I Am So Scik of Animals Being Offered on Freecycle!

[SlickTony]

I started subscribing to Freecycle a few months ago when I had some household objects I needed to get rid of. I've been able to get rid of more stuff than I've been able to acquire, and I am amazed by the number of people who offer partly used bottles of beauty products in juxtaposition to the people who WANT queen bed sets and working refrigerators.

But the thing that REALLY bothers me is people always trying to offer up their animals--it seems to be mostly cats, although there's a fair number of dogs. They always say how wonderful the animals are, how sweet-natured, and they have all their shots, yada yada yada. IF THEY'RE SO GREAT HOWCUM THEY'RE TRYING TO GET RID OF THEM? It's probably something that is totally not the animal's fault.

I swear, if I had a dollar for every cat (or dog) offered up on Freecycle, I'd buy a big house where they all could live.

 

[Liar]

But the thing that REALLY bothers me is people always trying to offer up their animals--it seems to be mostly cats, although there's a fair number of dogs. They always say how wonderful the animals are, how sweet-natured, and they have all their shots, yada yada yada. IF THEY'RE SO GREAT HOWCUM THEY'RE TRYING TO GET RID OF THEM? It's probably something that is totally not the animal's fault.

A friend of mine runs a pet-trading service. She says the number one reason for people to get rid of their pets are allergies. Either a kid in the family got asthmatic fur-related problems, or the new boyfriend/girlfriend moving in does.

The secong reason is young (or just novice) pet owners realizing they're mistreating their pets in a "What the hell am I doing trying to take care of a schnauzer, I couldn't even look after a cactus" kind of ephiphany.

 

[Boxlicker101]

I started subscribing to Freecycle a few months ago when I had some household objects I needed to get rid of. I've been able to get rid of more stuff than I've been able to acquire, and I am amazed by the number of people who offer partly used bottles of beauty products in juxtaposition to the people who WANT queen bed sets and working refrigerators.

But the thing that REALLY bothers me is people always trying to offer up their animals--it seems to be mostly cats, although there's a fair number of dogs. They always say how wonderful the animals are, how sweet-natured, and they have all their shots, yada yada yada. IF THEY'RE SO GREAT HOWCUM THEY'RE TRYING TO GET RID OF THEM? It's probably something that is totally not the animal's fault.

I swear, if I had a dollar for every cat (or dog) offered up on Freecycle, I'd buy a big house where they all could live.

I see nothing wrong with offering pets to a good family. I have occasionally seen kids outside of supermarkets offering kittens or puppies to anybody who wants them.

The liar told the truth when he mentioned allergies. Other reasons could include moving to a place where they are not allowed or needing to save money for one reason or another.

 

[SlickTony]

I suppose that's true. Still, I worry about them. I wish I could take them, but feel especially fortunate that we have 3 cats now, when my husband used to be adamant that we could only have two at any given time. However, a blue kitten started hanging around the house, and he said it was too special to stay outside, so we grabbed him up, got him inoculated and examined, and brought him in. He went all Stockholm on us and hasn't looked back. He has grown into a credible imitation of a Korat.

I do not understand these people who get rid of a cat because a boyfriend or something is moving in. If they can't put up with cats, that's a dealbreaker to me.

 

[Trinique_Fire]

I started subscribing to Freecycle a few months ago when I had some household objects I needed to get rid of. I've been able to get rid of more stuff than I've been able to acquire, and I am amazed by the number of people who offer partly used bottles of beauty products in juxtaposition to the people who WANT queen bed sets and working refrigerators.

But the thing that REALLY bothers me is people always trying to offer up their animals--it seems to be mostly cats, although there's a fair number of dogs. They always say how wonderful the animals are, how sweet-natured, and they have all their shots, yada yada yada. IF THEY'RE SO GREAT HOWCUM THEY'RE TRYING TO GET RID OF THEM? It's probably something that is totally not the animal's fault.

I swear, if I had a dollar for every cat (or dog) offered up on Freecycle, I'd buy a big house where they all could live.

So you'd rather people abandon them, drop them off to the local shelter (where, I might add, they are running out of room for animals because so many people are unable to financially support their pets, and consequently, they are put down to make room), or something equally crappy or worse?

Think for a moment: The effect of the recession, our country's debt, and the real estate problem also effects animals.

Before you jump to conclusions and act like everyone who freecycles a pet is a jerk, an asshole, a shitty caretaker, why don't you stop and use your goddamn brain.

For the record, I'd freecycle a pet before I sent it to a shelter or abandoned it. I've received ferrets off of freecycle. I almost freecycled my cats at a point when I didn't think I could take care of them any longer.

So, go ahead and judge me. I'm right here, one of the people you can't seem to stand. Go ahead, say it.

Also, if you've got a problem with the site, then you should probably leave.

Christ....

 

[Ootpic]

I think SlickTony is right.

There should be more boyfriends and girlfriends being offered on Freecycle.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I had to get rid of mine because of allergies.

 

[SlickTony]

Ok, y'all got points. I'm glad if someone can get a pet via Freecycle, so I guess I shouldn't complain. It's just I've never, never given away an animal once I've acquired it. Although if someone would fall in love with the Aby-tabby that's in my house now, and promise her a life as the Only Cat, and inside/supervised outside privileges, I'd probably let her go in a heartbeat. She pisses on the floor, barfs on the bed, and beats the other two cats up. But she is fond of us, and I would hate to think of her being hauled off to a shelter and an unknown fate--she is not the most intelligent cat we've ever had, and I'm sure she would have no idea what she did wrong. We got her from a shelter. Two of the cats we've got now came from a shelter--a no-kill shelter called Purrrfect Love. We had to get a reference from our vet before they would turn a cat over to us. When we took Ziba (the Aby-tabby) to the vet for her first physical, the vet said that due to the stressful life of even a good shelter, she had no undercoat. Of course she is nice and plushy now.

FWIW, one of the cats we used to have (he died at 11, in an auto-pedestrian accident) was given to us by a friend--she had a stepdaughter who was diabetic and allergic, and the doctors had said that if she had a bad reaction, she could lose her sight. So we went to a Christmas party she was giving, and when we left, we had Pete secured in a pillowcase. When we first let him loose in the house, Zappa, the cat my husband had given me when we first got married, was jealous and felt threatened, but later on they became as tight as David and Jonathan.

But sometimes I think people acquire pets without thinking things through first. But what I said about boyfriends/girlfriends not accepting a pet--I'm sticking to it. If they expect you to give up your cat, what'll be next?

 

[Boxlicker101]

I think the ideal way to adopt cats is to adopt a litter of kittens, and let them grow up together. There is some fussing, but nowhere near as much as there is when you introduce an adult into a household.

 

[SlickTony]

I think the ideal way to adopt cats is to adopt a litter of kittens, and let them grow up together. There is some fussing, but nowhere near as much as there is when you introduce an adult into a household.

When I was coming up we had a brother and sister cat like that. My parents had thought to breed Siamese cats, but figured out there was no profit in it, and gave up after a while. Also, the resident stud died.

I'm sure, though, that Ophelia--the queen--must have wondered why in hell those last two kittens didn't go away like the other ones all did.

 

[shereads]

I started subscribing to Freecycle a few months ago when I had some household objects I needed to get rid of. I've been able to get rid of more stuff than I've been able to acquire, and I am amazed by the number of people who offer partly used bottles of beauty products in juxtaposition to the people who WANT queen bed sets and working refrigerators.

But the thing that REALLY bothers me is people always trying to offer up their animals--it seems to be mostly cats, although there's a fair number of dogs. They always say how wonderful the animals are, how sweet-natured, and they have all their shots, yada yada yada. IF THEY'RE SO GREAT HOWCUM THEY'RE TRYING TO GET RID OF THEM? It's probably something that is totally not the animal's fault.

I swear, if I had a dollar for every cat (or dog) offered up on Freecycle, I'd buy a big house where they all could live.

At least they're trying to find homes for them. Read in the paper last week that a growing number of foreclosed homes are found to have pets trapped inside - left behind like used furniture.

There are people with valid reasons for giving up their pets - having to move to an apartment with a no-pets policy; inheriting a pet from a sick or deceased relative; discovering that the dog or cat is jealous of the new baby and needs to be in a home without small children...or just overwhelmed by a responsibility they shouldn't have taken on in the first place. Trying to find a home for an animal you can't or don't want to take care of at least indicates some concern for its future. What sickens me is when people can't be bothered to look for new homes, or even to have their pets humanely put to sleep as a last resort.

I wish more places would make spaying/neutering mandatory for pet dogs and cats, as California is about to do. Their goal is to become a 'no kill' state; stemming the endless supply of disposable puppies and kittens is a necessary start.

 

[Trinique_Fire]

At least they're trying to find homes for them. Read in the paper last week that a growing number of foreclosed homes are found to have pets trapped inside - left behind like used furniture.

There are people with valid reasons for giving up their pets - having to move to an apartment with a no-pets policy; inheriting a pet from a sick or deceased relative; discovering that the dog or cat is jealous of the new baby and needs to be in a home without small children...or just overwhelmed by a responsibility they shouldn't have taken on in the first place. Trying to find a home for an animal you can't or don't want to take care of at least indicates some concern for its future. What sickens me is when people can't be bothered to look for new homes, or even to have their pets humanely put to sleep as a last resort.

I wish more places would make spaying/neutering mandatory for pet dogs and cats, as California is about to do. Their goal is to become a 'no kill' state; stemming the endless supply of disposable puppies and kittens is a necessary start.

Amen.

 

[fifty5]

Yeah, it just ain't simple.

Close friends had to give up their pets because they - she - had asthma.

Of the litter our two dogs came from, one got passed on again because - as puppies do - they poohed in the wrong place: that wasn't safe with a toddler around. Two more just wondered off, and the folk who'd taken them couldn't be assed to chase them up.

Freecycle may not be ideal, but there are much worse alternatives.

 

[SlickTony]

All right, all right, yeah, y'all have points!

That is just sickening, leaving pets trapped inside a house. That's worse than turning them out.

One of our "porch cats" is a shaggy tuxedo named Sylvester, whose owner left him behind when she lost her home and had to move. I was judging her pretty hard until we started trying to get Sylvester to come in and live with us. He is kind of the charge of the cul-de-sac, like a licensed beggar, and that is the way he prefers to live. It's quite possible that when he saw stuff being packed away into boxes and furniture being put in the van, he stayed gone until his owner gave up looking for him and left, and then he came back.