There really are a lot of advantages to adopting
Posted By: a MATURE cat! -sm on 2008-12-29
In Reply to: Try working with her- - Catlover
1. You already know what the cat's personality is like. Too hard to tell with a kitten. But if you want a lazy Garfield type, I can't say enough good things about a grown-up kitty!
2. The older the cat, the more it needs you, too. They are often dumped at shelters because of moving, foreclosures, 'getting a new puppy', 'having a baby', and other excuses. My most recent of 2 cats was 8 years old when her owners, who obviously loved her and took good care of her, dumped her at the pound. Often people overlook the older cats because they want a cute little kitten.
3. It's easier to tell if you are adopting the 'right' cat. I've even adopted a 10-year-old once. She was a total sweetheart. Be very diligent about going with your 'gut', more than your emotions. I posted the long post above about the floor-peeing Persian. The day I adopted her, I did pick the wrong cat. I was already too emotional when I went there, because I had just lost my beloved Himalayan 3 weeks before, and obviously it was too soon. I was in tears as soon as I went into the cat-room to look at the kitties, since that was the same place I'd adopted the Himmie. THEN, there was a gorgeous dark silver Persian girl with mesmerizing, lime-green eyes, that was IMPLORING me to adopt her. She was SO sweet! I was sure she was 'the one' and then this little calico ball of scaredness caught my eye back in a corner, curled up in her cage and with her head buried, too scared to even look at me. I was told a little about her background, and that she had just come in that morning. I had to climb halfway into her cage with her to pet her, but she responded by purring immediately and licking my hand. So I felt she 'needed' me. So, more tears as I couldn't decide whether to get the needy cat, or the cat that was practically holding up hand-painted signs in front of my face saying 'ADOPT ME!' That was a friendly, outgoing, fearless cat that would have made a far better pet. AND, had the cat I adopted stayed at rescue for a few weeks, especially if lots of time was spent in a cage, she may have been better litter-box trained. So I probably did her no favors by adopting her so soon after arriving in rescue. I still regret not adopting the grey cat with the lime-green eyes, but - that's how it goes sometimes.
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regarding the son: He is adopting the
same lifestyle as his father. Why shouldn't he? He is - as you stated in 1 of your former posts - looking up to his father and admiring him and nobody proves to him that his father's behavior is deadwrong and that his father has to be punished for this.
How else is the son going to get the right morals and values and differentiate betweeen right and wrong if you yourself are protecting the father with your passiveness?
I am glad that you decided to go to the trial. You have to find a solution regarding your car, though. Park it far away from the courthouse, so these lunatics will not find it.
For anyone interested in adopting a pet
Here is a link where you can search on breed of animal and state. It's where we found Jake. Many excellent animals there, some of them just given up because owners didn't have the time for them, etc. My DH is worried we're going to end up with a house full of animals, but I wouldn't do that, limited time and great just with the one right now, although you never know... I've always been a supporter of animal rescue and participated volunteering for a puppy mill raid one time years ago, of course ended up bringing a dog home, but my other one needed a friend  .
I am thinking of adopting a dog from an organization that...
rescues unwanted boxers. I've always wanted a boxer, but could not fathom paying $400 for a dog when there are so many homeless dogs in shelters, etc. Anyway, I discovered a boxer rescue group in my area and thought I would look into adopting one.
I got on their website and there is a quite lengthy application just to adopt. With a lot of questions basically testing my knowledge on pet care and a lot of background questions. Plus there is a paragraph that says they may want to inspect my home before proceeding with letting me adopt a dog. They even want a personal reference that they will call and make sure I'm okay.
Now, I understand that they are animal lovers and want to make sure they adopt their dogs out to loving and caring homes, but isn't this a bit much? I feel like I'm trying to adopt a child rather than a dog.
I seriously thought about adopting a greyhound once,
but then after reading more about them, I found out it could possibly run away and eat my neighbors' little pets. If it weren't for that, I probably would have done it.
I'm also a big fan of adopting ADULT cats!
I don't have the time nor storage space to 'kitten-proof' my tiny, cluttered apartment. I like how quickly an adult cat will come to love me (usually just a couple days - in the case of my current one, about 2 seconds!) Also how quickly they adopt daily routine similar to mine.
They aren't totally non-destructive (I doubt if there is such an animal). One insists on sharpening her claws on my good faux-Persian rug in the living room, pulling little tufts out of it. So I try to keep them well-trimmed. The other one likes to barf up hairballs on the light tan carpet that stains more easily, but those "oxy" types of cleaners work on those.
Other than that, it's just the occasional object they may knock over and break (which I try to keep out of their reach), or the hair everywhere, which is just part of life with any pet.
I agree with the other posters, though - I wouldn't want to live without them, so I guess I'll just have to deal with the occasional mess.
I'm just telling what I found out when I looked into adopting a greyhound.
Maybe they all could do it, but maybe some are also more prone to it, and this is too risky for me. I would die if I had a dog that ended up eating my neighbor's pets.
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