shropshire cat rescue adoption and rehoming policy

Deciding to become a cat owner is a serious decision and should not be undertaken lightly.  Potential adopters should be aware that they are taking on a lifetime commitment and that cats can live for 20 years or even more. During this time a cat will depend entirely on its owner(s) for its on-going needs including food, warmth and any veterinary attention in the event of illness or injury.  

 

For the first three weeks, a cat will require a litter tray which will need to be emptied twice a day.  Fresh water must be given daily along with food.  Please ensure that you or a carer are able to provide this basic care.

 

We do request a minimum donation of £60 per cat or kitten, £90 for a pedigree with or without papers. We accept cash, cheques, BACs and Credit Card payments. This donation goes towards the costs incurred at the rescue for the cat(s) that you are adopting. Whilst this is all we ask for when adopting, please be aware that the actual costs incurred by the rescue for each cat is vastly in excess of this amount (especially vet treatments) which is why we rely on donations and fundraising to keep our rescue going.

 

We will also ask to see proof of identity if you are successful with your application, please bring this with you when you collect your cat/kitten.

 

A home needs to be cat friendly with no potential dangers therefore:

 

1. We do not rehome our cats on or with access to busy roads or railway lines

2. Our general policy is that we do not rehome cats or kittens with children under the age of 4 years.  We may make the odd exception to this rule if we have background information on the cat wishing to be adopted and we know that it has come from a household with young children. We do appreciate some children will have grown up with animals and have a better understanding of them and how they need to be treated, so if we know the animal to be “child friendly” on occasion we may make exceptions

3. We do not rehome a cat or kitten if you are about to move house or go on holiday.

4. We do not home cats or kittens to households where the existing pets are un-neutered or un-vaccinated.

5. We usually do not rehome cats or kittens that have multiple cats already.

6. We do not rehome to flats that have a communal entrance.

7. We do not rehome where the cat/kitten is to be kept as an indoor pet unless it is in the cat’s preferred interest (i.e. blind, deaf, elderly or never been outside).

8. We do not rehome small kittens to homes with terrier dogs.

9. We do not rehome kittens to people who we believe have the intention to breed from them.

10. We reserve the right to conduct a home visit both before and after adoption.

 

In order to try and be fair to potential adoptors, our reservation policy is as follows:

 

1. In the first instance, if you see a very young kitten under the age of seven weeks that you would like to adopt, an application form must be completed and a “Record of Interest” will be documented.

2. Shropshire Cat Rescue will accept only two “Records of Interest” per kitten.  

3. Kittens can be reserved from seven weeks of age and at this time “Records of Interest” will be consulted and decisions made based on suitability of kittens to homes and a homecheck. 

4. Potential adoptors who have completed a “Record of Interest” will be contacted and advised whether they can reserve or have been unsuccessful.

5. Kittens can be reserved from the age of seven weeks and can be collected at nine weeks of age.  We cannot hold cats or older kittens on reservation for more than one week after that period.

6. Adoptors interested in adult cats must again complete an Application Form and await the results of a home checkers report prior to adoption.  However, a provisional reservation notice can be placed on the pen to secure interest.

 

We will try to contact you by telephone, but in the event of no reply, we will send a brief, generic text message or email.  Failure to respond within 24 hours will result in us contacting the next person on our list and your application to adopt may become void.

 

Please do not be offended if we refuse to rehome a cat or kitten to you – any decisions we make will be in the interests of both you and the animals.            

What we look for when conducting a road check/home visit

 

 

In order to ensure that our cats and kittens have the best possible experience in their new home, we try to match cats and kittens to homes.  

 

Our home checker will ask questions and make observations such as:

 

• Whether the home is close to a busy road, or in a busy area.  Bus stops and schools often pose a danger to young cats.

• Whether there is a cat friendly garden available for exercise and play.  Some of our cats are used to having gardens, some are not.

• Are there dogs living either side, in front or behind and whether or not they may pose a threat to the cat.

• Is the home too noisy or too quiet, too cluttered, all of which could have an effect on certain cats in our shelter
   

Our home checker will also be looking at lifestyle and how that matches with the cat’s needs.

 

Finally, our home checker will take into account documented cases for cats in your area of road traffic accidents, unneutered cats, theft of cats, disease reports such as Feline Leukaemia and Feline Aids

 

Some people may think we are being too fussy when conducting our home checks, but we know that if a cat is unhappy in its new home it will become ill, and if a cat is unsafe in its new environment, it may well become injured or worse.

 

Please understand that we take our rehoming very seriously having devoted both time and money to help our feline friends.  We only want the best possible outcome for them and for you.