A home visit is not a cleanliness test. In 30 minutes a reviewer is checking 3 things: whether a cat can get out (windows, doors, balcony), whether it can get hurt (toxins, plants, appliances), and whether the household can afford 12 years of it. 12 items, 2 minutes each, and 3 categories of failure. Homes that fail almost always fail on a measurement, not on taste — a 5 cm gap under a balcony rail, a lily on a windowsill, a budget with $0 of margin.
The 12 items, 2 minutes each
1, window screens on every opening that can be reached from furniture. 2, balcony rail height and gap, measured, not eyeballed. 3, doors to the outside: 2 doors between the cat and the street, or 1 with an airlock. 4, toxic plants: lily, sago palm, oleander. 5, household chemicals and medications in closed cabinets. 6, appliances: dryer, washer, oven — lid closed, habit of checking. 7, litter boxes: 1 per cat plus 1, 1.5 m from food. 8, food and water placement, 1.5 m apart, away from the box. 9, scratching and climbing provision, at least 1 post 90 cm tall. 10, budget: food, litter, insurance, and a 3 month buffer. 11, vet: a clinic named, with a first appointment booked inside 7 days. 12, plan for travel, illness and moving, in writing. Ask for a walk-through rather than a tour: the reviewer wants to see the window behind the sofa, not the living room.
Windows and balconies: the 3 measurements
Measure 3 numbers. Screen condition: no tear longer than 2 cm, and a frame that stays in the track when pushed with 10 kg of force; a standard insect screen holds a 4 kg cat's first push and fails the second. Balcony rail: at least 100 cm high, with no gap wider than 10 cm anywhere, including the gap between the rail and the floor; a cat fits through 10 cm and a determined one through 12 cm. Netting, if used, at 3 cm mesh or smaller, fixed to a frame and not to a plastic hook. Windows that open inward at the top let a cat push out at 5 cm; fit a limiter at 10 cm or a lock. If the flat is above the 3rd floor, treat every opening as a fall risk: a 5 story fall is survivable but costs $1,500 to $5,000 in surgery, and about 1 in 10 of those cats dies.
Litter math and the 60 cm rule
1 box per cat plus 1, each at least 1.5 times the cat's body length, in 3 different rooms if the flat has them. Place boxes 1.5 m from food and water, and not in a closed cupboard with the door shut — a box in a 40 cm cupboard gets used twice and then the bed does. A studio under 40 m2 can pass with 2 boxes if 1 is at each end of the flat, 4 m apart. If a household plans 2 cats in 45 m2, the reviewer should see where box 3 goes before the adoption, not after the first accident.
Poisons, plants and the 1 leaf rule
1 leaf of a true lily causes acute kidney injury in a cat; pollen on a fur coat is enough. Remove lilies, sago palms and oleander before the visit, not during it. Antifreeze in an open garage, permethrin flea products made for dogs, and human medications on a bedside table are the other 3 common finds. A home that keeps a lily on a surface the cat will reach fails the safety line regardless of everything else; it is not a difference of opinion.
Money: the 3 month buffer
| Line | US per month | UK per month | Year 1 extra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | $35 to $70 | £25 to £50 | $0 |
| Litter | $20 to $40 | £15 to £30 | $40 litter box |
| Insurance or savings | $25 to $60 | £15 to £35 | $250 to $600 vet start |
| Flea and worming | $10 to $20 | £8 to £15 | $0 |
| Buffer target, 3 months | $270 to $570 | £190 to £390 | $800 to $1,500 emergency |
The 3 categories of fail
Category 1, fixable in 24 hours: no screens on 1 window, a lily, a box in the wrong place, no litter box bought yet. These produce a conditional approval with a re-check by photo, and roughly 7 in 10 homes fix all of them within 2 days. Category 2, structural or legal: a balcony with a 12 cm gap and no permission to net it, a lease that forbids pets, a landlord who has not been asked, an unsafe front door onto a 4 lane road with no second door. These cannot be solved in a week and the adoption should wait or move to another home. Category 3, capacity mismatch: a household that wants a kitten but cannot do 4 feeds a day for 8 weeks, a 70 m2 flat with 2 dogs and a cat that the record flags as reactive, a budget with no buffer. Category 3 is a conversation, not a rejection, and it often ends with a different cat rather than no cat.
The 30 minute schedule
Minutes 0 to 5: entry, shoes, and the route from the front door — count the doors. Minutes 5 to 15: room by room, windows first, then kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Minutes 15 to 22: litter and food placement, then the balcony or the largest window. Minutes 22 to 28: budget and vet paperwork on the table. Minutes 28 to 30: 2 questions — who cares for the cat if you are hospitalized for a week, and what will you do the first time it urinates outside the box. Vague answers to either are the most common reason a reviewer asks for a second visit.
- Measure the balcony gap and the screen, with a tape, while the adopter watches.
- Ask for the first vet appointment date before the visit ends; anything past 7 days is a soft fail.
- Photograph each fixable item so the day 2 re-check takes 5 minutes by message.
- Write the decision in 3 lines: pass, conditional with 3 items by date, or fail with the category.
- Send the adopter the cost page, cost of a cat, before they sign anything.
The first 7 days after a pass decide more than the visit did: a room set up before arrival, a vet visit on day 3 to 5, and 1 hiding place the cat chooses. What to expect at that appointment is covered in first vet visit after adoption, and homes taking on a cat with a known condition should read special needs cat adoption before the visit, because the checklist gains 4 items.
Frequently asked
Can a home visit fail because of one plant?
Yes, if the plant is a true lily within reach of the cat, because 1 leaf or even pollen on the coat can cause acute kidney injury. Lilies, sago palms and oleander are removed before the visit, not during it. Everything else on the safety line is judged by measurement: a screen that tears under 10 kg of push, a balcony gap over 10 cm, or an unscreened window above the 3rd floor are the three that most often decide the outcome.
How long does a home visit take and what should I prepare?
Plan 30 minutes: 5 for the entry and door count, 10 for windows and cabinets, 7 for litter and food placement, 6 for budget and vet paperwork, and 2 for the two closing questions. Have the litter boxes already set up, the first vet appointment booked inside 7 days, a named clinic, and 3 months of buffer money set aside, which runs about $270 to $570 in the US and £190 to £390 in the UK.
What happens if the home visit finds problems?
The reviewer sorts findings into 3 categories. Items fixable in 24 hours, such as a missing screen or a new litter box, usually produce a conditional approval with a photo re-check in 2 days. Structural or legal problems, such as a lease that forbids pets or a balcony that cannot be netted, put the adoption on hold. Capacity mismatches, such as wanting a kitten with no time for 4 feeds a day, usually end with a different cat rather than a refusal.