More Free to Good Home Cautionary Tales

[CyberKitten]

Every week you see them in the ads. section of the papers "free kittens to good homes". The following tale is a warning to everyone who puts these ads in the papers for kittens, pups and dogs.The ad said "free kittens to good homes" and a telephone number. Over the next few days several people called to see and collect the kittens. As each person left, the woman said to the person "you make sure it gets a good home, I am fond of it".The first kitten to leave was a ginger female. Her four year old owner loved her to bits, but she accidentally injured the kitten's shoulder picking her up the wrong way. The child could not be blamed - nobody showed her the correct way to pick up a kitten. She named the kitten 'Ginger', but was very upset a few weeks later when her brother's friends "sat on it".The next to go was the white male with blue eyes, The person who took him named him 'Snowy'. Sadly, 'Snowy' never learned his name and as the new owner paid little attention to him, never realised he was deaf. His first adventure out of doors ended in disaster - he never heard the car.The next to go was a grey and white female who went to live in a neighbour's farm, and like her mother she was a mouser. Unlike her brother and sister she wasn't even given a name, but fell ill after repeat pregnancies, and died, leaving a new born litter.The last 2 kittens went to a pretty woman who wanted the two so they could remain together for life. She later sold them to a laboratory for Euro10 each. They are together as she promised - in a jar of alcohol.All the kittens arrived in heaven at the same time. They all played together, licked each other in delight and then together passed through the gates, passing a sign in big gold letters "YOU ARE FINALLY FREE KITTENS".The moral to this tale is: never hand over a kitten or any animal without checking where it is going. Never give it away free - take a donation and give it to a charity of your choice if you wish, and always get a name and address and follow up where they went. Other wise they could end up like any of the kittens above.

thank you
M. O'Sullivan (sec/pro)
galway spca

[Trinitie]

A very sad, but true, reminder of what can actually happen to "free" animals.

A worthwhile read for ALL who think giving away animals is ok.

[Derek & Jeter]

The moral to this tale is: never hand over a kitten or any animal without checking where it is going. Never give it away free - take a donation and give it to a charity of your choice if you wish, and always get a name and address and follow up where they went. Other wise they could end up like any of the kittens above.

thank you
M. O'Sullivan (sec/pro)
galway spca

I just saw a free to good home ad at freecycleTO - a yahoo group, and was going to redirect the person here (this thread, because I noticed it before but had no urgent need to read it.

But, there's not enough advice on screening prospective pet owners IMO. Since this is a sticky thread can those in the know, please give advice.
Besides asking for a donation, shouldn't you ask them:

1. Did they try to adopt at Toronto Humane Society, if so, why not that route?

2. Ask for the name of their veterinarian. [Is there a list of trustworthy vets somewhere?]

3. Are they willing to sign a witnessed (legal?) letter giving you the right to visit once or twice at least, any time in the next two years.

Maybe a reputable Cat rescue takes these "free" cats.

If this is somewhere else on the site, shouldn't there be a link to it here.

Just my very humble "newbie" opinion.

[mafiaprincess]

That's because this is the 'general forum'.

Go to the forum titled "pets for adoption"

The stickys titled can we help you keep your dog and free to a good home are in detail.

[CyberKitten]

It's my understanding that there are numerous explanations elsewhere on this Board. I am sure if you do a search, you will find it. I posted this as merely an adjunct to advice provided by people much more experienced than I in finding homes for needy critters.

[Derek & Jeter]

Sorry Cyberkitten, thanks to you and Mafiaprincess for the help.

I got scissors below my post again? I'm almost scared to ask why. Does that mean my post is redundant and wasting space or etc. Just tell me to and I'll delete it.

[Natasha Hartman]

I'm sorry to ask ,but how do you know what happened to these animals?? how did you find out each story?

[The_Zoo]

Im am an Owner and Moderator for Winchester Freecycle and yes we my members are allowed to post when they are either looking for a free pet or giving away a pet..No posting are allowed for breeding purposes .everything must be legal,Recenlty I have come upon in our cafe site someone looking to get rid of the strays 1 female and her kitten..I have offered to take them in and foster them until i find a new home for them I am not apart of any resuce group.and will have no finicial help..these cats need a good once over..I thank you for your post as I am a alot more wearing when it comes time for me to look for new homes for the cats.And you can be assured i will not say FREE TO A GOOD HOME!
thanks for the eye opener!
Cheers
Steph

[Prin]

Yey! Thanks for learning something... I'm sure many people have read this thread and have not gained anything from it... Any way we can help the furries is a good thing.

[CyberKitten]

Thank you so much Steph - I am so glad to hear you helped these kitties!!!!! So many ppl do not know of the free to good home dangers. My bf sometimes tells me I am going to get told off since on the w/e, I will take the newspaper (when pets are usually advertised) and call those offering pets "free" and tell them why this is a bad idea. I have had every reaction - from "you nosy no good b****" to' "thank you, I never knew that" to "Oh my God, a nice man just came and took all of our 5 lovely kittens. No, he did not give us his name but he a=said they were all so cute he could not resist". In that case, the person kived not far from my firefighter brother and he gave the description to a police friend and they knew one of the local bunchers - bouchers (ppl,mosyly guys who get :free" pets to sell them to approved agents of Agriculture Canada or universities (sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! - ours no longer uses animals but once upon a time, they actually did experiments that included the sewing shut of the eyes of young kittens. They all prefer pets from families since they are well socialized and are friendly - wag their tails at the researchers, makes one want to cry, I have to tell you of my involvement in ending those kitten experiments one of these days - it was pretty stressful tho hardly as bad as it had been for those very unlucky kittens. Most of it I cannot print here but some ppl lost their jobs since the research - useless as it was was actually funded by tax money, yours and mine!! I am ashamed of the history of my own school - tho I did not study there but I do work there. At least it is no longer done but my Gawd, what hell! ) Anyway, my brother and said police friend and another police friend for good measure - brother plays hockey with the police and firefighter team - went to this guys's home (in the event it was him, sounded like him - and they found not 5, not 10 but SEVENTEEN little kittens and FIVE cats all in c=wire cages that hurt their little paws - tho many universities and even Iams and other pet food researchers use those too. He was not a certified agent - just going to sell them to one so they called a vet friend of mine - actually, one of my best friends is married to a vet and she used to be the office manager and they took all the cats (since the SPCA may have well you know....). Homes were found for all but one cat who was ill and stayed at the vet for a long time and eventually went to the Bridge. These were not the kittens in question however!!!!!!! So, they asked around to check out other bunchers in the area. One not from the city - from Moncton (an hr and a half away) fir the profile so police from there, another hockey and school friend of my brother's (interesting side story -this kid once found one of our cats when he managed to find hi way into my mom's car ion her way to school where she was Principal and he adopted it, thinking the little kitty was lost and a stray). An enterprising reporter (active in dog rescue) I know took a picture of him and the cat in a cat show about 2 weeks after (we were still looking everywhere for this cat who usually never went outside) and lo and behold, there he was in the paper!! We called and went to get the cat but gave the child the reward money we had placed on our signs (this was a LOMNG time ago). Anyway, now this kid is a police officer married to a surgeon friend of ours and he went and the man had 4 kittens matching the descriptions - no certificate as an agent of Agriculture Canada or Health Canada, and not a breeder tho he tried to say he had a mama cat that just gave birth and she had run away but the family had taken pictures., This was pre internet days the dad and my brother and police friend drove the 1 1/2 hr drive with photos to prove these were indeed the kittens. A hair raising day for cats and kittens but OMG, I do not let too many "free to good home" ads go by me if I can help it - I also enlist the help of friends and sometimes, during kitten season, we make a Sat AM of it, calling each ad. We are not always as successful; as that story but that is the most inspiring of our stories,

I wish I had more like that but I have also too many where the kittens were long gone and the family was only too happy to see them out the door, no thanks and get off my phone line.

But I keep the inspiring story in my head!

[lma1524]

Originally Posted by CyberKitten

Every week you see them in the ads. section of the papers "free kittens to good homes". The following tale is a warning to everyone who puts these ads in the papers for kittens, pups and dogs.The ad said "free kittens to good homes" and a telephone number. Over the next few days several people called to see and collect the kittens. As each person left, the woman said to the person "you make sure it gets a good home, I am fond of it".The first kitten to leave was a ginger female. Her four year old owner loved her to bits, but she accidentally injured the kitten's shoulder picking her up the wrong way. The child could not be blamed - nobody showed her the correct way to pick up a kitten. She named the kitten 'Ginger', but was very upset a few weeks later when her brother's friends "sat on it".The next to go was the white male with blue eyes, The person who took him named him 'Snowy'. Sadly, 'Snowy' never learned his name and as the new owner paid little attention to him, never realised he was deaf. His first adventure out of doors ended in disaster - he never heard the car.The next to go was a grey and white female who went to live in a neighbour's farm, and like her mother she was a mouser. Unlike her brother and sister she wasn't even given a name, but fell ill after repeat pregnancies, and died, leaving a new born litter.The last 2 kittens went to a pretty woman who wanted the two so they could remain together for life. She later sold them to a laboratory for Euro10 each. They are together as she promised - in a jar of alcohol.All the kittens arrived in heaven at the same time. They all played together, licked each other in delight and then together passed through the gates, passing a sign in big gold letters "YOU ARE FINALLY FREE KITTENS".The moral to this tale is: never hand over a kitten or any animal without checking where it is going. Never give it away free - take a donation and give it to a charity of your choice if you wish, and always get a name and address and follow up where they went. Other wise they could end up like any of the kittens above.

thank you
M. O'Sullivan (sec/pro)
galway spca

Hi there:

I post for many rescue groups and write and call anyone I see advertising an animal free to good home.

There are so many websites people can go to via their search engine on the internet where some stories are horrendous. Free bait for training fight dogs, free snake food, free etchnic food, free animal broker $'s to sell on to research, free to be sold onto puppy or cat mills and bred to death. If everyone who knew would get the message across, each paper that advertises post a warning above pets for sale ads perhaps we'd educate these people. I have had people write to me in the most horrible way saying I should mind my own business but animal welfare is my business. God Bless you for having the courage to tell it like it is. Linda Animal Lover and Rescue Pet Owner, Toronto

[The_Zoo]

Hi
Well I have no Idea what happened to the cats All I know is that they have gone to a tempory home!I caint get them out of my mind.so ill have to track them..I also sent them a new link so that there is no excuse for just ltting the animails go free..I sent the Pet Resource link for all of Canada!I also rminded them that Winter is not just hard on us but for our Outside critters too.Um Cyber where you from Im orginally From Chatham New Brunswick!
Cheers
Stepheny

[tucker]

Last year I was given a very sweet but untrained purebred dog. He was in awful shape- obviously badly neglected and abused. He was given to me through "a person that knew a person." I did find that 'person' and reported them, then set about giving this dog the TLC he deserved. Months later he was growing back fur, putting on weight and learning to go to the washroom outside. I then started looking for a good full time family for him. I made the mistake of making him 'free to a good home' and a list of wacko's started calling. I insisted on interviewing those that made it through the first round- only to discover that people were giving me wrong numbers, lying about their living situations, and one woman even came at night insisting that I give him to her right then- never even attempting to bond with him first. We hung on knowing that the right family was out there. A month later a great aunt came for an afternoon visit and without even knowing our boy was available- they fell in love and it was a very happy ending for all. Thank goodness I did not let him go with just anyone. It was really an eye opener for us.

[Prin]

That's pretty scary. You're a wonderful pet owner to be so stringent with your choice.

[JessXx]

I think this is a true reminder of what can happen to many people if they give their pets away...
When I was younger we used to give away or sell animals to people, but we owned a farm and needed to get rid of the animals... but now I have my wonderful babies and wouldn't trade them for the world....

[Pokittles]

i got my cat from a "free to a good home" ad in the paper. my boyfriend and i really wanted a kitten. we went to the humane society first but they only had older cats with special needs. since i already had a cat who had her own needs, we decided a kitten would be the best mate for her. i must say i was shocked when i went to this person's house. The kitten i was getting was the last one left. i was expecting to be asked a bunch of questions about myself and my living situation...i wasn't. the lady handed me the cat, no questions asked. when i asked her questions about the cat and tryed to get some history she just looked at me. you could tell these people could of cared less on who was taking the cat. This really upset me but i knew this cat would be getting a really great home and that he did!
People who advertise "free to a good home" need to make sure of that. Ask as many questions as you'd like. If you have a bad feeling about someone, don't do it. I don't know how people can just give away animals to just anyone off the street. i guess i'll never understand...

[Nizumi]

The first real issue is NEUTER your pets. If you're not a breeder, your pet shouldn't be breeding. But I'm probably preaching to the choir on this point.

Secondly, instead of giving the kittens away by newspaper ad or notice at the grocery store, why not give them to a human society yourself? (This is where I get flamed, I know it!)

What I mean by this is: Oh, how to find the words..... Seriously, if you could see my face, it's all screwed up with concern. 'cos I really do understand what a prickly point this is... OK - First - the SPCA keeps records and can run checks on people coming to adopt animals. Second - after having to put down my own beloved cat as well as a stray that latched on to me (whoa! both cats were sick. Seen to by, not one, but three vets), and after finding a litter of kittens that had been abandonned in a box by the side of the road (only one of the five survived - the other four were already dead), I came to the conclusion that it's far better for an animal to be humanely put down than to be abandonned; killed or mortally injured by youngsters not knowing how to handle animals; living the horrible existence of stray animals on the street.

Meaning no offense - and girding myself for the fury -

PS: If you still want to give kittens away by notice, ask your local vet if you could put a sign up ay the clinic. After all, the only people who actually go see vets are people who care about animals, right?

[Prin]

If you're not breeding to better the breed by only breeding health tested, genetically proven, shown animals, you shouldn't be breeding.

I fixed it to my liking..

[TaraJeanne]

we got my Lady bug from a free to a good home add and we were very impressed by the owners desire to make sure she was safe in her new home they answered all of our questions and gave us as much history as they could aswell as they in turn have come to visit us quite a few times over the last past year we have had her .. but when we adopted lady Brenna it was very distressing that it was only a matter of placing a phone call and going to pick her up they asked us no questions or asked to come and check up on her or to see our home I agree that free to a good home can be dangerous if the interview isnt conducted properly or at all. but in LadyBugs case they took all the proper measures and saw and made sure to her well being. I think that if your a dedicated pet owner you will take all the steps necessary to ensure the saftey of your pets or their offspring .. I mean if you love your cat you should love her kittens. they are her offspring and if she had a say in what homes were okay then they would all go to a good home i think its all about the interviewing process and foolow up always make a follow up I gave LadyBugs previous owners my phone number and adress right away so they can always call and come and see her and they came and checke dout our home i think if everyone did that all animals would go to safe warm loving enviroments and that would make all of our fuzzy friends happier ..

[Daisy2943]

Heres a free ad which i though was awesome:
Up for adoption are 2 wonderful cats. They are both completely black, with shiny short hair coats. They are approximately 6 years old, and have been indoor cats their entire lives. Both consistently use their litter box. They are both healthy, have their shots, and have had periodic visits to the vet. They are both fixed and both are declawed (front paws). They are brother and sister, and we are looking for a home that will accept them both, as we do not want to separate them. These cats are pretty calm, but yet will play with you and each other well. They are snuggly, and will sit on your lap and cuddle. We would prefer they go to a home that currently has no other cats or dogs. They are free to a good home, and included with the adoption of the cats comes their litter boxes, any remaining kitty litter that we have, their food bowls, any remaining food that we have and their travel carrier. Finally, we would like to see some sort of proof of a loving home environment and good intentions from the adoptive family. We love these cats very much, but with full time work and a growing family, we aren't able to give them the attention that they deserve. Please consider making them part of your family.

[Jim Hall]

I had inherited a cat when i moveed into my new apartment
Unfortunatly Gimpy ( so Named cause she was missing a back leg}
suffered a heart attack . My girlfriend insisted I find another so I contacted the rescue orginasations in my area .

At first I was ticke off cause of all the questions they asked until one sympathitic worker told me of all the horror stories.
I dont understand people sometimes.

anyway if you ask for money ( my new cat down under cost me$200 US after fees and vet visit}]
The chances are that whoever ponies up that kind of money will be interested in keeping thier investment healthy.

[gatorsmom]

that animals are not toys, that they have feelings and minds, and all they want is to be loved. People need to check out the people that are wanting the kittens, puppies, etc. Why do so many people think animals are expendable? They need to stop using animals in lab testing, instead use the people on deathrow. We have to pay for them anyways might as well put them to good use.

[Love4himies]

Originally Posted by gatorsmom

They need to stop using animals in lab testing, instead use the people on deathrow. We have to pay for them anyways might as well put them to good use.

Ha ha, Canada doesn't have deathrow, but I do like your idea. We do have violent criminals that should be giving back to society, maybe this is a "good citizenship" way of doing it.

[lillibou]

I've responded to one of those ads b/c the gal who was given the 3-4 wk old kitten had no idea how to care for it(we're not sure of she is a she or a he--the jury is still out). If we hadn't, the kitten would've died due to her ignorance(the food she gave it made its feces hard as a rock and our vet had to give it an enema to clear it out). In fact, we've been given all our cats. But then again, I did volunteer work for a vet and we have a family vet. We also make sure any cat or dog we take in gets spayed or neutered by 6 months. Its a shame others don't care for animals the way we do.

[Bushfire2000]

So I know this woman who wants to find a new home for her dog. She offered the little dog to me but my husband said "4 dogs are enough. There's no way you can bring home another one."

So I've been trying to help her find it a new home. One of the things I've been trying to get through her head is the "Free to good home" tragedies. She thinks that by not asking for any money that she'll find it a good home. I've tried to tell her that at least if they pay something for the dog "Faith" they will start out valuing her more than if she didn't ask anything at all for her. There's an Auction saying "The more you pay the more it's worth." and I think in most cases this is the truth.

I don't think I can get this woman to listen to me. I've printed off all the stories and tried to scare her but short of taking the dog myself (and getting a divorce) I can't help Faith.

[yettiyodamarlo]

Thank you CyberKitten for the post.

I never even gave much thought to 'free to good home' ads.
I thought it was nice of them to offer them free, but now I can clearly see why that is NOT a good idea in any circumstance, and I finally REALIZE why the shelter I volunteer at charges high fees (apart from vacine costs.).

Anyways, thanks for the eye-opener!

[IluvZeus]

It is so sad to see that some people would be so callous towards another living being. We got Zeus for a pittance really, $40 bucks. However with vaccinations, vet costs and an unfortunate incident last week that resulted in him having to get his upper lip sutured (along with an overnight stay) It's come to considerably more than that. And I would pay whatever cost needs to be paid to keep him the healthy, happy 'little guy' he is. I guess my point would be that in some circumstances, people would rather give him away than pay the money to keep him until he/she's adopted. It's not always the best of circumstances, but it can be rewarding and good if a lot of research and information is had on both sides.

[kathryn]

A man in North Jersey was recently arrested and sentenced for the torture and killing of ATLEAST 19 cats/kittens he acquired from 'free to good home' ads.

http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/12844/NJ/US/

Appolonia, 50, of Aberdeen is alleged to have tortured and killed 19 cats given to him by animal rescuers when he answered their newspaper ads offering the felines for free to a good home.

In what police termed a chilling videotaped statement, Appolonia told Amato he would play with the kittens for a while, and then something would happen, Amato said. The cat would hiss at him, maybe scratch him. At that point, Appolonia would "throw the cat, beat, punch and break its bones. He would let it live for a little while, in some cases a day, in tremendous pain, and then drown it," Amato said.

Kittens would be drowned in the toilet bowl, larger cats in the bathtub, he said.

Yet people still don't believe us when we tell them free to good home ads are a bad idea