Sorry for the double post, but I can no longer edit my original reply (my time is up ). I just want to mention a few more things about "free" kittens. I have 2 "free" kittens that I got from two different friends less than a month ago. Both are about 3 months old now and both have a host of health issues, they are:
Fleas
Ear mites
dry skin
hot spots
intestinal worms
foul breath
watery eyes with occasional discharge
rough, course coats
occasional coughing and sneezing

The cause of *all* these illnesses.... lousy immune systems. Why are their immune systems so bad? Because the people I got them from didn't have the $$$ to properly care for their pets. So then why on earth did I get, not one but TWO "free" kittens, especially after my spheel in my other reply? Because I am fostering them for one of the local no kill shelters, although I think (OK, I know) that we (my husband and I) are going to adopt them. Did I know the kittens had health issues before I got them...YES, I did and yes, I opted to take them anyway because I have delt with animals with various types and severity of health as well as temperment issues before.
One is a blue point siamese female and the other is a gray tabby male. My tabby, Rattles, has more issues than Siam, my (ok, my husband's) siamese. However, in my case, treating these two myself for their health problems and boosting their immunity is by far cheaper for me to do than for me to pay a vet to do. Now bear in mind, I *do* have a vet, a holistic vet. Holistic treatment(s) are by far, less expensive than conventional, allpathic vets, at least around here. In addition, since I am an herbalist, I know how to properly and safely treat my pets.... under my vet's watchful eye.

But... it is a long, hard, sometimes heart wrentching road to recovery and good health that my two babies are just starting down. I don't know if Rattles will ever have a real strong immune system, but, he's young so there's hope.
Vaccines, alteration and food are the least of the costs with pets. It's the medicine and the number of trips to the vet that will eat your bank account alive with a quickness. In contrast, it's the refusal to or inability to provide those necessary vet trips that will leave you with a bigger longing and hole in your heart when your pet becomes so ill that there is no hope of recovery.

If you can not afford the pet deposit, adopton fees and whatever else is required to obtain and keep a healty pet, then perhaps you can not afford the proper care that a pet requires? $300 isn't even close to what you'd pay for one "major" vet visit and that's only one X-ray, 4 tests and two perscriptions of antibiotics that could run you $400+. Even an older cat is *not* gaurenteed to be any better. Like I said in my other post, people will tell you exactly what you want to hear, even if it's not the truth, just to get rid of an animal. If you find an older cat and the owner says it has had all its shots, demand the cat's vet records. You'll need them anyway to give to your vet so its vaccination history can be varified. If they (the owners) can not provide the cat's vet records and/or give you the vet's name and # for you to obtain the records *prior* to you taking the animal... don't take the animal.

Like I said, there is no such thing as a "free" pet because "free" pets come with a lot of baggage that YOU have to try and deal with and a lot of times, that baggage *never* goes away or gets "fixed" entirely.