Should I adopt or buy a pet

For the past few months, I’ve been looking for a kitten. Since I prefer adopting a rescue versus buying a kitten, my first port of call was the website of a rescue organization. To my surprise no kittens were available.

Well, I shouldn’t have been surprised, back then it was February and as such not yet kitten season. A friend told me to be patient, with the start of spring there would be plenty of kittens available.

I checked the rescue organization’s website regularly, but it remained as empty as back in February. There were plenty of adult and senior cats, but because I already have a cat, bringing an adult cat into the house was not the best idea.

With the arrival of May, I finally noticed a few kittens on the website and one in particular caught my eye. It was such a cutie. Yes, I know, all kittens are cute, but this one had a certain je ne sais quoi. It had a black body, a white fluffy bib, and a black face with a white inverted V. I didn’t hesitate. I filled out the adoption form and sent it off. I was notified that the next step in the adoption process was a telephonic interview with an adoption counselor.

Three days later, I received an email that the black and white kitten had been adopted. Hm, that was disappointing, but if the kitten had found a forever home, that’s all that mattered.

A few days later, I noticed another cute kitten. I applied, got again the message that the next step would be a phone interview, but my phone didn’t ring. Once again the kitten was adopted without me even getting the chance of talking to someone.

I continued to scan the rescue organization’s website and came across the announcement that several Burmese cats and kittens were rescued from a house and needed homes. Bingo, I fired off my application form and waited.

Several cats and kittens, the announcement said … what did that mean? Four cats, five cats, six cats, more? And how many kittens? If there were five cats and they each had five kittens, that would mean twenty five kittens would be available for adoption. Surely, I would get contacted now to adopt one.

I eagerly waited by the phone, but it stayed stubbornly quiet. A week or two later, I send off an email to the rescue organization. What happened to the kittens? I received a response that stated that the kittens were not ready for adoption yet. Okay, I waited another two or three weeks and tried again. This time I received the response that all the cats and kittens had found homes.

WHAT!!! I had applied for a kitten. Why hadn’t I been contacted? What was wrong with me? It wasn’t as if the rescue organization wasn’t familiar with me. Over the years, I had adopted four cats from them and had participated in fundraising for the past fifteen years.

I licked my wounds for a few days and then visited the organization’s website again. I noticed two kittens and since I couldn’t decide which one I liked best, I decided to adopt them both. One was white and ginger, the other black and grey.

By some weird coincidence, I found out who the foster mother was and decided to contact her. The foster mother told me that it wasn’t up to her to give me the kittens. The adoption process had to go through a counselor. Okay, so who was the counselor? She was not allowed to provide that information.

Once again I contacted the rescue organization and explained my predicament. I was told that kittens could only be adopted once their picture was published on their website.

By now I was seriously ticked off. Was this organization in the business of finding homes for cats and kittens or what? Here I was, ready and able to take in two kittens and they were shooting me down? What the hell was wrong with them?

I waited a week or two and yes, finally, there was the picture of the white and ginger kitten. I filled out the application form and waited. Three days later the picture of the kitten disappeared off the website. It had been adopted.

Needless to say that I was very disappointed. However, there was another kitten, a white and grey cutie, and with little or no hope, I applied. And what do you think? … once again I received the message that the kitten had found a home.

Well, my dear readers, I had enough. I had put in application after application to this rescue organization and never even received a call. They made it very clear that for some reason they didn’t approve of me. Why I have no idea.

As I said, I adopted four cats from them over the years, I’ve done fundraising for them for fifteen years, and one of the foster mothers was willing to give me a good reference.

So if the rescue organization didn’t want anything to do with me, I no longer wanted anything to do with them. I went online, selected a site where kittens are for sale and contacted a seller.

A very nice man responded that he had one Turkish angora kitten left. He send me a video of mama with her four kittens and specified which kitten I could have. I agreed, paid the deposit and was told that in two or three weeks the kitten would be available.

No sooner had I paid the deposit, or I started feeling guilty. So many kittens were looking for a home and here I was buying a kitten. Maybe I shouldn’t have done this. Maybe I should have waited.

With a guilty conscience I went on the rescue organization’s website and looked at the kittens. I should adopt one. That would make up for buying one. Three days later I once again received the notice that the kitten of my choice was no longer available. I gave up.

So, the question should one adopt or buy a pet? In my opinion, adoption is always preferable. Lots and lots of cats, kittens, dogs, puppies, and other abandoned animals are looking for homes. But in my case, if the rescue organization gave me the could shoulder, was I wrong to buy a kitten? In my opinion … no.

To be continued …

#cats #kittens #pets #animals #adoption #rescue #Toronto