Meet Grandpaw. He’s a two year old cat with arthritis, and he’s our new fur baby. Back in November, I talked about not being ready for human babies, but feeling ready for a fur baby. Two months and many applications later, our wish came true. Today’s post is going to be a chatty one, introducing Grandpaw to my readers and the internet world, and sharing our cat adoption story.
The Adoption Process
We started submitting applications about two months ago. We mainly used Petfinder, and clicked through to the shelter’s site from there when we saw a cat we fancied. Most of the applications were the same – they asked questions about what we did for a living, and questions to see if we would know what we were doing as cat owners.
Most of our applications were met with silence. One shelter contacted us, went silent for weeks, contacted one of our references, then went silent again for weeks. When we called to follow up, they said the person handling our application was on vacation, and would reach out to us when she returned to work. Cue the crickets. Funny enough, my sister adopted a cat from this same shelter – this fact did not do us any favors. Another shelter had us submit an application, then utilize their website to book the appointment ourselves. We checked every day, multiple times a day for weeks, and it always said no times were available.
Then one day, we stumbled upon Grandpaw’s profile. The description said he was a very friendly cat, who would greet people at the door, and was a favorite of the volunteers. He has arthritis in his back legs, and requires medication to manage it. We submitted an application Tuesday night, got a call from the shelter on Wednesday, and on Saturday we adopted Grandpaw.
Bringing Grandpaw Home
The ride home was a bumpy one. Grandpaw went #1 and #2 in his carrier. Whether it was the stress of being in a car, or just mother nature calling, we don’t know. Once home, he had no trouble adjusting to the house. He poked around the first floor for a bit, then quickly found his way upstairs to explore. He spent most of the afternoon downstairs with us, then hid under the bed upstairs for most of the evening.
Grandpaw spent most of the first day hiding under the bed. After that, he started spending more and more time downstairs. It’s been a little over a week now, and Grandpaw spends most of his time by our side, nuzzling his head against us and purring whenever he can. He’s definitely a social cat!
Thoughts on Adoption
We heard mixed things from friends and family about how long the adoption process takes. Some people were able to adopt very quickly, while for others it took weeks to months. It was a little disheartening to submit so many applications to different shelters, and be met with silence or be ghosted. It was also frustrating not knowing if we were doing something wrong, or if the shelter just had too many applicants.
I read some articles online, such as this one from NBC, that talked about how tough it can be to get your pet adoption application approved. One individual said her application was rejected because she was not a “stay-at-home puppy parent,” and had to quit her job to be approved. Although I’m sure not every shelter is this particular, I started thinking that maybe our applications were being rejected for reasons like this that we wouldn’t normally think would be an issue.
We’re new to the adoption process, and we don’t claim to be experts, but I would hope that if there are so many animals in need of good homes, that shelters wouldn’t be unreasonably picky with applications as long as the applicants seem like decent, responsible humans.
If you’re looking to adopt a pet and it feels like your applications are being sent into the abyss, I hope sharing my cat adoption story will help you to not lose hope, and continue searching for a furry friend. It took us two months to find Grandpaw, but we couldn’t be happier with the match.
Have you adopted a pet? What was your experience with adopting? Let me know in the comments down below!
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Thanks for reading!
Such an amazing story and the cutest cat! I rescued my dog from the Humane Society and it was the best decision I have ever made. Not only did we end up with the sweetest girly, but we got to give a shelter dog a loving home💗 I’m glad you decided to adopt as well!
Thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear that you were able to rescue such a sweet and deserving dog! Adopting our cat has changed our world in the best ways, and I’m glad to hear it’s been the same for you!
This story is so beautiful, and I am so happy that you were able to adopt him and give him a home! I have adopted my last two dogs. The first was in 2005, where the rules for pet adoption were so different than they are now. Back then, we met my dog and took her home that very same day. When I adopted my dog Lucy in 2019, things were a little different. WE visited the shelter on a Saturday, we fell in love with her, and I put in an application for her that day. That following Friday, she came home. I’m sure that the pandemic has influenced the timing of adopting and the process. But congratulation on your cat nonetheless!
Thank you so much! I think the pandemic has influenced the adoption process too. Many of the shelters said they were receiving more applications than usual, and I wonder if it’s because more people are working from home and able to adopt and be home with their pets. It’s also possible not many people wanted to adopt a sick cat, which meant we were more likely to be able to adopt him. Whatever the reason, we’re over the moon that we got to be his parents. Thank you so much again for the lovely comment and sharing your story!