Kitten thrown from car outside the home of the person who adopted him

Sometimes there can be a domestic cat merry-go-round. It happens all over the place in all developed countries to varying extents. I read about them a lot. One person throws a kitten away. Another person picks him up and lives with him the rest of his life. Sometimes that process is extended whereby the second owner also gives up the kitten or adult cat to a rescue. They adopt the cat out. The adopter might also relinquish their cat. It can be a merry-go-round.

Gray - a cat who was thrown away from a car as a kitten and adopted by the owner of the house near to where it happened. Photo: Janet Johson.

There is a good and rather stark example on the Internet. It comes from Janet Johnson. It happened last January when her son looked out of their front window at 8:15 PM. They live in South Carolina and the temperature was forecast to drop to 28°F. A cold night.

Johnson's son turned to her mother and said that somebody just threw something out of the car in front of their house. She went to the front door to have a look as the non-descript car pulled away.

Walking down the driveway was a little grey kitten about 4-5 months old. Johnson was not in the mood to adopt a kitten but she had lost a Maine Coon that she had adopted in 2011. He disappeared mysteriously the year before last. Perhaps he is another victim of the merry-go-round? Stolen and sold?

Johnson rescued and adopted the little grey kitten and called him Gray. She said that he is healthy, happy, neutered, loved and aggravating at 5 AM. The casualness with which the people in that non-descript car threw away their kitten is shocking. It was right in front of Johnson's house for anyone to see.

Throwing out kittens is a bit like fly tipping in the UK when people throw away items by the roadside along country lanes. They do this because it's easier to do rather than taking it down to the council tip. It's laziness. In respect of kittens it is callousness. The mentality of people who do this is very poor. They could take the kitten to a rescue centre. Too messy and too much trouble. Too embarrassing as the reason is probably allowing cats to breed.

But there is a merry-go-round between the bad people and the good people as illustrated. However, sometimes it's just about mediocre people who adopt and give up and then somebody else adopts and they give up and so it goes on.

This practice happened a lot during Covid lockdowns in the UK regarding dogs, actually. Casual and self-indulgent adoptions of puppies led to early relinquishments when they realised dog ownership is not a pushover, which led to advertising their dog for sale on social media (against the rules on Facebook) which in turn led to more careless adoptions and so on. The victims are the companion animals who are shunted around between different owners.

Before and after photographs of Mikey a stray cat adopted in the West Midlands of the UK

I always like good before and after photographs of stray cats who have come in from the cold and the wet after adoption and found themselves in a place they can call home, where they should have been in the first place. 

Before and after photographs of Mikey a stray cat adopted in the West Midlands of the UK. Photo: Stray Cat Rescue Team West Midlands (believed).

Before and after photographs of Mikey a stray cat adopted in the West Midlands of the UK. Photo: Stray Cat Rescue Team West Midlands (believed). 

Before and after photographs of Mikey a stray cat adopted in the West Midlands of the UK. Photo: Stray Cat Rescue Team West Midlands (believed).  

These photographs, from the Stray Cat Rescue Team West Midlands, point to a success in cat caregiving but they are built upon failure. Somewhere in Mikey's past things went wrong. 

We don't know what it is. He might have been abandoned by his owner or he might have wondered away from his home. He might have been born in the wild and become feral but that's unlikely because judging by the "after" photograph Mikey was a domestic cat who just happened to be in the wrong place, stuck outside the home. 

That is why he is sopping wet in the "before" photographs. It is also why there is blood on the right side of his face. It appears that he got into a fight. That is the normal way stray cats end up with a bloodied face and broken and torn ears. It is, as the experts say, a harsh existence.

RELATED: Feral Cats Are Healthier and Live Longer Than Thought

But we shouldn't paint all feral and stray cats with the same brush. Sometimes they are well cared for by TNR volunteers. Under a good TNR program feral cats in the colony can live good lives. Sometimes their lives are better than that of a domestic cat.

P.S. The story comes from the FB page of the rescue concerned. Thanks.

Instant love from a cat he found in the woods

A guy found a stray cat in the woods next to his house while he was checking the height of the river. He brought her to his home. She was very affectionate almost immediately. In his words:

"So we've known each other about a half hour. I found her in the woods next to my house while i was checking the river height. She has been this way since."

Instant love from a stray cat the guy found in the woods near his home. Screenshot.

It seems pretty clear that she was abandoned or lost and needed a human companion. People ask if a domestic cat can survive in the wild. The answer is that some can and some can't (for long). But they all need a human caregiver.

Domestic cats are 'trained' to be with humans. This is socialisation to humans. It is why they are domesticated.

Note: This is a video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

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The guy's reward for bringing her home is to make her happy. If you know that you have made a cat happy, it makes you happy because you know that you have done well. And you've increased the sum total of happiness in the animal world.

I suggested that he keep her after checking for a microchip to check ownership. Her health should also be checked out. The usual things that you have to do when finding a domesticated stray cat.

Why you should prepare to be a first-time pet owner

By Jessica Brody (OurBestFriends.pet) - guest writer. 

It is too easy to walk into a shelter or pet store, fall in love with a cuddly kitten or precocious puppy, and bring home a bundle of fur. But, that sense of joy can quickly turn into a nightmare if you’re not adequately prepared for pet ownership. 

Without the proper planning, home preparations, and knowledge, you won’t be able to provide your pet with the safe, appropriate home he deserves. And, you’ll regret an otherwise good decision had you been more prepared.

 

1. If You Don’t Do Your Homework, You Could End Up with the Wrong Pet

How could a pet be the wrong one? Well, for example, if you adopt a long-haired cat and have allergies, you could be miserable in a matter of minutes. Doing your homework to determine the right breed of dog or cat for you is essential to having a long, happy relationship with your first pet. 

Thankfully, MSN has curated a list of the best and worst cat breeds for people with allergies. Persian cats, Maine Coon cats, black cats, and Norwegian Forest cats are on the list to avoid. On the other hand, Sphynx cats, Siberian cats, Cornish Rex cats, Russian Blue cats, and Balinese cats are considered more hypoallergenic. 

Similarly, EverydayHealth has curated a list of the best and worst dog breeds for people who have pet allergies. A schnauzer, Maltese, Bichon Frise, Labradoodle, Portuguese Water Dog, or Xoloitzcuintli are usually the best dog breeds for people with pet dander allergies. Conversely, a Saint Bernard, bulldog, German Shepherd, Boston Terrier, and Pekingese should be avoided by people who have allergies to dogs. If you are not allergic to animals, you should consider characteristics of the animal you intend to adopt before taking the plunge. 

For example, if you have a small apartment and adopt a high-energy Border Collie, you both will struggle. Dogs that need lots of stimulation and exercise do better in homes with kids and large yards. But, if you have your heart set on a high-energy dog and work too much to take him outside as often as you should, you can always hire a dog walker to cover for you, so be sure to consider all the options for providing for your new pet’s needs.

2. If You Don’t Prepare Your Home, Your Pet Won’t Be Safe

You may have friends who spent weeks baby-proofing their homes when their infants began rolling over and crawling. In reality, pet-proofing your home is just as important for the safety and well-being of your new four-legged baby. Even if you are adopting a more mature animal, you should prepare your home for his arrival with time to spare. Some of the best practices for pet-proofing your home include:

• Using childproof latches to keep your new pet from getting into cabinets, closets, or cupboards that contain cleaning products or food that he should not have
• Keeping medication, laundry supplies (especially detergent pods), and chemicals out of reach of your pet even if you use childproof latches
• Covering trash cans or keeping them out of reach
• Eliminating loose wires or cords from electronics
• Ensuring your plants are not poisonous

3. If You Don’t Consider How to Acclimate Your New Pet to Your Home, He Won’t Feel Comfortable

Of course, you will want to play with your pet and get to know him as soon as you bring him home. But your pet will need some time to adjust to his new surroundings, and you need to help him through the transition to make it easier for everyone. This is especially true if you have adopted a rescue animal who may have been abused or in a shelter for quite some time. 

One of the best ways to help your pet feel at home is to give him his own space. You should have a dog or cat bed and toys in a dedicated space. You also should keep his food and water in the same place. Many dogs feel more comfortable in a crate or cage, so consider getting one for your new pet.

Similarly, if your cat needs a hiding place, make a cage available to him and allow him to remain in his cage when guests visit, especially if they bring their dog along. Becoming a first-time pet owner will be more enjoyable for you and your new pet if you do your homework first, prepare your home, and take steps to acclimate him to your home. 

Image via Pixabay by Free-Photos.

Picture of a young woman and the 20-year-old cat she adopted so he wouldn't die alone

This is a picture, on Twitter, of a young woman who decided to adopt a 20-year-old cat so that he would not die alone. Her actions and the picture are inspirational. Other people on Twitter who have seen the photograph have been inspired to do the same thing. I have always said that if you adopt the unadoptable cats, you are invariably rewarded and of course always the cat.

"I love this! She inspired me to do the same the next time I get a cat! I have two now which is all I can handle." - Tiffany Davidson.

Picture of a young woman who adopted a 20-year-old cat so he wouldn't die alone

I don't know who took the photo, probably a shelter employee. The cat has fur shaved from their left foreleg. He must have been through medical treatment, probably linked to his age. It was probably known that he was dying because of the illness.

This kind of adoption does go against the grain. Although I have seen other instances of people adopting elderly rescue cats in shelters or even a couple of elderly cats at shelters for the same reason. These people walk into the shelter and they want to adopt the least adoptable cats there. They specify that. It is exactly the way things should be. It saves lives in a very dramatic and direct way.

There is always someone there for the kittens. They will always find homes. But the elderly black cats and the less attractive cats are left on the shelf until people like this young woman come along. It is a beautiful photograph which is exactly why it is inspirational.

It was taken during the coronavirus pandemic which is why the lady is wearing a mask. That is obvious but in five years' time if this website is still in existence, people might ask questions about that mask. You may know that there has been a big increase in both America and in the UK of rescue cat adoptions during Covid. 

CLICK FOR SOME PAGES ON ADOPTING A CAT

Dogs have also been adopted more frequently from shelters. However, most commonly dogs have been purchased from breeders and in the UK sometimes from pet shops who are supplied by puppy mills on continental Europe. Not a good thing to happen but demand surged.

It isn't only elderly people who should adopt elderly cats. But if you are elderly think about it. You'll be a good caretaker because you're likely to be there for your cat all day. And you probably won't have to think about who'll die first. A 20-year-old cat does not normally have more than a year of two at most to live and probably less.

Post-pandemic surge in cat adoptions in UK

NEWS AND COMMENT: There was a surge in dog adoptions, mainly purchases of purebred, small dogs, during the coronavirus pandemic. In the UK, the pandemic, as we know it, is nearing its end, we hope. That is the general consensus and it is due to the great success of the vaccination programme which combined with a high level of infections without bad symptoms in unvaccinated, young people has resulted in near herd immunity. Once we get to herd immunity you could probably argue that the pandemic in the UK is over.

Couple of shelter cats ready for adoption as a pair.

Click for factors affecting the success rate of shelter adoptions.

And at this time the Pets4Homes last quarterly report tells us that almost as many cats were rehomed in the first half of 2021 compared with all of 2020. The number rehomed this year so far is 156,193 whereas for all of last year the number is 179,298.

In contrast, dog adoptions have faded from their peak when there was this manic desire to adopt a dog during lockdown. The report states that the previous trends are in reverse with an increased number of available cats and dogs for rehoming. They say that the number of companion animals available for rehoming has risen dramatically. 

Comment: this appears to be a result of impulsive purchases of dogs resulting in a relinquishment of those dogs once the adopters returned to normal in terms of their employment. In short, it appears that some people adopted a companion animal simply for the duration of the pandemic lockdowns.

The report states that the slowdown in demand for dog has come about at the same time that there has been an increase in demand for cats. I don't know what we can make of that. I know we can understand why dogs were adopted during the pandemic. And we understand why they've been abandoned after the pandemic. But why are more cats being adopted at this time?

Perhaps things have got back to normal, more or less. Throughout 2020, which was the year of the pandemic, with social distancing and lockdowns, there was a surge in dog adoptions. That probably weakened demand for cats because the focus was on dogs. When those pressures to adopt a dog had passed people reverted back to adopting shelter cats hence the statistics mentioned above in the second paragraph. 

A key aspect of choosing cats over dogs is that they are perceived as being more suitable for working owners who are away from the home for long periods. This is actually not necessarily true but the belief that it is true has fueled the increase in cat adoptions now that employees are returning to the office to work rather than working from home.

People are adopting animals in person from rescue centres in New York City at last

NEWS AND COMMENT - NEW YORK CITY: New Yorkers are pleased that they can, at last, visit an animal shelter in person, look at the animals, relate to the animals on a one-to-one basis and adopt when they fall in love with an individual. This, in a way, marks the beginning of the end of the coronavirus pandemic, we hope. It's a sign of getting back to normal. And they lined up for the pleasure. It is said that they turned up in droves on Saturday at Animal Care Centers of New York City. It was their first in-person adoption event for more than a year.

Cut cat in shelter waiting for an adopter. Photo in public domain.

In all 55 cats were adopted. It seems that the general consensus is that adopting online remotely is not anywhere near as good as being there in person. One customer, Vaneza Almodovar, 43, had tried to adopt online several times during the pandemic. She adopted a cat from the Animal Care Centers' East Harlem branch. She surprised her daughter when she brought the cat home. Her daughter said that she had never had a cat of her own while her mother said that "It's been worth waiting".

You had to get to the rescue centre early and lineup. Denise Cunningham and her granddaughter Ariah Williams got there 90 minutes early and were ninth in the queue of dozens that apparently extended down the block. They adopted a brown tabby called Raspberry. They chose him because he was shy. I like that because it is normally the confident cats who come forward and make themselves known and to get adopted. To go for a shy cat is a nice thing to do.

The shelter said that people were not surrendering their companion animals during the pandemic lockdown and neither were they adopting stray cats because they were not leaving their house. Pet adoptions had continued during the pandemic but some found the online application process a bit tricky. Almodovar said that they had put in an application and then told that their selected cat had "just got adopted out. We were so frustrated."

It's nice to read that things are getting back to normal in the world of cat adoptions and shelters.

What do I need to adopt a cat?

You need to have your head screwed on correctly! In that flippant remark what I mean is you need to get your head in gear, to think right, to be prepared mentally and committed to taking on the responsibilities for the lifetime of the cat. That is the first thing you need before adopting a cat. So, take a deep breath and think about it. Are you going to do this for 15 to 20 years? Are you prepared to have your life altered and your lifestyle compromised?

Happy boy after adopting a cat. Photo: PoC.

Click on this link to read the article illustrated by the above photo.

You know that when you live with somebody that you have to compromise what you do. Your freedoms are gone, at least partly. The same applies to adopting a cat. Whereas at one time you went on holiday three times a year, now it's not the same because you might become so attached to your cat that you don't want to put her in a boarding cattery for two weeks. I don't want to do that. I refuse to do it. So, you don't go on holiday like you did. And you don't leave your house keys with your neighbours so she can feed your cat while you are on a beach in Spain for two weeks. I don't believe in that method of looking after a cat. But it depends on you: let's just say in round terms that your lifestyle is compromised.

So, you need to get your head in gear for those sorts of big changes. In addition, of course, you need all the usual accoutrements of looking after a cat like a cat litter tray and cat litter, food, and a home which has some modifications to make it more enjoyable for a domestic cat. If your cat is an outdoor/indoor cat then there should be a cat flap. You might consider building a cat enclosure attached to the house or circumventing the backyard. That is a big expense but a good one if you are committed to the project. 

You need to read up about cat behaviour and you can start by clicking on this link. You can read about 30 pages of this website (PoC – Cat Welfare at Heart – seen in 86% of the world's countries (168/195) (pictures-of-cats.org) on cat behaviour and that will help tee you up. So, you've learnt about cat behaviour and you think you understand cats but have you enough money to look after a cat for the lifetime of a cat? It will cost you upwards of about £18,000 in the UK to a first-class job for 18 years. Let's just put it this way, it is not a freebie ride. It is not cheap to look after a cat properly. And you want to look after your cat properly, don't you? So, adopting a cat is not just the purchase price of a purebred cat which can be up to £1500 but the maintenance of the cat for his or her lifetime.

I've mentioned purebred cats but the better course of action is to adopt a rescue cat. It is more rewarding, I'd suggest. Now you can enter into the practicalities. You can take some steps. If you want to adopt a purebred cat, I would ring up the GCCF in the UK or go to their website where they have a list of breeders. In America they have the CFA and TICA. I would start with these major cat associations. Of course, beforehand you will have to decide which cat breed you want to adopt. The answer depends upon your aesthetic appreciation of the breeds and whether you want to keep your cat full-time indoors or not. I would suggest that purebred cats should be kept indoors all the time for their safety and to prevent their theft and then you might take them out in a cat stroller or on a lead. The former is better than the latter in my view.

So do your research on the cat breeds if you want to adopt a purebred cat. You can start that research by firstly clicking on this link here. If you want to adopt a rescue cat which is my preferred course of action you can go online and search for your nearest rescue centre, telephone them and arrange a visit and go from there. Ask them what they want from adopters and meet those standards.

If you do buy purebred, by the way, you must visit the cat breeder's establishment and the breeder herself and of course the cats and ask pertinent questions. You must get a contract and the documentation that says that your cat has a pedigree, has been vaccinated and spayed or neutered and is free of disease. Do not buy a purebred cat online unseen. Never do this. You might be scammed and you probably will be scammed. 

These are some pointers as to what you need to do to adopt a cat. You can add to these pointers by going to my website and searching for whatever you think needs to be searched for to get your mind in gear and your head screwed on correctly before you kick off. Preparation both mental and practical are important in order to make sure that you have a good life together.

You might live in an apartment and you might think that that is unsuited to keeping a cat. In some ways it is but there are many people who live with a domestic cat companion in an apartment. Some purebred cats are more suited to it than others. And it does place a greater responsibility upon the cat's owner. I don't think you can live in an apartment and work long hours while successfully looking after a domestic cat. The cat will be too lonely and too stressed and unhappy. Take it from me that that will not work properly. If you're retired and living in apartment then you can be with your cat all the time to entertain him or her but to leave a cat alone in a small property for 12 hours a day just isn't right. I should know I did it myself once because I had to and I regret it badly. It was forced upon me to certain extent but I felt bad and guilty all the time about the arrangement. It happened many years ago.

Wild Whiskers of Tauranga, New Zealand do a great job in managing community cats

The photograph that you see on this page caught my eye, which is why I was drawn to writing about this rescue organisation: Wild Whiskers of Tauranga, New Zealand. In New Zealand there is an issue with feral cats. In line with their neighbours, Australia, the country want to kill feral cats and simply get rid of them in the most convenient and expedient way, which leads to cruelty. So it is particularly nice to read about this caring organisation, managed and owned by veterinary nurse Sharna Asplin.

 Wild Whiskers of Tauranga, New Zealand do a great job in managing community cats. Photo: Wild Whiskers.

Sharna is a smart cookie. She is very sensible and organised. Everything that she has said about community cat in her area is absolutely spot on correct. Every organisation concerned with managing and caring for community cats in the interests of the cats and the residents should see how she works.

She runs a volunteer-run group and they have two focuses. In the summer it is kitten season and over this period she uses her best efforts to take in feral kittens (she describes them as "wild kittens") and to socialise them so that they can become loved domestic cats in their adulthood. The kitten should be within that critical timeframe, the first eight weeks of life approximately, when they can be socialised successfully and relatively easily. It's much harder to socialise adult feral cats.

She has 20 foster carers across Tauranga who take the kittens in. They make sure that the kittens will become excellent companion animals and after that assessment they treat the kittens for fleas and worms and sterilise, vaccinate and microchip them.

They put them up for adoption. The other focus is during the winter months when they employ TNR techniques. They do this with considerable care and the involvement, wisely, of the residents. They make sure that the community cats are not owned by posting on social media. They also scan for microchips and if possible they place a "found cat collar" on the cat. They also contact local veterinary clinics. They then neuter the cats and release them back to where they came from.

She says that they only conduct TNR where there are proper systems in place, namely that there is a volunteer to manage the colony or cat and a regular food source so that the cats does not present a danger to native wildlife.

Sometimes they have to euthanize a feral cat because of injury and/or sickness.

She says that they have rescued, rehabilitated and rehomed over 100 kittens in the past season from October to April and they have trapped, neutered and returned adults.

She makes the excellent point that as these are community cats she needs to ensure that she engages with the community to obtain their cooperation. This, I'm sure, helps to avoid antagonism and it also helps to create a community spirit in dealing with what is a community problem. She says that if a citizen of the area finds a stray cat the best thing that they can do is to take photographs and post a description of the cat online. This helps to get the ball rolling because they can find out whether the cat is feral or owned.

It can be difficult to distinguish between a domestic cat which has become a stray, looking dirty and starving, and a genuine feral cat. People should not assume that because a cat is dirty and thin that it is a feral cat. The same by the way goes for behaviour. Often domestic cats can be fearful of strangers which is a behavioural trait of feral cats. For this reason, I have always argued that people should not be shooting at cats that they believe are feral (if approved by the local authority). It might be shooting someone's pet which has become lost or has been abandoned. Anyway it is essentially very cruel.

In acknowledgement of her good work the local authority has provided her with a $4000 grant which has been a great help to her during the coronavirus pandemic because it precluded her ability to raise funds. Well done to Sharna.

My thanks to Sun Live for the report.

Do cat siblings get along?

Do cat siblings get along? It is an important question. On the face of it, if a person adopts two siblings from the same litter when they first adopt a cat they give each cat an instant companion for life. This can take a load of responsibilities away from the cats' owner because they can entertain themselves. 

Domestic cats are social creatures despite what you read on the Internet about them being independent and solitary. Over 10,000 years of evolution in domestication they had developed into far more social creatures which means they need companionship which in turn means that their human guardian should be around. Sometimes they can't be around because of work commitments which is when a cat companion steps up to the plate.

Lykoi cat siblings. Photo: Brittney Gobble.

So the question as to whether cat siblings get along can be vitally important. And the answer is yes and no. When they are kittens and sub-adults they do get along. They entertain each other and play-fight with each other. The world is perfect if they are in the right home. But when they grow up and become individuals with better developed characters they can start to dislike each other. They may be incompatible. The relationship cools and they drift apart. Sounds familiar?

I do not have statistics on the percentage of siblings who are compatible or incompatible. But there is quite a good chance that they will be incompatible so you can't bank on adopting siblings in the expectation that they will get along for the rest of their lives. This means the policy of a double adoption of kittens from a shelter might not work.

That does not mean you can't adopt two rescue cats from a shelter who are adults. In fact there is an advantage to adopting two adult cats that need to get along because you know that they get along. The shelter staff will be able to assess this and tell you. The cats have been tried and tested. Their characters have matured so if they do get along it will likely be permanent.

I remember when I adopted my cat from an animal rescue centre, the organiser told me that cat siblings do not get along. She must have had a bad experience in adopting siblings herself. Or she had noticed that within the shelter siblings were fighting. She was partly right. Sometimes they don't, as mentioned, but they might and they often do. It's down to personalities.

But once they become adults they like to establish their home range. In the wild when kittens become adults and leave the natal nest they go out into the big wide world and establish their home range i.e. their territory. They want their piece of landscape and if they are in a home together they might be fighting over that territory. Or they might fight over some of the assets such as food and the litter tray.

And if they are incompatible they may urinate inappropriately, they may defecate inappropriately or they may spray urine and finally they may scratch furniture and walls to mark territory. So it will be a bad scene despite best intentions.

I think that the only surefire way of knowing if two cats will get along is by trying it out. That's why I think cat shelters should allow adopters to take a cat back to their home where there is a resident cat for a week to see what happens. They should be open to the possibility of the cat being returned. That should be part of the contract. It may be possible in some cat shelters. I don't know of any other way to deal with this very difficult question of multi-cat homes. Perhaps I'm being too negative because I know their are some very successful homes in which there are several cats.

And when you think about it in this instance domestic gas are being no different to human beings. How many dysfunctional families do you know? How many human siblings do you know who fight with each other because who dislike each other? It is very common for human siblings not to get on.

I myself don't get on very well with my brother and I never got along with my late sister. We were quite different characters. Hell, I didn't even get on with my parents that well either.

Are Cat Adoption Applications Too Strict?

Are cat adoption applications too strict? Have any of the readers here even looked at a cat adoption application lately? Gone are the days when you went to your local shelter, picked out a cat, paid a fee and took him or her home.

Pippa - one of my rescued cats. Photo by Elisa Black-Taylor

Thanks to the internet, both good and bad have come out of what used to be the pleasure of adopting a cat. We've all heard the horror stories of how animal abusers will search the freebie advertisements for animals to abuse. Some will even go so far as to pay the price a shelter asks for a cat just to have a new cat to torture. It's these abusers who have paved the way to turning a simple adoption into a nightmare.

That and a lot of other questionable information most shelters and rescues have the right to investigate before adopting out a cat. Some of the information that may get you turned down for a cat adoption include the following:

• Age. Some shelters and rescues require an adopter to be over the age of 21 but under the age of 60.
• Who will care for your cat should you become unable to?
• Whether you have children, plan to have children, how many children and how old they are.
• How will you handle any health problems that may come up concerning your cat?
• Vet reference. This can be a tricky one if this is your first cat.
• Have you ever euthanized a pet?
• Have you ever turned a pet into a shelter?
• What happened to any previous pets you've had?
• Do you have a full time job? This is a tricky one. Some shelters and rescues believe one person should always be home with the cat.

Are ALL of these questions really necessary? They're standard on many rescue adoption websites as well as many shelters. Most rescues will tell you these questions are necessary to prevent the cat from going to a "bad" home.

How is it a person can be called to war at 18, yet be unable to adopt a cat until the age of 21? I feel sure cat lovers over the age of 60 will have some objections to being denied because of their age.

I can understand questions on whether or not you plan to declaw a cat and whether the cat will be kept indoors at all times.  Some potential adopters have compared certain questions to an inquisition. Questions that have nothing to do with declawing or where the cat will spend its time.

Some shelters are extremely strict and cats die because of this on a daily basis. Not because a home couldn't be found. Because a "perfect" home couldn't be found and the cat is euthanized when the end holding date is reached.

I never would have thought having a full time job could make a person ineligible for cat adoption. With some shelters and rescue groups it can.

This is one reason so many people turn to the freebies. It's created a dangerous situation for many cats and also contributed to the overpopulation of cats. The person placing the ad for free kittens really has little to go on as to who gets a kitten. And the adopter is as likely as not to allow the cat to remain intact because spay/neutering can be expensive in areas without a low cost clinic. These free cats eventually end up in the shelter system. Usually shortly before or after that first unwanted litter comes along.

Rescues are also scaring away prospective cat owners by continuing to claim ownership in the contract the adopter must sign before taking the cat home. This basically states the adopter is responsible for food, shelter and medical care. It also gives the rescue the right to drop in at the adopter's home unannounced for the rest of the cats life to be sure a good home is being provided. Most rescue centers also take away the option of the adopter finding the cat a new home should the arrangement not work out. Again, a measure meant to protect the cat is causing some to shy away from rescue adoption.

I'm not saying these precautions aren't necessary. Only that some are a little excessive.

Have any of you ran into these questionnaires that border on the extreme? Were you turned down because of your answers? How far should a rescue or shelter be allowed to go in placing a cat with it's forever home. I welcome your comments on what you consider good adoption questions and questions that are more of an invasion of privacy.