# City of Toronto: adoption fee waived for black cats



## tezster

Adoption fees waived for black cats at Toronto animal shelters | Our Life In Toronto

I thought this was worth posting for those living in the Toronto area thinking of adopting a cat. I guess you could call this a Black Friday promotion? 



> The City of Toronto is holding a cat adoption blitz in honour of Black Friday from Friday, November 29 to Sunday, December 1. Residents can go home with a kitten or cat with any black colouring, without paying the usual $75 adoption fee (there is a $15 pet licence fee or $7.50 for seniors). More than 150 cats are up for adoption at the City’s four animal shelters, as well as at a number of adoption partner locations.
> All cats and kittens are sterilized (spayed/neutered), micro-chipped, vet-checked, de-wormed and vaccinated.
> 
> Approximately 210 cats and kittens were adopted during the recent Fall in Love adoption campaign across the city. There is still an immediate need to find homes for more than 150 cats and kittens. Black cats are traditionally the last to find permanent homes.
> 
> 
> *North Animal Shelter and Spay Neuter Clinic*
> 1300 Sheppard Avenue West
> North Animal Shelter Phone: 416-338-8723
> *
> South Animal Shelter*
> 140 Princes’ Blvd,
> Phone: 416-338-6668
> ​ *East Animal Shelter*
> 821 Progress Avenue
> Phone: 416-338-7539
> ​ *West Animal Shelter*
> 146 The East Mall, Toronto, ON M9B 1B9
> Phone: 416-338-6271​


----------



## dt8thd

Thanks for posting this, tezster! I saw an ad/article in the Toronto Star this morning advertising this. 

...Incidentally, Sophie is a black DLH who's at the East shelter right now. She's a wonderful, super-sweet, little cat that we trapped behind the Recovery Centre, and she's looking for a forever home. Just throwing it out there.

This is Sophie.


----------



## Marcia

I wonder if they waived all adoption fees for all cats in lieu of donations if they would get more $$$. I know people can be generous when the need is great. Good on Toronto, though!!


----------



## Lotu

The adoption center in our area is giving $50 off the normal adoption fees on black Friday if the cat/kitten has any black fur. The rescue that we adopted our kittens from uses this shop...so kittens who are normally $160 are $110  Go black kitties...find a home!


----------



## Mitts & Tess

Lotu said:


> The adoption center in our area is giving $50 off the normal adoption fees on black Friday if the cat/kitten has any black fur. The rescue that we adopted our kittens from uses this shop...so kittens who are normally $160 are $110  Go black kitties...find a home!


Wow that is a high fee for adoptions in US! We had been charging $35 lately. Normal price is $65 in our community. We normally spend apx $150 now for each cat which comes in if they are in good shape. s/n, vaccinations, deworm, felv, fiv testing, fecal test for parasites, wellness exams, free two rounds of soft claws, free vet visit once you adopt a cat at one of our recommended vets!


----------



## cassblonde

Mitts & Tess said:


> Wow that is a high fee for adoptions in US! We had been charging $35 lately. Normal price is $65 in our community.


I live near Toronto and recently adopted 2 cats. My community charges $150 plus tax and plus $40 lifetime license fee per cat, it's higher for dogs and they come fixed, chipped & shots. They also offer 6 weeks of pet insurance but I won't be using mine.

It's high compared to the prices I see in the states and in larger cities(like Toronto) but still WAY cheaper than taking a cat off the street and doing everything through a vet. I've done both and would rather adopt.


----------



## Arianwen

My two new adoptees came home today - both jet black - brother and sister! I find it so sad that some colours are so neglected - even unpopular.


----------



## dt8thd

I live in Toronto, and I charge $100 for the cats that I adopt out privately. It's more than Toronto Animal Services or the Toronto Humane Society charge, which is about $60, I think, but less than the local rescues, which typically charge between $120 and $175.

The cats I adopt out are always spayed/neutered, microchipped, and have received rabies and FVRCP vaccinations. Most are dewormed and given Revolution. Many of them have also had a standard vet check and I do often snap combo test for FIV and FeLV, as the cats I adopt out are typically tame cats that I've trapped at feral colonies while performing TNR. Even getting the spay/neuter, microchip, and vaccinations for free (which I do, as the cats go through one of the city's free feral spay/neuter clinics whenever possible) $100 still doesn't even come close to covering my out of pocket expenses. I took a cat to the vet last Saturday before dropping her off at her foster home because I've been treating her for an URI for over a month without seeing full improvement. It cost me over $500 after everything was said and done! Of course, that's more than I typically pay to vet a rescue because of the particular circumstances, but that's, like, almost half a paycheck for me. I care about the cats finding loving forever homes more than I do about money, but it's a big drain on my finances.



Arianwen said:


> My two new adoptees came home today - both jet black - brother and sister! I find it so sad that some colours are so neglected - even unpopular.


Congrats on the new furbabies, Arianwen!


----------



## Mitts & Tess

dt8thd you are awesome and a true rescuer. Hats off to you for digging deep into your pockets to help save and give a cat a great life.


----------



## Lotu

M/T- I think the price is kind of average here based on petfinder (range $100-200) per kitten...less for adults. Our kittens were raised at a foster home and were given such good care...came w/ vaccines up-to-date, microchipped and spayed. The rescue seems to encourage a continued relationship and a genuine concern. I know that the spaying alone is probably worth the cost. I really liked that they were early spay (@8 weeks), so once they came to live with us, they didn't have to go through that process when they got older. I do think that the rescues want to be sure that people who adopt are willing to spend (and can afford to spend) $$ on the cat. I was a little surprised at the prices at first too since our last cat (a foundling from the streets who was given to my husband before we met) was "free". We plan to continue to donate $$ to the rescue anyway, so will end up spending more than the adoption fee


----------



## tezster

I consider just about any adoption fee (even ones in the higher end of the price range) a very reasonable cost, once you consider everything that's included. All the initial vet costs for both of my cats easily cost over $1000 (initial checkup, vaccinations, stool tests, de-worming, spay/neuter). 

So barring another cat simply wandering into my home off the street, adopting through an animal shelter is definitely what I would do.


----------



## Marcia

Lotu said:


> The adoption center in our area is giving $50 off the normal adoption fees on black Friday if the cat/kitten has any black fur. The rescue that we adopted our kittens from uses this shop...so kittens who are normally $160 are $110  Go black kitties...find a home!


I agree, this seem REALLY high! Our animal shelter charges only $25 for already spayed cats; more for kittens but well under $65. SPCA is more at $80 and private shelters even more but I don't think anyone charges much more than $100 for a cat here in SE Virginia.


----------



## Lotu

I just checked the local shelter page and cats are $60...kittens $110. There is a message about a recent policy to spay/neuter before releasing the pet for adoption. I'm not sure if that increased the price or it just stayed the same. Our kittens were originally in the shelter a couple days before a rescue came in to raise them in a foster home. It was mentioned by the rescue that it is a high-kill shelter so I'm not sure if they would have survived had they not been moved to the rescue's foster home. With the $50 discount at the adoption center today, I read a couple comments on the rescue's facebook page about people interested in getting another cat/kitten as a sibling! I'm hoping to read of some adoptions tonight. I really hope the black kitten who looks like our Delta is chosen or chooses someone. She looks so much like Delta. She was put up for adoption shortly after Delta and missed months of having a home. On petfinder.com she has moved from "baby" status, to "young". Delta had 3 other black kittens in her litter and I think they were lucky to be on the early end of the adoption season (born in February).


----------



## dt8thd

Mitts & Tess said:


> dt8thd you are awesome and a true rescuer. Hats off to you for digging deep into your pockets to help save and give a cat a great life.


Thanks.  It would honestly be so much easier to keep the tame cats I end up with; it can be really difficult to find cats homes and arrange for fosters, but that really wouldn't be practical... or healthy, and it really is gratifying when the cats do get adopted into great, loving, forever homes. Ugh, I certainly never intended to be as involved in adoption co-ordination as I am, but it's hard not to get sucked in when it means the difference between a great home with a loving family and life on the streets for a tame cat. It seems that I've essentially, inadvertently, started my own rescue group. At some point I may decide to file for not-for-profit status, so that I can accept donations, but I'm against doing that at the moment because it involves even more of a commitment. Any more commitments, and I may have to be _committed_. :crazy


----------



## Carmel

Vancouver has those prices beat, dogs are 400-500, and it's 150 for an adult cat and 180 for a kitten. I've never adopted from a shelter but I think it's completely fair and I'm glad our shelters can charge that much, it shows that they're running closer to a sustainable model. I'm always sad when I hear about giving away pets or super low fees. The more they cost the more serious the adopter should be and the more closely it reflects the real costs of caring for the animal. That my city can charge that shows we're winning the "war" on unneutered dogs and cats.

Blacky was free and Jasper was 50 dollars for neuter, FIV/FeLV testing and leg stitching through the local stray/feral program. It would have included shots but they needed boosters and I wasn't bringing him back.  That said, I don't think most people pay that, most people would probably have to give the cat over to the sanctuary, but they knew me so wanted me to keep working with him.


----------



## Lotu

dt8thd-anyone else nearby who shares your passion for the cats who would team up with you in establishing a rescue? Then the entire burden wouldn't be on you and you could choose someone with like-minded goals. 2 sisters run the rescue where we got our kittens and they also seem to have a lot of support. I think they both have full-time jobs and manage to help so many cats/kittens in need. I hear you with the commitment thing, though...definitely something you'd want to be ready to do. What you are doing now sounds great as well


----------



## DeafDogs&Cat

Pretty much everyone here charges $125 for all cats. Age doesn't matter. Though a couple of the rescues here have a seniors for seniors program where they give an older cat to older people for free and pay for vet care, so it's basically a foster program. However, our city shelter charges $200-$250 for cats, depending on age etc. Which is so stupid as they lose out on adoptions that way... especially since they still euth. However, now that they have partnered with Petland, adoptable animals are not euth'd anymore.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## DeafDogs&Cat

I probably should also say all kitties are neutered, vaccinated, tested, wormed and tattooed/microchipped

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Manue

Marcia said:


> I agree, this seem REALLY high! Our animal shelter charges only $25 for already spayed cats; more for kittens but well under $65. SPCA is more at $80 and private shelters even more but I don't think anyone charges much more than $100 for a cat here in SE Virginia.


Just about everything is more expensive up here in Canada.


----------



## Arianwen

tezster said:


> I consider just about any adoption fee (even ones in the higher end of the price range) a very reasonable cost, once you consider everything that's included. All the initial vet costs for both of my cats easily cost over $1000 (initial checkup, vaccinations, stool tests, de-worming, spay/neuter).
> 
> So barring another cat simply wandering into my home off the street, adopting through an animal shelter is definitely what I would do.


This shocked me - I thought prices were high here but compared to that..... ours are chicken feed!


----------



## Lotu

I was disappointed that on Black Friday (discount day) none of the kittens/cats were adopted from the rescue where we got our kittens. Fortunately, the rescue made a "Home for the Holidays" promotion...an online holiday card featuring @19 cats/kittens that will remain under the $50 off discount  3 have been adopted recently including 2 black/white kittens and 1 3 year old. I think the final price per kitten was $110 and the 3 year old was only $25


----------

