[Maneki Neko]

Hello, all -- Let me be clear from the start: I don't want to start a fire-storm here. I just want to relate a conversation that I overheard and ask a sincere question. It was between a Malaysian man (a cat lover who has adopted from SPCA in the past) and woman. The woman said that SPCA is now charging RM200-250 for adoption of cats. The man replied, "What?! Can buy pedigree from pet shop for that lah!"

Keep in mind, this man is an animal lover who does not support pet shops. His point was clear: asking this sort of fee for adoption of cats is not going to encourage people to adopt strays from shelters.

When I adopted my cat from SPCA, the fee was RM100. As it turned out, she had not been spayed, and if she'd gotten any vaccinations there, the SPCA couldn't give me any proof of it. I paid my own vet for vaccinations, deworming and spaying, after giving RM100 to SPCA. My Malaysian friends told me I'd been foolish, but I figured the SPCA needs funds to operate, so I let it go.

My question is this: If the RM200-250 adoption fee leads animal lovers to consider a pet shop a relative bargain, is it in the animals' best interest to charge such a high fee? And for that sum, can the SPCA provide proof of deworming, vaccination, and in the case of female cats, spaying?

I agree with charging a reasonable adoption fee. It discourages people from adopting pets thoughtlessly and attaching no value to them. It also helps to cover the medical costs that the shelter/rescuer has incurred (shots, neutering, etc.) The question is, what is reasonable? Thoughts, anyone?