Meow

[eredien]

Has anyone ever adopted a cat from a shelter? (Feel free to talk about other animal adoptions, too, but we're thinking of a cat specifically). If so, what was your experience? Would you recommend it? Does your pet have lingering behavioral problems?

Comments

[lafauve.livejournal.com]

Hello...'tis Emily's girlfriend. I adopted my lovely cat (Neil Young) from a shelter three years ago and have had a very positive experience. My pet does not have any lingering behavior problems, despite being left to fend for himself in a Target parking lot. Aside from biting or scratching, I'm not sure exactly what kind of behavioral problems you're worried about. Generally, in my experience at least, shelter volunteers are eager to find homes for animals, but not to the extent of lying or hiding any problems that have been observed. Granted, my perspective is somewhat biased as I volunteered for three years at an animal shelter. Spend as much time as possible interacting with the cat(s), and you should find a good match. Good luck! ^^

[mousekinn.livejournal.com]

All of our cats are humane society/shelter rescues, adn I wouldn't do it any other way.

A lot of it depends on how old they are when you get them, how they came to the shelter (so many of htem are people giving up their pets - then they just need a new home to love without any problems) , etc.

Truly feral cats are probably goign to be the first euthanized. They take months sometimes to socialise and sometimes never calm down. Home released cats may be traumatized (or not) depending on cirvumstance. And kittens usally bounce back.

Adult strays that are true street cats can have problems learnign to use a potty box. They'll prefer to use plants or carpets or.. clothing. They may also have serious diseases, etc. Then again, some adapt WONDERFULLY. It's hard to tell a true street cat from a home release or a "lost" pet that wa snever claimed.

Spending time with them at the shelter is good - if they're friendly, that's encouraging. Find out if you can foster the cat before adopting it - a trial run, if you will. THen you can find out about the possible problems. Many shelters welcome this - it relieves their pressure for caring for them.

Be careful though - certain viruses carried by strays, like FIP or FIV can remain in a household for up to a year - if you get an animal that later is diagnosed with this, it's goign to "contaminate" your home and possibly infect later pets. :\ A catch 22, really. Not to say it WILL happen, but it's somethign to make certain to check out with any cat you choose.

And kittens are cute - but if you decide to get one, consider gettign 2 @_@ they'll drive you BONKERS for attention otherwise.

I got my Bella as an adult from a shelte r- we dont' know her past, but I'm positive she had a home, she's very used to people and home environments.. but she COWERS when feet come near her or you raise your arms - I think she was struck.

Many will react like that, but it's very variable - in teh humane society, we saw oodles that would calm down quickly. And we saw many that we couldn't domesticate adn remained feral - so much so we had to have several put down because we coudlnt' catch them for vet appointments or adoption fairs.

[lotusbiosm.livejournal.com]

Smokey wasn't really from a shelter. He turned up on the doorstep of one of my mother's friends.
We had a dog from a shelter for a while (we just didn't really have the space for her). The experience was good. The dog was really still a puppy, I think she was in the shelter because her mother's owners didn't want her, but I don't know that for a fact.
They do a good job at most shelters of making sure that the animal gets all the necessary shots and really encourage spaying/neutering. It's certainly better than buying an animal from a pet store in terms of ethical concerns. And generally, unless the animal was severely abused previously, they won't have behavioral problems. The hardest part is choosing and not taking them all home.

[fiddledragon.livejournal.com]

We got Charlemagne at an animal shelter, and had an extremely positive experience. He was still an adolescent, which I think helped. He got along quite well with our other cat.

[jedibl.livejournal.com]

I have gotten two kittens from shelters, and been 100% happy with them. I would rather get a kitten from a shelter than from a random person whose cat had kittens... because at the shelter, they will already have taken care of shots, and are likely to take care of spaying or neutering.

Granted, my former roommate got a shelter cat who's a bit neurotic -- we think he has obsessive-compulsive disorder, because he pulls all his fur out as he's cleaning himself. He can also be extremely nasty -- he bites and scratches if strangers get too close. He was sick when she adopted him (don't know if that's related in any way to his behaviour problems or not) -- she basically adopted him because she knew that if she didn't, they were going to kill him. But she could tell he was somewhat "bitey" just from initial interactions at the shelter, she just chose to take him home anyway.

[nucl3arsnke.livejournal.com]

My sister got a shelter cat who turned out to be a biter, and never very friendly. I think being able to spend a good bit of time with the cats initially is key to telling who will fit with you. My sister was there for a very short time, wanting to get out quickly due to all the caterwalling! But, you know, we love that cat anyway.

[khava.livejournal.com]

I adopted both of my cats from "foster care" homes associated with shelters. In DC, there isn't much animal shelter space, so they have volunteers who care for several animals at their homes and can tell you a lot about the animal from personal interaction (though they're also doing a sales pitch, so they may play down problems). I love both my cats dearly, and they've turned out fine.

Ethelwolf was just a kitten when I adopted him. He'd been found with brothers and sisters but no mom when they were just a few days old, so they'd been bottle-fed in foster care. Because of this, he kind of thinks he's a human and doesn't have a lot of the standard cat socialization behaviors.

Maggie was a year old when I adopted her, and had given birth to a litter of kittens (sadly, all were adopted by the time I met her). I fear that she had suffered some abuse or abandonment, since she has a few behavioral issues. She's extremely cage-phobic - whenever I so much as put her in a carrier to take her to the vet, she has an "accident" in the carrier. When I first adopted her, she would snap at me and try to bite if I touched her back legs, but this behavior faded away over a few months and now she has no problem with it. She also can meow louder than any cat I've ever heard, and has no qualms about meowing at 15-second intervals all night if something is upsetting her. But she's the sweetest little girl ever, and she's completely stolen my heart by being so loving and compassionate.

Both cats follow me around the house. To the point where, if I get up in the night to go to the bathroom, they follow me there and wait outside the door.

[signy1.livejournal.com]

I've never gotten on with cats, so I can't be any help in that department. My dog wasn't from a shelter, but that's only because the vet the cop took him to knew we wanted a dog, so he was never officially taken to the shelter. Elwood-- my dog-- was abandoned on the highway. He's still got some emotional hangups; he must have had the living crap beaten out of him by whatever jackals he lived with before. He's incredibly timid and cowardly, afraid of everything up to and including teddy bears, and the sight of a broom will send him running to hide under the table.

That said, he's also the most affectionate, loving dog I've ever seen, not a mean bone in his body, and he wants nothing out of life except to be held and cuddled and played with as close to 24/7 as possible. He's a wonderful dog, and all animal adoptions should work out so well.

[nucl3arsnke.livejournal.com]

...and he wants nothing out of life except to be held and cuddled and played with as close to 24/7 as possible...

I want that, too.

[kaypendragon.livejournal.com]

Our cat came from the neighbor, but speaking as a shelter worker, spend time talking to the people working at the shelter. They'll know best what the cats are like. Just like people, each cat reacts differently to any given experience.

[gaudior.livejournal.com]

Hey, Lucien and Rafe came from a shelter (Though admittedly they were kittens), and you know well that they are the best cats in the entire world (I do think behavior problems are mostly our fault). The cool thing was that the shelter included their neutering and vaccination as part of the (very low) cost of adopting. Is cool.

[aneslin.livejournal.com]

Do I even need to start? You know KC right? dog=free spaying and shots=75 knee surgery=1600 other knee=1600 meds to keep her from peeing all over the place=50 dollars every three months (for the rest of her life) paxil for her acute anxiety= 60 every two months
but it's KC

[csbermack.livejournal.com]

Hi, I'm a friend of Rax.

I adopted my first cat from a shelter, and her personality is all I could have asked for. But, well...

When I picked her up, they said they tested her for ear mites, worms, and pregnancy, and that she was clean. I took her to a real vet, and treated her ear mites and worms; her pregnancy became apparent later (it was masked by the worms and a different eating problem). So the first thing you do after adopting is take the animal to a vet.

I would recommend a young adult. Cats have more difficulty adapting the older they get, but kittens will drive you mad. Also, you can tell more about what kind of adult you'll get if the animal is almost adult than if it's a tiny ball of fluff; breed and genetics has a significant impact on a cat's behavior. Get as complete a history as you can from the shelter, because the critter's past treatment matters too.

Consider your lifestyle when you decide what kind of personality you're interested in. Some animals are unhappy being indoor-only cats. Some get bored and will destroy your house if you do not love them ALL THE TIME. Some will hide in corners and never come out, and if they didn't eat, you'd never know you had a cat. Some do well with strangers, some don't. Some will be angels all on their own, and some will require training.

Unfortunately most shelter cats don't have complete histories available, and they're in an unnatural environment. If you know someone with a very good intuition about cats (The Cat Whisperer!) bring them along, and together look for an animal that fits your needs.