Our Policies
Privacy Policy & Data Collection
The Cat Advocates is committed to protecting your privacy. We collect personal information when you voluntarily submit it to us, such as when registering for our newsletter, filling out a foster application, or making a donation. We do not sell, share, or rent your personal information to third parties. We use secure encryption protocols to protect financial transactions.
Donation Security & Financial Data:
We deeply value the trust you place in us when making a financial contribution. To ensure your financial information remains completely secure, The Cat Advocates does not collect, process, or store any credit card numbers, bank account details, or payment credentials on our own servers. All online donations are securely handled through industry-leading, PCI-DSS compliant third-party payment gateways (including Stripe, PayPal, Venmo, Credit Cards, and Cash App). Your sensitive financial data is transmitted via encrypted connections (HTTPS) directly to these secure processors. The Cat Advocates only receives confirmation of the transaction and the basic contact information you provide for tax-acknowledgment purposes.
Cookies:
At The Cat Advocates, we are deeply committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we handle your data. This Cookie Statement explains how and why we use cookies and similar technologies on our website, www.thecatadvocates.org, and how you can control them.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They help the website remember your actions and preferences over time, so you don’t have to keep re-entering them whenever you come back to the site or browse from one page to
another.
2. How We Use Cookies
As a nonprofit organization, we rely on digital tools to share our mission, connect with donors,and provide resources to our community. We use cookies to:
● Ensure our website functions properly and securely.
● Understand how visitors interact with our content so we can improve our website design and resources.
● Measure the effectiveness of our fundraising and outreach campaigns.
3. Types of Cookies We Use
We categorize our cookies into three main groups:
● Essential Cookies: These are strictly necessary for the website to function. They allow you to navigate the site, use secure features (like making a secure donation), and keep the website safe. The website cannot function properly without these.
● Performance & Analytics Cookies: These cookies collect anonymous information about how visitors use our site—for example, which pages are visited most often or if visitors get error messages. We use tools like [Google Analytics / Matomo / Plausible] to help us analyze this data so we can make our site more helpful.
● Marketing & Outreach Cookies: We occasionally use these cookies to understand which of our outreach efforts brought you to our site. This helps us ensure we are spending our limited donor funds responsibly on awareness campaigns. We do not sell your data to
third-party advertisers.
4. Your Choices: How to Control Cookies
You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies.
● Our Cookie Banner: When you first visit our site, you can choose to accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or customize your preferences via our cookie consent tool.
● Browser Controls: You can set or amend your web browser controls to accept or refuse cookies. If you choose to reject cookies, you may still use our website, though your access to some functionality and areas of our website may be restricted.
To learn more about how to manage cookies in your specific browser, visit:
● Google Chrome
● Mozilla Firefox
● Apple Safari
● Microsoft Edge
5. Updates to This Statement
We may update this Cookie Statement from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. Please re-visit this page regularly to stay informed.
6. Contact Us
If you have any questions about our use of cookies or other technologies, please email us at info@thecatadvocates.org or write to us at:
The Cat Advocates
PO Box 191, Denver, NC, 28037
Anti-Discrimination Policy
The Cat Advocates does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, the appointment to and of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services.
Terms of Service & Website Disclaimers
Welcome to The Cat Advocates’ website. By browsing and using this website, you agree to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use.
1. Intellectual Property
All content on this website—including text, graphics, logos, images, and educational materials—is the property of The Cat Advocates and is protected by copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or use our content for commercial purposes without express written permission.
2. General Medical & Behavioral Disclaimer
The information provided on this website, including behavioral tips, medical notes on specific animals, and pet care advice, is for informational and educational purposes only.
**Not Veterinary Advice:** Content on this site is not a substitute for professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your veterinarian regarding a medical condition.
**Animal Descriptions:** While we make every effort to provide accurate information regarding the health, temperament, and behavior of our rescue animals, their behavior can change in new environments. The Cat Advocates makes no guarantees regarding the ultimate health or temperament of any animal listed on this website.
3. Limitation of Liability
The Cat Advocates will not be held liable for any damages, losses, or injuries resulting from your use of this website, your reliance on any information provided herein, or your initial digital interactions with our listed animals. Physical interactions, volunteering, fostering, and adoptions are governed by separate, legally binding waivers.
4. Third-Party Links
Our website may include links to third-party websites (such as donation processors, partner veterinarians, or training resources). We do not endorse or assume responsibility or the content or practices of these external sites.
5. Governing Law
These terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of North Carolina/USA.