Bengal Rescue

[Max]

Over the course of the last few months, I've been looking into rehoming a Bengal. I've been on to a few of the rescue sites and was astounded to see that one rescue, is asking for a donation of £150. This makes it impossible for a lot of people, who may be able to offer loving homes, to make a difference to the health and welfare of this "designer" breed. I'd be interested to know other peoples thoughts on this matter.

[Mags]

You would probably have to pay more than double that for a Bengal from a breeder:shock:

If you have your heart set on a Bengal I think £150 would be a very fair price to pay regardless of whether it was from a Rescue organisation or not..

[Booktigger]

In a way, I can't understand why they are more as they dont generally cost more than a moggie to keep in a rescue, but in a way I can, as a lot of these cats end up in rescues cos they look stunning but people can't deal with them being so high energy, so by raising the price, you do rule out people who would just want them for looks. There may be a better way of doing it though. And by the rescue having money, more of that breed can be helped.
Plus, as Mags points out, you woudln't pay that price for one through a breeder unless they were a very poor one.

[Donna]

The rescues do need the money - and as a pedigree they are justified in upping the price a bit where they can.

[Booktigger]

That's where I slightly disagree - I know rescues need money, the rescue i foster for told me how much our vet bill for last month was, and it more than half of what we raised on our last fundraiser - but it doesnt cost a Bengal rescue much more to look after theirs than it does for us to look after a moggy, except we cant afford to vaccinate and chip. Tom has personally cost me over £100 this year, never mind how much the rescue spent on food and litter, but we will get £35 for him this week. And even when we get pedigrees in, we dont charge more - but I may recommend it. And I understand upping hte price a bit, but over £100 more than most rescues??

[Max]

It's been very interesting to read your points of view. After giving the matter serious consideration, I've decided to go to a multi-cat rescue, as these appear to be the rescues that receive the least financial assistance. I'd be more than willing to donate more than the requested adoption fee, as long as I was sure it was being used for the benefit of the cats.

[Hreow]

...so by raising the price, you do rule out people who would just want them for looks.

Uhhh... How? Seems to me there are more people with money and "designer" pets, than poor people. I'm sure I'm just misunderstanding what you mean...

[Booktigger]

It is the only way I can think of that rescues can justify charging more for a pedigree than a moggy, as in the majority of cases, they dont cost more to care for. Sadly, yes there are too many people who get animals for their looks, but I think they would tend to go through breeders than to a rescue.

[ajs]

Have you asked the rescue concerned how they spend the money they receive?
They have to ensure each cat is well cared for whilst in the rescue, and that they are going out in good condition.
I do not know the detail myself, but I don't find the donation to be especially surprising.

[Bengal Cat Rescue]

As I posted on Cat Chat last week, we are a community interest company.

Our cats leave us microchipped, vaccinated (including FeLV), blood tested if need be for FeLV, frontlined, drontaled and insured when they leave us. They also leave our care with a pack of goodies, beds, food, toys, and quite often a carrier.

Why? Because that is our policy and it important to us our cats get the best possible start in their new home, as a rescue we are 5-6 people strong. We all work full time in other occupations and we sadly do not have enough time to do loads of fundraising, in fact this Xmas I have (personally) designed and bought soem calenders to raise some funds.

The donations don't cover our costs, we still have insurance to pay, web hosting to pay, extraordinary vet bills for those bengals thrown from cars or out of blocks of flats, the bottom line is that is my wages that covers those costs.

I think it terrible that other cat rescue with mainly moggies can't charge more as I have no idea how you cover your costs and keep going.

I'd love to have a team of people fund raising for us, doing table top sales etc but we're yet to find such people.

[twinky]

Sorry, I think £150 is appalling. I thought the idea was to find cats a good and loving home, not get as much as you can for them. :(

[smudgley]

Sorry, I think £150 is appalling. I thought the idea was to find cats a good and loving home, not get as much as you can for them. :(


:roll: Have you read the post from Bengal rescue above

""Our cats leave us microchipped, vaccinated (including FeLV), blood tested if need be for FeLV, frontlined, drontaled and insured when they leave us. They also leave our care with a pack of goodies, beds, food, toys, and quite often a carrier. ""

have you any idea how much all of these cost Twinky? :roll:

[twinky]

:roll: Have you read the post from Bengal rescue above

""Our cats leave us microchipped, vaccinated (including FeLV), blood tested if need be for FeLV, frontlined, drontaled and insured when they leave us. They also leave our care with a pack of goodies, beds, food, toys, and quite often a carrier. ""

have you any idea how much all of these cost Twinky? :roll:

Yes, I have. They need to cut out the 'goodies', and get to the real point of a rescue and rehoming scheme. Get a cat into a good forever home.

[smudgley]

Yes, I have. They need to cut out the 'goodies', and get to the real point of a rescue and rehoming scheme. Get a cat into a good forever home.

I think that is a very unfair thing to say!
The neutering / vaccination / blood test & microchip would cost more than £150.

[twinky]

I think that is a very unfair thing to say!
The neutering / vaccination / blood test & microchip would cost more than £150.

I know. I have owned cats young and old. But does every cat going through the rescue home already need the vaccination, chip, neutering? Maybe they should 'price' them according to what they have paid for themselves?

[smudgley]

I know. I have owned cats young and old. But does every cat going through the rescue home already need the vaccination, chip, neutering? Maybe they should 'price' them according to what they have paid for themselves?

A pedigree bengal would cost a fortune from a breeder -kitten or adult.
Yes some of them may already be neutered or vaccinated, but however you look at it, your £150 fee will ensure that you take on a cat that is wormed / treated for fleas & neutered etc...
Believe me, they won't be making any money out of it.

Don't forget they have to feed them & pay for other vet costs for cats that are ill etc

[twinky]

A pedigree bengal would cost a fortune from a breeder -kitten or adult.
Yes some of them may already be neutered or vaccinated, but however you look at it, your £150 fee will ensure that you take on a cat that is wormed / treated for fleas & neutered etc...
Believe me, they won't be making any money out of it.

Don't forget they have to feed them & pay for other vet costs for cats that are ill etc

I do appreciate all that. But at the end of the day, someone wants to give a cat at home. Maybe a small loss would be incurred, but then they wouldn't have the expense of keeping the cat on, would they? Sorry to come across so negative in my first posts, :oops: but it really gets to me when rescue centres are screaming out for new homes, and then place every obstacle possible in your way.

[smudgley]

I do understand what you are saying & in a way I agree, but I see it from the other side of the fence. I know the cats that I take in cost way more than any donations I get. We don't have a "fee" just a donation of whatever the adopter wants to give, which you may think is more fair, but then people take on 2 healthy cats which have cost us a small fortune to be neutered / health checked / blood tested / wormed / vaccinated / treated for fleas / M/C'd & then the people give you a fiver as a donation! It doesn't make sense & if the people are aware of the costs of owning a cat including vaccines / regular worming etc then you'd think they would be happy to pay £150 adoption fee.

Most rescues are voluntary, the one I'm involved in is totally voluntary - so all the donations go to help the cats.

[Jac]

I have come across rescues that ask for a "donation" then tell you how much of a "donation" they want.:?
I also agree that some people take the mickey. I have had first hand experiance, albeit a dog and not a cat.
Give you an example, a boxer is about £500 to £700 as a pup. A person comes for a young dog (under 2) and gives a £25 donation, mean while said dog has cost £150 to collect and keep:( . Where do you draw the line? There is no fast rules but most rescues run short and only just keep there heads above water.
What makes me mad, is so called rescues that do nothing. They say all animals are vet checked ect and they arnt:shock: I would much rather go to a reputable place, pay a little extra, knowing the animal is vet checked, wormed, micro chiped ect than a fly bye night money makeing organisation. Beleive me there are alot out there.

[Susan]

I want to say how discusted I am at reading someone complaining about being charged £150. for a Bengal cat.
I run a cat rescue charity. I work 7 days a week, it is now 10 pm and I am just finishing for today and will be up at 6 am to start the next rescue day.
Do people realise how many unwanted, abused and dumped cats out there? We bring them into care. Nurse them to health, pay to have them health checked by a vet £30. fully vaccinated between £50/£70, teeth cleaned £150.-if they need it, neutered £40/£80. Microchipped £10/£30. Flead and wormed £6. Fed on all the best food. One cat if ill can cost us up to £1000. Our vet bills are approx £3000 a month. Our outgoing expenses approx: £5000 a month. I am sure you have worked out that £150. does not cover the cost of the cat. Then we get people moaning that they have to pay a SMALL contribution when they come to us for a cat. Rescue charities actually subsidise the cost of owning a cat.
I do not get any wages because there is no spare money.

All I can say is go buy a Bengal cat from a breeder. And then pay for your own vaccinations etc. I guess you would be looking at near £1000. Or be decent people and support a rescue charity.

[Moli]

Unfortunately you have people who feel giving a rescue cat a home is enough, they do not realise the cost of keeping cats in a rescue.....

[smudgley]

I want to say how discusted I am at reading someone complaining about being charged £150. for a Bengal cat.
I run a cat rescue charity. I work 7 days a week, it is now 10 pm and I am just finishing for today and will be up at 6 am to start the next rescue day.
Do people realise how many unwanted, abused and dumped cats out there? We bring them into care. Nurse them to health, pay to have them health checked by a vet £30. fully vaccinated between £50/£70, teeth cleaned £150.-if they need it, neutered £40/£80. Microchipped £10/£30. Flead and wormed £6. Fed on all the best food. One cat if ill can cost us up to £1000. Our vet bills are approx £3000 a month. Our outgoing expenses approx: £5000 a month. I am sure you have worked out that £150. does not cover the cost of the cat. Then we get people moaning that they have to pay a SMALL contribution when they come to us for a cat. Rescue charities actually subsidise the cost of owning a cat.
I do not get any wages because there is no spare money.

All I can say is go buy a Bengal cat from a breeder. And then pay for your own vaccinations etc. I guess you would be looking at near £1000. Or be decent people and support a rescue charity.

Susan, you have just joined the forum, but the first 2 posts you have made are from old threads that you have dug up and stated how disgusted you are with people. :? How bizarre!

[Susan]

I have been working in cat rescue for many years and nothing has changed. The £150. for a Bengal cat may be an old arguement as this was posted some time ago.

However, some people still resent the fact that we charge a fee for a cat. They expect the cat to be given for nothing 'cos they are doing us a favour'.

It may be an old arguement to you but we have the phone hung up everyday when we mention a fee. So although you find it boring, I find it extremely ignorant.

Animal cruelty is on the increase. More and more cats are dumped everyday (we receive on average 25 calls day reporting this). And rescue is over worked and has to suffer much ignorance and abuse.

How bizarre is that.

[charliebubs]

Susan - Smudgley is on your side - she runs a rescue too. I don't think she's disagreeing with you, just finding it odd that the only threads you are posting to seem to be to create arguements. (sorry to speak on your behalf, Smudgley!)

I volunteer for the Ragdoll Rehome Group and we charge a rehoming fee for the same reasons as others have posted above - by the time we have had all the necessary things done, the cost of the cats to us is sky high with all the vets bills, medication, food, litter and so on.

I think that the fee we charge is totally reasonable given the amount that the Group spend. Again, we are all volunteers and receive no funding from anywhere. We have stalls at cat shows to try and fundraise and hold occassional events, but it comes down to the goodwill of the volunteers and supporters.

[smudgley]

I have been working in cat rescue for many years and nothing has changed. The £150. for a Bengal cat may be an old arguement as this was posted some time ago.

However, some people still resent the fact that we charge a fee for a cat. They expect the cat to be given for nothing 'cos they are doing us a favour'.

It may be an old arguement to you but we have the phone hung up everyday when we mention a fee. So although you find it boring, I find it extremely ignorant.

Animal cruelty is on the increase. More and more cats are dumped everyday (we receive on average 25 calls day reporting this). And rescue is over worked and has to suffer much ignorance and abuse.

How bizarre is that.

Did I say I find it boring? How rude! :roll:

You don't need to tell me how many unwanted cats and kittens there are in the world Susan!

[Moli]

Think you should know Susan, Smudgley has fostered 100's of kittens for the CP, she is well aware of the problems...:?

[smudgley]

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[daviddakota]

Newbie here, so go easy! Just thought i'd share my thoughts...
There are clearly two sides. Now on one hand, the OP is right, taking a cat into a loving home is paramount, and i doubt people really disagree. But long term, the dedicated teams providing rescue are subject to costs which should ideally be recovered- if not, despite their dedication, its more than possible commercial pressures could force rescue centres to close (i do hope i'm not speaking out of turn, or offending anyone).

[dandysmom]

Very sensible view, David; and all are welcome to express an opinion here, newbie or veteran!

[meep]

Have just caught onto this thread now, and don't want to stir but just add my opion, as I think both sides of argument have been well covered.

If someone is unwilling to pay £150 to rescue a pedigree cat, they have their own reasons for feeling that way (financial hardship, prinple, budget etc.) but they should really consider that owning a cat, pedigree or not, can incur extra unwanted costs such as vet bills (if they're not insured), potentially replacing a carpet of a rented property if they tear it up... many other things. So if money is a major deciding factor in whether to take a pet on or not, its probably best to reassess that you can afford the upkeep of looking after a pet yourself.

I'm not saying that if you've got a tight budget you shouldn't keep pets, anyone can, as long as they budget carefully and are aware that some sudden, unexpected costs can crop up: this is part of owning a pet.

[Susan]

I bet people are a bit cross with me for sparking this conversation off again. I get very passionate about this subject, so sorry if I seemed rude last time I came onto the forum. Specially sorry to Smudgley, who seems like a really nice person and fellow worker.

But it is tough out there for rescue. My outgoing expenses this month just gone were £10.000. The month before £8000. Its a lot of presure to find the money. And all on my shoulders, which is why its a raw subject to me.

I know a lady who has just started a rescue. She is letting people have her cats and kittens for free. She pays all the expenses from her personal pension. The point I made to her is people do not tend to value freebies.

I guess it all boils down to who pays? With public support us rescue workers can continue to try and make a difference in the cat world. Its a drop in the ocean, when you consider the amount of abandoned cats, but we are trying. Without funds we cannot continue.

The other side of the coin is, we could not bother vaccinating, microchipping, neutering etc and let people have the cats free. I do know a charity that does this. They just ask a small donation and are happy with £5. But they have homed some very unhealthy cats.

The pet shop near me is charging £500. for a coloured kitten. There does not seem to be complaints about the price. We are struggling to home even one of our 150 kittens we have in at the moment.