Adopting a grown cat

[Zuni]

many people think it is best to adopt a kitten. While a kitten is adorable and cuddly they also tend to be unpredictable.
I recommend if you are adopting to adopt a 1 or 2 year old because you can already tell if they are going to be a personable cat.
My mother adopted an 1 and 1/2 year old from the SPCA and it turned out to be one of the best decisions she ever made. Her cat is wonderful and loyal, as well as entertaining.
I adopted a stray that followed me around. i started feeding her and then she camped out outside of my front door. She was 1 or 2 when i took her in, but she has turned out to be the sweetest, most loyal kitty. She never bites, she never claws, she never hisses (except if another cat comes to close to the window she sits in).

[Stevendsmith]

1. My Wife and I Adopted a Seven-Year-Old Cat From The SPCA

She is a great cat!

[Zuni]

2. good for you

I am glad. 7 year old cats are usually sweet and mellow by that age. i hope your cat brings you many years of happiness.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

3. I adopted a 6- and 7-year old in May

and they are the sweetest kitties! The still spas out occasionally, but their personalities are affectionate and calm.

[Jack_Dawson]

20. You are a Star

So is your wife. Nice job...oftentimes people think that's "too old" but the poor cat still has feelings and wants a home. I applaud your efforts.

[BigBigBear]

4. We adopted

a three year old female last January, after our buddy Al passed away from cancer at age 18. We had another female at the time.

Yarmony, the new cat, is playful and very affectionate, but also has a serious hiss-thing...actually, it's kind of cute, because she acts just like a tempermental kid; gets all mad and pouty, walks around hissing for a few minutes, then promptly returns to her playful and fun-loving self. She lets you know when she's happy, and when she's mad. I like that about her.

Unfortunately, she and our other cat do NOT care for each other, so they live in opposite ends of the house. One piece of advise I can offer - if you have a female, don't adopt another female.

[Zuni]

10. two female cats in the same house can be VERY ugly

I know what you mean. they turn into straight bit--es

[silverlib]

5. Our Tiger

came home with our other cat for supper one evening. Jimmy, the other cat, didn't really intend for him to move in. We did eveything we could to find the owner, and he has decided that he wants to stay. He didn't look underfed when he came, but within six months, he was up to what was probably his previous weight of 18 lb. He uses the toilet if we accidently close the door where the litter box resides. He understands what "no" means, but of course only when he decides to understand. He is wonderful. We have had him now for over two years and the vet estimated his was six years old when we first took him in. He loves us and shows us every day.

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

6. I adopted an 8-year old cat

from the shelter and have had him almost 2 years. He is the most lovable cat. I was planning to get one only a couple of years old, but when I saw how sweet and friendly this one was, I just had to pick him and am so glad I did.

My other cat was 12 at the time and she's the nervous type, so that was a good pick for her too. They get along great.

[Mz Pip]

7. We were adopted

by a grown cat a couple of years ago. We don't know where he came from but he showed up one day and would not go away. He stayed on our deck for about a year until the dog got too old to chase him out of the house. Then he moved in. We've had him over 2 years now. He's a big guy - nearly 20 lbs. and loves to cuddle. :loveya:

MzPip
:dem:

[VOX]

8. Adopting an adult cat is a terrific thing to do...

*Everyone* wants kittens, and they usually get adopted out first.

But with an adult cat, you get a good shot at knowing what kind of personality the cat has, its likes and dislikes, quirks, etc.

My wife and I adopted a 3-year-old Bluepoint Siamese three years ago. She is a very sweet, loving cat, and has to attach itself (almost literally) to its humans. She absolutely has to sleep in the crook of my wife's left arm every night.

This cat had been through two sets of owners (and a painful declawing) in three years -- it was deemed too "high-maintenance" emotionally.

Imagine -- such a beautiful, trusting cat being unwanted because it had too much love to give!

[BuelahWitch]

9. My current kitty was 9 months old when I adopted her

and thus presumed to be an "adult". The apartment complex where I lived did not allow kittens, but I was used to older cats anyway (had just lost my 13 year old buddy Boo to cancer) so that's what I and my mother were used to.

Boo's mother Tisha came to live with us when she was 4 or 5. A brown eyed orange cream Persian and so sweet! No way I would have traded her for a kitten.

When Angel goes over the Rainbow Bridge I'll adopt another adult cat. Of course, like Angel I'll let it "pick" me instead of the other way 'round. ;-) I've gotten my best pets that way...

[curse10]

11. I adopted a 4 year old cat

and he's the best kitty ever! I love him to pieces and wouldn't trade him for anything.

[Zuni]

12. good for you

I am happy that you found a great cat. I did too, and i wouldn't trade my little monkey for anything

[mark0rama]

13. I like the idea of adopting "senior" cats

You may not get as many years with a cat that's already lived awhile, and that's kinda sad, but at least you gave it a good home to live out its final years, and then you can do the same for another.

[flamingyouth]

24. I do too

Our big guy Chester was about 9 or 10 when he came to us. I found him starved in a vacant lot in August 1999. He is just the sweetest cat you could ever meet. He's been an animal companion with the Delta Society for two years now. He's a big lump of unadulterated love. I highly recommend older cats, especially if people aren't equipped to handle the high activity level of kittens.

[Rhiannon12866]

14. I adopted two grown cats that I inherited from my uncle who died

This was one of the best decisions I ever made. I already had two dogs and wasn't well at the time, so even my friend who works for the ASPCA wasn't in favor of it. However, what choice did I have? These poor little beings, who had had a good home, were, through no fault of their own, suddenly in danger of being dumped at some shelter. This would have been a nightmare for Angela, who was 11 and very reclusive. In the beginning, she spent a lot of time behind the couch, but, eventually, ventured out, in her own good time. The other cat was five, my beloved Rhiannon, who is the best cat I will ever know. She was a beautiful cat with the best disposition. I lost her two years ago and still miss her terribly. Kittens are adorable, but can be a handful and require so much supervision. My two were happy just to be fed and have me clean the litter box. Rhiannon would make her own fun.

The real Rhiannon:



Also, someone else on DU agrees with you. Check out this thread:-)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=588465&mesg_id=588465

[cedahlia]

19. Ooooooh! How beautiful!!

I've always wanted a long-haired black cat! What a gorgeous kitty...I'm so sorry about your loss. Sounds like she was a very special cat.

[Rhiannon12866]

26. Thank you. My Rhiannon was one in a million

I realized my good fortune the minute she did a graceful leap from her carrier and into my life. She was such a pretty thing and quite the personality. If I was here at the computer, she would sit on my lap or try to get the attention of my typing fingers. She would tap you with her paw, like a person, if you weren't paying sufficient attention. I just loved her beyond words. She developed a paralysis on the left side of her face called Horner's Syndrome. I fed her for weeks using a syringe. I also took her for acupuncture, to make her more comfortable and to help her appetite. She was so good. My vet said he was able to do things with her that he had never been able to do with a cat before. She would just fall asleep during acupuncture. It turned out that she had a tumor in her face that finally got large enough for him to see it. It was inoperable. I still mourn my beautiful, remarkable cat.;(

On edit: Welcome to DU, cedahlia! If you are a cat lover, you will find many kindred spirits here. Thank you for your kind words. I am so glad that you have joined us!:hi:

[Philostopher]

15. We only adopted one 'total kitten'

Out of our four. She was eight weeks old. The Mr. hadn't ever raised a kitten, and I wanted him to have the full experience, in case we weren't ever in a position to have more than one cat.

We now have four -- three of them females who get along perfectly well, so don't tell them they're not supposed to get along, because they certainly don't know it! -- one of whom was a two-plus year old male from the shelter where we volunteer. The other two were foundlings, and both were more than half grown. We didn't pick them -- both of them found us, at about the age of six or seven months.

I've seen cats of all ages adopted from the shelter. There was one old gal, whose name was Bandit, who we figured was at least seven or eight years old. She was a little cranky, but if you didn't want a lap cat and you didn't have any other cats, she'd have been a pretty good choice. It's just that people don't often know this, when they come in to get a cat. We'd pretty much resigned ourselves to her living out her life at the shelter and dying there -- but last winter, somebody came in who wanted her. She's been gone over a year now.

It makes a strange sort of sense -- often, the people who adopt the older cats are elderly themselves. I've heard it said that many of them give the reason for choosing older cats is that they very much want a pet, but they want one that isn't likely to outlive them by years and years, so their families don't have to deal with finding a place for them. I think it's terrific, when you can match a pet you thought was going to die at the shelter with someone who wouldn't be able to have a pet otherwise.

[grasswire]

16. I've never had.............

....a brand new car or a brand new cat.

My four cats all arrived from various people who were going overseas for a while and who never took them back. That's okay. I'm happy to have had them all.

Oh, and the two female cat thing? Never again! I did have to give away another "loaner" cat who was hell on paws with our old calico.

I also had trouble with two orange males. The younger one would NOT accept the older one when he came. It took more than a year of keeping them apart until they reconciled. Keiko would have killed Shoe, who is twice his age.

[Skittles]

17. I adopted a kitten from the pound and he was a nightmare

such an evil little kitty. Clancy is now five and the best cat in the world; I just adore him. :D

[Southpaw Bookworm]

18. Adopted 7 year old

Back in 2001, through a feline rescue league. Her owner's asthma had worsened, and even medication wasn't helping with the cat in the house. I wanted to adopt an adult because I worked too much to deal with a kitten.

I was worried that she wouldn't deal well with the change in human. The night she moved in, she hid in the closet all evening. I woke up that night to her on my bed sniffing my face, a momentous step, I thought. The next day, she had relocated to the litter box, where she sat watching me out the air vent on top. A couple days later, she decided to visit the living room and see what those food smells were all about.

Now, if I'm at home, she's within a few feet of me, and is typically huddled up against me. When I'm on the computer, she's either under the desk or next to it. Ironically, I now own a condo in the community where she was living when I adopted her.

So there's my adult adoption success story.

[hyphenate]

21. When one of my dearest friends

passed away in June, I took her cat, Amanda. Amanda is 13 years old, and she was the last of Marje's cats. I couldn't stand the thought of her going anywhere but to come with me, because I owed Marje that much at the very least.

Amanda joined the rest of the cats--it was a little rough on her for a while, but she's adjusting. She used to overgroom and pull out her hair, but she's stopped doing it now, and instead just hisses at one of the others--Jean-Luc, the oldest male in the house at nearly 10. Amanda is now the oldest of the brood, followed closely by my Jessica, who will be 13 in 2004, and has diabetes.

I don't think I could put up with any kittens anymore. They're always cute, but I'm older and more settled, and the thought of raising a kitten is one that makes me somewhat ill at ease.

[cedahlia]

22. Adopting an adult cat is a wonderful thing to do

Kittens are fun, but I have a soft spot for adult cats, especially the ones needing homes. I adopted my pretty girl as an adult, after her former "family" abandoned her, and I have no regrets. She was very skittish when I first met her (and still is, somewhat) and she's a little bit crazy, but I love her very much, and I think the feeling is mutual. When my fiancee and I buy a house and get out of the out of the rental we're in, I hope to adopt at least one other (preferably) adult cat to be her companion.

[WillParkinson]

23. I'm putting together a flyer for the Northwoods Humane Society

On reasons to adopt an adult cat vs a kitten.

There were plenty of them that I would like to have brought home with me.

[SheilaT]

25. I'm constantly advising people to adopt

adult cats. Same for dogs. Kittens and puppies are a great deal of work, and not everyone really has the time to devote to them.

We acquired a ten year old cat when we bought a house when we lived in another city, and moved her with us to Kansas a year and a half later. She lived to be 17. After nearly a full year without a cat in our life, I went to a local animal shelter and brought home a four year old. I would have adopted a much older cat had one been available.

Another year later and I brought home a cat thought to be about seven months old from my vet. Both cats are females, and I'd never heard that two unrelated females can't get along, and I guess ignorance is bliss. The first two or three weeks the first cat really didn't want having another cat around, would hiss and spit and try to attack. We mostly kept them apart, even though the new cat really, really wanted to be friends. In less than a month they were getting along fine. I know that doesn't always happen.