Continuing Cat Care
Upon your passing, your cat will be taken into our clean, friendly shelter. Your cat will then be evaluated to determine its health and adoptability. If The Hermitage staff finds your cat to be adoptable, it is placed with our other felines looking for permanent homes. If, in the opinion of the staff, the cat is not adoptable it will become a lifetime resident of the shelter.
Please note: we CANNOT honor requests for a cat to automatically be kept as a permanent resident.
Enrolling your cat in the Continuing Cat Care Program ensures that your surviving cat will not become an innocent victim of a relative's or friend's inability or unwillingness to provide your cat with a good home. Through this program, The Hermitage can provide your surviving cat with a safe and loving environment, preferably as a member of a private family.
The Continuing Cat Care Program helps to provide loving, attentive care for your cat when you are no longer able to care for the cat’s needs.
How the Program Works
You need to designate an individual who will contact The Hermitage and deliver your cat(s) to our shelter as soon after your death as possible. At that time, each cat will be examined by professionals at our shelter to verify that:
- Sterilization has been completed, and
- Vaccinations are current. Remedial action will be taken as needed.
- Also, each cat is tested for FeLV and FIV.
Next, we try to find a suitable home for your cat or if this is not possible or in the best interest of your cat, we provide a loving permanent home for your cat at The Hermitage.
We have an 9,000 square foot facility which has 4,500 square feet of home and 4,500 square feet of enclosed patios. Your cat will be free to roam its designated area without fear of escape and yet will be able to enjoy the outside.
Prior to your cat being rehomed, we will complete an extensive adoption interview and subsequent follow up call to make sure your cat is happy and properly cared for.
Enrollment
In order to enroll your cat(s) in the program, it is necessary that you provide a minimum of $1,500 per cat or $5,000 per cat with special needs such as Diabetes, FIV/FeLV+ to The Hermitage. This endowment is effective upon your death. There are several ways in which you may accomplish this endowment to The Hermitage.
In addition to using one of the above methods to gift to The Hermitage, it is necessary for you to complete the Bequest Form and the Continuing Cat Care Registration Form – which can be found below – and return the completed forms, along with the enrollment fee of $300 per cat to The Hermitage (the enrollment fee will be used as a General Donation).
With the Standard Bequest Form, please attach a copy of the applicable pages of your Last Will and Testament or Trust, or a copy of the beneficiary designation form for your life insurance policy, bank account, stock account or IRA account, nominating The Hermitage as a beneficiary. Further, please advise The Hermitage of the individual you have named as your personal representative in your Last Will and Testament or Trustee of your Trust.
If you need to update the information provided to The Hermitage on the Continuing Cat Care Registration Form, please provide such updates in writing so that The Hermitage can be certain current information is in your file.