Mediation expiration
Have you decided to adopt one of our sofa space seekers? Of course we are very happy about that! What happens now? Surely you still have many questions about the mediation process, which we will explain to you in detail below. We also have a Cats Karma Facebook group for adoptersfounded where you can also exchange ideas with other sofa space granters. You can find more answers about Cats Karma, our agency and our team in our FAQ.
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Step 1: You and your family
You have decided and would like to give a cat a new home? Wonderful! Then you are exactly right with us. With us, you even save two lives at the same time, because by adopting a cat, you also give another animal the chance to be rescued. You not only free this animal from great distress, but at the same time enable a subsequent animal to move up to its place with us in the Refugio.
In the family council you probably also discussed the following points:
• The new family member can be up to 20 years old and will therefore accompany you for many years.
• When the fur nose gets older, it may become ill and need your care.
• Everyone in the family agrees with the addition and is really looking forward to it.
• Nobody in the household currently has a cat dander allergy or similar.
• If you already have an animal roommate, you have of course considered whether this is compatible with other cats.
• If you live for rent, you already have permission from the landlord.
• You thought about how long the animal would have to be left alone during the day and who would take care of it when you go on vacation.
Step 2: You fell in love
You saw a cat with us and it sparked?
Then hit the keys and write us a message. We can then email you more details about the cat, answer your questions and discuss together which cat suits you and your family best. But don't worry, even if you haven't found your dream cat on our Facebook page, just talk to us, because we have new arrivals every day that we may not have posted yet.
When all questions have been clarified, we will send you a self-assessment by e-mail. When you have filled out everything, simply send the form back to us. Our mediation team will look at this and get back to you. You don't have to worry if it takes a little longer, because we work on a voluntary basis and in addition to Cats Karma we also do our normal job. However, if you haven't heard from us after a week, feel free to ask. If everything goes well, we will let you know and then look for a pre-check, which will then visit you at home.
Step 3: We get to know each other personally
No fear!
We don't want to control you or check how often you dust or if the dishwasher is empty.
We are concerned with you and how our protégé could live in the future. We save our animals from the street, from killing or poor husbandry, we painstakingly nurse them back up and so of course our heart is also attached to ensuring that they then end up in loving hands and do not become a challenge trophy. After the visit, the corresponding pre-control sends us a detailed report and we will inform you of our decision promptly.
Step 4: The protection contract and the protection fee
Great! Everything went well and you will receive a confirmation from us!
To ensure that our protégés continue to be kept in a species-appropriate manner, are not sold on to third parties, and that the cat is neutered promptly (if not already done), we draw up a so-called protection contract for you and your cat. Our cats are very important to us, because we invest a large part of our free time, money, but above all a lot of love in the rescue of these poor souls. With the protection contract, we are therefore ensuring that this commitment also makes sense in the long term. After all, we want to reduce animal misery and thus be sure, even years later, that our protégés in Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and Switzerland are doing well. We do not save animals from death or misery abroad to see them in similar poor conditions here.
The nominal fee serves several purposes:
1. On the one hand, the protection fee is not a purchase price! But as the saying goes: "What costs nothing is worth nothing!". For us, however, all animals have a value and we want their new home to be their last. We also want to make sure that our protégés do not end up in an experimental laboratory, be resold somewhere or be used for illegal business (e.g. puppy trade).
2. On the other hand, we also incur costs for veterinary care in advance, until the animals are ready to travel. Furthermore, we have costs on site for food and, if necessary, the trigger if we get animals from the so-called perreras (killing).
The following items should then be at least partially covered by the nominal fee:
• regular vaccination/s
• rabies vaccination
• worm cure/en
• flea/tick remedy
• FIV and FeLV test
• Microchip including implantation
• EU pet passport
• evtl. castration
• evtl. blood test
• evtl. further transport costs
• evtl. activation costs
• Feed and care costs
• poss. accommodation costs
• other medical treatments, operations etc.
The protection fee is far from sufficient to cover the actual expenses for an animal. It is therefore a minimum amount and a mixed calculation from various cost items. However, 100% of the money goes back to our protégés!
When your cat comes to you, she is
• vet checked
• chipt
• vaccinated several times including rabies vaccination
• neutered (except kittens)
• dewormed and deflead multiple times
• tested for FIV and FeLV
• has a current health certificate from the day of departure
• and a valid EU pet passport
Costs and Protection Fees:
The protection fee to be paid is €120 for unneutered cats and €150 for neutered cats, each plus flight. For cats with a handicap, we charge a reduced protective fee of a flat rate of €100 plus flight, as the pet owner may incur higher follow-up costs. Costs for the flight depend on the airline, but are usually between €40-80 per cat, plus €25 for the transport bag when traveling in the cabin. Young cats that know each other can also travel together in one bag with some airlines, which means that the costs only apply once if you adopt two together.
Each additional examination, each additional test, can of course be carried out on your desired cat before departure for an additional charge and after consultation with us.
Step 5: Here I come!
After receiving the adoption fee, we will get your new partner ready to go. The cat gets its rabies vaccination, the microchip and its EU ID card. Then she only has to wait 21 days until the rabies vaccination has formed enough antibodies and thus also complies with the entry regulations in the destination country. Of course, we don't want to risk your darling being sent back to Mallorca just because of a few weeks' waiting time.
Step 6: Hooray, the Cat is Here!
Congratulations!
You gave a new life to a cat from a foreign animal shelter. She will surely be forever grateful to you. But adopting an animal from an animal shelter also means special care and understanding, as the animals first have to adapt to their new habits. The length of time for this is individual for each animal, but you may need some time and patience for this. Especially if an animal does not behave exactly as expected at first and may be unsure or anxious at first, you should have the necessary patience and understanding for the creature.
Especially in the first few days, think about what the animal experienced before it came to you. First it was abandoned by humans, then maybe caught, lived with many other animals in a killing facility or in an animal shelter or sat alone in a cage, may have experienced hunger, thirst and cold or even abuse and then set out on a journey to find itself in to be found in an unfamiliar environment. So don't be impatient if your new family member reacts differently than expected in the first few days with stress-related diarrhea, uncleanliness, shyness or anything else. Be aware that you are dealing with an animal that sometimes needs to regain its trust.
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Also, due to the stress of the trip and the new environment, the cat can possibly get sick at first, because cats react extremely sensitively to any kind of change and the immune system also shuts down under stress. Of course, this also applies to any existing cats. Please make yourself aware of this in advance, because it is important to us that you know what to expect. But once you've done that, you'll see how great it feels to watch an animal thrive and trust you.
Step 7: We keep in touch
Even after the placement, we will not leave you out in the rain and will continue to be at your side with advice and action. If you have any questions, worries or anything else that affects you and your new furry friend. We are always happy to hear from our former Cats Karma protégés. From time to time, send us a few photos of your fur nose and let us know how you are doing. Or become part of our Cats Karma Family and get to know our other adopters:
Humanity can be roughly divided into two groups: those who love cats and those who are disadvantaged by life.
FRANCESO PETRARCA