August 12th is Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Day at Petfinder.com, a day to consider getting a cat who has been serving time at the shelter for a while.

The overlooked cats.

Who are they?

Click on the picture to find out which cat categories are the hardest to find homes for.

The answer might surprise you.

Any cat can get tagged as “unadoptable.” There are a few cats that probably are; the ferals who can’t be socialized to humans, the cats who need some serious medical care, and the cats with intractable fears and neuroses that will not respond to rehabilitation efforts. But that’s only a few.

The others are actually less-adoptable, in that they often get passed over. But in each of these categories, we can find a lovely cat. If we know what to look for.

The older cat. Less time. That’s the big fear holding people back from adopting the older cat.

But we never know how much time we will receive, with any cat. That’s how we should look at it. Some of our fondest memories can be of cats we didn’t get our entitled two decades with, and some cats who arrive with a past are the most interesting cats of all.

The way to look at an older cat is that we can get the benefits of their years of expertise and thought, along with a less rowdy experience… without putting in the years.

Instant Wise Cat Gratification.

Medical issues. It’s not just financial, though of course that should be considered. It’s also uncertainty about giving cats medicine. But that can be overcome.

Maybe we can’t handle the big ticket items the cat might require. But any cat, at any time, can suffer some kind of medical emergency. Most cats who suffer from medical issues aren’t that sick. They just need a pill once a day, or some drops, or something small.

It shouldn’t be too daunting. But if it’s not that daunting, why not?

Breed prejudice. This is certainly a factor with dog breeds who have received bad publicity. Once, it was Doberman Pinschers, now it’s Pit Bull Terriers.

Cats usually have an advantage in the shelter if they are a readily identifiable breed. But “breed prejudice” can work against the random-bred cat. The basic short-haired tabby can look plain.

But we shouldn’t get cats just for their looks. We should also get them for Their Look.

The shy. It’s hard for this kind of cat to put their best paw forward. How can we tell a shy one… who will come out of their shell with some rehabilitation?

If we can engage the cat in eye contact, even briefly; if the cat does not ignore us; if the cat is merely reluctant to engage rather than wild-eyed frightened; this is a cat with potential.

We need two things to win over the shy cat. We need a quiet home, or at least a portion we can make quiet. And we need the willingness to be patient with a cat who will be two-steps-forward, one-step-back for a while as they learn.

The Insistent Only. This is especially tough when animal lovers tend to have more than one. But it’s a great solution for people who know they want just one. This tends to be the person who also has special needs.

An elderly or differently-abled person especially loves the one-on-one they get from these kinds of cats. These are cats who will not miss the social possibilities of other cats; they have already been offered that, and rejected it. So they are happy being a treasured only cat.

That is good for the special needs people, who might be in a small apartment or have medical needs of their own. One cat to fuss over, one cat to fuss over them, is just right.

Your perfect cat… might be waiting for you right now.

Read more about Choosing Cats in Shelters.

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