I'm been getting emails about feral kittens being adopted out as shy. These animals end up being returned and adopted out
again and again until someone feels so badly for them that they keep them.
Marlene Kess, convicted of animal abuse
now has a NO REFUND policy. Be very careful and use all forms and screening questions on this site when adopting or fostering.
If you adopt such a kitten please realize that in order to socialize them you need to get them used to being handled.
Put them in your bathroom at first.
Everytime you go into the bathroom:
**handle them: pet them, talk to them
**get them to eat out of your hand. Offer them things they'll find irresistable: Roast beef (rare); chicken; tuna
**If they don't take it from your hand, don't let them have it
**When they take it from your hand murmur "good
kitty" and
**Let them get used to being pet while eating
**eventually get them on your lap how?
get
them there the same way you got them to eat out of your hand:
**Offer them food until they come up onto your lap,
then pet them while they eat while sitting on your lap
**once you see the cat come to the door when you enter and
they are happy to see you, try letting them into the rest of the apartment
**continue the "treat" process but less
often
This may take a few weeks.
Be patient, it's worth it in the long run.
I trapped two brothers
in my alleyway. They were both scared and feral, now they are lap hogs! (They were about 9 weeks old in this picture)
NOTE:
Don't give your cat anything with spices or salt. This is a way your cat get crystals and gets a blocked urinary tract.
If
you can't put yourself through this process it doesn't make you a Bad Person; return the kitten and raise a stink in
the middle of their adoptions until you get your money back!
Let others know about your negative experience with the organization through CL, yelp, commentsearch, Kijiji
and other blogs such as twitter; facebook; myspace and catster!
The only thing necessary for evil to
triumph is for good men to do Nothing. Take Action even if you're one of those people who can take the time to socialize
your kitten.
UPDATE:
Tails from the Darkside?!
The No Refund policy is a tipoff that the
animal being adopted may be misrepresented as shy when it's really feral. There is a bus in Park Slope operated by Kensington
Kitties that is operated by Marlene Kess who was convicted of animal abuse in NJ.
She has no qualms about sending you home
with a sick cat; asking you to foster for her and then saying they are not her cats; asking you to foster for a week and then
trying to bully you into extending your foster period "until there's space for the cat/kitten". Remember that kittens grow
fast and once it's about 3 months or more it gets harder to find a home for it.
She has no qualms about tellling you to
take the cat to your vet and that she'll reimburse you and then never doing it.
She is Marlene Kess. Google her and read
her complete story. This is not slander: This is documented in court files. She
moved from NJ after being convicted and started another organization just like KittyKind in Park Slope.
Her friend, also booted from KittyKind,
tries to adopt cats out as "purebreeds" for $300 with no paperwork. These are
cats that may look like a maine
coon but may only be look alikes not purebreed.
Don't let her con you into thinking she
knows what she's talking about to convince you to adopt or that I am a “crazy person carrying a grudge”. She thinks
an emergency visit to the vet is only warranted by "open mouth breathing". When a cat reaches this stage it's almost certainly
dying. Confirm this with a vet. I have an email that she sent me and that her
friend confirmed later (sending out almost the same email) stating exactly this.
If you adopt from them pay by check. All
non profits are supposed to have a checking account, all vets can be paid by check from that checking account. Cash is not
reported to the IRS. That is the only reason for asking for cash in adoptions.
This is directly from their website, it
states a lot that is not mentioned at their Catty Wagon:
Please donate a Muffins Low Cost Spay Neuter
Certificate to Kensington Kitties. Yet their adoption fees include spaying/neutering
We do not have a shelter, so all our rescued
cats live in volunteer foster homes. Regardless of how an animal comes to us, we provide food, shelter, medical care and love.
Note that they say temporary. Be sure to ask
what temporary means to them and to set your boundaries. If temporary to you means a week - stick to your guns and return
the cat in one week. Don't let them tell you "we have no where to put them". That is not your problem, you were good enough
to foster for a week - they should have made plans for the cat after the week was over.
They say they’ll pay for food and medical care – they’ll try to convince you to pay for food and
if possible, medical care.
We are looking to provide our kittens
and cats with a safe and loving home. We will ask you some questions about your home, and we will be glad to answer any questions
you may have about which cat may be right for you. Adopting a pet is a long-term commitment — we will ask you to sign
the ’Kensington Kitties’ Adoption Contract and pay an adoption fee of $100 per cat to help us cover a portion
of our veterinary costs. Exactly what veterinary costs? See receipts, Be sure to get that Refund policy cleared up. Make sure it's on your
contract that they sign
We will always take them back for
any reason if the adoption does not work out. Be sure this is on the adoption contract and that they sign it. Be sure that a REFUND is included!
We do not have a shelter so all our rescued
cats live in volunteer foster homes. A pet foster parent provides temporary, in-home care for friendly kittens and cats in
need until they can be placed for adoption. If you can't hold the cat for more than a week be sure to set boundaries. You may end
up as i did with many cats over a 7 year period and then a denial that they were even foster cats!
Some Donations are as Good as Cash (ESPECIALLY
when they are being double posted as expenses on their IRS forms and included to pad their adoption fees):
(oh wait, are they even a 501c3? If not, none of this money is being reported to anyone - it's all direct income.)
Consider 5 adoptions of 5 pair of kittens: $1,000 income. How much does that add up to in a year. That doesn't
include donations to their jar or box. What a lifestyle!
Petco gift cards (a HUGE help when
we need to run to the store for something we ran out of!) This is how their cat food and litter is paid for, yet their 990s (tax forms) don't show this as a donation. Their
990s shows this as an expense as if they paid for it themselves and they charge you for it in the adoption fee.
Veterinarians care (Contact us for
details) Their 990s shows this as an expense
as if they paid for it themselves and they charge you for it in the adoption fee. If you pay for their vet bills be sure to
get a tax letter that states the amount paid in the body of the letter. Any letter that leaves the amount blank may not be
accepted by the IRS. Google "Tax Letters: Donations" and see what a tax letter should include. You'll also find it on the
Charities Bureau site.
Medical supplies / Vaccines Their 990s shows this as an expense as if they paid for it themselves and they
charge you for it in the adoption fee. If you pay for their vet bills be sure to get a tax letter that states the amount paid
in the body of the letter. Any letter that leaves the amount blank may not be accepted by the IRS. Google "Tax Letters: Donations"
and see what a tax letter should include. You'll also find it on the Charities Bureau site.
US Postal stamps Their 990s shows this as an expense as if they paid for it themselves and they
charge you for it in the adoption fee. If you pay for their vet bills be sure to get a tax letter that states the amount paid
in the body of the letter. Any letter that leaves the amount blank may not be accepted by the IRS. Google "Tax Letters: Donations"
and see what a tax letter should include. You'll also find it on the Charities Bureau site.
Big Heart Donations cash is often not reported to the IRS. Give checks, get donation letters
Their 990s shows these as an expense as if they paid for it themselves and they charge
you for it in the adoption fee.
Fast focusing digital camera, low resolution
is fine.
Collapsible Cages all sizes
Basic Cat Supplies
Premium Cat and/or Kitten Food - dry
Canned Cat and/or Kitten food, any brand
Linens, towels, sheets, blankets, etc.
Cat scratching posts and large cat trees
KMR Kitten Formula - powdered or canned
Cat Litter and litter pans
Cat Carriers
Human baby food (Stage 1 only) - jars of
chicken or turkey
Toys
Q-tips/cotton balls
Read about how I was ripped off by
her and KittyKind at http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeyfg4f/kittycatfosterpitfalls. This is how she operated KittyKind and when
she left many people were stuck with foster cats that KittyKind denied knowledge of. All of this is documented.
Remember: The only thing necessary for
evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
While at my site get forms to Screen Before you Foster or Adopt
