Are you interested in owning a cat to improve your life, become a faithful friend, or expand your family? There are plenty of excellent reasons to own a cat.
When you’re ready to own a cat, you can do so in two ways. You can purchase a cat from a pet store, breeder, or friend or adopt one from a shelter, another family, or an animal rescue group.
We strongly encourage you to adopt a cat into your forever home rather than purchase one.
Here are 7 reasons (plus one bonus!) why you should adopt a cat.
Table of Contents
- Know Your Cat’s Personality
- Help Prevent Excessive Breeding
- Give An Adult Cat A New Home
- Save A Cat From Euthanasia
- Adopt A Cat To Improve Your Life
- Choose Your Breed
- Save Lots Of Cash
- BONUS – Adopt To Become A Role Model
- Final Thoughts
Know Your Cat’s Personality
Adopting a cat means seeing your new cat’s behaviour and traits before you take them home. You might meet a lively and energetic cat which would need a big house or to be an outdoor cat.
Or you might meet a cat that loves to snooze all day which would be perfect for a small quiet home. This means you get to see if your new cat fits what you are looking for and will suit you and your home before you take them home.
Cats from shelters may also come with some medical history and a veterinary check-up, so you will know if they have any existing health issues.
Help Prevent Excessive Breeding
By adopting a cat, you do your part to help end the needless breeding of cats for profit.
This is dangerous for their health and well-being in the short term, and over generations of cats bred to emphasise certain traits.
Every adopted cat takes demand away from these organisations to stop the activity.
Give An Adult Cat A New Home
There are many kittens at shelters, but one big reason to adopt a cat is to give an older cat a new, happy home. Many people love the idea of having a kitten, but it is more difficult to look after, which doesn’t suit everyone.
Adopting an adult cat means bringing home a less energetic, calmer, and independent pet.
Save A Cat From Euthanasia
Shelters take in huge numbers of animals yearly, and as many as 3 million cats enter U.S shelters yearly.
Whilst not all shelters euthanise unadopted animals, approximately half a million cats are euthanised yearly in the U.S.
Adopting a cat saves their lives and allows shelters to look after other needy animals.
Adopt A Cat To Improve Your Life
Cats have been proven to reduce feelings of stress in humans and make you more resistant to allergies.
They also give you someone to greet you at home after a long day.
Looking after a cat is a rewarding experience and even more so when it is a rescue cat.
Choose Your Breed
It isn’t necessary to purchase a cat to get the specific breed you want. Shelters always have many breeds looking for a new home, and you can check different shelters to see what cats are available.
If you visit a shelter, you may also find your future pet to be a different breed to the one you wanted. Cats have different personalities even within each breed and by meeting them before taking the step to adopt, you can find the right pet for you.
Save Lots Of Cash
Buying kittens from breeders can be extremely expensive. Adopting a cat is much cheaper, and whilst you may need to pay a small amount to adopt, this money will go towards looking after other animals at the shelter who still need to find a home.
According to the Animal Humane Society, the standard adoption fee for cats and kittens is $39‒$317, including initial food, insurance and required medication. This shows how much money can be saved by adopting a cat which you could spend on food, toys and care costs instead.
Compare this to the average cost from a breeder, where kittens will cost around $500-$1000; however, some pure breeds can cost many times that.
Here are the average costs for many popular breeds to buy a kitten:
| Breed Name | Average Cost |
| Bengal | $1,000 – $1,800 |
| British Shorthair | $950 – $1,250 |
| Savannah | $4,500 – $7,500 |
| Norwegian Forest | $1,100 – $1,500 |
| Persian | $1,000 – $1,500 |
| Peterbald | $1,800 – $3,000 |
| Ragdoll | $1,000 – $1,400 |
| Russian Blue | $500 – $1,500 |
| Sphynx | $1,000 – $2,000 |
| Scottish Fold | $800 – $2,000 |
BONUS – Adopt To Become A Role Model
If you adopt a cat rather than buy one, you can help spread the word that fantastic pets are available in shelters that need a loving home. If your family and friends want to own a cat, you can encourage them to adopt rather than buy one.
You will also become part of the community of pet-loving adopters who share your love for shelter pets.
You can be a proud advocate to Adopt Don’t Shop.
Final Thoughts
Adopting a cat from a shelter is a rewarding experience. These reasons to adopt a cat will show you why.
You will provide a cat with a new start in life and support the good work carried out by your local shelters in the community.
It may not be the right choice for everyone, but with so many cats in shelters worldwide, you can help support the cause to Adopt Don’t Shop.