When I had this insane thought that I'd rehome my 2nd FELV + cat, the late great Romeo, I learned that its not easy--particularly over the phone. But the ONE thing that seemed to work real well is a vet reference. I found vets, or rather the office manager, pretty clear in their assessments. The scary thing is that there were a couple of people who asked about adopting him who sounded great on the phone but when I talked to their vet, the horror stories gave me the chills. And the other side of the coin is that those folks who got great vet references clearly were known to their vet for following up and giving good care.
Of course, the problem is when you have a potential adopter who does not now have a pet or a current vet. But one thing I learned in doing postKatrina reunion work, if you get somebody to talk about their pet or a pet they used to have, you get a real good sense of their attitudes. If they don't include in their conversation all those little things about a pet that we all know about--those tiny little things that make our pet unique (what they like to eat, what they like to play with, where they sleep, what they do when they're mad, what funny sounds or gestures they make, etc.)--then they weren't too attentive and the potential for a future adoption dims. Christiane Biagi Cell: 914-720-6888 [email protected] Volunteer-St. Bernard Parish Animal Shelter http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbpshelter/sets/72157603921945483/ -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of MaryChristine Sent: Monday, August 31, 2009 8:41 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] (FeLV talk) Sanctuaries i've been mentioning for years that we, who are on the front lines of this, should write up a home visit protocol for sanctuaries, so that all the correct questions ARE asked.... each of us has different ideas of what is important, and it's so important for folks to recognize the difference between a sanctuary setting, and a forever spoiled-housecat home. so input is needed from both sides... if we could pull together something that was realistic, then it would be possible for local people to do some of the early footwork. we just CANNOT believe what a website shows, because anyone can make up a website. nor can judgments be made on places that don't have the time to make a fancy one-- we could make a thread that is specifically for the purpose of coming up with questions to ask, and things to look for, and make it a place to figure out how to do this finding-a-place thing easier and surer.... MC On Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 5:53 PM, Carmen Conklin <[email protected]>wrote: > I am a member of this list who doesn't get a chance to spend time > responding > to posts, but I would like to encourage those looking into sanctuaries to > be > sure to visit them if at all possible and that is a great idea about asking > what happens to the cats or the sanctuary if the founders die or can no > longer care for the animals. That is an essential part of questions to ask > all sanctuaries as there are a lot of them out there that make the rest of > us look 'bad' it seems. I am the director and co-founder of C & W Rustic > Hollow Shelter in Iowa and I know Laurie and MC and Sharyl are familiar > with > our work and we always tell people if they are thinking of taking any cat > to > a rescue or sanctuary they absolutely should go themselves or send someone > they know to check it out. We have solid plans to continue past us and our > board would make the decision at that point to not take any more cats > except > those who are planned to come here when it is time, or to go ahead and > continue the sanctuary as it is now. We have five buildings at this time > and > are building a sixth one this fall. But your ideas are so 'right on' about > visiting places and finding out the plans for their future. Great ideas. > Also, our FeLV areas have cats that are over 5 years and lost one this > summer who was 18 and had one other live to be 19 years ago. That's the > exception not the rule, however. Five years is a critical period for FeLV > kits and sometimes no matter how much you do for them, the end result is > the same. Our philosophy is it is 'quality of their lives, not the > quantity" > and that is what we strive for. Carmen and furballs at C & W Rustic Hollow > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > [email protected] > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > -- Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference.... MaryChristine Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (www.purebredcats.org) Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team) _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list [email protected] http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list [email protected] http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
