-
A difficult debut
Posted on February 28th, 2007 4 commentsLast Saturday I finally got my chance to “lead” a cat adoption at ARF. There was some confusion about whether I could be shadowed (instead of doing the shadowing) at first, so initially I did the same as in previous weeks: observed someone else doing an adoption. It was an easy one.
After things were cleared up, it was decided that the cat adoption manager would shadow me. My turn quickly arrived. The adoptions manager brought me the application for a couple who lived not far from Brentwood. She introduced us and I sat down and made some small talk. “Wow, you guys had raccoons and squirrels as pets?” On the application they had indicated that the new cat would be indoors, in talking to them, they admitted that it would have free access to the outside via a cat door, just like their other animals. Their current cats can go outside at night, and the new one would too. This is a big no-no at our shelter.
At this point I realized that these people were not good candidates for adopting a cat. I had to do that most difficult thing adoption counselors do at ARF: say no. I struggled at first, looked over at the “pro” adoption counselor at my side, and let her take over. She used the diplomatic language that I’ve been trying to learn, and they ended up getting a little upset and said they were going to the “regular” shelter instead, where they could adopt a cat without all these people asking questions.
So, I wrote a few notes in their application and returned it to the adoptions manager. This wasn’t an easy way to start out… everyone admitted that. I’m hoping that this weekend I’ll get a better opportunity.4 responses to “A difficult debut”
-
Staying indoors is better for the cats, which is why they do it. I don’t think there’s any reason to feel bad about it.
-
Eddie March 1st, 2007 at 07:31
ditto…Jeff, you’re there for the cats/kittens/whatever to ensure they get a good SAFE home. Not for the pleasure of people that don’t/won’t realize better.
-
reveragew March 2nd, 2007 at 14:28
I am sure you’ve heard this a lot of times already, but I gotta say it. It’s probably best for you if you start off rough and things can get smoother later on!
-
Sandra April 11th, 2007 at 05:31
Hi – I recently took in a stray kitten which I had spayed and ID-ed (tattooed) by a local animal welfare society. She then lived with me and my cat until I was able to have her adopted. The adopting couple were obliged to fill out a contract, including personal details such as place of work, photocopy of ID, etc. and they were happy to do so because they knew it was in the kitty’s best interests. I’ve been over to visit her since and she’s doing great! Regarding indoors/outdoors, my cat has permanent day-time access to the balcony and still spends 80% of his time indoors with me. Bravo for your work with the ARF!
Leave a reply
-
Carl February 28th, 2007 at 14:45