Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 1 December 2025

Operated by: MEOWOOF LIMITED
Registered Address: 13 Adelaide Road, Dublin D02 P950, Ireland
Company Registration Number (CRN): 755310
Business Name Registration Number (RBN): 775452

Contact Email: privacy@cats.ie

1. Introduction

Cats.ie is operated by MEOWOOF LIMITED, an Irish-registered company providing an online platform for cat owners, breeders, rescue organisations, and cat-related service providers.

We respect your privacy and comply with:

  1. the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR – Regulation (EU) 2016/679),
  2. The Irish Data Protection Act 2018, and
  3. The ePrivacy (Electronic Communications) Regulations 2011.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, and the rights you have under data-protection law.

Use of the Cats.ie website and services is also governed by our other published policies and terms.

2. Who Controls Your Data

The data controller responsible for your personal information is:

MEOWOOF LIMITED
13 Adelaide Road, Dublin D02 P950, Ireland
Email: privacy@cats.ie

We may use trusted third-party processors (such as hosting, payment, and email service providers) under strict contractual arrangements ensuring that your data is processed securely and only in accordance with our instructions.

3. What Information We Collect

We collect personal data in the following ways:

3.1 Account Registration

  1. Name or business name
  2. Email address (for verification and communication)
  3. Mobile number (for SMS verification)
  4. County and town/city
  5. Optional: nickname, profile photo, Eircode, biography

3.2 Listings & Services

  1. Listing information (e.g. cat details, descriptions, prices, photos, videos)
  2. Optional breeder, rescue, or service registration numbers

3.3 Payments

  1. We do not store or process payment card details directly.
  2. All payments are processed securely via WooCommerce using Stripe, a PCI-DSS-compliant payment processor.
  3. MEOWOOF LIMITED is not VAT-registered; all prices shown are VAT-free.

3.4 Giveaways

  1. Name, email address, county
  2. Entry actions (e.g. follows, shares, form submissions)

This information is used solely to manage giveaways and contact winners.

3.5 Communication

  1. Messages sent via contact forms, support email, or internal messaging
  2. Newsletter and promotional subscriptions (only with explicit consent)

3.6 Cookies & Analytics

  1. Cookies required for site functionality, security, and preferences
  2. Analytics data (e.g. page views, browser type, approximate location).

Analytics data is processed in an aggregated manner and IP addresses are anonymised where applicable.

4. How We Use Your Information

We process personal data based on:

  • Contractual necessity (to provide platform services),
  • Legal obligations (compliance with Irish and EU law),
  • Legitimate interests (platform security, fraud prevention, improvement),
  • Consent (marketing communications, optional cookies).

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where a lawful basis under Article 6 GDPR applies.

Purpose Example Lawful Basis
Account creation & authentication
User registration
Contractual necessity
Listing publication
Displaying listings
Contractual necessity
Payment & billing
Processing upgrades
Contractual necessity
Communication
User support & messaging
Legitimate interest
Giveaways
Managing entries
Consent
Marketing emails
Newsletters & updates
Consent (opt-in)
Security & fraud prevention
Moderation & abuse prevention
Legitimate interest
Legal compliance
Regulatory obligations
Legal obligation

We never sell or rent your personal data.

5. Sharing of Information

We share personal data only where necessary to operate the service:

  • With payment processors (Stripe)
  • With hosting, email, and infrastructure providers,
  • With analytics providers,
  • With authorities or law enforcement where legally required.

All third parties operate under GDPR-compliant Data Processing Agreements (DPAs).

7. Data Retention

Data Type Retention Period
User accounts
While active + 12 months after deletion
Listings & messages
Up to 12 months after expiry
Financial records
7 years (legal requirement)
Giveaway entries
12 months after draw
Support correspondence
24 months

After these periods, data is securely deleted or anonymised.

7. Your Rights

Under GDPR, you have the right to:
 1. Access your personal data
 2. Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data
 3. Request erasure (“right to be forgotten”)
 4. Restrict processing
 5. Data portability
 6. Object to certain processing (e.g. marketing)
 7. Withdraw consent at any time.

Requests should be sent to privacy@cats.ie.

We respond within 30 days, as required by law.

If you are not satisfied, you may contact the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) at www.dataprotection.ie.

8. Cookies

Cats.ie uses cookies to:

  • maintain login sessions and preferences,
  • enable secure site functionality,
  • analyse traffic and improve usability.

You can manage or withdraw cookie consent at any time via the site’s cookie settings.

For full details, please see our Cookie Policy.

9. International Data Transfers

Most data is stored within the European Economic Area (EEA).
Where data is transferred outside the EEA, appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission are applied..

10. Security

We apply appropriate technical and organisational safeguards, including:

  • site-wide HTTPS encryption,
  • password hashing and secure storage,
  • optional two-factor authentication,
  • regular updates and backups,
  • restricted internal access on a need-to-know basis.

No online system is completely secure; users share information at their own discretion.

11. Children’s Privacy

Cats.ie is not intended for children under the age of 16.
If we become aware that personal data of a child has been collected without parental consent, it will be deleted promptly.

12. Updates to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated to reflect legal or operational changes.
The effective date will always appear at the top of this page.
We encourage users to review it periodically.

Contact

For all data-protection queries, please contact:

Cats.ie – Data Protection Officer
Email : privacy@cats.ie
Address: MEOWOOF LIMITED,
13 Adelaide Road, Dublin D02 P950, Ireland