I don't know about the shelters there, but in Tucson we have a no cage shelter. The reason why I really like no cage shelters is because you can see how the cat acts when it is at home. It's hard to see a cats personality when they are in a cage, but when they are running lose in a house with lots of other cats you can really see their personality. That's how I chose Tibby, and the lady at the shelter was very understanding about the fact I had another cat and wanted to make sure they got along. She said if they hated each other we could try another cat because she would rather I bring back the cat if everyone was unhappy then let the new cat live in an unhappy enviornment. Thankfully things worked out great between Tibby and Corkscrew. I kept Tibby separated for a day then let them meet. I had maybe 10 minutes of hissing, but after that they were inseperable.