Friends of Pets Klamath Basin Cats & Dogs for Adoption -Welcome Page

Please understand that our Adoption Center is a free-roaming environment, often containing 80 cats and kittens. To ensure that you are matched to a cat that fits your family, we encourage you to spend an hour or two visiting the cats to find the right one. If you are seriously considering adopting one of our felines, and are a family or individual that meets our adoption policies, please be prepared to make a $10.00 donation prior to entering the Adopotion Room. Regretfully, we have been forced to go to this policy to protect our cats from stress and risk of harm by the general public. Problems we have encountered include the theft of 3 cats, children chasing kittens, a parent filing a complaint with the police because a vaccine syringe was left on a shelf, dishonesty of reason to visit the cats, among other problems.

Should you adopt within 7 days, the $10.00 will be deducted from the adoption fee. If you choose to not adopt, then we will be appreciative of the $10.00 as a donation to support our important work. We hope you understand.

The objective of our Adoption Program is to place our felines into loving homes that are capable of providing a lifetime of care and meeting all the needs of the cat. Our cats cannot be purchased. We adopt. We reserve the right to decline adopting to any individual based upon perceptions or information that the household may not be able to provide complete care for the feline, including future veterinary health care and an environment safe from potential injury. We also hold the right to limit the selections of felines to a specific group of cats if we feel that felines from that group best fit the family environment.

We adopt to families, couples, or single individuals living alone. None of our cats are permitted to be adopted as “gifts” for another person or “surprises” to other family members or friends. We normally require all family members to be involved in the selection process, even though only one person in the family may be the primary caretaker. With young children (newborns to age 7), we will likely limit the selection of the feline to be from a group of cats that are at least of 4 months of age and 4 lbs.

Several reasons serve as the basis for the above. This process is to help us be sure we made the right choice when the feline leaves our care forever.

(1) One reason is to give assurance that the transition into a home will be done with complete acceptance and understanding and minimize the stress on the feline. We want everyone in the household to be aware of the personality, behavior patterns, health risks, responsibilities involved, and terms of the Adoption Contract. Cats are easily stressed and it is best for the cat if the family is fully prepared and work together to enable the feline to be as comfortable as possible.

(2) One of our tasks is to protect our felines. For us to do that we must meet members of the household to gain confidence that, should the adoption go forward, the feline went to an excellent home. We understand our cats and will make every effort to match the temperament and behavior patterns to blend with the family.

(3) Pets can make poor gifts, particularly if the new owner is not expecting the new arrival. Most importantly, however, is that felines have a variety of personality and behavior patterns and new owners deserve the right to select their own cat since he/she will be the one sharing the pet’s life. Please be thoughtful and not plan to surprise someone with a pet they may not want or not like. Allow the new owner to select.

(4) A “gift certificate” with terms and conditions is available for those interested in offering “the gift of a lifetime friend” to an acquaintance.

(5) We do encourage families to adopt felines to help their young children learn about pet care and interactions. For children aged newborns to 7 years, an older kitten or adult cat will be recommended because these cats are more mature, larger in size, and have enough knowledge to “get away” should a child make a mistake in handling. Young kittens tend to scratch and bite, are small in body size, cannot defend themselves, can be easily injured, and are often too innocent to know when to escape. Young kittens can also be over-active and irritating in their behavior.

(6) An individual must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age to adopt.

(7) We likely will decline adopting to families that own canines known to be cat-aggressive, such as terriers, shepherds, ChowChows, and Rottweilers, unless the owner can demonstrate previous family experience of success of their dog(s) with cats. We will not adopt to households with Pit Bull Terriers.

(8) We do not do “same-moment” or “impulse” adoptions. In other words, we will require that you and others take time in selecting the cat for a lifetime. You may prefer to spend an hour in our Adoption Center or visit two or three times before choosing the right feline for you. We have many cats and one will stand out from the others. Time is needed to find the special one.

(9) The maximum number of felines in the household, including the one(s) being adopted is three (3). An individual may request to be an exception to this policy but must establish a reasonable basis to waive.

(10) The maximum number of canines in the household prior to adoption is three (3). An individual may request to be an exception to this policy but must establish a reasonable basis to waive.

(11) If renting, proof of landlord permission to have the feline on the premises may be required. We reserve the right to contact the landlord for confirmation.

(12) Disclosure: Our Commitment and Your Risk. Friends of Pets of Klamath Basin is committed to placing healthy cats into stable homes that will provide a lifetime of love and care. We have worked hard to identify and resolve health issues for every cat in our program. However, the stress of making the transition into your home can reduce a cat’s immunity, making it potentially prone to infections, commonly upper respiratory, diarrhea, and ringworm. Please refer to our Adoption Agreement for more information on this subject.

(13) Over 600 cats enter our no-kill Rescue/Adoption Program annually. Our annual expenses are $100,000.00. We greatly appreciate your considering adopting from Friends of Pets because your adopting creates space for us to help another cat. Monthly costs to maintain our program are high because of the need for medicines, veterinary care, and supplies such as litter. We use over one ton of litter each month! We would be grateful if you also consider financially supporting us to keep our programs going. Hopefully we demonstrate that we love cats and value their lives.

Prepared by Board of Directors:

Kathy Williams Geneva Jackson Faye Robinson