Getting to Know You

Adopting from a shelter can be an incredible experience in both sadness and joy. Sad that so many animals are unwanted, even purposefully discarded when they become "inconvenient". Joy when you and your new cat (or dog!) find each other and agree to become family.

There are county maintained shelters and private shelters and even traveling "adopt a pet" groups. In some places, large pet stores will invite shelter organizations to bring adoptable animals on weekends and advertise this as a regular service to the public, shelter and the animals.

Finding these organizations can be done with your local newspaper, phone directory or the Internet. One nationwide US source is PetFinder. There, many shelter and animal adoption organizations maintain current lists of adoptable pets.

Some shelter groups specialize in saving and rehabilitating specific breeds. They can be found through the Internet, cat or dog magazine classified ads, phone books, and some veterinarians.

"No-kill" shelters are those that do not kill unplaced animals, and they have many volunteers who socialize and care for the animals in their homes. Sometimes the volunteer must apply for and be granted an exemption from local pet ownership laws and special license.

A basic checklist at the shelter

Shelters have a pre-written contract and adoption fee you must pay. Read the contract and feel free to ask any and all questions. Be sure you find out what brand of food they give the cat you are adopting (and how often the cats are fed) and buy some right away. By keeping to the same diet, you avoid possible stomach distress caused by switching foods abruptly.

• Health issues: Has the cat had her shots and been spayed (or if male, neutered?) If not, will the shelter take care of any of this prior to adoption? Or can they recommend a veterinarian?
• By law shelters must quarantine strays for rabies and often they check for lethal feline diseases such as FeLV or FIV before any animals are offered for adoption. Make sure it is in the contract that the cat has been tested (or not) and is considered healthy. It should also be in the contract that the cat can be returned to the shelter and another selected if your vet finds the cat has FeLV or FIV.
• Are the eyes clear? Ears and nose clean? If runny, there may be a respiratory infection.
• Is the cat alert and attentive?
• Does he have any lumps or injuries? What has the shelter done about them? If you are considering adopting an injured or special needs cat (amputated leg, deaf or other physical or emotional difficulty) are you experienced enough to handle the long term needs of such a cat?

Behavior of the cat

• How does the cat respond to you when you put your fingers near the bars? A good sign is acting in a friendly manner such as rubbing your fingers, paws (without claws extended far) through the bars to try to touch you.

Behavior of the shelter staff

• Can they tell you any history of the cat?
• Are they forthcoming with information?
• Will they allow you to hold the cat?
• Do they seem to care about the animals as individuals, or simply as "livestock"?

At one shelter we visited, the staff seemed more interested in the thrift store they were running than in the cats. The litter boxes were filthy and all the cats had runny noses and eyes, and other signs of ill health. A caretaker would rub her fingers on one cat's eye to "clean it" and then immediately do the same to another cat (no hand washing there!) This was unusual, as other shelters we visited were clean, well organized, and any apparently ill animals were quarantined from the others.

See our Jennifur and Panther stories about our two shelter cats. For more detailed information on adopting cats from shelters, we list a few useful books in our Cat Books section.