Adopter: My Mother adopted a cat from you guys in February this year and now it's constipated and not eating. The vet said it's going to cost $1000.00 to fix her up.
Me: (knowing where this is going) I'm sorry to hear that. Why are you calling me?
Adopter: She doesn't have the money.
Me: She needs to get the money. The cat is obviously very ill and needs help.
Adopter: Will you take her back?
Me: Huh? We don't have the money either. Why on earth would your mother adopt a cat if she had no intention of taking care of his medical needs? We're in the business of RESCUING - not taking cats back because an adopter doesn't want to pay for medical care.
Adopter: My mother thought she was adopting a healthy cat.
Me: You've had her six months. She was very healthy. She's probably STILL healthy but ingested something and is in pain. Why don't you take her to a less expensive vet and get another opinion on cost?
Adopter: I don't have time to take her around to another vet.
I don't want to say how this conversation ended. The saddest part is that this is a cat we spent over $3000.00 on when she arrived in our care. We were so happy when she was adopted by a lovely senior lady. I did give him a name of two veterinarian's that are known for not being super expensive.
What makes people call me over things like this? It ruins my day and I agonize over it. I agonize over the decision to adopt her to these people. I feel totally responsible and I shouldn't. It's THEIR responsibility and they're blowing it. I could take this little cat back. She HATES other cats and I have no place for her.
I'm hoping and praying these people rise to the occasion. In the past, I used to react very quickly: "You're an idiot, but I'll take the cat back!" That's one of the ways we ended up 5 figures in debt.
Now I wait. My stomach hurts and I still don't know if I'm doing the right thing.
3 comments:
Bastard.
That's all I've got...
I think that's dispicable that they would not only call you and expect you to do something, but that they now leave that guilt hanging on your shoulders. I guess some people truly don't realize that rescue = debt....there IS no money to pay for cats that are already adopted. Its sickening that people want the cats when they are cute and healthy, but when normal health concerns pop up (like they do for everyone...cat or person!), they won't deal with it. That is just shameful.
I believe you did the right thing. The mother adopted the cat under a contract that says (paraphrasing) she will provide medical care for the cat. The son needs a swift kick in the behind and a yell in his ear that failure to medically treat the cat is cruelty to an animal, which is a criminal charge in this province.
Bet that slob has time to go to (most likely) the beer store, but not to take a suffering animal to the vet.
Post a Comment