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Frequently Asked QuestionsWe have put together a list of the most commonly asked questions to help you. If you can't find the answer to your question below then please email us. Quick Links: Adoption Queries Sunny Harbour Adoption ProcessWhat is the adoption process? Sunny Harbour operate a strict adoption process which consists of our Adoption Application Form as a first step to enable us to assess suitability and compatibility with the cats we have at the rescue. Once we have received your form we will then contact you to let you know if your preferred cat is a suitable match or if not, provide you with details of other cats that are suitable. You will then be invited to visit with said cat(s) at Sunny Harbour at a designated appointment to discuss suitability further. At this meeting you will be given all information about said cat(s) and be given a care pack to take home, read and asked to consider the discussions had at this meeting. You will be asked to contact us within 48 hours to discuss your thoughts and if both sides are agreeable to an adoption you will be informed of how to proceed. Staff from Sunny Harbour Cat Rescue will visit your home as part of our adoption process. The stage at which this happens can vary depending on various criteria. The purpose of this is not to pry but to ensure a safe environment for said cat or kitten and to ensure that you have considered all aspects of caring for your pet. More so, this is to offer advice and information as relevant or needed.
How do I apply? Applications should be submitted using our new web based Application Form which can be found on our website here. How long does it take to hear back about my application? Typically you will hear back from Sunny Harbour within 24 hours however during exceptionally busy times it can take up to 2 or 3 days. If longer than this has passed and you have not heard from Sunny Harbour then please check with us to ensure your form was successfully received. If my application is successful can I visit Sunny Harbour and pick a cat to take home? If your application is successful you will be invited to visit Sunny Harbour and meet with Sarah & Paul and the cat(s) in question we feel are suitable for you. We do not permit a ‘pick and buy’ approach and if this is what you wish we are not the rescue for you. You will not be permitted to leave Sunny Harbour with said cat(s) on the same day as your visit. What is the adoption donation? The adoption donation at Sunny Harbour is £60 per cat or kitten. Have cats leaving Sunny Harbour been vaccinated, neutered, etc? Cats leaving Sunny Harbour will have been vet checked, neutered (if 6mths or older), vaccinated (at least 1st primary vaccination), micro chipped, wormed, de-flead, and insured for the first month by Pet Plan. Where does my adoption donation go? Funds from adoption donations go directly to Sunny Harbour Cat Rescue to help care for our existing cats & kittens. This donation does not begin to cover the costs involved in the care of each individual cat we rehome but helps in some small way to meeting a small portion of our running costs. All staff at Sunny Harbour Cat Rescue including Paul & Sarah are unpaid so all fund raised through our fundraising and adoption donations goes to pay for food and veterinary care. For more details on the costs involved please have a read through the cost breakdown here. Will I be given any information on feeding and care of my new cat? Yes, you will receive a detailed care pack at your adoption meeting. Can I call you for help or advice after adoption? You can contact Sunny Harbour for advice regarding feeding, grooming and routine care queries at any time following adoption. What is your adoption policy for re-homing kittens with children under 5 years old. Kittens younger than 6 months of age will generally not be rehomed to adoptees with children under 5 years old. There are a number of reasons for this policy and we can assure you that it is not that we are anti children! (we even have 1 of our own) Small kittens are very fragile and often suffer from broken bones and minor injuries un-noticed by owners from over zealous children who, through no act of intentional harm cause injury. They simply do not know how to handle or interact with young kittens appropriately and it is not the first time a very young kitten has been killed as a running toddler fell on them. Also, many young kittens find babies and toddlers very scary and despite the old wives tale that getting a kitten to grow up with a toddler will mean they get on – it does, in most cases work in the opposite way. Many kittens brought into the home for young children grow up to become fear aggressive and nervous and find themselves back in rescue before they reach 2 years old. What is the youngest age kittens are re-homed from Sunny Harbour Cat Rescue? We do not rehome kittens before 12 weeks of age under ANY cirumstances. Where can I get more information about Sunny Harbour kitten adoptions? More information can be found on our website here. Do Sunny Harbour Cat Rescue accept applications for indoor only cat adoptions? We LOVE applications from indoor only homes and are always happy to dispel the myth of indoor cat = unhappy cat. Indoor cats live just as happy, fulfilled lives providing their owners recognise and stimulate their needs. We are always happy to provide advice on Indoor Cats. Contacting Sunny Harbour Cat RescueHow can I contact Sunny Harbour? You can contact Sunny Harbour by telephone or email. Routine enquiries are often better sent via Email as the volume of telephone calls each day can be immense and care of the cats is always prioritised over answering the phone. Unfortunately we do not have a team of staff to help with such roles – just Paul & Sarah so if we are busy with the cats I’m afraid you’ll either have to drop us an Email and we will get back to you first chance we have or call back later. What are your opening hours? We do not have set opening hours as we are not open to the public. The hours of 11.00am til 6pm given on our website for telephone calls are the hours between which we will take calls for routine enquiries. Iit does not guarantee someone is there to take your call as we could be out on an emergency call or dealing with other matters. Can I visit Sunny Harbour? Visits to Sunny Harbour are by appointment only. Please ensure you contact us prior to visiting. If you turn up without an appointment and we are busy with the cats or with another client you will not be seen and asked to make an appointment for another day. I’ve called Sunny Harbour during the hours of 11.30 - 6pm and got the answer machine. Is something wrong? No, we are just exceptionally busy. There are days where we can receive in excess of 100 calls and 200 emails per day . We do not have dedicated staff to answer the phone and so calls are answered when we are available and not working with the cats, who always take priority. As we do not have a team of staff on hand there are times when we will be dealing with site visits, adoptions, meetings and from time to time personal commitments. These hours are a guideline only and are not hours where we have a dedicated phone service. If you call and get the answer machine please leave a clear message with your contact details and the nature of your enquiry. Alternatively, Email us or call back later. Urgent or emergency calls should be made to the emergency contact number listed here for very sick, injured cats or found kittens. This number is for genuine cat related emergencies only. If your call relates to an adoption enquiry about a specific cat(s) then please use our adoption process and application form as you will be asked to do this before we consider your application to adopt in all circumstances. Alternatively contact us by Email.
Will I get a call back? In most cases yes you will. If we have an exceptionally large amount of messages and calls to return and time is very short there are times where we will return your call if we can help or have a cat(s) suitable i.e. calls for kittens but we don’t have any looking for homes will reduce in priority of call back when we are very short of time. Please bear in mind there are only 2 ‘humans’ to care for all at the Harbour and the daily telephone calls, emails and chores. There is only so much 1 person can do in 24 hours. As a guide we receive in excess of 50-100+ calls every day and over 200 emails making it very difficult at busy times to keep up with enquires and care for the cats so we ask for your patience. Why do I need an appointment to visit Sunny Harbour? Appointments are necessary due to the high workloads at Sunny Harbour and lack of manpower. We operate with a few volunteers to help with daily chores on certain days however all other commitments, daily chores, contacts, interviews, site visits, etc are managed solely by Paul & Sarah. Appointments are necessary as they allow us to plan our days and meetings and allow us to give you as much time as is necessary to meet with cats and to discuss your issues, desires, suitability without feeling rushed. Lost & Found ServicesDo you hold a lost and found register? Yes, we do. You can list details of your lost or found cat on our website here. I have found a cat I think is lost or stray – what should I do? The first thing to do is put its details on as many lost and found sites as you can and contact all local rescues to let them know you have found a cat. Put notices in your local shop, notice boards and go door to door asking residents in the area. Lost cats are generally within ½ mile of their own home so do make sure as a minimum you have gone door to door at least 3 streets in any direction from your home. Also, place a paper collar around the neck of the cat you have found if it will allow you to approach. A paper collar is a strip approx 2cm wide from a sheet of A4 paper which you secure firmly but loosely around the cats neck with cellotape. You should be able to get 2 fingers between the cats neck and the paper collar. Write on the piece of paper – “ I believe this to be a lost cat if your cat please call me on ###### “ If the cat already wears a collar an option is to create a paper tag in the same way and attach it to the existing collar with the same information. You should leave the paper collar on for at least 7- 10 days. Continue to monitor and check lost and found websites and notify rescue’s if you find the owner. If the cat you have found is injured and in need of veterinary care due to an open wound or very poor condition then contact the SSPCA or your local rescue as soon as possible. If you are able to catch said cat and have a secure cat carrier you can also take the cat to a local vet to be scanned for a microchip which will hopefully allow the cat to be returned home much quicker. DO NOT – just pick up said cat, keep it indoors or take and leave with a rescue immediately without having attempted the steps above first. Re Homing a Cat or KittenI have a cat I need to rehome – what can I do? For people who due to a variety of circumstances have found they need to rehome their cat we have set up our direct rehoming service which can be found here. This is for non emergency cases such as a new baby, moving home, allergies or you have simply decided you don’t want your cat anymore. Demand for spaces at Sunny Harbour Cat Rescue are exceptionally high and we are struggling to accommodate even a fraction of the cats looking for new homes. We are happy to advise and help where we can but we ask for your understanding that our hands are tied if we physically have nowhere for the cat to reside.
What is the direct re-homing service and how do I access it? Sunny Harbours direct rehoming service is a tool you can use to let people know you need to rehome your cat. It is free to use and your cat(s) will be listed for 12 weeks unless you contact us to request the details remain active longer than this. It can be accessed from either of the following website addresses: http://www.catrehomingfife.info http://www.catrehomingedinburgh.info I have seen a cat on the direct rehoming service I am interested in what do I do next? Contact details for the owner of this cat can be found on the listing. Please contact the owner directly, not Sunny Harbour Cat Rescue. Sunny Harbour are not directly involved in the care or rehoming of these cats. The direct rehoming pages are an information tool only for the public to help ease the strain on our already very limited resources.
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