What If...? Birth of a Big Idea.

I was thinking about my recent post: What will happen to my cats when I die? I was fortunate that I have one friend, Super-Deb, who will take 2 of the 8 cats. My other good friend, Jennifer, jumped in via e-mail and said "I've got your back." Our long time-CiCH friend and Super-Spencer-Fan, Shelli, said she would HAVE to give Spencer a home, no matter what.

Then it hit me. What if...

...we could put together a group of people who would be known, trusted cat lovers, who have great Vet references, who know how to deal with cat problems, behavior issues, health issues, who, for the return of the same kindness to the group-the group does the same for them. When one of us dies, we have a number of people already lined up who are willing and able to care for one or more of our cats.

Perhaps we could form bonds during our lives and know that certain cats are "spoken for", but there are always people that are considered the "fail safe or runner up" should “Miss America not be able to fulfill her duties...” so to speak.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson Patches has her whole life in front of her, but what would happen if her owner died suddenly?

Not only are we providing a vital service, but we're giving each other the support when we will need it most-when we can no longer care for our cats and when they are at high risk of being euthanized if they are taken to a shelter, instead of to a trusted friend.

So what happens if someone takes in another person's cat and that cat has lots of issues. What if it doesn't work out? Are we back to square one? Does that cat become homeless again? How do we protect everyone in this situation? I'm not sure. This is where I'm stuck.

What do you think? How could this work? I see it as possibly something that is begun with myself and my trusted friends who would have to be completely checked out-even background check. Then, to join, you would have to be invited, then have a serious check of your background, Vet check, home visit, etc. Once passed, you're in for life. We all would pay in a yearly fee and that money would be pooled into an account we draw from to cover costs when a cat/s has to be transported to a new home and perhaps any costs to get the cat UTD on shots/tests if needed.

We'd also need an attorney to help us craft the wording that we would all have to add to our Will. I would want every loose end tied up because families fight over everything once someone dies. If your lawyer or family KNOW there is a provision in your Will, then they can't do too much about that.

Perhaps this service already exists? Where is it? Where do I sign up?