Privacy and Cookies Policy

Last updated: May 2026

Orkney Cats (“we", “us", “our") is a volunteer-run cat rescue group based in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. We take the privacy of our supporters, adopters, fosterers, volunteers and visitors seriously. This policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and your rights under UK data protection law.

This policy covers our website at orkneycats.co.uk and any related services we provide, including the Friends of Orkney Cats supporter scheme, our adoption and fostering services, volunteer applications, and donations.

If you have any questions about this policy, please contact us at info@orkneycats.co.uk.

1. Who we are and how to contact us

Orkney Cats is a volunteer-run community group (not a registered charity) operating in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. For all data protection queries, please contact:

• Email: info@orkneycats.co.uk
• Post: Orkney Cats, 85 Victoria Street, Stromness, Orkney

We are the “data controller" for any personal information you provide to us, which means we decide how it is used and are responsible for looking after it.

2. What personal information we collect

We collect personal information from you in a number of ways, depending on how you interact with us.

Website visitors

When you visit our website, we automatically collect limited technical information through cookies and server logs. This may include your IP address, browser type, device type, pages viewed and time of visit. See section 8 for full details on cookies.

Adoption and fostering enquiries

When you apply to adopt or foster a cat, we collect information needed to assess your application and arrange the placement. This typically includes your name, address, telephone number, email address, household details, information about other pets, landlord details (where applicable), and any information you choose to share about your circumstances.

Volunteer applications

When you apply to volunteer with us, we collect your name, contact details, availability, relevant skills and experience, and any other information you provide in your application.

Friends of Orkney Cats subscriptions

When you become a Friend, we collect your name, email address, postal address (where you provide one for physical perks), the name you would like displayed on our Wall of Thanks (or your preference to remain unlisted), and your subscription tier and history. Payment card details are collected and held by Stripe, our payment processor, not by us.

One-off donations

When you make a one-off online donation, Stripe processes the payment on our behalf. We receive confirmation of the donation along with any name and email address you choose to provide.

Charity shop and in-person interactions

If you visit our charity shop in Stromness or contact us by phone, post or email, we may keep a record of your enquiry where relevant.

3. How we use your information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• Processing and managing adoption applications, including home checks and post-adoption follow-up
• Managing fostering agreements and supporting foster carers
• Processing and managing volunteer applications and placements
• Managing Friends of Orkney Cats subscriptions, processing payments, sending membership perks and communications, and maintaining the Wall of Thanks
• Processing one-off donations and acknowledging support
• Following up on neutering commitments for adopted cats and kittens
• Responding to enquiries and providing information you have requested
• Keeping administrative and financial records
• Complying with our legal obligations

4. Our legal basis for using your information

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal information. The bases we rely on are:

• Consent: where you have given us clear permission to use your information for a specific purpose (for example, displaying your name on the Wall of Thanks or sending you Friends newsletters).
• Contract: where processing is necessary to fulfil an agreement with you, such as an adoption contract, fostering agreement, or Friends subscription.
• Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests as a cat welfare group, balanced against your rights. Examples include keeping administrative records, following up on adopted cats’ welfare, and corresponding about volunteering opportunities.
• Legal obligation: where processing is required to comply with the law, such as keeping financial records.

5. Who we share your information with

We do not sell your personal information and we do not share it with marketers. We share information only where necessary to deliver our services or where required by law:

• Stripe: processes Friends subscriptions and one-off donations on our behalf. Stripe’s privacy policy is available at stripe.com/privacy.
• Cognito Forms: hosts our online application forms. Information submitted is transmitted to us and stored in line with their privacy policy at cognitoforms.com/privacy.
• Our website host and email provider: provide the technical infrastructure for our website and email. They process data on our instructions only.
• Foster carers and volunteers: may receive adopter contact details to arrange visits. Foster carers and volunteers are required not to retain such details longer than necessary.
• Insurance providers: where you accept the free five weeks of pet insurance offered on adoption, your details are passed to the insurer to set up the cover in your name.
• Authorities and regulators: where we are legally required to disclose information, for example to HMRC, law enforcement, or animal welfare authorities.

We do not transfer personal information outside the United Kingdom or European Economic Area, except where our service providers (such as Stripe) operate internationally and provide appropriate safeguards in line with UK GDPR.

6. How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out above, or as required by law. Typical retention periods are:

• Adoption records: kept for the life of the cat and a reasonable period afterwards, to support welfare follow-up and our records.
• Fostering records: kept for the duration of the fostering relationship and a reasonable period afterwards.
• Volunteer applications: kept while the application is active and for a reasonable period after, in case of future opportunities (unless you ask us to delete them sooner).
• Friends subscription records: kept while you remain a Friend and for a reasonable period afterwards for our records and reconciliation with Stripe.
• Donation records: kept in line with our financial record-keeping obligations.
• Website analytics and server logs: kept for a limited period for security and performance purposes.

If you ask us to delete your information, we will do so where we are not required to keep it for legal or legitimate-interest reasons.

7. Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the following rights in relation to your personal information:

• The right to be informed about how we use your information (this policy).
• The right of access to a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• The right to rectification of any inaccurate or incomplete information.
• The right to erasure of your information in certain circumstances.
• The right to restrict processing in certain circumstances.
• The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• The right to withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent (for example, unsubscribing from communications or asking to be removed from the Wall of Thanks).

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@orkneycats.co.uk. We will respond within one month.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK data protection regulator. Their website is ico.org.uk and their helpline is 0303 123 1113.

8. Cookies

A cookie is a small text file that a website places on your device to remember information between visits. Cookies are widely used to make websites work, improve user experience and provide reporting information.

How we use cookies

We use cookies for two main purposes:

• Strictly necessary cookies: required for the website and its core services to work, including donation and Friends subscription payments. These cookies do not require your consent under UK law.
• Third-party service cookies: set by services we use to deliver parts of the site, such as Stripe for payments. Stripe also uses cookies for fraud prevention and security on its own checkout pages.

We do not currently use analytics, advertising or tracking cookies on this website. If this changes in future, we will update this policy and request your consent where required.

Cookies set on our website

This list is provided in good faith and reflects our understanding of the cookies typically set by the services we use. The actual cookies set may change as third-party services update their own technology. You can review the cookies set on any page by opening your browser’s developer tools.

How to control cookies

You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies or alert you before one is set. However, blocking strictly necessary cookies may prevent parts of the website from working properly, including payments.

For more general guidance on cookies and how to manage them, see ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/online or aboutcookies.org.

9. Children’s privacy

Our services are aimed at adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe a child has provided information to us, please contact us so we can remove it.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The current version is always available on our website with the “last updated" date at the top. Significant changes will be highlighted where appropriate.

11. Contact us

For any questions about this policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact:

• Email: info@orkneycats.co.uk
• Post: Orkney Cats, 87 Victoria Street, Stromness, Orkney