Recent reports of the expected release of a man jailed for cruelty to kittens has brought into focus the horror of giving these animals for free. They are the most innocent of creatures when born and reared to be independent of their mothers. Properly done the outcome is one of a good household pet with an expected long life of joy for the family who adopts it. Bad breeders, however, will take kittens from the mother long before they are weaned or properly prepared by her to face the world.
In the case of the latter they are often scared, develop psychological problems and may never bond well to humans. An animal in this category may also be prone to disease and other conditions requiring vet treatment over a long period. While ever people accept free kittens, however, the practice will continue.
Responsible breeders ensure that the kittens in their care are well-adjusted by never being separated from the moms for at least 8 weeks after birth. They are given the best of food and all the nurturing they require to ensure they will make the best pets possible. They are also toilet trained, properly weaned and happily adjust to their homes.
The contrast with free kittens involves the type of new owners likely to take them. Free kittens offer no control over the prospective new owners who may, in turn, do whatever they like with the animal. A responsible breeder will ensure that all placements are into homes of good situations where the ongoing nurturing and love will endure.
When freely given kittens are facing a rough road into the future. The man likely to be released now for cruelty took free kittens, bound their legs with duct tape and then split them open through their abdomen. There were 6 kittens involved and they were then left to die. This was an appalling thing to hear but men will take free kittens for other things as well, such as training greyhounds. In that case the animals are chased down and torn apart. In other cases people will take them and treat them like vermin. That means no good food and certainly not much love.
While not all people are cruel to them and some will give these pets' good homes the risk to them from others is too great to support the practice. If something is for nothing then the value is equal to the price paid. Is someone wants a nice healthy pet who has few problems and a long life ahead of it they are usually more than willing to pay for it.
