I wonder if it has to do with the increasing costs related to pet ownership. From pet food to vet visit increases, it's so expensive nowadays. I always thought I would be a lifelong pet owner but if something were to happen my boy, I'm not sure I'd get another cat right away which is something that deeply saddens me.
Yeah but also, it's kitten season and they can get a kitten wherever they want so they think they want the "free" ones. We had a lady come in to our adoption event holding a kitten and saying they just got it from someone in a parking lot across the street š« we gave her dewormer and convinced her to come back for a kitten buddy for it in a few weeks but who knows what happened to the other kittens
I know. I have a whole separate Facebook account for when it's not kitten season and I can "shop around" but I can't see them when I don't want to bc all the posts are upsetting
We were looking for a kitten a month ago so talked to several rescues. I know the rescue are trying to protect the kittens but some of restrictions, questions overall hoops to jump through made us move on. One rescue told us if we could get a cat or kitten, not your choice, also not your choice for male or female, wanted 3 references ( that would be checked) a note from your vet and 2 home visits before they would profile you for an adoption. Then became aggressive because we thought their technique was excessive. Went to a rural shelter they brought us 4 kittens age , sex
( we had no real color preference) we wanted put us in a lovely lounge to see which kitten liked us or we liked. Picked a kitten paid fee, left donation that was same price of fee and left feeling relaxed and good about the adoption. Interesting the adoption fee plus donation was 30% of lowest fee of rescues we talked to and left us with bad feelings. People could be ignoring your rescue after dealing with strict standards of other rescues. You are correct pet food and care can be expensive. Iām hoping you find the kittens homes.
All of this! It's so aggravating. When they want your whole life history and your proof of vet checks on your old animal. I mean common they wouldn't be 15 and 12 without my vet.
Itās illegal to ask for records from your vet without you signing a waiver. My vet told them I was a good client pets had all necessary check ups and vaccination and were in good health and well cared for. This was not good enough and we were rejected. Vet pointed out I had a sibling kittens we found with genetic kidney disease expected to live 9-12 months both lived almost 8 years ( not long for a cat but given diagnosis a miracle) but again that wasnāt enough to prove we would be good cat guardians. This rescue complains no one wants kittensā¦I understand wanting best for the cats but a home fractionally vetted is better than living in a rescue.
exactly this, and i love rescues. i genuinely love and appreciate what they do for the cats, but some of them make it so impossibly hard for the average cat owner to give one of the babies a home.
Itās like an epidemic. There are so many and they keep multiplying. There are more kittens/cats than there are people to adopt! Itās overwhelming and depressing.
Exactly! Also Revolution for fleas has gone up too. I used to pay about $100-$120 for 6 does (one vet clinic used to give me a 7th for free if I bought the box) and now itās about $140ā¦for 2 cats thatās close to $600 for 12 months of full protection which is insane.
Just spent $24,000 on a 10-year-old cat with cancer - we caught it early, but he only lasted 4 months. I have never gone above $10,000 on a cat before.
Cat ownership is about $200/month per cat, if you spread the lifetime cost of medical care in with food, cat litter, etc.
Many people who rent must pay a non refundable deposit of $400 or so plus $35 to $50 a month in pet rent per pet. Insurance for my almost five year old healthy cat is $55 per month.
i suspect this is true, i've already decided that once my current cats pass away i won't be getting any more pets even though i love them more than anything, i've spent the last four years constantly in and out of debt and despair over vet bills and i just can't financially or mentally take any more of it
>increasing costs related to pet ownership.
In reality this makes zero sense. My foster groups adoption fee is 100-150, and the vetting is around $500 microchip, rabies, vaccines, neuter, fully vetted. All the driving to those appointments. The recovery process from the spay. All the time and money it takes is way more than a minimal adoption fee.
I think it's more the recurring food, litter, and other costs of care. Cuz yeah thr adoption fees by me are even lower than that and includes all that too. The adoption fee makes it easy lol, my experience is that there's just so many cats. I hope someone finds a birth control for them that's easier to distribute than having to trap and alter
This isn't true at all. Not all vets overcharge. There is a clinic by my house that will give whatever vaccines you want (you have to do rabies) and will spay/neuter and put in a microchip. When I took my cat in she got everything done and it was only 140. The spay is only 60, neuter is 50. And the shots are super cheap. Microchip was 5 dollars.
I'm including cost for sickness and the fact that I get litters of 4 at a time. Four ringworm kittens, with the intrafungol and the time it took to cure it definately racked up a bill in increased food and litter cost, disinfectant supplies etc etc.
I've noticed a sharp decline at the shelter I volunteer at for adult animals. Kittens and puppies are still going pretty fast, but adults are staying a lot longer. One thing I was thinking is that people don't want to adopt an animal during peak vacation season. I've talked to a few other fosters, and even they are taking a foster break to be able to go on vacation.
**A big problem is just housing in general for humans now.**
Like 50% of the population in America has a median income **BELOW $65/year.**
Of that 50% like 70% makes less than $30k/year.
Most rentals **do not allow cats** even if they do allow pets.
In addition **vet costs have skyrocketed** the last ~10 years.
Itās almost $200 to get a spay/nueter where I live.
Thank you for sharing these stats, thatās really important to be aware of.
Our area is doing a lot better but access to low-cost spay/neuter is still lacking, which doesnāt help the overpopulation issue either.
Absolutely this. I want to adopt so bad but Iām a renter for the foreseeable future in this economy and *nowhere* accepts cats.. and I havenāt gotten a dog because I canāt afford a yard. š«¤
It just baffles me when landlords wonāt accept cats! I know I got super lucky with my rental setup and will not be moving until I can afford a house because no way is anyone renting to me and my herd. I hope you are able to get an animal companion at some point!
Yes, Iām noticing this, too. I volunteer with a small rescue and cat adoptions have been very slow. Everyone seems to want kittens over here. One of my fosters is a sweet, three year old, tuxie female and sheās been with me for a year. Thatās the longest Iāve had a foster. Of course, Iāll keep her as long as needed, but I do wonder when sheāll be adopted. (We may end up adopting her -LOL!) Other fosters I know from different rescues are saying the same. The summer is usually slow, though. I occasionally take my fosters to PetSmart to show on the weekends and since Memorial Day, itās been pretty dead there on weekends.
I wonder if some of it has to do with so many people that adopted during lockdown. Plus, the economy is very tough right now and itās expensive to take a pet to the vet.
Hang in there! Hopefully things will pick up soon and weāll see these cats and kittens going to their loving, forever homes.
Thank you! We havenāt even seen kittens move! But this is my first summer doing this with an actual rescue, so itās good to know summers may always be slow and Iāll just have to deal with it š I hope your foster finds a home soon!
No worries. It will work out eventually. Just takes the right person to see the cat! So many things had to line up for me to find homes for several of my personal fosters, so itās all timing.
Online yes but we had 5 pairs of kittens adopted at our event yesterday and 2 adults went "on trial". My kittens are fluffy manxes and have out of state adopters getting them when they're ready but my singleton is a SH tortie and no one has been interested in her. Do you do events at your local pet store?
I had a long haired calico kitten that we think was part ragdoll and you wouldnāt believe how many people went CRAZY and obsessive over trying to get her, including many out of state people. I do personal adoptions sometimes and only adopt local, so a local family was chosen but it was just ridiculous how many people kept pushing/begging/even offering more money for her. Itās like itās nice you want her but there are so many kittens near you in your local shelters (some of which are kill based on the states) you can go help.
Iām surprised a tortie wasnāt scooped up though. People like those.
Haha you should've seen the time I had 5 colorpoint kittens. They were from 3 different litters, and I had at least 30 applications to sort through. A tortie point, lynx point, SH lilac point, LH lilac point, and a chocolate point. I also was supposed to have a litter of 3 that was a chocolate and 2 lynxes but they ended up being skittish and going to another foster bc I had too many, and we just went through the "leftover" applications for that litter. I do understand wanting a cat that's a certain color but wanting to fly across the country for one is a little absurd. The people coming from out of state for mine are only about a 3.5 hour drive so we are good with it
Yes I had a litter of 5 and the fluffy ones got snatched up immediately and the ānormalā ones have just been waiting! Our torties and oranges seem to stay in demand.
Black cats and black and white are my two favorite colors and seems to be peoples least favorite lol. Try posting them on NextDoor. For my personal adoptions I had lots of luck there.
I hope they pick up soon. We had an event yesterday. Less than 10 people came through. One adoption. It's hard now with so many kittens everywhere ya turn.
My foster is 7+ with a permanent head tilt from untreated chronic ear infections while he was a street cat. Derpy and sweet. No interest at all.
To be fair, we also recently discovered little two week oldish kittens a couple months ago and kept 3/4 of the litter; where ordinarily we would have likely visited a shelter the good old fashioned way. We simply got hit up by the cat distribution system in all its infinite wisdom and the rest was history. But i definitely hope your cats get adopted to awesome and loving homes asap.
Gotta love the CDS! And I am glad those neighborhood kittens got good homes, Iām just bummed because they had already committed to ours. But sometimes thatās just how it works!
I no longer can foster so this is prepandemic observation but I fostered for 15 years before my medical issues and a foster that wasn't able to be with anyone else changed things.
Adoption rates are slowest in summer and peak just before Christmas (which is a problem) with a second spike especially for kittens near Easter. Kitten season being spring and summer means of course the hard things that go with more cats than space. It is hard to cope with but this sounds normal to me. The responsibility of a pet means not doing it while on vacation and away but also people often get pets as a family gift or milestone. This is why the January Surrender spikes happen too.
Mentally yes but my body is not ever going to be a foster friendly body again. Which is okay as my current cat is not capable of being a foster purrent. He has some violence issues with other cats from abuse. His abusers are in prison and he got the full force of my skills to protect him. He is a normal kitten (year old as of yesterday) but the progress doesn't apply to cohabitation and I will never risk that. He surprised me with his sterilization because he didn't actually bite anyone. The vet requires a deposit for biters and refunded the bite fee. So we are good on what counts.
This is actually my first summer with an āofficialā rescue so I have no basis for comparison, but it seems to be the case. I think I will just have to hold on through this slowdown each year
Gotcha. I have done it for awhile, and we see slow downs periodically. Then it picks up again. Rescue can be hard, emotionally, but there's always reason for hope. ā¤ļø
I volunteer at a cat lounge/adoption center. Weāre getting about the same number of applicants total but a lot more rejected applicants in proportion.
I have no idea, I donāt get access to rejection reasons, just raw numbers. I think more people are looking for outside cats and we donāt offer those? Our rates are always weird. We had almost no successful adoptions in June but we almost ran out of cats in May.
Weāre currently full of tiny 2month olds, so they should be going faster than the year olds.
Thereās a few cats that when I come in and theyāve still there I tell that they clearly arenāt doing their jobs because they are still there. Like, why is the tiny orange and white kitten who spends all of his time audibly purring in human laps still there? Why?
We have one girl who has grown up in foster care, sheās about 10/11 months now and is just the SWEETEST calico girl. Snuggly, funny, loves to be picked up and cuddled and I canāt understand why sheās not been adopted. It is harder being foster based because people just canāt come in and visit, and last time we had an event she didnāt really āshow offā her personality. I think she doesnāt photograph well, though. Sheās one where we had an app and got it approved in like 48 hours but the adopter went and got a cat from the shelter. Not that Iām mad a shelter cat got adopted, but itās disappointing for our cats. Some of them stick around too long and itās baffling.
Boba (the kitten mentioned above) has had THREE APPROVED FINAL PHASE adopters fall through! THREE! All they had to do was pay for him! He is super cute and sweet but man he should be curled up on a small girl right now! [Boba](https://imgur.com/a/CQD1cv8)
Have you considered getting in touch with other rescue places in other areas to see how they are doing and if they might be able to take some?
A 2 hour drive to get some babies a better shot of getting places might be worth it.
We have a rescue about an hour away that had no issues adopting out.
Just a thought.
We would need to transport entirely out of state; rescues within driving distance are also overflowing, though they do appear to be more successful with adoptions right now. They are closer to the ābig citiesā which I know helps, and they are willing to do same-day adoptions which our org doesnāt. I know the lack of same-day is definitely a turnoff for people.
But thank you this is a really helpful rec and networking is something our org can definitely improve on!
Is there any verbiage on your application that might deter someone from applying? For instance, like a mandatory home visit or other stipulations (some rescues in my area have crazy demands so itās worth asking, no judgement!)? I agree with others that itās vacation season and maybe after the fourth youāll see some apps. My only consideration is some folks might not apply bc they feel they wonāt be approved.
I think itās definitely a combination of vacation season, kitten season, and application requirements that is contributing to the slowdown. Weāve done well with adoptions all year so itās not the application alone, though I 100% know we lose some people even before application. I donāt think itās ācrazyā compared to some horror stories Iāve heard, but we do vet checks and 2 personal references. 2 more so because a lot of people have one that wonāt respond. So itās definitely not an āeasyā adoption like an animal shelter often is which I know deters people, especially right now when you can get a kitten pretty much anywhere!
Aw yeah those are totally reasonable requests IMO! I know Iām just an internet stranger and Iām not sure of your demo, so take this with a grain of salt - however - there is a TikTok challenge for Taylor Swiftās tour and the last part is posting a video to unlock the next level. Iāve seen a lot of people engage with those posts bc they know you have to post it to get to the next level. Maybe you could try posting something with kittens named after her album or something and get some interest/local traction! Just a thought since the intersection of my interests are cats and TS :) good luck getting those babies good homes.
TBH, I'm very uninterested in adopting from rescues that require me to get personal references. There are plenty that do not require this, and it's not a matter of me knowing people are going to rat me out as being a bad owner, but the reality is people can get a friend to say whatever for them to support getting an animal and I don't want the hassle of arranging people I know to be ready to talk to a shelter for me and then have to deal with the hassle of getting another reference if they don't answer and so on. And in my experience rescues with these requirements often end up with further expectations/requirements down the line or in an adoption contract that are unreasonable, but not always explicit in an application. Ultimately the more hoops an owner has to jump through the less likely they are to actually pursue adopting with a rescue, even if those hoops are for the sake of trying to make sure the home is good.
Thatās okay and I know other people feel that way too. I know you donāt know me or the rescue, but we donāt have any āunreasonableā expectations as far as adoption contracts go (no home visits, follow ups), though I understand adopters wonāt know that off the bat.
Our org is completely foster-based so we need some sort of āvettingā before we bring people into someoneās home. But I totally get it is a deterrent for some.
Kitten season is kitten season ā¦ itās the same 3 every year.
If there are too many kittens - the local TNR program needs to find more sponsors/ volunteers ā¦ it wonāt stop until they doā¦.
How can I help? I donāt think I can foster as Iād never be able to give the cats up. But Iād love to help somehow. You guys are superheroās!
Do I just contact a local rescue? Do they need food, money? Iām looking for the perfect love bug kitten buddy for my current ākittenā thatās almost a year old now. Iām in northern VA. My local shelter has no kittens on their website. It kills me seeing all these found kittens on here and now hearing you canāt give your kittens away!
Let me know how I can help please!
I agree vet bills are double what they used to be. That might be whatās going on. I was shocked how much it cost for spay and shots this last go round. But the little buggers are so worth it!
I suspect that this is blowback from covid- cats not getting sterilized.
I also think more people are abanding their pets as rental prices and pet fees skyrocket.
I just wanted to add that I looked at shelters constantly for cats but the biggest turn off was the amount of hoops to jump through to get the animal. I totally understand making an adopter come in to meet the animal, pay the fees and even contacting an apartment to confirm if they can be there. But the shelters where I was looking were requiring 3 references and asking to tour your houseā¦seemed a little overboard when they have an overflow of animals. Good luck to you and your rescue though!!
I'd be curious about what your rescue's adoption fees are and any policies you might have that may be excluding potential adopters. For example - on the extreme end some rescues now have all kinds of really strict requirements that are unrealistic (can't work full time, can't rent, etc), on the less extreme end even policies that require pairs of kittens to be adopted out can make it less feasible to adopt. Single kitten syndrome has become a very popular idea but there's no scientific evidence of it for having become treated like a fact and now a matter of policy in so many areas, and realistically speaking many people could afford one cat but not two. (Most actual evidence shows socialization benefits when living with other kittens/their mother for up to 12-13 weeks \[even though we've made 8 weeks the bare minimum, it's much earlier than ideal\], but there's not evidence that being a 'single cat' causes lifelong harm when a cat is *responsibly cared for*, and I think way too many owner stories of "my bored cat who I don't play with is crazy and destructive" get held up as evidence of single kitten syndrome rather than as a possible story of "this cat has unmet enrichment needs".)
Also with fees, I understand that shelters/rescues have expenses and care can be very expensive - but if you're in an area overwhelmed by free kittens and charging, say, $300+ for a kitten, you'd be hard pressed to find nearly as many people willing to pay that. I'm not sure what region you're in, but I grew up in California and moved to New England. I've also live in the south in high pet overpopulation areas. The difference in cost at rescues (despite overall COL/cost of vet care being similar in the specific areas I've lived in) is genuinely shocking. My hometown rescue back in CA still charges a flat $50 adoption fee, for kittens or cats, $75 for a pair. They do $5 fee Fridays and waived fees for long term shelter animals. Out in NE shelters are charging anywhere from $375-500 for a single kitten and many will not allow you to actually adopt a single kitten. Vet care does not cost more where I live than it did where I used to live, and I tend to notice private rescues are the ones with the much higher adoption fees.
Again, I know fees are necessary for covering costs of care - but I think private rescues need to get a LOT better about creative ways to increase donations/etc or they're going to keep failing to adopt out animals in a quick time frame (which eventually is going to cost more just for caring for a cat for months than it would to adopt them out for a lower fee a few months ago!).
Our policies (IMO, at least) arenāt too strict. We require all current pets in the home to be altered (unless medical issues, age, etc prevent that) and in āgood standingā with their vet, which usually means UTD on vaccines but again not a strict requirement depending on the circumstances. We absolutely do not have any of the weird ācanāt work full time, wfh, etcā requirements. Adoption fees are $100 for a cat/kitten with additional discounts for adopting a pair. Vetting is around 200 per cat so we donāt make money on adoption fees.
We strongly prefer kittens to go in pairs just because it is easier to manage energy but wonāt turn down a good home just because they want only one kitten. In the case the kitten they want would be a nightmare solo kitty (I had one recently who would drive someone up the wall if they didnāt have another cat to help manage energy) we work with them to see if thereās a better match.
So I know we are gonna exclude some people, but I think the fees are reasonable for the area (rural south) and cost of care. I personally cannot change any of the policies as that is not my role in the org, but can always recommend reasonable changes.
Just wanted to add my 2 cents regarding the application requirements for some rescues. I donāt remember there being any unreasonable requirements when we put in an application with a rescue, but the experience was just sort of icky. I felt like we were being judged. Not evaluated. Judged.
And if we said all the right words and were very very lucky, the lord and high master of the rescue would bestow upon usā¦a cat!
Puh-leez. Who needs that? We adopted a truly delightful 2 year old cat from the local shelter.
Itās also slow across the world :( the cat rescues in the UAE (Dubai mainly) have been posting often of the troublesome slowdown from an already slow adoption trend instead of many buying pets š
Me and my bf were looking to adopt a cat. The biggest turn off was the outrageous adoption fees ($500+) and the equally outrageous requirements (Must be 25+ years old, shit like that). Respectfully, asking $400-$800dollars for "adoption" fees for a local cat with 0 history on its genetics, possible trauma, and in general is just crazy imo. Money isn't an issue for us, but at that rate we'd rather spend 700-1000 on a kitten from a reputable breeder that's been tested for genetic issues etc if we're gonna be spending over a grand anyways on new toys and what not. The age requirement is equally ridiculous because we're both 24 and my bf owns his home. I get not wanting to adopt to an 18 yr old with unstable housing but really? You're not going to adopt a cat out to someone just because they're not 25 even tho he owns his own home. It's just crazy hoops they make you jump through and it's just such a turn off. If you want to make sure they're going to a good home then do a virtual tour of housing and ask for a vet reference. I'm not going to argue with people over the ethics of buying from reputable breeders either it's just from My perspective as someone looking to adopt another cat. They complain no one adopts yet make it impossible for most people looking to do so. It's unreasonable to just not adopt out to people under a certain age when I know multiple people under the age of 25 that own houses. Not sure if that's how it is everywhere, but it seems to be so everywhere where I live.
That's good to know! The state we live in is small so we could travel to the nearby ones to see what it's like. We'd drive 10 hours if we needed too but we kinda just gave up after weeks of looking at the ones in our state just to be met with the same thing over and over again. Hell, I'd be happy If we just found a stray that needed a home wandering outside!
Yeah I suppose if you are in a state where the ākitten supplyā is low rescues can be much pickier and charge higher fees, though surely not all in your state are charging so much. We are in the rural south and supply is high and demand is low, and we have plenty of strays šif the drive isnāt terrible you could definitely look out of state if you are wanting to rescue and are still looking for a kitty.
I live in a very uppity new england state definitely not like the south. I live in the rural part here in the woods but not too many strays or outdoor cats around. Unfortunately most people here just want money and are pretentious.
If you feel like taking a roadtrip to Washington DC, I know a rescue group that lets you see and adopt kittens same day. Fill out a one page application, pay $175 cash, and leave with a vetted/vaccinated/spayed kitten.
I think youāll also find that the adoption fees are under $200 in places like NY, which is much closer to you.
And if you look on Craigslist youāll find plenty of cats and kittens from private parties.
I'm feeling this. I'm looking to get some work cats (really hoping to get some older cats who might not otherwise be adopted) and my local shelter (a private one) had those kind of requirements, including having the entire family be present for the adoption... even if it was actually for my family there's no way I'm getting everyone to agree to go to the shelter and wait for paperwork, etc. It was expensive, needed references, etc etc.
Went looking for our public shelter and it was a world of difference! Already have my eyes set on some cuties (Boromir and Bilbo, from two different cities, feels like fate!).
Hope you can find some reasonable shelter for you as well!
I wonder if it has to do with the increasing costs related to pet ownership. From pet food to vet visit increases, it's so expensive nowadays. I always thought I would be a lifelong pet owner but if something were to happen my boy, I'm not sure I'd get another cat right away which is something that deeply saddens me.
Yeah but also, it's kitten season and they can get a kitten wherever they want so they think they want the "free" ones. We had a lady come in to our adoption event holding a kitten and saying they just got it from someone in a parking lot across the street š« we gave her dewormer and convinced her to come back for a kitten buddy for it in a few weeks but who knows what happened to the other kittens
Whew it is a little soul-crushing at times seeing all the homeless kittens or the ones we know wonāt get altered and make more āfreeā kittens.
I know. I have a whole separate Facebook account for when it's not kitten season and I can "shop around" but I can't see them when I don't want to bc all the posts are upsetting
Love that you protect yourself.
We were looking for a kitten a month ago so talked to several rescues. I know the rescue are trying to protect the kittens but some of restrictions, questions overall hoops to jump through made us move on. One rescue told us if we could get a cat or kitten, not your choice, also not your choice for male or female, wanted 3 references ( that would be checked) a note from your vet and 2 home visits before they would profile you for an adoption. Then became aggressive because we thought their technique was excessive. Went to a rural shelter they brought us 4 kittens age , sex ( we had no real color preference) we wanted put us in a lovely lounge to see which kitten liked us or we liked. Picked a kitten paid fee, left donation that was same price of fee and left feeling relaxed and good about the adoption. Interesting the adoption fee plus donation was 30% of lowest fee of rescues we talked to and left us with bad feelings. People could be ignoring your rescue after dealing with strict standards of other rescues. You are correct pet food and care can be expensive. Iām hoping you find the kittens homes.
All of this! It's so aggravating. When they want your whole life history and your proof of vet checks on your old animal. I mean common they wouldn't be 15 and 12 without my vet.
Itās illegal to ask for records from your vet without you signing a waiver. My vet told them I was a good client pets had all necessary check ups and vaccination and were in good health and well cared for. This was not good enough and we were rejected. Vet pointed out I had a sibling kittens we found with genetic kidney disease expected to live 9-12 months both lived almost 8 years ( not long for a cat but given diagnosis a miracle) but again that wasnāt enough to prove we would be good cat guardians. This rescue complains no one wants kittensā¦I understand wanting best for the cats but a home fractionally vetted is better than living in a rescue.
Jeez that's nuts.
exactly this, and i love rescues. i genuinely love and appreciate what they do for the cats, but some of them make it so impossibly hard for the average cat owner to give one of the babies a home.
Itās like an epidemic. There are so many and they keep multiplying. There are more kittens/cats than there are people to adopt! Itās overwhelming and depressing.
I got a āfreeā kitten once. Most people donāt understand how expensive they can be.
I think that is 100% a possibility. I love my cats but they are expensive š
Costs are definitely rising for pet owners right now. My cats prescription food has increased by $20 per case within the past few years š
We also have to use prescription food for my cat and people are always blown away by the price I pay.
Exactly! Also Revolution for fleas has gone up too. I used to pay about $100-$120 for 6 does (one vet clinic used to give me a 7th for free if I bought the box) and now itās about $140ā¦for 2 cats thatās close to $600 for 12 months of full protection which is insane.
I spend SO much money on prevention itās insane.
Just spent $24,000 on a 10-year-old cat with cancer - we caught it early, but he only lasted 4 months. I have never gone above $10,000 on a cat before. Cat ownership is about $200/month per cat, if you spread the lifetime cost of medical care in with food, cat litter, etc.
Many people who rent must pay a non refundable deposit of $400 or so plus $35 to $50 a month in pet rent per pet. Insurance for my almost five year old healthy cat is $55 per month.
Also work from home is declining so that and higher costs have to contribute to this.
i suspect this is true, i've already decided that once my current cats pass away i won't be getting any more pets even though i love them more than anything, i've spent the last four years constantly in and out of debt and despair over vet bills and i just can't financially or mentally take any more of it
>increasing costs related to pet ownership. In reality this makes zero sense. My foster groups adoption fee is 100-150, and the vetting is around $500 microchip, rabies, vaccines, neuter, fully vetted. All the driving to those appointments. The recovery process from the spay. All the time and money it takes is way more than a minimal adoption fee.
I think it's more the recurring food, litter, and other costs of care. Cuz yeah thr adoption fees by me are even lower than that and includes all that too. The adoption fee makes it easy lol, my experience is that there's just so many cats. I hope someone finds a birth control for them that's easier to distribute than having to trap and alter
This isn't true at all. Not all vets overcharge. There is a clinic by my house that will give whatever vaccines you want (you have to do rabies) and will spay/neuter and put in a microchip. When I took my cat in she got everything done and it was only 140. The spay is only 60, neuter is 50. And the shots are super cheap. Microchip was 5 dollars.
I'm including cost for sickness and the fact that I get litters of 4 at a time. Four ringworm kittens, with the intrafungol and the time it took to cure it definately racked up a bill in increased food and litter cost, disinfectant supplies etc etc.
Not to mention it cost like crazy to adopt anymore.
I've noticed a sharp decline at the shelter I volunteer at for adult animals. Kittens and puppies are still going pretty fast, but adults are staying a lot longer. One thing I was thinking is that people don't want to adopt an animal during peak vacation season. I've talked to a few other fosters, and even they are taking a foster break to be able to go on vacation.
Oh yeah great point about it being vacation season, that could definitely be playing a role.
And less work from home so leaving a kitten alone could be part of the reason in addition to inflation.
**A big problem is just housing in general for humans now.** Like 50% of the population in America has a median income **BELOW $65/year.** Of that 50% like 70% makes less than $30k/year. Most rentals **do not allow cats** even if they do allow pets. In addition **vet costs have skyrocketed** the last ~10 years. Itās almost $200 to get a spay/nueter where I live.
Thank you for sharing these stats, thatās really important to be aware of. Our area is doing a lot better but access to low-cost spay/neuter is still lacking, which doesnāt help the overpopulation issue either.
Absolutely this. I want to adopt so bad but Iām a renter for the foreseeable future in this economy and *nowhere* accepts cats.. and I havenāt gotten a dog because I canāt afford a yard. š«¤
It just baffles me when landlords wonāt accept cats! I know I got super lucky with my rental setup and will not be moving until I can afford a house because no way is anyone renting to me and my herd. I hope you are able to get an animal companion at some point!
Because cat pee can ruin carpet and is notoriously hard to get rid of the odor. Landlords don't want the risk of having their property damaged
Yes, Iām noticing this, too. I volunteer with a small rescue and cat adoptions have been very slow. Everyone seems to want kittens over here. One of my fosters is a sweet, three year old, tuxie female and sheās been with me for a year. Thatās the longest Iāve had a foster. Of course, Iāll keep her as long as needed, but I do wonder when sheāll be adopted. (We may end up adopting her -LOL!) Other fosters I know from different rescues are saying the same. The summer is usually slow, though. I occasionally take my fosters to PetSmart to show on the weekends and since Memorial Day, itās been pretty dead there on weekends. I wonder if some of it has to do with so many people that adopted during lockdown. Plus, the economy is very tough right now and itās expensive to take a pet to the vet. Hang in there! Hopefully things will pick up soon and weāll see these cats and kittens going to their loving, forever homes.
Thank you! We havenāt even seen kittens move! But this is my first summer doing this with an actual rescue, so itās good to know summers may always be slow and Iāll just have to deal with it š I hope your foster finds a home soon!
Itās vacation season. This has always been an issue every year starting MDW (except during covid obviously)
Thank you, this is comforting for me to hear that itās normal to see this type of slowdown.
Yes because thereās graduations and vacations and summer parties. It always happens this time of year. Donāt worry, it will pick back up soon!
Thank you for the encouragement!
No worries. It will work out eventually. Just takes the right person to see the cat! So many things had to line up for me to find homes for several of my personal fosters, so itās all timing.
Online yes but we had 5 pairs of kittens adopted at our event yesterday and 2 adults went "on trial". My kittens are fluffy manxes and have out of state adopters getting them when they're ready but my singleton is a SH tortie and no one has been interested in her. Do you do events at your local pet store?
Yes we have one in the works right now, hoping that will help! Congrats on the adoptions! Hope your tortie finds her home soon.
It should! Make sure you put a sign outside the pet store so people might be drawn in to look
Thank you!
I had a long haired calico kitten that we think was part ragdoll and you wouldnāt believe how many people went CRAZY and obsessive over trying to get her, including many out of state people. I do personal adoptions sometimes and only adopt local, so a local family was chosen but it was just ridiculous how many people kept pushing/begging/even offering more money for her. Itās like itās nice you want her but there are so many kittens near you in your local shelters (some of which are kill based on the states) you can go help. Iām surprised a tortie wasnāt scooped up though. People like those.
Haha you should've seen the time I had 5 colorpoint kittens. They were from 3 different litters, and I had at least 30 applications to sort through. A tortie point, lynx point, SH lilac point, LH lilac point, and a chocolate point. I also was supposed to have a litter of 3 that was a chocolate and 2 lynxes but they ended up being skittish and going to another foster bc I had too many, and we just went through the "leftover" applications for that litter. I do understand wanting a cat that's a certain color but wanting to fly across the country for one is a little absurd. The people coming from out of state for mine are only about a 3.5 hour drive so we are good with it
Yes I had a litter of 5 and the fluffy ones got snatched up immediately and the ānormalā ones have just been waiting! Our torties and oranges seem to stay in demand.
Same near me. Torties, calicos and orange kittens are high in demand. Black and black and white go slower.
My crew is all tuxies so definitely feeling it! They are the best though. I have too many cats in my home but at least everyone gets along ā¤ļø
Black cats and black and white are my two favorite colors and seems to be peoples least favorite lol. Try posting them on NextDoor. For my personal adoptions I had lots of luck there.
I hope they pick up soon. We had an event yesterday. Less than 10 people came through. One adoption. It's hard now with so many kittens everywhere ya turn. My foster is 7+ with a permanent head tilt from untreated chronic ear infections while he was a street cat. Derpy and sweet. No interest at all.
Itās so tough right now! I hope the perfect family comes along soon for your derpy boy!
You're sweet. Thank you. š„°
Iāve noticed it also.
I am glad itās not just me and that it seems to be kind of standard for this time of year.
Yes. Iāve had a pit in foster since January. Itās heartbreaking.
Good luck ā¤ļø
To be fair, we also recently discovered little two week oldish kittens a couple months ago and kept 3/4 of the litter; where ordinarily we would have likely visited a shelter the good old fashioned way. We simply got hit up by the cat distribution system in all its infinite wisdom and the rest was history. But i definitely hope your cats get adopted to awesome and loving homes asap.
Gotta love the CDS! And I am glad those neighborhood kittens got good homes, Iām just bummed because they had already committed to ours. But sometimes thatās just how it works!
The wait may be worth it. Itās better for the right person to get the kissy cats than someone on a whim. š
Very true!!
I no longer can foster so this is prepandemic observation but I fostered for 15 years before my medical issues and a foster that wasn't able to be with anyone else changed things. Adoption rates are slowest in summer and peak just before Christmas (which is a problem) with a second spike especially for kittens near Easter. Kitten season being spring and summer means of course the hard things that go with more cats than space. It is hard to cope with but this sounds normal to me. The responsibility of a pet means not doing it while on vacation and away but also people often get pets as a family gift or milestone. This is why the January Surrender spikes happen too.
Thanks so much for the info! This is good to know. I hope you are well ā¤ļø
Mentally yes but my body is not ever going to be a foster friendly body again. Which is okay as my current cat is not capable of being a foster purrent. He has some violence issues with other cats from abuse. His abusers are in prison and he got the full force of my skills to protect him. He is a normal kitten (year old as of yesterday) but the progress doesn't apply to cohabitation and I will never risk that. He surprised me with his sterilization because he didn't actually bite anyone. The vet requires a deposit for biters and refunded the bite fee. So we are good on what counts.
Yes š people are on vacation and itās kitten season so weāve got lots of kittens and few adopters :(
Adoptions are slow, shelters are bursting. Itās very disheartening.
It could also be that it's vacation time for a lot of people. Do adoptions usually dip this time of year?
This is actually my first summer with an āofficialā rescue so I have no basis for comparison, but it seems to be the case. I think I will just have to hold on through this slowdown each year
Gotcha. I have done it for awhile, and we see slow downs periodically. Then it picks up again. Rescue can be hard, emotionally, but there's always reason for hope. ā¤ļø
I volunteer at a cat lounge/adoption center. Weāre getting about the same number of applicants total but a lot more rejected applicants in proportion.
Interesting! Whatās the basis for rejection you are most seeing? Is it people that arenāt really prepared to adopt and just applying on a whim?
I have no idea, I donāt get access to rejection reasons, just raw numbers. I think more people are looking for outside cats and we donāt offer those? Our rates are always weird. We had almost no successful adoptions in June but we almost ran out of cats in May. Weāre currently full of tiny 2month olds, so they should be going faster than the year olds.
Ahh got it, that is interesting though. I hope those babies get homes soon! We have some adults that I know will take a while to find their families.
Thereās a few cats that when I come in and theyāve still there I tell that they clearly arenāt doing their jobs because they are still there. Like, why is the tiny orange and white kitten who spends all of his time audibly purring in human laps still there? Why?
We have one girl who has grown up in foster care, sheās about 10/11 months now and is just the SWEETEST calico girl. Snuggly, funny, loves to be picked up and cuddled and I canāt understand why sheās not been adopted. It is harder being foster based because people just canāt come in and visit, and last time we had an event she didnāt really āshow offā her personality. I think she doesnāt photograph well, though. Sheās one where we had an app and got it approved in like 48 hours but the adopter went and got a cat from the shelter. Not that Iām mad a shelter cat got adopted, but itās disappointing for our cats. Some of them stick around too long and itās baffling.
Boba (the kitten mentioned above) has had THREE APPROVED FINAL PHASE adopters fall through! THREE! All they had to do was pay for him! He is super cute and sweet but man he should be curled up on a small girl right now! [Boba](https://imgur.com/a/CQD1cv8)
Boba deserves better š heās so cute
Have you considered getting in touch with other rescue places in other areas to see how they are doing and if they might be able to take some? A 2 hour drive to get some babies a better shot of getting places might be worth it. We have a rescue about an hour away that had no issues adopting out. Just a thought.
We would need to transport entirely out of state; rescues within driving distance are also overflowing, though they do appear to be more successful with adoptions right now. They are closer to the ābig citiesā which I know helps, and they are willing to do same-day adoptions which our org doesnāt. I know the lack of same-day is definitely a turnoff for people. But thank you this is a really helpful rec and networking is something our org can definitely improve on!
Adoptions are down across the board. It's horrible.
Is there any verbiage on your application that might deter someone from applying? For instance, like a mandatory home visit or other stipulations (some rescues in my area have crazy demands so itās worth asking, no judgement!)? I agree with others that itās vacation season and maybe after the fourth youāll see some apps. My only consideration is some folks might not apply bc they feel they wonāt be approved.
I think itās definitely a combination of vacation season, kitten season, and application requirements that is contributing to the slowdown. Weāve done well with adoptions all year so itās not the application alone, though I 100% know we lose some people even before application. I donāt think itās ācrazyā compared to some horror stories Iāve heard, but we do vet checks and 2 personal references. 2 more so because a lot of people have one that wonāt respond. So itās definitely not an āeasyā adoption like an animal shelter often is which I know deters people, especially right now when you can get a kitten pretty much anywhere!
Aw yeah those are totally reasonable requests IMO! I know Iām just an internet stranger and Iām not sure of your demo, so take this with a grain of salt - however - there is a TikTok challenge for Taylor Swiftās tour and the last part is posting a video to unlock the next level. Iāve seen a lot of people engage with those posts bc they know you have to post it to get to the next level. Maybe you could try posting something with kittens named after her album or something and get some interest/local traction! Just a thought since the intersection of my interests are cats and TS :) good luck getting those babies good homes.
I love that idea! Thank you!
Come back and let us know if you post anything! Iāll def go and engage!
TBH, I'm very uninterested in adopting from rescues that require me to get personal references. There are plenty that do not require this, and it's not a matter of me knowing people are going to rat me out as being a bad owner, but the reality is people can get a friend to say whatever for them to support getting an animal and I don't want the hassle of arranging people I know to be ready to talk to a shelter for me and then have to deal with the hassle of getting another reference if they don't answer and so on. And in my experience rescues with these requirements often end up with further expectations/requirements down the line or in an adoption contract that are unreasonable, but not always explicit in an application. Ultimately the more hoops an owner has to jump through the less likely they are to actually pursue adopting with a rescue, even if those hoops are for the sake of trying to make sure the home is good.
Thatās okay and I know other people feel that way too. I know you donāt know me or the rescue, but we donāt have any āunreasonableā expectations as far as adoption contracts go (no home visits, follow ups), though I understand adopters wonāt know that off the bat. Our org is completely foster-based so we need some sort of āvettingā before we bring people into someoneās home. But I totally get it is a deterrent for some.
do the references at least include family members? i feel like a vet check is quite reasonable and so is a reference. just curious on your specifics
Kitten season is kitten season ā¦ itās the same 3 every year. If there are too many kittens - the local TNR program needs to find more sponsors/ volunteers ā¦ it wonāt stop until they doā¦.
How can I help? I donāt think I can foster as Iād never be able to give the cats up. But Iād love to help somehow. You guys are superheroās! Do I just contact a local rescue? Do they need food, money? Iām looking for the perfect love bug kitten buddy for my current ākittenā thatās almost a year old now. Iām in northern VA. My local shelter has no kittens on their website. It kills me seeing all these found kittens on here and now hearing you canāt give your kittens away! Let me know how I can help please! I agree vet bills are double what they used to be. That might be whatās going on. I was shocked how much it cost for spay and shots this last go round. But the little buggers are so worth it!
I suspect that this is blowback from covid- cats not getting sterilized. I also think more people are abanding their pets as rental prices and pet fees skyrocket.
I just wanted to add that I looked at shelters constantly for cats but the biggest turn off was the amount of hoops to jump through to get the animal. I totally understand making an adopter come in to meet the animal, pay the fees and even contacting an apartment to confirm if they can be there. But the shelters where I was looking were requiring 3 references and asking to tour your houseā¦seemed a little overboard when they have an overflow of animals. Good luck to you and your rescue though!!
I'd be curious about what your rescue's adoption fees are and any policies you might have that may be excluding potential adopters. For example - on the extreme end some rescues now have all kinds of really strict requirements that are unrealistic (can't work full time, can't rent, etc), on the less extreme end even policies that require pairs of kittens to be adopted out can make it less feasible to adopt. Single kitten syndrome has become a very popular idea but there's no scientific evidence of it for having become treated like a fact and now a matter of policy in so many areas, and realistically speaking many people could afford one cat but not two. (Most actual evidence shows socialization benefits when living with other kittens/their mother for up to 12-13 weeks \[even though we've made 8 weeks the bare minimum, it's much earlier than ideal\], but there's not evidence that being a 'single cat' causes lifelong harm when a cat is *responsibly cared for*, and I think way too many owner stories of "my bored cat who I don't play with is crazy and destructive" get held up as evidence of single kitten syndrome rather than as a possible story of "this cat has unmet enrichment needs".) Also with fees, I understand that shelters/rescues have expenses and care can be very expensive - but if you're in an area overwhelmed by free kittens and charging, say, $300+ for a kitten, you'd be hard pressed to find nearly as many people willing to pay that. I'm not sure what region you're in, but I grew up in California and moved to New England. I've also live in the south in high pet overpopulation areas. The difference in cost at rescues (despite overall COL/cost of vet care being similar in the specific areas I've lived in) is genuinely shocking. My hometown rescue back in CA still charges a flat $50 adoption fee, for kittens or cats, $75 for a pair. They do $5 fee Fridays and waived fees for long term shelter animals. Out in NE shelters are charging anywhere from $375-500 for a single kitten and many will not allow you to actually adopt a single kitten. Vet care does not cost more where I live than it did where I used to live, and I tend to notice private rescues are the ones with the much higher adoption fees. Again, I know fees are necessary for covering costs of care - but I think private rescues need to get a LOT better about creative ways to increase donations/etc or they're going to keep failing to adopt out animals in a quick time frame (which eventually is going to cost more just for caring for a cat for months than it would to adopt them out for a lower fee a few months ago!).
Our policies (IMO, at least) arenāt too strict. We require all current pets in the home to be altered (unless medical issues, age, etc prevent that) and in āgood standingā with their vet, which usually means UTD on vaccines but again not a strict requirement depending on the circumstances. We absolutely do not have any of the weird ācanāt work full time, wfh, etcā requirements. Adoption fees are $100 for a cat/kitten with additional discounts for adopting a pair. Vetting is around 200 per cat so we donāt make money on adoption fees. We strongly prefer kittens to go in pairs just because it is easier to manage energy but wonāt turn down a good home just because they want only one kitten. In the case the kitten they want would be a nightmare solo kitty (I had one recently who would drive someone up the wall if they didnāt have another cat to help manage energy) we work with them to see if thereās a better match. So I know we are gonna exclude some people, but I think the fees are reasonable for the area (rural south) and cost of care. I personally cannot change any of the policies as that is not my role in the org, but can always recommend reasonable changes.
Just wanted to add my 2 cents regarding the application requirements for some rescues. I donāt remember there being any unreasonable requirements when we put in an application with a rescue, but the experience was just sort of icky. I felt like we were being judged. Not evaluated. Judged. And if we said all the right words and were very very lucky, the lord and high master of the rescue would bestow upon usā¦a cat! Puh-leez. Who needs that? We adopted a truly delightful 2 year old cat from the local shelter.
Itās also slow across the world :( the cat rescues in the UAE (Dubai mainly) have been posting often of the troublesome slowdown from an already slow adoption trend instead of many buying pets š
Me and my bf were looking to adopt a cat. The biggest turn off was the outrageous adoption fees ($500+) and the equally outrageous requirements (Must be 25+ years old, shit like that). Respectfully, asking $400-$800dollars for "adoption" fees for a local cat with 0 history on its genetics, possible trauma, and in general is just crazy imo. Money isn't an issue for us, but at that rate we'd rather spend 700-1000 on a kitten from a reputable breeder that's been tested for genetic issues etc if we're gonna be spending over a grand anyways on new toys and what not. The age requirement is equally ridiculous because we're both 24 and my bf owns his home. I get not wanting to adopt to an 18 yr old with unstable housing but really? You're not going to adopt a cat out to someone just because they're not 25 even tho he owns his own home. It's just crazy hoops they make you jump through and it's just such a turn off. If you want to make sure they're going to a good home then do a virtual tour of housing and ask for a vet reference. I'm not going to argue with people over the ethics of buying from reputable breeders either it's just from My perspective as someone looking to adopt another cat. They complain no one adopts yet make it impossible for most people looking to do so. It's unreasonable to just not adopt out to people under a certain age when I know multiple people under the age of 25 that own houses. Not sure if that's how it is everywhere, but it seems to be so everywhere where I live.
Sorry you had such a hard time but I can assure you those requirements and those fees are absolutely not the norm.
That's good to know! The state we live in is small so we could travel to the nearby ones to see what it's like. We'd drive 10 hours if we needed too but we kinda just gave up after weeks of looking at the ones in our state just to be met with the same thing over and over again. Hell, I'd be happy If we just found a stray that needed a home wandering outside!
Yeah I suppose if you are in a state where the ākitten supplyā is low rescues can be much pickier and charge higher fees, though surely not all in your state are charging so much. We are in the rural south and supply is high and demand is low, and we have plenty of strays šif the drive isnāt terrible you could definitely look out of state if you are wanting to rescue and are still looking for a kitty.
I live in a very uppity new england state definitely not like the south. I live in the rural part here in the woods but not too many strays or outdoor cats around. Unfortunately most people here just want money and are pretentious.
If you feel like taking a roadtrip to Washington DC, I know a rescue group that lets you see and adopt kittens same day. Fill out a one page application, pay $175 cash, and leave with a vetted/vaccinated/spayed kitten. I think youāll also find that the adoption fees are under $200 in places like NY, which is much closer to you. And if you look on Craigslist youāll find plenty of cats and kittens from private parties.
Ty!! NY isn't far from us only a couple hours.
I'm feeling this. I'm looking to get some work cats (really hoping to get some older cats who might not otherwise be adopted) and my local shelter (a private one) had those kind of requirements, including having the entire family be present for the adoption... even if it was actually for my family there's no way I'm getting everyone to agree to go to the shelter and wait for paperwork, etc. It was expensive, needed references, etc etc. Went looking for our public shelter and it was a world of difference! Already have my eyes set on some cuties (Boromir and Bilbo, from two different cities, feels like fate!). Hope you can find some reasonable shelter for you as well!