faq's about our certified pre-owned cats program
Q. Why fee-waived adoptions?
A. Fee-waived adoptions for adult
cats is new for DPVHS but not a new concept. There are many respected
animal welfare organizations that have introduced this program with great
success including the ASPCA Adoption Center, Charleston Animal Society,
Kansas Humane Society, Michigan Humane Society and Wisconsin Humane Society
to name a few. Some of these organizations have offered fee-waived
adoptions at the most space-critical times of year, namely kitten season,
and others offer the program year-round. All of these
organizations…including DPVHS…do so in an effort to save lives.
Q. But aren’t you worried that “giving
cats away” will devalue them?
A. On the contrary! DPVHS
definitely values cats. In fact, we value them so much that we don’t want
them to lose their lives here! By waiving the adoption fee for adult cats
we are making it easier for them to find a new home. And it's better for
the cats’ overall health--physical and emotional--to be in a home rather
than in a stressful shelter environment. The sooner they find their forever
home, the happier they will be.
Q. Why would waiving the fee be the right answer?
A. Last year, of the 11,000 animals that were brought to animal
shelters throughout the Pioneer Valley, 8,500 were cats and kittens!
That number is staggering…and lethal. Adult cats are the most
challenging to place and, while there are many benefits to adopting an adult
cat, the fact remains that there are more adoptable cats than available
loving homes.
Here’s what we know: Fewer than 25%
of cats living in homes came from animal shelters, adoption centers or
rescue organizations. The overwhelming majority of people in our community
who acquire a new cat do so “passively.” That is to say that they don’t go
somewhere and pay for the cat; they take a cat from a friend or family
member or establish a relationship with a stray cat. These people do not
care less for their cats than people who pay to adopt them.
Q.
So, you’ll give a cat to anyone who wants one? No questions asked?
A.
Waiving the fee does not mean that we will not continue to screen our
adopters and make good matches. We believe that people who come to an
animal shelter to adopt do so because they want to do the right thing and
want to help save lives too. We want to encourage that interest and, in the
process, ensure that the adopter’s new companion goes home already spayed or
neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped. It’s a WIN-WIN-WIN for the cat,
the adopter, and the community.
Q.
Aren’t adoption fees part of your funding and won’t this program
cause you to lose income?
A. We recognize that the loss of fee income is an issue. YES,
we are going to lose money on this program. And while it is true, the
more quickly an animal moves through the adoption center (i.e., the shorter
his stay here), the less money the organization spends on his longer-term
care. And the sooner we can place a homeless cat, the sooner we can
help the next cat in line. However, there is no question that
providing the quality care we do and adopting out at no fee is a money
loser.
Q.
Then why offer this program now when every dollar is so important?
A.
It is quite simply more important to save animals’ lives and waiving
adoption fees for adult cats is a proven way to do that. We trust that the
good people of our community will see that we are prioritizing the saving of
lives, and confident that they will donate money to support us in our
efforts.
Please remember, we will be asking each adopter to make a donation in place of the fee. And for those who cannot adopt but still want to help…cash donations are tremendously important and appreciated. They are welcome and very much needed to help offset funding lost through this special program.
