Donations

The donation rates for 2009 are as follows:

Cat (over 11 months)	Senior Citizen Cat (over 10 years)	Kittens (under 11 months)
£95 each*	£75 each*	£125 each, £250 per pair*
Special colours - ginger, grey/blue, white, pedigree etc... donation varies according to age		Special colours - ginger £175; white £200; grey/blue from £175; pedigree, donation varies
Your donation includes: Neutering (at 6 months for kittens) Microchip Vaccinations 6 weeks insurance Free food sample from Royal Canin or Arden Grange (average vet cost would be £115 per cat!)

* Special breeds and colours may require a higher donation.
* We normally home kittens (8 weeks to 4 months) in pairs. Kitten season is from May to November.
* We have a no refund policy!
* Cards are sometimes acceptable - please call us first to confirm (it depends on bank charges, etc)

What your donation includes, in detail
As well as day-today care, food, water and heating, each cat is checked by our Manager (a Vet Nurse), seen by our Vet if needed, groomed, given flea and worm treatment and generally pampered and looked after when it arrives. On top of this, your donation also includes the most important services for your new cat or kitten - neutering, vaccination, microchipping and insurance:

Neutering
Neutering is vital. Despite the beauty of birth, it is far more complicated than people think. We have found about 20% of cats will have a breach birth, which could mean loss of whole family! What's more, our aim is to reduce the number of unwanted births and so reduce the number of unwanted cats. By adopting a kitten you agree to complete the neutering process, and it is vital that you do so - not least because kittens can be reclaimed by the RSPCA & by Chestnut Cat Sanctuary if they are not neutered at the right age.

All adult cats will be neutered before they go to a new home. This is performed by our vet in Harlow

For young kittens, we provide a Neuter Voucher to cover the cost at our vet (and only our vet) at the appropriate age of 6 - 7 months

Microchipping
The microchip is hugely beneficial, and has re-united many owners with their cats. It's a tiny pellet with a bar code that's injected into the fleshy scruff of a cat's neck (though it can move in the body over time). If the cat is ever lost, it can be scanned and Pet Log will notify the owner that the animal has been found. Most rescue Centres and RSPCA Inspectors have a scanner.... but we also believe in the value of a good flea collar too: one with safety elastic, that allows the collar to pop off if it gets snagged, with a phone number disc attached. It offers protection against fleas and means anyone who finds your cat can simply give you a ring.

All adults are microchipped. All kittens are microchipped at 11-15 weeks of age: you have to bring the kitten back to us, and we do it along with their second vaccination

The procedure is normally painless, but it can cause a minor protest especially if the cat is tense. Very occasionally we have to abandon the procedure because we don't want the cat to become overly stressed, and will do it a few days later instead.

Microchipping is carried out at the Sanctuary, Monday to Friday 10:30am to 1pm or at our Tuesday evening clinic (by appointment), 7pm to 8pm

Vaccinations

All adult cats are vaccinated before homing

Kittens have to be brought back at 9 weeks of age (if they haven't already had their first vaccination) & again at 11-12 weeks for their second vaccination (revised age policy from 17/09/07)

A kitten's next vaccination booster will be due at YOUR vet a year later, which consists of one vaccination only

Vaccinations are carried out at the Sanctuary, Monday to Friday 10.30am to 1pm or at our Tuesday evening clinic (by appointment), 7pm to 8pm

Insurance
Each cat or kitten comes with FREE introductory 6 week Pet Plan Insurance policy, which will cover any illness that develops immediately after adoption. After that period we strongly recommend that you take out a full insurance policy (Pet Plan will send you a quotation). Operations and long-term illness later in life can be expensive, and for an average of £7 per month all of your cat's problems can be covered (except pre-existing ones). Pet Plan offers a "For Life" policy which has the benefit that recurring illnesses will be continually covered (for example, diabetes). Most companies don't offer a similar policy.

How do we set the level of donations?
We rely purely on donations to fund our work at Chestnut Cat Sanctuary. We pay for neutering, vaccinations, microchipping, vet bills, food, litter, heating, lighting, water, rates, rent, communications and equipment costs. We pay staff wages (although many are kind volunteers) and have to cover insurance and advertising. And we're constantly upgrading our facilities to improve the welfare of cats in our care.

In short, it costs a huge amount to run a cat rescue centre of this quality! Each year, we calculate our annual costs and average them out. This gives us an average donation cost per cat. On some cats we lose money. On others we keep a little back. It's all calculated to balance out, so we can continue to provide an invaluable service for homeless cats and kittens and keep improving it each year.