Adopting - Health issues to look for?

I've decided to adopt a kitten from one of our local shelters. I was curious if anyone had any tips on things to look for health wise? Or maybe things to look for as far as the condition of the shelter?

The only reason I'm asking is because I adopted a cat in the past and was lied to about the cat's health problems. They told me he just had a cold and gave me some medicine for him. Turned out, he was a special needs kitty that needed to be medicated for the rest of his life due to a severe case of feline herpes (mouth ulcers, breathing problems, constantly sneezing and was obviously miserable). This probably sounds awful of me but I just wasn't looking for that kind of commitment when I adopted a cat. Long story short, after about 2 months of him progressively getting worse (and me losing a lot of money on vet bills and medication that wasn't working), I had to return him - at which point I donated all his things. It's been over a year since and I think I'm ready to take a chance at adopting again (from a different shelter).

Well if you adopt mainly looking for discharge around eyes or their nose, its common for a respiratory infection. But if you adopt the animal should be taken to the vet before the release it into your care and paperwork from the vet should contain issues, lists of things the vet has done, etc. if they fail to tell you an animal has a fatal condition then you should be reimbursed for the fees or helped with treatment payment. To be on the safe side take the cat to the vet right after you adopt to be sure that all tests and additional problems are assessed. Hope this helps.

Well, the thing is, it's extraordinarily rare to adopt a pet that's 100% healthy for the rest of its life.  Most animals are going to develop certain issues at certain times, and there's no way to predict the severity of the condition and if they're going to require intensive care (daily meds, special diets, etc.).  It's not unlike having kids in that respect.  If a child develops a serious illness and needs a great deal of care, a good parent is going to rise to the task because they love their child and understood from the get-go that parenthood was going to be challenging as well as rewarding.  When you adopt a pet you become a "pet parent'; it's also a "for better or worse" commitment, and any shelter or foster parent worth their salt will have you sign a contract clearly stating that you're willing to commit yourself to the animal's care, emotionally and financially, and will do everything in your power to keep the animal safe, happy and healthy for the duration of its life.  

So, at this point, you might want to ask yourself: Am I absolutely certain  I'm prepared to make that sort of commitment?  It creates a tremendous amount of stress for an animal to be passed from home to home, or shelter to home and back to shelter again.  It's a situation that needs that to be avoided at all costs.  

All six of my cats have Feline Herpes Virus, btw.  Most of them take l-lysine for it daily, which isn't really that big of a deal.  I mix it with their food.  FHV is extremely contagious, so there's a strong possibility you may end up with another FHV+ cat that needs daily l-lysine supplementation, and possibly meds from time to time.  There's no such thing as a "cat cold", FYI.  It's usually Rhinotracheitis (Feline Herpes) or Calicivirus.  

Signs to look for: clear, bright eyes; good activity level; no visible sores or lesions; cool, damp nose; clean ears; clean bum; no sign of hair loss; they should enjoy interacting with people.  

You may also want to contact local pet rescue agencies.  There's always at least one foster home with available cats/kittens.  

Be sure to read this article.  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/identif...dopted-from-animal-shelters-and-rescue-groups

Thank you, everyone for the great information!

We have an appointment with a shelter for tomorrow to take a look around. I'll definitely be a lot more diligent and aware when choosing a cat/kitten this time around. Our last experience wasn't ideal and it's taken me this long to even want to attempt adopting again because it was just a heartbreaking ordeal for our whole family last time.