Adoptions
Available Cats | Dogs | Adoption Information | Adoption Application | Seniors for Seniors | Introducing a New Cat to an Established Cat | Success Stories | Adoptions are Up!!!! |
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Alleviate the financial stress associated with your pet’s unexpected medical expenses and generate funds for our shelter at the same time! Simply apply for a ShelterCare Pet Insurance Program by using the ShelterCare banner-link.
Here’s how it works: ShelterCare Pet Insurance Programs cover you when your pet needs essential veterinary care from an illness or injury. Also, every time a completed application for a ShelterCare program is generated through our shelter’s website, we automatically receive a $25 donation to help cover common needs like blankets, litter and food. This donation is of no cost to you and provides us with essential funds. Make the right move and enroll today! |
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Adoption Donation
NEW PRICES EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2012
Kittens (under 6 months): $100.00
Adult Cats: $90.00
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Seniors For Seniors
Love that senior discount? So do we! Here's a senior benefit that is totally FREE! North County Humane Society is now waiving the adoption fee for human seniors (anyone 62 or older) who adopt feline seniors (any cat 9 years or older). That's right. At NCHS seniors can adopt older cats at no charge. Our senior cats, like all of our kitties, have been spayed or neutered, are vaccinated and parasite-free, have been microchipped, tested for major cat illnesses, and go home with 1 free month of pet insurance.
Older adult cats provide companionship that doesn't involve strenuous exercise for their human caretakers. It's been proven that having a cat fends off depression and loneliness. Cats are comfortable in small spaces like apartments and enjoy simply sitting by their person while reading or watching TV. Taking care of an adult cat is easy. An indoor senior cat can provide up to 20 years of affectionate companionship. Cats are clean, entertaining, and they purr.
If you are a senior thinking about cat adoption, let the staff at NCHS match you with your perfect senior feline companion. You'll be saving a feline life and giving yourself the gift of unconditional love. The cost? Totally free.
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INTRODUCING A NEW CAT TO AN ESTABLISHED CAT
Have you ever heard the saying, “Cats are like potato chips. You can never have just one?” Many of us enjoy having more than one pet. This however, brings up the situation of how to introduce a new cat into a home where one or more cats already reside. It's important to keep in mind that cats are territorial animals. It takes patience and understanding to ensure a successful sharing of territory.
How successful an introduction will be depends on many variables: personality, temperament, age of the cats involved, past experience with other cats, whether they are of the same sex, and whether they are spayed or neutered. As a general rule of thumb, it is often easier for cats of different sexes to get along with one another. Spaying/neutering helps, and with male cats in particular, they are often less likely to try to dominate another cat if neutered. With an older cat, it can be easier to introduce a kitten into the mix, rather than another adult cat.
If you’re taking in a neighborhood stray, the age and sex of the new cat may be unknown. However, if you go to the North County Humane Society, they can help you to select a new cat with the age, sex, and personality that will fit best with your present cat.
The key word when introducing a new cat to your home is: “patience.” The slower and better planned the introductions are, the more likely they are to be successful. It can take weeks, or even several months, for two felines to acclimate to one another.
Find a small area of the house that can be closed off and where the new cat can feel safe, such as a spare bedroom. Give the new cat time to familiarize itself with you, the new smells, and new limited surroundings. Keep the cats separated from one another for at least one week. Each knows the other is present! They can smell each other even with the doors closed.
Once the new cat feels comfortable in this limited area away from the other cat, then switch the cats. Now the old cat is in the closed off area, and the new cat is in the rest of the house. This gives the new cat time to explore and familiarize itself with the house. This is detective work or “information gathering time” for the cats.
Once they appear comfortable - they are eating well, grooming, appear relaxed around you - it’s time to introduce them to one another. It can be helpful to purchase a “pheromone” spray and to use it around the house during the several-week period when introductions are being made. Be sure also that each cat has its’ own water bowl, food dish, and litter box. The ideal number of litter boxes for two cats is three.
When introductions are made, try and have another person with you in case a fight should break out and you need to separate the cats quickly. If this should occur, throw a towel or blanket over one of the cats, or spray it with a little water. Start the introductions out in short time durations and expand gradually, depending on how the cats are doing.
During the first several months of new cat ownership, it's especially important that you give both the new and old cats plenty of individual time with you each day. They are both feeling insecure. Extra love, attention, play and treats during this period, for both of them, can go a long way towards smoothing things over.
If you’re thinking: “wow, this seems like an awfully slow, involved process” - remember, each situation is different and yours may go quicker or slower than outlined above. You need to be receptive and observant to how your cats are doing. But when you think about the many years of love and companionship you will receive from these animals, and how much happier these animals will be if you take things slow, it’s well worth it.
When you adopt from NCHS, an “Adoption Packet” of helpful information and store coupons are given to you. These materials will guide you through many of your questions as a new cat owner. If you have a question or problem that your packet of information does not adequately resolve for you, we encourage you to give us a call at 466-5403. We are there to facilitate the bond between you and your pet.
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Adoption Application
ADOPTION APPLICATION (click to download)
We match animals with people based on general lifestyle and the type of care that you can provide. We strive to provide the best possible animal companion and life-long friend to you and your family.
Your new friend comes to you with many extras, as well:
- Personality assessment
- Vaccinations
- Shelter health check-up
- Free starter pet food
- Discount pet store coupons
- Spayed or Neutered
- 30-day Happiness Guarantee
We pass along our savings to you where you would otherwise pay three to four times as much for these outside services on a “free” kitten or cat!
Our Adoption Agreement addresses:
- Indoor/outdoor safety
- Dietary considerations
- Well-being issues
- Medical & dental needs
- Lifetime return guarantee
- Pet/family relocation
- No de-clawing (options given)
- Required spay/neuter
- Surrender policy
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NCHS and DOGS
Several people have asked why we do not take in dogs at the shelter. Our Conditional Use Permit with the City of Atascadero does not allow us to board dogs on our property. Also, until we can adequately provide for their well being (trained personnel, additional housing, etc.) as well as the required Conditional Use Permit change, we continue to refer homeless dogs to our offsite dog rescue partners.
We routinely provide the dog rescuers with donated dog food, leashes and collars, toys, and other canine supplies. We offer our shelter grounds every Saturday morning to our dog foster parents for on-site dog adoptions. Woof-woof!
Click here to access
Debby Sweet's Short 'n Sweet Dog Rescue
and
PETFINDER DOG LISTINGS
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CAT ADOPTIONS ARE UP!
There’s some good news these days at the North County Humane Society: Cat adoptions are way up! Sherry Chapman, the Shelter’s “Animal Care Coordinator” reports that, “In May, 42 cats were successfully adopted out, which I believe may be the highest month we’ve ever had in our near 33 year history. It’s very exciting to see these deserving animals find good homes and we really want to thank the community for their support and help in making this happen.”
The increase in adoptions may be due to a number of factors. The difficult economy, which resulted in a decrease in financial donations and an increase in cats, resulted in an all-time cat population high of nearly 300 cats two years ago, and a precarious financial situation for the Shelter. This combination of factors forced the Board and staff to re-evaluate Shelter policy and procedure, to trim expenses as much as possible without compromising the quality of cat care, streamline operations, modernize computer systems, and step-up community outreach efforts.
As a result of hard work by staff, board, and volunteers, the adult cat population has decreased from that 300 cat figure, to a level today of approximately 165, more in line with the space needs of cats in confinement.
Some of the cats have also been adopted out because of a re-evaluation of, and decision to change, adoption policy guidelines. Although the Shelter still encourages pet owners to keep their animals indoors because it’s safer for the animal, they also recognize that it is hard on animals to live out their lives in a Shelter setting. Each potential adoption is still evaluated individually. Factors taken into consideration are: how heavy traffic is in the adopters' location, whether there is a problem nearby with coyotes or wild animals, and how much land surrounds the home. In situations where an indoor/outdoor adoption appears to be in the cat’s best interest, and the adopter understands the need for the cat to have a safe environment at night, adoptions have gone forward that have thus far, appeared to be successful for cat and person. Followup calls to the adopter have confirmed this.
In limited situations, the Shelter also considers outdoor only adoptions. For example, there are some cats that appear unsuitable to live in a residential home because of spraying or incontinence issues. In collaboration with local wineries and owners of large parcels of farm land, ten such cats were placed in May. Vickie, one of the Cat Care staff, remarked “I am very fond of Apricot and a few of the others that were placed out this past month to settings with large open spaces. I envision them running, jumping high into trees, and basking in the Sun. I hope they’ll be very happy.”
One set back however, is the large number of kittens the Shelter is seeing this year due to the poor economy and the difficulty many local citizens have affording spay/neuter. According to Chapman, “Kitten season began with a high of 53 kittens. We’re presently around 27, but unfortunately, new ones are born daily. Thanks to local business support, the auction fundraiser NCHS had in February raised enough money for 48 spay/neuter certificates for San Luis Obispo county residents to help defray this cost. And, we’re very thankful to the City of Atascadero for $5,000 in funds for spay/neuter certificates for Atascadero residents.” (Some of these are still available). “There is a significant cat overpopulation problem in the entire North county. Other cities need to follow the City of Atascadero's lead and earmark funds to help with spaying and neutering of animals within their cities. It is the only way to start to control the animal overpopulation problem. Either cities support spay/neuter, or they end up paying Animal Services to deal with the problem with the euthanazia of hundreds of homeless animals."
The Shelter encourages anyone who is interested in adopting a cat, to stop by their location at 2300 Ramona Road in Atascadero (off the Del Rio Road exit) anytime Tuesday through Saturday from 10 - 4. Potential adopters can view cats online at: www.slonchs.org, Petango, or their Facebook site. Any questions can be directed at: 466-5403.
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