What do I need to know when adopting a cat from Funds for Furry Friends?

First and foremost, we do not sell cats. We rescue all of our cats from our Brandon City pound, and they are adopted, not sold, to homes. An adoption is a transfer of ownership within the boundaries of the terms of agreement, and it is conditional as per those terms.

When you adopt you are paying a fee towards costs incurred by the rescue. At a minimum, the cat you are receiving has been de-wormed, de-flead, and vaccinated up-to-date at the time of adoption. All adult cats are spayed or neutered at the time of adoption, and kittens are adopted with a certificate for spaying or neutering, which is required. Our adoption fee for cats does not even cover the costs of very basic vetting, and there are many cases where the expenses exceed the basics.

Please take the time to read through all of the information on this page before applying! Our process is outlined on this page in detail, along with several frequently asked questions.

Please note - you must be at least 18 years of age to apply to adopt a cat from our rescue.

Are you interested in adopting one of our cats?

Please contact our rescue line at 204-573-8333 and leave a detailed message. Calls are returned after 5:00pm and on weekends. Note that we do experience high call volumes and it is very important that a message is left with a number we can contact you at after 5:00pm or on the weekend. All calls are returned within 24 hours.

Step One - Making First Contact - Contact us and get a phone number for the foster home that has the cat, so you can contact the foster home directly and ask questions about the cat you are interested in. We encourage you to arrange to meet the cat in person. We will not just "send out the forms" and we do require that the foster family is contacted. Our website is very up-to-date but we are only able to accommodate about a paragraph about each of the cats - hardly enough information for selecting a new family member. Meeting the cat you are interested in adopting is the best way to ensure you have found the perfect match!

PLEASE BE ADVISED: We do ask that interested adopters meet the cats prior to applying. We are located in Southwestern Manitoba, and all of our foster homes are in this area. Please note this does mean that TWO trips are required if you are from out of town! We do not deliver cats, so please do not ask.

Step Two - Applying for a Cat - Fill out an application form. If you would like to receive one, please email us and we will send our forms to you. We do not have these forms available for download on our website. We require an adoption questionnaire to be completed, along with a terms of agreement. We also ask a veterinary release is sent to your veterinarian. At this stage, we require the questionnaire back for reference checking. Until the application is received by the rescue, we will continue to accept inquiries!

Note that these forms will request a personal reference, veterinary reference and a landlord reference if you are renting. If you do not have a veterinary reference, you will be asked to provide a second personal reference.

Step Three - Processing the Applications - You will be contacted by a representative of the rescue for a telephone interview. This interview will consist of - 1) Questions about the environment you will provide for the cat, 2) Questions regarding the breed you are applying to adopt and 3) Questions relevant to the particular cat you are applying for. This interview will help us determine if you are a suitable applicant for the cat in question. Our adoption process takes 3-5 days on average to complete. Please do not ask us to speed this up. We get tons of requests to accommodate preferred pick-up times and rush through the application - this creates a lot of extra work and is simply not something we can do.

Step Four - Completing the Adoption - If you pass through above steps of the process successfully, you may be approved to adopt the cat. Following approval we will require the adoption fee, along with ALL of the forms provided to you, the terms of agreement, behavior assessment and the adoption questionnaire. Please read through the terms of agreement carefully, as they are legally binding.

Note, it is extremely important that you print off the forms, fill them out and bring them in with you at the time of adoption - especially if you are from out of town. We will not allow ANY cat to leave the rescue without completed forms provided to us with a pen signature, and if these forms are not with you at the time of adoption, you will NOT be permitted to take the cat - even if you have driven a distance!

Step Five - Taking your New cat Home - Upon approval the adoption will take place. Forms and fees are collected and you are able to take home your new furry family member. We don't deliver, so please do not ask - if you are adopting a cat from us, you should have a pick up plan.

When the cat leaves our care, the first two weeks the cat is in your care, the cat is considered "on trial" and during this time period you may return a cat for any reason if it is not working out, and you will be reimbursed the full adoption fee. Should everything go well during the trial period, the cat is considered officially "adopted." At this time, we will send out the vet work and any other paperwork we may have for the cat you are adopting in the mail.

Note, if you have adopted a kitten under six months, we will book a spay or neuter appointment which you must attend. We require spaying and neutering is completed by six months of age and we do not make exceptions! We have clinics in Brandon, Virden, Souris, Boissevain, Melita, Dauphin, Selkirk, Winnipeg, Portage and Carnduff at this time. Kittens MUST be spayed or neutered through one of our clinics, no exceptions!

Click here for a list of our affiliated vet clinics

What kinds of things are you checking for when approving a home?

We are looking for a homes that regularly vaccinate their pets, and homes that have spayed and neutered pets they have owned in the past. We are also seeking homes where pets will be welcomed and loved by ALL family members. Ultimately, our screening process is in place to help us ensure we have found an appropriate home for the particular cat the applicant is interested in - we are seeking a good match between pet and owner.

Can I apply now and adopt later?

Applications are checked with consideration of the specific cat being applied for. This means, you may be approved to adopt one cat and denied for another based on the suitability of the specific cat for your home. We will not hold an application on file and an approval for one cat does not guarantee an approval for another cat. Once an application has been approved, the expectation is that you will be proceeding with the adoption. We do not hold cats under any circumstances. Each time a cat is adopted we make room for a new one to be saved from the pound - and time does matter! We will not turn away other applicants in favor of someone who asks we hold the cat for several weeks or months. Please do not apply to adopt a cat if you are going on vacation or have other committments which will delay the adoption!

Will you adopt cats out as barn cats?

Many of the cats that go through our program are cats that have been raised indoors. Unless specifically stated otherwise, we will not consider the cats in our fostering program for outside barn cats. If you are seeking a barn cat, there are many cats at the Brandon City Pound that would be suitable as outside barn cats - please call 204-728-3260 for more information.

Where do your cats come from?

The cat problem in Southwestern Manitoba is overwhelming. With several calls regarding cat placement coming in each day, we are simply unable to take in a new cat everyday. Especially knowing that there are so many cats at our local pound that need a home. Funds for Furry Friends does not take in owner surrendered cats, the rescue exclusively takes cats and kittens from the local city pound. Cats taken from the pound are health checked and fully vetted by the rescue before going into permanent homes. Each and every time a cat is adopted from our rescue, a space opens up to save another cat from the pound.

Can I just foster that cat for a while, and then adopt him if he works?

No, this is not how the foster system works. Signing up to foster is signing up to be part of an on-going process of cats coming in, and cats being adopted out. Also, we receive may requests from people who would like to foster cats already in foster homes - we will not move a cat to another foster home unless the foster home can no longer look after the cat. We do not want to move cats from home to home while people "try" them out. If you would like to take the cat on trial, you will have to follow the adoption process above and then you will be permitted a two week trial as per the steps outlined above.

Are you a no kill rescue?

This depends on your definition of "no kill." There are many organizations out there that will refer to themselves as no kill, and justify this by declining any cat that has behavioural or health issues. We have also discovered a number of organizations that maintain their "no kill" status by turning cats they adopted out away when they are returned - some will even send the animals to the pound!

What if the cat I adopted is not working out for me?

If the cat is not working out for you, you MUST bring the cat back to us, regardless of the amount of time that the cat has been in your care. This is a guarantee we make to you, and it is also an obligation you have to us. We always want our cats back, no matter what. Unlike some other "rescue" organizations, we will not send you to a pound or reject a cat you would like to bring back to us, regardless of circumstances. We will find a place and make room for any cat that needs to come back into rescue.

Our foster homes are varying in experience levels, and we do have individuals who are behaviourists and even professional trainers, that foster our cats. We can deal with almost anything you can toss at us - and we will NEVER reject one of our own cats. As per the terms of agreement you sign when adopting from our rescue, regardless of the amount of time that passes, the cat must be returned to us as opposed to; being given away, being sold, being euthanized, or being placed in a pound or other organization. Be advised that we will take legal action if the cat you have adopted from our organization has been rehomed or placed somewhere without prior written consent.

Where can I download the adoption forms?

Adoption forms are NOT downloadable from our website and you must request them for a specific cat. This is to prevent mix-ups with duplicate applications being sent out on the same cat, and also to allow us to track order. There are many cases where we have another interested adopter but they have not yet sent their forms back, so we would let you know incase they send their forms while we are waiting for yours. They can be sent to you via email or fax. Applications should be returned promptly if you are interested in adopting, as we will not hold the cats and until an application has been received we will continue to send other interested parties on. Please be advised we select the best possible home for each and every cat that comes through our rescue. This means the best possible match will be selected for every cat that passes through our doors. In some cases, we have three or four great homes who are interested in a cat, so the rescue will select the home which best matches the canine in question. Please be advised that we do reserve the right to refuse any applicant for any reason!

What vet clinics do you work with?

Birchwood Animal Hospital (Winnipeg MB) - 204-832-1368
Boissevain Vet Clinic (Boissevain MB) - 204-534-3212
Border Vet Animal Health Services (Melita MB) - 204-522-8405
Border Vet Animal Health Services (Carnduff, SK) - 306-482-3678
Brandon Animal Clinic (Brandon MB) - 204-728-9140
Brandon Hills Veterinary Clinic (Brandon MB) - 204-728-2292
Brydges & Taylor Vet Hospital (Neepawa MB) - 204-476-5677
Grand Valley Animal Clinic (Brandon MB) - 204-728-0033
Portage Veterinary Clinic (Brandon MB) - 204-239-4554
Selkirk Animal Hospital (Selkirk MB) - 204-482-4401
Souris Vet Clinic (Souris MB) - 204-483-2898
Southeglen Veterinary Hospital (Winnipeg MB)
Uptown Pet Clinic (Dauphin MB) - 204-638-3655
Virden Vet Clinic (Virden MB) - 204-748-3950

How does the health guarantee work?

All cats adopted through Funds for Furry Friends are subject to vetting prior to adoption. In the event that any concerns arise with regards to the health of the adopted cat within 30 days of adoption, Funds for Furry Friends will provide assistance with vetting costs within the financial abilities of the rescue. If you would like the rescue to provide assistance with vetting costs within 30 days of adoption, Funds for Furry Friends must preauthorize the vet clinic and treatment/procedure to be performed on the adopted cat. Please note that the rescue will not provide assistance with any surgeries for aesthetic purposes or for health care not deemed necessary by a veterinarian. In the event an adopted cat is found to be ill beyond the financial means of the rescue, the adoptive family may choose to manage the expenses or the cat may be surrendered back to the rescue. Any vetting costs that result beyond 30 days of adoption will be the full responsibility of the adoptive family. This is of course null and void if the health issue is due directly to a cause that should have been prevented by the adoptive family or to external circumstances outside the rescues or adoptive homes control. (For example - if the cat gets loose and injured by another animal Funds for Furry Friends bears no responsibility ? if the cat is allowed to consume a poisonous substance, again, Funds for Furry Friends bears no responsibility as this was within the control of the adoptive family.)

Regardless of the health problems, Funds for Furry Friends reserves the right of first refusal in any situation, and must be given the opportunity to acquire the cat, address health concerns and re-adopt the cat to another home. Should any cat adopted from Funds for Furry Friends be euthanized for health reasons, veterinary verification may be requested as proof of the reason presented. Failure to produce proof that the cat was examined and that euthanasia was determined necessary will result in legal action. Note that reasonable cases, such as a cat severely injured from a vehicle accident or system shutdown due to old age would be considered acceptable.

I want to adopt a cat, and have adopted in the past - does that change things for my next adoption?

Each and every cat in our rescue is an individual, and the adoptions are approved based on our rescue's adoption criteria, and also based on the suitability of the home for the particular cat. We could approve someone for one cat and not another, if we do not feel the second cat would be appropriate for the individual inquiring. Things change over time, and we do still want to be able to verify that the pets in your home - including the one you previously adopted - have been getting vetted and are being cared for!

Still have questions?

Please email us at adoptions@fundsfurfriends.com or call 204-573-8333.