Adopt a cat
Welcome to the Adopt a Cat section - we are so pleased to see you here! We have many cats in our care waiting for their loving forever homes.
At Bedford & Biggleswade Cats Protection we believe that the most important quality about a cat is its personality. They have individual personalities and there is a cat out there to suit your lifestyle. We ask you to think about the adoption of a cat carefully, as it is a commitment of years no matter what it's age. We do our best to make sure that the cat you adopt is the right cat for you, your family and your lifestyle.
We charge an adoption fee for our cats & kittens; this is £75 per adult cat and £95 per kitten up to 6 months old. Included in this cost is the knowledge that all our cats & kittens are vet checked, vaccinated, microchipped, neutered (if old enough) and come with 4 weeks free PetPlan Insurance. We issue full cost neutering vouchers to all homes that adopt a kitten from us that is not yet neutered. Any known medical issues will be covered in their individual bios.
We are delighted to hear that you're interested in giving a new, loving home to one of our cats or kittens! Please read through our Hands-Free Adoption Process below, as well as the Other Points to Note.
Adoption Process
Here is our guide to adopting a cat from our branch
Check you are within the branch region. Our immediate area we cover is the postcodes areas MK40 - MK45 and SG15 - SG19. If you are outside of this area we may still be able to home to you. Alternatively you can find your nearest branch by typing in your postcode at www.cats.org.uk/find-us
Enquire. If you’ve found a cat on our website that you’re interested in homing, send an enquiry by clicking on the enquiry form for the cat. We are only taking enquiries for the cats shown below. You will be asked for the consent of your landlord (if you live in a rented or shared ownership property). Please keep an eye out for a response from helpline@bedford.cats.org.uk, check your spam folders if necessary.
What our cats need. We always recommend that our cats have quiet room to start off in once they go to their new home. A room where they can have a separate area for food and water. For a litter tray placed as far away as possible from their food and water. For somewhere to hide, access to a high spot where they can view their surroundings, a suitable place to sleep or, ideally, a choice of them, a scratching post and a few cat toys and space for they to play. We would recommend a Feliway or Feliway Optimum diffuser in their room (your home visitor/fosterer will be able to advise), as they will likely hide away for a few days when they go to their new home.
Cats/kittens with only 1st vaccination. To ensure our cats and kittens spend as short amount of time in care as possible, we will rehome them before they are fully vaccinated. However, we will cover the cost of their 2nd vaccination. All we ask is you take them to the same vet for this, before moving them to your preferred vet. Their home visitor and fosterer will be able to advise you which vet they need to pop back to.
Reserve your cat. If you’re found to be a match for your chosen cat, you’ll be contacted via phone for a virtual home visit and then progressed to a viewing of your cat in it's foster home, this can be virtually, in person, or both.
Adopt. Once you have reserved your cat, you’ll be sent paperwork to sign and you’ll make a further telephone appointment with our team. In this call, you’ll have a chance to discuss everything you need to know about your cat. You’ll then pay an adoption fee of £75 for a cat or £95 for a kitten, by bank transfer.
Bringing your cat home. Once this is finalised, we’ll arrange you to collect your cat from the fosterer, in some cases we may be able to deliver the cat for you.
Be supported. You’ll receive a follow-up call or email around 3, 7 and 21 days after the adoption to check that your new arrival is settled in. You can also find help and advice on the Cats Protection website at www.cats.org.uk/advice
Other Points to Note
Adopting a kitten
Please note that we do not normally rehome kittens to families with children under 5 years old. Most of our kittens are homed in pairs, with one of their litter mates. Also, when adopting a kitten from Cats Protection you must agree to get the kitten neutered at between 4 and 6 months of age. If you or your family are out at work all day, we would prefer you to adopt a slightly older kitten / adult cat or pair of cats.
Busy roads & Railways
It's our policy not to place our cats or kittens in homes which are near busy / main roads or railways.
Holidays
If you are going on holiday within the next 4-6 weeks, please contact us when you have returned from holiday, as we are unable to reserve cats for more than a few days.
Our catchment area
Our immediate area we cover is the postcodes areas MK40 - MK45 and SG15 - SG19. If you are outside of this area we may still be able to home to you. Alternatively you can find your nearest branch by typing in your postcode at www.cats.org.uk/find-us
Christmas
Our branch closes our books to any new adoptions after 30th November. This will allow our homing teams to complete home visits, and possible adoptions before 10th December. This then allows any homed cats a reasonable amount of time to settle into their new homes before the madness of Christmas arrives. We reopen to adoptions in the New Year.
Please note that for the present time we are only taking homing enquiries for cats or kittens that are ready for adoption. These will appear on our website. We are currently not holding any waiting lists.