My Next Cat Will Be the Most-Unadoptable Ever

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A Facebook friend of mine who runs a rescue shared this article today. I thought it was cute, hopefully people take it to heart!
Let's talk about cat adoption. My next cat will be the ugliest, oldest, least-adoptable cat in the shelter. You know that plain black cat in the corner with no unique markings? The one who's been waiting patiently, purring his best but getting passed over day after day, month after month? Or the poor kitty who needs to eat special food or visit the vet more often for an existing condition that is otherwise under control? Or that old lady feline who has been waiting patiently and living her life for years at the shelter, but has never known a couch or a bed?
Put all those together, and you have my next cat.
http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/cat-adoption-most-unadoptable-cat

Anyone else ever adopt an "unwanted" or "special needs" kitty from a shelter? I adopted my kitty Clarise after all of her kittens were adopted and nobody wanted the cranky adult calico cat. She was the sweetest, gentlest, little girl I could ever have asked for. (RIP Clarise, I love you!)

24944_556556953743_550323_n.jpg
 
Both my kitties were unwanted, although neither were from a shelter. One was on her way to the vet's to be put down (perfectly healthy, but the old lady who had been taking care of her was going into a home and nobody else was willing to help). I was 14 at the time, and I didn't ask permission; I just told my parents we were keeping her, no arguments. I was in huge trouble for it, but since then I've known that I really can't stand back and let that sort of thing happen. The article was an excellent read, very close to my own sentiments. Thank you for posting!
 
Oh, this is beautiful. Inspiring and also frustrating, because so many wonderful animals are overlooked because of their appearance or some other difficulty they're facing. The husband of a friend payed 600.oo for a cat for her birthday once. I was absolutely furious,and they just couldn't understand why.
Posting this on fb today in honor of Lennox. Thanks for the reminder.
 
Almost all of my various critters would be considered unadoptable or difficult to adopt out, and/or had gone through more homes than years lived.

That's not unusual though - what percentage of animals in shelters are adopted out to decent homes? The kill rate for cats is particularly high, and some breeds of dogs and black dogs hardly have any chance at all.
 
That's not unusual though - what percentage of animals in shelters are adopted out to decent homes? The kill rate for cats is particularly high, and some breeds of dogs and black dogs hardly have any chance at all.


True. The number of cats and kittens killed, especially during kitten season is staggering.
 
I'm completely done with puppies. When my three are down to two or fewer, I'm adopting old Chihuahuas with bad breath and arthritis. The old ones are the sweetest and they are so grateful.

Sorry to change species, hope it's ok.
 
I'm completely done with puppies. When my three are down to two or fewer, I'm adopting old Chihuahuas with bad breath and arthritis. The old ones are the sweetest and they are so grateful.

Sorry to change species, hope it's ok.

That't totally okay. :) The subject spans many species. Also, puppies are a pain in the *** sometimes. :p
 
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I'm completely done with puppies. When my three are down to two or fewer, I'm adopting old Chihuahuas with bad breath and arthritis. The old ones are the sweetest and they are so grateful.

Sorry to change species, hope it's ok.

So true. My brother and his wife have adopted many senior dogs over the years, and they have all been precious.
 
I think Gypsy is a bit like that. She isnt a pedigree or any fancy breed (though she is a good looking cat), she cant have dry food, and it is pretty much impossible to take her anywhere in a carry crate without very heavy sedation because of her feral ways. She is high maintenance when she is sick... though easy going when well.
 
Appearance is small potatoes -- I've known some really antisocial cats who are quick to draw blood with their claws if bothered.
 
Also applicable to rabbits. My rescue has an extremely difficult time adopting out our special needs bunnies, even when their special need is something as simple as chopping their veggies up into small pieces. (For buns who have had to have teeth removed.) One-eared bunnies also have a tough time finding forever homes.

When Husband and I adopted our first bunnies, we had narrowed our choices down to two different pairs. We ended up going with the pair who had been in foster care the longest, had slightly poorer litter habits, and were less social.
 
Anyone else ever adopt an "unwanted" or "special needs" kitty from a shelter?


I'm hoping to find out tomorrow just how special needs Bogart is. I can't take any credit for doing a good deed because I'm pretty sure I would not have taken him if I knew he would be chronically I'll. It's a shame that it has to come down to the financials of it. I would love to be in a financial situation where I didn't have to worry about the cost of diagnostic testing and/or treatment. After tomorrow I will be in the hole for upwards of $1400...didn't expect this from day one of bringing him home. But he's so freakin' awesome...even when he's ornery which is quite often lately, lol.
 
I'm hoping to find out tomorrow just how special needs Bogart is. I can't take any credit for doing a good deed because I'm pretty sure I would not have taken him if I knew he would be chronically I'll. It's a shame that it has to come down to the financials of it. I would love to be in a financial situation where I didn't have to worry about the cost of diagnostic testing and/or treatment. After tomorrow I will be in the hole for upwards of $1400...didn't expect this from day one of bringing him home. But he's so freakin' awesome...even when he's ornery which is quite often lately, lol.

Hopefully the diagnosing will be the most expensive part. I hope everything goes well with him and that further treatment of his respiratory issues will be easier to deal with!
 
Oh sweet Clarice! Calico's are special.

I adopted my two kittens last year. My hope is they will live as long as my last two cats (they are only 15 months, strictly indoors and I still worry about them) and then I plan to only adopt older cats. That is my plan anyway. But a local cat rescue organization I friend on Facebook had 13 kittens recently up for adoption. And then I wonder, would I ever get kittens again. Not sure. These two were a handful enough.

This is a great subject OP
 
If I ever went to the pound looking for cats, I'd probably pick the one that tried the hardest to rip my hand off when I touched it. Not really sure why. I'm the same with people, too.
 
A Facebook friend of mine who runs a rescue shared this article today. I thought it was cute, hopefully people take it to heart!

http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/cat-adoption-most-unadoptable-cat

Anyone else ever adopt an "unwanted" or "special needs" kitty from a shelter? I adopted my kitty Clarise after all of her kittens were adopted and nobody wanted the cranky adult calico cat. She was the sweetest, gentlest, little girl I could ever have asked for. (RIP Clarise, I love you!)

24944_556556953743_550323_n.jpg

Clarise looked a lot like one of my girls, Merrie.

RIP Clarise.
 
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Both my kitties were unwanted, although neither were from a shelter. One was on her way to the vet's to be put down (perfectly healthy, but the old lady who had been taking care of her was going into a home and nobody else was willing to help). I was 14 at the time, and I didn't ask permission; I just told my parents we were keeping her, no arguments. I was in huge trouble for it, but since then I've known that I really can't stand back and let that sort of thing happen. The article was an excellent read, very close to my own sentiments. Thank you for posting!

I did pretty much the same thing when I was 14, with 2 ten year old cats, a brother and sister. Their family were emigrating to Ireland and couldn't take Sammy and Maxie with them, and the girl whose cats they were was at my school and asked if anyone would take them so they didn't have to go to a shelter. Really sweet loving cats who gave us years of joy. RIP Sammy and Maxie.
 
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Oh, this is beautiful. Inspiring and also frustrating, because so many wonderful animals are overlooked because of their appearance or some other difficulty they're facing. The husband of a friend payed 600.oo for a cat for her birthday once. I was absolutely furious,and they just couldn't understand why.
Posting this on fb today in honor of Lennox. Thanks for the reminder.

I had a dream once that my mum had bought some kittens and I was absolutely furious with her, screaming and crying. Weird dream lol. I think it's because she has hinted that if she got a dog she would get a puppy and there are rarely any puppies in shelters...
 
When we got my current 2, all we knew about them was it was a mother and their child (a boy). The owner lived in the country but worked in London, so had a house in the country a flat in London. she just abandoned the cats to fend for themselves only returning home occasionally and someone finally convinced her to rehome them. Turns out they were two girls! It was my sisters bosses sister who was getting rid of them. after my sisters boss saw a photo of them settled in, she said "oh i wish id kept them now, theyre so beautiful.". yes because you didnt want cats until you saw they were pretty and fluffy, eff off.

Here they are. Coco:
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/524470_10150814301242794_407523692_n.jpg
And Buffy:
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/181782_10150091232832794_8176932_n.jpg
(previous owner does not know what happened to her face, she didnt even notice something was wrong with it. shes not all there in the head either). theyre suprisingly friendly for cats that were never loved before, but have issues sometimes. neither ever purrs, and both still sometimes cower when you go to stroke them. ok i will stop gushing about the kitties now.

the next time I get a cat, I agree that they will be what most deem as "unadoptable".
 
Nelli, my older cat had been returned to the shelter twice before I took her. She had lived with the first family three years from her life but because she started to pee on other places than litter box they gave her back to the shelter. The second family returned her because she got urine infection. I still can't believe that the returning reason that is written to her papers says that 'can't keep a sick cat'. And that is one of the easiest things to handle. She has lived with me now eight and half years and is pretty active 12 year old senior. She is bit high maintanance with not wanting to eat dry food at all and because of that I have to have someone visiting here every day if I go on trip and I have learned in a hard way what really triggers her to pee on other places than her litter box...one is that if I take her out every now and then she starts to protest it because she would like to go out every day and twice if possible. When I started to keep her only inside she stopped protesting that. It's nice that I have now balcony since she really loves to sniff that fresh air and look birds and such from there.

Noora my younger one would have gotten home without me since she was kitten when I took her but she is rescue also. But since I had Nelli already at that point and her papers said that she doesn't like from other cats I thought that it would be easier to get them live togehter if the second cat would be kitten. So that is how the blondie ended up picked into this house heh. I do love it how they play togher now and I'm sure that Nelli has more active and interesting life because we have Noora here with us.

Oh...and Noora is the one on my avatar.
 
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