1.    ADOPTION PROCESS

Interested adopters are to make contact with ICS and fill in an ‘Expression of Interest’ form for a kitten or cat. Their application will then be assessed and contact will be made to potential applicants. A meet and greet with the animal of interest will generally be arranged with these applicants, enabling them to raise any questions or concerns with ICS and cuddle their potential new family member. ICS reserves the right to turn away any persons they do not deem suitable for adopting. If both these stages are positive, then new owners can leave a $50 non-refundable holding deposit for each kitten, reserving it from other potential adopters. The remaining adoption fee must be paid to ICS prior to collection of their new cat or kitten if they choose to proceed with adoption.

1.2 NON-REFUNDABLE $50 (PER CAT)

The $50 non-refundable fee is payable after a meet and greet takes place to allow new owners to reserve their cat or kitten from other potential adopters. ICS advises new owners to be confident on their decision before reserving their kitten.
Although this fee is part of the entire adoption amount, ICS will not refund this amount if a potential adopter is to change their mind, regardless of whether it is before the adoption trial. This is to deter half committed adopters from simply reserving a cat and not following up on adoptions as well as those who feel that they have the insurance of a ‘money back’ guarantee on their cat or kitten. ICS strongly upholds their belief of responsible pet ownership and commitment and encourages their adopters to have the same attitude. If the adoption falls through, the non-refundable fee will be respectfully turned into a tax deductible donation on the payers behalf to ICS and will contribute to the costs of maintaining the health of other animals within the charity.

2.    ADOPTION FEE

An adoption fee of $200 is to be charged to all cats and kittens adopted from ICS. (Adult cats or pairs may be discounted by ICS on a case by case basis) This fee covers the price of their first F3 vaccination, desexing, microchipping and worming & flea treatments up to their time of adoption. The fee has already been heavily discounted respective to the treatments the animal has received at the time of adoption. Payments must be cleared before a cat or kitten is taken home.

3.    TRIAL PERIOD

All ICS cats and kittens are given a two week trial period. During this time, potential owners will be given the chance to introduce the cat/s to their home and allow them to adjust to the altered environment. Cats can be easily disorientated in new environments and each cat has their own unique personalities, therefore new owners should understand that some cats and kittens will take a little time to come out of their shell and adjust. The trial period will allow new owners to assess how their new family member will fit into their home as well as consider the realities of being responsible for its care in the long term. If new owners do not feel the pet is suitable for them, they are to return it to the care of ICS. The adoption fee, minus the $50 non refundable deposit will be refunded and the remaining $50 non-refundable deposit will be turned into a tax deductible receipted donation to ICS. If the adoption is completely successful, a follow up call will be made to new owners approximately 2 weeks post adoption by ICS to check on progress.

4.    KITTEN HEALTH AND ILLNESS

All kittens and cats in the ICS adoption program have been checked over by a Veterinarian and are healthy to the best of ICS’s knowledge. As these cats and kittens have typically been living on the streets, a clean bill of health is never 100% guaranteed and underlying conditions that are not present at the time of the vet check or observed about the animal when in the care of ICS may not be identified. Owners will be made clearly aware prior to adopting cats with medical issues or other problems at the time of the adoption process, if these conditions are known and they are to have ongoing affects to the cat or future circumstances. At no time can ICS become responsible for any medical conditions not diagnosed at the time of adoption.

4.1    VACCINATION

All kittens have received their first F3 vaccination which covers their initial immunization against diseases: Feline Enteritis, Feline Calici Virus and Feline Rhinotracheitis (Cat flu). Depending on how long they have been in care and the age of the cat, it may be possible that the animal has had it’s second booster at no extra charge to the adopter. It is the responsibility of the new owner to cover the future kitten boosters and future immunizations at their own expense. Kittens require a total of 3 booster vaccinations at monthly intervals (6-8 weeks, 10-12 weeks and 14-16 weeks).

4.1.1 Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

FIV is a complex retrovirus responsible for immunodeficiency disease in cats. While all cats are susceptible, primarily outdoor cats and entire males who are territorial and likely to get into fights, are infected. It is typically transferred through cat fight wounds. There is no cure, however infected cats can generally stay in good health with excellent quality of life for quite some time provided they are looked after appropriately. Given this, if you are planning on having your cat outdoors, ICS highly recommends owners to consider giving their kitten the FIV vaccination as well. FIV cannot be tested/detected in kittens under 6 months of age, therefore ICS cannot take any liability for a kitten adopted under this age that may return a positive result at a later stage. All cats in care with ICS over six months of age will be tested.

4.2    DESEXING

Kittens can become fertile as young as 4 months and therefore ICS recommend desexing by this stage. All kittens adopted out by ICS must be desexed no later than 6 months of age, with the rare exception of any medical issue that has been determined by a Veterinarian. Desexing surgery is included in the price of all ICS cat and kitten adoptions. If a kitten is deemed too young to be desexed at the time of adoption, a “desexing certificate” will be provided and the owner is to ensure that their cat is desexed BEFORE 6 months of age. ICS will contact adopters to book desexing surgery in. Deciding to not desex a kitten is a breach of the adoption agreement and the suitability of the new owner will be reassessed.

4.3    FLEA AND WORMING TREATMENT

All cats and kitten from ICS have been kept up to date with their flea and worming treatment up to the time of adoption. Once adopted, it is the owner’s responsibility to ensure these treatments are kept up to date.

4.4    MICROCHIPPING

Under NSW law, all cats must be microchipped. All cats and kittens adopted from ICS have been microchipped and this is included in the price of the adoption. It is the responsibility of the owner to cover the fee of registering their cat with their council after adoption. Registering an animal ensures that they are put onto the NSW companion animal register so that they can be reunited with their owner should they ever go astray. Owners must ensure they update these details should they change address or contact details.

5.    CHANGE OF CIRCUMSTANCES

Where there is a change of circumstances that fall out of the trial period which hinders the ability for owners to keep the cat, ICS should still contacted so they can assist with arrangements to find the cat another suitable home. ICS ask that owners consider their circumstances and commitment realistically before deciding to give up their pet. If ICS accepts a kitten or cat back as a surrender, ICS will hold all the rights to the cat or kitten and previous owners will not be able to reclaim the animal unless a prior arrangement with ICS has been made.