A Park Slope woman who gave away her kittens on Craigslist was later shocked and aghast – a common affliction among Park Slope residents – to see the buyer posting an ad trying to sell the very same kittens, even though her ad said that if the buyer wasn’t going to keep the kittens themselves, they were to return them to her. Turns out the woman she gave them to is a serial “cat flipper.”
These are folks scoop up “free to a good home” cats posted on classified sections and then turn around and sell them for a profit.
When confronted, the buyer wrote the seller back, “I just decide to find them homes…You still gave them away to me for free, no contract, once in my hand their [sic] initially mines. That means if I wanted to give them to my nieces, stranger walking the street, dad, or grandmother thats initially on me. … I’m not gonna sit here going back and fourth with you, then get excited and have an asthma attack.”
Rescue organizations recommend charging an adoption fee to deter cat flippers and to have an adoption agreement in writing.
Slope woman gets a cat scam as free felines are later sold! [The Brooklyn Paper]
More From Consumerist
-
Monopoly Fans Have Spoken: Out Goes The Iron And In Comes The New Cat Token
-
My Cats Ruin My Mouse, Logitech Sends A Free Replacement
-
Thousands Of NJ Residents Don’t Realize They Were Scammed, Pass Scam On To Family & Friends
-
New York Warns Of Medical-Alert Device Robocalling Scam Targeting Seniors
-
Someone Fails Miserably At Trying To Pull The "Lottery" Scam On Me
cold, but legit. you gave me something for a birthday present. I don’t want it. I sell it. Don’t bitch at me about me not liking it.
The problem isn’t that the flipper made a profit.
The problem is that the flipper lied to the OP, in order to get the kittens in the first place.
I don’t think it is a scam. If someone gives you something for free and you sell it for profit. It may be unethical but it is not a scam.
The problem isn’t that the flipper made a profit.
The problem is that the flipper lied to the OP, in order to get the kittens in the first place.
i absolutely love this headline.
Well at least she wasn’t selling them to the local Chinese restaurant, or worse for cat juggling. Nonetheless this is an evil thing to do.
Good Lord – I’ve heard about this – cat flipping! Stop! Stop! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Good. Father, could there be a God that would let this happen?
Cue the Steve Martin and the cat juggling video
Giving up pets free isn’t a good idea, anyway. There are folks known as “bundlers” that gather up free pets and sell them to laboratories. Always put a price on pets rather than give them away to strangers.
I don’t think the sub really has grounds to complain. She did give them up for free. That means she lost all control over what happens to them afterwards. (FWIW, I’m in rescue myself. We don’t make a profit – We’re lucky if we can break even after vet bills, etc.)
The problem is not that the flipper made a profit.,
The problem is that she lied in order to get the kittens in the first place.
Oh, Dunderbeck, Oh, Dunderbeck! How could you be so mean?
I told you you’d be sorry for inventing that machine.
For all the neighbor’s dogs and cats will never more be seen;
They’ll all be ground to sausage meat in Dunderbeck’s machine!
Who buys a pet unless they are purebred and have papers?
My wife and I just picked up a new puppy for our little girls last night from a lady who advertised on Craigslist.
So far so good.
I don’t see any real difference between what the woman did and others who take “free” calves from a dairy and then re-sell them. Heck, my dad and I have considered doing that (the cows, not kittens). Better those cows get a chance to roam free on the range than be tied up for veal.
It is not a scam. The first owner gave the kittens to the second owners. Despite her orally saying (apparently) she wanted them back if the new owner wasn’t going to keep them, those words are worth the paper they are written on. New owner is free to do what she wants to with her kittens (outside of fraud, animal torture laws etc of course). Next time first owner should try selling the kittens herself.
Could have sworn Craigslist had a “no animal ads” policy…
I sold some kittens my cat had for $5. But if you want to get a kitty at a shelter they charge $80 that is insane. They shouldnt charge more then $20 for kitties that way more people could afford the adoption fee.
Scam… no? Shady… maybe. It’s not the resellers fault that the person giving away the kittens was just giving them away.
The problem is not that the flipper made a profit.,
The problem is that she lied in order to get the kittens in the first place.
That wouldn’t fly where I live. If you advertise kittens here you have to have a breeder’s license.
I blame the OP. Everybody knows when distributing animals, even if you aren’t after a profit, you must charge some sort off fee to discourage those with less honourable intentions. A good mate of mine breeds rats for the love of it, and the only reason she charges people for them is to ensure they go to good homes and don’t end up as feed. If she knows you personally and is confident that the rats will be loved and taken care of then she will give them away for free, but says the amount of people who get up to shady stuff with animals they get for free just isn’t worth the risk otherwise.