It is not a good idea to advertise cats, kittens, dogs, puppies or ANY pets "free to a good home". Giving any pet away is misguided and irresponsible. People tend not to value what they don't pay for. If you charge a nominal fee for an animal, the new owner is more likely to take their commitment to the pet seriously. A free pet is a disposable pet in many people's eyes!
Still not convinced? Then ask yourself these questions, "If a person cannot afford to pay an adoption fee for a pet, how will they be able to afford the normal expenses of proper pet care? And how will they ever afford vet bills when the pet gets sick?" The answer is that they won't, so the animal can end up suffering from lack of vet care when needed.
If you absolutely don't want to take any money yourself, ask the adopter to make the check out to a local animal shelter or PDSA instead. These organizations can surely use the help
What can happen to a pet that is given free to a casual, uncommitted owner?
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Abandoned to the streets. This is the most likely scenario that occurs when an uncommitted owner tires of a pet. Street animals suffer every day of their short lives. Their end always comes painfully, either from violent trauma or from lingering disease due to malnutrition and lack of vet care. Contrary to popular belief, most cats CANNOT take care of themselves when their owners tire of them and toss them out to look after themselves.
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Handed over to an animal shelter and put to sleep. People who do not take their responsibilities seriously always take the easy way out!
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Marginally Owned. The pet will not be cared for properly and is often cast out into the streets to take care of itself.
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Abused. The owner will not make the effort to properly train the animal or integrate it into their household. Often this leads to inappropriate responses from the owner and abuse of the pet when it "misbehaves" or "doesn't fit in".
This is not the worst that can happen. Unsavory people look out for "free to good home cats" for other horrible reasons:
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Used to "live train" fighting dogs. The animal you expected to be a pet is used to bait a fighting dog and is literally torn to pieces. Dog fighting is on the increase in this country and the perpetrators will pretend to be animal lovers to get their hands on your pet.
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Sold to a Class-B Dealer who then resells the animal for profit, often to a research facility. People who practice the despicable act of rounding up strays to sell them are referred to as "Bunchers". At the research facility, the animal may suffer abuse and most likely will be euthanised after they are finished with it.
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Used as live food or bait for exotics like snakes or reptiles.
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Sacrificed in cult rituals. Some people find this hard to believe, but the police have many files documenting this kind of activity in our country.
The best thing is to re-word your advert and ask for an adoption fee and also pass this information on to others.
Blimey! Good to see someone fighting the critters corner. I know not all people that take on "free to a good home" animals are bad, but am pleased to see someone raising the awareness of potential risks.
