How to adopt or volunteer

The first step toward adopting is to click on Our Adoptable Pet List in our Petfinder page and look through the animals until one catches your eye. All the adoptable animals at Katie's Place are listed, and we're careful to remove them once they're adopted. The next step is to phone or come to the shelter. You can meet the animal at Katie's Place if it's a resident at the shelter. If it's in foster care you will still need to speak to someone at the shelter. We have a pre-adopt interview to ensure a good match between pet and adoptive home. You will also have the chance to see our shelter and ask any questions about the animal's history etc while you're there.

You can drop by Katie's Place any Saturday or Sunday between 12:00 and 2:00. The shelter is closed to the public except for these hours. If you're unable to go during Open Hours, you can phone and arrange to meet a volunteer there at a mutually convenient time: (604) 463-7917. We will return your call as soon as one of our volunteers has a chance to check the messages. (Most of us work full time too so if there's a delay, please be assured that we will call you back as soon as we can.)

You'll be able to meet all the animals at the shelter, but if you came with a particular animal in mind, we can tell you more about that animal, or give you the phone number for the foster home in which it's living. We foster out young kittens and very elderly cats since they're more at risk for catching viruses than cats in the prime of life. Our foster families usually live no more than about 10 minutes away from Katie's Place. You'll be given directions and can meet the animal at its foster home.

We have an adoption contract which will be explained to you before you sign it. Our adoption fee is $120 for cats and kittens. Pairs of cats can be adopted for $195 total. Special needs animals can be adopted by donation. 'Special needs' animals are elderly or have a chronic condition that needs monitoring or they're exceptionally timid or high strung. The adoption fee covers the spay/neuter, basic inoculations and tattoo. Our adult cats are tested for Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) though we would recommend that you have them retested if you are concerned.

We will follow up with you at some point after the adoption to make sure that everything is going well and that you're still happy with your new family member. You are also welcome to contact us at any time with any concerns.

If you're pretty sure you'd like to adopt one of our animals you can download our pre-adopt information form and complete it. It tells us more about you as an animal guardian so a good match can be made.
Pre-adopt Information Form
 
 

How to Volunteer

Katie's Place always welcomes people who want to give their time for the animals. If you'd like to find out more about volunteering, please call our volunteer coordinators, John or Sandra, at (604) 467-6259 or email us at volunteeratkatiesplace@shaw.ca.

You'll be able to arrange to drop by the shelter and meet the animals if you haven't already. You'll be interviewed about your previous experience and your experiences with animals. As the interview progresses, we'll know better which area you'd be happiest working in -- direct animal care (cleaning, feeding, cuddling, medicating), fund raising, publicity, special events.... There's a niche at Katie's Place for almost any skill set, and we can accommodate any schedule.

You'll have an orientation to our procedures. They've evolved in response to our growth and our changing needs, but they're pretty simple and basic.

You'll never be just dropped into it on your own. You can partner with another volunteer until you feel confident coming to the shelter alone. It's a busy place anyway with volunteers dropping in all day long on various errands. Any of them will be happy to answer questions. Your input will also be welcomed and innovative ideas are encouraged.

Legally, we cannot allow children younger than 11 to work at the shelter. Children aged 12 to 15 can volunteer as long as they have their parents' written permission and are accompanied by their parent. Youngsters aged 16 to18 can volunteer with their parents' written permission, and the parent is not required to be in attendance.

If you'd like, you can download our volunteer application form and fill it in, ready to hand in when you come. It's pretty comprehensive and covers everything we would need to know.
 Volunteer Application Form

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