I am not sure if this is the right section for this post but I couldn't find one that seemed more appropriate. I am a long time cat parent who is currently without a cat (lost my last little one to illness recently). I am starting to consider adopting another and have been looking at a variety of sources (county shelter, Animal Welfare League, etc).
Since it's been such a very long time since I adopted a cat, I have developed a few questions and observations regarding the process. The first is that the overwhelming number of cats available for adoption (at least in my area) are males, by over two to one I would say. Any ideas why this would be?
Also, in a very high number of cases, the agencies involved require the cats to be adopted in groups of two or three or at least be placed in a home with other existing cats. Part of this seems to be that there are a lot of bonded pairs or threesomes right now. Again, this situation may be unique to my area but any ideas on why this requirement would be so prevalent right now?
I have a question about one particular cat who is 9 months old and seems very nice. She had birthed and raised a litter of 4 kittens by the time she was 8 months old. I am wondering if the fact that she had 4 kittens at such a young age could have long term implications for her health as she gets older.
Finally, I am wondering if I should be considering adopting a cat at all given my age and the fact that I live alone (I am 77 and in excellent health). On the one hand, if I adopt a young cat (for example 1-4 years), it may have to be found another home before the end of its life. On the other hand, an older cat (for example 9-10 or more years) will be at the point where pet insurance will cost more (if available at all) and vet bills will be higher because of the higher likelihood of serious illnesses starting to develop.
I spoke to my vet (who has treated my cats for many years and knows me fairly well) about this and he says I should go ahead and adopt a cat of any age if I want to and feel ready. He pointed out that any cat who remained un-adopted would just be put down eventually and that a "forever" home would be better for it even if the cat had to be found another home somewhere down the line.
I would appreciate any thoughts on these questions and observations. Thanks.
Since it's been such a very long time since I adopted a cat, I have developed a few questions and observations regarding the process. The first is that the overwhelming number of cats available for adoption (at least in my area) are males, by over two to one I would say. Any ideas why this would be?
Also, in a very high number of cases, the agencies involved require the cats to be adopted in groups of two or three or at least be placed in a home with other existing cats. Part of this seems to be that there are a lot of bonded pairs or threesomes right now. Again, this situation may be unique to my area but any ideas on why this requirement would be so prevalent right now?
I have a question about one particular cat who is 9 months old and seems very nice. She had birthed and raised a litter of 4 kittens by the time she was 8 months old. I am wondering if the fact that she had 4 kittens at such a young age could have long term implications for her health as she gets older.
Finally, I am wondering if I should be considering adopting a cat at all given my age and the fact that I live alone (I am 77 and in excellent health). On the one hand, if I adopt a young cat (for example 1-4 years), it may have to be found another home before the end of its life. On the other hand, an older cat (for example 9-10 or more years) will be at the point where pet insurance will cost more (if available at all) and vet bills will be higher because of the higher likelihood of serious illnesses starting to develop.
I spoke to my vet (who has treated my cats for many years and knows me fairly well) about this and he says I should go ahead and adopt a cat of any age if I want to and feel ready. He pointed out that any cat who remained un-adopted would just be put down eventually and that a "forever" home would be better for it even if the cat had to be found another home somewhere down the line.
I would appreciate any thoughts on these questions and observations. Thanks.