Cats Available for Adoption - April 2008

RESERVE YOUR PREFERRED ANIMAL ensuring nobody else gets there first!

**ALL ADOPTERS PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS SCROLLING SECTION, BEFORE RESERVING ANY ANIMALS**

You can reserve your preferred cat online - ensuring nobody else gets to your preferred cat before you manage to visit. Most cats can now be reserved by clicking a link against his/her name.

• You are most definitely NOT 'buying' the cat by doing so: you have neither ownership nor any form of claim to the cat you have reserved.  You still need to apply and be approved entirely as normal; there are no short-cuts. There is no guarantee of approval but it does put you in the position of being prioritised for that animal, and from the point of accepting a reservation fee on any animal, even if an animal remains on the web page (which he/she will just in case we cannot approve you), we are turning away all other adopters and stating that cat to be 'reserved pending approvals'. The reservation buttons say 'Add to Cart' only because we use shopping cart software.

• We will hold the reserved cat for two weeks from the date of payment, to allow you to visit the animal, decide whether he's right for you, and complete the paperwork we require, to our satisfaction. In this time we may also call your veterinary surgeon for a reference. You must make your visit within the two weeks, or your reservation fee will be lost and the cat(s) offered to an alternative home. This is because it is harder and costlier than you imagine, to look after longhaired cats and also, it is quite inhumane to hang on to animals who were actually already 'ready to home' when you placed your reservation; very often cats decline while waiting for the adopters to make time for a visit, and the longer the cat has to wait for your approval/adoption visit, the more likely he will decline and require more veterinary spend. Therefore, we are very strict about your adherence to the 2 week policy after a reservation is placed on a cat.

• To reserve a cat or cats, you will need to pay the full specified 'Contribution to Care' for the animal concerned, at the point of reservation. The amount of the Contribution differs for each cat but is usually between £160 and £185 per animal. It will only ever be higher if, for example, we are rehoming healthy kittens, if a cat has been with us for an extended period, or if we have had to pay a breeder to release the animals to us in the first instance. Our Contributions started at £150 back in 2000, in line with other Persian Rescue organisations, and had not risen until end of February 2008. So we hope you will find this rise acceptable. It was unavoidable since vet costs - and in fact all care costs - have risen dramatically over the 8 year period. The exact Contribution sum for the cat in whom you are interested, will be indicated when you click against the cat's name and are then taken to the payment page. Note that because we use Paypal to take payments, it adds what it calls a 'P&P' charge. It only refers to this because we are using a Shopping Cart programme to take the payments, so P&P automatically gets added, because it doesn't recognise this as a cat reservation as opposed to a shopping transaction. However, we have taken this charge into account when the Contribution payable was set, so what you will be charged IS the correct total amount for the cat concerned.You are still welcome to visit and adopt if you have not reserved any cat before you come, as long as you accept that many cats may already have a reservation on them and therefore we could not let you adopt those particular animals.

• You do, with no exceptions, still have to complete the necessary paperwork, and your home and lifestyle will still be considered and evaluated, above all other factors, in approving you as that cat's adopter. We will set this in motion as soon as you have reserved, by sending you the application form and asking questions about any areas of doubt. It is important for you to understand that by placing a reserve you do not own the cat; you are not 'buying' a cat but simply asking for first consideration and, should you be deemed suitable, you receive first 'refusal' of that cat. 

IS THE ONLINE RESERVATION FEE EVER 'NON-REFUNDABLE'?

The details below show you where a fee is and isn't refundable to you. If you have doubts or queries please do ask. This system wasn't introduced to over complicate matters, but rather to ensure that those travelling a distance didn't always lose out to more local adopters. However, we have to operate this fairly, and lay down some 'ground rules'.

It's NOT refundable in the following scenarios (note, we cannot describe every eventuality here but it will give you some idea of when it is or isn't refunded):

• If you pay and then do not show up to see the animal within the specified post-reserve 2 week period, unexplained. The 'no refund' policy is because we will have held onto the cat, cared for it for longer, and turned away other adopters who could have taken it.
• If you pay and intended to come within the specified post-reserve 2-week period, but your own personal and genuine circumstances (illness, bereavement, redundancy etc) prevent the planned visit, you will lose the Reserve fee because this places us and the cat into an uncertain, extended period beyond the agreed 2 weeks.
• However, in genuine cases (and where we are sure this is the case) we will do our best to ensure you do not lose the cat. We will usually at our discretion, and without further reference to you, extend the term in which we hang onto that cat for you. We will seek to honour our side of the agreement for as long as it remains humane to the animal, to keep him reserved for you, purely in recognition of your difficult home circumstances. If we feel it becomes inhumane, we will write by email and specifically advise you that we need to let the cat go. If, conversely, we have held the animal and you still come to adopt, but later than the 2 week post-reserve period, and then do not progress the adoption by your own choice, it is logical that we will not refund any portion of the reservation fee because we will have incurred many, many costs in the additional time - for feed, vet care, and daily care. Any fee you will have paid us will have been used many times over by the extended retention of that animal at our discretion. You will also understand that once we have taken a reservation fee for an animal, although we can try to keep an eye open for other homes, (just in case yours doesn't come to fruition) the other interested parties are going to be very cautious about showing real interest in the cat or coming to see him, while we're giving out the message that you actually still have 'first claim' to him. So if you are releasing a 'reserved' cat for us to rehome to someone else, please be sure to let us know in certain terms, as soon as possible, by telling us NOT to consider you any longer for this cat.

• If you reserve a cat you HAVE SEEN already on a previous visit, but then change your mind after other adopters or adoption visitors have been declined, any fees you have paid are non-refundable. Other adopters cannot be re-scheduled in because of the distances they would need to travel for a 2nd visit. This has costly and time consuming repercussions for the rescue and would severely affect our cash flow.

It IS refundable as follows (again we cannot outline every situation but this gives a guide...):

• If you reserve a cat and then come to see it WITHIN THE TWO WEEK post-reservation period, and do not then think this cat is the one for you, a full refund is processed by Paypal, back to your card or Paypal account. However, you must have visited within the specified 'humane' two week period post-reservation. We cannot have cats hanging on for your visit beyond two weeks. If you fail to visit in the two weeks, you will lose both fee and cat.
• If we have to reject you as the adopter of the animal you selected, when you make your actual visit. For example it could be if we see you (in our opinion) mishandle a cat or otherwise fail to relate to the animals in our care appropriately. Rejection of your application when you visit, though, is highly unlikely since before you came we would have gone through your adoption application online and one-to-one, and I would be 99% sure you'd be suitable by the stage of your actual visit to us. So please do not worry unduly about this point. I am just mentioning it so that all your queries about repayment of funds are answered.

• If you are rejected even before you make a visit, i.e. at online application stage, because for some reason we think your home, or your experience or situation is just not what we are seeking for the cat concerned, then the Contribution is refunded back to you by Paypal. 

• In all refund cases you do need to allow time for Paypal to process the funds back to your card, and we do not know how long this will take as once we have authorised a refund it is in Paypal's care.

NB! The new reservations system is working very effectively - cats now get reserved and rehomed in record time, because people love the idea that they can secure the availability of their preferred cat. So if you are planning a visit please correspond beforehand - or you could arrive to find we have no animals to show to you.  

See bottom of this page for other Adoption Visit Terms & Conditions. Please note these are only the Terms that apply to visiting; there are separate detailed Terms expected in actually adopting a cat. These are contained in each application form.

Chapelhouse Persian & Pedigree Cat Rescue . Swythamley Chapel . Swythamley . Macclesfield . Cheshire . SK11 0SN

Adoption Visits - READ CAREFULLY BEFORE ANY VISIT AND BEFORE RESERVING A CAT ONLINE

Since our new online reservations system got going, we have rarely had more than 3 or 4 available cats at any time, and that seems to make 'just turning up' rather a waste of time! Therefore everyone interested in coming to see a cat, please ensure you correspond beforehand and that you are invited to visit. Most visits will be arranged in weekends after 3pm both days.

I can open by special arrangement on some late afternoons and evenings of the week. Please feel free to suggest those days that are suitable to you. However opening times will always be after 3pm - but I will happily show you the cats until as late as 10pm.

• To take a cat with you on the day of your first visit: You need to have been in prior email correspondence and received the adoption Application Form by email, and you have completed it at home. You need to agree to the Terms and Conditions of an adoption as contained in the Application Form. You will have chatted online with us, about the cats you are interested in, so that we know your visit won't be wasted and that we are likely to approve you. Most probably you have already reserved your preferred cat online. Under all these circumstances you are likely to be approved to take your chosen cat 'on the day'.

• Our Application Form is very detailed because we cannot make home visits, being a national rescue. ('Dog-eared', smudgy forms that look like they have been completed in a rush 2 minutes before arriving at rescue, won't usually result in an adoption approval. Please take time and put some thought into it.) It is vital that EVERYONE hoping to take a cat home, brings a carefully completed Application Form on the day. Without this you will be sent away WITHOUT A CAT.

• We want to know that you have taken time reading and digesting the Terms contained in our Application Form, and not 'made a snap decision' on the day. So we no longer allow completion of forms on site for the protection of all concerned.

More info about visiting (make sure you're prepared):

AND:

• We do not usually home Persians to homes with young children, those likely to be planning a family within the cat's lifetime, or smokers.
• We do not home young animals to very old people, unless a contract is signed to return the animal to the Rescue in the event of incapacity or death of the owner.
• We do not rehome animals to be taken overseas. If you are hoping to emigrate we would not rehome with you.
• We do rehome to Ireland, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man etc.
• We do not rehome most animals to travel by train or other public transport, when collected from us. Carriage by car is far less stressful for an animal and is not going to result in unwelcome visitors approaching you to peer into the basket. Draughty waits on station platforms are also hardly conducive to the sensitive carriage of a stressed new pet.
• We do not home animals to be given as gifts. The prospective owner has to sign for the animal.
• You need to provide the full name and address of your vet on your application form, and give permission for your vet to be contacted if we choose to. Please ensure you have this information with you when you come, because without it you will be unable to adopt.
• All adoption forms must have a landline phone number entered on them.
• Please visit the loo en route as we lack on-site facilities!

Where Are We?

Our address is below. Coming from the M6, exit at J17, A534, direction Congleton. Follow Congleton Town centre signs. Having driven through the (tiny) centre, head out of Congleton on A54, in the direction of Buxton. 

Keep on this road, which will become a country road and eventually you will come to traffic lights at the intersection of A523 and A54. Carry straight on, again following signs for Buxton.

Continue until you see The Fourways Motel motel to your left (you are now on a rural, fast part of the A54, going uphill). TURN RIGHT opposite the Fourways Motel, following signs for Swythamley and Wincle.

Keep on this lane through Wincle village.

Go past the Ship Inn and the trout farm (Danebridge Fisheries), and carry on up the hill, which bends to the right. Ignore signs for 'Swythamley Hall' (and West Lodge) and just carry on. There is now a tall dry stone wall to your left. The Rescue is the next property after the sign for Swythamley Hall and West Lodge; it's a pinkish stone chapel on the left hand side. A sign outside says Swythamley Chapel - Private'. There is plenty of parking on the driveway.

• We Are Not Taking An Up-Front Reservation on 'Pamuk' - To be considered you must correspond fully.

(Written by Cheryl-Anne, the Rescue's Owner/Manager):

Pamuk is a middle aged, absolutely adorable silver chinchilla female, with a personality 'to die for'. She ranks among the loveliest animals we have ever had in the rescue. Sadly she has been here a very long time now, not through any lack of enquiries though....she has had literally hundreds. But it seems most people fall for my cute description and just think how marvellous it would be to own such a stunning cat but, they don't seem to put much care into considering whether they are what I seek for Pamuk. Hence, all you older people with nice quiet homes, retired and semi retired, with settled lifestyles and no big plans for change - please get in touch. You must be Persian or chinchilla experienced. We will consider younger (not young) homes where the household is settled and where there are no children planned.

Pamuk is mainly white with a stunning, flowing silver-tipped coat. She has gorgeous big green eyes and black eyeliner. She is fairly long nosed and needs no help with face care.

Pamuk's name comes from Turkey where she originated. This means that in her lifetime she has already had the trauma of being a quarantine cat, which knowing her loving personality, would have been a very sad time. Now her owner has had to part with her out of kindness to Pamuk, because she felt Pamuk was lonely and not getting the attention she craves.

She comes running to me when I go into her room, flings herself on the floor, and rolls over and over making 'happy happy' noises. She reaches up to lick my nose - just like my own chinny!! She dashes ahead of me when I try to leave the room, flinging herself down a millimetre in front of my shoes, literally trying to stop me leave - I have never encountered this behaviour before and while it's very cute, it also shows how much affection she really needs.

Pamuk needs to be with someone who is essentially a quiet, gentle and mature 'homebody' type, who doesn't have a busy household, doesn't take breaks away from home, and has no children or other pets (teen children are fine). She is fearful of change and noise. Although she has the run of the ground floor of my property, she rarely ventures away from what she now sees as 'her' room, unless I escort her. She would be miserable in a busy household; she just wants to be with her person and in a relationship where she will be adored.

I would prefer not to consider very young couples or singles below the 40s on the basis that I want someone whose lifestyle is settled, and where too many house moves, changes of working hours, unexpected kids coming along, changes of partners etc, are less likely. She also needs a 'no other cats' home. (Calm dogs, fine).

We would ideally seek someone with (or who's prepared to create) a safe escape-proofed garden or run, like I have here for my own cats, because she does love the outdoors. Indoor-only homes will be considered too, but the adopter must be absolutely sure that they will never manage to let her escape given that she DOES dash for the door or window!

I will not consider homes where frequent updates (without me chasing for these) will not be forthcoming. I will miss her terribly and will want frequent news until I am sure she is settled.

ask@chapelhouse-persians.co.uk

(Please type, or cut and paste, this email address into your email programme; we have had to remove all automated links due to spam volumes!!).

and please make sure your e-mail tells me all about yourself and your lifestyle and experience!

'Jinksy' - Really, really sweet, affectionate and amusing chocolate Persian male!

• Purchase a Reservation on 'Jinksy' 

UPDATE AT APRIL 17TH 2008: All enquirers who were previously turned away for Jinksy due to his prior reservation by a potential adopter, may re-contact us. The adoption last weekend, which was mentioned to you and which removed Jinksy from availability, failed to take place.

Jinksy is a rather overweight, (a bit flabby!) short and 'cobby' male Persian with a stunning dark chocolate coat and greeny-yellow eyes.

Jinksy is unusual in colour and absolutely delightful in temperament! He is SO funny to watch and spend time with aswell - well hilarious at times - he's just very kitteny and has some amusing, eccentric habits. For example he is extremely playful and likes to chase balls - but when he catches up with them he jumps sky high and doesn't even touch the ball! He also 'warbles' at the top of his voice for attention - it's a very amusing sound, nothing like a normal cat! Jinksy is only 3 years old. He also has a snubby little nose which makes him grunt and snort rather, but there's no health issue involved! You should hear him eat.....

Jinksy would enjoy someone who would play with him and allow him full freedoms like sleeping on the bed at night; he is a real 'people' oriented cat who would find separation from his owner traumatic (e.g. via closed doors). He would also enjoy the company of other cats or small sociable dogs, though this isn't mandatory. We do know that he adores other Persians as in rescue he mixes very well, though is initially nervous.

Jinksy did have a tendency to become constipated and receives a twice daily dose of 'lactulose', which is a sugar based solution. Despite the problem he is happy and lively, but this is something a new owner will need to maintain a watchful eye over. However, he is perfectly 'normal' now that we have sorted out the right medications, which are simple to administer by just mixing in with wet food. We have a plentiful supply to accompany him to his new home and it's really no trouble, so don't let this deter.

He is very sociable around gentle, quiet people and cats, and likes to be following his person around all day, doing whatever the owner does. He would also enjoy some outdoor freedom in an escape proofed garden or compound, but again this isn't mandatory as long as he gets exercise somehow. I cannot stress too highly that a sedentary lifestyle is not good for this cat; if he has no outdoor space you will need to play lots of games with him to ensure his added weight is lost.

We will consider homes with other gentle and sociable Persian cats, or no other cats. If you have other cats you must know how to carry out a successful cat integration already.

The household must be quiet and if there are children, these must be into the teens. You must be Persian experienced and willing to take on a cat who may have a lifelong medication (or natural remedy) requirement without fuss. If you are at all doubtful please do not enquire.

ask@chapelhouse-persians.co.uk

(Please type this email address into your email programme; we have had to remove all automated links due to spam volumes!!

and please make sure your e-mail tells me all about yourself and your lifestyle and experience!

'Gizmo' - Very Neglected Male Chinchilla - Now on the Mend!

• Purchase a Reservation on 'Gizmo' 

I was quite shocked when this cat, aged about 7 years, arrived in emaciated body condition - from a 'normal' home. He was at the point of collapse, weighed 1.9 kg (under half what an adult male Persian should be), and was smelly, filthy, and utterly miserable. I had to ensure he received urgent fluids as he was seriously dehydrated as well as starved. I was fairly doubtful that he would live more than 48 hours. He had vacant, staring eyes which I have often seen at the point of an animal's death, and he was unable to support his own body weight.

I am delighted to report that after some careful nursing several weeks on, he is now much better, in fact quite a different animal. His body weight is improving by the day and he is now quite interactive and responsive; as soon as anyone enters the room he leaps from his bed and becomes excited and interested, especially in the late night when he knows he's going to receive an extra special veterinary meal.

He's stopped gobbling food like he'll never get any more, and he has started showing a big, healthy interest in life, though he is still fairly cautious when approached with a view to any handling or stroking; obviously he doesn't have great experiences of human contact. He is still thin and fragile, but we now feel he can move on and gain back his 'normality'.

If you would like to adopt a cat where you can really make a difference and give an animal a quality of life he has plainly never had, then this may be the one.

Gizmo came in with Beethoven, but we can rehome them separately or together. It is more important that Gizmo gets the appropriate home type. This will be an experienced Persian owning home, where it is understood that some effort and time will need to be put into this poor cat, to bring him back to 'normal'. He will need a very quiet home where he can get lots of rest but also, lots of human company. He must not go to any household that has visiting children.

ask@chapelhouse-persians.co.uk

(Please type this email address into your email programme; we have had to remove all automated links due to spam volumes!!

and please make sure your e-mail tells me all about yourself and your lifestyle and experience!