brief intro

Hi, I'm not a cat owner, and it will probably be a while before I'm in a situation where I can get a cat, but I love cats.  I feel a little out of place here since everyone seems to have a cat.

No worries, I don't have a cat right now either, I'm here to read others posts and learn for when I do get a cat.  From reading posts - if you're a cat lover this is a great place

Hi and welcome to both of you!
TCS is a place to come and enjoy cats, learn about them, and get to know fellow cat lovers. So it doesn't matter that you don't actually own a cat right now, you're still welcome here!

If what you learn here helps you when you do get a cat, then our task is successful.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I have a question for when I eventually get around to adopting a cat (probably several years).  I've always wanted a snugglebug, but I always feel really sorry for those "unadoptable" pets in the shelter.  Do you think it's a bad practice to adopt a shy unwanted pet with the good possibility that I would get disappointed and want to return the cat in the future?  I know it's generally frowned upon if you foster a cat and end up adopting it (from reading several online FAQs about fostering animals).

I think I know what most people will say: either 1) keep the cat anyway and be a responsible pet owner, 2) always adopt a cat that you think you will bond with; don't be a "test driver" or with more extreme viewpoints 3) if you have that attitude, it's not time for you to have a cat.  But then that just leaves me thinking how these shy cats ever get adopted?  Or is the problem mainly that hard-to-place cats have physical traits (ie. appearance or health problems) or behavioral issues (pooping/peeing in the wrong place) that are undesirable rather than shy personalities?

I was hoping shelter workers/volunteers could enlighten me.

I worked at the shelter where I adopted Hobo from. He was on the PTS list three times because he has no personality according to other staff members. Well guess what he is the sweetest cat ever and loves to cuddle and sleep with me. So I don't think all cats that are shy at the shelter will be once you get them settled in a home. Now it did take Hobo three months or longer to come out of hiding anytime someone walked on the room.

I volunteer at a shelter, and all our cats have come from there.  I've actually adopted seven, although 3 were for my brother.

However, how a cat behaves at the shelter is no proof of how he'll be at home.  Two good examples:  Flambe was an absolute terror at the shelter, attacking other cats, swatting at workers, etc.  At our house, he's a great cat, if a little hyper.  Missy, a long-haired, declawed cat, was considered "borderline unadoptable," because she was so fearful and shy.  When she was adopted and taken home, she was immediately a friendly, cuddly, talky companion to her new family.

But...and this is a big clue...I suspected the truth about both of them.  I had handled them, held them, etc., and I saw hints of their true character.

Now, a high-kill shelter may not be able to do that.  We are a kill shelter, but we don't have a set time limit on each animal, so we have more time to work with cats that other shelters would have killed after 3 days.  Try to find a place which has people who know their cats well.  If you walked into our shelter, I could probably match you with a cat, or tell you we don't currently have one.  For example, a lady came in looking for a lap cat for her mother.  She wanted a smaller cat that was mature, calm, and cuddly.  I didn't have any trouble directing her to Mia, a long-haired white cat that wanted nothing more than a calm lap to curl up on.