Cat rescue organizations work in the same way that dog rescue organizations do. They find homes for kittens and adult cats that can no longer remain with their families because of illness, divorce, relocation or other reasons. These organizations also adopt purebred kittens from animal shelters, rescue kittens from kitten mills and take in orphans.
If you like a certain breed of kitten a rescue organization can be a wonderful place to find a pedigree pet at a reasonable cost. Some rescue organizations specialize in looking after certain types of breeds and others generalize by saving all the cats that they can’t. Some rescue organization consists only of a couple of do-gooders and others are made up of big finicky committees of breed lovers who are dedicated to finding a home for a specific kind of cat.
A rescue organization is that it can often find you exactly the breed you want. Yet another perk is that rescue organizations are exemplary when it comes to following up on the health and well being of the adopted pet. By the way if you have to give up a pet and it is of a certain breed, a rescue group devoted to that breed is likely to take better care of your pet than a shelter. Rescue groups also shine when it comes to providing new kitty parents with information about the breed they are trying to rescue.
Sadly, not all pet rescue organizations are completely ethical. Make sure that when you are dealing with any pet rescue organization, whether to adopt, donate, or give up your pet, that it is legitimate. For the sake of your animal, please take the time to investigate the organization fully. Don’t be afraid to ask them about their mission statement and references from individuals who have adopted or given up their pets for adoption at the facility.
Ask for a reference from a veterinarian and be sure to follow through and contact the vet. There are people who represent themselves as “rescue”, when actually, they’re just in the market for free pedigreed kittens to breed or sell. Too many well-meaning individuals give up their pets to these so-called rescue organizations only to find out that they have really given up their valuable pedigreed cat to a cruel, greedy broker.
If you’re surrendering your pet to a rescue organization, ask about their adoption policy. Ask to see their adoption application and contract. You should report them immediately to the police if they have no application, no adoption contract or won’t allow you to visit the inside of their kennel.
You should also be suspicious if they charge too much to adopt. What do they have to make a profit for if they are a charitable organization? The good pet rescue organizations charge a lower, rather than a higher adoption fee. If the adoption fee is more than $100 it is likely that that the organization is selling the cats for profit rather than trying to place them in new homes.