Basic Requirements for Transport Requests

*Please note we are currently not accepting transport requests that will take more than 30 hours to complete.

*We ask that all cats being considered for transport, be at least 16 weeks of age and no older than 12 years old (without written acknowledgement from vet that the senior kitty is healthy enough for travel for the length of time that they will be on the road. )

*If you have a need for a transport that will take more than 30 hours, or a cat that does not fit into the age guidelines, please email us at  Imaginehomeorg@gmail.com. Thank you so much for your understanding.

The following guidelines are for rescuers, adopters, and fosters who request transport from Imagine Home. These are only guidelines; Every transport request is evaluated individually. Imagine Home reserves the right to deny requests and to cancel transports already in planning stages, should any unresolved concern arise.

1. SCREENING — Rescuers must provide Imagine Home with information used to confirm the appropriateness of an adopter such as: How many pets does the adopter already have? Did you check vet references? Was a home visit done? We’ve received information in the past that has lead us to question the ability of the adopter to adequately care for another furry family member. Because we realize that not all information we gather may be accurate, we may not disclose the reason why we require certain information. Rest assured that we will disclose legitimate concerns as soon as able.
2. COMMUNICATION — We understand that rescue work takes a lot of your time and attention, as does transport planning take ours. If there are times you’ll definitely be unavailable, please let us know that. Communication may take place through Facebook, email, phone, text message, etc. Confirmation letters are sent out in advance and will have a complete list of everything needed for transport, it is important that you reply to the confirmation letter. We usually check messages seven days a week, from 9:00am to 9:00pm ET. Please understand that you may not always be dealing with the same person at Imagine Home. We make every effort to keep accurate notes so that we’re not duplicating efforts. We ask that rescuers stress to the adopter the importance of replying promptly to the Imagine Home team. Please remember, we are also all volunteers with other obligations. Inability to contact a rescuer or adopter in a timely manner will be cause to deny or cancel the transport request.
3. MULTIPLE ADOPTIONS — Unfortunately, animal hoarding is an issue we’ve occasionally come across. While we know that everyone’s circumstances are different, we don’t want to encourage anyone to take on more than they can handle. Our general guideline is to not transport more than 3 cats to the same adopter in a calendar year, and no more than 5 total to one adopter.  We reserve the right to change this policy without notice, and at our discretion.
4. URGENT TRANSPORT REQUESTS — An URGENT TRANSPORT is defined as a cat in danger of being euthanized, sent to a high kill shelter or released onto the street if not transported within two weeks. Urgent transports are possible in some situations, but are difficult for Imagine Home to coordinate. In some cases (especially for transports of over 100 miles), we may simply post your request on our wall and ask those interested to contact you directly. Whenever possible, we will attempt to coordinate an urgent transport to save a cat’s life.

5. TRANSPORT SUPPLIES —

Basic required supplies for SENDER to supply for each passenger on a one-day transport:

• A valid Health Certificate for any transport that crosses state lines.
• All age and health appropriate testing and vaccines, including Rabies. (please see confirmation letter for complete list of required vetting.) All possibility of parasites should be handled before transport; Flea treatment should be no more than 3 weeks before start of transport.  Please send a small blanket or light sheet to cover crate in the event the kitty needs to decompress.
  If cat has any sort of parasite (fleas, worms, etc.) that is active while on transport, SENDER will be billed for any treatment deemed necessary by an accredited veterinarian.
• Age and weight appropriate spay or neuter for all cats on transport.  We will not transport an UNALTERED cat without a valid health reason.  If kitty needs surgery for altering, we require at least a 10 day recovery period for health and safety reasons.
• wire crate for the transport, secured together with zip ties. Soft-sided carriers and cardboard boxes are NOT acceptable.  Unlike many paid transport services, we require each cat have its own carrier that remains with the cat from beginning to end. Because most of our transports involve multiple drivers, with multiple stops, it is just too dangerous to risk moving a cat from one carrier to another.
•  At NO TIME  should a crate be larger than 24” L  x 18” W x 19” H.             
• The  crate MUST fit in a small  car.  
• Pictured above is an example of a crate setup WITH the divider used to create an extra shelf.  Kitties love it!   Find this crate here:  https://tinyurl.com/y4xz4w74
• Disposable litter box and litter
• Food and water bowls. We suggest buying food storage containers so that you can easily seal the containers. These can be purchased at the dollar store.
  
• A bag of food, preferably the same kind of food that the cat is accustomed to eating, since changing foods can cause stomach upset.  The food needs to either be in the original container or have the brand and name clearly written on the bag.
• A bottle of water in a container that can be easily opened and resealed.
• Towels or paper towels to clean up messes.
• A blanket or towel to line the bottom of the carrier/crate, for comfort and to absorb any messes/spills.
• Any medications (OTC or prescribed) for the cat, if applicable.  Instructions for these items MUST be included.
• Disposable grocery bags/trash bags for getting rid of trash from accident cleanups.
• A large trash bag for the litter box.
• Litter scoop
• Kitty wipes
  
• Anything else that you know to be reasonable to provide for the cat.
• Please keep in mind that many drivers do not have room for lots of supplies.  Pack smartly please!  We generally don’t have room for a kitty condo in drivers’ cars.  

Two-day transports (those with an overnight stop) or longer require all of the supplies above PLUS:

• Additional food and water to last at least the duration of the transport.

If you have any questions or concerns about the supplies that you are required to provide, please contact transports@imaginehome.org.

The SENDER may negotiate with the final RECEIVER/ADOPTER of the cat to be reimbursed for the supplies; that is up to SENDER and RECEIVER to negotiate and arrange payment among themselves.

It is not the responsibility of Imagine Home to provide supplies for any transport. The SENDER is ultimately responsible for seeing that the transport is adequately supplied.  *Failure to adequately supply a transport will result in request for reimbursement and future transports for involved parties may be deemed not viable, depending on outcome.

1. LENGTH OF TRANSPORT — The sender and receiver are expected to drive a leg of the transport or find someone that can. We prefer to limit transports to a maximum of two 12-hour days. Think about how stressful it might be for you to ride in a car for that long! If you’d be stressed, kitty would be also. We try to avoid any unnecessary stress for the cats that we transport.

• CURRENT HEALTH/RISK FACTORS — Mother cats still nursing kittens, bottle fed kittens, senior cats (10+ years old), FeLV/FIV+ cats , CH cats, cats on medication. We must take into consideration that not every transporter may have the knowledge or ability to deal with certain health conditions. We also consider that cats with certain health conditions may require special accommodations — shorter trips, stops at a vet, etc. If there are special considerations that need to be taken, we MUST know about these PRIOR to approving the transport request. This information will help us ensure that the appropriate drivers are signed up to transport.
• PARTICIPATION — ADOPTER and FOSTER/SENDER must take an active part in recruiting for this transport, and must be up-to-date on the current status at all times. They must stay in contact with the transport coordinator. Imagine Home will not spend our time on people who cannot or will not participate in their own transport.

Adopter MUST make arrangements for the last leg of the trip, whether it is you driving or a friend. If you do not have the means to take the last leg of your transport, we must be notified IMMEDIATELY.

We are ALL cat lovers. We treat every transported kitty as if it were our own. We want each kitty to feel safe and loved from the beginning of the journey to the end. Just as every kitty is unique, every transport request is unique. If your request falls outside our guidelines, we’re still willing to discuss it with you. Send us a message through our Facebook page, email (imaginehomeorg@gmail.com) or contact any admin directly.

Mutual Respect for drivers AND kitties. *

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