Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK

Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: Rosella moggy on August 26, 2009, 16:59:51 PM

Title: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Rosella moggy on August 26, 2009, 16:59:51 PM
OK so we recently got married which means we have to draw up new Wills.  6 cats currently live with us and I cannot see a time when we won't have any feline company.

The cats are by far the most important "people" in our lives (err together with my ma and OH's pa  :naughty:)

We have in mind a legacy to a local rescue and suggesting executor contacts them for rehoming advice and no payments allowed out of our estates to anyone until permanent homes found for pusscats (not sure we can do that).  Anything else you can suggest?  Hopefully this will not be an issue for many years but who knows eh?

Executor is my trustworthy mate btw who is also a feline fan  :)
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on August 26, 2009, 17:03:16 PM
There is a charity, Desley knows the name that you can contact that will look after the cats for life but you have to get this sorted before anything happens cos afterwards is no good.

The name may come to me and have meant to look into this but am so superstitious  :scared:
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Michelle (furbabystar) on August 26, 2009, 17:09:11 PM
There is a charity, Desley knows the name

Ela also knows the name as she said about it the last time this subject came up
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Angiew on August 26, 2009, 17:10:07 PM
cinnamon trust ?

or a friend who you know will take care of them. Depends how much money you want to leave with them really. if its all of it then its a lot easier if you have a trusted friend or charity.
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on August 26, 2009, 17:12:24 PM
Yes thats it Angie thanks....just gonna get a link
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on August 26, 2009, 17:13:52 PM
http://www.cinnamon.org.uk/home.html
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Kay and Penny on August 26, 2009, 17:24:15 PM
I keep the name and phone number of a local woman who rescues cats in my handbag, with instructions to contact her if anything happens to me

and I have told her where I keep my spare key, and who my solicitor and next of kin are - cos the cats would need caring for immediately if I dropped down dead tomorrow, or was taken into hospital

she doesn't know I have left her a legacy in my will, as she will never take a penny for anything :sneaky:
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on August 26, 2009, 17:31:47 PM
I have just been reading the link I put and the bit about what to put in a will is in the donation form  and they have a large number of volunteers all over the country.

I reckon one would need to email them if you wanted to leave them a legacy and for them to take your cats on and of course someone else would have to know to contact them quickly but it would take the stress away if you also became terminally ill and also will try and get you into an animals froendly accomodation if you can no longer look after yourself.

Its sad they do not let people out there no more about them and their website has very limited information on.

There are a couple of good jobs going too!

Their patrons? are all very well known and apparently they have booklet they will send you.

I think its well worth looking into  ;D
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Angiew on August 26, 2009, 17:36:59 PM
you have things like stickers for the front door. Was involved in moving a cat for the trust to birmingham and the paramedics who went in saw the sticker on the front door. The only thing to bear in mind is not all of the cats live at the shelter as they do have fosterers up and down the country. I had a call on sunday from one in coventry who had lost one of a pair whose owner was in hospital.
I think I would prefer a friend to take charge than a charity... (if I had any)
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Mark on August 26, 2009, 17:54:44 PM
a local woman who rescues cats in my handbag,
But what happens when you need to use it?  :evillaugh:
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on August 26, 2009, 18:02:15 PM
So would I Angie but dont have anyone who could. They also have two homes for cats down in Devon and thats where I would prefer my cats to go but I trying not to think about stuff like this.....................sticking head in sand I know
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: swampmaxmum on August 26, 2009, 18:02:41 PM
Cinnamon Trust give you a big card to put on your fridge saying In case of emergency contact us etc.  I don't know if they do keyrings, but I registered my cats with them just in case.

Depending on how much your estate is worth, if you want to leave it all to your cats, you can do so in a trust where they are the beneficiaries and on the death of "the last surviving cat" you have to decide what to do with what they haven't munched or vet billed their way through. Any competent solicitor should be able to draw up a simple one for you (they will smirk but who cares).  Don't move from the UK though as in many countries you are not allowed to leave money to your pets as you're not allowed to disinherit your relatives (for some bizarre reason).
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on August 26, 2009, 18:04:59 PM
So if you left them your property would they get someone to live there and look after your vats cats or something?
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Angiew on August 26, 2009, 18:50:04 PM
So if you left them your property would they get someone to live there and look after your vats or something?
:beer:
 :rofl:

Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Rosella moggy on August 26, 2009, 19:06:50 PM
 :evillaugh: :evillaugh: :evillaugh:

very funny

Sorry, whilst puds are 100% top priority, I didn't really have in mind them getting our entire estates  :-:  Just wondered what others have done to provide for their puds in their Wills in case I'm missing something.  I'll give cinnamon trust a look but more inclined to leave it to my mate (executrix) and local rescue tbh.
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Rosella moggy on August 26, 2009, 19:37:55 PM
Cinnamon trust seems to provide support for elderly/terminally ill people who need assistance with their pets?  I'm 48 and pretty healthy.  At this stage I'm looking to provide for pets in my care in the event of sudden unexpected events. 

Good idea to put notices up around house when we've decided what to do.   
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Leanne on August 26, 2009, 20:26:41 PM
We have it in our will that my sister is to "inherit" any cats we have, she is more than happy to do this.
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Rosella moggy on August 26, 2009, 21:14:08 PM
Super arrangement Leanne. 

Close family are the best of course but we have 6 cats and that's quite a number to ask family to take on.  I suspect there may well be a queue for our Freddie and Noni, even Dinah and the girls may not present too many difficulties but who would home our Billy Whiz?  :(
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on August 26, 2009, 22:29:09 PM
Cinnamon trust seems to provide support for elderly/terminally ill people who need assistance with their pets?  I'm 48 and pretty healthy.  At this stage I'm looking to provide for pets in my care in the event of sudden unexpected events. 

Good idea to put notices up around house when we've decided what to do.   

it does more than that but you have to have an agreement with them before it happens
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Dawn F on August 27, 2009, 08:39:22 AM
we have left intructions that cp get 25% of our estate if they care for our cats - we also added a rider to the will saying that Oscar and Star should stay together and Tilly and Amber should stay together
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Angiew on August 27, 2009, 10:29:39 AM
I would say, Covcats will always look after their own. As long as your instructions on this are clear - so thats half of them taken care of.
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Liz on August 27, 2009, 12:49:15 PM
We have left our house to the cats and dogs and will provide a carer for them - once they have all departed the mortal coil we will let the charity have the house!

I have also promised to come back and haunt them should they not do it right!!!! ;)
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Dawn F on August 27, 2009, 12:50:14 PM
you do know you will make the papers Liz! (although hopefully not for a very long time)
Title: Re: Wills - any advice on what to include re cats?
Post by: Rosella moggy on August 27, 2009, 18:29:47 PM
I would say, Covcats will always look after their own. As long as your instructions on this are clear - so thats half of them taken care of.

Cheers Angie  :thanks: :)  I am of course hoping to outlive our young uns but who knows when that bus is gonna knock us down  :scared:

The more I think about this, the more I'm inclined to indicate a legacy amount in Will but to be distributed amongst cat rescue groups (not necessarily charities) mentioned in any list found amongst my papers in whatever share my executor sees fit.  She is my mate and I would trust her to do the right thing.  I can then update list to reflect changing circumstances without having to revise Will.  Things like making sure Billy is not rehomed alone and where existing cats came from could be included.

This is really helpful.