Each year, an average of 40,000 animals are abandoned in France during the summer months.
Many cats are therefore waiting for a new family in many shelters.
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Why adopt a cat from a shelter?
The
animal shelters
are run by animal protection organizations.
They only accept animals directly abandoned on site by their owner and animals from the pounds.
Some shelters are struggling to find new families for their residents… In fact, the number of abandoned cats only increases over time.
Still, cats are endearing pets.
They provide us with many benefits, especially against loneliness and stress.
Just petting your cat lowers blood pressure.
Certainly, by adopting in an animal shelter, you will hardly find a kitten and even less a purebred cat.
But you will find a happy companion who is waiting for only one thing: to find a family.
Note: by choosing to
adopt an abandoned cat
in a shelter, you save two lives.
Indeed, adopting a cat means freeing up a place in the shelter so that another cat is taken care of until its adoption.
Read alsoWhat to do if you find an abandoned animal?
How to choose the right cat in a shelter?
By adopting your new companion from a shelter, you will get to know his character and sometimes his past.
The volunteers of animal shelters will accompany you in your search for adoption because they know well the cats they see on a daily basis.
Indeed, shelters prepare "identity cards" for cats to be adopted.
These sheets bring together information sometimes collected from former owners or recorded by veterinarians and volunteers, on the temperament of felines but also on their health.
This information will allow you to get to know your future four-legged friend better and to anticipate his needs.
Read alsoHow to choose the name of your cat?
Finally,
adopting in a shelter
also means being accompanied by a team of volunteers who will advise you on the arrangements to be made in order to best prepare your cat's arrival in his new home.
What are the procedures for adopting a cat in a shelter?
In France, there are
many shelters
that allow you to adopt a cat.
The best known is undoubtedly the SPA.
If you wish to adopt a cat or a kitten, you will have to fill out an information sheet at the reception of the refuge and provide several supporting documents: identity document and proof of address of less than 3 months.
On the financing side, adopting a cat in a shelter does not cost excessively much.
By adopting a cat, we give back a participation but which remains much lower than what we should have paid for the purchase of a kitten.
For example, the
SPA
requests a financial contribution of 150 € corresponding to the identification, vaccination and sterilization of the cat.
Finally, for the adoption of an "
SOS
" cat (old cat) or
"rescue operation"
(animals that have spent more than a year in a shelter), participation is free at the time of adoption.
Adopting an animal commits you, it's a decision that you will have to think carefully. Do not hesitate to contact your veterinarian or the shelter closest to you before starting. They will be able to give you advice on which cat breed is best for you.
