Adopting a cat/kitten

[n0rdicalex.]

i've been searching petfinder.com for local shelters that had cats for adoption and i recently found one i would like to adopt. it's a grey male kitten with low mileage and full service histroy. i've grown up with cats and adopted one from a friend in college, so i'm pretty aware and understanding of what it takes to raise one.

however, i'm kind of confused by the email the lady at the shelter sent me:

alex, peteys' fee is either $100 or $125 cash which includes his neuter, shots, microchip and feline leukemia/aids test. he is at the shelter if you would like to come and see him this weekend. you will need a pet carrier to take him home in. thanks, rosie

i plan on picking up the feline on saturday, but want to make sure he will come with the records and already be neutered. that's the case with most shelters right? they only allow the animal to be adopted once it has been spayed or neutered? also, will i need to take him to the vet after i adopt him for a sort of once-over? or am i to trust the shelter (local no-kill shelter)?

here's a picture of the little fella, and i definitely plan on renaming him:



i appreciate any help and insight you guys can provide.

[n0rdicalex.]

also, this is the listing for the cat:

Petey's life began on the streets. Born into a feral colony he was lucky to be rescued and taken into a foster home. It took Petey a little while to trust people and he does hiss a little at first. We just pick him up and he is just fine. no more hissing and he has never scratched or bit. He just quiets right down and loves being held and pet. He will need a patient owner willing to take a little time with him at first. He will make a great friend for you. Rescued July 2011 ADOPTION FEE INCLUDES: * Spay or Neuter * Current Vaccinations * Current Deworming * Feline Leuk./FIV test * Free Vet. visit * Microchip

is this something to avoid? or since he's still young and been around humans most his life, will it be a non-issue?

[MotownSVT]

I wouldn't worry about it with a cat that young...

[7JAD3]

Not to come off odd, but would it not be better to call the shelter and ask these questions of them direct?
Personally, I think nothing sounds off about the arrangement. Like said above, I would think he would adapt well to a new home environment as long as everything is in check for a cat.

He is a cool looking little dude!

[scandalous_cynce]

is this something to avoid? or since he's still young and been around humans most his life, will it be a non-issue?

Just a personal story regarding feral kittens. My 2.5 year old cat was born feral and has been around people since a young age, but even though she was never abused and has been given all the love in the world, she still has feral tendencies. She is very skittish - won't let you bend down to pet her - won't let you hold her - jumps and runs anytime you make a sudden movement, hides whenever strangers come in the house, etc.

I still love her and wouldn't give her up, but those tendencies don't always go away. But that's not to say your cat will be the same or doesn't have the potential to be a great house cat.

Very cute little guy too!

[n0rdicalex.]

Not to come off odd, but would it not be better to call the shelter and ask these questions of them direct?

i emailed them a lenghty email with all those types of questions (a couple times too), but their reply was pretty vague, that's why i'm asking here.

i also did some reading on the ASPCA website about feral cats, so that's really where the questioning came from.

thanks for all your replies so far, i hopefully plan on picking him up this weekend.

[Cooper]

Cute cat!

We had to agree to have the female we adopted spayed and have the vet sign that she was spayed.

He sent a note that his opinion that the second female we adopted was already spayed.

we always kept the shelter names: Jasmine, Georgette, and B.J.

[n0rdicalex.]

felt so bad leaving the shelter on saturday without a cat.

i know this might sound bad, but a family had adopted him for a while, but he still had a lot of feral cat tendencies and never really became people friendly, so they returned him.

and with that, my search continues.

random, they did have two cats that were FIV+ which i'd never seen or heard of before. did some research, and it's pretty rare: ~4% cats worldwide.

[kuklaki]

Sorry the little guy did not work out for you, hopefully someone out there wants an aloof cat and will have a place for him soon. I would have to agree that many feral cats tend to display feral tendencies even if they are brought in young.
If you are looking for certain traits or a particular personality in your adopted cat, might I recommend a young adult or even an adult cat? This way their personality is already set and you will pretty much know what you are getting.
In any case, good luck on your search.

[n0rdicalex.]

i'm open to that idea for sure, and i've been checking every few days online at the local places. i work odd hours and coupled with the odd hours of shelters, they never manage to sync up, save for a couple hours on a saturday.

thanks for the insight.

[O_G]

A cat's personality, like a human's, is already set by genetics quite a bit. This is why feral animals don't become domesticated simply by being reared from birth by humans and handled a lot. It's also why siblings can have very different personalities and why identical twins raised in different households can share many traits. However, with already domesticated animals, early nurturance style can make some difference.