寻亲记(3)

一拿到摄影师精心制作的照片,我就开始了轰轰烈烈的寻亲行动.出乎意料,照片贴到网上几天了,却一点消息也没有.6只小猫,只有2只有着落,还有4只前途未卜啊.我有点坐不住了.
2年前曾经送过10只猫,当时照片一贴出来就应者云集呢,难道那次把”市场”都榨干了?我再三的考虑着,要不要去其他的网站发发贴呢?可一想到可能会被一些图小奶猫一时好玩却没有责任心的人领养,我心里就很没底.那些不认识,不熟悉的人,我怎么能放心把这些可爱的宝贝们的一生交托出去呢.有几次,我打开其他的网站,送养的贴子都写了一大半了,想想还是又关闭了窗口.

在这其间,几个朋友也都积极的在网上和朋友圈中帮我寻找领养人,可惜,他们都遇到了同样的结果--来自领养人父母的压力.虽然父母只是短期的来探亲,可是却态度非常强硬的反对养猫.哎, 无奈啊…

一天,正在发愁的时候,突然想到,中文网站不成,可以试试英文网站呀.老外养宠物,感觉没有中国人那么多忌讳,生孩子啦,搬家啦什么的问题都比较少.于是我用可爱的小猫照去叩响了英文宠物论坛的大门.”应门”的是个PET RESCUE组织的负责人,也是那个论坛上送养/领养版的版主.她在问清我的情况后,交代了几点要注意的事项,第一点,竟然是要我向领养的人收费!真是一个地方一个规矩呀.在那边泡了几天,我明白了,他们的理论是-- Giving away animals for free is never a good idea. To many people, "Free" = "Worthless".呣,OK,明白.第二点就是要领养人签合约,这个合约基本规定的是,领养人会在小猫5,6个月大的时候带他们去KC,领养人保证不给猫做DECLAW的手术,保证小猫INDOOR等等.我是很赞同合约的条款的,可还是不禁疑惑,一纸合约能有多大的保障呢?就算领养人最后不遵从合约,我又从何而知呢?知道了,又能做什么呢?难道拿着合约去告他们?疑问归疑问,洋版主还是给了我很大的帮助,她把我的送养信息放到了PETFINDER的网站上.很快,我的信箱就充满了询问小猫的信件!哇哈哈哈,终于有人要领养小猫了!

高兴之余又有了新的烦恼,这些陌生人,我怎么知道他们会对小猫负责呢?经过和洋版主,土版主的讨论,最后出台了领养问答9大题:)
1. Do you have other pets?
2. What kind and how many?
3. Are they spayed and neutered?
4. Do you have kids? How old?
5. Have you had cats before?
6. How long did you have them and what happened to them?
7. What would you do to the cat if you are moving or having a baby?
8. Do you believe in declawing? Letting cats outside?
9. If you are renting, do you have the permission from the owner of yourplace?

第一个回答这9大问题的是来自英文论坛的领养人,洋洋洒洒一大篇,回答的是情真意切啊,我真是太感动了,恨不得把6只小猫全给她了.:) 可惜的是,这位领养人只要一只.特在此转贴领养人的回信:
1.Do you have other pets?
Yes, quite a few :)

2. What kind and how many? 3. Are they spayed and neutered?
I have a Smooth Collie named Yuki, she's spayed and 11 months old. A cat namedMimi, she just turned 7 last week, she's spayed also. Yuki is used to beingaround cats and actually gets bullied a lot by Mimi even though she's 5 timesher size but they get along just fine since they keep each other company. Mimiactually misses her when she's not around, comes home and gives her rubs!Well... rubs first then whacks or pets as Yuki thinks of them Also have 2 house bunnies, Ahpeht, 6 years old neutered and BLT who's 3 yearsold and spayed.

4. Do you have kids? How old?
No kids, just furbabies :)

5. Have you had cats before?
Mimi is my first cat, I adopted her when her owner didn't want her anymore andwas going to give her to the SPCA. Before Mimi I was an all dog person, butshe changed me. I loooove cats almost as much as dogs now.

6. How long did you have them and what happened to them?
Had all of them since they were babies and still have them now, once they'rehere they're here forever.

7. What would you do to the cat if you are moving or having a baby.
We're actually moving from our apartment to our new house next month. Decidedon getting a house mainly because of them. Yuki will have her own fenced yardto play in and Mimi gets to run up and down the stairs with many more placesto hide and sneak up on the dog When i'm to have human babies then we'll have to consider getting an evenbigger house to accomodate the whole family fur and non-furbabies :)

8. Do you believe in declawing? Letting cats outside?
UHG declawing is evil! Would never do it, i've read about it and we'reabsolutely against it, it’s painful and mutilation :(( I can't imagine mimiwithout her claws, how would she climb her cat tree? and play with her stringytoys? and give us 100 million scratches when its time to cut her nails :)Non-cat ppl will think we're crazy if they hear us bragging about how manyscratches we get :OAs for letting cats outside, our cats will only be house cats. There are toomany dangers outside to let them run loose. Now that we're going to live in ahouse, there'll be much more room for them to run around, absolutely no needto let them out.

9. If you are renting, do you have the permission from the owner of yourplace?
Yes the apartment we're living at allows pets. But we're going to have our ownplace very soon, can't wait!!

在接下来的几天里,我又陆续给几个有意领养小猫的人发出了这9大问题.从各个领养人的回答来看,几乎所有人都是经过认真考虑才决定给家庭添丁进口的,而且几乎都有养猫的经历,明白KC,INDOOR的重要性,明白DECLAW的危害.其中一个人的回复也给我留下了深刻印象.这是一对父母,想以一只小猫作为女儿的6岁生日礼物.在回答关于DECLAW的问题的时候,她很诚实的告诉我,她曾经有两只猫,第一只被DECLAW了,可是她后来明白,解决问题的正确方法是适当的训练和SCRATCHING POLE,而不是DECLAW.其实,EMAIL里说的东西我根本无从考证,所以她的坦诚让我格外钦佩.

可惜,几乎所有的信件都是询问关于小黄猫的,虽然早就预料到可能会有这样的情况,但我还是侥幸的认为,凭借摄影师那张出色的小三花照片,怎么也能吸引几个人吧,谁知竟真的无人问津!