Preloved – Making The Case For Regulation of Online Pet Sales

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Sarah

Another cracker from Preloved http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/105020041/big-short-hair-maine-coon-for-stud-only.html

It could almost be funny if someone wasn’t trying to scam the ignorant or exploit their pet! as anyone with more than 2 brain cells will know a maine coon is never a short haired cat. while the advert may be funny to some, its just the tip of the iceberg. It illustrates pefectly well why online ads involving animals need to be banned or regulated.

Its been clear for years that the likes of kittenlist, gumtree and preloved are not capable correctly scrutinising their own ads.  Pets need to be protected from people.

How do these adverts managed to get published in the first place? And how can online publishers continue to perpetuate the status quo? It seems that greed rules.

The Preloved advert linked to above  claims to offer the stud services of a short haired maine coon. The ad shows a picture of what is clearly a ginger moggie. Of course we’ve asked Preloved to remove it.

While it’s not actually offering pets for sale it does illustrate the typical IQ of buyers and sellers on Preloved. There are of course genuine adverts, but sites like these are resposible for a unhealthy trade in pets where the animal’s welfare is not the uppermost consideration.

Friends who operate a Scottish charity are asking for an urgent review E-Petition – Urgent Review of the Laws Governing The Sale of Animals Online.

Each year thousands of animals and owners get into difficulties via the sale of pets online.  The evidence is irrefutable. Just speak to those at the sharp end – charities and rescues the length and breadth of the UK. Calls come in every day from people who end up buying animals they can’t cope with. While not every rescue or charity adoption goes according to plan, there’s always backup. That can’t be said of back street breeders, and people who sell pets to fund their lifestyle or worse.

Of course people are suffering as the outlook for the economy is bleak. But sorry, that’s no excuse.

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How stupid can cat owners be?

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Sarah

How stupid can cat owners be? As anyone who has worked in rescue will tell you – very. There really is no limit. What makes things even more frustrating for people working in rescue is that there’s just no telling some cat owners, because they are simply too stupid to process simple information!

The festive season and beyond is usually the ‘silly’ season in cat rescue. Friends took a call sometime between Christmas and New Year from an Edinburgh couple who wanted rid of their cat of five years the very same same day.

The reason? They’d bought a puppy. Not knowing (or caring) how to introduce the two pets they’d simply places the cat infront of the bouncy puppy and got themselves scratched. The result, they were now terrified of the cat and wanted it removed from the house with immediate effect. These people were too thick and terrified to take any information in. However it’s the type of situation that is all too common among certain classes of people who won’t think twice about ‘sacrificing’ their pet cat or kitten when things don’t go according to plan.  Or take the next thicko who wishes to rehome her cat because it has fleas (really).

At this time of year cat rescues in the UK and US are stealing themselves for calls from owners who find themselves with an unwanted kitten or two. Usually the calls start around the third week of January. The phone never fails to ring.

A high proportion of people who will be calling will have acquired a cat or kitten from Gumtree (or a similar source) and find that it’s too much work or that junior has lost interest or the new arrival doesn’t get on with existing pets. Grrrrrrrrrrr.

Whilst rescues will attempt to vet new kitten owners and will do home checks, those selling kittens in the free ads don’t care. Indirectly these sellers simply contribute to the post Christmas glut of cats and kittens looking for new homes. They will sell kittens to anyone. Just another argument to make it harder for people to buy or adopt kittens.

Unwanted Christman kittens usually come into rescue exhibiting signs of a lack of handling and stress. People never seem to learn that young children and kittens don’t mix. Each year rescues face the same uphill struggle.  There’s no ‘cat sense’ test for prospective cat and kitten owners but there probably should be.

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FOUND MISSING MIDDLEBANK CAT KY11

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Sarah

Fergus has been FOUND

Lost cat, from Middlebank KY11 has returned home.

. Last seen in his garden at Middlebank, KY11.  Also missing from the same area is a tortie and white female cat. Can you help find them?

Fergus has now been missing for more than 48 hours which is very out of character for this gentle, friendly boy. Everyone who knows him is very upset by his disappearance.  

Fergus is a male neuter, with a semi long hair coat. He is very distinctive because of his longer than average coat and his size – he is a maine coon and you simply don’t see many of these out and about.  He is microchipped and lives near the SSPCAs Fife rehoming center. This boy is very friendly, and a much loved family pet.

We are also aware of a female cat (from a different family on Masterton Road) who are missing one of their cats – a female tortie. She went missing a few days before Fergus. Co-incidence or not?

If you have seen or heard anything suspicious please get in touch at the number at the end of this post.  or So please if you have welcomed this handsome chap into your home thinking he was a stray – he’s not. His mum thinks he could have wandered off in reaction to guests staying at his home. His family have had him for 6 years and desperately want him back as he is an important member of their family.

If you live in the masterton road /middlebank area of Dunfermline please check sheds, water butts and garages. Sightings of this lovely boy, should be telephoned immediately to Sunny Harbour Cat and Kitten Rescue on 01592 783732.

Also if you know of removals vans or trades’ vans in the area its possible this cat has gone into a vehicle and left the Masterton Road area. Please check with any workmen you have using over the weekend.

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Posted in UK Cat Rescue, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Missing Cat, masterton road area Dunfermline Fife, brown tabby maine coon

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Sarah

Missing Long Haired Tabby

Missing cat Masterton Road area,  Dunfermline. This cat has been missing in Dunfermline, Fife since 21 August 2011. That’s only 24 hours we know but it’s very out of character for this boy not to come home for his grub. His human and feline family are distraught.  This cat is a male neuter, with a semi long hair coat. He is very distinctive because of his longer than average coat and his size – he is a maine coon and you simply don’t see many of these out and about.  He is microchipped and lives near the SSPCAs Fife rehoming center. This boy is very friendly, and a much loved family pet.

So please if you have welcomed this handsome chap into your home thinking he was a stray – he’s not. His mum thinks he could have wandered off in reaction to guests staying at his home. His family have had him for 6 years and desperately want him back as he is an important member of their family.

If you live in the masterton road /middlebank area of Dunfermline please check sheds, water butts and garages. Sightings of this lovely boy, should be telephoned immediately to Sunny Harbour Cat and Kitten Rescue on 01592 783732.

Also if you know of removals vans or trades’ vans in the area its possible this cat has gone into a vehicle and left the Masterton Road area. Please check with any workmen you have using over the weekend.

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KittenAds.co.uk is encouraging back street breeders

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Sarah

Kittenads.co.uk is just one of a numer of sites, like Gumtree, that whether they realise it or not encourage back street breeders. We are sick of the sight of adverts proclaiming ‘hobby breeders, no papers’.

The problem for the public is that there so-called hobby breeders are not bound by any code of ethics with regard to their cats and kittens. They also have the nerve to charge the same or more than registered breeders.

Sadly there are also decent breeders using these sites, which further compounds the problem. It is easy for unsuspecting kitten buyers to be duped about the quality of and care received by the kittens for sale.

Sadly sites like kittenads.co.uk and gumtree.com really only care about the money. Gumtree’s so called guidelines are inadequate.. 

Sites like kittenads.co.uk are simply increasing the numer of unwanted cats and kittens or cats and kittens that are not properly cared for.  These so-called ‘hobby’ breeders who are not  registered simply do not have potential kitten owners interests at heart. And obiously if they had the kittens interests at heart they would register them and invest in cats on the active regsiter.

We don’t blame kittenads.co.uk and gumtree.com exclusively. There ought to be more regulation of animal for sale adverts, and buyers need to wise up. In our experience of rescuing cats sold through these sites, these breeders simply don’t get the quality of buyers that registered breeders do.

Shame on you kittenads.co.uk.

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Posted in Gumtree, UK Cat Rescue | Comments Off

Why do cats end up in cat shelters or rescues?

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Sarah

Why do beautiful cats end up in cat shelters or rescues? Exactly why so many cats end up in shelters or rescues – some even more than once is a complex issue.  A fair proportion, but probably less than you think are strays or ferals. In American, once ferals enter the shelter system they are nearly always doomed because they are deemed not to be adoptable. Feral kittens sometimes do make it out as they can usually be socialised if caught early enough.

Thankfully organisations such as Alley Cat Allies in America and Celia Hammond Animal Trust in the UK work hard to educate the pulic and businesses on the needs and value of feral cats. But these organisations are in a minority.  If homeowners don’t superise their cats properly they can find that there cats get into the shelter system thanks to over zealous animal control officers. In the UK with the RSPCA and SSPCA focusing more on cruelty cases, the future of  stray cats is bleak.
Mia – Available For Adoption

Next you have the unwanted litters. Too many people are still failing to get their pets neutered. Of course some know that they should but don’t. Others persuade themselves that neutering or spaying can wait. Too many cats and kittens are owner surrendered. Sometimes people take on too many pets. Others have a change in circumstance. It appears that cats end up in shelters or rescues because their owners are only ‘fair weather friends’. They give up their pets too easily, without thinking through the alternatives.

Sadly while many resues and shelters work hard to rehome as many animals as possible, it is likely that their process simply ‘recycles’ a fair proportion of cats within the shelter or rescue system. Such is the pressure of numbers in many cases just the absence of a crimminal record is sufficient to adopt a cat or kitten. The fact is that cats once adopted many not settle in their new homes. This is often because rescues and shelters are not geared up to assess the needs of individual cats or crutinise the homes they go to.
All too often homing is reduced to a beauty contest. Of course, it’s also possible to go too far the other way, and put up too many barriers to adoption. We are aware of one UK organisation who falls into this bracket.
Adopting (or buying) any cat is always a risk. But cat rescues who take the time to place cats in a home likely to suit them offer potential adopters the best chance of a problem free adoption. You can also be assured that if things don’t work out the cat can be returned and it won’t put the cat’s life at risk.

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Posted in Cat Adoption Greenwood County South Carolina, Cat Adoption South Carolina, Cat Adoption York County, Cat and Kitten Adoption Fife / Edinburgh, Cat Care, Cat Rescue | Comments Off

Female Cat For Adoption Ware Shoals /Laurens/ Greenwood County

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Sarah
Leigh, 4 years old,

LEIGH, Affectionate Female Cat

Here we have a female cat for adoption in the Ware Shoals/Laurens/Greenwood County Region. Isn’t she beautiful? If you are looking for a well adjusted companion cat for a quiet home, then Leigh may exactly fit the bill.

Originally rescued from Greenville County Animal Care Services where she was sheduled to be put to sleep, Leigh was an owner surrender. No matter what your misgivings are about shelter cats being wild or sick, Leigh was not a feral cat, nor was she sick.

Leigh spent six months at Furry Friends Rescue Center before being moved to a fosterers where she could receive more one to one care and assessment that’s not always possible in a rescue enviroment. As a result of this move, we know much more about Leigh.

Leigh has shown herself to be a quiet, affectionate, people orientated cat, who just loves to sit on your lap. In fact her foster carer reports that it’s extrememly difficult to take a photo of Leigh. ot just because of her coloring. Tortie’s are always hard to photograph. But because as soon as you point a camera at Leigh she just moves towards to say hello. Very cute.

We are looking for a home for Leigh where she can preferably be the only pet or possible with one other well behaved quiet cat.

Leigh looking pretty

Leigh has been vetted, spayed, tested and innoculated. An adoption fee is payable of $115. If you are looking to adopt a female cat in the Ware Shoals area or Laurens or Greenwood or Greenville Counties then please consider Leigh. Her foster carer has a number of other female cats for adoption in the same location.

To find out more about Leigh and the other loving cats available for adoption in the first instance please contact elisablacktaylor@nospam@yahoo.com, removing the ‘no spam’ before sending.

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Posted in Cat Adoption Greenwood County South Carolina, Cat Adoption Hodges SC, Cat Adoption South Carolina | Comments Off

CAT MISSING EDINBURGH EH12 MAGDALA CRESCENT/HAYMARKET TERRACE

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Sarah
Lola (Hope)

Lola the cat (formerly HOPE) is missing in the Magdala Crescent area of Edinburgh’s West End, just off Haymarket Terrace. Lola is an indoor only cat who escaped from her home on Monday 18 July after workmen left the front door open.

Unfortunately Lola has NO road sense, as she lost her left eye in a previous traffic accident in a former life.
Lola is of bengal type appearance – brown tabby, but you can’t fail to spot her as she only has one eye. She will be very scared outside. We are extremely worried about her.
Lola (formerly Hope) was rehomed by Sunny Harbour in 2010, so Lola has not been in her new home long.
Please check under cars, in sheds, water butts and bushes. Any sightings of a brown tabby cat should be emailed to info@nospam@sunyharbour.org.uk (remove the no spam before sending). Hopefully Lola’s owners will be putting up posters/photos of Lola in the area and contacting local vets.

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Posted in Sunny Harbour Cat And Kitten Rescue | Comments Off

York County’s Black and black and white rescue cat plea

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Sarah

York County’s black, and black and white cats over get overlooked by adopters. Furry Friends Rescue Center at Clover, York County has many very gentle and loving black or black and white cats and kittens in need of loving homes right now. All too often would be adopters pick cats based on looks alone. This usually means that brown and black tabbies are the cats’ of choice. However there is no difference in the personality types of black or black and white cats – they have exactly the same range of personalities and foibles as tabby cats. People working hard to get rescue cats adopted just don’t understand it.

We are aware of black and black and white cats who have been in rescue at Furry Friends Rescue Center for more than 6 months. A rescue center of any description is not a good long term option for cats, as although the cats are safe, most cats experience a degree of stress.

Happy Buttons

Handsome Kellan

Gentle Oreo

Buttons, Kellan and Oreo are just three examples of the ‘forgotten’ black or black and white cats and kittens at rescues and shelters all over York County.  What makes matters even worse is that many of these cats have been surrendered by owners. Take Kellan and Oreo. Both were originally turned into Greenville County Animal Care Services by their owners. It is often the cats who have  been turned in by their owners who do least well in shelters because they don’t understand why they are in rescue, and miss their former homes. Sad, isn’t it?
The fact remains that a disproportionate number of black and black and white cats make up the ‘long stay’ population at cat rescues through out York County. But you could make a difference and help us get more of York County’s black or black and white rescue cats into forever homes!
Furry Friends Rescue Center at Clover in York County is looking for cat orientated homes for Oreo, Kellan and Buttons and many other black and black and white cats in their care.
By choosing to adopt one of York County’s black or black and white rescue cat’s you’ll be adopting a cat who everyone else has given up on, and welcoming a loving friend into your home.
To find out more about Kellan, Oreo or Buttons or ther other black or black and white cats in the care of Furry Friends Rescue Center please call Melissa Stone on 803-230-3648 or email her at melissaspets@nospam@yahoo.com, removing the @nospam before sending.

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Posted in Cat Adoption South Carolina, Cat Adoption York County, Cat Rescue South Carolina, Furry Friends Rescue Center, Uncategorized | Comments Off

60 Dead Cats/Kittens At Greenville County Animal Services

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Sarah

60 dead cats and kittens at Greenville County Animal Services..in just a day or two. This is the reality of trying to manage Greenville’s rescue cats. This picture is mirrored in every town and city in South Carolina. Judging by the figures you would think that Greenville County Animal Services must be one of those bad shelters where cats aren’t given a chance to get adopted because too many barriers are put in front of rescuers. Not so. Greenville County Animal Care services try their utmost to rehome as many cats and kittens to loving families and rescues.

But while people refuse to spay and neuter their pets, or turn their pets into a shelter rather than a rescue this is what happens. We are in kitten season. It seems that every second cat that’s put to sleep these last few weeks has been a mama cat and her kittens.

As long as people don’t spay or neuter their pets or don’t take the time to rehome their own pets to loving homes these mass cullings will continue. The sad reality is there are too many unwanted pets for too few quality homes.

I am not entirely convinced Animal Control always help, since they seem to round up a fair number of ‘owned’ pets. A luck few get returned to their owners.

Greenville County Animal Services now has an adoption facility where animal lovers can adopt cats and dogs from. With people still queing up round the corner to turn in unwanted cats and kittens, the situation won’t improve any time soon.

Be warned. If you love your cat, or need to rehome a kitter of kittens take some time to contact local cat rescues who have a ‘no kill’ policy. Otherwise, you are basically killing your pet. You’re just not there to see it put to sleep.

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Posted in Greenville cat rehoming, Greenville cat rescue | 1 Comment