Rehoming Network : FAQ
1: Can I just add animals to the site automatically?
No. We want to encourage good rehoming practices – so it is a manual system and we have a lot of basic checks. If you are just trying to get rid of an animal to the first likely looking person who comes along, this site is not for you.
2: What support can you offer?
In addition to putting your animal online, we can offer advice on good rehoming practice, how to handle people who apply to adopt your animal, information and general moral support. If you feel you need this, type in the “notes” field of your application that you would like to have access to our support forums. Sorry – access is restricted - we allow access only to people who are actually trying to rehome an animal. This cuts down the “noise”. We do not offer financial support of any kind.
3: What sorts of animal can I apply to add to the site?
Cats and dogs, for now. Other sorts of animals on a case by case basis. (We do not know enough about other types of animal to know what a responsible rehoming policy would be for them.)
4: If you accept an animal onto the Rehome Network, does that mean NPO CATNIP takes responsibility for it?
No. We accept no responsibility for it. It is your animal and you are legally, morally and financially responsible for it.
However as a condition of our accepting an animal onto the site, we ask you to agree to abide by certain rehoming principles and practices. We also provide a support forum where you can ask for advice before rehoming.
5: Will you pay veterinary expenses?
No.
6: My animal is 6 weeks old. Can I apply to add it to the site?
Yes – but we won't add it to the site until it is 8 weeks old and we have seen a bloodtest and a certificate for its first vaccination. We reserve the right not to add any animal that looks to be less than 8 weeks old.
7: Can I charge money for an animal?
No. This is not a site for trading animals.
8: Do all animals have to be neutered or spayed?
Yes – in principle. We make exceptions for animals that are very young or very old, or where a reputable vet advises against it on health grounds. Expect us to be a little skeptical, particularly if your animal is pedigree.
For very young animals, we require you to rehome with a neutering agreement in place.
9: In my write-up about the animal, can I say it is pedigree?
No.
10: Can I recoup veterinary expenses from the adopter?
Yes, within limits.
For cats, you can recoup expenses from the adopter up to 15,000yen against receipts for bloodtests, vaccination and microchipping of the animal. You can recoup up to a further 15,000yen against a receipt for the neutering/spaying of that animal.
For dogs you can recoup expenses from the adopter up to 15,000yen against receipts for bloodtests, vaccination and microchipping of the animal. You can recoup up to a further 15,000yen against a receipt for the neutering/spaying of that animal.
You can't ask for more than the value of the receipts. We shall ask to see copies of the receipts before we add the animal to the site. We shall encourage the adopter to check the receipts before handing over any money.
We will keep these amounts under review.
11: My cat is FIV+. Can I add it to the site?
Yes, but you must tell people it is FIV+.
12: My cat is FeLV+. Can I add it to the site?
No. Under no circumstances.
13: My cat has another medical condition. Can I add it to the site?
Discuss it with us please.
14: Will my animal appear on the English and Japanese side of the site?
Yes. We expect you to provide a Japanese translation of any English text you give us. We also expect you to have a Japanese speaker available to help handle any enquiries. However, if someone applies to adopt your animal, we can pass their information on to you in a mixture of English and Japanese. (The questions will be in English, "free text" answers will be in Japanese - multi-choice answers will be in English. This makes it a lot easier to handle if your kanji is - ah - "less than sparkling"...)
We allow Japanese people on rehome network to specify that applicants must enquire about an animal in Japanese. English language network rehomers may not specify that applicants speak English. (This is the sole difference in the way we treat foreigners and Japanese.)
15: Can you help with translation?
Not in most cases – we are just too busy. Most of the adopters will be Japanese – so we request that unless you have good Nihongo, you arrange for a Japanese friend to assist you. If you can't fix that, you probably cannot do the "due diligence" that we will require...