7 Reasons to Adopt Adult Cats

Kittens are oh so cute. It’s hard not to want one. Our family’s story isn’t all that atypical. We have two children and two (mostly except for in-climate weather) outdoor dogs. We lost our dear Winston a few years ago but the kids were little, our dogs were still puppies and between my grief over my long time feline companion Winston and our plateful life, we weren’t ready to adopt again. Fast forward a few years and the kids are more independent, the labs are more laid back and my family is all ready for some kittens- or so we thought.

We wanted to adopt two that were siblings or at the least had been together and would tolerate each other or ideally would be companions. The kitten mania was in the air. I listened to all of the requests. Black and white kittens seemed to be the predominant vote of my family so to the humane society web site I went.

I found them quickly, two black and white kittens that were brothers. They were the cutest of kittens but then oh look at the date. That was last year. I checked with a phone call and they were both still available for adoption, in a foster home that was providing them and many other cats a temporary home to avoid the pound and all that that can mean. They had several other siblings that had been adopted but these two tuxedo brothers hadn’t found a permanent home.

We had a family meeting. The first reason to adopt adult cats is the argument that I made with my family in order to bring these two brothers home. The later ones are the benefits we learned first hand and those we’ve learned first hand or from sharing our story and hearing others.

1. All kittens will become adult cats.

In just a few short months, any kitten that you adopt will soon be a cat. So there’s something to think about. If you’re planning for a long relationship with a kitten, you’re going to soon be a family to an adult cat anyway so why not consider an adult cat that needs a home?

2. Those cute kittens have a better chance of being adopted.

There’s no doubt that cute little kittens pull on our heartstrings. The good news is that kittens will pull on the heartstrings of many families and have an exponentially greater chance of finding a home. When you rescue an adult cat, that’s not always the case.

3. Adult cats come with perks.

Kittens, like babies, are so cute but also like babies they are a lot of work. Kittens are more needy. They need much more attention to be healthy and to be trained to use a litter box.

4. Adopted older cats have had more money saving medical attention.

If you adopt an adult cat, chances are that they’ve had veterinary visits, shots, rabies tags and are spayed or neutered. (If a de-clawed cat is a necessity for your family, you can also likely find de-clawed adult cats available for adoption too.) You’ll have a much more extensive health history than you can get with a kitten. Yes, you’ll pay for some of these benefits through adoption fees but it will always be less expensive than if you had to take a kitten for multiple visits to a veterinarian privately. Of course you should always be prepared financially to provide regular vet visits for any pet that you adopt.

5. Adults cats can be better companions for cats missing a friend.

Although this wasn’t our family’s case, we’ve talked to several families that lost a cat and watched another cat grieve and become lonely. While a kitten might have not worked into their schedule or been welcomed by a long time feline member of the family, another young adult cat can be introduced to the family and more easily become a companion to older cat.

6. The age of the owners can be more important than the age of the adoptee.

There are many circumstances where the age of the adoptive family members should play into the decision of the age of an adopted feline. Adult cats can be excellent companions for seniors that might worry that a kitten will be more than they can handle or might outlive them. It’s a hard but real truth. Seniors benefit greatly from pet companions but they do, and should, worry about the future of their pets. That can make a more mature cat a better match for a more mature owner. On the other hand, families with very young children would do well to consider that precocious kittens and precocious toddlers might not be the best match after all.

7. Adult cats are so grateful for a good home.

If you are thoughtful and honest about what you’re looking for and do your research on prospective adult cats, you can find an excellent match. Adult cats that have been either been on their own or else spent most of their time in a kennel are generally so happy to be part of a home and family. Cats are very adaptive. Like people, they have their own personalities but they also respond greatly to their family and their environment. They are just so grateful to have a home, to have their needs consistently met and within their personalities, will respond to your own level of affection.

Our story: Cooter and Cat-Man

Within days of adopting these two tuxedo brothers that were 15 months old, we described Cooter as very friendly and Cat-Man as friendly but more skittish. Fast forward two weeks and we described them as we would now nine months later. Cooter is so very social, as in if you sit down he will be on your lap, trying to kiss you or perched up next to you. Otherwise, he’s happy to follow you around the house or up and down the steps to see what you’re doing, if of course, he’s not cat napping. Cat-Man is much less skittish and he’s more like if you sit down, I’ll come by and rub your feet or else jump up and give you a peck and rub on the cheek and then be gone. If we’re busy, Cat-Man will find a perch and intensely watch our family while Cooter will follow someone, anyone, anywhere.

Are older cats more demanding?

Well, maybe, but in a good way. They just come to expect what you can give them. On cold mornings our two can be found waiting on the hearth by the woodstove for my husband to start a fire. Seriously, when he does, they rub on him and seem to worship him and then they settle down for warm snooze as if to say thank you, I knew you would. They weren’t whining. They were just waiting for what they’ve come to expect and I must say that while I know our whole family expects and appreciates the warmth on cold mornings, these two cats certainly show my husband more gratitude than the rest of us probably do. Sure, they develop expectations but our feline family members also give more gratitude for what the rest of us take for granted.

I can’t imagine these two members of our family still in a kennel box, waiting, or worse. At the same time I can’t imagine our home without them. Even though they were the ones that seemingly needed a home, our home wouldn’t be the same without them. As humans, who have been known to search for eternal fountains of youth, we need to remember that there are great feline companions out there who just really don’t care how young or old we are. Just maybe, we could be so blessed if we should be so like minded.


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