Beating BSBs at their own game!

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

Update!! Between me and Pinkbear 12 enquiries over the weekend and i see some of those peeps are posting to Purrs. I have noticed a few Cp branches now on their (Tonbridge, East Surrey and Sheppey)... I have to say since our ads the number posted to the board for kittens and cats has decreased but perhaps thats just one of those things.. Maybe we are bombarding them too much..

One of those enquiries was local and is being HC this week.. The otehrs not but have been passed onto other rescues, Catchat listing and Purrs forums and anything else i can think of.. Of course you do get extreme idiots but i would be interested to see if other branches are having some success as well.. Pls let me know!

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

Me and Julie have our own pr.... adverts..Mne are much more to the point then Julies ones, hence Julies ones seem to get more people. But i get more neutering enquiries.. I agree mine may be "direct" but never mind it seems to be working.

 I had 8 over the weekend, 2 i passed onto another bfanch 2 I am dealing with, 3 were for neutering advice and 1 was for kittens that i put onto another branch..
The neutering blurb works well, my Pedigree rescue blurb works well as well, i have put 2 people onto Burmese and Siamese rescue both were from Leeds (abit strange looking under Kent).. I have no idea how successful the ones i pass on are as other branches rarely get back to me..

But i have 2 homechecks sorted for the ones we have made contact with and 1 are up for taking 2 so.. peeps get posting....!!!!

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

CS, I know that nobody believes me but the BBC did spend 4 years trying to train me to write Eastenders - I failed because I wasn't nearly enough miserable for the job!  Hopefully a little of the work paid off in the way I cobble words together on occasion when the mood takes me. 

Yeah, sure.... pinch anything I write. All copyright free when it comes to helping the puds. 

We've had another person approach us today from the p***** ad. Lost her pud just before Christmas and wants to adopt one of ours. 

[Corporal Smokey]

"Insist on the best. Get a rescue cat"

I love that, you should come and work in advertising. Do you mind other CP branches 'borrowing' some of your words? It's written very friendly too, not preachy and really approachable. I think that's helped a lot in your success and long may it continue.

Cpl Smokey says "it's almost as good as one of da army's mishuns!"

I too will be bringing it up at the next meeting.

[caledonia]

Ahhh I was wondering tooo - I havent actually heard of that before  .....I am away to investigate

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Ok I give in I know what G**T** site is but I can't work out the P***** site .... somone please let me know 

Ooh... this is like charades! 

All one word. First syllable  P**, as is something from before. Second syllable, l**ed as in something or someone you have a strong emotional attachment to. The whole thing means something which has already been cherished and adored.

I hope that gets around the moddy rules. 

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Ok I give in I know what G**T** site is but I can't work out the P***** site .... somone please let me know 

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

The thing is, caledonia, folks don't think to google the word 'rescue'. Have a bash at googling 'kitten for sale' or 'ragdoll for sale' and see where it takes you...straight to g**** and p***** and not to rescue sites. 

[caledonia]

I guess I forget how many folks dont yet use the net because surely a quick google or ragdoll rescue for instance brings up UKRCC - well I know it does lol as thats how I found them  !

But then if they are checking certain websites that are used by BSB hmmmm maybe they just dont know how to use search engines!

I will mention the ads at out next CP meeting - I am only recently involved with my local branch although they have a pretty good website and seem to be able to rehome quite qucik - although obviously the quicker the better as frees up more space.

I saw on our local g*mT*** site someone advertising a kitten at 7 weeks 

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

I am not sure how many CP branches post on Purrs but your missing out on lovely homes here. PLEASE< PLEASE consider posting as Julie says i find it sooooooooooooooo strange that educated folk fail to contact us.. Of course some are going to be a waste of time but you will get luck and even the advert will put a few some one elses way... PLS HAVE A GO..

Try and beat the BSBs.. nothing is stoping anyone from Purrs posting about us on Purrs Rescue or even Catchat is there!

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

... and again today a lady wrote to me from LEEDS!!! 

She was trying to find a Ragdoll and didn't know where to look so found my ad offering to help folks find a rescue cat on P*****. Naturally, I have put her in contact with Kelly-Joy.

People out there really don't know where to find a rescue, so even if half of you posted your own ad, we'd wipe the breeders off the map! 

[Desley (booktigger)]

Excellent news.

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

I think you're right Julie about people not thinking about rescues.  I know when one of my colleagues was looking for a kitten they were all set to "buy" from the local paper until I happened to hear they were looking and provided them with alist of local rescues and explained the benefits of a rescue kitty and the negatives of getting one from the paper.

Needless to say they went to a local rescue and were matched to just the right little furball who has happily settled into their home and is the most handsome, healthy little fella ever 

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

This does work... i get an enquiry a week out of this.. and also we have a neutering add as well.. Sometimes it out the area and i just pass on but it does make people think... and its good to see our adverts there.. I also have one about pedigrees end up in rescue too..

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Make that 4 enquiries!  Most have been asking for kittens, but Sharon is usually good at talking folks round to thinking about older cats. Or if not, we forward their details to groups like Sheppey who still have kittens left. 

I think the secret is not to preach, but you can certainly gently guide and get the message across and hopefully persuade people away from back street breeders and toward rescues. Often we've found people simply hadn't thought about a rescue cat. 

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Woo hoo what a good idea ... so glad you are getting inquiries ... fingers crossed they all end up with a kitty (or two) finding a new home.

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Thought I would say that today alone I have had 3 enquiries about adoption from one of our ads on the P****ed site. Sharon will probably be passing these on to other rescues as we have nothing suitable left, but the volume of enquiries - not just for the rehoming but also the neutering ads - has been fantastic.

I highly recommend other rescues to place an ad in their own areas themselves. 

Here's the text of my ad to show you what's doing the trick. 

Canterbury and District Cats Protection are working flat out to find loving homes for the hundreds of unwanted cats and kittens which come into our care each year. Please don't fuel the trade in sick or weakly and poorly bred kittens. Insist kitty has a full vet screening and vacinnations before leaving mum, and no kitten should be rehomed before 8 weeks of age. Kittens who leave their mother before 8 weeks are at much greater risk of infection and digestive problems.

If you are seeking a new companion cat, we have many adorable fluff balls of all ages available to forever homes and are always willing to advise you on selecting the purrrfect puss!

All our adult cats and kittens come with full health check, six weeks free pet insurance and are neutered (if old enough), vaccinated and microchipped. Insist on the best! Get a rescue cat!