Re-homing your own or pets you have found can be stressful, but it can be done in a responsible way. You can find wonderful adopters! Just be smart about it. Thank you for trying to help the pets in your area – it’s a group effort and every single life counts.

For found kittens and cats: if you have other cats in your home, keep them separated in the beginning to promote household harmony. An office or even a bathroom will work to keep the found cat safe and keep your cat happy.

• In any postings you share, ask people to tell you about themselves, their household, and what they are looking for in a new pet. When they email – if they don’t tell you those things – ask again.

  • Anticipate questions so you don’t have to talk to or email people that aren’t going to work out. Tell them the following: Litter box trained? Crate trained? Housetrained? Good with kids/cats/dogs? Likes to be brushed? Used to baths? Include the age of the pet and his/her overall temperament. Loves belly rubs? Include it. Spayed/neutered/shots up to date? Include “Home Visit Required” to weed out people who may not be suitable.

• List in the posting that an adoption application is required. Only list your email (not a phone number) so that you get an application back before speaking to them.

  • Follow up the adoption application with a phone interview to discuss the application. Let them talk – you’ll be surprised by what you may learn. Ask where the pet will be kept during the day/during the night.

  • Ask if cat adopters plan to declaw their cat. Declawing is very inhumane; more the 26 countries have banned the procedure. Read more at Paw Project.

  • Be honest about the pet – if there are issues, list them so that your pet doesn’t end up being tossed around from home to home or dumped at a shelter.

  • Ask for a vet reference and follow up with it. Double-check that the name and number of the clinic actually exists with a quick google search.

• Always request at least a small fee. There are dog fighters in our area. There are people who will pick up free pets and sell them for research. Do not give away pets for free. If you are not comfortable taking the money, have them make a donation to a local animal organization such as the Athens County Humane Society or Friends of the Shelter Dogs.

  • If the pet is not spayed or neutered, consider having the adoption fee cover this surgery to reduce the number of homeless pets.

• You can do a criminal check searching the municipal court records for a particular county. Domestic violence is strongly linked to animal abuse. These charges are often pleaded down to disorderly conduct; you’ll have to drill down into the docket to see what the original charge was.

• Give new adopters the link to Introducing a New Cat to Your Household.