Screen & Qualify

It is very important that when you are dealing with potential new owners be brutally honest. This can be a hard line to hold when eager to find new homes for rescued cats. However, placing a cat in the wrong home too often means the cat may, once again, be abandoned at a shelter despite your contract requiring return. When this happens, there are three-fold consequences, one is as bad as the next. First there is the hardship and stress on the cat being bounced about again. Secondly, the creditability your group has worked so hard to build with the shelter will soon be lost, if cats released to you start coming back to the shelter. Thirdly, having to again go through the picking up, vetting, advertising, etc. process, not only is it costly, but a waste of your volunteers' time and effort. Do not rush to adopt a cat out. Rushing the process is unfair to the cat, as well as the new owners. Too often the cat will be returned usually traumatized in the transition. Take your time and eventually just the right new owners will come along.

Forms

There are many advantages to having adequate forms and written guidelines. First and foremost, this level of professionalism makes a clear statement to the shelter community, veterinarians, as well as potential adopters, that your organization takes the placement of purebred rescued cats very seriously. Written statements leave no room for misunderstandings from any of the parties involved. It also gives your organization undisputable records of how many cats you have rescued, what procedures were followed, and what happen to the cats. There are some forms available on this site that may be downloaded and modified to suit your group.

Fees

It is important to charge a reasonable fee for the adoption of your rescue cats. People often do not value something they get for free. We do want these cats valued. Survey your market, check to see what the shelters are charging, and charge a comparable rate. This will be a major source for recouping at least a portion of your expenses.

Returns

Occasionally your organization will be faced with new owners requesting to return their cat. Regardless of the reason, do not make the new owner feel guilty; browbeating them does the cat no good. Nor do you want the cat being returned to the shelter, again stressing and endangering the cat and reflecting badly on your organization. A relinquishing owner almost always believes that they have exhausted all avenues of keeping the cat. Quite often, with diplomatic counseling and some education, the contact person can resolve the problem. If not, TAKE THE CAT BACK.