Is it practical and sensible to adopt a rescue cat, which by chance, is 3,000 miles from where you live? Is it a folly to try to do this or is it heroic? An heroic effort to adopt an unwanted cat at any cost, almost. What an effort! How commonplace is this in America?
There would have to be a gigantic transportation effort. It is the sort of transportation challenge that many cat breeders don’t entertain mainly because it is too stressful and hazardous for the cat and what about the cost? Also arguably there is no need for this sort of long distance transportation because there should be someone who is local or certainly within a reasonable distance. For rescue cats that doesn’t apply, it seems. Are there guidelines on cat transportation amongst cat rescue organisations?
Well, a person living near the Pacific coast in California tried to adopt a rescue cat that was with a foster carer in North Carolina, which is the other side of the United States, almost 3,000 miles away. In this instance the kitten/cat was flown from Gaston County, North Carolina to LA, California (note: the cat was actually flown from Wilmington, North Carolina – sorry but not much difference). The last leg of the journey to Santa Rosa, California was probably planed to be by road.
The super long distance adoption failed when the 8 month old kitten, Cali, escaped the transportation container at Santa Clarita which is a suburb of Los Angeles (correction: Cali escaped a property where the person transporting the cat was staying – a “condo”). Cali had been transported across the entire breadth of America from East to West but tragically the last leg could not be made because she has gone, lost and cannot be found.
Tell me, was this:
- (a) an adoption too far, too difficult or too risky or
- (b) a tremendous effort that unfortunately failed to place a vulnerable and precious rescue cat in a good home in sunny California?
Thanks for commenting Judith.
Wow. I find that very interesting. Are you saying they have run out of stray unwanted cats and demand for cats outstrips supply? I have never heard of that.
I just read last night that the city of San Francisco is also importing cats for adoptions. They have not just a TNR program but an active recruitment program asking everyone to bring in any “community” cat, stray or feral, and the cat will be sterilized and returned to its previous location. Result? They need kittens!
They are.
Fantastic story, Dhyana. Thank you for telling it.
My cat of 6 years died tragically Jan 12. 2014. It was devastating. The next morning I went on Facebook to look at the photos I had posted of him. At the top of my news feed was a cat so identical to him I had to look several times. My cat tended to over groom and often his tail and back end were missing fur. So was the cat on my news feed. I clicked the photo. For more info only to find out she was all the way in St.Louis MO. She had ended up in the shelter after her owner died tragically. We had both lost companions. I simply commented how I wished I could make her mine under her photo. OPKIT saw this and sprung into action. In a week Sophie was here in my house in Florida all the way from St. Louis. Sophie had so many changes and so much traveling it took her some time to adjust. But I can tell you she is happy and well adjusted. Without OPKIT I would not have my So-So pretty girl.