Cat Haven is bursting at the seams with over 340 cats at the shelter. They are having a massive adoption drive and they are giving away all their adult cats fee free for the Labour Day holiday weekend, starting this Saturday February 28th to Monday 2 March. The adoption fee is usually $49. All cats are health checked, sterilised, micro-chipped and vaccinated. If you are intending to adopt a cat, consider making a donation.
Older cats make great companions. They are generally more settled and cause less havoc around the house than their younger selves. And by adopting/fostering from a shelter you are giving them a home, making room for another to be taken in and (by not buying) sparing another from being bred into existence.
Just ring the council and they will set up a couple of traps . Totally free service from my council and plenty of others . The new responsible cat ownership guidelines are why are seeing these free cat deals . A lot of people simply don't want their cat back .
After having the neighbors cats use my garden for a toliet…
Cats are fastidiously clean. They bury their faeces rather than leave it around for you to step in. Furthermore, faeces of any kind generally act as a fertiliser in your garden. Cats will often rid your garden of rats and mice that might otherwise have ideas of entering your home. Rats/mice can even smell when a cat is nearby and they'll stay away. If you've ever lived in a home infested with mice, you would celebrate the cats that use your garden as a toilet.
They bury their faeces rather than leave it around for you to step in. Furthermore, faeces of any kind generally act as a fertiliser in your garden.
No they certainly don't bury their faeces. It's strange they don''t foul their owner's garden. Their faeces contain the Toxoplasmosis parasite which causes miscarriage, stillborn or birth defects. Moreover, it is shown to affect the brain of rats to make them less fearful of cats.
http://www.health24.com/Medical/Diseases/Diseases-from-cats-…
"If you are intending to adopt a cat, consider making a donation."
Free with added guilt :)
Comment Removed
(no matter how carefully I word it, my joke would upset people so I have removed it)
the only appropriate jokes about cats apparently is about the master/slave relationships and cheeseburgers… :)
Apparently cats just think we're bigger stupid non-hostile cats:
http://www.cnet.com/au/news/scientist-cats-think-you-are-jus…
Free with added guilt :)
Desexing and microchipping don't come free, to them or anyone else. If you can afford to help out, why not, when you're getting the cat for nothing. I'd suggest if you genuinely can't afford even a fiver, you probably shouldn't be taking on another mouth to feed.
My initial concern was that if they're giving them away they probably weren't desexed, but that's not the case at all.
If you decide to adopt a cat, please do so responsibly and keep it at home, and locked up overnight.
Now, it is in a cat's nature to wander. Is it not a bit cruel to our feline friends to just lock them up all day every day for the rest of its days?
Not at all. Especially if you consider the availablity of 'enclosures' (or how easy it is to build one yourself).
My cats are indoors but we have a 'doggy door' that allows them to go outside to a large enclosed part of the backyard. So they are safe and they aren't roaming the neighbourhood.
I wouldn't have it any other way.
As per Geewhizz's post, if you are going to adopt a cat (or kitten, dog, puppy, etc) please do so responsibly.
meow meow i love pussy
I haven't heard that one before….
I've heard it before. It's still funny.
Domesticated they may be, they are still highly destructive natural born killers when allowed to roam freely. A terror for other wildlife.
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/backgroundbrief…
http://www.smh.com.au/national/gone-feral-the-cats-devouring…
hehe earylbird doesnt like cats
Yeah but there cute…
they're
Thanks teach..
Now I am wondering whether promotion of Dingoes would work in getting rid of the cats. But then again where do we go to keep Dingoes in check.
Ah food chain, circle of life, ecosystem stuff. freaky.
More like humans always stuffing things up by our heavy hands (like introducing species) then trying to fix our mistakes by even heavier hands (introducing even more) ad infinitum. Its 2015 - you'd think we'd know by now.
Ergo, keep your cats indoors. It's both in the interest of our wildlife and the cats safety.
I am pro-cats. But anti-letting them roam freely, for the record.
From experience, cats just seem to 'wander'. If they want out they will look for a way out… And when they want to go back in the house, they will headbutt the door until someone comes to open it. I tried to keep it under control got scratched trying to put a leash onto it =(
I adopted an indoor cat from RSPCA. Despite of the description, after a few timid attempts, she love going outside now. I bought a collar with a bell on it for my cat. She can chase the birds all day for her entertainment but she never manages to get any.
Sigh. What if she finds injured wildlife that cannot escape? What if she learns to become better at chasing and killing wildlife? How do you even know that she isn't catching any?? Just because your cat isn't bringing anything home doesn't mean she isn't capturing anything out there (or scaring the shit out of native creatures).
Think about it. Your cat also runs the risk of being hit by cars, or, if there are other cats in the neighbourhood (pets or feral), there's also the risk of it contracting feline AIDS or being injured in fights.
It was best being kept indoors. That's probably why the RSPCA made sure to label her as an indoor cat. That wasn't a challenge for you to try and tackle and change.
Sigh. Cats naturally roam free. The pathetically ignorant argument about cats destroying wildlife is moot. White humans are not native to this country. Neither are foxes (deliberately introduced by the British) and neither are rats (also thank the British). All three of these species of life destroy native wildlife. Domestic cats and feral cats account for a tiny negligible proportion. This stupid argument is the equivalent of saying we should ban plastic chip packets and then ALL of the worlds pollution problems will be fixed.
A cat locked indoors is an unhappy cat. Fat and depressed. Also they need access to fresh grass. They use it as an emetic to rid themselves of fur they have digested. Locking your cat indoors is cruel and unnatural. A cat that gets pancaked by a car at least gets to live a happy life albeit short.
Chasing birds and mice is what cats do. They have been designed that way by nature. Thousands of years of genetic programming by nature. Yet all the suburban Ramsey Street philosophers saying "cats destroy wildlife, how terrible" know better than nature and evolution.
@Wonderman: I lost two cats while growing up (I was a child, my parents insisted the cats were fine being left outside to roam free despite my concerns).
One was hit by a car within months. Dead.
The other was injured countless times in fights with neighbours pet cats, and eventually succumbed to feline AIDS. It was gut wrenching to watch and it still fills me with guilt to this day.
Like I said, I was a child at the time and had no say in the matter. My parents spouted the VERY same argument you just wrote. If I had those cats now, they'd be indoors, with a huge enclosed cat-run in my back yard so they had enough space to exercise and roll in the sun and chew on grass freely. I'm quite aware of what makes a healthy cat.
This stupid argument is the equivalent of saying we should ban plastic chip packets and then ALL of the worlds pollution problems will be fixed.
Is it always 'all or nothing'? That's such a pathetic argument. Reducing the number of problems by one is better than going 'hey, there are other problems out there, what's one more! why ban one and not all of them?!'. Black and white thinking is narrowminded.
White humans are not native to this country
Indeed. And look what a fantastic effect we have on the environment :) thanks for proving my point.
The pathetically ignorant argument about cats destroying wildlife is moot… Domestic cats and feral cats account for a tiny negligible proportion.
"It’s estimated feral cats kills 75 million native animals a night in Australia" and you think that's a "tiny negligible proportion"?
Neither are foxes (deliberately introduced by the British) and neither are rats (also thank the British). All three of these species of life destroy native wildlife.
We cannot undo the damage that has been done by past generations but that's no excuse to repeat their mistake.
@altomic:
Abandoned and strayed pets become feral. I'm not against responsible cat ownership but a free scheme such as this may encourage irresponsible owners.
@EarlyBird: me too. if you get a cat then have it sterilised. even if it goes feral then it can't reproduce.
@m1nh It's very good of you to give that cat a home. Also letting her roam free with a bell on is not only kind to your cat, it is very responsible of you. Your cat will be your grateful friend for life.
Putting a bell on your cat in the belief that it will stop it killing stuff is a delusion .
…they are still highly destructive natural born killers…
As are white humans and the myriad of other introduced species to this country. Should we rid this country of everything that threatens the wildlife? It's such a boring tired argument. And a moot one at that. Bang on cue, every time there is a cat adoption type of post on Ozbargain the same garbage about cats and wildlife is invariably trotted out. It has NOTHING to do with cat adoption and nothing to do with the original post.
Dude. People aren't trying to deter others from adopting cats. It's just a matter of trying to remind anyone who has cats, or might be thinking of adopting cats, to be aware of what their cats might be capable of (as with any animal), and therefore, to think about how to set up a home that ensures the safety of any local wildlife AND the cat.
I respectfully disagree. It has nothing to do with making people aware. When there is a deal on steak knives on Ozbargain, do people post saying, "Hey, knives can kill you. Watch out"? No. It's the same old animal-hating vitriol in the form of, "Ooh guess what? Cats kill all the native wildlife" and it's always when the post relates to cat adoption.
By the way, have a look at what a bunch of Australian men can do to our native wildlife.
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2015/02/16/4178920.ht…
Then ask yourself if we should be worried about some cats in need of adoption.
@Wonderman: I guess I'm only speaking for my own posts, then. My position certainly isn't an "animal-hating" one. I have pets of my own - four at the moment, down from 6 prior to Christmas sadly :(
I adore animals of all species, hence my comments of wanting to ensure all were kept as safe as possible (both native and the cats). Keeping cats locked up is, of course, not ideal either, but one should try to strike some balance. Cat runs if one can afford it. I don't know - it's a hard one. Why do you think I don't have cats any more :) though I wish I did..
All for cat adoptions, don't get me wrong. Just the responsible ownership of them. Keep them safe, is all. I've had my heart broken from my own losses of cats, as I'm sure many of us have - so if there are indeed simple measures we can take to reduce the amount of time the cats spend outdoors (like keeping them indoors at night, for example), that's better than not trying at all, surely.
@waterlogged turnip: "I adore animals of all species, hence my comments of wanting to ensure all were kept as safe as possible" - Best thing you can do is stop using them intentionally (food, clothes, etc.) - you'll spare over 100 per year.
Public Holiday this Monday? Thanks for the reminder cat haven!
Nothing is free…. especially anything to do with pets.
Giving them away > animal euthanasia
Ethically + costs.. donations are a bonus.
They usually charge for this?
Someone tell me I've seen the "should cat be allowed outdoor" thread on whirlpool before.
Ah shame I'm allergic to cats though.
who'd have thought a post about free cats could be so polarising
cryptos on 25/02/2015 - 02:44 Comment score below threshold.