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03-24-2009, 09:42 AM | #1 |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: The rainy side of Washington.
Posts: 18,232
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The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
Spring is here, and with Spring come signs and ads for free kittens. They are so cute, so cuddly and free is such a good price. But before you jump up and run down the street to grab one up think long and hard about what you are getting into. There is no such thing as a free kitten (or puppy, or any animal really). Free kittens come with hidden costs. With a free kitten you may have no idea of what kind of health this kitten is in. What may look like a mellow sweet kitten may actually be a rather sickly, and you end up with major vet bills shortly after bringing him home. Chances are with a free kitten, things like deworming (most kittens and puppies are born with roundworms), shots or testing for Feline Leukemia have not been done. Many “free” kittens are weaned early which can lead to health and behavior issues. So what do you do if you want a kitten? A much better option is to check with your local pet shelter, they have animals of all ages, kitten to adult. Now they are going to charge a fee to adopt a pet, so why should you pay for a kitten when you can get one “free” down the block? *Not all shelters have the same policies, but most shelters will test for Feline Leukemia, deworm them and start them on vaccines. *Shelter pets are generally free from mites, ticks and fleas. *Many shelters microchip the animal before they leave, which is a great tool for reuniting with your pet if they get lost. The cost of microchipping at a shelter vs vet is considerably lower. *Most shelters are committed to preventing more unwanted animals, and will either spay/neuter your pet before adoption or give you a coupon for free or deeply discounted spay/neuter when the pet is old enough. (For more on the importance of this, please read this thread) *Shelter pets are often already potty/litter trained! *Your adoption fees not only cover the cost of services for your pet, but also help to keep a vitally important service available for the many other unwanted animals who have noplace else to go. *And best of all, adopting from the shelter means you are saving that pets life. All of this saves you money, as the adoption fee is still cheaper than what it would cost to have it all done at the vet’s office. No matter where you get a pet, there are always going to be costs associated with it. Whether you get a kitten from the neighbor down the street, a shelter or a breeder they will still need food, toys, a litter box and vet care. Breakdown showing the actual cost of a “free” kitten vs. a shelter-rescued kitten: http://www.geocities.com/home4thecat...reekitten.html Locate a shelter in your area: (US) http://www.animalshelter.org/shelters/states.asp (Canada) http://www.animalshelter.org/shelters/canada.asp Locate and support a no-kill shelter in your area: (International) http://fluffynet.com/no-kill-shelters/ (US) http://www.saveourstrays.com/no-kill.htm Note: We are not advocating that non-shelter kittens should be forgotten just that the more people who responsibly adopt (which generally includes spaying/neutering) and help to financially support shelters in their area, the greater the chances are of reducing the number of neglected and overpopulating "street" kitties.
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Amber ISFJ Wife to my wonderful DH And keeper of the boys Big M (6/03) Forever ours Dec 2012 C (6/04), Little M (10/05) Forever ours Dec 2012 K (5/06) Missing our foster daughter Miss A |
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03-24-2009, 05:10 PM | #2 |
Rose Garden
Bar/Bat Mitzvah picture with husband Michael.
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Within sight and earshot of the Disneyland fireworks
Posts: 39,893
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Re: The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
Thanks for the reminder.
The only "free kittens" that have been good pets for us came from friends where we knew the situation. My mom's fre kitten is a 10 year old nightmare and always has been. My rescued older kitten has been a wonderful companion for years
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Heather ESFJ T4 Messianic Joshua-13 Christina- 11 Amalia Linda-8.5 Trinity-7 Gabriel-5 w/ADHD, ASD & Dyslexia Taylor Jordan11/15/04 SkyeDakota10/12/05 Life is a pile of good things & bad things The good things don't always soften the bad things but the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things |
03-24-2009, 06:54 PM | #3 |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Nyssa, Oregon (southeastern part of the state)
Posts: 6,020
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Re: The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
Good reminder.
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wife for 40 years to dear hubby-pastor and retired Navy chaplain mom to DS & DD (Amber) now grown, to Dixie Lee, a 3 yr old French Brittany, Magnolia (Maggie), 4 month old French Brittany and gramma to 4 wonderful grandBOYS and 1 foster granddaughter |
03-24-2009, 07:01 PM | #4 |
Rose Garden
Fearless
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 6,845
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Re: The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
thanks for posting this.
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Mama of one Size Small Baby Girl, born August 2004. and one in heaven EDD December 2003. |
03-24-2009, 09:37 PM | #5 |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Near Boston
Posts: 10,012
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Re: The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
Good points. And folks should also stop getting rabbits just for Easter and instead get a bunny toy.
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Is this love big enough to watch over me? Big enough to let go of me Without hurting me, Like the day I learned to swim?-Kate Bush, The Fog Wielder of the Katana of Lepidoptera and General Randomness. |
03-24-2009, 09:45 PM | #6 |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 12,872
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Re: The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
Great post. I always tell people to budget $1,000 for the first year they have their new kitty/puppy. If there's not enough wiggle room in the budget for that, you can't afford a new little friend, free or not. 'Free' is such a misnomer.
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03-25-2009, 06:47 AM | #7 | |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Nyssa, Oregon (southeastern part of the state)
Posts: 6,020
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Re: The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
Quote:
My mom used to hate that because the cuteness of a bunny or chick soon left as the critter grew up..... they just wasn't "that cute" anymore and the novelity wore off.
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wife for 40 years to dear hubby-pastor and retired Navy chaplain mom to DS & DD (Amber) now grown, to Dixie Lee, a 3 yr old French Brittany, Magnolia (Maggie), 4 month old French Brittany and gramma to 4 wonderful grandBOYS and 1 foster granddaughter |
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03-25-2009, 06:58 AM | #8 |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 15,480
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Re: The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
this is so important...thanks for reminding everyone.
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Swimming with Sharks Loving my DH for 19 years 'Pete' 8.5 yo dd 'Dragonfly' 6 yo ds the new kid is 3.5 yo ds always remembering the one I didn't get to hold Mary has been healed by the blood of the lamb
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03-25-2009, 07:05 AM | #9 | |
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Re: The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
Quote:
Free kittens generally wind up AT the shelter if they don't find a home directly. Or they wind up abandoned or...gotten rid of. So taking one of these animals into your home, you're very likely saving that pet's life just as surely as you are from a shelter. |
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03-25-2009, 07:10 AM | #10 |
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Re: The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
But, you still need to be careful, and understand what you are getting into. The first pet we adopted from the Humane Society died within a few weeks (from something it was born with), and the second (which we still have) is diabetic (to be fair, they didn't know, since she was pre-diabetic then, but it was found that she was diabetic within weeks). Pets from actual shelters (the pound) seemed to work out a lot better for us. Always remember that "free" isn't "free", and anything could happen.
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03-27-2009, 10:32 AM | #11 |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 13,566
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Re: The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
Why spring?
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Mom to two boys, 14 and 8, and a little girl that came when she was supposed to despite our plans (June 2013)
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03-27-2009, 10:38 AM | #12 | |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 10,115
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Re: The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
Quote:
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emily |
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03-27-2009, 10:43 AM | #13 | ||
Rose Garden
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 13,566
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Re: The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
Quote:
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Mom to two boys, 14 and 8, and a little girl that came when she was supposed to despite our plans (June 2013)
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04-13-2009, 11:24 AM | #14 |
Rose Bouquet
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Western Pennsylvania
Posts: 554
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Re: The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
We have a dog that my husband got from a husky rescue nine years ago. She's the best dog in the world and he didn't have to go through that puppy stage of peeing on everything and chewing up stuff. (I know, I must sound terrible, but I prefer older dogs.) Her vet bills are about $400 a year for all of her shots. Then, she gets an upset tummy or an allergy. We actually got pet insurance and pay about $50/ month. She eats a ton and we buy her treats, too. She's a great part of the family, but she isn't free! We've thought about adopting another dog, but can't do the expense right now, even if the adoption is free.
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05-04-2009, 03:19 PM | #15 |
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 22,171
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Re: The Myth of the Free Kitten/Puppy
We generally got to our county's pound (which requires proof of immunizations and spay/neuter within a certain time frame from the adoption or risk citation). This spring, we wanted a puppy but our County pound has been having a Parvo problem. We adopted a farm puppy from a friend instead. Our other doggie came from our pound 3.5 years ago and she's been a terrific pet. The new puppy was actually in part to remind our doggie that she is part of a pack which includes us. She was ecoming reclusive and refusing to come inside. Not anymore, she's quite content with her companion as are all the kids.
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