Animal Welfare Professionals

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

We are a foster based rescue, without a physical location.  Meet and greets occur in public spaces 

Over the last 2 years we have been inundated with owner surrenders, cats that end up being 'fospice' for one reason or another, or cats that need complete care prior to adoption - vaccines, neuter, testing, etc.  and because adults or older kittens are harder to place, they are with us for longer periods of time.  We have been hit hard with illnesses due to our county and surrounding counties do not support TNR and outside cats are subject to euthanasia if deemed to feral.   TNR in city can bring heavy fines.  There is a plan in the works to try to get TNR passed at least in the larger towns, then trickle down to the smaller towns, but in the meantime we have to deal with 'orphaned kittens' that are severely inbred or FELV positive from birth.  

Now, the crux of the question  is - does anyone charge intake fees for owned cats, if so do you have a fee structure for cats, kittens (singletons vs litters) and mom/babies.  Second question is, for 'found' cats, do you have a script for suggested donations?

#AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement)

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Hello!

We are a small shelter with no municipality contracts. Yes, we charge rehoming fees. We are foster based as well, but have a facility for meet and greets, clinics, and in the future surgeries. We also have one to two dogs and/or cats at our facility because we are unable to find fosters for the pet for different reasons. Some people complain about the fee and we work with them, but most see a value in it. A regular vet visit here is $300 easy, that's not including the spay/neuter which ranges from $400-$1000. These prices are insane... Different conversation. I inform people that when rehoming a pet, even if it was a stray prior because they took that stray in and cared for it until they decided they didn't want it anymore, we get a complete check-up on the pet, vaccinate (if they have records, not need), microchip, give preventatives while in our care, spay/neuter, and market the pet on our website, on our social media, on TV/radio, at adoption events, and at department stores. All of that cost well over $1000, plus transporting the pet to and from different locations.

The fees are based on what we pay for spay/neuter. If the pet is already altered, we knock $50 off because everything else still costs money. The adoption fee helps pay for the rest.

If you can work with a department store like Petsmart, Petco, or any local pet supply store, cats tend to go faster there than at our facility or in foster care. I'm split on TNR. I see the benefits, but I also see the downside. 

I hope this all helps. I can go on and on about fees, intakes, rehoming, and everything else. If you wish to discuss further, I'd be more than happy to, you're welcome to email me at jennifer@rgvhs.org. 

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Jennifer Vasquez
Director of Development
Rio Grande Valley Humane Society
Harlingen TX
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I ran into this with a local rescue near me and the breakdown was almost the same. People kept asking why the surrender fee was "so high" until the shelter showed what actually goes into getting an animal ready. By the time you add the vet check, vaccines, flea meds, microchip, spay or neuter, and the days or weeks they feed and house the animal, the fee barely covers a fraction of it.

Most folks don't realize a normal vet visit alone can hit a couple hundred dollars. Shelters eat that cost every time they take in a pet that someone can't keep. When you see the full list, the fee feels a lot more like basic cost recovery than anything else.

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Daniel Burr
Operations Manager
Little Ones
MA
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-03-2025 07:01 AM
From: Jennifer Vasquez
Subject: Owner Surrender Fees?

Hello!

We are a small shelter with no municipality contracts. Yes, we charge rehoming fees. We are foster based as well, but have a facility for meet and greets, clinics, and in the future surgeries. We also have one to two dogs and/or cats at our facility because we are unable to find fosters for the pet for different reasons. Some people complain about the fee and we work with them, but most see a value in it. A regular vet visit here is $300 easy, that's not including the spay/neuter which ranges from $400-$1000. These prices are insane... Different conversation. I inform people that when rehoming a pet, even if it was a stray prior because they took that stray in and cared for it until they decided they didn't want it anymore, we get a complete check-up on the pet, vaccinate (if they have records, not need), microchip, give preventatives while in our care, spay/neuter, and market the pet on our website, on our social media, on TV/radio, at adoption events, and at department stores. All of that cost well over $1000, plus transporting the pet to and from different locations.

The fees are based on what we pay for spay/neuter. If the pet is already altered, we knock $50 off because everything else still costs money. The adoption fee helps pay for the rest.

If you can work with a department store like Petsmart, Petco, or any local pet supply store, cats tend to go faster there than at our facility or in foster care. I'm split on TNR. I see the benefits, but I also see the downside. 

I hope this all helps. I can go on and on about fees, intakes, rehoming, and everything else. If you wish to discuss further, I'd be more than happy to, you're welcome to email me at jennifer@rgvhs.org. 

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Jennifer Vasquez
Director of Development
Rio Grande Valley Humane Society
Harlingen TX
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