The Kenora Cat Shelter strives to connect people with cats based on the needs, personality and lifestyle of both the adopter and the cat. To prevent mismatches or re-admittance to the shelter, we strongly urge every potential adopter to review the following list of considerations when deciding to adopt a cat. If you have any questions, please call us to discuss your concerns. We often can help you decide if there is a real obstacle to adopting or if you just need some guidance to find the perfect companion for your situation. Remember, we seek safe, loving, life-long adoptive homes for our feline friends.
Adopting a cat means making a commitment to providing a safe, loving, responsible and lifelong home for your new pet. With cats, this potentially could be 15-20 years, depending on the age of the cat. Please be sure that a cat has a permanent place in your future for as long as he or she is alive.
If you rent your home, it is important to check with your landlord about having animals. Some landlords do not allow pets or require additional deposits.
Make sure no one in your home is allergic to cats.
All potential adopters should be able and willing to spend the time and money necessary to provide the proper care and medical treatment for the animal over the course of their life.
Remember that time and patience are required when introducing your newly adopted cat to your home. This includes appropriate introductions to any current pets you have as well as teaching young children how to safely and appropriately interact with their new pet.
Introducing a cat to your home may result in some unexpected consequences. This could include scratching of furniture, accidents outside the litter box, shedding, etc. You may have to buy scratching posts, clip nails, brush/groom their coat, or take additional steps to address any issues that arise. Patience is often required.
Adoption Policies
The Kenora Cat Shelter adopts only to adults.
Although a cat or kitten may be adopted primarily as a companion animal to a younger person in the family, the adoption must be made by an adult (18 years or older) who formally assumes ultimate responsibility for the cat’s well-being.
Cats need time to adjust to a new home.
Please allow your new cat plenty of adjustment time for a successful adoption. Some cats require a longer settling-in time than others, especially when there are young children or other companion animals in the home. The Kenora Cat Shelter will help in any way possible to make the adoption positive and successful for you and the cat. If you have any problems please phone the shelter immediately. Addressing a problem promptly usually results in a speedy and satisfactory resolution.
Adoption Fees
The Kenora Cat Shelter is committed to ending the tragic cycle of neglected, unwanted cats. All shelter cats are spayed or neutered, micro-chipped, health-checked, dewormed and vaccinated prior to adoption. A donation of $250 is required at the time of adoption to cover a small portion of these costs.
Carriers are required at pick up.
Since it is unsafe for a cat or kitten to be transported without a carrier, shelter policy requires adopters to provide a safe, intact, functioning carrier of an appropriate size for each cat adopted. Please bring the carrier(s) with you to your adoption appointment. A clean towel or other soft liner will make the trip home more comfortable for your new family member.
What if it doesn't work out?
If the adoption isn’t working out as you had hoped, The Kenora Cat Shelter will welcome back your cat or kitten. Please report any problems promptly and maintain contact with the shelter so that we may try to resolve any issues you may be experiencing. If a successful resolution can not be accomplished, you must make arrangements by phone for a drop-off appointment. Please understand that it is not always possible for the shelter to immediately accommodate a returned cat. We ask that you continue to care for the cat until the drop-off has been arranged. The Kenora Cat Shelter will accept your cat as soon as an appropriate kennel is available. And keep in mind that although an initial adoption may not work out, both you and The Kenora Cat Shelter will have learned from this experience. With this new information, we may be able to place a different, more appropriate cat with you if you are still interested in adopting.
Foster to Adopt Program
We are launching a foster to adopt program in hopes of preventing kittens from growing up at the cat shelter and getting them into homes sooner! All kittens will be eligible for foster to adopt once they receive their first set of vaccinations, microchip and finish their deworming (approximately 9-10 weeks old).
Foster parents will have the kitten(s) in their care until they have received all of their vaccination boosters, and their spay/neuter surgery (at approximately 16-20 weeks old). Once this is all finished, we will fill out the adoption paperwork to finalize the adoption. We will keep in regular contact with you to ensure the kitten is healthy and doing well, and no issues arise.
We appreciate you wanting to bring a cat into your home. In order for us to find the right pet for you, we need you to submit an adoption application.
We will review your application upon receipt. If we have any questions or concerns, we will contact you for clarity.
As part of our adoption process, we conduct a veterinary reference check to ensure our cats are going to homes where they'll receive proper care. We contact the applicant’s current or past vet clinic to confirm that pets are up to date on vaccines, spayed/neutered, and have received regular veterinary care.
Once approved to adopt, the search for your cat begins. Volunteers will begin to evaluate pets currently in our care who may be a good fit for you and your family. We would also be open to discussing cats in our care that you are specifically interested in.
