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the cat with you unless you feel that will putyou under too much pressure, in which casego without the cat.Having the person come see the catgives you an opportunity to see how theyinteract and if there is potential for a lastingbond. Going to see the new home beforefinalizing the adoption lets you confirm thatyour evaluation of the person as a goodplacement is correct. There is little morerevealing than a person’s home. Is itpleasant and clean, are there screens on thewindows like they said, etc.? If you go andphoto: Kathryn Waltonget a bad feeling – things don’t look right or were not as described - don’t give them thecat, but say you need more time to think about it.If you decide you’ve found a good home, have the adopter sign an adoption contractand pay a fee of at least $50 to $75 per cat. This will give you legal rights to reclaim thecat if, down the road, something goes wrong and a new placement is needed. You canreadily find examples of adoption contracts online by doing a Google search(www.google.com) for “adoption contract for pets,” “adoption contract for cats,” or “petadoption agreement.” Borrow another group’s form and adapt it for your purposes. Besure the contract you use includes clauses which (a) require appropriate care for the cat(food, water, shelter), (b) give you the right to demand return of the cat in the event anymaterial parts of the contract are breached, (c) prohibit declawing, (d) require yourconsent before ownership is transferred to anyone besides the original adopter, and (e)release you from liability for any injury or harm caused by the cat.Charging a fee is important. It helps protect against someone who really wants to sellthe cat by removing most or all of any potential profit. Also, owning a cat is an expenseand an adopter should be able to afford a modest fee. If they can’t, how will they pay thenext veterinary bill?After the adoption, follow up with a call a week later to see how things are going,then a month later, too. If all is well, your job is done. Be sure to let the adopter knowyou are available if they should ever need any help.All this may seem like a long process, but most people who will provide a good homewill appreciate your thoroughness and understand you’re doing it because you deeplycare for the cat. If someone objects and says you’re making it too hard, that might be asign they’re not a good match for your purposes.Whenever possible, especially with feral cats and kittens, try to place them in a homewith another feline. Ferals are cats’ cats. They usually get along with other catsextremely well, but can languish if left alone. If you have multiple kittens and want toadopt them out in pairs, which is always ideal for them, then ask right away before goinginto the other questions whether the potential adopter is willing to take two. Some peoplewon’t be willing or able, but in the end, if you stick to adopting the kittens in pairs, you’llonly need to find half as many placements.145