Seeking Hivemind Tips for Finding Home for a Foster Cat
October 8, 2016 9:13 AM Subscribe
Assume, correctly, that I am someone who barely uses social media and is still shocked that people prefer to text rather than speak on the phone, what tips/ideas/things have you tried that you would or wouldn't recommend for finding a great cat a great home?
I am fostering a cat that showed up on my porch, after failing to find its owners. After contacting an independent rescue in my city (Houston) that said I could bring her to their adoption fairs, I never could contact them again. That seemed okay at the time because she hates being in a carrier, car, et cetera, and I don't think she'd be all that appealing meowing loudly.
I have posted her in various Facebook groups, on Nextdoor, am trying flyers around the neighborhood, though that is difficult. At first, I was getting a lot of attention for her because she is a longhaired cat and that seems like a good thing for whatever reason. But a family came to adopt her and found that she just hated it at their house (they had kids and my place is super quiet) and have brought her back. And the inquiries have just dried up.
So now, I'm at the point where her presence is making my other cats pretty unhappy so I feel guilty and I'm over pet limit in my apartment. I mean, if all else fails, I'll keep her, but if anyone has some ideas, I'd sure appreciate it.
But what am I missing out on? Printing up business cards with her info and making my nephews put them on cars outside pet stores on the weekends? What are the new things I should be trying that I'm not even thinking of because I barely even use Facebook.
I am fostering a cat that showed up on my porch, after failing to find its owners. After contacting an independent rescue in my city (Houston) that said I could bring her to their adoption fairs, I never could contact them again. That seemed okay at the time because she hates being in a carrier, car, et cetera, and I don't think she'd be all that appealing meowing loudly.
I have posted her in various Facebook groups, on Nextdoor, am trying flyers around the neighborhood, though that is difficult. At first, I was getting a lot of attention for her because she is a longhaired cat and that seems like a good thing for whatever reason. But a family came to adopt her and found that she just hated it at their house (they had kids and my place is super quiet) and have brought her back. And the inquiries have just dried up.
So now, I'm at the point where her presence is making my other cats pretty unhappy so I feel guilty and I'm over pet limit in my apartment. I mean, if all else fails, I'll keep her, but if anyone has some ideas, I'd sure appreciate it.
But what am I missing out on? Printing up business cards with her info and making my nephews put them on cars outside pet stores on the weekends? What are the new things I should be trying that I'm not even thinking of because I barely even use Facebook.
Do you have a local city subreddit?
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:15 AM on October 8, 2016
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:15 AM on October 8, 2016
You'd want to vet/question the person indepth of course, but I adopted my oldest cat (Erwin, now ten years old) off of a Craigslist listing. Depending on where you live, it might be worth a try?
posted by amileighs at 9:29 AM on October 8, 2016
posted by amileighs at 9:29 AM on October 8, 2016
A couple of points:
Just about every part of the country has an incredible over-abundance of cats. So you're going to be fighting an up-hill battle.
With regard to the rescue group that didn't return your calls: I'm not surprised. I don't know why this is the case, but animal-related organizations tend to be disorganized to the point of being chaotic. My advice would be to just show-up at one of their adoption fairs and talk to them in person. If they agree, go home, get the cat, and come back. Also, contact other rescue groups. But be very wary of surrendering your cat to a shelter, because a shelter may euthanize the cat.
posted by alex1965 at 9:30 AM on October 8, 2016 [4 favorites]
Just about every part of the country has an incredible over-abundance of cats. So you're going to be fighting an up-hill battle.
With regard to the rescue group that didn't return your calls: I'm not surprised. I don't know why this is the case, but animal-related organizations tend to be disorganized to the point of being chaotic. My advice would be to just show-up at one of their adoption fairs and talk to them in person. If they agree, go home, get the cat, and come back. Also, contact other rescue groups. But be very wary of surrendering your cat to a shelter, because a shelter may euthanize the cat.
posted by alex1965 at 9:30 AM on October 8, 2016 [4 favorites]
Maybe talk to your vet? My vet sometimes connects people who just had to have a pet euthanized with people who have a pet that needs a home.
posted by OrangeDisk at 9:36 AM on October 8, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by OrangeDisk at 9:36 AM on October 8, 2016 [5 favorites]
Pretty girl. She looks like she has a smidge of Maine Coon in her. You might want to throw that term in any ads with the caveat that it's only a guess. Maine Coons are beloved and awesome cats; you might find that it catches someone's attention. Lots of vets will let you post ads in their waiting rooms. There are pet Facebook pages in most communities that allow postings like this.
Good luck. She's a cutie.
posted by thebrokedown at 10:02 AM on October 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
Good luck. She's a cutie.
posted by thebrokedown at 10:02 AM on October 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
alex1965 is somewhat correct about animal rescue groups being chaotic, but it's often a thing people do alongside busy work and family lives, so there are moments people drop temporarily off the radar because they're caught up with something else. It's good advice to go see them in person. They tend to be all about the human connection, knowing something of the character of the person who's been fostering animals.
posted by zadcat at 11:02 AM on October 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by zadcat at 11:02 AM on October 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
What an adorable kitty. Well-tempered longhair rescues are rarer for some reason, so as you discovered she has that going for her. Assuming she's at a healthy weight, she's not heavy-boned enough to have much Maine Coon blood--example: my Maine Coon mix adoptee was a bony 10 lbs when we first got her--but her coloring is gorgeous! If you want to be fancy, you can call her a dilute calico classic tabby longhair. (You can tell the tabby because she has a symmetrical forehead and eye markings, and classic tabby because her coat doesn't have thin stripes.)
When you advertise, be sure to to emphasize her compatibility in a multi-cat household AND dispreference for kids/noise.
posted by serelliya at 11:52 AM on October 8, 2016
When you advertise, be sure to to emphasize her compatibility in a multi-cat household AND dispreference for kids/noise.
posted by serelliya at 11:52 AM on October 8, 2016
- Get her into an online database of some rescue group. People who are looking for cats sometimes look online.
- Post her with good photos to Craigslist. There are a lot of kitties there, and I'd look there if I were looking.
- Make a flyer with her photo on it and notes about her personality and her needs. You do not want _all_ the potential adopters, you want the _right_ potential adopter.
- Network. Seriously, it's like looking for a job. Ask your friends to ask their friends; ask them to ask their kids to ask around at school. Give everybody multiple copies of a flyer with a photo on it. Be gentle about it, be grateful for any help, don't blame people if they can't help you. However, an adopter will turn up when you least expect it.
- If the flyer doesn't already include the story of how the kids were rambunctious and the noise scared her, add it. Sad scared kitties who need a calm loving person are a compelling (and true) story that will connect with a good adopter.
- Don't give up. We had one foster cat for 2 years and another for 1 year, but then, the right people appeared. One found our foster cat in the rescue group's database (which is how most of the foster kittens were adopted), and another was a friend who wasn't even asked until after a year had passed.
Sometimes problems are really insoluble, but usually the solution just hasn't been found yet.
posted by amtho at 12:02 PM on October 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
- Post her with good photos to Craigslist. There are a lot of kitties there, and I'd look there if I were looking.
- Make a flyer with her photo on it and notes about her personality and her needs. You do not want _all_ the potential adopters, you want the _right_ potential adopter.
- Network. Seriously, it's like looking for a job. Ask your friends to ask their friends; ask them to ask their kids to ask around at school. Give everybody multiple copies of a flyer with a photo on it. Be gentle about it, be grateful for any help, don't blame people if they can't help you. However, an adopter will turn up when you least expect it.
- If the flyer doesn't already include the story of how the kids were rambunctious and the noise scared her, add it. Sad scared kitties who need a calm loving person are a compelling (and true) story that will connect with a good adopter.
- Don't give up. We had one foster cat for 2 years and another for 1 year, but then, the right people appeared. One found our foster cat in the rescue group's database (which is how most of the foster kittens were adopted), and another was a friend who wasn't even asked until after a year had passed.
Sometimes problems are really insoluble, but usually the solution just hasn't been found yet.
posted by amtho at 12:02 PM on October 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
Network. Seriously, it's like looking for a job. Ask your friends to ask their friends;
Seconding this. Two separate friends of mine rehomed their cats (one of them twice) and it was always a friend of a friend who took them. Maybe try to add something funny / cute in the post that will make people more likely to share the post?
posted by ClarissaWAM at 12:32 PM on October 8, 2016
Seconding this. Two separate friends of mine rehomed their cats (one of them twice) and it was always a friend of a friend who took them. Maybe try to add something funny / cute in the post that will make people more likely to share the post?
posted by ClarissaWAM at 12:32 PM on October 8, 2016
Oh, also: if she's good with the litterbox and with not destroying things, chewing, clawing carpet/furniture, etc., be sure to mention this. People worry about these details when they're considering a cat; you don't even think about it if you already have the cat and she's not destructive.
posted by amtho at 1:29 PM on October 8, 2016
posted by amtho at 1:29 PM on October 8, 2016
Are there any local fosterers who have a strong social media or web presence? Could you ask them to send out a "signal boost" for you? I'm thinking of someone like Tacoma WA's Itty Bitty Kitty Committee.
posted by spamandkimchi at 1:42 PM on October 8, 2016
posted by spamandkimchi at 1:42 PM on October 8, 2016
Nextdoor or Rooster? Another social or freebox site in your area?
posted by fritillary at 2:16 PM on October 8, 2016
posted by fritillary at 2:16 PM on October 8, 2016
Petfinder.com is a good site, but you need to find a rescue who has an account there and is willing to host an ad for your cat. Since she's longhaired, you might look up Persian cat rescue on petfinder and inquire with your local group about hosting your cat on petfinder and perhaps on their website as well. Also post flyers at mom and pop pet stores and vet clinics. Apartment complexes often have bulletin boards near the mailboxes where you could also post a flyer. Definitely emphasize that she gets along with other cats.
posted by txtwinkletoes at 7:15 PM on October 8, 2016
posted by txtwinkletoes at 7:15 PM on October 8, 2016
To catch the attention of Houston-area mefites, can you edit/ask the mods to edit the title of this question to include "Houston"? (Assuming, of course, this doesn't violate ask.mefi policies.)
posted by she's not there at 8:14 PM on October 8, 2016
posted by she's not there at 8:14 PM on October 8, 2016
Oh hey, I live in Houston and have a colleague who is super active in animal rescue here. She can hook you into the network of people that you need. Please send me a MefiMail or regular email and I'm happy to put you in touch.
posted by librarylis at 9:34 PM on October 9, 2016
posted by librarylis at 9:34 PM on October 9, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by not that mimi at 9:14 AM on October 8, 2016 [1 favorite]