10 Important Reasons You Should Adopt A Cat

These 10 important reasons you should adopt a cat all have one thing in common, you save a cat’s life and support the future of saving many more cats.

Introduction

There are approximately 3.4 million cats sheltered worldwide each year, approximately 1.4 million of them are euthanized and approximately 1.3 million are adopted away. That are HUGE numbers and they are approximations because not all shelters are registered. There are possibly many more cats and kittens sheltered, adopted or most likely euthanized.

The most recent development in the prevention of sheltering and euthanizing cats, is to simply neuter/spay them and put them back in the neighbourhood they were found. This is not the most ideal situation for most cats, because of the dangers of traffic in urban area’s as well as illnesses and predators. The predators would be natural, but the illnesses conceived from other stray cats and the urban situations are definitely not.

The more the reason that these cats need to find a good home they can feel at home and be thriving and have a happy healthy life. Below are 10 reasons why you should adopt a cat instead of buy one from a breeder or pet shop.

Reason 1. An Economical Good Deal

Cats from cat shelters and from cat protection organisations are already chipped, neutered/spayed and got the necessary vaccines and health checks.

They tend to already know how to use the cat litter box and they might already respond to their name or at the very least know that humans are going to be safe ground for them.

Most cat shelters also give you some toys, cat litter and cat food to start off with. Cat shelter people know exactly what is good for the specific cat and what he likes best. You get a cat and you get a lot of worthy information for the low price that you pay.

Buying a cat from a breeder, a pet store or your neighbour with yet another kitten nest, means you need to go out with your wallet for all the other expenses as well.

Reason 2. You Safe More Than One Life

The money you give for that foster cat, is going towards the work and investment these people make to safe even more cats. Not only does taking one cat from a fosterhome adoption center or shelter make room for a new one, the money goes also towards the general funding for more saving projects out there and infrastructure investment as well as regulatory changes.

Reason 3. You Help A Cat That Needs A Safe Home

Cats in shelters usually come from a bad situation and are hoping for a better life somewhere else. All these cats should be prioritized because they are already alive.

These cats will appreciate your love and care, for they have had a hard time or perhaps still have a hard time with possible illness and disabilities.

There are however also many very healthy cats that end up in the shelters. You will see for yourself how much these cats will give back to you when they cat taken care of by you.

Reason 4. Saved Another Cat’s Life From Euthanizing

While we here in Norway do have strict rules against this problem yet, it is another story in the rest of the world. There are so many cats in shelters and adoption centers in the rest of the world that when nobody is coming for them, they eventually get euthanized.

Reason 5. Cats Are Excellent Companions

Cats are absolutely excellent compansions in most cases, but here are a couple of situations where they can be extra handy to have:

• When you are struggling with your mental health
• When you are single
• When you live in an apartment
• When you have kids

People that struggle with their mental health, will find that cats are easy in that you can tell them everything you struggle with. Cats are also extremely well at reading your emotions and do know exactly when you need an extra cuddle or taken your attention away from your thought-pattern towards serving their needs.

When you are single, it is great to have a companion waiting for you at home. It also helps with the dating process, you will figure out quickly which partner is caring or not and usually your cats can tell you whether you got the right person in the house or not too.

When you live in an apartment, then having a cat is at least the easiest type of companion to have, as they don’t need to be taken out or have any other special needs. Cats can live perfectly well indoors only as long as they have enough toys around them and get fed every day.

Most cats can handle kids or kids at least learn how to take care of cats early on, so that is a positive development. It’s also important to teach kids early on that taking care of animals is just as important as to take care of each other as well as the importance of adoption.

Reason 6. There Is A Wide Variety To Adopt – For Each Lifestyle

With so many cats ending up in shelters, it is fully possible to find any type of cat at them you can think of. Any race, breed, short or long-haired, big or thin, tall or short, colourful or grey.

Not only their breed or size is a possibility, but also their personality might differ greatly. You will most likely find the cat that fits best to your lifestyle in any of the many shelters and adoption centers easily.

Reason 7. Doing A Good Deed Will Make You Feel Good

Saving a cat from death or illness will definitely make you feel good. Giving them love and care at home, will usually be rewarded with love, cuddles and companionship. You will have a friend for a long time with you.

Reason 8. Unique Personalities Through Mixed Breeding

The actual specific breed cats out there have usually an unhealthy gen-pool where a lot of health issues are part of the breed. Mixed cats are way less likely to have this sort of problems and generally live longer. Mixed breed cats also have very different and unique personalities, so you will always have an interesting and unique experience with these cats.

Reason 9. An Opportunity To Give Black Cats A Better Name

Black cats have long been associated with bad luck, witchcraft and other atrocities. The result is that a lot of black cats get euthanized in shelters and don’t get adopted.

Black cats deserve just as much a chance as any other sheltered cat. Every life is a life worth saving, also that of black cats. Give black cats a better name and adopt a black cat today. We got a black cat named Kira. She is amazingly smart and is able to open up doors.

Blacks cats are amazing cats to have as a family member. To attach through reason 9, adopting a cat, offers you the opportunity to find a cat type you would normally not have access to or find easily. There are big chances you will find the strangest but most fantastic personalities in all different types, shapes, sizes and colours of cats.

Reason 10. You Have The Opportunity To Choose (Adult or Kitten)

I put Adult or Kitten in accolades, because I generally also want to point out that you can make a choice here between many cats in a shelter or adoption center. Surprisingly you might find that shelters have more than just cats, while cat protection shelters or foster projects have mostly cats.

Most cat protection organisations get an enormous load of kittens through dumping or through unwanted nests delivered at their doorstep. Kittens will need re-homing every season. The cat season is from March up to October, but March – July being the absolute high-season for kittens.

Adults do not need too much attention when you adopt them, because they are already trained for so many things and you will be able to choose which personality is the one that fits best to your household.

I also say that you have the opportunity to choose, because there is always the chance that the kitten or cat will choose you. This is also an important factor, that the cat will feel welcomed, loved and at home with you.

Here’s a video with even more reasons why to adopt a cat:

Conclusion

Each year there are thousands upon thousands cats sheltered in several shelters all over the world. Unfortunately many of those thousands of cats are euthanized each year, because they do not find a new permanent place called home.

There are still more cats euthanized than adopted and these numbers really need to change. I hope the above reasons will make a beginning of that change.

If you have room in your house hold, please adopt a cat. If you have already done so, please share your experiences below!