Shelters have many cats waiting for homes and longing for a new owner.
Many of them have bad experiences, suffer from separation from the previous owner or have never had a real home. Gaining their trust may not always be easy, but the effort certainly pays off: with a little patience you will gain a friend for life.
If you want to take one or more cats home from a shelter, you should visit them in the shelter and observe their behaviour closely. How does the cat deal with other cats? Is it seeking human interaction? This way you can get your first impression.
But remember: a shelter always means a lot of stress for a cat, because in there it is forced to share a relatively small area with many other cats. So even if the cat seems fearful and doesn't feel comfortable with you at first, when it realises that you treat it well, it will love you for sure and become your best friend.
If you decide to take in a stray cat instead, it's important to visit the vet first!
There you will find out if your cat is healthy, what food to feed it, when to vaccinate it, and much more.
Of course, every cat needs time to acclimatize in a new place – one will adapt very quickly, the other will need more time. If you decide to have a kitten, it will adapt easier for sure, but if you bring a retired cat to your home, you have to be patient.
You must also remember to prepare a starter kit for your new pet.
A tick collar (it the cat goes outside), a brush, pet toys, a cat scratcher, water and food bowls, and a cat bed. A cat bed is something worth thinking about – it can help your cat to get used to the new place, and will also keep your cat hair off your bed.
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