Rescue Partnership Responsibilities & Requirements

Public, non-binding overview

This document provides a high-level overview of the responsibilities, expectations, and operational standards associated with rescue partnerships with Biscuits & Beans Cat Café (B&B) and the Just Tails Foundation for Cat Care. It is intended to support transparency and thoughtful alignment before a full Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is requested or executed.

Our model is purpose-built for rescues that are able to meet consistent medical, behavioral, operational, and communication standards in a public café environment. We recognize that these requirements may not be a fit for every organization, particularly smaller or municipal rescues, and that is completely understandable. This overview is designed to help rescues self-assess fit early and confidently.

Our Partnership Model (the Why)

Biscuits & Beans Cat Café operates as a structured foster-to-adoption environment. Cats remain the legal property of their rescue while temporarily residing at the café, where they receive daily care, enrichment, and public exposure to support successful, informed adoptions. Because this is a free-roaming, multi-cat, public setting, consistency matters. Standards exist to protect:

  • Cat welfare and stress levels
  • Guest and staff safety
  • Rescue reputation and adoption outcomes
  • Regulatory compliance

This model works best for rescues that already operate with defined medical protocols, behavior assessments, reliable transport, and timely communication.

What We Commit To (Café & Foundation Responsibilities)

Biscuits & Beans Cat Café

B&B is responsible for providing:

  • A safe, enriched, low-stress café and cat lounge environment
  • Daily feeding, fresh water, litter maintenance, and monitoring
  • Behavioral observation and enrichment
  • Administration of disclosed, non-emergency medications
  • Adoption marketing, guest education, and facilitated meet-and-greets
  • Primary screening and approval of adopters through a Universal Adoption Application

B&B’s Chief Cat Officer oversees cat welfare, placement suitability, and adoption decisions and may determine, at their discretion, that a cat is no longer suitable for the café environment.

Just Tails Foundation for Cat Care

The Foundation manages and distributes donations received through the café and directly through it’s website, justtails.org. As donations allow, the Foundation:

  • Provides essential consumables (food, litter, enrichment, care supplies) in the cat lounge environment
  • Maintains a one-month reserve to ensure uninterrupted care
  • Distributes surplus funds monthly to B&B partner rescues, proportionate to adoption activity at B&B

Rescue Responsibilities & Capacity Expectations

Foster Cat Eligibility

Rescues place only cats who are:

  • Six (6) months or older
  • Spayed or neutered
  • Up to date on core vaccinations (including rabies)
  • FeLV/FIV tested (FeLV negative required)
  • Microchipped (rescue listed as primary contact)
  • Quarantined for a minimum of 14 days prior to arrival
  • Free of contagious illness

Complete medical records, including rabies certificates and microchip numbers, must be readily available for each cat.

Behavioral & Temperament Standards

Cats must be assessed and deemed appropriate for a public, multi-cat environment. This includes:

  • No known aggression toward people or other cats
  • Safe handling by staff
  • Ability to adapt to a social setting
  • Disclosure of known triggers, fears, or special needs

Cats exhibiting severe fear, reactivity, or unsafe behaviors are not appropriate for café placement.

Grooming & Presentation

Rescues ensure cats arrive:

  • Clean, well-groomed, and mat-free
  • Nails trimmed
  • Ears cleaned
  • With written grooming or care instructions, if applicable

Transport & Scheduling

Rescues:

  • Deliver cats on requested scheduled intake days/times
  • Provide cats in secure carriers
  • Supply a complete, written biography for each cat
  • Remain onsite during intake confirmation & acceptance

If a rescue cannot place an eligible cat within the agreed intake window, B&B may offer the open spot to another rescue partner.

Medical Care & Incident Protocols

Ongoing & Emergency Care

  • Rescues remain responsible for all routine, ongoing, and emergency veterinary care
  • Rescues provide transport to scheduled vet appointments
  • In emergencies where the rescue cannot respond in time, B&B may transport the cat for urgent care

Bite or Safety Incidents

In the event of a reportable bite:

  • B&B complies with all Virginia and local health department requirements
  • Cats are not confined or observed at the café
  • Rescues retrieve the cat no later than the next business day
  • Rescues manage confinement, observation, and all associated costs

Adoption Process & Post-Adoption Responsibility

Adoption Flow

  • B&B serves as the primary adopter screening and approval authority through its UAA
  • Approved adopters may adopt any eligible cat housed at B&B
  • Same-day adoptions are permitted once approvals and payments are confirmed

Fees & Contracts

  • Adoption fee is currently $125 for every cat housed at B&B
  • Adoptions fees are paid directly to the rescue
  • Rescues maintain their own web-accessed electronic adoption contracts and payment systems

After Adoption

Rescues retain responsibility for:

  • Post-adoption questions or concerns
  • Transfer of relevant and necessary documents to the Adopter
  • Medical or behavioral issues after placement
  • Returns or rehoming

B&B’s responsibility ends once the cat leaves the café.

Transparency & Ethical Alignment

Partner rescues will provide an initial summary intake and outcome data for the prior two calendar years, including:

  • Total intake
  • Live outcomes
  • Euthanasia outcomes (categorized)

There is no required euthanasia rate. Transparency and ethical alignment are essential.

Alignment Check

This partnership model is intentionally structured and may not align with every rescue’s current capacity or mission, and that’s okay. Our goal is thoughtful alignment, not pressure to participate.

If this overview feels like a good fit, we welcome the next conversation and can share our full Partner Rescue MOU. If it does not, we genuinely appreciate the work you do and respect that different models serve different needs.

This overview is informational only and does not constitute a binding agreement.