Dear Pammy, Should I get a cat from a shelter?
A reader writes:
Should I get a cat from a shelter?
Dear Readers,
I didn’t shorten this letter, as I often do. That was all the question I got. Since they did not elaborate, I could only assume they have the usual worries about adopting cats from shelters.
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Let me lay all those worries to rest.
Adopting cats from shelters is the absolute best choice you can make.
Here’s why:
Been raised. Many people think raising their own kitten means they get to dictate what kind of cat they will turn out to be. But this isn’t so.
I picked two previous kittens for qualities that resulted in them being calm love bunnies. Our most recent kitten was a foundling with no clue to his personality; while he is being raised in exactly the same way, he’s a nutball with a lot of energy who has a very different impact on our household.
While it’s rewarding to raise a kitten right, nothing will change a kitten’s fundamental qualities. If we are new to kitten raising, we should start with a cat.
Not their fault. Probably the biggest worry people have is that they are getting “someone else’s problem.” While this shows a kindly heart, meaning they wouldn’t even consider giving up a cat unless there are serious problems… that’s not how cats wind up in the shelter.
After all, kindly people who have cat problems take their cat to the vet, research the issue on the Internet, buy a book about cat problems, or write people like me. Other people ditch cats at the shelter when they are moving, or they don’t take care of them properly and blame the cat for the subsequent misbehavior, or they just kick the cat out of the house and the cat is brought in starving and desperate or injured and pathetic.
There are people who have uncontrollable circumstances that means they have to bring their cat to the shelter. They might be seriously ill, or have to help take care of someone seriously ill. Or the one who loved the cat passed away, and no one else wants them. Life can seriously uproot us, sometimes.
None of these problems are remotely the cat’s fault. The fact that most cats can overcome these hurdles to be loving and adorable pets says a lot about cats.
Real deal. We have the cat checked over, altered if need be, get their shots, and often location chipped, too; all for one low fee. This comes with some expert evaluations by the people who also know the cat well; the shelter folks.
Let them know what kind of cat we’d like, and chances are, they have suggestions. While the final decision is up to us, we don’t have to be alone in making it.
Real connection. Shelter cats tend to have the ability to appreciate what they have in a real home, and will be open and loving to us; their rescuers.
If we behold a cat who makes eye contact, who reaches for us or verbally begs to be petted and held, who is willing to interact with us and actually lobby for this position; we should listen to this cat. We’ve already made a link to this cat.
Because if we are worried about acquiring a cat with a problem, we can simply not pick a cat with a problem.
No problem.
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There’s more to choosing a cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See my CHOOSING A CAT.
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