Successful Homing

Adrian Ferne BSc (Hons)

Adoption Centre Manager, Bredhurst (Kent)

Introduction

Bredhurst Adoption Centre, Kent•Open to the public between 11.00 & 15.00 seven days a week•One of 29 Adoption Centres around the country

Size & Staffing• Can accommodate up

to 200 cats• Usually have around

150 at any time• Designed to ‘flow’ from

Admissions – Homing• 1 Manager + 1 Deputy• 5 full time CCA’s 7 part

time• 2 Job share

receptionists• Numerous volunteers

Primary Functions

•Rehome cats

•Neutering

•Education

•Advice

Who Do We Help?

• General Public

• Cats Protection Branches

• Other Charities

• Cats!

Reasons Why Cats Are Put Up For Adoption

• Death of the owner

• Allergy in the Family

• Moving home

• Evictions

• Stray

Waiting List

•Our waiting list which currently has around 250 cats on it.

•This then equates to a two to three month wait before the cat can come into the centre.

Arrival of the Cat

• When a cat comes into the centre a CP Acceptance Form is completed, which states

“The Cat Becomes The Unconditional Property Of The Charity”

• Cat’s details

• Needs

• Likes & dislikes

• Medical History

Admissions

•Cats with known history have to stay for at least 7 days•Strays 14 days to establish proof of ownership.•They are given Flea & Worm treatment•Microchipped•Neutered•Fully Vaccinated•Health Checked•They are not allowed to be transferred to Homing until the vet has signed off Form 13A Medical Summary For Homing.

Disease Control• Restrict human movement from

block to block, e.g. admissions to homing.

• No public access to admissions as cats’ health status unknown

• Only the staff member allocated to maternity may enter the block.

• Fresh PPE between each pen in maternity.

• Disinfected foot baths in Isolation, Maternity and F.I.V.

• Colour code all equipment including PPE, green for admissions, blue for homing, yellow for maternity, red for isolation and F.I.V.

Home Visit Check

• Two members of staff carry out visit

• Explain what cat ownership involves

• Try to assess what would be the right cat for the right home

• Manager makes final decision

Collecting a Cat• Once the home visit has

been ratified by the manager a cat can be chosen and either taken away or booked to be collected at a convenient time.

• Homing forms completed• Ask for donation, this can

be anything between £1.00 &£200.00!

F.I.V. Positive

• Bredhurst AC is the leading centre in the country for homing F.I.V.+ cats

• Make it clear that they are INDOOR CATS ONLY

• Currently trying to raise £20,000.00 to replace the existing pen.

Homing Success

• Removed sign saying ‘view by appointment only’• Improved marketing• Improved website• Asking visitors to recommend us to friends & family• Demonstrate our high standards of hygiene and

barrier nursing• The enthusiasm and professionalism

Bredhurst AC Jan-July Homing Figures

320

340

360

380

400

420

440

2005 2006 2007 2008

We have had improved homing figures because of the following reasons:

Follow Up & Aftercare

• In certain circumstances we carry out follow up home visits to ensure that the cat is settling in and is happy

• We offer a comprehensive aftercare service to all our adopters

Marketing• Essential to be kept in the public eye• Local Papers – Either paid advertising campaigns, or

putting into Lost & Found section or by offering the press good stories such as the 100 cats we homed in January.

• Website – Cats Protection website is invaluable to us as the public can get a direct link to our Adoption Centre. The main reason it is so important is that if you Google ‘cats’ it’s the first site that appears, therefore, people tend to come to us first when they want a cat.

• Radio – We occasionally run campaigns for our Spring Fair and Open Days, these tend to be expensive so one has to judge the cost of effectiveness.

• Word of mouth – We try to ensure that all who visit our centre have a very positive experience; we achieve this in a number of ways, such as explainining how we care for the cats; to demonstrate our professionalism and the level of care and expertise the cats receive in our care.

Fundraising

• Fundraisers for the Centre are Friends Of Bredhurst (FOBS)

• Two major events, Spring Fair & Open Day attended by over 1000 people

• Attend local boot fairs and bazaars

• Collect regular subscriptions

• Collect regular donations for F.I.V. pen etc.

The Future

• Although Adoption Centres are generally successful in their efforts to home cats, the new initiative for cats protection are fast-track ‘Homing Centres’, the first of which is in Ferndown in Hampshire

The Model For Ferndown

• Low cost factory units

• Located in urban, densely populated areas

• No Admission Blocks just - Homing

• Cats spend their Admission period with fosterers

• Cats to be homed within 7-14 days

• More emphasis on retail and training

And Finally• Whatever we are doing

must be working… In 2009, for the first time ever Bredhurst AC homed over 100 cats in January!

• We also managed to get a free editorial and our picture in the local newspaper!