Here’s why we worry about adopting cats from shelters.

We don’t know where they’ve been.

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The reason people get kittens, aside from the overwhelming cuteness, is the fear that if someone else gets their hands on the kitten first, they will be messed up, and we won’t know how to fix them.

That sometimes happens.

Yet, most of the time, just like humans, the cat can overcome early disadvantages. Unlike kittens, there is one overwhelming advantage of the older cat: we know what we are getting.

We will know the size, the personality, the quirks, before we go into the relationship. Not all, perhaps, because there would be no fun in knowing everything. But we can definitely know enough to choose a good companion.

In a way, the grown cat offers the same advantage as a purebred kitten does. We know much more about what they will be and act like because we know what traits can predominate. People acquire purebreds to get the traits they want.

This same tactic works in the shelter.

We can get any kind of cat we want. Because whatever we want, is there. And, probably, it’s outcrossed. Which is a good thing. Because hybrid vigor brings strength.

It dilutes the extreme traits that can sometimes occur in the restricted gene pool of the purebred. So we can have the cat we want. When we choose an adult, we have the same ability to predict, and a similar element of unpredictability, as we do with a purebred kitten.

So don’t worry that the adult cat will have unsolvable problems. I have created a handy pie chart that explains what we can expect:

As we can see, only 10% of the cats in the shelter offer a challenge that a newbie cannot overcome. If we have the skills and the resources, that percentage shrinks further.

Click on the picture for larger image.

One thing all cats have. All cats, no matter what age, what thoughts, what looks. All cats have intelligence and heart.

They can bring them out to almost anyone who is willing to commit to them.

There’s good reasons to get a shelter cat in November. Cold weather is coming, and the shelters need room for cats who will no longer make it on the streets. The weather will help us convince a new cat to stay inside. We will be spending more time indoors, and will have more time to spend with a new addition.

So consider a shelter cat this holiday season. It’s a gift that gives all year to the whole family.

There’s any kind of cat we can dream of.

Waiting for us.

Look for a purebred rescue, use Petfinder for local prospects, or give to a favorite shelter or the Humane Society Disaster Rescue.

For the kitties.

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