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FINDING A HOME FOR YOUR PERSIAN OR HIMALAYAN CAT
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Finding
a Home for your Persian or Himalayan Cat
Where did you get the
cat?
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If you adopted the cat from us... |
you are required by contract to return it. |
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If you purchased your cat from a
Breeder... |
you should contact your breeder first. Any
reputable breeder will take their cats back. Often,
people will wonder why a breeder would take a cat back that's already
neutered, or not breedable. A good breeder is not just about money. She
makes a lifetime commitment to her cats, and wants to see them safe. She
will often have a wait list of quality homes who would be happy to take on
your cat! You may be able to get help through CFA purebred Rescue.
We can contact any CFA or TICA registered Persian breeder.
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If you adopted
your cat from a Rescue organization... |
check your contract. Many rescuers require
the cat to be returned to them. |
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If you adopted
from an Animal Shelter... |
please do NOT
return the cat to them! If you are a legitimate Rescuer, or veterinary
office, we will Courtesy Post the cat to our website. We do not post cats
being given up by their owners. |
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If you found the cat... |
there are certain legal hoops that you must
go through to ensure that the owners have a chance to retrieve their cats.
Posting flyers in your neighborhood, at the local shelters, local vets
offices, and placing an ad in the local newspapers is the best way to find
the cat's family. PLEASE do NOT take the cat to any shelter that has a high
kill record. Take it only to those mentioned on this list. An animal shelter
is not a safe place for a stray cat, especially a Persian. Shelter diseases
run rampant, and there is a high risk that this cat will be euthanized. The
shelter must hold the cat for at least 4 days, and even if Rescue can take
it, the cat may be very sick by the time we get it. Most shelters do ZERO
screening, so the first person there with the adoption fee gets the cat,
whether they are an appropriate home or not! Once you have followed the
appropriate steps, you may want to follow the directions posted below for
safely placing the cat. |
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First Step:
In trying to find a
home for your cat, you might start by checking with your veterinarian. They
might know of someone who would like to adopt your cat. Put up
posters at your veterinarian and other veterinarians in your area with a picture
of your cat, description of personality and age of cat along with how to contact
you. Interview the potential adopters at length and charge an adoption
fee. It is not a good idea to simply give your cat away because research
laboratories use them in experimental research and there are people who use them
to train dogs to kill. Be sure to get permission to check with their
veterinarian to be sure they are honest with you about the care they've given
their previous cats. Take a look at our application on this site to see what
types of question we ask. DO screen carefully!
Second Step:
If you are local (Northern
California), there is a group that is here specifically to aid Persians &
Himalayans in crisis. They provide counseling for litter box problems,
behavioral issues, Persian specific health questions, and referrals to Persian
savvy vets in the area. On a limited basis, foster space is available. If you
run out of time, and need a safe place for your cat to go, contact Ellen:
(707) 592-8770 or
Ellen@persiansplus.org.
You may also get on the waiting list for a foster
home for your cat. This is a cage free, home environment group, not an animal
shelter, so space is at a premium. Please be sure that you have your cat's vet
records, and expect to make a donation to the care and feeding of your cat.
The Next Step:
Go online to the following
National Website--Persian Rescues By Location,
http://purebredcatbreedrescue.org/persian_rescues.htm
There will be a listing of
Rescuers in your area. There is also a Yahoo group email with many other
Rescuers and potential adopters. You may
join that list and post your cat. Many people join this list to find a cat and
the Rescuers have been screened before membership. You should still check
references for any Rescuer that offers to take your cat, just as you would check
references for any potential adopter. This list also has
animal behaviorists, and veterinarians, and a large archive that may have some
ideas for finding a way that you can actually keep your cat.
Many other Rescuers are listed on our "Links" page. You may find one near you. You will be expected to provide transportation
for your cat as well as making a donation to the care and feeding of the kitty.
There are also
Sanctuaries that will take your cat for the rest of it’s life and provide it
with love, 3 squares and veterinary care. These sanctuaries require a
substantial donation, which STILL won’t even begin to cover the cost of caring
for your cat medically or with the type of food that needs to be purchased.
Final Step:
If you find that you are out of time, and
not willing to get your cat to a safe Rescue, please research the local
shelters. Your cat will NOT be safe in most shelters in this Country. Determine
how long the shelter is willing to hold the cat before they kill it. Some will
euthanize within twenty four hours. There is NO such thing as a No Kill
shelter. Most shelters euthanize if the cat becomes ill, even with a common
cold. You can still find a Low Kill
shelter or SPCA. Many of them have excellent luck in placing Persians. Try to
locate shelters that are also good about screening potential homes. Some of
them have a relationship with Rescue and will call before euthanizing the cat.
We can't always take the cat, because we don't always have room. IF you must
take your cat to the shelter, please request that they call Rescue before
putting the cat down (killing it). We have had several situations where the
people who left the cat at the shelter told them we were full, so the shelter
didn’t call us. Their cat died when we could have worked with that shelter to
save the cat. Even if the shelter tells you they will call Rescue, they may not
necessarily do so. Several times, people have left their cat at the shelter and
been told that Rescue would be called. They checked in later to find their cat
had been euthanized. Either we were too full, or the shelter just didn't call
us.
Shelters with good placement records:
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Napa County Animal Control will
take out of area cats. They charge a small fee for the Surrender plus a minimal
“out of area” fee.
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Marin Humane. Will take cats
from their own county.
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San Francisco SPCA.
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Sacramento SPCA. Often VERY full but will take
cats from owners.
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Tri-City Animal Shelter (Fremont, Newark & Union City).
There is ALWAYS a
way to make a miracle happen for your cat if you are willing to be resourceful
and persistent. Sadly, most people want the easy way out. We would be more
helpful, but have found that usually when we spend hours working on a rescue
space for someone, they don’t follow through. We then have taken time and care
away from our own very needy cats in Rescue and exhaust ourselves in the
process. If we were to take your cat, we would require a substantial donation
to pay for the boarding and care of the cats that will then not have space in
Rescue. Every cat we take to Rescue costs another cat its’ life.
If you have further questions,
please contact us. .
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