Adopting Adult Cats! GOOD MESSAGE

**bowlkat** · 12-16-2009, 02:01 PM

This was in a CATSTER E-mail today-- VERY WISE WORDS--
Bowlkat--

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TODAY´S TIP: ADOPTION & RESCUE

December 16, 2009

Looking for a new friend? Adopt an adult cat
by JaneA Kelley, Cat expert and animal communicator, Paws and Effect

Do you ever wonder what happens at shelters when the mad rush of kitten season is over? Usually you'll find plenty of adult cats still waiting for a "forever home" of their own. Although most people want to adopt kittens, there are many advantages to adopting an older cat.

First of all, an adult cat's personality is pretty much fully developed. There's no way to predict a kitten's temperament, but it's easy to figure out how mellow, cuddly, standoffish, playful, or tough an adult cat is.

You won't have to deal with the "kitten crazies." It's nice to bring home a cat and not have to worry about curtain climbing, cord chewing, and other chaos-causing juvenile cat behaviors.

Cats can live to be 16 to 18 years old (or even older!) if they're well cared-for, so adopting an adult cat doesn't mean you won't be able to share many happy years together.

When you adopt an adult cat, you'll bring a wonderful companion and grateful friend into your home. I wouldn't trade my adult adoptee, Thomas, for all the kittens in the world!

Cat expert and animal communicator JaneA Kelley is the webmaster and chief cat slave for Paws and Effect, a weekly cat advice column by cats, for cats and their people.

**GILL** · 12-16-2009, 02:29 PM

Extremly well said and I agree.

**Pinot's Mom** · 12-16-2009, 02:48 PM

Of course I agree! Those kitties need love, too!

I have adopted three kitties over my adult life; none were really 'kittens'. My first was a street cat of about two years or three years old. My second had been abandoned in a house and was probably eight months old. Pinot is a shelter kitty and she was about 10 months at time of adoption. I highly recommend going the non-kitten route. The kittens have a much higher chance of finding their home; go for a more settled kitty!

**Taz_Zoee** · 12-16-2009, 03:09 PM

I totally agree with this too. In fact, my plan is to adopt an adult cat, hopefully. I just have to find the right one. One that is okay with dogs and won't agitate Paizly. Since I volunteer at the shelter I am going to just keep an eye out for the perfect kitty. Our house is not calm and quiet so I need a cat that can handle that.
Paizly is still a kitten (1 1/2 years old) so I do not want another one.

**catmandu** · 12-16-2009, 04:25 PM

Of all My Found Cats I think that only Scrappy Two was a Kitten as she was about 8 months old and already expecting.
Miquelito, Pouncierge BJ John Hancock and Rocca were 18 moths to two years old as were Michael and Joseph.
Moose and Bo Bo and Princess were at least three as were Sam and Precious.
Smokey was 16-17 and Mr Fluffy was 14.
Panther is seven , so he was five when he jpined us.
I guess Pouncer was a Kitten about 3 months stuck in a crummy Pet Store.
I see these Great Cats all the time at PetsMart , young full of life and only a few years old.

And people looking for Kittens passing them by.

That reminds me of the cartoon where a Cat looking for a home sits with a sign in front of him.
NO LONGER CUTE

**lvpets2002** · 12-16-2009, 04:30 PM

Yes very well said.. Oh other than my cats being with handicappss they all were adopted as adults.. For sure would rather have the adults..

**Medusa** · 12-16-2009, 05:16 PM

Who doesn't love a kitten but it's easier to find a home for one than it is for an adult cat. Mine, of course, are all adults now but Coco Puff was the last kitten that I rescued. He was a handful and still is! Give me a calm, grateful adult cat any day.

**columbine** · 12-16-2009, 06:16 PM

I have a home business. Kittens' #1 talent is KNOCKING THINGS OVER. 'Nuff said. (Although a close #2 might be Getting Stuck In Inaccessible Places!)

Smudge was 9 when he moved in, discarded for needing medical attention (but, of course, his previous human didn't SAY that). But now that he gets the right food and the right medicines, he's 100% healthy! He just celebrated his 14th birthday, and still loves nothing better than a rousing game of Get The Bug.

Love, Columbine

**Don Juan's mom** · 12-16-2009, 07:12 PM

I adopted both of mine as young adults. Trust me, at 1 year/18 months, they STILL have a lot of kitten playfulness in them! And it's been wonderful.

**GILL** · 12-17-2009, 08:05 AM

Our range in age from about 2 years to 14, Bailey was 10, Lenny about 3, Bart about 9-10 Precious about 12, Princess about 3, Egypt 4, Dobe about 4, Lily 5-6 when they came to us all the rest were 1 or less. The age makes no differance to us. But some times the younger ones can get on the olders nerves and the young ones have to get put in thier place.
I have short bio's on each on my site at: www.jsgill.net

**Tora Oni** · 12-17-2009, 10:53 AM

Yeah its pretty sad people still think that kittens adapt better to new lifestyle and think adult cats are set in their ways. Which isn't true because my cat was easily scared by strange household sounds and adults. Which after a year or two he learned that those two things weren't that scary. I think older cats do a little bit better than kittens actually, since the world in itself isn't new to them and chances are the were somebody's kitten at one time.