At first blush, giving a pet as a present might seem like an incredibly special and thoughtful gift, whether that be a kitten or a puppy, or a smaller pet like a hamster or a mouse. This is especially true if you know the person you’re shopping for loves animals and would possibly welcome receiving a pet as a gift.

However, giving a pet as a present, even if the person you intend to give it to has stated they’d like one is never a good idea.

People’s personal situations

If one of your friends or loved ones is always saying “Oh, I’d love a cat!” it might seem obvious that presenting them with the object of their desires is a great move to make. However, you should consider why this person who would “love a cat” does not already have one; there are undoubtedly many reasons you might not have any idea about. Perhaps they’re not allowed to have pets in their accommodation or work long hours and have made the responsible decision that pet ownership is not appropriate for them at this time.

They may have allergies or sensitivities that negate their ability to live with the pet they’d choose, they might be financially unable to care for a pet or their personal situation might be in flux and they’re not able to plan ahead sufficiently to consider pet ownership.

“I’d love to own a pet!” doesn’t indicate a meaningful desire to do so.

The choice of pet is personal

Choosing the right pet is a very personal process and every person should select their own animal (or wait for the right animal to select them.) This goes deeper than simply narrowing down what type of animal – cat, dog, bird, gerbil – the person in question would pick and pertains to the choice of individual animal itself.

Even if the person you wish to buy for knows precisely what type of pet and even what breed, age and sex they want, every single animal is different and has its own personality and temperament. They don’t come off a production line in a uniform manner! The potential pet owner should always pick their own pet and find the animal that matches their needs and appeals to them on a personal level, something that can’t be performed for them by a well-meaning third party.

Timing is crucial

As well as all of the other considerations to bear in mind regarding pet ownership, even if someone is actively on the lookout for a new pet, precisely when the time is right for them to get their pet is a personal choice that no one else can make for them. At its most basic, this might simply involve ensuring they have everything they need to take care of their pet and have researched what is involved thoroughly, or that they don’t have any holidays planned soon or any big changes happening in their lives.

But getting a new pet such as a puppy or kitten can also mean the prospective owner might need to take some time off work or rearrange their schedule to accommodate for the immediate needs of their new pet. Only the person planning to take on the ownership of a pet will know exactly when the time is right for them, and even a much-desired new pet can soon become a burden if it’s pushed onto someone who isn’t ready.

Each person needs the freedom to take responsibility for their own choices

Taking on the responsibility of caring for another life is no minor undertaking and it’s up to each and every potential pet owner to make sure they’re ready for this challenge, both in terms of logistics, such as time and money, and emotionally as well.

Again, knowing when someone is ready and making the conscious decision to get a pet and be a responsible pet owner is a personal thing and it’s important every potential pet owner goes through the process of learning, planning and judging themselves to be ready for the challenge. If you present someone with an animal as a gift, they won’t have had the opportunity to do this and both pet and person will suffer as a result.

Pets are not presents and living animals don’t make good gifts. If you know your loved one is looking to adopt, consider purchasing one of our adoption gift certificates by clicking here. 

Another great alternative is to give a donation in honour of your loved one. You can do this easily by visiting givetovokra.ca. Upon request, we’ll also send the honouree a special card letting them know about your gift.

This post has been adapted from the following article www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/why-you-should-never-give-pets-as-presents

Happy Birthday!

Felix and his family are no strangers to the work VOKRA does as they adopted two cats through us last year and have given them a wonderful home.

And now, they are helping other kitties too. Kitties like Sudermann.

Our fantastic volunteer, Valerie, told Felix Sudermann’s story and about how lucky this cat is to be alive. She let him know that the money he donated will help with Sudermann’s vet bills so he can get better and find a great forever home, just like Felix’s cats now have.

We loved meeting Felix and appreciate his donation so much. And we think Felix was pretty happy with the visit too. He was so excited, he said that when he gets bigger, he wants to volunteer for VOKRA. We look very much forward to that, Felix. You’re already a great part of our team.

Thanks for supporting VOKRA, Felix, and for being a Compassionate Kid!

Kate and Jack got to sit in the birthday chair!

Jack was making a donation to VOKRA. For his birthday this year, he collected from his guests in support of VOKRA.

Thumbs up indeed, Jack!

Pretty great, right? Well, that’s just how these kids roll. Last year, Kate did the same at her birthday party and collected donations for VOKRA too!

Kate the Great on her birthday!

On their recent visit, Jack and Kate got to see their donations at work. They had a tour of the facilities, heard about how volunteers like their awesome grandma devote time, energy and love to caring for our cats, and also got a lesson in trapping feral cats as our Trappers Maria and Janet were on hand. Hmmm…the next generation of trappers? We’ll look forward to your help when you’re a little older, guys!

Tiny trappers at work!

Vanessa raised over $100 for VOKRA and asked us what was needed most. Then she went shopping! She bypassed Ardene’s and Urban Planet and went straight to the pet store, picking out the most fun toys, the healthiest food and the best scratching posts for our kitties. We loved having Vanessa deliver her donations in person so we could show her around the Operations Centre and we took the opportunity to get a picture of the birthday girl in our birthday chair! (Okay, seriously. Check out the awesome sneakers.)

Thanks to you and all your friends for your fantastic donations, Vanessa. And thanks for being a compassionate kid!

But not this year.

This year, Karen is turning sixty. Sure, 30 may be the new 20, and life may begin at 40 and, apparently, it’s nifty to be 50, but sixty…well, sixty is a pretty big deal. How should one celebrate such a momentous milestone in the life of such an amazing woman? By saving the lives of hundreds of homeless, abandoned and unwanted kittens, of course. I mean, that’s what Karen has done every day for the past 14 years. But let’s do this up properly today, shall we?

We’re asking everyone who is a VOKRA supporter, a Karen lover, a cat fancier or just someone who appreciates the number 6, to join us in our Six for Karen’s Sixtieth campaign. Donate $6, $60, $600 or $6000 to VOKRA to honour Karen’s many years of dedication and the thousands of cats’ lives she has saved. If you set up a $6 monthly donation, it will be automagically withdrawn from your bank account each month (you won’t even miss six bucks!) and you’ll get a tax receipt at the end of the year for the total amount donated.

If each of VOKRA’s Facebook supporters donated $6, we could pay off one of our vet bills. If everyone who has ever adopted from VOKRA gave $6, we’d be able to wipe out our debts completely. No matter what the amount, we will put it to good use doing the work Karen loves. If you don’t have $6 to spare, we get it, we really do. Instead, we hope you will share this campaign and help us spread the word. Because every $6 counts.

Karen Duncan has dedicated her life to saving cats and kittens in Vancouver. On her 60th birthday, help us celebrate her by making a donation to her organization and helping her continue her heart’s work for many decades to come.

Happy Birthday, Karen. We love you.

Click here to donate to VOKRA

We love getting updates from adopters telling us how their kids have bonded with their new furry buddies. We love it when kids and their parents volunteer for VOKRA and help us care for our cats and kittens. Some kids take their compassion a step further and opt to fundraise for VOKRA! We’ll be sharing stories about some of these compassionate kids here on the blog in the months to come.

This wonderful little girl declined gifts for her birthday this year, asking that guests help her make a donation to VOKRA instead. We were delighted to have her visit us at the Operations Centre, have her photo taken in our “Birthday Chair” and see how her generous $70 donation is going to help cats and kittens.

She even got to meet Cinnabar who, of course, allowed herself to be cuddled and admired. (Look for an upcoming blog post about our Cinnabar!)

Thank you so much for supporting VOKRA and for being a compassionate kid!