Humane society vs cat rescue

I have some pretty sad news. Our 17 year old kitty Mistoflees has not been seen since Sunday night. It's now Thursday, and I have a pretty bad feeling that something happened to him. I know he had some medical problems. He'd been drinking an awful lot of water- I think he had diabetes. And- he also had this diarrea problem- where he'd get it for a day or so and it would go away. I don't know if it was a food issue/allergy/cancer, etc. Never had a senior panel done b/c it was kind of pricey- and he was old to begin with.

I don't know if going to the vet and having him put down would have been any easier.

My kids are already asking for another cat. Not right now. I'm not ready- 'Stoffes has only been gone for a week.

However, we were at Petsmart yesterday, and saw this goregous white kitty. He reminded me of our other cat (even though he was the wrong color) b/c he was so friendly, and HUGE. He was from a cat rescue. I said no b/c it's just too soon.

I was thinking that when we do get another cat- that we'd get an older cat. My kids are teenagers- so it's not like you're bringing a kitty into a household with screaming toddlers. The only thing we'd need to make sure is if the cat's good with other cats, since we still have Sneaky Pie.

My question is- what's the main difference between a cat rescue and the Humane Society? Do rescues normally get kitties that are already spayed/neutered? Will I have more of a chance of finding an older cat that's good around other cats/kids ?

Youngest wants a dog. I said NO. I'm starting nursing school on Monday, and it would be unfair to bring a puppy (or a dog) into a house where within 3 weeks nobody's going to be home all day.

Cheryl

Sounds like you already know that you're not ready, not yet. You will know when you are. Especially since you don't know what exactly happened to him, I know that if it was me, I'd wait a few weeks before I'd write Mistoflees off. It will give you time to complete the greiving process and discuss with your family what type of cat you want to have next (playful vs laidback, mixbreed or purebreed, kitten vs. adult, long vs. shorthair, male vs female).

Our Humane Society, back when I was in the States, was a wonderful organization to adopt pets from. But my understanding is that its just a loose affiliation and quality varies from local shelter to shelter. Same goes for rescues. Lots of people set up a shingle and call themselves a 'rescue' some are good others not so. Best way is to get a recommend from someone who got a pet or pets through them.

Things to look for in a shelter:

-provides a safe healthy environment for surrendered pets in its care.
-Vets the animals, makes sure no animal leaves without altering (spay/neuter) or at least signed agreement by adopters to do so.
-attempts to provide backround/personality info to prospective adopters about pets or at least is honest when it doesn't know the background of an animal (was stray, abused, etc.)
-charges an adoption fee and screens potencial adopters

When you do get a new cat, Even though your kids could handle a kitten, I'd recommend an adult cat especially since you've mentioned that once you start school there will be no one home during the day. Kittens, like puppies, require a lot of attention, and an older cat even 1 or 2 years is a lot less demanding and will get along better when you are gone. You can still have a good 10-15 year relationship with a young adult cat given good Vet care throughout its life. A good shelter will often help direct you to pets with personalities that match your lifestyle.