I HATE Adoptions

I told the Olympia woman "no" on Valentino. She did not take it well and became mean. I understand it.

Why did I say "no"? Because I can't do a home visit and have no idea who she is. We got to talking about it, a couple Poppa board members and myself, yesterday, when I was up there with him. Most rescues don't adopt out beyond a certain mileage radius because you can't check the people out and because it is slightly strange when there are plenty of in need animals everywhere, for someone to want an animal so far away.

Valentino's story is compelling. And he's super wonderful.

But would I hand him over to a complete stranger for a four hour drive, not knowing anything about them other than what they've told me themselves? No. Can't do it.

The other thing is, she never called me. She'd say she would call me, but never did. I finally tried calling her, got her son, who had no idea what I was talking about, said he'd have his mother call, but she didn't. Not til a couple days later, for about four minutes. I find this strange. It might not be to her, but it is to me.

I hate doing adoptions. I have no idea who people are calling me, wanting to take a living breathing soul home. These cats trust me, they're vulnerable in my hands. It literally eats me in stress to adopt them out. I like adopting out to people I know. I hate adopting to strangers. I'm not cut out for it.

I've had lots of bad outcomes, cats being eaten by predators or abandoned. I do the best I can. You can sometimes tell too, if you say "no", how they react, because a lot of people, myself included, would completely understand why I would not send Valentino off to a stranger far away. I took the insults tonight, that's for sure. Guess it's the price I pay to try to make sure Valentino gets his great home, without so much guesswork.

I don't like adopting to young married heterosexuals now, because I know they'll shortly be divorced. I've had lots of adoptions go bad for that reason. I have so many people call wanting a kitten to give their new boyfriend or girlfriend and around here, boyfriends and girlfriends are real short term entities. I have people call because their toddler wants a kitten and "I want a kitten to give my toddler." Give me a break.

I like adopting to gay men. They're very attentive to their pets and caring. I like adopting to middle aged to older single women, middle aged to older couples and to retired people. I like adopting to young educated yuppies or new agers, single or living together. Sure, some of them are strange, but they love their animals and shoulder a sense of responsibility.

Other than that, I HATE ADOPTIONS. YES, I AM SHOUTING! They chew me up inside.

Would the Olympia people have given Valentino a good home? I don't know. I don't know them. I tried to tell it was nothing personal, just the fact I don't know her and it's so far away, I can't drive up and do a home check. Costs too much, in time and gas. In the end, that's the only way I would have figured it out. People can say anything. It's so hard to know.

There is good news for cats tonight. There is this Mt. Hope colony. The caretaker contacted Poppa Inc. requesting help. Seems they're half a spit distance from the 5th wheel colony, where Zuli, Forest, Turbo, Gizmo and Rainy come from, just a field away.

I go up there because today's the day to trap them. 15 I was told, maybe. Well, they already had four in carriers and the one trap, borrowed by a niece. And then shoved another young tame male into one of my traps. That's five right there.

Then we set traps and caught six more. They've caught another since. That's 12. There might be two more, she thought. She was supposed to trap up til she goes to bed and then in the morning before I get there.

I'd already promised to take up four Monroe kittens who were underweight last time I tried. All but one, that is, the biggest boy, and their mother, who did get fixed.

So, beside an angry rejected adoptor e-mailing, I got like 16 cats in my garage and car. One of the black ones is sick. I already dosed her on antibiotics, eye and oral, and gave her fluids, and wormed her. Is that efficiency or what, even in the face of dejection over the Valentino adoption?

Sure I have guilt over telling her "no". Maybe she's a super duper wonderful cat person. But I don't know if she is or isn't. That's the thing. And it's so damn far away. I wish she could stop her insults long enough to understand that, that it is not personal, it's that I don't know her and that she's so darn far away.

I got 15, maybe 16 cats going to be fixed tomorrow. That's damn good, for the cats of this area. Damn good. I"m happy. And I barely lifted a finger. It was hailing, puonding, roaring hail up there. I got soaked but I didn't mind much.

Spring is schizophrenic here. Doesn't know what to do with itself. Should I snow? Spring asks, and then, angrily, spring throws down hail hard and fast. Spring doesn't know if its winter or summer, you see and that id crisis is hard on spring. Spring doesn't understand it is all about the flowers blooming and the grass growing up fast and green. Everybody loves, you spring. We smile at the thought of you coming. You don't need to pound down, but we love you anyhow. We don't care what you do, we just love you.