For many years, I had a beautiful orange and white female cat named Baja. I recently lost her to cancer. She was in remission a long time and, with vigilant care, she outlived her initial prognosis by over a year but she hadn’t been a very active or playful kitty for quite some time… She’s gone now, and I miss her very much. So, now I’m looking to adopt another cat or possibly a couple of kittens. I’m working from home now and can give new family members plenty of attention.
When did it become so hard to adopt a cat or kittens? I have responded to two different ads on Craigslist seeking to rehome or sell young cats or kittens. No response, not even a “sorry, already gone” message. I have submitted online applications to two humane societies. They both say, meh, we’ll get back to you in two or three days, unless it’s the weekend, then it’ll be five days. Because of COVID, you can’t just go the shelter and choose a kitty anymore. Everything is by appointment and you have to be preapproved before they’ll give you one.
I appreciate that the shelters are trying to ensure that their animals go to good homes. But the waiting, and especially the lack of response, really bugs me.
Around Philly, all the agencies and fostering groups are completely overwhelmed. People stuck at home want new pets, and managing everything virtually takes more time.
If you have the time, maybe volunteering with a cat rescue would speed things up. At least that way you could get quality kitty time while you wait.
I have; the shelters that I ultimately applied to came from Petfinder. I think part of the problem is that I live in a less populated area. There are only half a dozen shelters within a 100 miles of me. I may expand my search area.
PetSmart and Petco in our area still do on-site cat adoptions. I don’t know know all the details, but when I got my last cat at Petco a few years back, the entire process took less than an hour.
I got my younger kitty that way, was visiting a friend who is also a vet at her office and casually mentioned I was in the market for a youngish cat–twenty minutes after I left came a text message with a picture of the cutest little surrendered kitteh EVAR, I swung around to meet her, fell in love and she’s been with me since 2011.
I think maybe part of the problem is that it’s not “kitten season,” things calm down as we go into winter and the endless reproduction settles down for the cold months. In spring, hey presto, too many kittens!
The local shelters are, of course, closed to the public these days. You have to fill out an application and choose the specific cat from their online listing. I’m looking for an older cat, >5 years, and I need to meet the cat IN PERSON to know which one I want. I can’t tell from just one online photo. What am I supposed to do, pick a cat and then return it if I don’t like it?
I just went through the whole looking for a new kitten thing, and it really was a pain to try to find one. Even petfinder didn’t work for me. Every time I put in an interest, they told me, Sorry, somebody already adopted that one. I must have tried twenty times. Finally, I started complaining about there being no point in my even trying, since I couldn’t get one no matter how many times I tried, and a woman at a rescue group contacted me, and I got my new kitten through the rescue group. But if I hadn’t complained, I would probably still be trying to adopt.
Moral is, I guess, look up rescue organizations.
Most farms have barn cats. Many farmers, IME, don’t spay/neuter their cats*, and are generally happy to give away kittens. The difficulty may be that the kittens, even if used to being handled by humans, aren’t used to being indoor cats, and at this time of year there may not be as many in the ideal age range (8 to 12 weeks) to make the transition smoothly.
I’d also recommend an immediate trip to the vet, to deal with any earmites, fleas, and worms; and to start inoculations, which they probably won’t have had.
*this doesn’t include me; mine are all spayed or neutered. And spend the night in the house.
My youngest daughter and I volunteer at a local cat rescue. A very well-run, spotless facility run by a drill sergeant-type* lady who hates people but loves cats. We fostered a number of kittens and adopted a particularly rambunctious kitty named Bentley (who turned out to be a full-blooded Korat). By far the baddest cat I’ve ever had (and I’ve had many). He, and our other cat, Tibby, are my best friends, but I don’t admit that to them.
It’s a tightly run ship, but they make the adoption process quick, thorough and painless. Too bad you don’t have a place like that near you.
If it was up to my daughter we’d adopt all the cats. My other daughter has 5 cats and I don’t think she’s stopping there. We’re a catty family. Cats are the cat’s meow!
*One time I picked up one of the new cats and he freaked out, scratching me badly. Drill sergeant lady smiled and said, “here, let me show you how to pick up a cat!” (I’ve been picking up cats decades before she was born). So, she picks up the cat and he freaks out even worse on her. I wish I could say I didn’t find it a little funny when she came out of the bathroom with band-aids covering her arms—but, I can’t.
This isn’t the best time of year to be looking, frankly. It’s the tail end of kitten season. ( No pun intended.) Around here that’s April to November. Even though you’re looking for a full-grown cat, your odds are better in late spring through summer, according to animal shelters near me. Demand exceeds supply here for both cats and dogs, which is good news for animals even if it’s frustrating for humans with love to share.
Speak to your vet - if they like you and think you’re a good pet owner, they’ll ask around and find something for you. It speeds up the whole process, seeing as you’re pre-vetted (rimshot!).
That’s how we got our lovely and irascible C.K. Dexter Haven.
She’s fostered dozens of moms and kittens over the years. My kids have seen the miracle of birth and watched kittens grow from little blind blobs to playful dynamos. Our two adopted cats are from a foster litter, affectionately called “foster fails”.
No pun intended.) Around here that’s April to November. Even though you’re looking for a full-grown cat, your odds are better in late spring through summer, according to animal shelters near me. Demand exceeds supply here for both cats and dogs, which is good news for animals even if it’s frustrating for humans with love to share.