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Adoption Guidelines
Friendly cats, who were abandoned by their previous owners, have the most difficult time surviving on the streets. They are not accustomed to searching for their food. They trust people, even those people they shouldn't. There are some people who truly hate cats and will shoot them, allow their dogs to attack them or will put poison out for them in food bowls. These are the cats that desperately need to be placed in a new home. Kittens under 16 weeks can be socialized and tamed. Alley Cat Allies web site has information on taming feral kittens. The younger they are, the easier and quicker it is to turn them into loving, purring balls of fur.
There are several non profit adoption and rescue groups in Central Florida that take in cats, kittens, dogs and puppies and place them up for adoption. Most of these groups have no paid staff, relying on volunteers to run the organizations. For most of the year they are full to overflowing with adoptable animals. They can always use volunteers, foster homes and donations of money and goods. You can find a listing of these groups on our web site at adoption groups. Most of these groups hold adoption days at area PetSmart and Pet Supermarket stores on the weekends. They are more likely to take cats and kittens who have been fixed, had their shots and been tested for Feline leukemia and Feline AIDS because it saves them the costs to do all of those procedures themselves.
If you need to find homes for cats or kittens, here are some important things to consider:
- NEVER offer an animal "FREE TO A GOOD HOME." Free kittens and puppies can end up as snake food, bait for training fighting dogs, in laboratories or as objects of cruelty.
- Try advertising in the newspaper. Ask for references, especially the name and number of their regular veterinarian. Visit their home, if at all possible and follow up after the adoption.
- Charge a minimum of $25.00. Remember your time and expenses. Plus the animal is already spayed or neutered and had shots. The cost for that at a veterinarian's office will range from $100 to $200.
- Have you ever wondered why we "give away" our animals but sell our "junk" in yard sales? By charging a fee to adopt, you are demonstrating that this animal HAS VALUE. Don't you want the person adopting your cat or kitten to place a high value on him/her also?
- The "supply" exceeds the "demand." There are many more animals needing good homes than there are available homes.
- ALWAYS spay or neuter BEFORE you adopt an animal. DON'T ADD TO THE PROBLEM.
- See more at Alley Cat Allies - http://www.alleycat.org/resources_care.html#11
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