Where to search for your new cat

If you've been following the sequence of my posts, you've probably decided on the age, gender, and breed of your cat.

Now all you have to do is actually find your cat.
I'm going to give you a list of places you can look to find a cat up for adoption, and two places that you should NEVER EVER go to for cats.

1. petfinder.com

Petfinder.com is a website that a lot of shelters across the US use to introduce the animals they have up for adoption.  This website is a good way to get a feel for the shelters that are available around your home address, and a good way to ensure that you have a specific cat in mind before actually going to the shelter in person (which helps, because most times you will come home empty handed).

petfinder.com

2. adoptapet.com

Adoptapet.com is also basically has the same function as petfinder.com.  It is a website that a lot of human societies and rescue groups across the US use to introduce the animals they have up for adoption.

3. local cat shelter, humane shelters, and rescue organization

Usually there is a local cat shelter or rescue group around just about everywhere.   It's important for you to visit a local cat shelter because not every cat is listed online, and you just might find your new partner in life! It's also easier to get a feel for what each cat needs specifically (sometimes specific cats have medical issues) and which cat you really bond to, and if you are new to cats, talking to volunteers at the shelter might help you in your decision.

Jiji, brought home from a cat shelter

4.  Breed Rescue Groups

Breed rescue groups are great when you have a specific breed in mind.  If you are looking for a purebred and want to adopt a pet from a shelter, then this is where you want to go.

5. Breeders

Breeders are for when you want a purebred show cat, or you think you absolutely want a stunning purebred kitty (and have the money to spend).  Breeders are excellent people to adopt a kitty from because they guarantee the health of your kitty through generations back, you can ask to see the parents and the environment, and they're probably generally more healthier than cats that have been in shelters. The only con is that they are EXPENSIVE.  If you're rich it's probably not a big deal, but for me (I'm broke) it's a BIG BIG BIG BIG factor.

8. Veterinarian

Large veterinarians sometimes have animals for adoption.  All you have to do is search online which for vets that have animals for adoption, and you can go through pretty the same process that goes for an animal shelter.  The good thing about adopting from a vet is that the conditions that the cats are kept in are probably better (because most shelters are short of funding).

MCPCA, a large veterinarian clinic in Boston, offers animal adoption services.

9. "Free to a good home" - friends, neighbors, craigslist, oodle

Both my kittens were "free to a good home"(sometimes for a small cost to cover first vaccinations).  The easiest target would be friends or neighbors that just had kittens or have cats that they are leaving behind because they are moving.  If you don't have either, craigslist and oodle's pet listings would be your best bet.  Don't be afraid to look for kittens on these sites (that's where I found my kitties) but BEWARE!!! BEWARE!!!! BEWARE!!!!!!!!! of SCAMMERS!!!  I will probably have a detailed post on scammers later on, but the first signs for scammers is that the pictures are too high quality, and there are a lot of grammar mistakes.  One trick you can use is to save the picture in their listing and google search the picture itself.  If you feel even slightly! uncertain, just close the page and look for another kitty.  There are plenty of kittens for adoption.  Another comment on "free to a good home" kittens.  These kittens might have been exposed to unknown health risks (eg. FIV), and it's always best to know whether or not the parents of the kittens have been vaccinated, and whether the owners want the kittens/cat to be spayed/neutered (some people ask for a deposit that will be returned when proof is shown of the kitten being spayed/neutered, since home-breeding is one of the greatest causes of the number of animals in shelters).


PLACES NEVER TO LOOK FOR YOUR CAT

1. Kitten Farms

Kitten Farms are businesses that breed animals just for the money.  They don't care about the animals' health, breed, genetic issues, and most importantly, the welfare of the animals is not considered.  The kittens from these businesses are risky to adopt health-wise, and buying animals will only encourage kitten farms.

2. Pet Stores

Most pet stores get their animals from kitten farms, and buying these animals will only encourage immoral business.

How to choose a cat breed

About cat breeds.

Just like dog breeds, ever cat breed has its distinct appearance, characteristics, health issues, and personality.  

Things to look for in a breed are:

• coat length 

People have different opinions about whether long coats or short coats look better on a specific cat, but longer coats usually require more grooming.  If you plan on trimming a long-haired cat's coat, this might turn out to be a great hassle.  It also takes longer to give baths to long-haired cats.  

Kiki takes much longer to bathe than Koopa because of his long and dense undercoat.

• grooming requirements

Each cat has different shedding level and patterns.  Since grooming is an important part of taking care of your cat, the time you have available to groom your cat may factor into your choice.

• size

I already talked about size issues (read Choosing your cat's gender), so, to paraphrase, size cat elevate the costs of a cat carrier and traveling costs, and heavy cats can break  your arms if you don't have a car to take your cat to the vet.  

• coat color

Well, you've got to know what your future cat is going to look like, right?

• activity level

Active cats = more playtime.  If you don't have an incredible amount of time to play with your cat everyday, I wouldn't recommend getting a super-active cat breed.  I have heard of cats that destroy furniture when they have unspent energy stored up for too long. 

• genetic health issues

Because pedigree cats are inbred,  genetic mutations keep recurring.  This means that specific cat breeds may be prone to developing certain health issues.  

• family suitability

Some cats are too sensitive, too small, or too weak, and may not be suitable for small children. 

• acceptance level of other animals

If you have pre-existing pets, or are planning to get more pets in the future, keep in mind that some cats might never come to tolerate other animals.  However, if you choose a breed that is known to be accepting to  new animals, you will probably have more luck creating bonds between your different pets.  

Kiki and Koopa's first meeting.  Kiki never had problems accepting Koopa, and now they are best friends!  :)

• talking level

Some cats never meow, while others just go on and on and on.  It's just a matter of preference.  Both my cats are very talkative, and usually, I find it adorable.  But I should also mention that my cats don't bother to keep their conversation down during the night, which might result in frequent sleep disturbances if you are a light sleeper.  

• hypoallergenic breeds

If you are allergic to cats, but just cannot force yourself to stay away from them, you're in luck!!! Allergies to cats actually arise from a protein in their saliva, (Fel D1) which they then coat their fur with by grooming themselves.  When the saliva dries, the proteins dry off the fur and skin and floats into the air, making their way into your nose and eyes.  The cat breeds that are known to be hypoallergenic are: Balinese, Bengal, Burmese, Colorpoint Shorthair, Cornish Rex, Devon Rex, Javanese, Ocicat, Oriental Shorthair, Russian Blue, Siamese, and Sphynx.  Keep in mind that hypoallergenic means "less allergic," not "completely non-allergic.  

Remember to look at multiple sources of information before actually deciding on what breed you want!

Choosing your cat's gender

Choosing a gender may seem trivial to new cat owners, but any cat owner can tell you that male cats and female cats each have their pros and cons.

• Males are much larger than females.  

This might not be a problem for owners that never move, but for students, or yet-to-be-settled people, size can be an issue.  The cat carrier needs to be larger for larger cats (duh).  Simple fact, but a lot of factors come into account.  I, myself, am a broke, car-less, international student that moves every single year.  Without a car, even taking my two cats to the vet,  especially Kiki (~13lb) is such an effort.  It would really help if Kiki were smaller, but he isn't, so think about the pros and cons beforehand.  Another thing to keep in mind is that plane traveling costs for animals and the cost of buying a cat carrier gets more expensive relative to the size of your animal.  Considering the amount of ads on craigslist that says "I need to find a new owner for my cat because I'm moving," you might want to think about additional costs of taking your cat with you to your new home before you bring home a gigantic cat.  And personally, I think parting with your pet just because you're moving is complete bullshit (no offense). 

Kiki, weighing 13lb, can hardly fit on the cat tower seat.

• Males are generally more friendly.  

If you are new to cats and do not know how to launch the new relationship with the kitty, a friendlier male cat could make the bonding process easier than a female cat.

• It is more expensive to get a female cat spayed than to get a male cat spayed.  

For someone with a smaller budget, this might be an issue.  To the unexperienced cat owners: THIS IS A MUST.  Heat cycles not only stress out the owner, but also stresses out the cat.  Not to mention the number of cats in homeless shelters that may not have ended up there if cats were more spayed/neutered.

• Females yowl and show lordosis (sticking their butt up in the air and stomping their backlegs at the same time) behavior, while males spray the furniture.  

If you have never seen either of this happen, you might think that the female behavior is less stressful.  YOU ARE WRONG!! Some female cats produce this horrible!! horrible!! screeching yowl which would make you wish for urine on the couch instead.  If you're curious, search for "female cat in heat" on youtube.  It's just better for everyone--for the greater good-- to get your new pet spayed/neutered.

So now all you have to do is weigh your odds and choose.

Choosing your new kitten/cat's age

So.. I am one of those people who just wake up one day and think "Yea! I wanna get a cat!!" Fortunately, I do all the research before actually going through (thank god), so my past numerous whims have almost ;) never ended in disaster.  Before you go on reading my post I want to make this clear : this post focuses on the most basic decision you need to make before actually looking for your forever kitty rather than what to expect before bringing he/she home : Choosing your cat's age!


Pros of bringing home a kitten:

• Kittens can be trained more easily, but keep in mind that they will probably have a few accidents before they start responding in the way you want.  
• You will be able to see your kitten grow up, which I think, strengthens the relationship!
• Both the new kitten and other existing animals (dogs or cats) are more likely to accept each other.  
• Kittens bring laughter! Go on youtube and search "kitten." You'll know exactly what I mean.

My two kittens, Jiji (left) and Kiki (right), were already friends after five days of meeting each other! 

Cons of bringing home a kitten:

• You need to have all the patience in the world. Think human baby, and how much attention is needed.  Now you have a smaller, much more active, jumpy, cat-baby that wants to explore every inch of space in your house.  
• A kitten is very health-sensitive.  Kittens are more likely to get sick when they are in a new environment (stress and what-nots), so be and the watch-out, and be prepared to take your new furry friend to the vet.
• Safety issues need to be addressed.  The toilet lid should always be kept down to prevent drowning (it happens a lot more than you think), food should never be lying around, holes should be blocked, sharp objects should not be around, and etc.  
• Some kittens need to be litter box trained. But if you are lucky, your kitten will already be trained.  Some come with litter-box instinct; they just know how to do it!  
• Kittens have health issues that need to be dealt with.  They need to be spayed/neutered, dewormed, checked for feline leukemia, and etc.  

Jiji (3 months) got sick the day he came to my house and had to be rushed to the emergency center the next day.  Although I don't regret bringing him home from the shelter, it did cost me some time and lots and lots of money! Be prepared to pay the costs!

Pros of bringing home a cat:

• Cats are calmer.  They need less attention regarding safety, and will probably be less prone to climbing your highest furniture.
• Cats will probably make better lap cats if that is what you are looking for (although this may highly vary depending on personality).
• Although depending on the case, a previously well looked after cat will probably already be spayed/neutered.

Cons of bringing home a cat:

• Adult cats take much longer to adjust to new environments.  The cat might take days, weeks, and well over a month to finally stop hissing at you.  This means that you really have to be committed to the cat; you have to have be the one trying to create a bond, since the cat will probably NOT want to make contact with you at all in the first few days.  
• The new cat, as well as pre-existing animals in your home, may never come to tolerate each other.  If they do be prepared to keep the new cat separate from the others for well over a month, and to have daily monitored sessions everyday where they can bond.  
• Cats are lazier! (Although this highly varies.)  What I mean is that, usually cats get fatter when they are lazier, and sometimes it takes some effort on your side to get your cat to play (to keep weight in check).

Simba, an adult cat of a friend that I took in for 3 months, never  really adjusted to the new environment and was never friends with Kiki (my preexisting kitten).

Additional Information:

• If you are planning to bring home a kitten, he/she should be at least 9 weeks of age, and 12 weeks is the most ideal.
• All the information above concerning personality and health is only a generality; it may be highly varied between different cat breeds, environments, individual personality and medical history.

So, with all this information in mind, think over your personal situation--how much time you can spend with your kitten/cat, how much you can spend financially on your kitten/cat's health issues, and etc.  It is an important choice to make, so don't rush your decision! :)