I am so happy for you...I am very glad you volunteered at the rescue and was able to find a good home for your baby! I remember giving you advice on the forum about the rescue along with other posers, and I am thrilled you gave it a try.

Thank you for helping these guys out! One kitty at a time :)

Oh, I JUST realized re-reading your message...One of my fosters, sweet orange and white boy Happy got adopted a day before Thanksgiving as well!

Congratulations :):)

Freecycle in some areas allows pets to be given away. I notice MANY kittens and cats find homes through the site. (also small pets such as rats are often listed)

Many people want a kitty or puppy and just don't want to pay shelter costs. I surely can understand that shelters have to pay for the upkeep, but through Freecycle many pets are placed that wouldn't be.

I'm sure that works in some cases but I am against giving kittens away unless it is to someone I know as most free kittens are impulse decisions (kid thinks they are cute) and once they grow up and become not so cute and cost money or tear up furniture etc they are tossed out on the street and become someone else's problem. A lot of cats that are placed through freecycle end up in the shelters after a few years or their unwanted kittens end up there. Also if they aren't spayed or neutered before they are given away, these cats can have TONS of kittens if let outside. I don't think the shelter costs to adopt are outrageous. I adopted a cat about ten years ago through a rescue program in Michigan and the cost was $120 for an adult cat. The shelter I volunteer at charges $100 for kittens and $60 for adult cats. I think this probably deters people who just want a kitten because it is cute or because jr. is throwing a tantrum because he wants a baby kitty.

My coworker lives on a farm and has all of her cats spayed and neutred and they are inside/outside cats so some get killed on the road but in the last 2 years she has accumulated over 20 cats (not through breeding as they are all fixed) but through people dropping them off or strays showing up there. If I went around my neighborhood and collected all the strays (not feral but ones that were someone's pets at some point- it is VERy easy to tell the difference) I would probably be able to collect about 50 cats in a few hours. It is crazy!

The shelter I work at is a no kill but they do have to put down some cats that are drop offs because they have no room for them or don't have the funds to get them tested, spayed, shots etc. There are anywhere from 2 to 15 drop offs on an average day. They have a huge sign in the drop off area saying all cats left there will be euthanized and to call the shelter to see about fostering instead. Still does not deter people from leaving their pets there. Sometimes the volunteers will take the drop offs and pay for their care or at least foster them so they don't have to be put down.

I feel if someone isn't willing to pay for a cat they probably don't want to pay for it's medical and food bills either. Cats aren't cheap. I'm not saying people shouldn't take a free kitten if their neighbor is giving one away or something (all of my cats were free as they were strays or I volunteered to take someone's kitten that they didn't want anymore, the cat that I adopted from a rescue lives with my ex and is his baby)

1 down, six more to go (four more if I can talk my fiance into us keeping two of the kittens) I'm just happy that Simba was adopted because I felt he would be the hardest to place (he was afraid of children and very timid and difficult to catch, though once you got ahold of him he was a big lovey kitty. I went to see him at PetsMart last week and he recognized me and cried and talked and purred like crazy. I bet he was acting like that with potential adopters and won someone over.

congrats on rehoming your kitten newhomeseeker! that's wonderful news.

I do agree with you about giving animals away through the newspapers or CL, it's an ideal opportunity for people who dont value animals enough to pay for one, and if someone cant afford the purchase price, what happens to the animal when it gets sick or injured? Long time pet owners know that the purchase price is just the beginning and someone who thinks they cant afford to pay money for a pet, hasnt factored the long term costs in at all and that often ends badly for the animal. I've also taken in dogs from people I knew who couldnt or wouldnt keep them anymore, mainly because I didnt want the animals to end up in shelters but I also have no problem paying good money to a registered breeder for a pet either. I think in some ways people who seek out a pet because it's free probably arent the best candidates for keeping those pets for their entire life.

Congratulations to your foster kitty for finding a home!

Great job on your part, too, btw.

congratulations that your foster kitty has found a new home!!

Freecycle is definately not the place to list pets of any kind. It shouldn't be allowed. Sure one or two may find their way into loving homes but many will find themselves as bait for dog fighters, food for snakes, and throw aways when they are no longer small and adorable.