What we do
We are a small group of volunteers involved in caring for and rehoming unwanted cats and kittens in the Falmouth & Helston district. In 2016 we rehomed 60 cats/kittens, helped many lost cats to be reunited with their owners and helped to control the cat population by assisting with neutering costs.
We rely totally on donations to help the felines in our care, so when we aren’t rehoming cats we are busy fundraising.
Below we have described the cats in care cycle.
Cat taken in
A cat may be taken into care for a number of reasons, for example it could be a stray, unhappy in its current home, family breakup or death/illness of its owner. Unfortunately we cannot always take cats into care as we have limited space. If we are notified of a stray cat we would scan it for a micro-chip and contact the owner or if the cat isn’t microchipped we would put one of our yellow paper collars on the cat which asks the owner to contact us.
Fosterer
We do not have an adoption centre, instead we have 9 cat pens located at our wonderful fosterers’ houses and also have indoor space for kitten fostering. The fosterers look after the cats or kittens on a daily basis, socialising kittens from an early age and building trust and confidence with the older cats. The cat pens have heated cabin areas so the cats have a nice warm bed area and a run so that they can stretch their legs and play with the fosterer.
Vets
We work closely with Rosemullion Veterinary Practice to ensure all cats and kittens in our care get the best medical treatment and healthcare possible. When a cat is taken in the vet will carry out a health check and blood tested to ensure the cat is fit and healthy. The cats will also receive the first in a course of two vaccinations and will be micro-chipped. If the cat is old enough it will be neutered, as there are so many unwanted cats and kittens in the world.
Advertised
Once we know the cat is healthy and ready to be re-homed we will advertise it on our website, Facebook page and Facebook group. We then hope someone will contact us to find out more about a cat.
Introduction
We will contact the potential new family to discuss the cat’s suitability to their home environment. The adoption process will be explained, along with the adoption fee and what that covers. If everyone is happy the Fosterer will arrange for the new family to come and meet the cat.
Home visit
If someone wants to adopt a cat or kitten we will carry out a home visit. This is to check the suitability of the house/family with the cat and to complete paperwork. The adoption fee will be collected during the home visit and a neutering certificate issued should the kitten be too young to be neutered before leaving our care. We will also discuss any vet treatment the cat has received and any additional information regarding the cats likes or dislikes.
Forever home
Once the home visit has taken place the cat is able to go to its new forever home. The cat pen is freed up, cleaned and the cycle can start again.