Adult Cats Bring All the Joy, with None of the Stress

You already know what wonderful companions cats can be. They bring joy, play, and love into a home. While kittens can be cute, funny, and exciting, they can also be little heart attacks! Adult cats bring that same spirit, but tamed by maturity.

The average adult shelter cat is usually there through no fault of her own. She was a happy and settled in a home and, suddenly, she's deposited in a cage with a bunch of strange cats. Maybe her pet parent had to move into an assisted living facility and couldn't take her. Perhaps someone in the family developed allergies that couldn't be controlled. Maybe a new kitten arrived and the family lost interest in her. More often than not, adult and senior cats are there because their people just didn't want or couldn't take the responsibility.

Back at the shelter, tons of new families come and go with their arms full of squiggly kittens, while adults and seniors are left to ponder what they did wrong. With shelter space filling up, these abandoned sweethearts are in serious jeopardy! There are so many reasons to give these beautiful cats a chance.

Carol MacClary, a volunteer and pet parent, agrees. "Although I have been guilty of the same in the past, I now often wonder why folks go to adoption events and shelters looking for a kitten without even considering an older cat." She points out that older cats are great companions for older people who may not have the patience or stamina to keep up with a frenetic kitten. Rusty, pictured handsomely here, is incredibly playful, but won't race the Indy 500 across your bed at 5am.

Older cats have fully developed personalities. You know what you're getting when you meet these guys. Pet parents John and Judy, who adopted the lovely 2-year-old Isabell in 2005, wrote in to say "She's absolutely wonderful! My other 3 cats are also rescues and adults (3 - 5 yrs old when we adopted them). I've also had kittens during my lifetime, too. We love the adult cats because they are really MUCH easier to take care of. They were all litter trained and socialized when we got them. Our family leads a busy life and the older cats are able to be left alone much longer than kittens (kittens should not be left alone). Another good reason to have multiple adult cats is that they keep each other company when we aren't home." (See our article on why "Two is Better than One.")

Carol pointed out that older cats may be a better choice for families with small children. "These families should adopt a cat that is used to children. Kittens are easy to injure, they are fragile and they require a lot more care and monitoring than older cats. Kittens have those needle sharp teeth that they instinctively use to play and often use to express their affection (love bites), this can be an unpleasant experience for a child." (On that topic, be sure to stop by PetVideo and watch their segment on introducing cats to kids and vice-versa.)

Older cats have a longer attention span and are easier to teach. Try convincing a kitten not to climb the drapes! Not only have older cats already tried that, they'll actually listen when you say "Get off the table!" Well, most of the time!

Cocoa, here, found a great home with a family who saw just how much love his calm presence would bring into their home.

AdvoCATs foster mom Jennifer has thought a lot about the joys of adopting an adult cat. She's quick to whip out her well-researched Top Ten:

1. What you see is what you get/Know their personality
2. Already knows how to use its teeth and nails – won’t try them out on you or your furniture/drapes
3. Risk averse compared to kittens/less likely to get into mischief
4. Will sleep at night and adjust to your schedule
5. Playful but not constantly
6. Self-cleaning skills fully developed
7. Not as “needy” of your time/attention/supervision
8. Can and want time alone (like when you’re at work or running errands)
9. Immune systems fully developed (already tested)
10. Adult cats are more affectionate – they’ve worked through their extreme curiosity phase
11. Adult cats know when to say when on attention and “love” from small children"
12. (Ok, so that was 11. A few of us are polydactyl!)

When it comes right down to it, adult cats are still loving, affectionate, and incredibly playful. Did you know the average indoor housecat can live to be over 20 years old? If you adopted a 4 year old adult cat, you'd still have up to 16 years of companionship. Sixteen years of warm, purry hugs. Sixteen years of that fabulous energy that every house should have.

Every adult cat that comes into our Playroom gets loving attention, a complete check up including bloodwork and dental care as needed. Some adult cats come in with "shell shock," having come from homes where they were neglected or even abused. We give these gentle souls extra time to remember that humans are good, kind, and loving. With time and understanding, these cats become the lifelong companions most pet parents dream of and cry over at their passing.

So while you're looking for that special someone, think about an adult cat. You might just save a life.