How Does the PPCR Adoption Process Work?

The adoption process usually consists of the following steps:

1. You see a cat that intrigues you on our website at http://www.purebredsplus.org/, or you know you want a cat of a certain breed and would like us to be on the lookout for one for you.

2. (optional) You call the rescue phone line or the contact person listed on a cat’s web page. The person who takes this call asks you a few questions, and if it seems that we might have a suitable cat or are likely to have one in the future, you are advised to fill out a web application.

3. You fill out the application, which includes questions about your living situation, your experience with cats, and your thoughts on various subjects. We also require references, including contact information for a veterinarian who has seen your current or previous pets.

4. Several rescue volunteers review your application. If you applied for a specific cat, the application is forwarded to the foster mom who has that cat.  If you indicated interest in a breed rather than in a specific cat, the application is forwarded to any foster mom who might have a cat that would interest you.

5. Depending on the cat or breed in which you have expressed an interest, the application is sent to at least two other people: a foster mom who will conduct an in-depth interview by telephone, and another volunteer who will call the references listed on your application.

6. Someone contacts you to let you know that your application is being processed.

7. Over the following few weeks, your in-depth interview occurs, and your references are checked. We try to move as quickly as we can, but sometimes it is difficult to get in touch with references, and sometimes we get a large number of applicants for the same cat.

8. If the interview and reference check go well, your application is approved.  Then in most cases, the foster mom calls you to set up a meeting with the cat. If you seem like a wonderful adopter but someone else was ahead of you on the list for that particular cat, the foster mom will contact you and possibly propose a meeting with a different but similar cat.

9. Foster moms vary in how many members of an adoptive family must come to meet a cat. For example, many foster moms insist on observing the interaction between an adopter’s children and the cat. The adoptive visit can have several possible outcomes:

• Your family loves the cat, the cat loves your family, and you take the cat home.

• Your family loves the cat, the cat loves your family, but the cat cannot immediately go home because of an outstanding issue: for example, you still need to get an appropriate carrier, or the cat is not quite old enough or has caught a cold and needs to recover before going home.

• Your family and the cat turn out not to be a good match. In this case, we’re happy to explore whether some other cat might be more suitable.

It does happen, now and then, that we decline an application. In such cases, we often make specific suggestions as to where you might look for a suitable cat.