These are challenging times for everyone, and here at Golden Oldies Cat Rescue our top priority is the health, safety and well-being of our volunteers, staff, cats and the community at large.
As the impact of COVID-19 continues to spread across our communities, and with the recent Shelter in Place order implemented by the Health Officer of Monterey County, we have had to dramatically change the way we do things.
As you know, this situation changes from day to day, and we must do our best to rise to the challenges it presents. Unfortunately, that means making some short-term sacrifices; these are essential to keeping our volunteers, staff and community safe.
But make no mistake, we still are doing as much as we can to help the older cats of Monterey County.
And so, as always – and maybe now more than ever – monetary donations are appreciated. We have eight cats in foster homes who need food, litter, monthly flea treatment and other necessities. We also just brought 6 ½ year-old Cali to her foster home; she needs a dental with possible extractions at a cost of anywhere from $600 to $1,200.
In the meantime, we are taking some steps to ensure we do our part to help stop the spread of this virus.
Golden Oldies implemented the following policy today (March 20, 2020) in response to the Health Officer of Monterey County’s Shelter in Place Legal Order. We will be operating within a limited capacity until the mandate is lifted. Thank you for your understanding, patience and continued support during these difficult and uncertain times. Stay safe and stay healthy.
- We will no longer be:
- Picking up surrendered cats at their guardians’ homes
- Conducting in-person home visits for prospective fosters and adopters
- Delivering new foster cats and their belongings to foster homes
- Picking up cats from foster homes to take them to their adoptive homes
- Soliciting ad sponsorships in person
- Holding tabling events
- Holding Volunteer/Foster Appreciations
- Putting on presentations
- Holding special fundraising events
- Holding in-person meetings or training of any kind, including of the Board of Directors, Events Committee and with new volunteers
We will be:
- Accepting volunteer, foster and adoption applications via email, our website and USPS mail, the preference being receiving them electronically
- Meeting guardians at an outdoor public space to have surrender forms filled out and intake cats, using the appropriate and recommended social distancing and sanitation practices (when possible having the surrender forms submitted electronically)
- Conducting virtual home visits for prospective fosters and adopters, or veterinarian referrals
- Conducting virtual meet and greets between prospective adopters and cats if possible
- Meeting new fosters at an outdoor public space to have foster contracts filled out and transfer to them the cats they will be fostering along with the belongings using the appropriate and recommended social distancing and sanitation practices (when possible having the foster contracts submitted electronically)
- Meeting fosters at an outdoor public space to pick up foster cats who are about to be adopted using the appropriate and recommended social distancing and sanitation practices
- Meeting adopters at an outdoor public space to transfer to them their new cat and have adoption contracts filled out using the appropriate and recommended social distancing and sanitation practices (when possible having the adoption contracts submitted electronically)
- Delivering foster supplies curbside (doorstep)
- Soliciting ad sponsorships via email or phone
- Holding all meetings and training virtually or via phone
- Encouraging guardians who need to surrender to wait if at all possible and “shelter in place” with their cats
- Interacting with the public in a limited fashion and ONLY when absolutely necessary
