At Finally Home Cat Rescue, we use a secure online application as the first step in our adoption process to ensure that every cat and kitten we place finds a truly suitable, loving, and permanent home. This isn’t merely a formality—it’s a critical tool that allows us to match cats with families thoughtfully and responsibly, thereby reducing the heartbreaking risk of returns or failed adoptions. Here is a deeper look at why this approach is essential: Thorough Screening for the Best Matches: Our cats often come from challenging backgrounds—abandoned on the streets, surrendered due to owner hardship, or rescued from hoarding situations—and some have special needs, such as medical conditions, behavioural adjustments, or socialization requirements. The online application collects detailed information about your household, lifestyle, and experience with pets. For example, we ask about your living space (e.g., apartment vs. house, fenced yard), work schedule (to assess supervision needs), other pets (for compatibility), and previous pet ownership history. This helps us pair playful kittens with active families, shy adults with patient, quiet homes, or bonded pairs with multi-pet households. Without this, we risk mismatched adoptions that could stress the cat or lead to relinquishment, which strains our limited foster resources. Efficiency in a High-Volume Rescue: As an Ontario-based rescue, we handle hundreds of cats annually, from tiny kittens to seniors, all while relying on a small team of volunteers and foster homes. An online system streamlines the intake process, allowing applicants to apply 24/7 from anywhere in the province. This reduces wait times at our adoption centre and enables us to process more applications fairly and efficiently. Once submitted, our adoption coordinator reviews it within 48-72 hours, followed by a phone interview and a meet-and-greet. This structured process has a success rate of over 95% for permanent placements, far higher than walk-in adoptions alone. · Education and Commitment Building: The application doubles as an educational tool. It prompts you to reflect on the realities of cat ownership—such as the financial costs (averaging $1,000-$ 2,000 per year per cat for food, vet care, and litter) or the time commitments (including daily play, grooming, and vet visits). · Compliance: Our application verifies that you’re over 19 (the legal age for pet contracts), provides references, and confirms a history of no animal neglect (via self-disclosure and background checks). It’s also how we obtain consent for home visits if needed, protecting both you and the cat. If you’re ready to apply, visit our Adopt page (https://www.saintcats.ca/petsmart-north-richmond-hill-adoption-centre)to start looking for your loving new pet, then fill out an adoption form—(https://www.saintcats.ca/adoption-application-form)it’s quick, about 10-15 minutes, and fully mobile-friendly. We approve qualified applicants promptly, and many find their perfect match within a week!

The complete adoption and application process could take up to 7 to 10 days. 79 1. Receive online Adoption (https://www.saintcats.ca/adoption-application-form)application. 2. A Finally Home team member will review your online application and call you to discuss (1 to 2 days after application submission). 3. The Finally Home team will complete a veterinarian reference check. 4. The Finally Home team members discuss the application once complete. 5. A member of our team will contact you to schedule an in-person greeting with Finally Home and the animal. 6. At the greeting, we will set an adoption date, complete any additional paperwork, and collect the adoption fees. Adoption fees: • Kittens: $400.00 • Cats: $400 Adoption fee includes: • Spay/neuter (costs typically from $600 to $1200 per cat) • Up-to-date vaccines (typically costs FVRCP: $25–$70 per dose; Rabies: (typically costs $25–$80 per dose plus exam fees) • Microchip (typically costs $50 to $100 per cat) For example, if you got a kitten from a friend, it would cost approximately $1,500 to cover all of the above requirements. However, if you adopt through Finally Home, a kitten would cost $400, which includes all of these services: surgery (spay/neuter), vaccines, and a microchip.

Protecting your privacy is paramount at Finally Home, especially since our online forms (for adoptions, fostering, volunteering, and donations) require sensitive details such as your name, address, phone number, email address, and pet history. We will treat your data with the utmost care and respect. Here’s an extensive breakdown of our security measures and practices: • Data Collection and Use: We only collect what’s necessary—e.g., contact info for follow-ups, household details for matching, and payment info for donations (never stored on our end). This data is used solely for rescue operations, including processing applications, scheduling meetings, sending updates (with opt-out options), and improving our services. We never sell, rent, or share your information with third parties for marketing purposes. • Secure Technology and Encryption: Our website and online forms employ several encryption methods to secure your personal information collected on our website: • AES-256 Encryption: All Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is stored encrypted using AES with a 256-bit site encryption key. • Database Encryption: Sensitive information is encrypted in accordance with PCI standards, rendering it unreadable without a corresponding cryptographic key. • Transport Layer Security (TLS): We use TLS 1.2 or higher to ensure secure communication over the network, protecting online transactions.

Adoption fees: • Kittens: $400.00 • Cats: $400 Adoption fee includes: • Spay/neuter (normally costs from $600 to $1200 per cat) • Up to date vaccines (normally costs FVRCP: $25–$70 per dose; Rabies: (normally costs $25–$80 per dose plus exam fees) • Microchip (normally costs $50 to $100 per cat) For example, if you got a kitten from a friend, it would cost approximately $1,500 to cover all of the above requirements. However, if you adopt through Finally Home, a kitten would cost $400, which includes all of these services: surgery (spay/neuter), vaccines, and a microchip.