Adopter be Weary
When adopting a cat from any venue (wither it be a shelter, no kill or regular, a rescue, or a private adoption agency) please be aware of possible health and behavioral concerns involved with that animal.
Things to Look At~Has he been tested for contagious cat diseases? Was he positve?
~Is he good with other cats, children, dogs, etc?
~Are there any outward signs of illness? (goopy eyes, runny nose)
~Is the card/adoption center honest about how that cat ended up in the shelter?
~Does he seem friendly?
~Has he been fixed? Vaccinated? Microchipped?
Keep in mind that shelters/rescues are highly stressful areas for a cat. Some signs of URI (upper respritory infection) are common in cats in tiny quarters. Please be up front with your questions regarding the animal you are interested in.
A True Story on Adoption MishapA close friend is a great lover of cats. She gets her flea meds from a local shelter and notticed one day a cute ginger tabby waiting to get adopted. He had been dropped off as a very young kitten and was the last of his litter left. They told her he was a loved cat, very friendly, and that they would miss him when he left. One of his eyes was smaller than the other, but she fell in love with him instantly. After clearing it up with her house mate (now husband), she asked about his eye (which showed signs of conjunctivitis) and they told her
its not contagious, hes seen a vet. So she takes him home.
First off, the vet didn't remember the cat coming in and the paperwork from the shelter was a little shoddy. A few weeks later, one of her other cats got a bad case of goopy eye. She took them both in to her normal vet and it turns out he had kitty chlamidia. She has yet to find a medicine that works on his eye, has had no further contact from the shelter since the adoption (after sending several emails) and it has costed her quite a bit of money in vet costs just treating the 2 cats.
