APPLICATIONS FOR KITTENS 2024

We will have kittens available from around mid-late June 2024, and if you wish to be considered to adopt, we are now taking applications which we will consider and create a short list of suitable adoptees. Please fill in the application form in the link below, and where it asks you to state which cat or kitten you are interested in, just add GENERAL KITTEN APPLICATION. We can then contact those on our shortlist just before the kittens are ready and invite them in for a viewing appointment. You will get the chance to view the kittens at this appointment and tell us which one/ones you would like to adopt.

Please read our rehoming policy before applying to ensure that you meet our guidelines.

If you have a cat already, we will ask for proof of up to date vaccines

Please do not apply for specific kittens, particular genders or colours at this stage.

WE DO NOT HOLD OPEN VIEWING SESSIONS: VISITS ARE ONLY MADE BY APPOINTMENT ONCE AN APPLICATION HAS BEEN RECEIVED. PLEASE DO NOT VISIT THE RESCUE AND ASK TO SEE THE CATS AS WE ARE NOT OPEN FOR GENERAL VIEWING

If you are thinking of adopting a cat or kitten, please read our adoption policy below before sending us an application.

Please note: all applications are made strictly via the online application form. Please only apply for the cats and kittens appearing on our website and advertised for rehoming on our Facebook page. It is not possible to reserve any before they are ready and we do not hold a waiting list. (SEE ABOVE EXCEPTION )

Please ensure you include all the information, as we cannot consider an incomplete application. If you live in a rented property, we need to see written permission from your landlord at the time of any viewing appointment.

If you have other cats, we need to see proof of vaccination, and any other cats in the house must be neutered.

Once we receive your application, we will notify you as soon as possible if we need further information. Please bear with us if this takes a few days as we often have dozens of enquiries.If you meet our homing criteria, and we think you would be a good fit with the cat you have expressed interest in, we will invite you in to meet us and the cat. As we receive a high volume of applications, we can only respond to the ones we are inviting in for a viewing appointment.

We will not be rehoming close to Christmas. If you have already reserved a cat or kitten, and discussed collection dates, then pick up can be arranged. For new viewings, we will not be arranging collection from Dec 14th to Jan 2nd. Cats reserved over this period can be collected from January 2nd.

The Rehoming Process

• We always do a home check to ensure that the location is safe. Our visit is not intrusive, but we do need to see where the cat will be living. Please bear in mind that because we do homechecks, you need to live within a reasonable driving distance from us. This is c 40 minutes from Stockport, so Bolton, Bury and Oldham are probably too far, but please contact us to check before applying. We do not rehome to houses on, or very near a main road (100m) . All our cats, unless specified as house cats, need access to a garden. Please note that we do not rehome kittens as housecats, nor cats who have previously been used to going outside.
• We do not rehome cats or kittens into households where there are children under 5 years of age, or households that have dogs.
• While we have a reasonable idea of the personality of our cats, and it is often clear if, for example, they don’t get on with other cats, it is not possible to guarantee their suitability to be around children. It is very important that potential adopters ensure that their children meet the cat in the presence of our rehoming team prior to adoption.
• We reserve the right to refuse to rehome an animal. Placing cats with adopters is entirely at our discretion. Please do not be offended if we find your circumstances unsuitable for having a cat.
• We need to see two forms of ID, one piece of photo ID (driving license, passport) and one showing your address (bill or statement). This must correspond to the address where the cat will be living. We do not rehome to third parties; we need to meet the person who will be the cat’s new owner in person.
• All our adult cats are neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and vet-checked. They are also treated for fleas and worms.
• We strongly recommend insuring your adopted cat, as the cost of vet bills can be high

Kittens

Kittens are vaccinated, Chipped, deflead and wormed. If a kitten is too young to have been neutered, the adopter will be required to sign an agreement to confirm that they will be responsible for taking the kitten for neutering from around 20 weeks. We do not rehome kittens until 24 hrs after their second vaccine, by which time they will be approximately 12-13 weeks old.

Your Appointment

Appointments are between 15-30 minutes long, and gives us a chance to allow you to meet all of our wonderful Cat and Kittens. Once you have chosen a cat or kitten you would like to adopt, we will begin the home check process, this can take up to a week to complete depending on how busy we are.

Adoption Fee

There is a £85 adoption fee. Without these sums, it would be impossible for us to carry on caring for so many cats. Our food and vets bills are huge!

Before applying, please consider the financial commitment of having a cat. Apart from food, cats need regular flea and worm treatment and vet fees can be high : for this reason, we strongly recommend insuring your cat.

It is a condition of adoption that the cat or kitten you adopt is registered with a vet within a week of adoption. They are currently registered with Vets4Pets in Stockport but the records can be transferred to a vet of your choice on adoption.

Taking your cat or kitten home

Your cat or kitten may have been in the sanctuary for some time, and before that, been a stray. Therefore, the change in environment to your home can be scary for them, and they need time to adjust. Your cat may hide away from you for a few days. With patience and reassurance, they will soon explore their new home.

We require you to keep your cat indoors for at least 4-6 weeks. (if adopting a kitten they will be kept indoors until 10 months old, and can only be allowed out once they have been neutered or spayed) This will allow them to get to know you and also where they now live, so they won’t wander away. They will need a large litter tray, which is changed regularly, access to fresh water and a secure place to sleep. It is a good idea to confine them to one room initially, but with lots of contact so they get to know you. It is important to remember that cats can squeeze through very small spaces, so keep windows closed!

The rehoming team will tell you what your cat likes to eat. Here, they are fed wet food twice a day, and have constant access to water and good quality cat biscuits. We never offer food other than cat food, or occasionally fresh chicken. Cats are lactose intolerant, so should never be given milk.

If you are rehoming a kitten, please remember that they will have been with their siblings constantly, and being alone in a different environment is a huge adjustment for them. Kittens need their own space, exactly as older cats do, with a bed that is specifically theirs, and a well-placed litter tray that they can locate easily. You may need to place your kitten in the tray after feeding initially, until they learn where it is! We feed our kittens three or four times a day with wet food specifically for kittens, and offer continuous access to kitten biscuits and fresh water.

When you take your cat home, you will be given a vaccination certificate to show when their annual booster is due. It is vital to ensure that your cat is fully vaccinated, as many cat diseases can be fatal. Vaccinations are also required should you ever need to use a boarding cattery.

If you have any concerns at all about your newly adopted cat, we are on hand to help. Just call us on 0161 975 0784, or email us at heatonscats@gmail.com

Post-Rehoming

We will contact you a week or two after rehoming to find out how your new furry friend is settling in. If you have any questions at all, please give us a call or send us an email.

Pet Insurance

You will receive 4 weeks free insurance through Petplan. At the end of four weeks, Petplan will then contact you to discuss taking out a policy, which is up to you. We do recommend that every cat is insured through Pet Plan, as vet bills in the case of illness or accident can be very high.

Finally, we grow rather attached to the cats we rehome, and it is lovely to hear how they are settling into their new home, so please update us when you have a minute. We especially love to see photographs and hear your funny, mischievous, and heart-warming stories – email them over to us or get in touch via Facebook.

*Please note that it is not possible to take a cat or kitten on the same day as viewing because we need to do a home check, and in some cases the kitten will need to have a second vaccine.