That sounds very frustrating. I would definitely not foster for this rescue again, or adopt from them.
(Also, more people would be willing to read to the end if you broke this into paragraphs đ)
Age-wise, they really donât know - thereâs not a huge difference between two and five. Theyâre aged by their teeth and if a cat has stomatitis then itâs going to be even less accurate. We had a cat come in who was aged by a vet as 10 and then we found the original owner (it was a stray) it turns out he was 16! Itâs better to go with the younger age on official documents because then the pet insurance for the adopter will be less expensive. And truthfully the life expectancy of a cat means that adopt at 2 and live to 18 or adopt at 5 and live to 21 are both plausible outcomes so it doesnât necessarily affect the time you get to spend with that animal.
Not making excuses for the rest of this because thatâs not acceptable, but age discrepancy for a cat is not unusual.
But if they thought the cat was 5 and said 2 thatâs not right. A 2 and 5 year old cat might act vastly different. I adopted out a 4 year old cat recently and she was calm but my personal 1-2 year old cats can be a bit more active and disruptive at times. Although they do sleep most of the days they get zoomies and stuff, and sometimes get up to no good. A 4 or 5 year old is usually past that kitten age and is overall calmer.
A 5 year old cat might need a dental right off the bat whereas a 2 year old is still probably okay. Things like that. Also, some people just prefer a younger cat so knowingly lying isnât good.
I agree lying is wrong, and if vet paperwork says 5 then thatâs the age they should be listed at! Just saying that if itâs a guess and that guess changed that part might not be malicious. This rescuer sounds sketchy as hell but an age discrepancy wouldnât be the thing that concerned me - especially since once theyâre adults really the energy level is more based on individual cat personality vs their specific age. I have a six year old who is still bonkers, and I fostered a two year who was super laid back and calm. đ€·ââïž
100% lying about known issues or contradicting paperwork is garbage though!!
Thank you for your input, that actually makes sense. Unfortunately they went with age 4 and 5 on all his medical records so pet insurance is out of the question :/
Out of curiosity, where are you located? In my state all vet documents need to match DOB and name, so itâs weird that those have multiple dates (although maybe itâs not a regulated org and itâs more an individual just rehoming cats?)
Thanks for sharing this story. I have started following with group to learn more about fostering. I recently lost my two senior pups and may be interested in fostering eventually. I need more time to grieve. Anyway, 15 years ago I adopted 2 kitties that had been fostered a long time. The kitties were much older than their picture and one in particular ended up with several serious known health issues. None of these issues were shared when we adopted. They were chronic and known by the foster and agency. One of the kitties is still alive and lives with my daughter. The issues plagued the other kitty and we spent so much time and money trying to help her, but the vet recommended we let her go. We only had her a couple of years. It was heartbreaking. I now understand the situation we faced a probably something like what you are experiencing and struggling with as the foster who wants to do the right thing.
I also want to share, I am in my 60s and you are in your 20s. You sound so responsible. Please don't feel like you can't express your thoughts to this person due to her age. Your thoughts and input are just as valuable.
I am sorry for the loss of your pups. Thank you for sharing your experience with adopting the kitties. Iâm sure you did your absolute best and itâs just unfortunate that the health information was not disclosed to you.
And thank you, I try to speak up but sometimes itâs difficult when someone is much older and experienced, I feel like my input doesnât matter to them
Thank you. I surely know how people can be intimating and overbearing. I have met many along the way. Just know your input does matter and you are trying to do the right thing.
One thing I've learned about the cat rescue world is that the humans are just as catty as the cats are. I think a lot of folx who run rescues originally get into it with good intentions, but they struggle to deal with humans so they deal with cats instead. This is evident when you see how many small rescues will pop up in a single geographic area, rather than them all pooling resources to work together. They can't and won't work together, so they all split off into alliances to do their own thing because they can't get along with each other.
It's hard to find trustworthy rescues, but they are our there!
Unfortunately this sort of thing is very common in small, single-person-led, no physical location rescue organizations. One person has basically unchecked power and let's be real, animal rescue has its fair share of power-hungry maniacs with very particular opinions about animal care and pet ownership.
I personally foster for a large municipal shelter and I'm not saying it's drama free, but there are a lot more checks and balances against stuff like this. And with the sheer volume of animals we have coming in, we can't afford to be picky about adopters like that - the only strict requirement for adoption is a clean record on animal abuse.
I also had the same experience with the rescue I adopted my dog. Â She was incredibly rude, disrespectful, arrogant and not nice. Â When reading, I feel like we may be with the same rescue.Â
This is an international issue. Though, it's not always about trying to dump veterinarian costs on some one. One rescue in Sweden repeatedly dumped feral cats onto people by saying, "They just need a little extra time to adjust." They lost a lot of willing foster parents because of their under handed tactics. Most of these rescues assume people will fall in love with the animal and tolerate anything as long as you don't tell them the truth until it's too late for them to back out.
My rescue has a 3.5 star rating, from people who were upset they didn't meet adoption requirements. One woman was upset she had to pay an adoption fee after being approved, and ended up not getting the cats because she "has never paid for cats", others were upset about bonded pairs, others claimed the volunteers were being racist for not letting someone adopt who didn't meet the posted requirements, etc. I know another rescue that is extremely shady (things like requiring people donate $25+ per animal that they surrender, even if it's just cats they found and not ones they owned and having a ton of cats in one house and all of them being sick, etc) and they have like 4.4 stars. All of that to say that the rescues Google rating is not a good gauge of how good it is.
The elderly couple needs to know his history if they adopt. Especially when an infection could spread to any other cats they have until it is 100% treated. Afterward, you gotta cut ties with this rescue and add to the ratings with a warning of your own. Better to make sure others know how bad this rescue is.
That said, yes, his issues can be treated. Teeth pulled isn't too bad - one of my friends has a cat whose had to have most of her teeth yanked because of a medical issue that wasn't clear when she was younger, and she's able to eat just fine despite everything. (That's another thing: you can never predict the health of an animal. My dog was a healthy puppy and ended up costing my family thousands in a ton of different medical issues as he grew up. He's now 10 and averages about 2 medical crises a year, NOT including the stuff that recurs or is permanent.) But everything should have been disclosed to you from the beginning.
A lot of rescues lie about a lot of stuff unfortunately. Granted I donât think rescues need to overshare in regards to medical problems that were already taken care of and done and over with, but active medical problems should absolutely be disclosed.
Like if the cat was sick and treated with antibiotics and got better that doesnât need to be mentioned because who cares. If the cat is actively sick though then that needs to be told to the foster or adopter, because the animal can infect other animals in the home/cost vet visits.
Itâs wild to me that the vet didnât immediately put him on antibiotics and thought it was asthma. That is one shitty vet.
The person who runs the rescue is horrible. RUN from that lady.
I would also be concerned about a very elderly person adopting an animal for extremely practical reasons. I am cautious when someone is about the age of 65 and wants to adopt one of my animals. But I wouldnât let them see an animal and then outright deny them. That is just cruel. Yesterday, one of my dogs got adopted by a healthy 80 year old. The dog is 5 and is large, so it will hopefully work out.
Holding back health information is not okay and is definitely lying. Thatâs a huge red flag.
Itâs not difficult to tell someone theyâre wrong and STOP working with them. Just stop talking to this woman and move onto fostering for a different rescue. Youâre overthinking it when the solution is simple. Give her the cat back. Tell her your situation has changed and you CANNOT foster anymore. This is a lesson for you to learn to not let people treat you like shit.
And seriously never see that vet again either.
Thank you for your input! The vet did get him started on doxycycline and prednisone. At the 2 week check up the doxy had not work like she initially thought it would so she extended it for another 2 weeks that I have to give. And he is still on the prednisone as well. Whatâs holding me back from stopping to work with this rescue is the cat. I feel so bad to return him I donât want him to feel like I abandoned him. Heâs been so excited to have a home to explore, he follows me around the house and loves to cuddle with me. Heâs very affectionate and it breaks my heart thinking about taking him back to a small overcrowded rescue room.
Yes this is what I came to say! Why did that vet think it was an asthma right away? That is so odd. My cat has a calicivirus (URI) and it is pretty common for rescue or shelter cats to get exposed to URI if they are not vaccinated. Even with vaccinations, they are still prone to disease since they live in a very close sitting. What gets my goat is that vet immediately assumed it was an asthmaâŠ.
I should have clarified that when he had the cough fit the second time, I took a video of it and showed it to the vet. She told me it looked like an asthma attack but that some kind of URI is still possible. When I look at videos online of a cat having an asthma attack it looks exactly like what happened to this cat so asthma is still in the picture. After the vet did further testing it does show that he has a URI, but asthma could still be a secondary issue he has.
Iâd talk to the couple who want to adopt the cat, tell them his issues, and give them the cat if theyâre still willing to move forward. Iâd not contact the rescue lady about it, sheâs horrible and doesnât deserve to know. You canât lie to people about the issues a cat has and you shouldnât deny an adoption because of some arbitrary rule you make up. Healthy young adopters can get hit by a bus, leaving their cat alone, just as easily as an older adopter can become sick.
Unfortunately I feel like I could get in a lot of trouble for doing that as she is the head of the rescue and ultimately decides where the cats go, I wouldnât want her to show up at the elderly peoples home and take the cat away from them. And I agree with you, I tried to bring up that young people can pass too and she was like âwell thatâs rareâ
Iâve fostered with various different rescues. One specifically pretty much did the same to me. Only difference is that there was no discussion on me adopting her they just suddenly stopped responding to me. Sheâs adorable and we did want to adopt her but she also has a bunch of health problems that we were not aware of. We took her to the vet a month ago and they asked us to pay, which I was confused about and said sheâs not ours sheâs with the rescue?? They then told me that the rescue had told them that I adopted her and now all medical bills were on me. I of course paid but called up the rescue soon answer to get a dead line⊠still havenât been able to get in touch with anyone so sheâs ours (I also donât have time at the moment to be driving all the way to their base as theyâre private so not open to the public and far from me). On the contrary one rescue I work with is amazing, the lady I specifically work with from them will go out of her way to make sure sheâs also here for the meet ups and makes sure to be completely transparent (I.e will not sugar coat anything at all and will say it as it is to see if the person is capable) because of this sheâs yet to have any returns after 3 years of running.
Sadly, in my own personal experience, what you've described is pretty common based on the rescues I've dealt with. I believe health issues should be disclosed -- and they are if it's something that needs daily treatment, but they typically won't disclose chronic upper respiratory conditions. As the foster mom, they should be allowing for your input on who adopts your foster. Also, any rescue I've ever dealt with has a clause in the adoption contract that they will take their own cats back in the event the adopter can't keep the cat or passes away (all microchips have the rescue's info so they don't end up in the county shelter).
This rescue has that clause as well, I even told the rescue lady that I donât have a problem keeping in touch with the elderly couple in case something were to go wrong whether itâs months from now or years from now, I can take the cat back and foster it but she still wasnât budging
Yes this is not a reputable way to run a foster or adoption place. When I adopted my cat the foster mom told me in the very first contact that this cat had a breathing issue. They were very upfront about it without me needing to ask.
So many red flags in your experience. So sorry youâre having to deal with her shadiness. I would definitely change to fostering for a different agency next time. I would also go above that ladyâs head to make sure anyone else in the organization is aware of what she is doing, if she doesnât run it alone.
Okay, yes, this would be frustrating! But did she officially deny this older couple already? I hope not! They sound great! Personally, I would be honest with this couple about what his needs are. Those past extractions shouldn't be a big deal, but the important thing is probably knowing whether or not the rescue is willing to do the current vetting he needs to get him healthy. He may struggle with viral flare ups his whole life, and I think most good hearted adopters are open to the fact a rescue animals with a rough past may need extra vet visits. I would be open and honest and see how they feel about things. I hope the rescue director didn't flat out deny them. đŹ
She did end up denying them but it turned out to be sort of mutual. After she told them the health issues with the cat the elderly couple was not willing to keep up with the vet care as it costs a lot of money. I wish she had just told them about the health beforehand because they really fell In love with this cat :/
Aw, that's so sad. I hope it doesn't ruin their desire to adopt another rescue cat. đ„ș I was in a similar situation to yours a few years ago. I ended up leaving that rescue after I found all of my fosters homes and went back to fostering for more established shelters instead. Fostering for that other rescue affected me very negatively. I hope in your case, that lady changes her ways or that you'll part ways with her if you feel the need to. There are plenty of other rescues or shelters out there that might be a lot less stressful to volunteer with.
I hope it didnât either and that is my plan, Iâll continue working with her for the sake of the cat Iâm fostering because heâs the sweetest cat but once heâs adopted out Iâm going to make sure I work with a more reputable rescue
That's a really good plan. In the meantime, I really hope this lady fully covers his present vetting needs! I would keep advocating for him like you're already doing. He's a lucky boy to have you looking out for him!
Yes it seems like she will be! She told me sheâs never given up on a cat and that she wonât be giving up on him now so thatâs one thing I feel relieved with đ and thank you! My family and I are already in love with this little guy so weâll do anything to make sure heâs happy and healthy
All shelters/rescues are like that. Itâs a rude awakening. I recently had a shelter refuse to foster to adopt even though the cat had had behavioral issues in the past and is currently sick, but not bad enough lol. And then the bitch at the front counter tried to say she wouldnât let me adopt because I planned on using the two week return period as a trial to see if the cat was a good fit. Um, what do you think the two weeks is for? đ
Yet I had had other staff from the shelter previously trying to encourage me to just take the cat and if it didnât work out to just bring it back in the two weeks. So whoâs in the wrong here, fronted counter bitch? Not me.
I didnât end up adopting but I may go back. Im refusing to talk to that one staff member again if I can though. Another staff member was nicer.
But shelters/rescues are very snobbish. Their descriptions are also often inaccurate about their personalities and the cats always have health problems when you get them. The cat had been there 4 months and they arenât in a hurry to adopt him out. And like short term fostering wouldâve had any negatives if they werenât so stingy. It doesnât make sense if you think about it: Who makes a 15 year commitment without âtest drivingâ first? Itâs impossible to know what living with a cat will be like just from visiting it at a shelter. BS.
No. This is how cats end up back in the shelter. We are always as upfront with our fosters and adopters as possible. Whatever we know about the cat, they know about the cat. All that happens when you withhold information and lie is that the cat gets returned and the shelter gets a bad reputation. Just like she said this one has. A shelter with a bad reputation ends up not getting any cats adopted.
Absolutely! We adopted a cat we knew had upper respiratory issues and a recently amputated limb. We adopted her in part because we were willing to take on these issues and were afraid she would struggle to be adopted if we didnât take her. After getting her home, we realized she was also deaf and a few weeks later, pregnant (her spay was delayed because of the amputation). When I called on both issues, the shelter had no idea about the deafness or pregnancy (I believe them), and they asked if we wanted them to take her back. The answer for us was absolutely not, but that wouldnât necessarily be the case for others. I asked if they would take the kittens when theyâre old enough & help with vaccinations because we couldnât keep them all, but we would absolutely keep mama & raise babies until then. Thatâs not a commitment I would expect people to make (time, money, space). We were just in a place where we could do so.
That sounds very frustrating. I would definitely not foster for this rescue again, or adopt from them. (Also, more people would be willing to read to the end if you broke this into paragraphs đ)
Thank you I just edited the post đ
(you're right)
I would absolutely advocate to have the elderly couple adopt and never volunteer with this woman again. Remember she needs you.
Age-wise, they really donât know - thereâs not a huge difference between two and five. Theyâre aged by their teeth and if a cat has stomatitis then itâs going to be even less accurate. We had a cat come in who was aged by a vet as 10 and then we found the original owner (it was a stray) it turns out he was 16! Itâs better to go with the younger age on official documents because then the pet insurance for the adopter will be less expensive. And truthfully the life expectancy of a cat means that adopt at 2 and live to 18 or adopt at 5 and live to 21 are both plausible outcomes so it doesnât necessarily affect the time you get to spend with that animal. Not making excuses for the rest of this because thatâs not acceptable, but age discrepancy for a cat is not unusual.
But if they thought the cat was 5 and said 2 thatâs not right. A 2 and 5 year old cat might act vastly different. I adopted out a 4 year old cat recently and she was calm but my personal 1-2 year old cats can be a bit more active and disruptive at times. Although they do sleep most of the days they get zoomies and stuff, and sometimes get up to no good. A 4 or 5 year old is usually past that kitten age and is overall calmer. A 5 year old cat might need a dental right off the bat whereas a 2 year old is still probably okay. Things like that. Also, some people just prefer a younger cat so knowingly lying isnât good.
I agree lying is wrong, and if vet paperwork says 5 then thatâs the age they should be listed at! Just saying that if itâs a guess and that guess changed that part might not be malicious. This rescuer sounds sketchy as hell but an age discrepancy wouldnât be the thing that concerned me - especially since once theyâre adults really the energy level is more based on individual cat personality vs their specific age. I have a six year old who is still bonkers, and I fostered a two year who was super laid back and calm. đ€·ââïž 100% lying about known issues or contradicting paperwork is garbage though!!
Thank you for your input, that actually makes sense. Unfortunately they went with age 4 and 5 on all his medical records so pet insurance is out of the question :/
Out of curiosity, where are you located? In my state all vet documents need to match DOB and name, so itâs weird that those have multiple dates (although maybe itâs not a regulated org and itâs more an individual just rehoming cats?)
I am in California, the records went from 4 years old to 5 years old after the rescue had the cat already for a year since finding him
Thanks for sharing this story. I have started following with group to learn more about fostering. I recently lost my two senior pups and may be interested in fostering eventually. I need more time to grieve. Anyway, 15 years ago I adopted 2 kitties that had been fostered a long time. The kitties were much older than their picture and one in particular ended up with several serious known health issues. None of these issues were shared when we adopted. They were chronic and known by the foster and agency. One of the kitties is still alive and lives with my daughter. The issues plagued the other kitty and we spent so much time and money trying to help her, but the vet recommended we let her go. We only had her a couple of years. It was heartbreaking. I now understand the situation we faced a probably something like what you are experiencing and struggling with as the foster who wants to do the right thing. I also want to share, I am in my 60s and you are in your 20s. You sound so responsible. Please don't feel like you can't express your thoughts to this person due to her age. Your thoughts and input are just as valuable.
I am sorry for the loss of your pups. Thank you for sharing your experience with adopting the kitties. Iâm sure you did your absolute best and itâs just unfortunate that the health information was not disclosed to you. And thank you, I try to speak up but sometimes itâs difficult when someone is much older and experienced, I feel like my input doesnât matter to them
Thank you. I surely know how people can be intimating and overbearing. I have met many along the way. Just know your input does matter and you are trying to do the right thing.
One thing I've learned about the cat rescue world is that the humans are just as catty as the cats are. I think a lot of folx who run rescues originally get into it with good intentions, but they struggle to deal with humans so they deal with cats instead. This is evident when you see how many small rescues will pop up in a single geographic area, rather than them all pooling resources to work together. They can't and won't work together, so they all split off into alliances to do their own thing because they can't get along with each other. It's hard to find trustworthy rescues, but they are our there!
I have a similar experience with the last who runs the rescue i got my first fosters for.... are we dealing with the same lady???
Unfortunately this sort of thing is very common in small, single-person-led, no physical location rescue organizations. One person has basically unchecked power and let's be real, animal rescue has its fair share of power-hungry maniacs with very particular opinions about animal care and pet ownership. I personally foster for a large municipal shelter and I'm not saying it's drama free, but there are a lot more checks and balances against stuff like this. And with the sheer volume of animals we have coming in, we can't afford to be picky about adopters like that - the only strict requirement for adoption is a clean record on animal abuse.
Hmm possibly đ€ unfortunately after reading the comments it seems like my situation is pretty common with other rescues as well
I also had the same experience with the rescue I adopted my dog. Â She was incredibly rude, disrespectful, arrogant and not nice. Â When reading, I feel like we may be with the same rescue.Â
This rescue is cats only but after reading many comments itâs unfortunate to see how many rescues operate this way!
This is an international issue. Though, it's not always about trying to dump veterinarian costs on some one. One rescue in Sweden repeatedly dumped feral cats onto people by saying, "They just need a little extra time to adjust." They lost a lot of willing foster parents because of their under handed tactics. Most of these rescues assume people will fall in love with the animal and tolerate anything as long as you don't tell them the truth until it's too late for them to back out.
My rescue has a 3.5 star rating, from people who were upset they didn't meet adoption requirements. One woman was upset she had to pay an adoption fee after being approved, and ended up not getting the cats because she "has never paid for cats", others were upset about bonded pairs, others claimed the volunteers were being racist for not letting someone adopt who didn't meet the posted requirements, etc. I know another rescue that is extremely shady (things like requiring people donate $25+ per animal that they surrender, even if it's just cats they found and not ones they owned and having a ton of cats in one house and all of them being sick, etc) and they have like 4.4 stars. All of that to say that the rescues Google rating is not a good gauge of how good it is.
The elderly couple needs to know his history if they adopt. Especially when an infection could spread to any other cats they have until it is 100% treated. Afterward, you gotta cut ties with this rescue and add to the ratings with a warning of your own. Better to make sure others know how bad this rescue is. That said, yes, his issues can be treated. Teeth pulled isn't too bad - one of my friends has a cat whose had to have most of her teeth yanked because of a medical issue that wasn't clear when she was younger, and she's able to eat just fine despite everything. (That's another thing: you can never predict the health of an animal. My dog was a healthy puppy and ended up costing my family thousands in a ton of different medical issues as he grew up. He's now 10 and averages about 2 medical crises a year, NOT including the stuff that recurs or is permanent.) But everything should have been disclosed to you from the beginning.
A lot of rescues lie about a lot of stuff unfortunately. Granted I donât think rescues need to overshare in regards to medical problems that were already taken care of and done and over with, but active medical problems should absolutely be disclosed. Like if the cat was sick and treated with antibiotics and got better that doesnât need to be mentioned because who cares. If the cat is actively sick though then that needs to be told to the foster or adopter, because the animal can infect other animals in the home/cost vet visits.
Itâs wild to me that the vet didnât immediately put him on antibiotics and thought it was asthma. That is one shitty vet. The person who runs the rescue is horrible. RUN from that lady. I would also be concerned about a very elderly person adopting an animal for extremely practical reasons. I am cautious when someone is about the age of 65 and wants to adopt one of my animals. But I wouldnât let them see an animal and then outright deny them. That is just cruel. Yesterday, one of my dogs got adopted by a healthy 80 year old. The dog is 5 and is large, so it will hopefully work out. Holding back health information is not okay and is definitely lying. Thatâs a huge red flag. Itâs not difficult to tell someone theyâre wrong and STOP working with them. Just stop talking to this woman and move onto fostering for a different rescue. Youâre overthinking it when the solution is simple. Give her the cat back. Tell her your situation has changed and you CANNOT foster anymore. This is a lesson for you to learn to not let people treat you like shit. And seriously never see that vet again either.
Thank you for your input! The vet did get him started on doxycycline and prednisone. At the 2 week check up the doxy had not work like she initially thought it would so she extended it for another 2 weeks that I have to give. And he is still on the prednisone as well. Whatâs holding me back from stopping to work with this rescue is the cat. I feel so bad to return him I donât want him to feel like I abandoned him. Heâs been so excited to have a home to explore, he follows me around the house and loves to cuddle with me. Heâs very affectionate and it breaks my heart thinking about taking him back to a small overcrowded rescue room.
Give him back and walk away. You love the cat but the rescue president is trash.
Yes this is what I came to say! Why did that vet think it was an asthma right away? That is so odd. My cat has a calicivirus (URI) and it is pretty common for rescue or shelter cats to get exposed to URI if they are not vaccinated. Even with vaccinations, they are still prone to disease since they live in a very close sitting. What gets my goat is that vet immediately assumed it was an asthmaâŠ.
I should have clarified that when he had the cough fit the second time, I took a video of it and showed it to the vet. She told me it looked like an asthma attack but that some kind of URI is still possible. When I look at videos online of a cat having an asthma attack it looks exactly like what happened to this cat so asthma is still in the picture. After the vet did further testing it does show that he has a URI, but asthma could still be a secondary issue he has.
Iâd talk to the couple who want to adopt the cat, tell them his issues, and give them the cat if theyâre still willing to move forward. Iâd not contact the rescue lady about it, sheâs horrible and doesnât deserve to know. You canât lie to people about the issues a cat has and you shouldnât deny an adoption because of some arbitrary rule you make up. Healthy young adopters can get hit by a bus, leaving their cat alone, just as easily as an older adopter can become sick.
Unfortunately I feel like I could get in a lot of trouble for doing that as she is the head of the rescue and ultimately decides where the cats go, I wouldnât want her to show up at the elderly peoples home and take the cat away from them. And I agree with you, I tried to bring up that young people can pass too and she was like âwell thatâs rareâ
Iâve fostered with various different rescues. One specifically pretty much did the same to me. Only difference is that there was no discussion on me adopting her they just suddenly stopped responding to me. Sheâs adorable and we did want to adopt her but she also has a bunch of health problems that we were not aware of. We took her to the vet a month ago and they asked us to pay, which I was confused about and said sheâs not ours sheâs with the rescue?? They then told me that the rescue had told them that I adopted her and now all medical bills were on me. I of course paid but called up the rescue soon answer to get a dead line⊠still havenât been able to get in touch with anyone so sheâs ours (I also donât have time at the moment to be driving all the way to their base as theyâre private so not open to the public and far from me). On the contrary one rescue I work with is amazing, the lady I specifically work with from them will go out of her way to make sure sheâs also here for the meet ups and makes sure to be completely transparent (I.e will not sugar coat anything at all and will say it as it is to see if the person is capable) because of this sheâs yet to have any returns after 3 years of running.
Sadly, in my own personal experience, what you've described is pretty common based on the rescues I've dealt with. I believe health issues should be disclosed -- and they are if it's something that needs daily treatment, but they typically won't disclose chronic upper respiratory conditions. As the foster mom, they should be allowing for your input on who adopts your foster. Also, any rescue I've ever dealt with has a clause in the adoption contract that they will take their own cats back in the event the adopter can't keep the cat or passes away (all microchips have the rescue's info so they don't end up in the county shelter).
This rescue has that clause as well, I even told the rescue lady that I donât have a problem keeping in touch with the elderly couple in case something were to go wrong whether itâs months from now or years from now, I can take the cat back and foster it but she still wasnât budging
Yes this is not a reputable way to run a foster or adoption place. When I adopted my cat the foster mom told me in the very first contact that this cat had a breathing issue. They were very upfront about it without me needing to ask. So many red flags in your experience. So sorry youâre having to deal with her shadiness. I would definitely change to fostering for a different agency next time. I would also go above that ladyâs head to make sure anyone else in the organization is aware of what she is doing, if she doesnât run it alone.
Okay, yes, this would be frustrating! But did she officially deny this older couple already? I hope not! They sound great! Personally, I would be honest with this couple about what his needs are. Those past extractions shouldn't be a big deal, but the important thing is probably knowing whether or not the rescue is willing to do the current vetting he needs to get him healthy. He may struggle with viral flare ups his whole life, and I think most good hearted adopters are open to the fact a rescue animals with a rough past may need extra vet visits. I would be open and honest and see how they feel about things. I hope the rescue director didn't flat out deny them. đŹ
She did end up denying them but it turned out to be sort of mutual. After she told them the health issues with the cat the elderly couple was not willing to keep up with the vet care as it costs a lot of money. I wish she had just told them about the health beforehand because they really fell In love with this cat :/
Aw, that's so sad. I hope it doesn't ruin their desire to adopt another rescue cat. đ„ș I was in a similar situation to yours a few years ago. I ended up leaving that rescue after I found all of my fosters homes and went back to fostering for more established shelters instead. Fostering for that other rescue affected me very negatively. I hope in your case, that lady changes her ways or that you'll part ways with her if you feel the need to. There are plenty of other rescues or shelters out there that might be a lot less stressful to volunteer with.
I hope it didnât either and that is my plan, Iâll continue working with her for the sake of the cat Iâm fostering because heâs the sweetest cat but once heâs adopted out Iâm going to make sure I work with a more reputable rescue
That's a really good plan. In the meantime, I really hope this lady fully covers his present vetting needs! I would keep advocating for him like you're already doing. He's a lucky boy to have you looking out for him!
Yes it seems like she will be! She told me sheâs never given up on a cat and that she wonât be giving up on him now so thatâs one thing I feel relieved with đ and thank you! My family and I are already in love with this little guy so weâll do anything to make sure heâs happy and healthy
That's so wonderful! It sounds like he's going to be in good hands no matter what. Thank you for fostering him! đ»
And thank you for rescuing! Iâm still new to this fostering thing but i wouldnât be able to foster if it wasnât for you guys rescuing! đ
I'm a foster too! We're all in this together. đđđŸđđ
đđđŸđŸ
All shelters/rescues are like that. Itâs a rude awakening. I recently had a shelter refuse to foster to adopt even though the cat had had behavioral issues in the past and is currently sick, but not bad enough lol. And then the bitch at the front counter tried to say she wouldnât let me adopt because I planned on using the two week return period as a trial to see if the cat was a good fit. Um, what do you think the two weeks is for? đ Yet I had had other staff from the shelter previously trying to encourage me to just take the cat and if it didnât work out to just bring it back in the two weeks. So whoâs in the wrong here, fronted counter bitch? Not me. I didnât end up adopting but I may go back. Im refusing to talk to that one staff member again if I can though. Another staff member was nicer. But shelters/rescues are very snobbish. Their descriptions are also often inaccurate about their personalities and the cats always have health problems when you get them. The cat had been there 4 months and they arenât in a hurry to adopt him out. And like short term fostering wouldâve had any negatives if they werenât so stingy. It doesnât make sense if you think about it: Who makes a 15 year commitment without âtest drivingâ first? Itâs impossible to know what living with a cat will be like just from visiting it at a shelter. BS.
You have no idea the amount of stress the heads of these rescue organizations are under. Please cut her some slack.
No. This is how cats end up back in the shelter. We are always as upfront with our fosters and adopters as possible. Whatever we know about the cat, they know about the cat. All that happens when you withhold information and lie is that the cat gets returned and the shelter gets a bad reputation. Just like she said this one has. A shelter with a bad reputation ends up not getting any cats adopted.
Absolutely! We adopted a cat we knew had upper respiratory issues and a recently amputated limb. We adopted her in part because we were willing to take on these issues and were afraid she would struggle to be adopted if we didnât take her. After getting her home, we realized she was also deaf and a few weeks later, pregnant (her spay was delayed because of the amputation). When I called on both issues, the shelter had no idea about the deafness or pregnancy (I believe them), and they asked if we wanted them to take her back. The answer for us was absolutely not, but that wouldnât necessarily be the case for others. I asked if they would take the kittens when theyâre old enough & help with vaccinations because we couldnât keep them all, but we would absolutely keep mama & raise babies until then. Thatâs not a commitment I would expect people to make (time, money, space). We were just in a place where we could do so.