SPCA of
Northern Virginia
Meeting Our Cats!*
Our cats are available to meet you in their foster homes
by appointment weeknights or weekends.
Simply email us at:
spcanova@aol.com
or phone us at:
703-799-9390
and let us know which cat(s) you would be interested in meeting
and we’ll take care of the rest.
* There are many benefits to meeting your prospective new adoptee within the foster home vs. an adoption fair. Meeting them in an environment they are comfortable with will give you a better perspective of the cats personality/temperament. Please contact us ... you'll be glad you did!
1. Are Pets Allowed?
If you rent your home or are subject to a condo association, does your lease or by-laws give you
permission to have cats? If you move, are you committed to finding housing where cats are allowed?
Reason: We want to ensure upfront that your housing allows cats so they do not have to be returned to our care
or you are asked to move.
2. Spaying/Neutering.
All cats and kittens 5 months of age or older are spayed/neutered before adoption. Younger kittens
not yet altered at the time of adoption must be spayed/neutered by 5 months of age. SPCA will
coordinate the spay/neuter of your kitten with one of our vets when the kitten is 5 months old.
We are currently waiving our usual fee for spaying/neutering to celebrate our merger with Spay,
Inc. Cats will not be placed in a home where there is an un-neutered cat or dog.
Reason: Virginia law requires all cats/dogs adopted from animal welfare organizations be spayed/neutered.
Each year, millions of cats/dogs are needlessly euthanized because there are too many of them and too few
responsible homes to care for them. There are also significant health and behavioral benefits to spaying/neutering
(e.g., reduced risk of certain cancers, elimination of spraying urine).
3. Family Member.
An indoor cat can live up to 20 years. Are you prepared to make a lifetime commitment to your cat? A cat is not
a toy but a member of the family to be treated with love and respect. Your cat should share the house with you
and not be confined to one area.
Reason: A cat who is not a member of the family will not be happy and may become withdrawn,
mean or destructive.
4. Costs of Care. A single cat will cost about $400 per
year in food, litter, and basic medical care. This does not include any health-related illnesses or emergencies.
Your cat will need an annual checkup and age-appropriate vaccinations for rabies and FVRCP (“distemper”).
All cats require periodic vet care. You are responsible for all medical bills once you adopt the cat.
Reason: FVRCPs prevent your cat from catching upper respiratory infections (URIs) and distemper
(which can be fatal). Rabies shots are required by law even for indoor cats. They prevent your cat from
contracting rabies and passing it on to humans if the cat comes into contact with a rabid animal. Your cat
may catch an occasional URI or ear infection. Expect medical needs to increase as your cat ages.
5. Children. If you have a child under 6 years
of age, you must adopt a cat or kitten who is 6 months or older.
Reason: Younger kittens are more fragile and can be accidentally injured by a small child. Also,
young kittens have not learned yet to retract their claws. While a scratch is typically no more harmful than
falling down on a playground and scraping a knee, young children who are scratched may develop an unnecessary
fear of a kitten. And, the kitten, in turn, may become fearful of a child who cries after being scratched.
Children and pets make wonderful companions for one another when supervised and matched up appropriately.
6. Single Kitten/Cat. Kittens MUST be adopted in
pairs unless you have a young, compatible cat in your home. In addition, adult cats that need feline companionship,
regardless of age, MUST be adopted in pairs or into a home with a compatible cat. We will advise you which cats in
our care would be happy as single cats and those that need feline companionship.
Reason: A kitten by itself will get lonely, depressed and/or destructive. Also,
many adult cats need feline companionship to be happy.
7. Indoor Cats. You must keep the cat indoors at all times, unless
the cat is on a leash and accompanied by you.
Reason: An indoor cat with proper care can live up to 20 years. The average life span of a cat who
wanders outside is two years. Cats are killed and injured by cars every day on neighborhood streets as
well as major roads. Other dangers include contracting diseases from other cats, getting injured by other
animals, and being poisoned or abused by people who find it annoying for cats to wander onto their property.
A cat can also devastate wildlife such as birds, squirrels, and chipmunks.
8. Declawing. Our cats may not be declawed for any reason. If you want a
declawed cat, ask us if we have one that is already declawed.
Reason: Declawing is cruel, physically and psychologically, and completely unnecessary. A cat’s
claws function as part of its fingers and toes. Declawing means amputating the last joint of a cat’s
toes. The surgery and recovery is extremely painful. Declawing impedes a cat’s ability to walk and play
as well as protect and groom themselves. Psychologically, cats need to claw as part of their grooming ritual
and many cats knead with their claws to express comfort. Declawed cats tend to have higher levels of anxiety
because they feel defenseless and often become biters. They also tend to react to stress by acting out (e.g.,
not using their litter boxes). Frequent clipping of the tip of the claw can help alleviate damage due to
scratching. An SPCA volunteer or your vet can show you how to properly clip claws. Give your cat plenty of
appropriate things to scratch and gently correct your cat if he/she scratches the wrong things. A little
patience, positive reinforcement, and consistency in training will alleviate the vast majority of scratching
problems.
For more information on declawing, visit our “Feline Behavior and Health” page
by clicking here.
For even more information, visit “LisaViolet’s Cathouse” by clicking
here.
9. Lifetime Commitment. In signing the adoption contract,
you are making a lifetime commitment to care for your cat. You
may contact us if you have an urgent situation and cannot continue caring for your cat. We will do everything
we can to help you resolve your situation such as providing advice, helping you find a new home for your cat,
or returning your cat to SPCA's care at our discretion. Your cat remains your responsibility unless and until
SPCA agrees to take the cat back into our care.
Reason: We want our cats to be cared for all their lives. We will do everything that is reasonably possible
to help ensure this happens.
10. Home Visit. We may visit your home after the adoption to make sure
you and the cat are happy. We occasionally do a pre-adoption home visit if questions arise relating to the
compatibility of a certain cat with a particular home environment.
Reason: We want our cats placed in compatible, loving homes. Most people provide good homes for their pets.
However, sometimes a cat or person’s needs are not met or lifestyles are incompatible. If this occurs, it’s best
to return the cat to our care and to discuss the possibility of adopting a more compatible cat.
SPCA of Northern Virginia does NOT post our Cat Adoption Application on-line. We provide you with the application once we've discussed and/or you've met the cat(s) you are interested in and we've reviewed our policies with you. Adopting a cat is a life-long commitment and finding the right match for your home and your lifestyle is very important. (link to Cat Adoption Guidelines)
Please
consider becoming a foster Parent to a needy cat or kitten.
Contact an SPCA NOVA
volunteer for additional information. (703) 799-9390.