Frequently Asked Questions - Cat Fostering & Adoption

Our automated system allows you to personally post up details and pictures of the cat.

Firstly, you need to sign up for a user account on the top of this website.

To post up a cat for adoption, upload a good photo and a short write up of the cat, along with its name and your contact details. Our moderator will go through your posting and publish it when everything is in place.

If a potential adopter is interested in the cat that you have posted up - they will contact you directly.

If the cat is above 6 months old, you must sterilise it before putting it up for adoption. You warrant that the cat is sterilised when you post it for adoption at our website.

For a detailed guide on how to register an account, post cats for adoption as well as removing adopted cats from the board, please refer to User Guide (right-click to download). You will need Adobe Reader to read the file.

Login and go to 'Fosterer's Corner' under the 'Public Adoption Board', you will see a list of your cats. Just change the status to 'Completed' and click 'Submit' to remove the listing.

You will not be able to see the listing once it is removed. To put it back on the board, you will have to submit a new listing.

For a detailed guide on how to register an account, post cats for adoption as well as removing adopted cats from the board, please refer to User Guide (right-click to download). You will need Adobe Reader to read the file.

The listings are not meant to be edited. This is to prevent possible abuse where the content is changed once the listing is approved. You may re-submit a new listing and remove the old one if you need to change anything.

Screening of adopters must be done to prevent our cats/kittens from falling into the wrong hands with people who do not have the commitment to look after them for life, or may have ill intentions like trying to sell or breed them.

Here are the suggested criteria for the screening of potential adopters. They are not rules and you may form your own criteria when looking for potential adopters for your cat/kitten.

While we want to find the best homes for our cats, it is also important to note that people may not start out with all the necessary knowledge about how to be a responsible cat owner. Rather than take a judgemental attitude with adopters, remember that it is our job as fosterers to educate them and the best way to do so is to be encouraging and to build a good long-term relationship with our adopters.

When you are screening adopters, do take note of

1. the way that the cat reacts with the potential adopter and vice versa;

2. whether the potential adopter has experience with a cat;

3. the history of the adopters' previous cats;

4. if the potential adopter currently has a cat, dog, children - whether the new addition would fit into the family.

5. the age of the potential adopter. If the adopter is below 21, you may wish to get the adopter's parents to adopt the cat so that they are part of the process & with their approval. Bear in mind that a cat is not a toy for a child. Cats/kittens adopted without parental consent can end up being dump/abandoned.

6. whether the potential adopter is able to look after the cat for the next 15 to 20 years;

7. that the potential adopter will get the cat sterilised at 6 months;

8. that the potential adopter will not de-claw the cat;

9. whether the potential adopter has the financial resources to keep a cat -- food, litter and medical expenses;

10. that the potential adopter must seek medical treatment if the cat is ill;

11. that the potential adopter allows you the foster to visit the cat at its new home (within reason);

12. that the potential adopter must agree to keep the cat for the rest of its natural life, and if they are moving overseas to take it with them;

13. that the potential adopter will return the cat to you the fosterer, in the event that they are unable to keep the cat;

14. that provision is made to prevent the cat from falling off the windows, balcony of high-rise building;

15. that the potential adopter has the necessary equipment before bringing a cat home - litter box, sand, cat food etc.

16. adopted cats are not to be sold or bred.

Please do not feel obligated or pressurised to give the cat up - some adopters are very 'pushy'. First one to write in does not mean the adopter has priority. We are sure you want the cat to go to the best home possible - and if you do not feel comfortable, do not give the potential adopter the cat. If you want them to come see the cat a few more times before taking it home, this is entirely appropriate and acceptable.

A sample adoption contract is available for reference on the adoption FAQ page. Feel free to download, amend and use it if you wish to sign a simple contract. It is a contract between you and the adopter - it would make the adopter aware of the responsibilities required of him or her as a cat owner.

The purpose of an agreement/contract is to build trust and accountability between the fosterer and adopter and thus it is an important part of the adoption process. It also makes the adopter aware of the responsibilities required of him or her as a cat owner.

We have provided 2 sample agreements/contracts which you can download and amend for your own use.

Sample Trial Adoption Agreement

Sample Adoption Contract

(To remove the "SAMPLE" from the document, edit the "Header and Footer" of the page. Click on 'View' on the menu bar and select "Header and Footer". Then select the "SAMPLE" and delete it.)

The police is not the enforcing body of such an agreement/contract but a civil court. Only cases of animal cruelty would fall under the jurisdiction of the police.

Any disputes, such as the adopter did not live up to the responsibilities stated in the agreement/contract, would need to be brought before a civil court.

This is a public bulletin which means that we are not affiliated to the people who made the postings. Cats that are up for adoption are placed with fosterers.

You would have to contact the fosterers directly (click on 'Contact Fosterer') to find out more about the cat and arrange for a viewing session. You can check with the fosterers if an adoption fee is required.

As a responsible pet owner, please do your research before you make any decisions to adopt. A pet is for life.

We have no control over whom the cats are given to as these are not our cats. The fosterers make the decision as to a suitable adopter.

Please remember -- a cat is a lifetime commitment. The fosterer is trying to find the best match for the cat and therefore selection is not always on a first-come-first-serve basis.

CWS runs the adoption board as a public service -- as such anyone can post on the board. We do not know most of the fosterers and they have full control over their screening process for adopters.

If you adopt and return a cat on a whim, without any compelling reason, we will ban you from adopting another cat from our board. If we receive complaints from a number of fosterers, we will also ban you from adopting whether or not you've adopted before.

We reserve the right to ban fosterers or adopters at our discretion.