Please be aware we are a small foster based rescue in Riverside, California. Our volunteers often have other jobs/careers as well. We are not a government funded shelter and all of our donations including adoption donations are used to run the rescue and help the animals in our care. Since we are no kill, higher fees for in demand breeds help us cover critical care. We are always in need of volunteers, donations, and fosters. Please excuse any wait times as we are often inundated with emergencies or short staffed due to the overpopulation crisis. You can learn more about us on our website or follow us here.
Steps 1-2
of the ADOPTION PROCESS must be done before we do OFFICIAL MEET & GREETS or take deposits.
To keep animals healthy,
we limit foster based meet & greets to people fully qualified to adopt them.
No animals can be held without a $75 deposit. Deposits cannot be refunded if you change your mind, they are to hold a cat and can result in other adopters being told they cannot adopt.
ADOPTION PROCESS:
1. Application:
Log into our website and complete the adoption application at link below:
Applications :
Forms (rescuegroups.org)
2. Virtual Home Check: Once your application is approved, check back if you haven't been scheduled for a virtual home check within 48 hours. A virtual home check to ensure safety of your residence for your kitty (not perfect cleanliness). You will be told during the visit if you pass.
3. Official meet & greet with your kitty at an adoption event, foster care, or adoption center depending on location of the kitty.
We only have a few
volunteers,
so we apologize at times we fall behind due to high demand of some cats.
5. Sign adoption contract and, if appropriate, foster to adopt clause.
6. Pay adoption fee via zelle using act2rescue@gmail.com (not our phone number) or using cash. We can accept cards at adoption events but the terminal charges fees that are pretty high so it's not the best option.
7. Take your kitty home. Be sure to isolate kitty while they adjust to your home. We may check in from time to time to be sure you do not need any additional support because we love hearing how our kitties are doing. As volunteer staff, happy stories are literally our paycheck.
8. Check out our website https://act2rescue.org for resources, blogs and info on how to best take care of your new kitty. Our professional behavior coach is available via text to assist you with transition as well. We also have a Facebook group to interact with our behavior coach and other kitten care experts, as well as our A2R family like you!
****Please note, we do not have dedicated staff for phone lines so please text instead of calling. If the cat/kitten is listed, they are available. However, they could have pending applications or meet and greets scheduled. Filling out an application and approval does not obligate you to adopt the kitty. If they are not a fit...we have plenty of other kitties for adoption.
This kitty has received at least two FVCRP vaccines, rabies if over 4 months, Revolution for fleas/ticks/heartworms/stomach parasites/ear mites, de-wormer, sterilization*, and microchip (you must register for it to work but it's free). All kitties are given a general wellness check by a veterinarian prior to sterilization.
Deposits:
The only way we can hold a kitty is with a non-refundable (if you decide not to adopt within 2 weeks not if we void the adoption) deposit of $75. We reserve the right to void the adoption up until the point the contract is signed. If we cancel the adoption (for kitty health or other issues) we will refund your deposit. If you wait longer than 2 weeks, we cannot hold the kitty due to space constraints. Your deposit could be used on another kitty. If you decide not to adopt at all, any deposit will go to the care of animals rescued with us and may be written off as a donation.
Foster to Adopt:
Kittens must be 2 lbs or 8 weeks and fixed to be adopted. This will be noted in the approximate available date. If a kitty is unable to be fixed in a timely manner, they may foster to adopt. This would be all adoption paperwork and donations would be exchanged and the kitten would go home. Adoption paperwork will have a clause that it is not final until animal is sterilized. Once the sterilization appointment arrives you must bring them in to be sterilized or the animal will have to be returned to the rescue. You may also have them sterilized on your own and show proof to the rescue. Once sterilized the adoption will be complete. We normally do not do these in this manner but due to extreme situations they may arise. Final health checks are done during sterilization. Any unknown health issues would also allow you to choose a different cat.
Failure to comply with sterilization will result in returning the animal to us without refund of donations.
Breeds:
We cannot guarantee breed but do our best to identify possible breeds based on their appearancxe and personality. If you DNA test your furry friend, let us know the results. It is fun to see what the kitty actually is and how close our guess is. Please know not all DNA companies test for all breeds and the science is still catching up so it may adjust later to have breeds we saw. We like to know so we can improve our analysis too. We cannot guarantee health but go to great lengths to have healthy kitties. Kitties do not live in a cattery but in private fosters for this reason.
Snap Testing:
We do not test for FELV/FIV in healthy animals as it is often incorrect in animals under 6 months and can be a false positive. False negatives also give a false sense of security. These tests are best done if an animal is unhealthy to determine disease.
https://www.uwsheltermedicine.com/library/resources/why-are-some-shelters-no-longer-testing-all-cats-for-felv-and-fiv
