It doesn't matter what you say - it's always going to ruffle someone's
feathers.... =)

Please read on.....

"Lesley" wrote in message
ups.com...

ezyspirit wrote:


Renters in general are dubious.

Whoa! I'd say it depends on the renter- we have rented our flat for 21
years. People who are buying homes can lose them as well you know!

Notice that I said, "in general" but after 14 years in rescue, I can say
that
renters are definitely a problem. Most of our feral cat colonies occur
near rental apartment/condo complexes where people just leave their
cat behind when they move.


Sadly, seniors aren't a good bet either
because they aren't likely to provide a good home for the life of the
pet.

Doesn't that depend? Me and Dave have decided that perhaps when we get
too old to consider a kitten we would offer an elderly cat a home even
one with medical problems, (Before we got the Furballs we were
considering rehoming FIV cats and would like to some day but these
kittens were about to be dumped to a pet shop and needed a home fast!)

It is simple math. When a 65 year old person takes on a kitten, what is
the likelyhood of that cat remaining with that person for it's 20 years of
life?
We get calls all the time from seniors who need to go into care and want to
find new homes for senior cats. It's nearly impossible to find homes for
animals over 8 years old. When an older person is looking for a new pet
we try to match them up with older cats but they don't want them. I guess
it's
human nature to think we are going to live forever but it is selfish and I
have
seen animals who suffer the consequences.


Ask, casually, if they have had many pets before. If they say they have
lost a cat to illness after 15 years then that's a good sign.

As "renters" at our current address we have had one cat PTS due to
cancer and another cross the bridge peacefully in her sleep aged 16 and
a quarter- under your rules does this make us bad because we are
renters or good because our cats have never lacked for anything- we
lost our jobs in 93 and we went hungry to make sure the bowls were full
and we have always made sure there was somehow enough pennies for vet
bills

You sound like a wonderful pet owner, Lesley, but, sadly, not all are like
you.

When you agree to take on the task of finding good homes for kittens, you
must do what is in the animal's best interest. That includes screening out
those who probably can't provide a PERMANENT home, for whatever
reason. However, each situation must be examined and a determination
made based on all the circumstances. So, sometimes a renter will be
accepted or a senior who has made arrangements for the animal with a
family member if they can't continue caring for it but caution is required.






Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs