Rehoming Procedure - the small print
We are open for viewing cats by appointment only. Please message us on our Facebook page: Colchester Cat Rescue, or phone 01206 864284, or email us on mail@colchestercatrescue.org.uk
If you are interested in a kitten, the main season is the summer months (as nature tries to ensure that babies born outdoors will survive in warmer weather.) The school summer holidays is the most popular time to find plenty of kittens, especially if you are looking for a particular colour.
Please note that no kitten should be taken away from its mother until at least 8 weeks old, to give them the best start in life. We rehome all our kittens after they are neutered at 12 - 16 weeks of age, due to people not neutering them. All cats and kittens are all neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, and have flea and worming treatment.
Please read the 10 points below:-
1)
We only rehome within about 10 - 15 miles of Colchester, roughly Chelmsford in the south, Clacton in the east and Ipswich to the north. If you are not local please go to www.catchat.org for your nearest rescues.
2)
We are responsible for the cats that come into our care, and try to look after them as if they were our own cats. Please do not be offended if you do not meet our suitability criteria. We have had many decades of experience in rehoming cats, and they are not suitable for everyone's circumstances, and some of you will live too near a busy road. This is a common policy with other rescues such as the RSPCA and Cats Protection, for the cat's safety, as road accidents are the greatest cause of death for cats. If you live in a flat above ground floor level we would only rehome an indoor cat. (You would need to net/enclose any balcony and have window guards for the cat's safety.)
3) Please bring current proof of address (recent official documentation) and ID (passport or driving licence).
4) All our cats have been vet checked. They are neutered, fully vaccinated, microchipped to us, and have had flea and worm treatment - all of this would cost you about £150 if you went to a vets yourself. Any cat that needs a dental will have had this done - it costs about £400 to £800 per cat for us to do this. We take cash or card for donations.
5) Please ensure that you are able to commit to the costs of looking after a pet - expensive vet treatment if they are ill or injured as well as the regular commitment of annual vaccinations, cat food, cat litter, flea and worming treatment and cattery fees while you are on holiday (we do not recommend leaving a cat in an empty house with a neighbour coming in to feed them, cats often go missing looking for their family.)
6) We give 4 weeks free Petplan insurance with each cat/kitten, and recommend that you continue a "Covered for Life" policy such as this. We also receive 10% from every policy for life from Petplan for every cat that we rehome whose owner takes out cover - we use this to help with our vets bills.
7) If you rent, please bring a landlord's letter of consent to you having a cat, or bring your lease if this includes permission allowing you to have cats. You need to be on a minimum of 12 months rental term, and have a lease that can be renewed in future, so that a cat is not having to move regularly which is unsettling, particularly for rescue cats.
8) We rehome on the basis that cats are kept locked in after dark (4pm in winter), for their own safety, as car accidents are more common after dark. You should have a cat flap to allow the cat safe access to your home during the day for warmth, food and water. It should be locked at night once the cat is indoors.
9) We try to match every cat with a suitable potential new home. If we do not have a cat that is suitable for your circumstances, please visit again as we take cats in every week. Most people will visit at least 2 or 3 times.
10)
Please see our Facebook page for photos of the cats needing rehoming, as well as our Catchat page. We do not usually have any pedigree cats. Please email the particular breed's Cat Club, as most have a rescue/welfare organisation.