Where to get your cat

There are a number of shelters and foster family networks that you can get your cat. Do not limit yourself to a single facility - there are many kittens and grown cats out there that need a home! Foster family networks generally take in cats "as needed"; some of these cats are strays, or "cast-aways" from families who cannot care of the cats any longer.

It is very important to try to play/interact with the cat before you take him or her home. Shelters generally have "interview" or "meeting" rooms so that you can interact one-on-one (or family-on one) with the potential new member of the family. If you cat is currently being fostered, you get to see them interact in a "home" environment. Spend at least 10 minutes with each cat. If you're taking home multiples, try to get cats that are obvious pairs, or siblings. Also, if you have another cat at home, think about which cat personalities would work best with your current cat. Older cats, for example, do not like being around kittens as they are a lot more active than what older cats are more accustomed.

If you're planning on taking home a young kitten (6 months or younger), most facilities require that you have at least one other cat at home, or you must adopt two kittens from the facility that same day. This is because other cat-cat interaction is a very important part to a young cat's growth. Some kittens must also be adopted as a pair (as they may be from the same litter and very attached). Always plan ahead since it may cost twice as much to adopt two kittens! You may also find that you'd like a more social cat, who has a play buddy up for adoption too. I've included a snippet received from MEOW on why kittens should be adopted in pairs.

Shelter List

The following is a list of shelters in the Greater Seattle and Eastside areas. Some adoption agencies are individual homes where volunteers are fostering cats until a permanent home has been found.

Other Resources

Many shelters and organizations such as the Humane Society have partnerships with local pet stores to "showcase" their pets. Stores that have adoption centers are PetSmart and PetCo. Contact your local stores to find out if they have an adoption center, or a "mobile" adoption center that will be visiting them soon.

Another great resource that you can use to find a pet is PetFinder.com - This is a great web site for anyone, regardless of where they are, to find a furry friend. PetFinder is used by almost every animal shelter facility and organization to "post" available pets online. There is also additional information about each facility online (i.e. is it a shelter, or is it a network of volunteers?) - and a link to their web site if one exists.

One more thing...

Unless you're ready to love your cat for the rest of his or her life, please don't just adopt a cat because it seemed like a good idea at the time. There are many cats out there who are abandoned or returned to shelters shortly after their adoption because their new parents realized that owning a cat was perhaps a bad decision at the time. Returning to shelters can be a very painful and stressful experience for each cat. You wouldn't want your parents to abandon you, so please don't abandon the cat.

If you find that you are no longer able to keep your cat, return him or her to the shelter. Most shelters promise to take back their cats. Do not abandon your cat!