Adoption Policies

  1. Indoor Only Policy

  2. Landlord Permission

  3. Age Guidelines

  4. In-person Adoption Policy

  5. No Declaw Policy

  6. No Children Under 6 Policy

  7. No Young Kitten Alone Policy

Home Visits

The Adoption Document

Adoption Fees

After Your Foster Cat is Adopted

Explain a Cat’s Adjustment Period Into a New Home

Kitten Rescue’s Adoption Policies

1. “Indoor-Only” Policy

Kitten Rescue only adopts to homes where the cat will always be kept indoors. Keep in mind that some people will consider a cat that is only allowed on a balcony or patio to be indoor only, so be sure to screen thoroughly even if they write “indoor only” on the

questionnaire. If the person is going to take the cat out only on a leash, that is considered acceptable, although bear in mind that many cats don’t like the harness and leash so you should ascertain what they would do if the cat they are interested in turns out not to be

amenable to leash training.

In some circumstances, it would be acceptable to adopt out a cat to a home that will let the cat outside under strict supervision. The foster parent will need to determine whether the “outdoor supervised” time is truly safe for the cat. In making this determination, the foster parent should consider:

• Whether the cat would become scared & difficult or impossible to pick up upon going outside

• Whether the cat is a flight risk due to being a great climber/jumper and has a boundary-pushing personality, or is a kitten

• Whether the area in which the cat will be let outside under supervision is safe (balconies, back patios and fenced back yards are safer than front yards or

unfenced patios/yards)

• How safe is the surrounding area (coyote infested hills or major thoroughfares as opposed to a cul-de-sac), just in case the cat does make a run for it

• How aware of the risks faced by outdoor cats the prospective adopters appear to be and how diligent you feel they will be about maintaining supervision

during any outdoor time.There is no magic formula here; each “outdoor supervised” situation needs to be assessed on a case by case basis and a thoughtful decision made by the person who knows the cat best. People looking for indoor/outdoor cats can be referred to the city shelter and provided

with directions; emphasize that if they adopt from the shelter, they are saving a life.

2. “Landlord Permission”

Policy Adopters who rent their homes must have landlord permission to own a cat. You’d be surprised how many people don’t even know if their lease allows them to have pets! Let them know that they will be asked to provide their landlord’s name and phone number on the adoption agreement, and that we do check. If they live in a condominium, you will want to be sure that they will not be violating any association rules by adopting a cat or

cats from you.

3. Age Guidelines

Kitten Rescue doesn't have a minimum or maximum age threshold, but we do have a general guideline about being aware and careful of the age of the adopter in order to ensure the best chances of a successful and lasting adoption. Most of the cats we place are kittens, teens, or young adults, and adopting can be a 15+ year commitment.

We have a general policy that adopters should be 21 years or older. Adopters under the age of 21 tend to be unsettled and are usually not in a position to make a 15+ year commitment to an animal. Adopting should be a thoughtful rather than an impulsive decision, and you should do your best to ascertain both the strength of the commitment that the prospective adopter is making and the extent to which the adopter has thought through all of the contingencies – moves, future relationships, career changes, etc. Bear in mind that at the time of the adoption interview, it is easy for a person to say “of course I will keep the cat if I move” or “if my new boyfriend/girlfriend is allergic, they’ll just have to deal” but as a matter of practice, when the time comes, the commitment to the animal’s stability may not be as strong as was initially represented. You just have to try and get a sense of the adopter’s character: are they being impulsive,

or thoughtful? Do they understand how difficult it is on a cat to have to move or to lose their home? Ultimately, the decision will come down to your instincts; we just want you to be mindful that the younger the adopter is, the greater the risk of instability in the adopter’s

future

The 21-year line is a little arbitrary, but can be useful as a benchmark, and should you decide to turn an 18 or 19 year old down, telling them that Kitten Rescue has a 21-year old age requirement is a lot easier than questioning their commitment or character.

Dealing with older adopters is trickier, because nobody wants to discuss their mortality in a pet store when they’re trying to adopt a kitten. Nonetheless, projecting into the future is an important part of the screening process. You have to look at what the likelihood is that the adopter will predecease the cat or reach an age where he or she is no longer able to take care of their pet (e.g., because of a move into pet-unfriendly assisted living), and decide whether this is a good, stable placement or not. In addition, the energy level of really young kittens may be age inappropriate for seniors, who will have a much lower

tolerance for biting and scratching and running around their feet. Of course, Kitten Rescue’s return policy does provide a safety valve – if an adoption doesn't work out, we always take our adopted cats back. But that doesn't mean you want to take on obvious risks when making adoption decisions; after all, when kitties are adopted, they are typically young, but when they are returned, they are older, often 10+, and re-adopting them becomes difficult due to the low demand for senior cats.

So for both really young adopters and really old adopters, good screening practices require that you do your best to determine how stable of a home it will be not just now, but for the cat’s foreseeable lifetime, what sort of contingency plans are in place in case an adoption doesn't work out (for instance, parents or children willing to commit to taking the cat), and whether the adopter has put thought into these issues and takes them seriously. Age issues are some of the most difficult to deal with, so feel free to tell a

prospective adopter that you need some time to consider the adoption inquiry and consult with other experienced foster parents to get their take on the situation.

4. “In-Person Adoption” Policy

The person who will actually own and be responsible for the cat must be present at the adoption. It’s common for people to come by and say they want to adopt a cat for their girlfriend, their parents, etc. This is always a bad idea! Let them know that adopting a cat is a very personal experience, and the right chemistry between owner and kitty is very important. Mention that we do offer Gift Certificates that can be given in lieu of a live animal, and the giftee can have the fun of choosing their own new pet.
Discourage parents from adopting a cat for their child as a “surprise”. Stress the gift certificate idea and offer options like wrapping up a toy cat, or cat supplies, and then making the visit to the adoption event an extended part of the gift.

5.  "No Declaw” Policy

Kitten Rescue does not adopt out to owners who indicate that they plan to have the cat declawed or who would declaw their cat in the future (say, if the cat scratched their furniture). Declawing is more than removing a cat’s entire nail; it would be more appropriate to call it de-knuckling because the procedure involves the amputation all of the last digits on the cat’s paws. Explain to a potential adopter that declawing is very painful and often causes more problems than it solves. In rescue work we see many declawed cats given up because of behavioral problems.

Declawing has been banned in many cities, including Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Culver City, Santa Monica and Burbank. However, there are plenty of places that still allow it, so it is well worth it to screen prospective adopters carefully.


Kitten Adoption Policies

Underlying Policies 6 & 7 is a very important fact about kittens’ behavioral development. Very young kittens (under 4 months old) are in their most important formative period where they will be learning behaviors that will be with them their entire lives. These policies are designed with the goal of providing young kittens with an environment that is most conducive to their proper socialization.

Kitten Adoption Policy:

6. “No Children Under 6” Policy

This is a more of a guideline than a rule; the idea is that young children have a difficult time differentiating between an animal and a toy, and are more likely to scream at a kitty, throw something at it, pull it’s tail or otherwise traumatize it. Brought up in this environment, a kitty is much more likely to grow fearful of people and exhibit other anti-social behavior, including not using the litter box or excessive biting or scratching.

When there are young children in the family of a prospective kitten adopter, use your judgment. Find out if the child has lived with other pets. Observe how he or she interacts with the kitties. See how he or she behaves and especially how well he or she is supervised. If you have doubts, ask another volunteer or the Lead to evaluate the family.

Kitten Adoption Policy:

7. “No Young Kittens Alone” Policy

Also known as the “no single kitten” policy. Kitten Rescue does not adopt out young kittens to be “only cats”. Young kittens are full of bounce-off-the-walls energy and spend a lot of time playing, and kitten play always involves a lot of biting and scratching. Kittens who bite and scratch with another kitty learn limits - if they do it too hard, the other kitten has ways of letting them know that it is too much. In contrast, a young single kitten is much less likely to learn adequate boundaries and can end up having serious behavioral problems for the rest of its life – namely, excessive biting and scratching.

The “single kitten” rule is written to apply to kitties 4 months old and younger; however, many foster parents won’t adopt out kittens under 6 months as “onlies”. This is up to the foster parent, who knows their kittens best.

Just be aware that in the many years we've been doing this, we have never had anyone regret heeding our advice and adopting a pair of young kittens instead of just one. In contrast, a lot of people have come to us in order to adopt a buddy for the crazed kitten they recently adopted from a shelter.The Adoption Process

You’ve done it! You found the perfect adopter for your foster kitty. All that’s left to do is the Home Visit and fill out the paperwork!

Home Visit

Kitten Rescue requires that foster parents see the prospective adopter’s home prior to any adoption being finalized. You may discover some things at a home visit that are not apparent at an adoption event (or in an email exchange) – say, the presence of an undisclosed cat door, or that their current cats are declawed and they didn’t tell you this, or that they do let their cats out into the back yard unsupervised, etc. You may also want to assess how “kitty proof” the home is – are the window screens secure, are there any hazards that they may not think of, and any other factors that might make the environment

unsuitable or unsafe for your foster kitty.

A home visit may be done prior to the actual adoption (commonly referred to as a “home check”), or at the same time as you anticipate doing the adoption (a “home delivery”). If the first time you will see the prospective adopter’s home is during a home delivery, you have to be prepared to walk out of the person’s home with your foster cat if you do find something that makes you uncomfortable with the adoption – something that may not be very easy to do. For your first few adoptions, it may be better to do the home check without the cat in tow.

The Adoption Agreement

Once a potential adopter has chosen a cat, and they have been evaluated as an appropriate home for that cat, it’s time to fill out the adoption agreement.

Fill out the medical information chart on the bottom of the contract as follows:

• Date of spay/neuter

• Date of FeLV & FIV testing and results

• Dates of de-worming(s)

• Dates of FVRCP vaccinations already done. If any are still due (including boosters), fill in the appropriate date(s) on the line reading “Next FVRCP Due”

• Date of Rabies vaccinations (if given at shelter or elsewhere)

• Mark where the spay/neuter and combo test were preformed

The adoption agreement is printed on 3-part carbonless paper. After the adopter fills out the top of the form, go through the agreement item by item, asking them to initial after each item. Ask them to sign the bottom. Please be sure the medical information is filled out accurately and completely, as the adopter may choose to give this paperwork to their vet. Always look at the bottom carbon copy to make sure that the information is legible.

Be sure to include your phone number and email address where indicated so the adopter can get in touch with you if necessary. If the adoption takes place at an adoption event, put the name of the Event Lead in the space for “Adoption Counselor.” The three copies of the contract are distributed as follows:• White – Mail to Kitten Rescue with the check for the adoption fee*

• Yellow – Foster Parent’s copy

• Pink – Adopter’s copy

Our Adoption Fees are:

Kittens up to 2 years old: $120 for 1, $200 for 2 ($80 each additional)

Cats 2 years to 10 years: $60 for 1, $100 for 2 ($50 each additional)

Cats 10 years and up: Adoption Fee Waived

$200 for a dog

These fees are subject to change. We may lower our adoption fees during special adoption events. The adoption fee is not tax-deductible; however, any amount given above the adoption fee is, and a tax receipt can be made available upon request.

*The white copy together with the adoption fee should be mailed to Kitten Rescue at:

Kitten Rescue

3519 Casitas Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90039

The adopter can pay the adoption fee by Check (made out to “Kitten Rescue”), cash, or PayPal to mail@kittenrescue.org If the adopter pays you in cash, please write a check for the adoption fee and mail that to Kitten Rescue. Do not mail cash.

You can also give the contract and fee to an Event Lead, the Foster Coordinator, or the Kitten Rescue President.

After Your Foster Cat is Adopted

You will retain the yellow copy of the Adoption Agreement, which should include the adopter’s contact information. It is your responsibility to make a follow-up call to the adopter between 24-48 hours of them bringing the kitty home. (This is very important! If your cat is having any health or behavioral problems, the adopter needs to feel that help is available. Remember that under the adoption contract, any health issues that arise after adoption are the adopter’s responsibility. In some cases we will work directly with an adopter to address any health issues that arise immediately after adoption; contact the

President if such a situation arises and apprise him of the situation.)

You should then make another follow-up call a week later to ensure that everything is going well. Feel free to exchange contact information or become Facebook friends with the adopter and stay in touch. This kind of personal relationship between adopters and Kitten Rescue is very valuable, not only to the organization, but also to the welfare of our adopted cats.

File your yellow copy of the Adoption Agreement in a safe place. You may need to get the information quickly if the cat is ever returned to us.

Don’t forget to remove your cat’s posting online by emailing

webpostings@kittenrescue.org!Returns

Kitten Rescue has a lifetime return policy where, if an adopter is not able to keep their adopted cat for any reason, they are required to contact Kitten Rescue and make arrangements for the cat’s return. We make a lifetime commitment to our rescues and this policy ensures that the cat will not end up abandoned or at an animal shelter where it may face euthanasia. It is expected that the original foster parent will take back his or her returns; however, circumstances may make this impossible, and in such a case another foster will be found or the cat will be placed at the Sanctuary. Be sure that your adopters know of our return policy! If the return is within 7 days, we will give a full refund of the adoption fee. In cases where an adopted cat is being integrated with the adopter’s

existing cat, this period may be extended – just be sure to keep the President informed

of this.

Explain a Cat’s Adjustment Period Into a New Home

Causes for Adjustment Period

  • Totally new environment

  • Change of diet

  • Stress of going from home to shelter to foster home to new home

  • Stress of adjusting to new animals in the house

  • How to Prevent Adjustment Problems

  • Let cat adjust at its own pace (BE PATIENT)

  • Confine in a small room for the first 24-48 hours (until comfortable)

  • Consistent diet

  • Love and reassurance

Health Problems to Watch Out For

  • Loose stool or temporary diarrhea is normal, due to change in diet and stress of a new environment.

  • Call the vet if you notice: blood in the stool, fever, lack of appetite, lethargy, excessive diarrhea.

  • Call the vet if you notice sneezing, discharge from nose or eyes, excessive shaking and/or scratching of the ears