How I Find FOREVER Homes for My Kitties
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- čas přidán 12. 01. 2022
- Welcome to another "Ask Kitten School"! In this video, I'll share the methods that I think are most successful when trying to find forever homes for my cats and kittens, once they are ready for adoption. As a foster mom, I take finding the right home for my kitties very seriously. After all, they have been in my home for weeks, even months, and I become very attached to them! But while having to say goodbye is bittersweet, I also take joy in knowing how much love and companionship that kitty will bring to their new family.
The internet and social media have made finding homes for cats and kittens a lot easier since you can reach a wide circle of people. In this video, I show how I use different "pet finder" platforms, along with adorable photos and good descriptions of the kitty, to find potential adopters. This also allows me to find out more about the person before they come over to meet the kitty, so I can feel confident that they will be able to provide a safe, loving, and permanent home.
Working with other people who are interested in cat rescue is a great source of support, networks, and resources. With my local group Kindness for Cats - Kindnessforcats.com - we have fostered and adopted out hundreds of cats and kittens. Another great way to find forever homes for our fosters is by hosting Kitty Adoption Events at local pet stores. A week before the event, we promote the adoptable cats on social media, and sometimes people arrive already knowing which kitty they want to adopt!
Most places have cat rescue groups, even if it's just a few people. Get to know the other people in your community who want to help homeless cats and kittens and work together. There's power in numbers, and you might even make a few new great friends!
Part of being a foster is learning the unique personalities of each cat or kitten, so you can be sure they are going to a home that is compatible with them. If I have a kitten who is extra energetic and loves to play, play, play, then I know a family with kids can be a great fit. A cat who is quiet and likes to snooze and snuggle is often best with a single person or a couple. Some cats really want to be with other cats, some would just as soon be only cats. By talking with potential adopters, I try to figure out what personality of cat suits them best.
I still get photos and updates on kitties that I adopted out years ago, and it always makes my day to know they are happy and loved by their families. They also refer their friends to me who come and adopt other kitties. Since I have started fostering and adopting out cats and kittens, I have met so many wonderful people who are just as cat-crazy as I am. Knowing my fosters are being cherished and providing so much happiness to their forever families is the BEST feeling in the world. It's one of the (many) perks of being a cat + kitten foster!
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Kitten School is a foster home for cat and kittens who need a safe place to stay while they grow, heal or learn to love. Saving cats is not always easy, but there's plenty to learn with every foster who stays at Kitten School...be it a week old orphan kitten or an elderly cat abandoned at the shelter. We also have a TON of fun! Watching a Kitten School video is guaranteed to make you smile and to feel a little better about the world. Subscribe now and join the Kitten School family...a place for cat lovers of all ages and nationalities!
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I managed to nab 8 kittens between 2 feral cats. I've gotten all but one friendly. I've been reaching out to cat rescue groups in my area, putting them on next door, I'm going to make flyers and hold my own event at my own office, craigslist, petfinder, everything I can! I'm getting them all fixed, and managed to get one of the feral moms fixed, and want to get the other feral cat but I can't get an appointment with ASPCA. I know I've just started looking for homes and rescue groups but haven't had success yet. I'm terrified and can't sleep that these babies won't get homes and I'll have to let them all go, minus the skills they would have gotten on surviving from their mother. Rescuing is HARD and heartbreaking, and I hope to the cat gods I find a group that will help me or homes that will take them and love them! Thank you for what you do!
You're doing beautiful work. Thank you!
Thank you so much! I appreciate the comment. Purrrrrs to you!
You make my ❤️ smile!, Caroline!
Same to you, Melissa. Can't wait to see you in February!
You make my ❤️ happy!
Thank you Melissa! Only another week until we get to see each other!
You write, you paint and you save cats. You're like the perfect human!
LOL I don't think my husband would agree but that is SO incredibly sweet of you! Thanks, you just made my day. XOXOXO
You're such a wonderful person, we don't deserve you.
Gosh, that is very very sweet of you!
Great video. Thanks for sharing your amazing work.
Thanks for watching! Appreciate the nice comment. xoxo
You are the best
Hi, Caroline. Great , interesting video and a good insight into what you do. Best wishes from Adrian and our beautiful tuxedo cat Jess who we took in 5 years ago . Love from Sheffield South Yorkshire England 😊😸🐈
Hi Adrian, sorry for the late reply! Thank you for watching and for always commenting. It's so nice to see your kind and supportive messages! Give your tux Jesse a kiss for me, I'm a softie for the tuxes!
👏👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you for the nice comment!
I adopted one cat now I have 7 cats the 6 adopted us I live in the country. 3 of the cats were adults and two of them were ferial and had to be socialized the rest were kittens.
Hi Charles, yes a few of our own cats "adopted" us...we didn't have much say in the matter. But we love them all so much. Thank you for the nice comment!
Great work. I think almost any cat be socialized with enough kindness and patience. Tiny kittens born in the wild with no human contact can be just as wild and ferocious as any adult feral.
@@KittenSchool Yes, we have one of those, too We think of him as a very special cat because of the way we got him. He's the only stray we've ever had.
Regarding adopting cats at stores, do you visit the people who get the cats to make sure they are well suited to the cat and will take care of them forever? Reason I ask is that I've heard that some adoption organizations who have adoption days at stores do not follow up with visits to see if the cats are safe. Otherwise, I like very much what you're doing.
Hi there, great question. We do use a screening process before anyone can adopt, and if at any time we feel that the adoption is an "impulse" or otherwise not a good home, we will refuse. Most of the kitties at these events have been promoted ahead of time, so the foster parent has corresponded with the potential adopter ahead of time. The store event is more a chance for people to meet the kittens after they have reached out online. And all the fosters do follow up afterwards to make sure things are going well. We always stress that any adopted cat or kitten can be brought back to the foster if an unseen event happens, like a medical emergency where they can't care for the kitty properly. I always adopt my own fosters out by corresponding with people through email or on the phone, then once I feel they are a good home, I invite them to see the kitties at my home. I feel I have more control over where the kitties are going, and it works best for me. But some foster parents are not comfortable having people in their homes, so meeting at the adoption event is better for them.
@@KittenSchool Two of our cats were returned to the shelter. One family decided our B&W kitty just was't cute anymore, or at least that's what the shelter told us. The other was returned after two weeks because the resident cat was hiding under the bed and wouldn't come out. Both cats are wonderful and have never given us any problems. They also got long with our resident cats within 24 hours, or less.
@@KittenSchool Hi Caroline, I can side with all those foster care People who would want to keep business out of their homes, but simply for the sake of not being embarrassed. Caroline, you must keep a lovely home and I'm amazed you can find the time. Well, what you lack in Time you can gain back by Energy, huh? Stay well.
What do you do with cats that aren't suitable for adoption? How do you determine that? You have a magnificent operation going here. I'm sure you'd approve of our home for adopting one of your cats, but we live too far away. Still looking for a now white kitty!
Hi, great question. I am lucky enough to have a good circle of cat crazy friends and acquaintances and we all try to support each other. So when I get a kitty who can't be adopted due to behavior, I usually have them fixed, vaccinated, and ear clipped (to indicate that they have been neutered or spayed) and introduce them into a managed cat colony. I do have a couple of friends who own property and like having outside cats to care for. In return I buy them cat food and help with veterinary costs, when needed. It's a cat symbiotic relationship! But I truly believe that there is a place for EVERY cat. I'll keep my eye out for that white kitty for you! We love our Snowy Flake Sugar Nosecandy Pookah Marie more than anything. XOXOX Caroline
@@KittenSchool Thank you for your response and I apologize for the typo "now white kitty." Obviously you know I meant "snow white kitty." If there was a cat colony around me I'd certainly help take care of them. We don't have many strays around here. The one who did show up now lives inside with us. Another one, a black cat, disappeared one day and was never seen again after coming around for a few months. That was several years ago. We could never get any closer than about 5-6 feet from hm/her. I still think about that cat and wonder what happened. Another black cats show up here maybe once a month, but is extremely wild. We can't even feed that one. The other cats know when it's near the house. We thought the one we have now would be our "outdoor kitty" but that didn't last long. He lives a pampered life of luxury now and is sleeping on the bed as I write this. Your handling of unfriendly cats sounds like a great plan. Yes, there's a place for all of them.