Adoption Procedure
A guide to our adoption process
We’re delighted to hear that you’re interested in giving a new, loving home to one of our cats or kittens!
We have put in extensive procedures to make sure that our homing process is in line with current government guidance, without putting adoptees or our volunteers at risk.
Here is our guide to adopting a cat or kitten:-
- Check you are within a reasonable distance of your chosen branch. 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, or you want to make a general enquiry, send an enquiry through using our online form. Alternatively, leave a message on our answering service on 01738 7000 70 with your name and telephone number and one of our volunteers will call you back.
- Homefinder Questionnaire - one of our homing volunteers will call you to complete our Homefinder Questionnaire and your details will then be passed to our Adoptions Team Leader. During this call, you’ll have a chance to discuss everything you need to know about your cat or kitten. Not every cat will suit every home so we ask a lot of questions to try to match you up with the most suitable cat or kitten.
- View a cat - the next step is to view your "matched" cat or kitten. We don’t have a central shelter or office. Instead we operate from several smaller units located in various fosterers’ gardens throughout Perthshire.
- Reserve your cat - after viewing, you should contact our Adoptions Team Leader if you wish to reserve the cat or kitten. You may be asked for proof of your address and the consent of your landlord (if you live in a rented property).
- Adopt. Once you have reserved your cat or kitten, you’ll be sent paperwork to sign by email. You’ll also be asked to pay an adoption fee of £85 per cat or £105 per kitten, usually by bank transfer. We neuter, vaccinate (against cat flu, feline infectious enteritis and feline leukaemia virus), microchip, worm, de-flea and health check every cat that we rehome and the adoption fee is to help cover the cost of doing so. If you feel able to give us more than the basic adoption fee then we will be able to treat the extra as a donation and can claim Gift Aid on the extra amount if you are a UK tax payer.
- Bringing your cat home. Once this is finalised and we have received your signed paperwork and the adoption fee, we’ll arrange for you to safely collect your cat or kitten.
- 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