Least Likely To Be Adopted - Seniors or Special Needs

Hello!

It's my first post and I have an interesting question for you. 

For those who have animal rescue/shelter experience, who is least likely to be adopted:  A cat that is 10 years (or more) in age, or a cat that is around 3 years old, but missing a leg?

Sadly both are going to be very hard to adopt out. Young and healthy cats are the easiest to adopt out. But there are also several other factors to consider such as breed, size, fur color, patterns on said fur as well as activity levels. If the older cat that has a unique pattern on it's fur, or is say a strange color like orange, will be far easier to adopt out than a cat with similar patter and color with only three legs. Of course there are also people that are looking for an older cat or one that is disabled (you have to keep a look out for those people because they are sadly far and few between) cats with darker fur are also often harder to adopt out regardless of health and age (sadly I've learned this part the hard way) now if both cats are friendly and affectionate then that should increase the chances of adoption for both, though it increases the chances of the older cat a bit more than the disabled one sadly. However, if the cat with only three legs loves to play, then they will be about even because a cat (or any animal) that only has three legs but still acts like it has four is a great source of entertainment for most families because they tend to make people wonder how they can still act like a normal cat (or dog) when they only have three legs, or how they could possibly not notice that they're missing a limb. I'm sorry that my reply is so long, but like I said in the beginning, there are many more factors to consider when adopting out a cat other than just age and health. People will often say that a cats age and health are the most important deciding factor, but based on my previous experiences it is more often the personality of the cat that matter most, especially when it comes to cats that are older and or have health concerns.

Senior cats, with or without health problems, seem to have the longest shelter stays, along with younger cats with chronic health problems requiring constant medicating and frequent vet visits. Loss of an eye, limb, tail or ear reduces adoption chances to some extent, but not nearly as much as advanced age or a chronic disease. People shy away from the expected vet costs for the latter.

Thanks for the replies!

I'm actually the one looking to adopt a senior or three legged cat.  A few months ago I lost a cat to cancer and I've started looking to adopt another.  I have the opportunity to adopt a 3 legged male black cat who is about 3 years old, or a senior female black cat who is 10+ years old or a senior female tabby cat who is 10+ years old.  I've yet to meet them, but I've seen photos.  I figure I would give the "least likely to be adopted" cat the first chance to meet me.  From the listed cats, who do you think that might be?

Also . . . does it affect adoption if a cat is has intact claws or if it's declawed?  The tabby cat is declawed.

Here are photos of them:

Three legged male black cat who is about 3 years old.


Female black cat who is 12 years old.


Declawed female tabby cat who is 11 years old.


And here is another, a female tortoiseshell cat who is 10 years old.


I'm considering all of them, but I'm most interested in the one that might need adopting the most.

Aw. So hard.

Not sure which one you adopt, but it would be great if you could take two of them The tripod kitty looks really sad. Fluffy black cat looks pretty happy and might be adopted faster. The last two look sad, as well, esp the tortie.

I already have one cat, an older gray and white male, so I am only looking to adopt one new kitty.

I've thought about meeting the four pictured above, but I'd probably want to take home the first one I meet, and that wouldn't be fare to the other three.  I'm still trying to figure out who is the least likely to be adopted, I'll probably meet that one first and go from there.

It is generous of you to want to adopt the cat least likely to find a home. But especially because you already have a cat at home I would meet all four of them and choose the one whose personality seems most compatible with the home it will live in, cat, and person it will live with.

They ALL are less likely to find a home than will a cute fluffy little kitten so you'll be doing a good thing whichever cat you adopt.

I've decided to skip on the 3 legged cat.  He has more time to be adopted. 

The senior cats shouldn't have to live out their remaining years in a shelter, they need a warm home, a place to call their own. Now it's narrowed down to three girls; the black cat, the tabby cat and the tortoiseshell cat. 

That's a good idea to meet all three, but it's going to be hard to leave two of them behind . . .

I would recommend the declawed one. Given, out of the three it'll probably be the quickest to adopted out because people will feel bad for her, but she'll end up being returned to shelter right away because declawed cats require more attention. Unlike a cat with a missing limb, a declawed cat knows that it's missing it's main source of defense, so they tend be on the aggressive side (which is why they get returned to the shelters more often than not) However, with lots of patience and kindness she will eventually learn that you will keep her safe and slowly you will see her true personality shine through the constant fear that most declawed cats posses.

Okay, so I decided to take a closer look at the pictures to look at the body language of the cats because of a comment someone else made about the last two cats looking sad. I don't see in the declawed cat, I see stress by the facts that she's taking a cat nap while sitting up and that her fur is standing up and she's put herself at the back if her cage as if she's trying to get away from the person taking the picture (though her looking like she's taking a nap might be just that the person that took that picture times it with her closing her eyes) Maybe there's a little sadness in the tortoiseshell cat, but that could easily be boredom as well based on how she's looking at the camera (more likely she's just bored or slightly tired) anyways, I'm sticking with my suggestion for the declawed cat because the other two just seem more relaxed than the other two so it'll increase there chances of adoption. The declawed cat is more likely to get adopted out of pity than someone falling for her personality (which won't show till she relaxes and feels safe) which rarely ends well for the cat.

You've set yourself up for a hard decision, I think.   Is the shelter able to tell you how long each cat has already been there?  That would give you an idea of their potential for a quick adoption.

Since you already have a cat, who may or may not welcome a newbie with open paws, it would also help if the shelter could tell you which cats they think would get along best with another cat.

FWIW, our local SPCA has often noted in cat descriptions that pure black cats are the hardest to adopt out, followed by pure white cats.

Thanks for the replies! 

Over 34 years, I've had 4 declawed cats (some were declawed by my parents when I was young, before I knew about alternatives, some were already declawed when I adopted them) and I've had 3 cats with intact claws.  So 7 cats in total, with at least 2 at a time.  With those 7 cats in 34 years of having them, I have never had a declawed cat need more attention, nor have I found a declawed cat to act aggressive or be more fearful than any other cat.  I've kept intact cats with declawed cats with out problems.  Maybe I am just skilled at making cat's feel safe, but I don't really believe that declawed cats have different personalities (catalities?) that intact cats.  Nor do I believe that intact cats act differently when interacting with declawed cats.  Just my thoughts based on my experiences. Anyway, that is a discussion for another thread.  But thank you for sharing the thoughts, I might not agree, but I am still grateful for the ideas.  Now, back to kitty adoption ideas. 

I can ask how long each cat has been at the shelter, that's a good idea. 

I've often read that pure black cats are harder to adopt out, yet I've also read that more cats are born black  Thus, there would be more black cats to find homes for.  I don't know for sure, but either way, I've always wanted a black cat.  But I'm open to having another tabby too!

I'm just going to call the shelter and find out more info about the cats.  See who will be a better fit and then go meet that one first.

Thanks everyone who has replied to this thread, and thanks for those who might read it in the future!

Hugs and High Fives all around!

 

Good luck.  Hope you post again once you make your decision and bring home your new furball.

I have had many cats ranging from 6 weeks old to 13+ years when they came to live with me. The older cats generally are more laid back and affectionate for the most part, while a very young cat can give you the chance of bonding at an early age. I admire your wishes to take care of some of the less adoptable cats, since black cats and handicapped cats are the hardest to find good homes for. Many of my senior cats have lived to be 20 or more, so age isn't always an issue until they begin to show medical problems...although many are healthy until they pass away in their sleep. Congrats on taking care of the often overlooked kittys out there...good things come to those who do good things for others!

Jim

I will post up later, in August, when I've adopted one of those three cats rubysmama! 

I agree JMarkitell, 10+ year old cats often have much more life to live.  My oldest was 20 years old!

Thanks again everyone! 

*UPDATE*

I recently was messaged by someone inquiring about the cat photos above.  So I decided to give a quick update. 

I never ended up adopting any of those cats.  You see, an Aunt of mine passed away, and before she died, she requested that I take her cat.  So the choice was easy.  Now I have a beautiful fluffy black and white cat.  She is about 10 years old and warms me with her love, just as my Aunt used to do.

@Acro  Although you didn't adopt from the shelter, you did end up giving a home to a senior kitty, which was your intent in the first place.  Condolences on the loss of your Aunt. It sounds as though adopting her beloved kitty has maybe helped you with her loss though.  Thanks for the update.

In my opinion, having been a volunteer at a large municipal shelter for almost 3 years now, the senior cat will have more trouble being adopted.  Cats with limbs or eyes missing usually elicit the sympathy factor much more readily and get adopted much more quickly that a cat that is "past it's prime".  Personally, I prefer seniors.  You may not have them very long, but the time you do have them may just be the best years of their lives.