I would never put an animal on craigslist. Do you know what happens to a lot of the pets on there? Some do get good homes...others are not so lucky. /:

Be sure to ask for money for them. You're less likely to get abusers or whatever if they have to pay for the cat.

Doesn't work like that, sadly. People spend thousands on puppy-mill pet-store dogs and dump them, after all. You want a permanent home? Require them to get a cat scratch post, litter box and litter, a few toys, a cat carrier, and a bag of good cat food. Have them bring you contact information for a vet local to them AND for an emergency vet. They need to set up a physical at their vet, too, so that the cat gets checked out. And then you confirm the appointment at the vet, make sure they have the supplies to take care of the cat, and either drop the cat off at their home (make sure the address matches the driver's license or such) or meet them at the vet for the cat's physical. A NORMAL owner would have supplies and schedule a vet check first thing. A careless one won't, but they'll drop $50 on a cat that "is soooo adorable" and then dump it the next day when it scratches the couch. MONEY does not get a good home. Actually making sure the new family is PREPARED for a pet and will pay for vet care? That does.

I was just trying to prevent them ending up as lab animals or food, but your way better insures a good perm home.

Depends on if the people giving up the animal are lazy and just want cash, or if they are actually willing to put a half-hour or so into making sure it's a good home. I got my dog off craigslist 6 years ago, and adopted out a cat that was dumped on me by a roommate via craigslist. The dog is still with me and the cat was still with the couple I gave it to a year later (after which I quit checking). Craigslist is a great way to find an animal or a home for an animal, unless the person is lazy, stupid, and careless. In which case, they might as well sell them in front of a Walmart :(