Adopting Your Perfect Feline Friend
A Feline Friend for Life
When it is time to find that purrfect cat, where do you go? And once there, how do you choose?
Cats can be kind of weird. They are known to be:
Persnickety. Fussy. Aloof. Self-Sufficient.
And at the same time they can be:
Loving. Intuitive. Playful. Loyal.
Above all, a cat can be the best company and the most true-blue companion a human could have. So where can you go to find that perfect pet?
Animal Shelters – many municipal shelters don’t have a lot of open, community space so you may be overwhelmed at first with cages on top of cages on top of cages. Take your time. Look at the faces. Speak to them. Hopefully, one will speak back. Then, spend some time holding them. See how they react. Remember, cats are instinctively timid creatures so ambient noise and motion can cause anxiety and make it harder to see their unique personality. If you can, make multiple trips back to visit before deciding.
Tip: wear ear buds and play your favorite music while looking through all the cages. Faces may appear clearer to you without shelter noises like barking dogs in your head.
In-store adoption events – Local rescues will often create adoption events at local pet stores. If none of the cats featured meet your fancy, talk with the reps and they can help you go through their list of adoptables to find a compatible feline in their care or perhaps in a sister community. Animal rescue is a tight-knit community that can provide information on support services for many medical or behavioral concerns.
Tip: What a great way to meet representatives of your local rescue organization. Creating a relationship can not only help you adopt but, you may find yourself volunteering for them with future adoptions or adoption events. Great Katma!
Cat Cafés are popping up nationwide where you can sit, drink your caffeine beverage of choice (or de-caffeinated should you prefer) amongst roaming cats and watch them in action to get a feel for their personality. Are they social? Do they crave attention? Or, do they prefer to be left alone?
Tip: In this café environment you may want to sit back, take a sip and let one pick you!
Foster to Adopt – A purrfect way to feel secure in your adoption. Fostering a kitten or cat not only helps brick and mortar rescues make more room in their kennels, it helps calm the cat and get it more socialized. Should you choose to keep that cat or help it find its forever home, fostering is a wonderful way to expose adopters to that cat’s true temperament.
Tip: Just like most humans, it can take a while to form that special relationship. To get used to each other’s scent, voices and mannerisms. Give it time. Be patient. A match made in heaven may take a little longer here on earth. But it is so worth the wait!
Tip: Remember to have your new friend neutered or spayed. Each cat that is fixed can help prevent hundreds of unwanted kittens. Making it easier to place deserving cats in loving homes.
