Statutes of Plätzchen für Kätzchen - PFK eV

§ 1 Name and registered office

1. The association is called "Plätzchen für Kätzchen - PFK".
2. The association is based in Hamburg.
   Stockmeyerstr. 43 / Hall 4a
   20457 Hamburg
3. The association will be entered in the register of associations and will then bear the suffix
   "e. V."

§ 2 Purpose of the Association

1. The association pursues exclusively and directly charitable purposes within the meaning of the section "Tax-privileged purposes" of the German Fiscal Code.
2. The purpose of the association is to promote animal welfare, in particular to ensure the long-term and sustainable well-being of cats that are difficult or impossible to rehome due to illness, behavioral problems, age, or other limitations. The association is committed to providing these cats with a species-appropriate, safe, and healthy life.
3. The purpose of the association is achieved in particular through:

• The intake, care and long-term nursing of cats that are difficult to rehome due to health or behavioral limitations.
  Providing species-appropriate, safe and loving care with sufficient space, opportunities for activity and individual retreat options.
• Medical care for the animals taken in, including veterinary examinations, treatments, vaccinations, parasite prophylaxis and necessary operations.
• Targeted behavior improvement and socialization of cats with behavioral problems by volunteers.
• Collaboration with veterinarians, behavior experts and other animal welfare organizations to optimize the care and placement opportunities of the cats.
• Providing a secure living environment that meets the natural needs of cats and allows them to live a dignified life, regardless of their rehoming potential.

§ 3 Selflessness

1. The association operates selflessly; it does not primarily pursue its own economic interests.
2. The association's funds may only be used for the purposes stipulated in its statutes. Members do not receive any payments from the association's funds.
3. No person may be favored by expenditures that are unrelated to the purpose of the association or by disproportionately high remuneration.

§ 4 Acquisition of membership

1. Any (natural) person can become a member of the association.
2. If the board rejects an application for membership, it must inform the applicant of the reasons for the rejection. Furthermore, the applicant has the right to appeal to the next general meeting, which will make the final decision.
3. Membership becomes effective upon receipt of the confirmation of acceptance.
4. On the recommendation of the board, the general meeting can appoint members or other persons who have rendered outstanding service to the association as honorary members for life.

§ 5 Termination of Membership

1. Membership in the association ends through death (in the case of legal entities, upon their dissolution), resignation or expulsion.
2. Resignation must be submitted in writing to the board of directors. Resignation is only possible with three months' notice, effective at the end of the fiscal year.
3. A member may be expelled from the association by a resolution of the general meeting if he a) culpably damages the reputation or interests of the association in a serious manner or b) is more than three months in arrears with the payment of his admission fee or membership fees and has not paid the arrears despite a written reminder threatening expulsion.
4. The member must be given the opportunity to comment on the reasons for their exclusion at the members' meeting. These reasons must be communicated to them at least two weeks in advance.

§ 6 Rights and obligations of members

1. Every member has the right to participate in joint events. Every member has equal voting rights in the general meeting.
2. Every member has the duty to promote the interests of the association, in particular to pay their membership fees regularly and, to the best of their ability, to support the association's activities through their participation.
3. Disputes between members that affect the association, between members and the association's bodies, as well as between the association's bodies themselves, should be settled internally within the association.

§ 7 Admission fee and membership fees

1. Each member is required to pay a monthly membership fee in advance.
2. The amount of the admission fee and membership fees is determined by the general meeting of members.
3. Honorary members are exempt from the admission fee and membership dues.

§ 8 Organs of the Association

The organs of the association are the board and the general meeting.

§ 9 Board of Directors

1. The board consists of the chairman, the deputy chairwoman and the treasurer.
2. The chairman, the deputy chairwoman and the treasurer each represent the association individually.
3. Members of the board of directors may receive remuneration. The amount of remuneration is decided by the general meeting of members.
4. Responsibilities of the Board of Directors: The Board of Directors of the association is responsible for representing the association in accordance with § 26 of the German Civil Code (BGB) and for managing its affairs. Its responsibilities include, in particular: a) convening and preparing the general meetings of members, including drawing up the agenda; b) implementing the resolutions of the general meeting of members; c) managing the association's assets and preparing the annual report; d) admitting new members.

§ 10 Appointment of the Board of Directors

1. The members of the board are elected individually by the general meeting for a term of two years. Only members of the association may serve on the board; membership on the board automatically terminates upon termination of membership in the association. Re-election or early removal of a member by the general meeting is permitted. A member remains in office after the expiration of their regular term until their successor is elected.
2. If a member leaves the board prematurely, the remaining members of the board are entitled to elect a member of the association to the board until the election of the successor by the general meeting.

§ 11 Consultation and decision-making of the board

1. The board meets as needed. Meetings are convened by the chairperson, or, if the chairperson is unavailable, by the deputy chairperson. A notice period of one week should be observed. The board has a quorum when at least two members are present. Decisions are made by a majority of the valid votes cast. In the event of a tie, the chairperson's vote decides the matter, or, if the chairperson is unavailable, the deputy chairperson's vote.
2. The decisions of the board must be recorded in minutes. The minutes must be signed by the secretary and the chairperson, or, if the chairperson is unavailable, by the deputy chairperson or another member of the board.

§ 12 Tasks of the General Meeting

The general meeting is responsible for decisions in the following matters: a) amendments to the statutes, b) setting the admission fee and membership fees, c) the appointment of honorary members and the exclusion of members from the association, d) the election and removal of the members of the board, e) the acceptance of the annual report and the discharge of the board, f) the dissolution of the association.

§ 13 Convening the General Meeting

1. The board of directors must convene an ordinary general meeting of members at least once a year, preferably in the first quarter. The meeting must be convened in writing, observing a notice period of two weeks and including the agenda. The general meeting may be held in person, entirely online, or in a hybrid format.
2. The agenda is set by the board. Any member may submit a written request to the board to add an item to the agenda no later than one week before the general meeting. The board decides on the request. Motions to amend the agenda that were not included by the board or that are raised for the first time at the general meeting are decided by a majority vote of the members present; this does not apply to motions concerning amendments to the bylaws, changes to membership fees, or the dissolution of the association.
3. The board of directors shall convene an extraordinary general meeting if the interests of the association so require or if at least one tenth of the members request this in writing, stating the purpose and reasons.

§ 14 Resolutions of the General Meeting

1. The general meeting is chaired by the chairman of the board, or, if he is unable to attend, by his deputy chairman, and if they are also unable to attend, by a meeting chair elected by the general meeting.
2. The general meeting has a quorum if at least one-third of all club members are present. If a quorum is not present, the board is obligated to convene a second general meeting with the same agenda within four weeks. This second meeting will have a quorum regardless of the number of members present. This must be stated in the invitation.
3. The general meeting shall pass resolutions by open ballot with a majority of the votes of the members present. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes of the members present in an election, the candidate who receives a majority of the valid votes cast shall be elected; a runoff election shall be held between multiple candidates. Resolutions to amend the statutes require a three-quarters majority, and resolutions to change the purpose or dissolve the association require the approval of nine-tenths of the members present.
4. Minutes must be taken of the proceedings of the members' meeting and the resolutions passed; these minutes must be signed by the secretary and the meeting chair.

§ 15 Dissolution of the association, termination for other reasons, loss of tax-privileged purposes

1. In the event of the dissolution of the association, the chairman of the board and his deputy chairman are jointly authorized liquidators, unless the general meeting appoints other persons.
2. Upon dissolution of the association or if its tax-exempt purposes cease to exist, the association's assets shall be transferred to a legal entity under public law or another tax-exempt body for use in promoting animal welfare. The preferred use shall be for promoting cat welfare.
3. The foregoing provisions shall apply accordingly if the association has been deprived of its legal capacity.

Hamburg, June 16, 2025