What is It Like to Adopt a Cat and Save a Life

When my daughter was 4 we thought we would adopt a cat. Both my husband at that time (since deceased) and myself liked fluffy cats, so that was really our main consideration as far as appearance of the cat. As well we knew we wanted an adult cat, since kittens and young children are not always a good mix. I am rather partial to female cats since they have less tendency to have urinary tract problems. Finally we would prefer one that was already spayed so we would not have that expense.

We knew we wanted to adopt a cat and save a life. With every thing in mind, my daughter and I went to the local SPCA to look at their cats. We took a cardboard box with us just in case we found one (it is not a good idea to let a cat loose in the car and we did not have a carrier at that time).

When we went into the shelter I informed the staff member that we wanted to look at adult cats only and specifically were looking for a fluffy female kitty. She showed us the two rooms where we would find such cats. In the first room there was a lovely tabby and white long haired cat. In the second room there was a fluffy tortoiseshell cat. I held both and had my daughter hold both. I realize some cats just do not like to be held, and are especially afraid of kids so wanted to be sure we got a good, and friendly cat. Both liked being held, but the tortoiseshell had the slight advantage in that she was already spayed, and so we adopted her.

I asked the staff why she was at the shelter. They told me her owner surrendered her because the owner was pregnant. As it turned out when the cat was brought to the shelter she was also pregnant. Animal shelters generally cannot keep pregnant animals, and typically do not want more kittens, as such she was spayed, the alternative would have been to euthanize her. As such this cat had already been lucky once.

For the record women are often told by their doctors to get rid of their cat when they are pregnant out of the rare possibility that the cat could spread a parasite to the person via its feces. This risk is generally a lot lower (and preventable) than doctors make out and most certainly has condemned many cats to death. Interestingly enough cats are not the only risk factor, but are the ones most often blamed.

Anyhow… back to the story.

The cat turned out to be wonderful, we named her Quill, she loved kids, and as it turned out, was not afraid of dogs. Good thing, we fostered a few dogs later, even a litter of Rottweiller puppies.

When we moved to the farm a few years later her first look at the sheep was something quite funny. She still does not trust them, and trusts the donkey even less, but quite enjoys walking around the farm on warm days. She rarely ventures far from the house and will not enter the pasture without somebody with her.

She likes sitting on my lap when I am on the computer, purring loudly. She loves watching the birds outside but has never bothered the free range chickens. She has managed to accept the other cat that was left here at the farm when his owners moved away, and the feral ones that keep showing up (we tame them and get them fixed) although you can tell she is not too pleased about the last 2 new comers.

I wonder if her former owner misses her, or wonders about her. Did they love her when she was a kitten? I never knew her as a kitten, she was already at least a year old when we got her.

I sometimes wonder if the fluffy tabby got adopted, I hope so.

Adopting a cat is a wonderful and rewarding experience, but mostly for the cat who is lucky enough to find a forever home.

Read – How to Adopt a Pet – Please note adoption is from proper animal shelters, buying a pet is not the same as adopting one.

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