I recently moved into a new apartment and was forced to get rid of a cat I had. So, I did what we all do when giving away a live animal. I left the cat's fate up to the internet.
In doing this, I learned something about giving a cat away for free on Craigslist...Don't do it. Not for the cat's safety, but because you will be bombarded with messages from all sorts of cat enthusiasts. Many of which have no interest in the cat all, they just need someone to hear their thoughts. For instance, my crazy cat lady, let's call her Lisa (because that's what she told me her name was) seemed interested at first, but it became extremely apparent that she was not.
Here is the text conversation I had with Lisa:
LISA: Cute kitty, is he fixed?
ME: No, would you like him?
LISA: LOL not sure, I'll get back to you :P.
This seems like a fairly normal interaction. But after leaving my phone for five minutes, I was greeted by all of Lisa's afterthoughts:
LISA: I know a cheap vet in the valley that will fix him for basically free.
LISA: May not be able to take him after all, my apartment is small enough as it is!!!
LISA: What color eyes does he have?
LISA: Does he have shots? You should get him tested for feline aids.
LISA: 10% OF ALL CATS HAVE AIDS!...I just can't take the risk.
And now, the pivotal question and response:
ME: Do you have another cat?
LISA: No
So if Lisa doesn't have another cat, and she's concerned about feline AIDS...then that means Lisa thinks she can get AIDS from a cat. My response:
ME: Oh, don't worry. You'll be fine. Just make sure you use separate needles.
LISA: LOL seriously tho. Giving a cat away for free online is no good. 2 many ppl want to abuse or eat them. Good luck!
Sadly, that's the last I heard from Lisa. I shouldn't have to point out the irony in her concern for free online cats, but it does make you wonder if she herself was going to "abuse or eat them" my cat. But then decided not to, because of the aids.
Lesson learned?
