Ok so I foster cats for a local rescue and our local open Intake shelter and I’m also heavily in canine rescue as well so I’m pretty well versed on the processes of both

One of the things you often hear people who have never been actively involved in rescue complaining about is that “rescues are too strict” “it’s too hard to get an animal from a rescue so we just went to a breeder”

While I have definitely seen some rescues take it to another level, I personally don’t find the process for most of them difficult at all- it’s also simply comes down to you not getting a pet overnight as we’re all volunteers with jobs and our own lives too and making sure it’s a good match doesn’t happen in a day.

So tonight I get forwarded an app for this lady who has an interest in one of my fosters so I call her and she starts going off about how rescues are sooo intrusive and take soooo long. Guys she’s only been looking for 4 days. She even said it was too much that people ask about whether or not an owner would declaw a cat (because it’s extremely inhumane to do so and we will not knowingly adopt out a cat to anyone who openly says they will do this to them).

Here is how our process works:

1. You fill out a general app. Basic info and vets name and about the 10 basic questions regarding your plans for care, adjustment times, personality traits desired, declawing etc.

2. If that looks good our foster head (we are a foster based rescue we don’t have a physical location ) will give you a call and do a basic interview to go over the rest of the process. She will also do a basic background check and if you’re renting will confirm with your landlord that pets are allowed. If that’s good then she’ll either direct you to a foster who has a cat that may be a match or pair you with the one you had a specific interest in if you applied for a specific animal.

3. Foster sets up a meet with potential adopter to meet them and the animal - if all goes well & it’s a match - adoption will proceed. No one knows these animals better than their fosters so the ball falls in our court to make the final decision.

All of this can be done in a matter of days or maybe a week or two at most depending on everyone’s schedule. I personally think these processes are necessary because for one an animal is a privilege and not a right and two we don’t do this for profit - we actually go into a lot of debt as a rescue to provide for them and have to fundraise to make up for it - so we aren’t just in the business of filtering animals in and out - we work really hard to rehabilitate them and turn them into companions and want to be 1000% sure they go to the most compatible family or person where both the adopter AND the animal will live happily ever after. A bad match means the animal will likely end up back with the foster or illegally rehomed by the adopter (I say illegally because it explicitly goes against our adoption contract to rehome-all animals not staying with adopters MUST be returned to the rescue). My current fosters have been with me for 6 months and have been rehabbed from horrible injuries and illnesses, I will not adopt them out to anyone that I don’t feel is a compatible match.

So I’m curious for both those who have never been in rescue and those that are involved, how do you feel about the processes? Have you ever been denied for what you felt was an unfair reason or had a bad experience trying to adopt form a rescue?