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Okay, Fluffy sneaked out before you got her spayed and now you've got six kittens to find homes for. You want to get them placed as soon as possible and you're going to be very picky about the people you adopt to, so you decide to put an ad in the paper or online. You think you'll word it like other such ads you've seen: "Adorable tabby kittens. Free to a good home."

That may be the biggest mistake of your life. Remember, you allowed these kittens to come into the world, for whatever reason. It is therefore your responsibility to make sure they are healthy and live happy lives where they are loved.

It would surprise you what free-to-a-good-home ads will bring to your door. People who sell cats for experimentation. People who want cats for ritual sacrifices. People who want to teach their vicious dogs how to kill a live animal. And they can appear to be the most normal, nice, kind people in the world. They want to appear that way because they know you wouldn't give them a kitten if you knew what they really wanted it for. If the kitten has no value to you, you will attract people for whom it is also valueless. And a lot of times, valueless cats end up on the street - or worse.

Some people seek out the "free to a good home" ads because they cannot afford the adoption fee required by the local shelter. If they cannot afford a nominal adoption fee ($20-60), they might not be able to afford to care for the cat properly. This doesn't mean that they are bad people, or that they wouldn't dearly love your kitty. What it does mean is that if an emergency arises, your kitten may die because the person cannot afford a vet. Or your kitten may be malnourished because the person cannot afford cat food. Or your kitten may wind up on the street because the owner didn't have the money to spay or neuter and got fed up with mating behavior. Your job is not to fill the void in a person's life with a kitten. Your job is to find that kitten the best possible home.

There is nothing wrong with asking to be reimbursed for your expenses (mama cat and kittens' vet care, hopefully mama cat's spay operation, food, litter, toys, etc.). Add up all the expenses and divide by the number of kittens -- that's what your reimbursement for each kitten should be. You might also give the adopter a small bag of the same kind of food you are feeding the kittens. That makes them feel they are "getting something" for their money and you are helping the kitten off to a good start with familiar food that won't upset its stomach.

If you feel uncomfortable asking for money for yourself, ask for a check made out to your local animal shelter. Your shelter will appreciate those checks, the potential adopters should be happy that they are helping other homeless animals, and you can feel good that some other kitties somewhere have enough to eat and a warm place to stay because of your thoughtfulness.

However you decide to do it, don't let that kitten out of your house for free unless you know the adopter personally and well.