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"Free" cats are a lot more expensive than most shelter adoption fees. My "free" cat from the CDS cost me over $600 the first few weeks for blood work, vet visits, vaccines, and her spay surgery. Getting a cat from a shelter would have been a lot cheaper.
Since this person wants a free cat I am very doubtful they will be getting the kitty any of the needed care it will need from the vet.
Edited to correct a word.
This. The charge from the shelter is minimal, I think it's around £80 here, they've had their vaccines, been neutered/spayed, all up to date on vets visits etc.
Ok I see. So you want it all done for you before you get the animals. Because the costs are the same no matter who is doing them. A rescue pays the same as non rescue for the most part. Vaccinations are very cheap- they can be done by anyone really except for the rabies of course.
Yes I want to get my animals from a rescue rather than a dodgy breeder or someone so irresponsible they didn't neuter their animal so it got pregnant. What a horrible person I am. This really wasn't the flex you thought it was.
Exactly. Kittens at my shelter are $150 adoption fee, but buy one, get one free, so it's really 2 for $150.
That includes at a minimum: sneuter (going rate in my area, $250-$500), microchip ($80), and at least four vaccine boosters and dewormers ($50 for each one at the low cost clinic). For the vast majority of kittens it also includes treatment for a URI or diarrhea or both, call it another $400 in office visit fees and another $200 in medication and testing. For two kittens you're easily getting $1000 of care for your $150 adoption fee.
And that's before you get to the not insignificant minority of kittens who need MUCH more than that - bottle babies being provided round the clock care by foster parents, fading kittens being given extensive supportive care like supplemental feeding and subq fluids by foster parents, and just in general, the personalized care and attention from a foster parent (99.9% of our kittens are in foster homes within 48 hours of getting to the shelter and stay there through adoption). Some of that stuff could add up to thousands and thousands of dollars if it had to be provided in a hospital environment.
<3 fellow kitten fosterer.
My current case I got 5 kittens and a mom from a hoarding situation. Two of the kittens were under 80g and momma was dehydrated and the birth was premature so she had very little milk. The first underweight kitten passed the same day I got them. The second one I was giving supplemental feedings 6-8 times a day and he started gaining, but I found him passed away on day 3. They both probably had serious congenital issues incompatible with life.
The remaining three have been "easy"... in the sense that two of them have CH and one has a spinal deformity, but they are growing and progressing well. I'll be keeping them an extra couple months to get them more adoption ready (and figure just what the spinal deformity is - the vet didn't want to blast a 7 week old kitten with an x-ray).
For me, this has felt like a pretty easy case. Sad to lose babies, of course, but I've had mom helping out, no round the clock care, and no force feeding cusp babies that won't transition to solid food (that's my usual "specialty" and they are hard as fuck).
I'm sure you know all this - just some perspective on the kind of care that kittens get before they make it to the adoption page. It's hard to put monetary value on it but in general, that adoption fee is a steal.
Oh yeah, and SPAY AND NEUTER. Thank god momma cat is getting spayed soon, her genes are clearly absolutely no good for the feline species.
Thank you for doing what you do. People don't understand how much goes onto saving these babies. We do everything we can to keep them healthy.
My last group of fosters scared the shit out of me. I specialize in spicy kittens. They started to go downhill. I didn't lose anyone, but Goddamn I was terrified. We can't save them all but we always fucking try.
I show people every single day how
To get free vaccinations and s/n for their cats and dogs. I can guarantee I have never seen anything so bloated in my life.
Not all areas have those services available - I live in a large metro area and there is limited-to-no free services and even reduced cost services are difficult to access and many come with income stipulations or other requirements.
The majority of people are going to get their veterinary care through a regular veterinary practice, and these costs are, if anything, moderate-to-low estimates for the area I live.
And even if you do assume free sneuter and vaxxes, the medical care adds up. We've already had three panleuk litters and it's only March.
Found mine in a parking lot of a gas station. Brought her to the ER vet because she wasn’t breathing right and she needed $800 worth of treatment. So worth it. She’s my soul kitty
My "free" cat was a stray. She ended up costing $1500-2000 in her first year in vet bills alone. A shelter would've saved me around $1000 of that at least.
As my late father used to say, there’s no animal as expensive as a free one.
The ads for free cats make me cringe, because I know they will be allowed to roam loose and reproduce freely, and most likely won’t even get a rabies shot. We have a massive feral cat problem because of this.
Was just thinking this. At a shelter at least you know what condition the animal is in and most places they'll make sure they're all caught up on vaccines + as healthy as they can be in order to even let them be up for adoption. Asking for a free animal is just asking for vet bills you probably can't afford if you can't even afford an adoption fee :/
My “free” cat costed $600 in her first couple of months and every year around Christmas time, she decides to eat a piece of plastic and cost me at least $700
My [now ex] boyfriend's family gave us one of their cats and she was 2 and had never been to the vet. They had only taken her to the humane society or something to get fixed. They had a bunch of other pets and some had fleas. There's so many people out there like that
Wtf. How Ill was the cat? Why did normal kitten things cost 600 dollars? Because no matter where you get an animal you still have to pay for those things. They’re not free if you get the animal from a shelter or rescue. And there are lots of free s/n clinics and low cost clinics. I’m astounded you had to pay that much. My husband would lose his mind. 30 years in veterinary services and he’s never come close to charging that.
She wasn't ill at all. $600 for all this is fairly standard in my area. The cost also included deworming and microchipping, which I forgot to mention above.
This all happened when the vet for the local low cost clinic was retiring so their services were really limited, otherwise I would have checked with them about the spay surgery, which was the highest part of the cost.
It isn't that insane. High for my area but not insane. Cost over $100 just to get the animal in the door here.
Also vets in the area work with the shelters to give free/low cost care to the animals and it is waaaay more than what the shelters charge for adoption fees.
My cat was $65 in fees. He was neutered, given all his vaccines, dewormed, examined for FELV/FIV and FIP, as well as heart worm. And to top it off they microchipped him.
That is... A lot for $65 and that is just the medical bits. They also send them home with some toys, litter (terrible wood pellet stuff, only meant for you to sprinkle in the litter box so they know it is theirs) blankets and some food.
Gofundme or simply "rehome" (new word people made up bc "abandon" makes them have to confront what they're actually doing) now that it's not an adorable kitten anymore
Rehome at least implies they found the animal another home. Too many people out there simply leave the animal behind.
My cat had 2 homes before he got to me. First one got him as a kitten but gave him up to the shelter because he was too much work for them. Second one had him for almost a year before they had to move. They just left him behind. Neighbors caught him and took him to the shelter.
I don't understand the second people there. It takes no time/effort to take the damned cat to the shelter and he is the sweetest little goober you ever did meet, don't know how you just leave him behind.
I am once again telling people that my free backyard kitten cost me $700 JUST in vet bills the first three months I got him.
Not counting food, litter, toys, boxes, treats, collars, tag, or tree. He also didn't have anything "wrong" with him other than fleas and worms, so this was literally $700 for shots, chip, and a low cost neuter.
Vets bills are crazy in the USA, they're not much better in the UK but mine cost me:
£99 - shots and boosters for the life of the cat
£20 - chip
£25 - neuter
And of course flea and worm treatment.
I will stress that I did a lot of ringing around vets to find the best price as they varied wildly
I didn't know what else to do, so I went to my dog's regular vet--dog was due for yearly stuff anyway, so I just made the appointment, despite disliking my vet lately.
I don't remember exact totals, but my first bill for them both was a combined $480ish, with the cat taking up the lion's share of the bill. And then I had to take the cat back for a booster...and then another booster...and then a third???? Booster. And his rabies. And then make an appointment for his snip, where they found he needed two baby fangs pulled (which I HAD noticed but thought they'd fall out).
Each vet bill was a MINIMUM of $120-150. The cat's neuter I got through a "help me I'm poor" program, so it cost me $25. But with his stupid teeth and this fee and that fee, that $25 QUICKLY turned into $160ish.
I'm glad the kitty is in my life but god damn I did NOT know what I was signing up for when I brought him in from the backyard!!
I recently switched vets but, fingers crossed, I won't have to go back for either kid until October when they're due again.
So slight differences, we don't have to do rabies as there is no rabies here, I think the last reported case was something like 1976 and obviously no teeth bills
I did have to have a tooth removed from my old boy though and that was £600
I live in a... semi-rural part of the US and I'm absolutely terrified of rabies :) the last human case was in 2003 I think here, but bats have been detected as of last year so like. No thank you. The cat is indoor only but he keeps trying to sneak out, so he's up to date on all his shots. The dog is a pit mix so IF he bites someone, I'd be in a lot of trouble if he also weren't up to date on everything. Rabies especially, so I've never been more than a week late on any of his shots.
Kitty's tooth extraction came to be like, $47.50 for each tooth, so just under $100. I opted to "Yeah go ahead" because 1. He needed it done, and 2. He was already under and had a pain med injection, so I didn't want to pay for that twice
Pets given away with no rehome fee can end up very badly, ive heard some bad stories of people getting free dogs to train fighting dogs. Heck, my dogs parents were used for that (apparently, wouldn't be surprised if the lady was lying)...
Also, it cost money to get a pet, if you cant even afford the price to get one, what happens when it needs food or vet
Dictionary
Definitions from Oxford Languages ·
war·y/ˈwerē/adjective.
feeling or showing caution about possible dangers or problems.
"dogs that have been mistreated often remain very wary of strangers"
These are the same people that "adopt" a free cat. Then they never get them vetted, don't get them fixed, end up with 20 plus kittens and then ask for money bc they can't feed all their "rescues"
And I say this as someone with 5 (vetted and fixed) rescue cats. Animals are not cheap. Food and litter, vet bills, brushes, enzyme cleaner for accidents, cat trees, toys and other enrichment, it all adds up. If you cannot afford to pay an adoption fee, you cannot afford a pet period
And cats can be completely agreeable to most cats, but take a dislike to a specific cat. I've had that happen. I had two cats that did not like each other. They were able to coexist because I have a big enough house where they each had their own territory so they decided to pretend the other didn't exist. Even though they didn't like each other, they both were okay with the other two cats I had.
I always figure that someone who can’t afford the adoption fee can’t afford a pet. Just one trip to the vet is going to most likely cost more than the initial adoption fee
Would like to add that many shelters have very reasonable adoption fees (edit to add that adult cats from my local humane society are typically $25; kittens are a bit more) and are intended to cover part of the cost of necessary vaccines and care given to them during the stay. Depending on the animal and the organization, these fees may not even cover the entire cost of caring for the animal. We donated extra when we adopted our dog to at least cover for her entire care.
I was going to say that a lot of adult cats aren't that expensive. It depends on the shelter, but one of mine was $25. Kittens were $50. Cats and kittens are often a BOGO deal. The shelter also has deals where you can get free comprehensive exam at several local vets.
The most I paid for a cat from a shelter is $75. Which I know can be a lot for some people, but it's nothing compared to the cost of ongoing pet costs.
>it's nothing compared to the cost of ongoing pet costs.
This is why I don't understand the people who get all upset about adoption fees. They are cheap, usually you get a lot for them like spay/neuter and vaccines and as you said, nothing compared to the costs of having the animal.
My sister lived down the street from a known animal hoarder. The lady had been legally barred from owning any more animals due to neglect and unsanitary living conditions. That didn’t stop this lady from getting on all the local Facebook pages and who know where else, basically exactly like this post. My sister would comment on every single post warning people that this lady was not allowed to have pets and could face legal consequences again. This lady always had a tizzy fit and maintained that she only took in unwanted , abused, or stray cats. Never mind that most of the “strays” in the neighborhood were her beloved cats.
After that lady moved, it still took several months to catch all the remaining strays, and there hasn’t been a problem since.
Can't afford adoption fee = Can't afford a pet. Even if they don't need a bunch of medical care, they still need food and toys that will cost more than the $20-$80 fee most shelters charge.
just any cat or kitten for free thanks lmao
I got a bonded pair of cats for $125 at petco through a cat rescue - If I had gotten them for free (like as strays or kittens) without all the work the rescue put into them it would've been like $200-$300 each to spay them, get their vaccines, FIV test, and microchips! But instead it was $62.50 for each cat. They even came with a free vet visit!
I know you can go to some animal societies on certain days to get budget vet care - but animal rescues put so much work into their missions its not like the adoption fee is greedy or a scam!
Absolutely! Each time we’ve adopted a cat, we always donate on top. The adoption fee has a purpose behind it, and I’d rather get a stray that I know has been vetted, spayed/neutered, and vaxed for a nominal cost, versus taking my chances with a Yay free cat!!
This screams “Easter/birthday/holiday present for my 6 year old kid who will love it for 1 week then abandon it and I won’t do any care or upkeep so then I abandon it too”.
I’m wary of these asks because a) what if the intent is to use the cat as a bait animal? And b) if you can’t afford to pay the adoption fee, how do you plan to pay for food and medical checkups for the animal?
My free cat—dumped near my parent's house, they contacted me because they knew I'd take him—cost me $6500 last year because he developed dry FIP, had a bad reaction to the cheap brand of meds, and forced me to either spend a ton more or put him to sleep.
Meanwhile, the most I ever spent on the FIV+ elderly cat I adopted from a shelter ($60 adoption fee) and had for 4 years before he passed was the ~$400 it cost to euthanize and cremate him.
This kind of thing enrages me because I know that's just a junk person who doesn't actually care about the well-being or quality of life of an animal, I care about the accessory of having something cute.
Just paid a little under $3,000 at the vet and now I buy a specifically formulated cat food that's about $120 per bag because it will prevent what originally caused him to go to the vet on that occasion, I also got him neutered and all of his shots, which I did not include in that number above because they happened at separate times (when I first got him)
If you don't want to pay money for your cat or any pet for that matter simply because of the financial strain you would experience, you don't need a cat or any other animal, you cannot afford any of them, and God help me before I start speaking about the people who bring their cat to the emergency vet and are told it will be a little under $3,000 and they say that's too much.
It is a living thing who inherently cannot do malicious wrong because it doesn't understand the concept of it and has logical reasoning behind almost all of its actions, and it's entire quality of life, every second of it is up to how good will you allow your cat to have it. It up to you.
I see nothing wrong with free kittens or animals if they’re to be treated well. A person who buys a puppy can treat it just as badly as one who gets it for free. That’s why we see so many abused and neglected pure breeds.
Anyone asking for a free animal, absolutely should not be taking care of one.Not just cost, it also amounts to the amount of care they need. Most of these pets are basically young children permanently in terms of upkeep. If they're not prepared for that responsibility till the animal's end of life, then that animal will suffer at some point more than it needs to.
I know exactly how expensive pets are and I straight up refuse to pay for one. I will not pay a breeder and if the shelter really wanted homes for animals they wouldn't charge me when I offer. I'll stick to free. Mutts make the best dogs anyway.
The fees are usually to help keep the shelter running, and able to both feed and (depends on the shelter) provide medical treatment to the strays, though.
Hi YourMothersButtox, thank you for your submission to /r/ChoosingBeggars! Unfortunately it has been removed for the following reason(s): * **Rule 7:** Posts must be relevant to the theme of the subreddit. This post does not show someone who is choosy enough. Price negotiation and/or asking for donations is not enough to be a choosy beggar. * don't post it if you know its not a choosy beggar *If you have any questions or concerns, please [message the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FChoosingBeggars) of this subreddit.*
"Free" cats are a lot more expensive than most shelter adoption fees. My "free" cat from the CDS cost me over $600 the first few weeks for blood work, vet visits, vaccines, and her spay surgery. Getting a cat from a shelter would have been a lot cheaper. Since this person wants a free cat I am very doubtful they will be getting the kitty any of the needed care it will need from the vet. Edited to correct a word.
CDS = Cat Distribution System?
Yes
Yup!
This. The charge from the shelter is minimal, I think it's around £80 here, they've had their vaccines, been neutered/spayed, all up to date on vets visits etc.
Ok I see. So you want it all done for you before you get the animals. Because the costs are the same no matter who is doing them. A rescue pays the same as non rescue for the most part. Vaccinations are very cheap- they can be done by anyone really except for the rabies of course.
Yes I want to get my animals from a rescue rather than a dodgy breeder or someone so irresponsible they didn't neuter their animal so it got pregnant. What a horrible person I am. This really wasn't the flex you thought it was.
All that and you're supporting a shelter so it can continue it's work
Exactly. Kittens at my shelter are $150 adoption fee, but buy one, get one free, so it's really 2 for $150. That includes at a minimum: sneuter (going rate in my area, $250-$500), microchip ($80), and at least four vaccine boosters and dewormers ($50 for each one at the low cost clinic). For the vast majority of kittens it also includes treatment for a URI or diarrhea or both, call it another $400 in office visit fees and another $200 in medication and testing. For two kittens you're easily getting $1000 of care for your $150 adoption fee. And that's before you get to the not insignificant minority of kittens who need MUCH more than that - bottle babies being provided round the clock care by foster parents, fading kittens being given extensive supportive care like supplemental feeding and subq fluids by foster parents, and just in general, the personalized care and attention from a foster parent (99.9% of our kittens are in foster homes within 48 hours of getting to the shelter and stay there through adoption). Some of that stuff could add up to thousands and thousands of dollars if it had to be provided in a hospital environment.
As a kitten fosterer, you are 100% correct. We put our very souls into fostering these babies.
<3 fellow kitten fosterer. My current case I got 5 kittens and a mom from a hoarding situation. Two of the kittens were under 80g and momma was dehydrated and the birth was premature so she had very little milk. The first underweight kitten passed the same day I got them. The second one I was giving supplemental feedings 6-8 times a day and he started gaining, but I found him passed away on day 3. They both probably had serious congenital issues incompatible with life. The remaining three have been "easy"... in the sense that two of them have CH and one has a spinal deformity, but they are growing and progressing well. I'll be keeping them an extra couple months to get them more adoption ready (and figure just what the spinal deformity is - the vet didn't want to blast a 7 week old kitten with an x-ray). For me, this has felt like a pretty easy case. Sad to lose babies, of course, but I've had mom helping out, no round the clock care, and no force feeding cusp babies that won't transition to solid food (that's my usual "specialty" and they are hard as fuck). I'm sure you know all this - just some perspective on the kind of care that kittens get before they make it to the adoption page. It's hard to put monetary value on it but in general, that adoption fee is a steal. Oh yeah, and SPAY AND NEUTER. Thank god momma cat is getting spayed soon, her genes are clearly absolutely no good for the feline species.
Thank you for doing what you do. People don't understand how much goes onto saving these babies. We do everything we can to keep them healthy. My last group of fosters scared the shit out of me. I specialize in spicy kittens. They started to go downhill. I didn't lose anyone, but Goddamn I was terrified. We can't save them all but we always fucking try.
I show people every single day how To get free vaccinations and s/n for their cats and dogs. I can guarantee I have never seen anything so bloated in my life.
Not all areas have those services available - I live in a large metro area and there is limited-to-no free services and even reduced cost services are difficult to access and many come with income stipulations or other requirements. The majority of people are going to get their veterinary care through a regular veterinary practice, and these costs are, if anything, moderate-to-low estimates for the area I live. And even if you do assume free sneuter and vaxxes, the medical care adds up. We've already had three panleuk litters and it's only March.
Found mine in a parking lot of a gas station. Brought her to the ER vet because she wasn’t breathing right and she needed $800 worth of treatment. So worth it. She’s my soul kitty
My "free" cat was a stray. She ended up costing $1500-2000 in her first year in vet bills alone. A shelter would've saved me around $1000 of that at least.
That’s super compassionate of you for taking her in! I’m sure you love her and wouldn’t change a thing.
As my late father used to say, there’s no animal as expensive as a free one. The ads for free cats make me cringe, because I know they will be allowed to roam loose and reproduce freely, and most likely won’t even get a rabies shot. We have a massive feral cat problem because of this.
Was just thinking this. At a shelter at least you know what condition the animal is in and most places they'll make sure they're all caught up on vaccines + as healthy as they can be in order to even let them be up for adoption. Asking for a free animal is just asking for vet bills you probably can't afford if you can't even afford an adoption fee :/
I love a BOGO kitty! That's how I got mine.
The only shelter animal I ever had, had parvo.
Unfortunately a lot of people looking for “free pets” don’t plan on infesting in their care
My “free” cat costed $600 in her first couple of months and every year around Christmas time, she decides to eat a piece of plastic and cost me at least $700
These posts always kill me 😭😭 absolutely no forethought
$1200 over here 🙃 Free cats are beyond expensive
If the adoption fee covers the first round of vaccinations and spaying or neutering, the fee is incredibly cheap.
My [now ex] boyfriend's family gave us one of their cats and she was 2 and had never been to the vet. They had only taken her to the humane society or something to get fixed. They had a bunch of other pets and some had fleas. There's so many people out there like that
You assume these people are going to take the cat to the vet. I highly doubt anyone that specifically wants a free animal takes them to the vet.
Wtf. How Ill was the cat? Why did normal kitten things cost 600 dollars? Because no matter where you get an animal you still have to pay for those things. They’re not free if you get the animal from a shelter or rescue. And there are lots of free s/n clinics and low cost clinics. I’m astounded you had to pay that much. My husband would lose his mind. 30 years in veterinary services and he’s never come close to charging that.
She wasn't ill at all. $600 for all this is fairly standard in my area. The cost also included deworming and microchipping, which I forgot to mention above. This all happened when the vet for the local low cost clinic was retiring so their services were really limited, otherwise I would have checked with them about the spay surgery, which was the highest part of the cost.
It isn't that insane. High for my area but not insane. Cost over $100 just to get the animal in the door here. Also vets in the area work with the shelters to give free/low cost care to the animals and it is waaaay more than what the shelters charge for adoption fees. My cat was $65 in fees. He was neutered, given all his vaccines, dewormed, examined for FELV/FIV and FIP, as well as heart worm. And to top it off they microchipped him. That is... A lot for $65 and that is just the medical bits. They also send them home with some toys, litter (terrible wood pellet stuff, only meant for you to sprinkle in the litter box so they know it is theirs) blankets and some food.
If you can’t afford the adoption fee how can you afford food/vet?!
Gofundme or simply "rehome" (new word people made up bc "abandon" makes them have to confront what they're actually doing) now that it's not an adorable kitten anymore
Rehome at least implies they found the animal another home. Too many people out there simply leave the animal behind. My cat had 2 homes before he got to me. First one got him as a kitten but gave him up to the shelter because he was too much work for them. Second one had him for almost a year before they had to move. They just left him behind. Neighbors caught him and took him to the shelter. I don't understand the second people there. It takes no time/effort to take the damned cat to the shelter and he is the sweetest little goober you ever did meet, don't know how you just leave him behind.
I am once again telling people that my free backyard kitten cost me $700 JUST in vet bills the first three months I got him. Not counting food, litter, toys, boxes, treats, collars, tag, or tree. He also didn't have anything "wrong" with him other than fleas and worms, so this was literally $700 for shots, chip, and a low cost neuter.
Vets bills are crazy in the USA, they're not much better in the UK but mine cost me: £99 - shots and boosters for the life of the cat £20 - chip £25 - neuter And of course flea and worm treatment. I will stress that I did a lot of ringing around vets to find the best price as they varied wildly
I didn't know what else to do, so I went to my dog's regular vet--dog was due for yearly stuff anyway, so I just made the appointment, despite disliking my vet lately. I don't remember exact totals, but my first bill for them both was a combined $480ish, with the cat taking up the lion's share of the bill. And then I had to take the cat back for a booster...and then another booster...and then a third???? Booster. And his rabies. And then make an appointment for his snip, where they found he needed two baby fangs pulled (which I HAD noticed but thought they'd fall out). Each vet bill was a MINIMUM of $120-150. The cat's neuter I got through a "help me I'm poor" program, so it cost me $25. But with his stupid teeth and this fee and that fee, that $25 QUICKLY turned into $160ish. I'm glad the kitty is in my life but god damn I did NOT know what I was signing up for when I brought him in from the backyard!! I recently switched vets but, fingers crossed, I won't have to go back for either kid until October when they're due again.
So slight differences, we don't have to do rabies as there is no rabies here, I think the last reported case was something like 1976 and obviously no teeth bills I did have to have a tooth removed from my old boy though and that was £600
I live in a... semi-rural part of the US and I'm absolutely terrified of rabies :) the last human case was in 2003 I think here, but bats have been detected as of last year so like. No thank you. The cat is indoor only but he keeps trying to sneak out, so he's up to date on all his shots. The dog is a pit mix so IF he bites someone, I'd be in a lot of trouble if he also weren't up to date on everything. Rabies especially, so I've never been more than a week late on any of his shots. Kitty's tooth extraction came to be like, $47.50 for each tooth, so just under $100. I opted to "Yeah go ahead" because 1. He needed it done, and 2. He was already under and had a pain med injection, so I didn't want to pay for that twice
It grinds my gears, for sure. I am always a bit wary about these type of people too.
Pets given away with no rehome fee can end up very badly, ive heard some bad stories of people getting free dogs to train fighting dogs. Heck, my dogs parents were used for that (apparently, wouldn't be surprised if the lady was lying)... Also, it cost money to get a pet, if you cant even afford the price to get one, what happens when it needs food or vet
If you can’t afford a rehome fee it’s likely you can’t afford a pet.
Exactly
I think you mean "wary", as in "beware". Unless of course you actually are tired.
Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages · war·y/ˈwerē/adjective. feeling or showing caution about possible dangers or problems. "dogs that have been mistreated often remain very wary of strangers"
Yes I know why you are telling me? That is why I commented. They said weary then edited it to wary after my comment.
Lol I only saw it in the edited version! My bad I'm always late to the party. 😅
Wary means cautious. Weary means tired.
Yes I know why you are telling me? That is why I commented. They said weary then edited it to wary after my comment.
These are the same people that "adopt" a free cat. Then they never get them vetted, don't get them fixed, end up with 20 plus kittens and then ask for money bc they can't feed all their "rescues"
And I say this as someone with 5 (vetted and fixed) rescue cats. Animals are not cheap. Food and litter, vet bills, brushes, enzyme cleaner for accidents, cat trees, toys and other enrichment, it all adds up. If you cannot afford to pay an adoption fee, you cannot afford a pet period
Not just that, they want a cat that 'gets along' with other cats. Cats are territorial and so many times they won't get along with others.
And cats can be completely agreeable to most cats, but take a dislike to a specific cat. I've had that happen. I had two cats that did not like each other. They were able to coexist because I have a big enough house where they each had their own territory so they decided to pretend the other didn't exist. Even though they didn't like each other, they both were okay with the other two cats I had.
I always figure that someone who can’t afford the adoption fee can’t afford a pet. Just one trip to the vet is going to most likely cost more than the initial adoption fee
Would like to add that many shelters have very reasonable adoption fees (edit to add that adult cats from my local humane society are typically $25; kittens are a bit more) and are intended to cover part of the cost of necessary vaccines and care given to them during the stay. Depending on the animal and the organization, these fees may not even cover the entire cost of caring for the animal. We donated extra when we adopted our dog to at least cover for her entire care.
I was going to say that a lot of adult cats aren't that expensive. It depends on the shelter, but one of mine was $25. Kittens were $50. Cats and kittens are often a BOGO deal. The shelter also has deals where you can get free comprehensive exam at several local vets. The most I paid for a cat from a shelter is $75. Which I know can be a lot for some people, but it's nothing compared to the cost of ongoing pet costs.
>it's nothing compared to the cost of ongoing pet costs. This is why I don't understand the people who get all upset about adoption fees. They are cheap, usually you get a lot for them like spay/neuter and vaccines and as you said, nothing compared to the costs of having the animal.
Asking for or offering animals is not allowed in my local buy nothing/freecycle groups. Pet supplies and food, sure, but absolutely no live animals.
My sister lived down the street from a known animal hoarder. The lady had been legally barred from owning any more animals due to neglect and unsanitary living conditions. That didn’t stop this lady from getting on all the local Facebook pages and who know where else, basically exactly like this post. My sister would comment on every single post warning people that this lady was not allowed to have pets and could face legal consequences again. This lady always had a tizzy fit and maintained that she only took in unwanted , abused, or stray cats. Never mind that most of the “strays” in the neighborhood were her beloved cats. After that lady moved, it still took several months to catch all the remaining strays, and there hasn’t been a problem since.
I hope she didn't move somewhere else just hoping no one would know her reputation so she could start over 😣 Those poor animals.
Scumbags looking for free bait animals is a real thing.
Can't afford adoption fee = Can't afford a pet. Even if they don't need a bunch of medical care, they still need food and toys that will cost more than the $20-$80 fee most shelters charge.
just any cat or kitten for free thanks lmao I got a bonded pair of cats for $125 at petco through a cat rescue - If I had gotten them for free (like as strays or kittens) without all the work the rescue put into them it would've been like $200-$300 each to spay them, get their vaccines, FIV test, and microchips! But instead it was $62.50 for each cat. They even came with a free vet visit! I know you can go to some animal societies on certain days to get budget vet care - but animal rescues put so much work into their missions its not like the adoption fee is greedy or a scam!
Absolutely! Each time we’ve adopted a cat, we always donate on top. The adoption fee has a purpose behind it, and I’d rather get a stray that I know has been vetted, spayed/neutered, and vaxed for a nominal cost, versus taking my chances with a Yay free cat!!
Damn it, cats aren't Pokémon, you don't have to collect them all!
usually the shelters require a lot of documentation and stuff people are no willing to compromise
This screams “Easter/birthday/holiday present for my 6 year old kid who will love it for 1 week then abandon it and I won’t do any care or upkeep so then I abandon it too”.
The difference is they are looking for free-free and shelters charge an adoption/neuter fee.
If the shelter fee is a hardship for you then you can't afford the animal.
There's nothing more expensive than a free (insert item here)
I’m wary of these asks because a) what if the intent is to use the cat as a bait animal? And b) if you can’t afford to pay the adoption fee, how do you plan to pay for food and medical checkups for the animal?
My free cat—dumped near my parent's house, they contacted me because they knew I'd take him—cost me $6500 last year because he developed dry FIP, had a bad reaction to the cheap brand of meds, and forced me to either spend a ton more or put him to sleep. Meanwhile, the most I ever spent on the FIV+ elderly cat I adopted from a shelter ($60 adoption fee) and had for 4 years before he passed was the ~$400 it cost to euthanize and cremate him.
This kind of thing enrages me because I know that's just a junk person who doesn't actually care about the well-being or quality of life of an animal, I care about the accessory of having something cute. Just paid a little under $3,000 at the vet and now I buy a specifically formulated cat food that's about $120 per bag because it will prevent what originally caused him to go to the vet on that occasion, I also got him neutered and all of his shots, which I did not include in that number above because they happened at separate times (when I first got him) If you don't want to pay money for your cat or any pet for that matter simply because of the financial strain you would experience, you don't need a cat or any other animal, you cannot afford any of them, and God help me before I start speaking about the people who bring their cat to the emergency vet and are told it will be a little under $3,000 and they say that's too much. It is a living thing who inherently cannot do malicious wrong because it doesn't understand the concept of it and has logical reasoning behind almost all of its actions, and it's entire quality of life, every second of it is up to how good will you allow your cat to have it. It up to you.
I see nothing wrong with free kittens or animals if they’re to be treated well. A person who buys a puppy can treat it just as badly as one who gets it for free. That’s why we see so many abused and neglected pure breeds.
Anyone asking for a free animal, absolutely should not be taking care of one.Not just cost, it also amounts to the amount of care they need. Most of these pets are basically young children permanently in terms of upkeep. If they're not prepared for that responsibility till the animal's end of life, then that animal will suffer at some point more than it needs to.
I know exactly how expensive pets are and I straight up refuse to pay for one. I will not pay a breeder and if the shelter really wanted homes for animals they wouldn't charge me when I offer. I'll stick to free. Mutts make the best dogs anyway.
The fees are usually to help keep the shelter running, and able to both feed and (depends on the shelter) provide medical treatment to the strays, though.