PROCESS

At St. Sophia’s, we hold all adoption counselors to the same policies and procedures.  While some fosters may also be adoption counselors, the goal in centralized adoptions is to remove bias from the adoption process.  Each adoption counselor follows the same rules and guidelines to ensure that ever adoption applicant receives fair treatment, and that each cat and kitten is placed into the right home.

REQUIREMENTS

To Adopt, One Must

      • Be 18 years old (with proof) AND have authorization from the Head of Household
      • Have current photo identification with your current address
      • Be willing and able to spend the time & money needed to care for your cat
      • Carefully read the terms of our Adoption Contract and agree to its terms.
      • Agree that if they cannot keep the cat they have adopted from St. Sophia’s, they must return the cat to us
      • Agree to allow an authorized representative of St. Sophia’s to make an adoption follow-up

What’s Included

      • Spaying/neutering
      • Microchipping
      • Vaccinations (age appropriate)
      • Deworming
      • Parasite Treatment
      • Feline Leukemia/FIV (AIDS) combo test
      • It also allows for the return – FOR ANY REASON –of any of our cats or kittens should that become necessary.

Fee Schedule

    • Kittens (2-5 months) = $125.00
    • Adult Cats (6 months+) = $100.00
    • Senior Cats (9+ years) = $50.00
    • Special Needs Cats = $50
    • The following do NOT qualify as Special Needs
      • Black Cats
      • FIV+ (positive) Cats

 

POLICIES

St. Sophia’s has policies regarding pets as gifts, unaltered or unvaccinated pets in the home, outdoor factors, and much more.  Below you can read what can be waived (flexible) and what cannot be waived.  Red Flags (straight no-gos) are also listed.

CAN be Waived

The following MAY be waived at the discretion of the adoption counselor and should be weighed in conjunction will all other aspects of the adopter’s application

    • GIFTING
      • Head of household of Giftee is present
      • Giftee must fill out application (NOT Gifter) — and then they must still be approved through our regular adoption procedure
    • UNALTERED PETS IN HOME
      • Current pets are too old or too young for sterilization
      • Current pets have health reasons for not being sterilized
      • Current pet is of a different species
      • HOUSEHOLD PRESENCE
        • Head of Household is present
        • OR, Head of Household gives written consent and provides photo identification with consent letter
      • DECLAWING
        • A kitten, under 1 year old MAY be 2-paw declawed ONLY
          • If all other options have failed
          • The surgery takes place 3 months after sterilization surgery
          • We are notified prior to the surgery being performed
      • REFERENCE CHECKS
        • It is not always feasible to check an applicant’s references. This may be the case in on-site adoption events, expos, etc.  It is the responsibility of an adoption counselor to discern whether an application can be approved/denied without reference checks.

CANNOT be Waived

The following policies CANNOT be waived under ANY circumstances.  Some are policy, some are LAW.

    • GENERAL PROVISIONS
      • Adopters must be at least 18 years old with proper proof of age
      • Cats cannot be used for vivisection, or experimentation.
    • OUTDOORS
      • Cats cannot be allowed to run at large, be free roaming, or become a public nuisance
      • Animals are to be adopted as house pets and companion animals not as a “mouser
      • ONLY supervised outings where the cat is harnessed or enclosed may be permitted
    • RISKS
      • An adopter must assume all risks of ownership of the animal, including any and all liability for damage or injury caused by the animal.
    • CARRIERS
      • Every single animal must be in a strong, sturdy carrier when leaving the shelter.
      • Boxes, laundry baskets, blankets, etc. are not acceptable!
    • DECLAWING
      • Any cat older than 1 year may NOT be declawed
      • Four-paw declaw is NOT allowed under any circumstances.

RED FLAGS

The following should be considered Red Flags.  HOWEVER, they should be looked at carefully and may not always be grounds for full dismissal/denial of an applicant.  This is especially important when reviewing an applicant’s past – how long ago, how often, to what extent, etc should be taken into consideration.

    • Past cats were free-roaming
    • Past cat was hit by car or lost
    • Past cats died at young age or mysteriously
    • Current or past cats are 4-paw declawed
    • Applicant lists relatives as references (application specifically asks for non-related references)
    • References cannot be reached
    • Many past pets but NO veterinary reference
    • First-time pet owners
    • Unwilling/unable to pay emergency vet fees

HOLDS

Holds can be placed on a cat or a kitten if the following criteria is met:

    • Applicant has MET the cat/kitten
    • Application has been approved
    • Arrangement for pick-up must be made for 3-days from the application being approved
      • Extenuating Circumstances affecting time frame (counselor’s discretion)
        • If the cat is ill or injured
        • Holiday / Vacation
        • Moving