For CP branches

[LesleyW]

My kittens are normally re-homed after their first vaccination, so from 9/10 weeks old so I also microchip at this age.  When I went on my microchipping course, I advised that it would be chipping kittens of this age and was shown what care to take but was never advised by the Vet on the course that this was too young.  However, my normal vet does not like to chip at this age.

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

Good point.. we had the same problem. But we rarely get kittens staying with us longer then 9wks as we have homes for them usually.. If they do not get chipped on 1st vac then the reality is that we will rarely get 100 per cent done as owners tend to forget!! Unless of course we ask them to come back and we pay for 2nd vac and chip, which we dont..
This issue of kittens being too small i brought up with CP as new vets are inclined not to be happy doing this. But since we have started (mid 2009) vets now routinely chip at 9wks at 2nd vac. We have had very few that were too small, one or two if i remember.  But i can forsee some branches having a problem with vets that do refuse to do them.... But really there is no way round it..you either do all or just some..

Some branches may have volunteers trained to chip CP cats, but we do not get charged for it at the vets so all our chipping is done there.. If every single cat that went through cp care was chipped it would make a huge difference in the long run of cats being unlikely to be chipped when rehomed and in the future it may be the normal for rescues to pick up more cats that do have a chip

[StreetKatzRescue]

Although I have now set up an independent rescue, while with Cats Protection we talked to our vets about microchipping kittens and the various vets we had to deal with (we were based over several major towns)  all said that microchipping kittens under 12 wks was physically difficult and they all preferred to do it at 2nd vacc or 12 wks+.  So I don't know how that sits with CP policy as indicated in this thread...  Might explain some of the discrepancy??

Although I'm not with CP any more we still follow that policy for chipping ie 12 wks ++ unless kitten is huge (sometimes happens) but mainly recommend  at time of neutering which we follow up to ensure lovely kitten = no breeding!!

Kate

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

As a branch we have chipped all adut cats but as Julie says only in last yr done all kittens as well.. However, it is not officially until June that ALL CP branches have to chip everything in their care before rehoming.
The point about neutering and kittens.. Personally i make it a weekend task to ring all those people that have adopted kittens from us to make sure that they have had them neutered when they reach the right age. I have only ever had 2 kittens that the owners have left it too late and they went on to have kittens themselves. One with a c section costing well over 600 quid!! And funnily enought we ended up taking one of the kittens in care a yr later after a RTA, he lost a leg but got rehomed.

I do offer to pay for the neuter if they are our kittens and they find it difficult to pay the cost. But its part of the homing policy that people realise its costs to neuter cats and we do not that often end up having to help.. I ahve devious means of finding out that people are not telling fibs as have a good relationship with vets who tell me when a kitten/cat that i enquire about is done..  For 2009 i have only 2 outstanding kittens due to be done now, both very small kittens and hence although right age still too small to neuter according to vets. Peole get a real earful if they fail to take head of all this but officially there is nothing CP can do to impose on a new owner that he has to get cat neutered, despite it being on the homing form. CP rarely go to court on the issue... Which is one reason we give people grief in the first place if they do not believe in neutering. I have never knowingly rehomed a cat with owners who have any unneutered cats (or dogs) in care that are of the age of being able to neuter. I do know of several branches that do not have enough volunteers to check on kittens though so i imagine that some do slip through the loop and end up getting pregnant despite everything.

[Teresa Pawcats]

Must withdraw temporarily not too good.

Edd its ok I was probably a bit too quick to get vexed 

[Liz]

Have to say in an ideal world everyone should check the neutering status of kittens but some CP branches are just so over whelmed and under volunteered that they don't always manage it despite what the umbrella says!

Anything I home is checked by us and I also have a deal so the kitten goes to my vet so that helps with the paperwork - I to have removed kittens when the nice caring owners forgot to neuter/spey kittens - Having rescued love and lost a Mum and 3 kittens to FIP it is something I am paranoid about!

[madamcat (Edd)]

I think this is very good and wonder how many other rescues check that the kittens they rehome are subsequently neutered.  

Cant speak for others but Paws Inn does, we also microchip everything we neuter whether owned, feral or in care which is why I was shocked at hearing the CP figures.

Back to original topic I think if CP or anyone produces a PR film /article they should also be prepared to answer questions pertinent to that article without jumping to the defensive; I spent  the 8 minutes plus watching that video,and expressed genuine interest and received a very helpful reply from Julie;  Edd somehow your reply has vexed me.

I was speaking to my local independent rescue the other day about kitten neutering and although they ask the adopter to do it when the time comes - they do not check and that got me thinking. Sorry if I have confused matters or upset you Teresa 

I was not trying to be defensive but trying to add my view on the neutering and microchipping figures. Maybe I worded/phrased it badly. Sorry once again

[Teresa Pawcats]

I think this is very good and wonder how many other rescues check that the kittens they rehome are subsequently neutered.  

Cant speak for others but Paws Inn does, we also microchip everything we neuter whether owned, feral or in care which is why I was shocked at hearing the CP figures.

Back to original topic I think if CP or anyone produces a PR film /article they should also be prepared to answer questions pertinent to that article without jumping to the defensive; I spent  the 8 minutes plus watching that video,and expressed genuine interest and received a very helpful reply from Julie;  Edd somehow your reply has vexed me.

[madamcat (Edd)]

Very informative.
Must admit I was shocked to find such a small percentage are microchipped, 121,000 neutered but only 35,000 chipped, surely it would make sense to microchip at neuter time.Yes I do realise that 121,000 is very much a voucher figure but for the tiny cost of a chip to CP I am sure it would pay for itself in no time and perhaps increase the figure of 3500 reunited with owners rather than sitting in a Pen.

The 121,000 cats neutered includes cats that are owned,TNR and ferals as well as a proportion of cats that would have been in care at CP. There would have of course been a number of adult cats rehomed from CP that would have been already been neutered . So perhaps a better comparison on the work CP does with the cats in their care would be the 52,000 homed against 35,000 microchipped. Some of the cats that come into care are already chipped and I think that CP should be aiming for 100% on this as they do for neutering.

On other cats neutered by CP, when I was involved with CP and did neutering campaigns we arranged with some of the vets to have special offers for microchipping and vaccinations whilst the cat was taken in for neutering. I am sure other branches do that as well.
 
Also on neutering - within the 52000 cats rehomed is kittens under the age for neutering.  CP check that these kittens are neutered by the 'due date' by the owners. They operate a Kitten Neutering certificate (which has to be completed by the new owners vet to confirm neutering by 6 months) and this is returned to them.  It used to say in the homing form something like, failure to neuter would mean that the kitten could be reclaimed by CP.

I think this is very good and wonder how many other rescues check that the kittens they rehome are subsequently neutered.  

[Liz]

As some of you know we fell out with our local branch due to the being of the old school that anything FIV is put to sleep regardless and then they found I our was micro chipping all the ferals round here after we had them done, de fleaed, wormed, full injections and  a Program injection especially the summer caught ones we have a tick problem here with deer, sheep and foxes etc - at our cost - my attitude is that if we do the business then all get a chip same as our own lot so if anything happens to them and they are scanned I at least know what has happened to them - they said it was a waste of time for ferals!

have to say that some branches are giving the good ones a bad name - several branches up here have closed and a lot it is down to in fighting and knowing whats best!  So its nioce to know that there are branches giving a chance to the FIV positive and of course our won true love the ferals

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Very interesting this point and I can see and agree with the way it looks.... the disparity is down to A) a very small part of this figure is due to the dinosaur groups not bothering to microchip DESPITE it being CP policy to do so and B) Until recently we didn't chip any kittens homed via CP. C) Many of that figure will be owned cats who CP have issued neutering vouchers for so it down to the owners to get their cats chipped (sometimes this is done by the vet at the same time as neutering at a reduced rate) so this won't show up in CP figures. It doesn't mean to say these cats don't get chipped, just that we don't pay for it as we have to draw the line somewhere or CP would go under.  I think if anything is give us a clue just how many owned cats CP issues vouchers for. 

Officially now we chip ALL cats and kittens that pass through our hands for rehoming although the older groups are still probably a generation away from realising it's a smart thing to do. 

[Teresa Pawcats]

Very informative.
Must admit I was shocked to find such a small percentage are microchipped, 121,000 neutered but only 35,000 chipped, surely it would make sense to microchip at neuter time.Yes I do realise that 121,000 is very much a voucher figure but for the tiny cost of a chip to CP I am sure it would pay for itself in no time and perhaps increase the figure of 3500 reunited with owners rather than sitting in a Pen.

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Angie...  It makes me FUME that some branches are so backwards in their thinking that they do automatically PTS FIV puds.  Unfortunately it tars us good branches with the same brush because we all operate under the same umbrella.  So I do try to correct things when I see them because the next person along who stumbles on this thread may not realise all branches are different.  Needless to say we at Canterbury CP don't wish to swap Xmas Cards with the dinosaur groups.   

[Angiew]

Thanks PB for putting me right - sorry CP.

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Actually Angie it's official CP guidelines that FIV cats are rehomed to indoor homes where the cat will easily adapt to an indoor life (obviously life-long ferals can't easily adapt to living indoors). If you like I can send you the official vet department documents from the HQ server. What certain branches do is another matter and often outside the control of HQ. Some of the older, well estabilished branches seem to be a law unto them selves. 

[Angiew]

hmmm,,,,

a couple of half truths in there!

I suppose FIV cats are technically sick....

don't charge but donation welcome...... true but will have to try it one day and see what is said when I don't want to give a donation, lol.

Do love that rehoming centre......


By the way, do branches all talk to each other - I saw an insulated catcabin on sale from cornwall/devon way last week on ebay, it was surplus to requirements and must have been worth more than the £500 they got for it - do you offer equipment to each other first?

[Mark]

I recognize the vet at the beginning. Remember he told me off for poking my fingers in the pens of various cats that were in the post-op pens?  (I know it was a silly thing to do)

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Well, they kept this one quiet.  It's 9 months old but only 748 people viewed it. The money is must have cost to produce!  Even so, some branches may wish to link to it as it's quite good and shows a bit about Adoption Centres and branches and the way they work. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kTs7Q-IvWo