Safeguarding Animals
In Need Today Society
Adoption Process
Adoption Questionnaire
When you have found a cat or juvenile cat you are interested in adopting you will be asked to complete an application questionnaire (above). The application includes questions about your family’s situation, lifestyle, and expectations as well as specific questions about the care needs of the cat you intend to adopt. This questionnaire helps us to see if your lifestyle and expectations are a good match with the individual animal and vice versa.
Conversation
Once we have read through the application, an adoption counselor will have a conversation with the potential adopter to find out more information about them and what they are looking for. This conversation is a good opportunity for us to get a sense of whether the animal is a good match for the potential adopter and to ensure that both the adopter and animal will be happy together.
Meet and Greet
If the adoption counselor feels that you are a good match, we will introduce you to the animal. Cats can be visited at our Whiskers Adoption centre or if the animal is in foster care, in the foster home.
The meet and greet should, if possible, involve all members of the potential adopter’s household. It is important that everyone in the household is a good match for the animal, as well as any current animals living in the home.
Finalizing the Adoption
If everything goes well at the meet and greet and both you and the adoption counselor feel that the animal is a good match for your home, we will finalize the adoption.
IMPORTANT information when considering adoption:
Adopting a rescued kitten or cat is an extremely worthwhile decision, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility. A cat can (and will) live to be 15-20 years of age. Throughout the various stages of your cat's life (kitten, adult, senior), you will undoubtedly run into many issues that leave you questioning how to proceed. Below you will find some information to help you navigate your way toward being the best pet owner you can be!
***the steps outlined in #2 will involve an initial interview by email
I am planning to adopt a kitten / cat.
What do I need to get ready for the adoption?
Here is a list of highly suggested items that you will need, and should have, prior to adopting your cat:
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Cat carrier - Preferably get a hard carrier rather than a soft one. Carriers are important for your cat's safety when traveling. You should never take your cat into the car unless they are in a carrier - for your safety and for theirs. Also, it's good to have in the house in case of any emergency if you have to get the animal out of the house in a rush.
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Food and Water Dishes - We recommend stainless steel food and water dishes, as plastic dishes can be harmful to your pet (ceramic and stoneware dishes are also favourable to plastic)
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Litter, litter box & scoop - Make certain that the litter box is deep enough: a covered litter box that you can purchase at your local pet shop, is likely to reduce the mess
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Scratching post - We recommend that you have at least 1 scratching post for your kitten/cat, which will help reduce and eliminate the cat from scratching other surfaces. Please note that we do not support the declawing of cats. We can coach you on various tricks to curb your cat's clawing behaviour!
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Toys - Juvenile and adult cats love to play so make sure there are lots of toys around! The various Dollar stores and Dollaramas have a good selection of inexpensive cat toys, and cats always love to chase around a tin foil ball!
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Cat tree - Although a cat tree isn't required, cats do love to climb and if they can see out your windows they will watch the birds all day long!
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Nail trimmer
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Spray Bottle - Good as a training tool.