organization? Some places don't ask for money in return of adopting pets, some do, if you had to pay a fee for your cat then i would complain modestly. Maybe write a letter to whom ever is in charge of this facility and explain the situation, they obviously are not going to reimburse you for your money or troubles but at least they'll know how you feel and that this is not how animals should be treated before adopting them out.

Answer 6

Yes you should. I adopted my cat from Animal shelter and they told me my cat was fix. My cat was making erratic crys like she's in heat and when I finally took her to the vet, when they opened her up she had both her ovaries and uterus. At six years old, I had to fix her. This is a problem which i latter found out b/c when they get fix at a later age they are at risk of mammary cancer w/c i didn't know then. I had her for 11 years but probably could have been longer if she didn't have this cancer that consumed her towards the end.

Answer 7

The cat should have had a checkover from the vets they use and be treated against parasites.

Unfortunately the cold is a common thing--all animals at the shelter are exposed to that so it's sort of expected, but definately the parasites should NOT have been an issue.

Answer 8

You can complain but its highly unlikely they will do anything about it. When you adopt a pet from the shelter there are no guarantees. You should always take a new pet to the vet for a check up before introducing them to the rest of your household just for the reasons you stated above.

Answer 9

I think that for the record you should write down what happened and how much expense was incurred. Just don't expect that they will come through with, but they need to know what kinds of pets are being let out for adoption. I have always thought that they make them healthy before releasing them.

Answer 10

Absolutely you should complain. You should also ask your vet about speaking to the agency in your area that oversees the shelter.

At the very least, someone has put the other animals at the shelter (not to mention in the homes where other infected animals may have been placed) at risk for contracting the diseases as well.

Any reputable shelter has a vet thoroughly examine each and every animal they bring in. Not only is it the humane and intelligent thing to do, it is also the law in many states.

Good luck and thank you for taking in a shelter animal. I hope this doesn't keep you from adopting another shelter kitty. Thanks for caring.