Meet & Greet gone wrong. Potential adopter admitted to abusing kitten he adopted 2 weeks ago. Waiting on foster team response and feeling depressed.

I've been fostering a family of cats & kittens for months with the local state run animal shelter. I am down to 2 kitties of 8. All their adopters have been great and sending me happy update posts. I've only had one negative experience but it turned out ok.

One of the 2 I have now is a beautiful white kitty I've who was adopted last month to a family who had never had a cat. I explained for over an hour what to expect and that cats need a bit of time to adjust to a new home, care, everything. They returned him the next day because he wouldn't come out from under the bed and he didn't use the litter box once.

I just came back from a meet and greet at the shelter with an older gent. The whole communication with him prior to the greet was unusual. I asked him questions and he did not respond and just said a day/time to meet. I figured he was older and maybe not tech savvy and I'd ask the questions during the greet.

He arrived and just wanted to adopt him there immediately, brought a carrier and all. I started conversing with him casually first asking about if he had any other pets. He said he had a kitten he adopted 2 weeks ago. I responded inquiring and the conversation devolved from there. To summarize what he told me:

The kitten is kept in his backyard in a homemade "cat house". I asked about the weather (has been below freezing and it was raining that day). He said he had a heat lamp over the cage so he is ok. I asked if he intended to let the kitten inside and just got a "No." I was pretty upset and angry at this point but was trying to be polite in case he suspected I would call animal services and do something. The answers were awful and the vibe was terrible. That he was answering so casually about the set up was unsettling. I asked if he ever intended to let the kitten out of the cage and he said "...Maybe. In the summer perhaps" and I got a strong vibe he only said that because my face was disgusted.

The shelter staff when he walked out said "Oh my god I am so relieved you told him no." I was taken aback and asked if they do not do any vetting and they told me because they are not private they can not do much turning down someone unless they adopt too many pets from them or are reported as having a record of abuse to animals and this is why they need fosters since we have free reign in vetting and can say No more freely. They said he needed to be reported to be blacklisted by me to the foster team, and to ask about a wellfare check on the kitten in the email as well.

I am waiting on a response back, and offered to foster this kitten if they can get him back. I looked up this kitten on google and found his taken down posting archive. He was previously in a foster home. That he was so casually admitting the enclosure set up I feel like this kitten was failed. I am beyond upset. It will be raining for the next 2 days, and after that it will be below freezing again for a week. Our animal services team is notoriously slow to act and very forgiving. I hope the foster team I have been coordinating with will expedite the situation, but if not.. I don't know what to do. I am demoralized and just totally depressed. Just wanted to get this out there... do your vetting.