Introduction

In spite of this loving relationship, your cats' lives could be hanging in the balance.  If anything would happen to you, their fate would be uncertain.  Why?  Only about 1 out of 3 cats that lose their guardian find new homes -- and of those, most are kittens or young cats under 5 years of age.

If you have someone to take your cats, you're fortunate -- but even that solution is fragile.  Many times well-meaning individuals adopt the pets of friends or relatives who pass away.  After a short time, however, they take them to a shelter.  Their intentions were good, but their life style didn't allow them to follow through -- their spouse or child is allergic - their own pets are jealous - they travel too much, etc.  There simply is no reliable safety net to protect cats that lose their guardians due to death or serious illness.

So, if you are concerned about what will happen to your cats, we've prepared this paper to provide you with the information you need to protect them.

Surviving-Cat Care Options

If you do nothing at all to plan for your cats' care after you are too old or ill to care for them, the responsibility typically falls on a relative or friend.  Their options are:

• Keep the cats themselves.  This is a good option -- if they are cat lovers and if they'll do it.  If this is what you're assuming will happen, make sure you discuss it with them to confirm they are both willing and able to carry out your wishes.

• Try to adopt out the cats directly.  This too is a good option -- if the cats are adoptable and if they're willing to take on the time and work involved in placing them in caring homes.

• Take the cats to an animal control shelter.  If the cats are over 5 years old, they will probably be put down -- most shelters have many more cats coming in than they can adopt out.  The older the cat, the more difficult to adopt and so the less likely they will give it cage space in the shelter.

• Take the cats to a no-kill shelter.  If they accept the cats, they will not be put down -- but may well live the rest of their lives confined in cages.  And, since their capacity is limited too, they are frequently full and closed to new admissions entirely.

Cat Retirement Communities

If instead of leaving the fate of your companion cats to your friends and relatives, you plan their future as part of your estate plan -- just as you would for minor children -- there's another option -- placement in a cat retirement community.

About ten years ago, animal welfare organizations started recognizing the need to provide for cats of the elderly and terminally ill when they can no longer care for them.  The pain of knowing their beloved pets would die for lack of successor care is an added burden to one whose own life is at risk.  Many elderly resist moving into long-term care facilities for fear of what will happen to their pets -- and, when they do relinquish them, experience a sorrow tantamount to grieving for a close family member.  Cat retirement communities give them the peace of mind they need to give up their cats.  They know their beloved friends will be well taken care of for the rest of their natural lives.

Retirement communities are particularly useful for elderly cats, over the age of 7, whose chances of finding a new home are miniscule through conventional adoption programs.

To enroll your cats in a retirement community takes front-end time and planning on your part.  If you are interested in this approach to successor-cat care, we suggest you contact as many organizations as you can to learn about their programs first hand.  We've described our program below, followed by a directory of other ones we know of.  Most accept out-of-state placements.

If you find one that you want to use, try to make an on-site visit to verify the living conditions.  You'll want to develop confidence that they'll provide quality care for your cats and be there through both your and your cats' lives.  Have your attorney review the contract and advise you on the best way to fund the enrollment fee.  Although the amounts are substantial, there are ways to minimize their impact on your overall estate.

Be sure to check out the organization's finances and their plans for perpetuity.  If they are a nonprofit organization this information is available on the Internet at www.guidestar.org.

Once you've enrolled your cats in a program, be sure to let your relatives, neighbors and friends know of your plans.  Simply putting the plan in your will is not sufficient -- wills are often not read until days or weeks after death -- and by then, your cats may have been disposed of in a manner other than you had intended.  We recommend adding a tag to the cat's collar referring the cat to the safe shelter.

Our Cat Retirement Program

Our retirement program is targeted at providing quality life care for elderly companion cats whose guardians can no longer care for them due to death or serious illness.  Here's a summary of how it operates:

Facility. We have a beautiful 24-acre farm, located just southwest of Ann Arbor, Michigan.  The 100 year-old renovated farmhouse contains a bi-level colony room with hardwood floors and lots of windows.  Its southern exposure maximizes natural light and has an attached 18x20 deck giving the cats contained access to the outdoors for sunning and daydreaming.  We can presently house 18-20 cats with plenty of carpeted trees and cubbies for their comfort.  Room for future expansion abounds.

Admission. At time of transfer, we receive the cats at our facility.  If you live outside of our local area and are flying the cats to us, we can arrange to pick them up at the airport.

Cat Introduction. Each cat individually determines when they're ready for colony life.  Until that point they reside in an airy cat condo located in the colony room.  We'll open their door frequently and let them out to explore.  If they try to hide, we'll put them back in their condo.  If they explore, we'll let them investigate.  Once they start sampling various sleeping areas, we'll leave their condo door open so they can choose between its security and the freedom of open living.  For some cats this process takes a few days, for others a few months.

Food. Premium wet food is served each morning and dry food is always available for munching.  Special diets are managed when needed.

Cats Only. We maintain a tranquil sanctuary for the cats -- no dogs are housed on the premises.

Health Care. At time of application, vet records are provided indicating the health of each applicant.  At time of admission updated vet records are reviewed to ensure vaccinations and testing are current.  New residents are kept in a cat condo for their first few weeks to verify their health, ensure they are eating regularly and using their litter box routinely.  While they're with us, we consult with a veterinarian whenever we perceive a change in weight, eating pattern or behavior and we update vaccinations as needed.  Even if no signs of illness are present, we take the cats to the vet each year for a checkup.

Euthanasia Policy. We do not put down any cats in our care because of age or reasonably treatable illness or behavioral difficulties -- unless the behavioral difficulties put the well-being of our staff or other cats at risk.  In those circumstances, when we find ourselves with a cat that appears to have no other viable option than death, we assemble a committee to closely review the circumstances and abide by the group decision.

Program Eligibility. To participate in our cat retirement program, the following conditions must be present:

• Only cats whose guardians are no longer able to care for them -- due to death or serious illness -- are eligible.

• The cats should be a minimum of 7 years old.  In some instances we will accept younger cats, but only if there are compelling reasons that they not be adopted out to traditional homes instead.

• All cats must be spayed or neutered and free of any disease that would pose a risk to other cats or people.

• Full veterinary records must be submitted with the application verifying health status, age, vaccination record and negative testing for FIV and Felv viruses.

Program Fees. Our program is set up to primarily service older cats but we recognize that in some instances we may need to take younger cats with longer life spans as well.  Because of this, we use a sliding scale fee based on the age of the cat at time of admission..  We assume that on average, the cats in our care will live to be 18 years of age, and that providing quality care for them will run about $1,000 per year per cat.  Because the later years of a cat's life are the most expensive ones -- increased veterinary expenses, special diets and medications -- our minimum fee per cat is $5,000.  Age and health are determined by veterinary records and if no clear records exist, we will make a determination based on our vet's assessment of the cat.

Although the fees may seem high compared to the costs that you incur in direct care for your cat, the difference is largely based on providing and staffing a quality shelter to house the cats in and the associated operating costs in doing so.

When your cat passes away, our standard fees include the cost of cremation as well as a name plaque in our memorial chapel.  If you wish anything beyond this, let us know and we will work with you as much as we can and quote the additional charges, if any.

Contact us for complete program information.  The information provided herein is descriptive only and does not constitute a contract of any kind.  We reserve the right to change or discontinue this program at any time without notice.

Estate Planning Tips

Funding the cost of surviving cat care can be managed in different ways.  Here are a few examples.  When you get ready to select a retirement community to set up survivor-cat care, make sure you contact your attorney to review the contract and advise on how best for you to handle the funding.

Cash. If you have the funds, the most direct way to pay the cost is writing a check to the organization.

Life Insurance. You may set up a life insurance policy to pay the cost.  If you have a paid-up life insurance policy that is no longer needed for the care of a friend or relative, you could assign the policy to the organization making them the owner and beneficiary of the proceeds.  This would require the approval and cooperation of the organization.

Trusts. A charitable remainder trust could be established with the organization paid annually for the cost of your cat.  Upon the death of your cat, the organization could receive the balance of the trust as a tax-deductible contribution.

Will Bequest. You can use your will to direct the transfer of the cats to the organization together with the money required to fund their care.  Here is a sample phrase: "I give $________ to the [cat retirement organization] to provide life care for my cat, [name], if she is alive when I die."

Cat Retirement Directory

The organizations listed below are ones we've found that provide fee-based life-care arrangements for pets orphaned due to the death or serious illness of their guardians.  Fees charged range from $3,000 to $25,000 per cat placed.  Because the programs are all subject to change we've provided just the addresses and phone numbers for you to contact directly for program specifics.  Listing the organization should not be taken as an endorsement.  We have not investigated or certified any of the programs they operate. This list was last updated in February 2005.

Assisi Animal Foundation
Continuing Paet Care Program
PO Box 143
Crystal Lake IL60039-0143
815-455-9411
Web: www.assisi.org

Associated Humane Societies
Kitty City
124 Evergreen Ave
Newark NJ 07114
609-693-1900

Bide-A-Wee Home Association
Golden Years Retirement Home
410 East 38th Street
New York NY 10016
212-532-6395
Web: www.bideawee.org

The Bluebell Foundation
Bertha's House
20982 Laguna Canyon Road
Laguna Beach CA 92651
949-494-1586

California Feline Foundation
550 N Van Ness
Fresno CA 93728
559-233-8554

Home For Life
The Animal Sanctuary of St Croix Valley
PO Box 847
Stillwater MN 55082
800-252-5918
Web: www.homeforlife.org/angelcar.htm

Kent Animal Shelter
2259 River Road
Calverton NY 11933
631-727-5731
Web: www.kentanimalshelter.com

National Cat Protection Society
Retirement Centers
6904 W. Coast Hwy
Newport Beach CA 92663
949-650-1232
and
9031 Birch St
Spring Valley CA 91977
619-469-8871
Web: www.natcat.org

Texas A&M University
Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center
College Station TX 77843-4461
979-845-1188
Web: www.cvm.tamu.edu/petcare

Vivisection Investigation League
The Last Post
PO Box 259
Falls Village CT 06031
860-824-0831

Volunteers for Inter-Valley Animals
Sylvester House
PO Box 896
Lompoc CA 93438
805-735-6741
Web: www.viva-animal-shelter.org

Wildcat Ranch
Pet Retirement Center
137 Upper Sisterdale Road
Comfort TX 78013
830-995-4689
Web: www.wildcatranch.net

Zimmer Foundation
TLC/for The Love of Cats
PO Box 130944
Ann Arbor MI 48113
734-663-8000