Oh, the possibility of a fiddling puppy or fluffy kitten waiting under the Christmas tree makes you squeal with joy!
On one hand, you’d love for your significant other to surprise you with the most purrfect pet you’d ever seen because there’s nothing more romantic than that. On the other, you’d be over the moon to do the same thing for a favorite family member or a BFF.
But what happens when the poor pet becomes too demanding for the lifestyle your BFF leads or your favorite family member’s eager children become bored with the furry friend?
Before you bite the bullet and surprise someone with a kitty or a puppy that demands attention, affection, and 24/7 care, you might want to take a step back.
More often than not, pets given as gifts end up overcrowding shelters and rescues weeks or months afterward. Moreover, shelters and rescues report a spike in rehoming requests after the holidays dubbed “the Christmas Dumpathon.”
Why is that, though? Why do people end up returning the pets they’ve probably been dreaming of for ages? Pets require time, work, and dedication, to begin with. Pets aren’t toys – they’re living animals with needs that must be met in order for them to lead a happy and healthy life.
Puppies and kitties are cute, romantic, and “the best gift you’ve ever given to someone.”
When the gift-getter’s early enthusiasm has subsided, though, they’re more than likely to be taken aback by the amount of work that comes with owning a pet. Puppies and kitties are a ten to twenty-year-long commitment, and not everyone’s up for that – even when they think they are.
Pets end up suffering because people don’t consider the complications that come with gifting puppies and kitties to unsuspecting family members and friends.
Prevent more blameless pets from getting abandoned after the novelty has worn off by sponsoring an adoption fee or opting for a different present. Books, socks, and blankets are the most common Christmas presents for a reason.
Oh, you need more convincing? Meet Finnegan, a kitten that ended up being sent from one home to another after getting gifted as a Christmas present to a person that couldn’t take care of him.
Tiny Paws Fosters, a foster home in Riverview, FL, providing a safe and loving home for foster kittens and cats, took to Instagram to share the news of the new foster kitten named Finnegan (or Finn, for short).
Finnegan came with a heartbreaking tale of a failed Christmas present, as you might have assumed.
Finn was supposed to be a Christmas surprise, but the man who was on the receiving end of the surprise wasn’t allowed to keep pets. He also traveled a lot for work which meant he couldn’t take care of a pet, especially not a kitten requiring time and dedication.
Finn was passed on to someone who was supposed to be “a knight in shining armor,” but turned out to have the same problem with not being allowed to keep pets. He was desperate to find someone to take Finn. He went as far as to offer the poor kitten to solicitors and random people online.
He was fortunate enough that Tiny Paws Fosters saw the post about Finnegan he posted on Facebook and decided to reach out.
Foster parents at Tiny Paws Fosters weren’t thinking of getting new fosters for a little while, but couldn’t pass on the opportunity to save the poor Finnegan from getting passed on from one home to another.
Finnegan, at the time, was a happy and healthy three-month-old kitten who loved playing with toys, purring the day away, and goofing around when nobody was watching.
Finn’s foster parents added that he “had no idea how to cat and had no boundaries or manners,” but that he was the sweetest kitten they’d ever met. After sleeping at the foster home for the first time, Finn was ready to take on the world.
He didn’t know where he was, but he was happy that he had a full belly and plenty of toys to play with. He was a goofball and he wasn’t shy about that at all. He spent the following few days getting to know everyone at the foster home, making friends, and causing trouble.
After a few weeks, the fosters decided that Finn was more than ready to go to a forever home. He was happy and healthy, and he didn’t seem to care about the fact that he’d been abandoned and moved around beforehand.
He was neutered, too, and the fosters took to Instagram to announce that they were ready to receive adoption applications.
And, what do you know, after not more than a few days, Finn was adopted by a loving couple who wanted nothing more than to take care of the adorable rascal for years and years to come.
Finn was over the moon when he uncovered that the couple had another kitten he could play with. His new brother was a kitten with pretty much the same personality who couldn’t wait to have someone to cause trouble with.
Finn’s new parents mentioned that they were looking for another kitten for quite a while but couldn’t find one that would tolerate the other kitten’s shenanigans. Finn seemed like the perfect fit – and, he was!
Nowadays, Finn spends most of his time goofing around with his brother, snuggling with his parents, and purring.
