The Joys of an Adult Cat

So many people want kittens. Please consider the following:

Older cats often adjust quickly and easily to new situations, walking in like 'been there, done that'.

Older cats don't climb your curtains or run the Indy 500 in the middle of the night.

Older cats are more affectionate - the older they get, often the more lap time they want.

Older cats have developed a good immune system.
Older cats have a stronger stomach tolerance and don't get the upsets as easily as kittens.

Older cats don't require constant supervision - kittens do.

Older cats are TRULY appreciative that YOU have deemed them worthy of love - kittens will love everyone.

People think they are going to get a kitten and then 'train' it to be just so - not so - Each meezer's personality is unique. With Older cats, you can get an idea of what that personality is like before hand. We have these older cats in our homes, we can tell you whether they scratch the furniture, jump on the counters, like dogs, yowl at night. With a kitten, you won't know this for several years.

Most folks call and ask for kittens, so we don't see as many kittens. The shelters can place kittens, and owners aren't likely to give up something they just got. We see the most wonderful, most loving, most appreciative, often laid back young adult/middle aged/older cats.

Yes, with Rescue, sometimes they come with some emotional baggage. There truly are a number of special needs older cats - wouldn't you be insecure if you had been moved out of your home and left alone by your family? But I TRULY 100% believe that these cats KNOW when they are in a temporary situation and when they are in a permenant situation, and when they arrive in your home, after the initial 'newness' of it wears off and they know you are going to love, honor and obey them (let's not forget that 'obey', this is critical with meezers), they will give you such joy and companionship and unconditional love, be it for 3 years or 13 years, that it makes the reasons for living and loving all the more obvious.

Please consider adding an older meezer to your household. At the risk of speaking for others, I believe there are many who could testify what joy these cats have brought to them:

Ms. Pagan, who adopted Cleo at age 10, and adores her beyond everything. A year later, both are doing wonderfully together.

Rose, who took Ashton, (age 11), and you can see the joy in her face.

Beth and teenage daughter and son, who took Marzipan (9), slighly blind, but love her to no end.

Faye, who took the one eyed wonder Ari, at 14, and sent pictures of the most content-looking meezer you've ever seen. A year later, still going strong!

And Mamagayo, who arrived here in June of '98 and will retire here - the vet said she was 'older than the wind', and for those of you who've seen her, she looks it; she drools, she's blind, she leaves little presents on my pillow. And if she lives another day or another thousand days, every day that I have known her has given me love that I didn't have before.

Jennifer, whose mom adopted an older cat, reports: I was concerned that an older cat wouldn't give her the affection a cat owned from a kitten would, and she had all sorts of trouble finding an older Meezer. I have never seen such an affectionate cat (and such a spoiled one). The most important aspect is that thanks to an older cat a lonely old woman now has a new lease on life.

And Jean's comment: I am all for adopting older cats.. they know who they are, their personalities are established so you know beforehand what you are getting, and they have a lot of love to give. They are more settled, pay more attention to you as well as being better listeners, and they are grateful. I personally think there is no better companion in the animal world than an adult meezer.

Think about it!

Please.