If you’ve been asking, “Where can I adopt a cat?” and the universe’s “Kitten Distribution System” hasn’t placed a cat in your path, don’t worry. In this article, we cover where you can find a cat, how animal shelters, cat rescues, sanctuaries, and responsible breeders differ from each other, and how to avoid disreputable sellers and kitty mills.

Where Can You Adopt a Cat?

Cat lovers know that cats will often mysteriously appear in our yards, homes, or places of work. This occurrence is humorously explained in the popular memes like “This Is Not My Cat” and “Kitten Distribution System.”

All kidding aside, if you’ve been contemplating adding a cat to your home, you can adopt one, or two (or more) of the many homeless cats and kittens at your local shelter or cat rescue. Adopting a pet is a lifetime commitment, so there is much to consider before you adopt. Think about what kind of cat you want – purebred or alley cat – and what age of cat suits your home and family – a rambunctious kitten, a calm adult, or a laid-back senior cat.

Cats of all kinds are available for adoption at rescue groups as well as no-kill shelters, last-resort shelters, and animal control adoption facilities. The cat adoption process and fees will vary considerably among these organizations, but you can usually assume the fees will be slightly higher at rescues than shelters. Most shelters and rescues will not adopt out cats that haven’t been spayed or neutered.

Rescues and shelters provide temporary homes for cats that find themselves homeless due to a number of reasons, such as:

Owner surrender due to the owner’s health or housing problems
Surrendered because of the cat’s health or behavioral issues
Found on the street without a microchip by a good Samaritan
Born to a feral mom in a managed cat colony
Saved from a “last-resort” shelter when their time is up
Rescued from a kitty mill
Found as an unclaimed stray after a natural disaster

Your adoption fee covers the cat’s medical treatments, including the spay/neuter surgery, cat vaccinations, flea treatments, and other costs. It also ensures the cats will be placed in homes committed to the pet’s welfare. Most shelters, rescues, and other organizations require the potential adopter to be at least 18 years old.

Do a little research before you adopt to make sure you’re adopting your cat from a reputable organization that has the cat’s best interest at heart.

What is a Cat Rescue?

Cat rescues are usually run and supported by volunteers and are often operated out of private homes. Most are species-specific, as dogs and cats have different shelter needs.

Rescues work with foster pet parents so cats and kittens can be cared for in a home environment until adoption. Many semi-feral cats, and kittens born to feral queens, will be given to a foster family for socialization and be taught how to live life as a pampered cat. You may be able to visit with the rescue’s adoptable cats at local pet food stores or cat cafés.

Rescues usually invest time to make sure potential adopters are suitable for their pets and will often have strict requirements. As an adopter, you may have to provide personal references, vet references, and if you rent, a letter from your landlord granting permission for you to have cats. Some rescues may request that you serve as your cat’s foster family before you officially adopt or may want to visit your home to see if it is safe for cats.

For adopters who are interested in a certain breed of cat, but don’t want to purchase from a breeder, explore breed rescues in your area or search your local shelters. The cats at breed-specific rescues will most likely be adults, not kittens. These organizations have a vested interest in seeing the cat placed with her best forever home. Adopting from a breed rescue is an ethical alternative to purchasing a pet shop purebred, which may come from a cat mill and have multiple health issues.

Where Can You Adopt a Cat? Differences Among Rescues, Shelters and Sanctuaries

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