Questions to Ask Before Adopting a Cat
Twenty questions for the shelter, rescue or foster carer about a specific cat: where they came from, what testing and dental work has been done, how they behave when handled, how they were with other animals, and what the return policy is. Written for a first adoption or a household that already has pets.
The questions
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How long has this cat been with you, and where did they come from?
Why ask it
A cat surrendered by an owner comes with a history someone can describe. A stray brought in three weeks ago does not, and the shelter will be guessing about litter habits, other pets and noise tolerance. Neither is a reason to walk away, but the two situations need very different levels of caution at home.
Are they in a foster home or in the shelter, and who has actually lived with them?
Why ask it
Foster carers are the most valuable source of information available to you, because a cat in a kennel behaves almost nothing like the same cat in a living room. If there is a foster, ask to speak to them directly rather than relying on the summary on the listing.
How old do you think they are, and how was that estimated?
Why ask it
Ages for cats without paperwork are often estimated from teeth and coat, and can be out by years in either direction. It matters because it changes what you should budget for: an eight-year-old described as five will need dental and bloodwork sooner than you were planning.
Have they been tested for feline leukaemia and FIV, and when?
Why ask it
Both change how you introduce a cat to other cats and what care they will need. Ask for the date, since tests done very early in a kitten's life are sometimes repeated later, and a cat tested on intake a year ago has had time in shared spaces since.
What vaccinations and parasite treatment have they had, and what's due next?
Why ask it
You want the dates and the product names to hand to your own vet, not a reassurance that everything is up to date. Kittens need a course rather than a single dose, so ask which stage they are at and when the next appointment falls.
Are they spayed or neutered and microchipped, and who is the chip registered to?
Why ask it
Chips are frequently left registered to the shelter or a previous owner, which means a lost cat gets returned to the wrong contact. Get the chip number in writing and transfer the registration yourself in the first week; almost nobody remembers to do this.
Has a vet looked at their teeth and mouth?
Why ask it
Dental disease is one of the most common and most expensive things found in adopted adult cats, and it is easy to miss because cats hide mouth pain and keep eating. If nobody has checked, assume a dental assessment is part of your first year's costs.
Is there any history of urinary problems, vomiting, diarrhoea, or weight loss?
Why ask it
These four cover most of the chronic problems that turn into ongoing bills. Urinary trouble matters especially in male cats, since a blockage is an emergency, and a cat with a history of one needs a specific diet and a household that notices litter box changes quickly.
Is the cat on any medication or prescription diet now, and what does that cost per month?
Why ask it
Ask for the monthly figure rather than the name of the condition. Thyroid medication, prescription food and insulin are manageable but permanent, and knowing the number now is fairer to you and to the cat than discovering it after you have taken them home.
What food and litter are they used to?
Why ask it
Changing both at once, on top of a house move, is a reliable way to produce diarrhoea and litter box refusal in the first week. Buy the same brands for the first fortnight and change gradually afterward, which costs you nothing and prevents the most common early problem.
How do they use the litter box, and has there ever been a problem outside it?
Why ask it
Ask plainly, because this is the issue most likely to end an adoption. Accidents in a shelter often reflect stress or a shared box rather than a permanent habit, but a documented history of spraying or avoidance needs a vet check and a plan, not optimism.
Have they lived indoors only, and do they try to get outside?
Why ask it
A cat who has always had outdoor access may sit at the door and cry for weeks, and one raised entirely indoors is at real risk if you plan to let them out. Ask what they do when a door opens, since that single behaviour shapes how careful your household has to be.
Are they declawed, and do they scratch furniture?
Why ask it
Declawed cats sometimes avoid litter because digging hurts, and some are more likely to bite, having lost their first line of defence. If the cat has claws, ask what surfaces they prefer, then buy that kind of scratching post before they arrive rather than after your sofa is ruined.
What do they do when a stranger walks in?
Why ask it
The honest answers range from greeting people at the door to hiding for hours. Neither is a fault, but they suit different homes: a cat who bolts at any new voice is a difficult fit for a house with frequent visitors or young children's friends.
How do they behave when picked up, brushed, or handled at the vet?
Why ask it
Cats who dislike handling need a different plan: carrier training, a vet used to nervous animals, and realistic expectations about grooming. Long-haired cats who resist brushing eventually need sedated grooming, which is a genuine ongoing expense worth knowing about now.
Have they lived with other cats, dogs, or children, and how did that go?
Why ask it
Ask for a specific past example rather than a prediction, because shelter staff are often guessing. 'Good with dogs' based on one calm afternoon is not the same as having lived alongside one, and this is the answer that most often needs to be checked with a foster carer.
How long are they left alone in their current home, and what happens when they are?
Why ask it
Cats vary far more than their reputation suggests, and some become genuinely distressed alone, crying, over-grooming or soiling. If you work long days, this question and the answer to it should decide whether you adopt one cat or a pair who already live together.
Why did the last home give them up?
Why ask it
Most surrenders are about people rather than cats: a move, a landlord, an allergy, a death, money. But if the stated reason is behaviour, ask exactly what happened, how often, and what was tried, because that detail tells you whether it was a solvable problem or an unaddressed one.
What would you say is the hardest thing about this cat?
Why ask it
Rescues and fosters know, and most will tell you if asked directly, since a failed adoption costs them more than a lost one. An answer of nothing at all usually means nobody has spent much time with the animal, which is itself worth knowing before you decide.
If it doesn't work out, what's your return policy, and can I call you for advice first?
Why ask it
Good rescues take their animals back for life and expect the occasional call in week two. An organisation with no return route, or one that treats the question as an insult, is telling you that any problem you hit will be yours alone to solve.
Getting an adoption off to a good start
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
What you are actually committing to
An indoor cat commonly lives into their mid or late teens, and some live longer, so an adoption is a commitment measured in years rather than seasons. The predictable costs are food, litter, annual vaccinations and a check-up. The unpredictable ones are dental work, a urinary blockage, or a chronic condition in later life, any of which can run into four figures. Decide before you visit how you would handle a large unexpected bill, whether through savings or insurance bought while the cat is still healthy, since insurers exclude conditions that already exist.
Reading a cat you meet at a shelter
- A cat pressed to the back of a cage is showing you the effect of the shelter, not their personality. Ask to sit quietly with them in a separate room instead.
- Visit twice, at different times of day, and ask staff which visit was more typical.
- Watch whether they choose to come to you. A cat who approaches on their own terms usually settles faster than one who tolerates being held.
- Ignore the label on the front of the cage. Words like affectionate and shy are written quickly and rarely revised.
- Ask the person who cleans that room every morning. They see the animal unobserved and often know it best.
One cat or two
Two kittens raised together are usually easier than one, because they exhaust each other rather than your ankles, and bonded adult pairs are the animals most often overlooked in shelters. But two cats mean double the food, litter and vet costs, and adding a second adult cat later to a home where one is already established can take months of careful introduction and sometimes never fully works. If you know you are out of the house all day, ask about pairs who already live together rather than planning to add a companion later.
The first two weeks at home
- Set up one quiet room with the litter box, food, water and a hiding place, and let them stay there until they choose to come out.
- Keep the same food and litter you were told about, and change them gradually after the fortnight, one at a time.
- Expect hiding, night activity and a poor appetite for several days. A cat not eating at all after two days needs a vet, not more patience.
- Keep other pets on the other side of a closed door at first, swapping bedding between rooms so they learn each other by smell before they meet.
- Book a vet appointment in the first week or two, even if the shelter provided a health check, so you have your own baseline and a relationship with a practice before an emergency.
What a good rescue will ask you
- Whether you rent, and if so, whether pets are allowed in writing.
- How many hours the cat would be alone on a normal day.
- Whether you intend to let the cat outside, and what the road and neighbourhood are like.
- Who else lives in the house, including children's ages and other animals.
- What you would do if you moved, or if someone developed an allergy.
- Being questioned closely is a good sign. An organisation that hands over an animal with no questions at all is not screening for the animal's benefit or for yours.