What Do I Do to Book in My Cat.......

 

Select the right statement below:

 

(i)   'I'm a member of the public or a cat breeder, and, I can/I want to Pay The £60 incoming cat Contribution to Care'

 

Click the symbol, to book your cat's space(s) and pay the desired Contribution to his/her Care:

 

 

 

 

(ii)     'I'm a member of the public, or a cat breeder and I cannot pay the £60 Contribution to Care...in fact I cannot pay anything

          at all'

 

Click the symbol, to book your cat's space(s) Free of Charge:

 

 

 

 

(iii)    'I'm representing a veterinary practice or other animal rescue organisation. I understand our admission of a cat or cats to

          Chapelhouse Persian Rescue is going to be free of any charge to us'.

 

Click the symbol, to book your cat's space(s) Free of Charge (but please be sure you can get the animals to us before you book):

 

 

 

 

(iv)     'I'm a member of the public or a breeder, and I cannot pay you the full Contribution to Care but I would like to make you a

          smaller payment as follows:

 

 

£10                                     £40

 

 

£20                                     £45

 

 

£30                                     £50

 

 

You will notice that having clicked the link, you are taken to a payment page where you can amend the number of cats needing to come in, as necessary. (Even if not paying, you can still enter the number of cats....).

 

 

What Happens Then?

 

As soon as we receive notification that we have received an incoming cat booking, Cheryl-Anne Jenkinson, the Rescue Manager, will email you to confirm your booking and find out more about your cat or cats, and the situation.

 

You will usually receive a personal email within a few hours of booking. Your booking will be prioritised, and we will make plans for you to bring the cat(s) in one a day that suits. Please note though, that we can only open at/after 3pm most days.

We Can Take All Pedigree Cat Breeds, for Rehoming...And We'd Love to Help!

 

We can take all pedigree breeds of cat, and we are known for being very sympathetic to your reasons for rehoming; you don't get 'a grilling' or a telling off.

 

In addition, we deliberately make it extremely EASY for you to book in your pets because we are the only rescue with an Online Reservations System!! This means that straight away, you can book your pets in and know that the answer to 'can you take my cats?' is a resounding 'YES'. So, if you are tired of searching for a rescue to take in your pedigree cat(s) for rehoming, here is where your search can end. Breathe a sigh of relief!

 

This new system of booking online for pets who need to use our rehoming spaces, is very popular and working extremely smoothly. Online-booked cats always 'jump to the front of the queue', meaning that owners in desperate straits are very happy indeed! And it's great for the Rescue as well. It shows YOUR clear commitment to the rehoming process, and doesn't keep us waiting around for a decision. In addition it puts us in a far better cash flow position than we have ever experienced, because most people bringing in cats have paid an online Contribution.

 

 

The financials....

 

However, unlike other rescues we are privately funded, NOT a charity.

 

Therefore, like (say) any vet practice has to charge its customers, we also levy a charge towards the care of most pets while they are with us (read on, because if you cannot afford it, that's OK). We call this our 'Contribution to Care', and we are very grateful if you pay this on the booking in of your pet, because it allays many worries about finances. 

 

 

The Rescue's Manager, Cheryl-Anne Jenkinson, says:

 

The request for funds is not at all new - we've always asked people to support their incoming cats because otherwise it has to come from MY personal pocket. In the Rescue's first few years I put in around £60,000 of my own funds and now I don't have this kind of money. The online reservation system just simplifies what used to be the embarrassing process of asking adopters to give a contribution! Now, it's all sorted up front and leaves no outstanding financial issues on the day of handover. I have to say, it's a huge relief all round!

 

If you bring in a matted cat, or one who needs dental work, or an old cat with renal or bladder problems, please bear in mind that it's not uncommon for vet bills to go over the £500 per cat mark. I hope, therefore, that you will give and not make us feel bad about requesting the financial contribution from most rehomers. Thank You.

 

We make very clear at this stage, that a) you are not being asked to cover all the costs; what you pay is minimal compared to what the pet's care actually costs us, and b) we are happy to take cats in free of charge where there is true hardship.

 

In hardship cases, finances are not to be a deterrent, because just as a good veterinary surgeon would (we hope) seek to treat an animal that was suffering, even if it was a stray and therefore not funded, so too do we accept animals that are not accompanied by a Contribution to Care payment. This will continue as long as the system isn't abused.

 

Thankfully, the vast majority of pet owners using our rehoming services do happily pay the £60 fee. If they did not, there is no way we could even try to survive. By the time pets leave the rescue to go to a new home, ALL have cost us over £250, but SOME have cost us over £2000 per head.

 

 

Which Cats Can We Take?

 

It does not matter if you don't have a pedigree certificate for the animal you are wanting to rehome, as long as you believe that your cat is a recognised pure breed (e.g Persian, Siamese, Chinchilla, Ragdoll, Birman...and so on). No moggies please, 'although' we will consider non-pedigrees where there is a strong bond between a pedigree cat you are bringing in, and a 'moggy'. In this event you can use the booking link as normal, and pay as normal for both cats, as long as there is not more than 1 non-pedigree in your booking.

 

Don't worry about making a block booking for several pedigree cats at once. We will accommodate it 'somehow'; on occasions we have to use the services of our vet practice, or local cattery facilities, to temporarily hold animals for us until we have space. Breeders and other rescue organisations are welcome to block book, as are pet owners themselves. Look at the boxes below and then read the info accordingly.

 

 

'Do You Take Old Cats as Well As Young?'

 

Yes, we can take old pedigree cats. Old cats, even geriatrics, are welcome as long as they have a quality of life which makes them eligible for rehoming. If in doubt, book your pets in anyway and we will be in touch immediately to discuss the health of the pet. If at this stage we determine the cat would not be fit enough to travel or be rehomed, any fees you have paid will be refunded same day.

 

 

'Do You Take Sick, or Anti Social Cats?'

 

Aggressive, shy, 'behaviourally-challenged' or downright anti-social pedigree cats, we really like to take! It is a challenge to try and work with these cats and make a difference.

 

Most sick and infirm pedigree cats we will also take. However, we do need to be sure that a) being low staffed we can care for the animal appropriately, (this may rule out certain labour intensive consitions or where medications are frequently required) and b) we must be sure the animal has a quality of life which will enable it to both travel here and to be rehomed.

 

We will discuss the detail after you have placed a booking; if the animal has received recent veterinary care or has a complex medical history, we may wish to speak with your vet about the quality of life of the animal. However, where any vet says that he is happy to see a cat being rehomed, we would certainly take him/her in.

 

If we decide that the cat will not benefit by coming in for rehoming, because either he/she is too frail to travel, or has insufficient quality of life, all fees will be refunded forthwith.

 

Please note that when we talk about quality of life issues, we refer only to the level of enjoyment a pet gains from living. We are able and happy to find fabulous homes for even the sickest animals...all that matters is that they enjoy life and of course we must avoid incurring suffering by sustaining or rehoming pets who are clearly struggling with life.

 

 

Are 'Contributions to Care' Refundable if I Don't Show Up?

 

Please note that Contributions paid in advance using the online system are non-refundable in the event that you change your mind about bringing the cat in, or if you are a 'no show' on the day. Regrettably, we do get these cases and they are very worrying and very costly. But using the online system, we don't tend to get 'no shows'! The point of offering online booking is that it gives BOTH parties total certainty and commitment.

 

We will have held the space for your cat, reshuffled other bookings, and turned away other animals. This has a serious effect on our cash flow and our ability to meet other outgoings, especially veterinary care bills.

 

 

What if I Don't Want to Book Online?

 

If you prefer not to book online you can still join the standard waiting list to bring a cat in without making an advance payment. However, please note you are likely to wait far longer because the online fee payers and bookers are prioritised.

 

So it is easier and more convenient all round, if you do feel committed enough to use the online booking system.

 

 

How We Find Prospective New Homes for Your Much-Loved Cat...

 

We have ten years' experience of finding excellent new homes. Our website is one of the most popular cat sites (including non-rescue sites!) in the country, with over 5000 unique rescue visitors per week, all of whom are specifically browsing cat adoption websites, usually with a view to adopting. There is no other pedigree cat website that has this astonishing visitor level. In fact, to deal with the visitor demand, we have now had to purchase a high-end commercial web hosting programme since our site visitors were staggeringly high and our web host was unable to accommodate these hits.

 

We are very lucky, as a result of our huge visitor numbers, to have access to the 'cream' of adopters. It is not uncommon for cats featured on the website to receive over 50 quality enquiries from all over the UK. In one case, we received over 400 completed application forms for one cat!

 

The vast majority of our adopters are of higher socio-economic groups and are professional people. We aren't being snobby when we say this; it's a simple truth!

 

Possibly this is due to our vetting processes. Although we are the only UK rescue who take online 'reservations' for animals pre-visit, we are also known for our phenomenal level of care in the vetting of homes, such that we don't even need to visit the homes because most enquirers are turned down at first sight; the genuine ones, and the knowledgeable ones, stand out right from that first email.

 

Our Online Reservations system means that adopters travel from all over the UK. They now are reassured that reserving their preferred pet in advance, emans he is still going to be here when they come. So, we get adopters from London, Hertfordshire, Scotland, Essex, Wales, Lincolnshire, Isle of Wight....you name it. We are in Cheshire. Most adopters drive in excess of 2.5 hours to see us.

 

'Online reservations', by the way, certainly do not mean that a person can buy a pet online: what it means is they can reserve him or her for first refusal but they still must 'pass all the criteria' and we will refuse them if they don't! Most who reserve a pet are well known to us from prior adoptions, in fact.

 

Most adopters are:

 

Professional

Affluent

45 and upwards (many retired and self employed professions)

Without children at home

Previous Persian owners

Highly knowledgeable about the breed they are adopting

Living quiet lifestyles ('homebodies' are commonplace among our homes...!)

Not taking many holidays.

 

We are known for our stringent vetting which begins even at the first enquiry. The application form is lengthy and asks questions other rescue dare not even mention....you are welcome to ask us for a copy of the form yourself if you're considering using us for the rehoming of your cat(s).

 

ALL adopters who actually take an animal from us must pay a significant and specific Contribution towards the pet's care costs; some rescues who DON'T specialise in pedigree cats will allow pedigree animals to be rehomed against a small donation. Please be aware that although the Rescues think they are doing the right thing, this is actually endangering the animals because if you do not rehome pedigree cats at above their normal 'market value', unscrupulous buyers (posing as genuine adopters) may get hold of them and re-sell them for monetary gain. This happens fairly frequently especially with Persian cats.

 

We believe that every pedigree pet has a 'street value' we must all, as rescuers, respect and uphold, to ensure he doesn't get 'adopted' by someone with an ulterior financial motive. Another factor to be considered is that everyone adopting a pedigree animal MUST be financially secure and able to afford a reasonable Contribution, anyway. If they are only going to pay a small donation to take your pet, how can that rescue be sure that they have enough funds to support the necessary vet care of the animal if he falls ill, or to supply the ongoing special diet requirements? It costs over £600 per annum to even appropriately FEED, let alone vet treat, one single Persian cat.

 

So we don't agree with pedigree animals going to new homes either against a low donation or 'free to good homes'.

 

Interested enquirers must take time to write to us in detail, demonstrating their considerable knowledge and experience of the breed they are looking to adopt. They also need to show that they have the finances to care for the breed appropriately and they must agree to insure their new pet for all healthcare eventualities.

 

There is no rush to rehome any cat in our care, although we do try and progress new homes for all healthy animals within 4 weeks for the animal's own welfare. We only have small premises which means that cats are in pens some of the time, and given free run of the rescue on a 'take it in turns' basis, so really long stays are unhealthy.

 

The important thing, though, is seeking the best possible home for each animal, and describing his or her needs with great accuracy on the website. This ensures the majority of enquirers are quite targeted to the cat already.

 

So you see, we really do want to find the best homes, and we don't just place them 'in the hopes' that it will work. Generally speaking, we are 100% confident that an adoption will work, when a cat is taken. We want every home to be for the lifetime of the pet. We reject enquirers where there is even a slight doubt; that's why the success rate in the actual rehoming is so phenomenally high.

 

We are able to find outstanding homes with people whose lives revolve around their pets. Just as a couple of examples, if people take holidays away from home (and have no live-in cat sitter), have hectic lifestyles or busy homes, if they still want to have children, are only in their early 20's (lifestyles are not adequately settled/predictable at this age), or if they smoke - they are all likely to be declined as unsuitable.

 

It is because of our expertise in finding homes and never having cats returned to us (how many rescues can claim that!)...that branches of other national animal organisations also send us their Persians. We DO truly have a NIL return rate - i.e. never has a cat been returned to us because it 'hasn't worked out'. There has been the odd one that's come back over, say, a 5 year span, but this has only been where the owner's own circumstances changed (e.g. illness, death, or relocation overseas for work). Cats have never come back due to failure of the placement.

 

I think this speaks for our vetting process. 

 

If you have a need for help with a cat or kitten please do contact us. Please be aware that it will usually be down to you, to get the animals transported to us in Cheshire, although on occasions transport can be arranged.

Prefer to Keep Your Cat at Home? We Can Do That Too...Advertise Your Cat on Our Site, and We Will Vet Responses!

 

A few times a year we receive requests from owners who don't really want their cats to come into rescue, but nevertheless they DO need help with finding a great new home for their pets. They'd rather keep their cat(s) at home with them until a new owner is found.

 

If you are sure that this is what you would like to do, and if there is no great urgency to finding a new home, click the link at the bottom to book a 'Website Profile' instead of booking to bring in your pet. You will pay the same Contribution for this service, as you would pay if booking a cat to come into Rescue. It is actually VERY time consuming (surprisingly, MORE time consuming!) for us to rehome a pet using this service but is very worthwhile when we find owners a fabulous adopter they would never have found by themselves! It is really fulfilling, in fact.

 

The reason it is so time consuming and costly is because we do a great deal more than just passing contacts across to you. YOU don't need to do any of the work in talking to or vetting the applicants. We liaise with you right from the start, finding out exactly what kind of home is best for the cat, and WE undertake all the processes of liaising between you and the potential adopters, vetting potential applicants and taking references as necessary. ALL applicants are fully pre-vetted, addresses checked out, and a full history taken. We make absolutely sure that they have the full details of the animal and know what they are taking on. We make sure they know how to care for the pet - we test their knowledge of the breed, for example.

 

We can - and do - ask the adopter questions (about their knowledge and about their home and lifestyle) that most owners would not feel they had 'a right to ask', and we can pass much of this information to you and involve you in deciding who comes along to visit you and your cat at home. In an ideal situation we really only want to allow one adopter or adopting couple to visit you at home. By this stage, even if we have had lots of enquiries or applications, we will have discussed this person with you by email and we will be 99.9% sure that this is a 'match'. Usually in these cases, although both parties are nervous and sometimes the rehomer is upset, the adoption generally goes ahead very smoothly.

 

Please note that because the Adoption takes place under the name of the Rescue, the adopter completes our usual Application Form and checks. Similarly YOU have to take your cat to the vet before we will advertise him or her, because we must be absolutely sure that we are not advertising as 'fit for homing' any pet who is in already apparent need of vet treatment at the time of rehoming.

 

After adoption, the adopting family has no right to contact you directly, nor do you have a right to contact them directly - this remains a Chapelhouse Persian Rescue adoption.

 

But you ARE encouraged to communicate via ourselves and all messages will be conveyed, within reason. We do it this way just to be sure that the adopter is following all the procedures we agreed, such as feeding the correct diet etc, without being overly influenced by the past owner. It is also critical for the past owner to 'let go' and allow the new owner to take over, otherwise an 'over zealous' past owner CAN create ill feeling. We know you have the pet's best interests at heart but please trust our and your own judgement in having allowed the adoption to progress. 

 

In deciding whether this is the right route for you to take, please consider the following questions:

 

• Do I need to find a home for my cat(s) urgently, i.e. within the next few weeks, because of some major deadline?
• Am I sure that I can hand over my cat to an adopter, in my own home, or might I get too emotional about it and change my mind?
• Am I willing to have strangers visit me and my cat in our home?

 

If you answered 'No' to any of these three questions, you are probably better off bringing the cat into our Rescue for US to do the whole rehoming process from our own premises.

 

If you have some kind of deadline to meet, for example an imminent move abroad, or you're moving into rented accommodation where pets are not allowed, we would not be confident of finding the cat the most appropriate home under that kind of time pressure. So we'd rather have the pet delivered in to us so that we can take our time and find THE BEST, HAPPIEST HOME for the cat(s).

 

 

 

 

Can't Keep Your Cat(s)?

CLICK the Link below, to Book your cat's Website Profile if you want us to find him a new home while he remains in your care. We will be in touch immediately, to find out all about your cat.

e-mail: ask@chapelhouse-persians.co.uk