No Such Thing as a Free Kitten!

One of the questions I hear from both kids and adults is "How much are your kittens." Often times they are aghast when I say our kitten adoption fee is $105.00, and tell me that they can get a free kitten from the farm they drive past -- they see signs all the time!

The truth of the matter is that there isn't any such thing as a free pet; unless you're talking about a pet rock. Our pets are living, breathing things with on-going needs. To fulfill those needs we the owners have to spend money.

All of HAWS cats and kittens are spayed and neutered prior to going to their new homes, and the operation is included in the $105.00 adoption fee. If you've ever had a female cat go into heat or a male cat spray in your house you will agree that this is a necessary operation for a pet cat.

A microchip is also included in the adoption fee. If you are unfamiliar with them, a microchip is a small rice sized computer chip implanted between the shoulder blades of an animal under the skin. It's basically an electronic form of ID that can be scanned and the animal traced back to the owner if the animal is ever lost. We get many cats here at HAWS that don't have any form of ID, and are never returned to their owners. A microchip is almost fail-safe and a great way to increase the chances of getting a lost pet back.

Additionally our kittens are de-wormed and get their first round of shots. If they are here at 12 weeks of age we give them their second round of shots.

I contacted a local veterinary clinic and asked for some of their prices. They charge between $190.00 and $365.00 for sterilization of a cat. They will implant a microchip for $39.99.

While we would want you to take your newly adopted HAWS kitten to the vet shortly after adoption to ensure your new family member was healthy, and you would incur costs because of that visit, you would save at least $124.99 by paying HAWS $105.00 adoption fee (the low end of the sterilization fee, plus the microchip fee at the vet minus HAWS adoption fee).

The cost of feeling good about adopting from HAWS and helping us save lives: PRICELESS!