Lifetime Care Program
Ensure your pets are in good hands — no matter what. Work with Cats in the City to establish a Power of Attorney for Pet Care.
Plan Ahead So Your Cat Is Never Left Without Protection, Advocacy, or Care
Cats in the City Rescue already steps in for cats whose guardians unexpectedly become unable to care for them, including after hospitalization, incapacitation, placement in a care facility, or death. The Lifetime Care Program allows us to prepare for that possibility in advance.
If something happens to you, your cat may need immediate safety, temporary care, medical coordination, and a long-term plan. This program creates structure before a crisis, so your cat is not left in uncertainty and your wishes are easier to carry forward.
Why This Program Matters
Most guardians assume they will always be there for their cat. But illness, accidents, hospitalization, and sudden life changes do happen. Without a clear plan, cats may be left alone in the home, passed into uncertain arrangements, or surrendered during a moment of confusion.
The Cats in the City Rescue Lifetime Care Program is designed to reduce that uncertainty. We document your cat’s needs in advance, maintain updated records, identify your funding structure, and create a direct path for response if the program is ever activated.
- Your cat’s care history and preferences are documented ahead of time
- Family members, attorneys, veterinarians, caregivers, and emergency contacts know who to call
- Your wishes guide next steps whenever possible
- Your cat has a structured path to safety, stabilization, and long-term care
What the Program Includes
Documented Care Profile
We maintain a profile that may include medical history, feeding routines, medications, behavior notes, veterinary providers, comfort preferences, emergency contacts, and long-term placement guidance.
Program Activation Planning
The program establishes a practical response structure in advance so that if something happens, there is already direction, contact information, and a prepared care framework.
Long-Term Care Coordination
We help members think through who should care for the cat if possible, how funds will be accessed, what instructions should guide placement, and how Cats in the City Rescue may step in if needed.
How Enrollment Works
Enrollment is designed to be thoughtful, practical, and easy to maintain over time. We help you create a real-world protection plan, not just a file that sits in a drawer.
Planning Consultation
We begin with a personalized planning conversation about your cat, your emergency contacts, your preferred future caregiver if you have one, and the level of support you want Cats in the City Rescue to provide.
Complete the Enrollment Packet
You complete the Lifetime Care Program Agreement, Durable Pet Care Power of Attorney, Pet Care Planning Worksheet, and emergency contact information so your cat’s care history, routines, and instructions are clearly documented.
Establish Funding Structure
We help you identify whether your plan will be pre-funded, estate-funded, or cash-funded and encourage coordination with your attorney regarding a pet trust, will provision, dedicated account, beneficiary designation, or other care funding method.
Create the Cat Guardian Legacy File
Your enrollment materials, veterinary information, care instructions, emergency contacts, funding references, and planning documents are organized into a structured Cat Guardian Legacy File so critical information can be located quickly if the program is ever activated.
Receive Program Activation Materials
Members receive a FELINE TRANSITIONS® Lifetime Care Program emergency magnet and notification materials that can be shared with family members, caregivers, healthcare representatives, attorneys, veterinarians, and trusted friends.
These materials help ensure that if you become hospitalized, incapacitated, enter a care facility, or pass away, those around you know that a care plan exists and that Cats in the City Rescue should be contacted to activate your cat’s transition plan.
Keep the Plan Current
Your annual membership supports ongoing readiness and record maintenance. We recommend updating your cat’s medical information, caregiver preferences, emergency contacts, veterinary providers, and funding arrangements as life evolves.
Documents and Program Activation Materials
The Lifetime Care Program is supported by coordinated documents and notification tools that help authority, information, and funding move in the right direction when timing matters most.
Lifetime Care Program Agreement
This agreement outlines the structure of the program, the role of Cats in the City Rescue, the membership terms, and the framework for program activation and care coordination.
Durable Pet Care Power of Attorney
This document allows Cats in the City Rescue to act during your lifetime if you are hospitalized, incapacitated, placed in a care facility, or otherwise unable to care for your cat yourself.
Pet Care Planning Worksheet
This worksheet documents your cat’s routines, personality, medications, veterinary providers, feeding preferences, handling needs, placement preferences, and other practical care details.
Estate Planning Guide
This guide helps you and your attorney coordinate pet trust language, will provisions, caregiver designation, and post-death care funding so authority and money continue in the right legal lane.
Setting Aside Funds for Care
Planning for your cat’s future also means planning for the financial resources required to carry out that care.
The Cats in the City Rescue Lifetime Care Program supports pre-funded, estate-funded, and cash-funded arrangements, and we encourage members to choose the structure that best fits their legal, financial, and family situation.
Human-grade feline care, medical coordination, housing, transition support, and structured rehoming can be substantial. A realistic funding plan helps ensure that your cat’s care can move forward when it is needed most.
Pet Trust
A pet trust allows you to legally allocate funds specifically for your cat’s care. An attorney can help establish this as part of your estate planning and structure it in a way that clearly defines how funds should be managed and used.
- Reserve funds specifically for your cat
- Designate oversight through a trustee
- Provide legally documented care instructions
- Reduce confusion during estate administration
Care Allocation in Your Will
Some guardians choose to set aside funds for their cat’s care through their will. This can be an appropriate option when paired with clear written instructions and designated contacts who understand how the care plan should be carried out.
These funds may support:
- Boarding and transitional care
- Veterinary treatment
- Food and supplies
- Behavioral support
- Long-term placement if needed
Dedicated Care Account
Some guardians prefer to create a dedicated financial account that can be accessed by a designated caregiver, trustee, or estate representative if the program is activated.
When using this model, it is important to ensure that the purpose of the funds is clearly documented, that the correct person has authority to access them, and that care instructions are easy to locate and understand.
Pre-Funded Lifetime Care Legacy Contribution
Some members choose to make a restricted charitable contribution during their lifetime to help sustain the Lifetime Care Program and support future readiness.
These funds are restricted to feline care, treatment, medical support, housing, welfare, transition services, and program sustainability.
A pre-funded contribution is a charitable donation, not a prepaid service contract or escrow account for a specific cat. Contributions are irrevocable and non-refundable, including if the cat passes away before the program is activated or if the guardian relocates.
Lifetime Care Program Emergency Magnet
Members receive a FELINE TRANSITIONS® Lifetime Care Program emergency magnet designed to be visible to family members, caregivers, emergency contacts, healthcare providers, and others who may be assisting during a medical emergency, hospitalization, incapacity, or end-of-life transition.
The magnet serves as a simple but important reminder that a cat care plan is already in place and that Cats in the City Rescue should be contacted if the program needs to be activated.
In an emergency, every hour matters. The magnet helps ensure that caregivers know who to call, how to reach us, and that arrangements have already been made for the cat’s continued care, safety, and welfare.
We recommend displaying the magnet prominently on a refrigerator or other highly visible location within the home.
Lifetime Care Program Fees
To maintain the program and ensure readiness if care is ever needed, enrollment includes a one-time registration fee and an annual membership fee.
One-Time Registration
- Program enrollment
- Creation of your cat’s care profile
- Documentation of veterinary and behavioral history
- Program activation planning
- Creation of your Cat Guardian Legacy File
Annual Membership
- Maintaining updated care records
- Program administration
- Emergency response readiness
- Staff coordination and planning
- Annual review reminders
Keeping membership active helps ensure that Cats in the City Rescue remains prepared to respond if your cat ever needs us.
Optional Pre-Funded Legacy Contribution
Members who want to provide a stronger future funding foundation may make a restricted Lifetime Care Legacy Contribution beginning at $12,500. This contribution supports feline care, housing, medical treatment, welfare, transition services, and the long-term sustainability of the program.
This contribution is not required for enrollment, but it may be appropriate for guardians who want to make a substantial lifetime commitment toward their cat’s future care and the system that will support that care if activation is ever needed.
If the Program Is Activated
If a Cats in the City Rescue Lifetime Care Program member becomes incapacitated, hospitalized, placed in a care facility, or passes away, activation typically begins when a designated contact, family member, attorney, medical professional, veterinarian, caregiver, or other responsible party notifies Cats in the City Rescue.
Once notified, our team initiates the care plan established during enrollment so your cat is not left without direction, support, or advocacy.
What Happens If You Become Unable to Care for Your Cat
Immediate Safety
Our first priority is ensuring your cat’s immediate safety. Depending on the situation, Cats in the City Rescue may coordinate access to the home, arrange transportation, or stabilize the cat in place until transport can occur.
Stabilization and Intake
Your cat is brought into the Cats in the City care system through feline-focused boarding, foster support, or veterinary evaluation if needed. Because we already maintain a care profile, transition stress can often be reduced.
Implementation of Your Care Plan
During enrollment, you document your wishes for your cat’s future. This may include a preferred caregiver, placement preferences, medical guidance, and relevant behavioral considerations. Cats in the City Rescue follows these instructions to the fullest extent possible.
Long-Term Placement
Depending on the situation, long-term care may involve placement with a designated caregiver, adoption through our rescue network, or another supported arrangement. Every placement is evaluated for safety, compatibility, and stability.
Ongoing Advocacy
Our responsibility does not end with intake. Cats in the City Rescue continues to advocate for the cat throughout the transition, including veterinary coordination, support for the new caregiver, and monitoring during adjustment.
Clarity in a Difficult Moment
One of the greatest benefits of the program is clarity. Family members, attorneys, veterinarians, caregivers, and emergency contacts know who to call, what has already been planned, and how your cat’s care should move forward.
Example Scenario
If a guardian becomes hospitalized or passes away, a designated contact notifies Cats in the City Rescue. Our team secures the cat’s immediate safety, arranges transportation if needed, provides boarding or foster care, coordinates veterinary care, and implements the long-term plan established during enrollment.
This helps ensure that the cat is never left without care or advocacy.
A Plan Means Your Cat Is Never Alone
One of the hardest realities in animal care is what happens when guardians unexpectedly disappear from a pet’s life. The Cats in the City Rescue Lifetime Care Program exists to help ensure that this does not result in confusion, abandonment, or preventable shelter surrender.
A Known Advocate
Your cat is not left in limbo. There is already a prepared organization with records, instructions, and a response structure.
A Clear Care Plan
Your wishes are documented in advance so important decisions are not made blindly in a crisis.
A Safe Place to Go
Whether care begins with boarding, foster support, or medical coordination, your cat has a structured and supported next step.
The Environment Your Cat May Enter if Care Is Needed
Cats in the City provides feline-focused care environments designed to support stability, observation, enrichment, and gentle transition during stressful moments.
Begin Your Cat’s Lifetime Care Plan
Planning ahead protects your cat, reduces uncertainty for loved ones, and creates a clear path forward if something unexpected happens.
CARING FOR YOUR PETS WHEN YOU’RE NO LONGER ABLE
POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR PET CARE
Finding someone you trust to care for your animals while you’re gone for vacation is hard enough. What about when you’re gone for good?
Many people write wills to ensure their (human) family members and property are cared for properly after their death or if they become ill or incapacitated. Yet only 9 percent of those wills include a clear care plan for any animals left behind.
With the lifespan of pets so short, many pet owners expect to outlive their furry friends. But tragedy can strike anyone.
If you’ve ever lost someone close to you, you understand how chaotic life can become in the aftermath: There’s a funeral to plan, family to comfort and possessions to distribute. Unfortunately, pets can be overlooked in the confusion that accompanies death or unexpected illness.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, pets are often found in an owner’s home several days after a death or emergency strikes. Without their owner or access to food or water, the pets are found scared and famished.
You can take action now to ensure your pets are cared for immediately and according to your wishes.
Plan for Permanent Care
Pets will need immediate attention, so establishing an emergency caregiver and carrying an alert card are good first steps. However, permanent and formal arrangements should still be made. The best way to ensure your pet is cared for according to your wishes in the long term is to put your terms on paper.
Cats in the City helps pet owners document their wishes in a will, trust or other legal document with the assistance of an attorney.
DESIGNATE EMERGENCY CAREGIVERS
Designate Cats in the City to serve as emergency caregivers and provide them as much information as possible about your pets. Provide a key to your home and detailed feeding and care instructions. Make sure they have access to the most up-to-date copy of veterinarian records and contact information.
CARRY AN ALERT CARD
Carry a card in your wallet that indicates you are a pet owner and where your pets are located. Include the contact information for your emergency caregivers.
POST NOTICES ON DOORS & WINDOWS
Post information about your pets in a noticeable location on a door or window. This will let firefighters or other emergency responders know that there are pets in the home. The notice should also include information about your emergency caregivers.
Nancy's Story
Experience as Tireless Advocates for Animals.
Cats in the City has already advocated for several animals after their owners have passed, including three purebred ragdoll cats belonging to a sweet woman named Nancy.
On June 12, 2020, Dan and Shawn received a handwritten note from Nancy:
“You have been so very good to me, and at a time when I truly needed it. I feel so very lucky to have found people who take — and will take — such good care of my most cherished members of my family! With that in mind, enclosed is the information so that in the event of my permanent demise, my cats will be cared for as they deserve to be!”
The card listed specific instructions for each of the three boys: They must be kept together, they are fed a 250 calorie per day diet, and Pebbles is addicted to Friskies lil’ soups and should be treated to one a day (although she would prefer a keg of the stuff if it were available).
Nancy drew a smiley face next to the line where she mentioned her permanent demise, and noted that she was laughing about it as it seemed ridiculous. However, Nancy passed away not long after she wrote the note on September 5, 2020.
Because of Nancy’s forethought and planning — she had met with a lawyer and set up an account with money to provide for the care of the cats with Cats in the City until a permanent home was found — her wishes were kept. Cats in the City found a new forever home for the boys, where they could stay together and enjoy all the lil’ soups their bellies desire.
Although Nancy’s wishes for her cats were clear in her note, the fiduciary carrying out her estate still considered separating the cats to save money. Dan and Shawn advocated tirelessly, as they had promised, and refused to compromise on a situation they knew Nancy would not have wanted for her cats.
Nancy’s three boys are now in good hands, but the experience inspired Cats in the City to help more owners establish a plan for their own animals.
Cats in the City: Character to do what's right
“Our whole philosophy is based on caring for other peoples’ pets like we would want our own pets to be cared for. Our life experience and our training puts us in the unique position to carry out the end-of-life wishes of pet owners. The systems in place — the fiduciaries and the courts — sometimes care more about money than about the dead’s wishes. We take this very seriously and have the character to fight for what’s right for the pets”
– Shawn Lioy-Ryan, Co-Founder, Cats in the City
Cats in the City was founded over a decade ago by animal lovers Shawn and Daniel Lioy-Ryan, a social worker and neuroscientist with backgrounds in animal behavior.
They created Cats in the City based on the vision of what they would want for their own animals: The comfort of a home setting instead of the confinement of a crate or kennel.
With years of experience in cat training for animal-assisted therapy in hospice settings, animal behavior, and professional grooming, several Cats In The City customers have come to trust Shawn and Daniel to care for their animals in the event of their death.
This is an honor that Shawn and Daniel have trained their entire careers for and are ready to help more pet owners establish their Powers of Attorney for Pet Care.
Are you ready to ensure your pets are in good hands? Contact Cats in the City at 503-214-2003 to get started.
Contact
Caring for Cats in the Portland Metro Area
We measure our love of cats by how much we are loved by them.
Have questions or need to arrange care for your feline friend? We’re here to help! Reach out to us for any inquiries or to schedule our services.
For more immediate assistance, feel free to call us. We look forward to hearing from you and providing the best care for your cat!
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