Adoption
Oldham Cats almost always has plenty of cats
in who desperately need homes. We take in every cat we have room for so
usually have a variety of ages, colours and sexes.
Kittens are more common during the summer months (known as 'kitten season') but
even then we do not always have kittens available as they are usually in demand,
please phone us on 0161 6536530 if you wish to
enquire about kittens to save a wasted journey to the cattery.
All our cats are neutered and we condemn breeding when there are so many cats desperate for homes. The only kittens we have are either from pregnant cats or unwanted litters brought to us by members of the public. Because of this we do not usually know much about the family history of kittens, but we NEVER rehome any cats or kittens which we know have any health problems without informing the new owners. Similarly with adult cats we will tell potential owners everything we know about them, but since many of the cats we take in are strays we may not know anything of their history. Oldham Cats does, however, promise to tell new owners everything we know either from previous owners or from what we have observed whilst the cat is in our care.
Most cats and kittens will have been fed on tinned meat in jelly and cat biscuits but we will inform new owners of any dietary needs and/or preferences that we are aware of.
The Adoption Process:
Before taking home any cats or kittens, all new owners must fill out and sign an adoption form which is a guarantee that the cat will become the responsibility of the new owner and that they promise to care for it properly.
Adult Cats- All cats are neutered and treated for fleas, worms and ear mites and cover will last for a month after application. As stated, we do not always know the history of cats and we do not arrange vaccinations for adult cats. If the cat comes in with a vaccination history from its previous owners you will be informed and given the vaccination certificate.
The adoption fee for adult cats is £30 per cat, this is to go towards covering neutering, flea, worm and mite treatment, food, cat litter and other expenses. Oldham Cats makes no profit on adoptions. The adoption fee is non-refundable and payable in full on the day of adoption, by signing the adoption agreement all new owners agree to this. Occasionally the adoption fee can be negotiated (usually only for an older cat, cats that must be homed in pairs or those that have been neutered before coming into the rescue for rehoming).
Kittens- Thanks to new veterinary practices all our kittens are now neutered prior to rehoming, they are also vaccinated. They cannot go to new homes until they are over 10 weeks old. All kittens are also treated for fleas using Frontline and for worms using Panacur, both of which are fully effective and safe for use on even the youngest of kittens.
All our kittens go to be neutered on a Thursday. We will not rehome them until midday on the Friday following the operation at the earliest in order to ensure that they have fully recovered and are healthy. No kitten will be rehomed unless it is eating properly, using its litter tray and, to the best of our knowledge, is 100% healthy.
The adoption fee for kittens is £40 per kitten, which is still less than a member of the public could get neutering, vaccination, flea, worm and mite treatments done for at a vet. As with adult cats, this is a non-refundable fee and payable on day of adoption in full. We regret that we cannot allow people to reserve kittens due to problems we have experienced in the past.
If you are at work, or otherwise out of the house for much of the day we will not allow you to adopt a young kitten. This is because young kittens can be known to miss a meal or be sick and can actually die of dehydration in the space of a few hours when alone. Aside from that young kittens will become very lonely if left alone for so long as they need companionship and playmates. It's a very good idea to take on two kittens as they can keep each other company and play together. People with young children or other animals such as adult cats or dogs would be better adopting older kittens or adult cats as they are more likely to be able to defend themselves from rough handling (albeit unintentionally) by children or aggressive cats and dogs, who are likely to be unsure of the new arrival they see as encroaching on their territory.
Careful introductions should allow a new cat or kitten to settle in and become accepted by any existing pets you may have, but please be aware it may take some time. A lot of patience may be required but most new arrivals will be accepted in the end. Remember that the new cat or kitten doesn't know why he or she has suddenly found themselves in a new home, with strange new people so please don't expect him or her to instantly settle in, although it is known to happen!
We offer an 'Identichip' microchipping service for just £10 per cat. This is done at the cattery and the fee includes lifetime listing for your pet on the Petlog database. The chip is the size of a grain of rice and is implanted painlessly under the loose skin on your pet's neck. The vast majority of rescue centres and vets have scanners which can read the unique code carried in the chip. Once a code is found Petlog is informed and the owners can be contacted. Unlike an ID tag on a collar the chip cannot be lost and will last for your pet's life. It is a cheap and totally safe way of ensuring you can easily be reunited with your pet if he or she should go missing.
We hope you will be able to find the right cat for you at Oldham Cats, thank you for helping us to help them.