West Oxfordshire Cats Protection Adoption Information

Deciding what you want

The first step in the adoption process is to give some thought to the reasons why you want to adopt, and what sort of cat will best suit your circumstances

One of the most important considerations is whether you live in a cat-friendly environment away from busy roads and railway lines. Have you got a garden or do you live in a flat? Occasionally we have cats who would be better suited to an ‘indoors’ lifestyle, possibly due to poor vision or mobility problems.

Do you have other household pets already and if so how do you think they will take to a newcomer?

Do you have children under school-age? Toddlers in particular do not mix particularly well with very young kittens as the former does not know its own strength and the latter has claws like needles! If you have young children it is probably better to consider either an older kitten or a young cat to save sanity all around! .

Do you spend long periods of time away from the home? Small kittens take some time to settle in and need lots of companionship and reassurance. They also need to be watched over as they can get up to all sorts of mischief when no-one is about to stop them! If you value your soft furnishings it may be wise to consider a slightly older cat or if you are less concerned about the longevity of your curtains your could consider the possibility of having two kittens together.

It is very important to make sure that all members of the household are happy with the idea of a new pet as it will affect everybody.

Have you thought seriously about the cost implications for the next 10-20 years?

The next step

Once you have decided to go ahead, please give our Homing Officer a call on
01993 831350 and she will be happy to discuss things with you. If you have any questions or concerns, the Homing Officer will be able to help to put your mind at rest.

If we don’t happen to have the perfect cat for you when you call then please don’t be
dis-heartened as we have a continual through-flow of cats and kittens throughout the year. Kittens do tend to be ‘seasonal’ although this only means that we have months where we are inundated with babies and months where we only have a dozen or so! We will always do our best to help you find the most appropriate cat or kitten for your own personal circumstances.

Nearly there

Home-checking is a standard procedure with Cats Protection throughout the whole of the country and no cat or kitten will be homed without a successful home-check having been carried out.

We have a network of members who undertake home-checks throughout our area and one of these will contact you to arrange a mutually convenient time to visit you to discuss the adoption in more detail and to make sure that the environment is suitable for one of our cats.

The primary purpose of the home-visit is to ensure that the home on offer is cat-friendly and safe (i.e. not on a main road) but it is also to make sure that you, as a potential owner, fully understand the responsibility and commitment involved when adopting a cat from us. The home-visit will also give you the opportunity to ask any questions that you may have

Making your choice

Assuming that the home-check is OK, and if we have a cat or kitten which we think may suit, you will be invited to go along and meet him or her at the foster home.

Take you time when you meet the cat or kitten for the first time as you will both be nervous! You will not be under any pressure to make an instant decision (although for most it does tend to be love at first sight!). Once you have made your decision you will be asked to fill in and sign an adoption agreement and a date will be agreed for collection.

We do carry out a follow-up home visit a few weeks later just to make sure that both you and the cat are happy and settling in well to life together!

Finally

New CP Policy requires all cats and kittens to be vet-checked and vaccinated before being re-homed. Kittens will not be homed under 8wks of age and all cats over the age of 6 months will be neutered. If you are adopting a kitten then you will be asked to agree that you will have the kitten neutered at 6 months of age and you will be required to send us back a neutering form, duly signed by your vet, to confirm that this has been done. Neutering is very important for the health and well-being of your cat and more information can be found here.

We try very carefully to match the right cat to the right owner but inevitably there are occasions when problems do occur which could not have been anticipated. We are always only a phone-call away and if you have any concerns or problems with a cat or kitten you have adopted from us, please don’t hesitate to contact our Branch Co-ordinator and talk things through with her.